I am not a pawn

I am not a pawn, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

Woodblock print. It's (mostly) a joke, and I think I made it in reaction to a horrible art professor. (He was the worst! Although he never hit on his students, which is supposedly something of a rarity in the academic art world, so that's something.)

Oil-based ink on rice paper.

Man

Man, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

There are a lot of reasons why I don't draw much, and here is one of them!

Micron ink on brown paper. No reference used.

H is for Hedgehog

H is for Hedgehog, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

Like the booby before it, "H is for Hedgehog" is part of an illustration project I did for a design class: create thumbnails for a themed alphabet, and produce three full-size letters from that alphabet.

Prismacolor pencils and micron ink on illustration board.

Approx. 13"x18", not counting the borders. Framed and under glass.

B is for Booby

B is for Booby, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

B is for Booby ("I'd rather dance with you,") is part of an illustration project I did for a design class: create thumbnails for a themed alphabet, and produce three full-size letters from that alphabet.

The booby is from the "unusual animal" alphabet series. I was totally going to do an "obscene/awkward animal" alphabet, but I chickened out / didn't want to draw the Cavendish Dik Dik, because goat-like things are hard to draw.

Prismacolor pencils and micron ink on illustration board.

Approx. 13"x18", not counting the borders. Framed and under glass.

Begone, Sadness

Begone, Sadness, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

Inspired by Okkervil River / William Schaff.

I cut this while working the reference desk in college, and used it as wrapping paper for a gift. Through a series of downright odd events, I reclaimed it! And mounted it! And now you, dear reader, get to look at it. Win-Win.

Printer paper and a cardstock envelope mounted on textured backing and under corrugated matboard. Cut with #11 xacto blades.

Charlie

Charlie, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

Long story short: we had a dog, and he was the best dog. He died last year. I carved a wood block with his image and here is a print.

Oil ink print on rice paper. Actual image size is about 2"x3".

The Only Way

The Only Way, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

Title from Twyla Tharp: "Art is the only way to run away without leaving home."

I created this design for the Alpha Rho Tau t-shirt for 2010. Alpha Rho Tau (ART) was the art honorary at my undergrad (based in Michigan, in case you couldn't guess).

Pencil on paper (8.5" x 11"), cleaned in Adobe Illustrator.

Blue-footed booby + announcement

Blue-footed booby, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

ANNOUNCEMENT:

Hey, I take commissions! If there's something you'd like to see, please suggest it; if you'd like me to make something for you or for a special event, ask me!

Send requests to: m.katierose [at] gmail dot com, with a subject heading of "Ankle Cemetery"

On to the illustration: those who know me know that I am particularly fond of the blue-footed booby. I drew this guy for my business card and letterhead when I was in college.

Pen and ink, scanned and colored in Adobe InDesign. No real reference used, but I have pages of doodles of this awkward little bird.

Letter to a new husband

Letter to a new husband, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

"Went home, unpacked wedding gifts, and put them on our shelf."

I cut this piece from a single sheet of black paper; it was a wedding gift for my college roommate and her husband.

Artagain black paper, #11 xacto knife. 18"x22"

Nativity

Nativity, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

I made this for St. Nicholas Day (December 6), but haven't been able to mount it yet. It's pictured here against brown Canson Mi-Tientes drawing paper.

The cutting was partly planned and partly freehand; I drew a basic overlay that became more detailed the longer I worked on it. This one took about a week to complete.

Cut from Strathmore drawing paper (18"x22") using #11 xacto blades.

(Thanks to my sister for photographing it with her iPhone. My camera wasn't working too well.)

Wycinanki, Lowicz-style Flower

Wycinanki, Lowicz-style Flower, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

An homage to the wycinanki style of papercutting. I actually made this piece specifically for the frame, which I found in Racine, WI for $15.

Silhouette paper, xacto knife. Mounted on bristol vellum. Papercut is approx. 3" high.

(I know, I know--nothing new these days. Well, I'm writing a paper on papercut art, so I haven't ignored it entirely.)

Orders of Magnitude

Orders of Magnitude, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

Each number was cut freehand from a 4" square of black paper. It was an exercise in consistency. While "23" is my favorite number, I think the "4" is a particularly lovely specimen.

Artagain black paper, xacto knife. Mounted on illustration board, framed and under glass.

The Skin I'm In

The Skin I'm In, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

I haven't mounted this papercut yet (it's pictured on top of one of my bookbinding assignments here), but I thought I'd post it anyway.

I got the idea from an old anatomy textbook; I love seeing the skeleton within the context of the body.

Silhouette paper (cut with #11 xacto knife). I haven't measured it, but the cutting is fairly small, probably less than 6" high.

Why I'm Not Where You Are

Why I'm Not Where You Are, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

This is a collage done for the theme "distance."

Old maps, an Anthropologie catalogue, and colored pencil mounted on colored paper. All pieces cut with (naturally) my xacto knife. Framed and under textured glass.

Black Ships

Black Ships, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

Papercut of a ship, although I don't really know what type of ship it is. Now in a private collection.

Silhouette paper on bristol vellum. Cut with xacto blades.

Holy Ascension

Holy Ascension, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

A woodcut print of the church I went to when I lived in Michigan. Now in a private collection.

First run (1/3), oil-based ink on rice paper, mounted over Canson Mi-Tientes.

Glenmore Stairs

Glenmore Stairs, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

Papercut of the spiral staircase in my paternal grandparent's house in Wisconsin.

Canson Mi-Tientes paper mounted on Artagain black heavyweight paper. Cut with xacto blades.

Blood Orange

Blood Orange, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

Postage stamp assignment for a Design 1 class in spring of 2008.

Drawn by hand with micron ink and colored pencil. Hand-lettered.

This piece is now in a private collection.

Henry V

Henry V, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

"Thou hast me, if thou hast me, at the worst; and thou shalt wear me, if thou wear me, better and better." (Henry V's proposal to Katherine of Aragon, and forgive me, I don't remember when it happens).

This was an experimental papercut, and a large one at that; I'm pleased with how it turned out, and, personally, think it would be a lovely wedding gift.

400-series Strathmore paper (18”x24”), xacto knife.

Juggling

Juggling, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

It's true, I took Juggling 101 as a physical education credit when I was in college. I did not actually manage to learn how to juggle, which was unfortunate, but Tony was kind enough to let me pass, once I made a poster in lieu of completing the performance part of the final.

Primacolor pencils and ink on illustration board. Typography done by hand.

Nesting

Nesting, a photo by anklecemetery on Flickr.

A large papercut (around 14" wide, I think) of three eggs in a nest; no reference was used.


Silhouette paper, xacto knife. Photographed on Canson Mi-Tientes paper (unmounted).