Veronica Fish Illustration

Dispatches from Japan 第21回 - ShinjukuGyoenmae 新宿公園前

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica Fish) — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:16:00 +0000

Yes, these Japan posts are going to last well into the rest of the year, so you'll just have to deal with that.

So many art projects going on right now, promise to post updates on those as soon as possible.

In the meantime, here are some pictures from a brief walk through Shinjuku Koen.

「真谷子さんと麻衣さん、私達のお会いをボツたって本当に住みません！その時にまだす〜ごく病気だったんだ。その上、一時間だけあって、日を変わって。。。めちゃくちゃ、ごめんね！」　：（

Storm + pics from the week

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica Fish) — Sun, 19 May 2013 20:04:00 +0000

New art ending on eBay in a few hours :)

link

So crazy busy, one of the things I both love and hate, I guess? Well, okay I never hate it, but it can be stressful.

Here are some pics from the past 2 weeks, flea markets, nurseries and seeing some amazing art by Michael Hachey

I think his work is really wonderful

At PJ's diner somewhere in Western Mass.

(go for the red pepper hash, stay for the Children's art gallery)

My new favorite food EVER -

Tortas from Tenoch

Breezy Bend Nursery + Llama Farm

At Brimfield this Tuesday, check out this great poster:

Gogia Pasha and his Bhoot Mahal!

He's Gilly Gilly Wonderman,

the World's Greatest Magician !

Dispatches from Japan 第20回 notes from April

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica Fish) — Fri, 17 May 2013 01:58:00 +0000

Roy Clark + a vegan whoopie pie

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica Fish) — Wed, 15 May 2013 02:06:00 +0000

The studio this morning.

Stopped into the Bean Counter for a client meeting, had a great vegan maple whoopie pie and anEarl Grey tea.

Because my father is a life-long guitar player, I grew up listening to him practicing in his room, and the sound of acoustic guitars always resonates good memories with me.

Andy and I have been watching lots of episodes of the Odd Couple lately, and this episode with Roy Clark was just so awesome, I had to share this fantastic clip of him playing "Malaguena"

He turned 80 just last month, wow, and he's still playing, that's pretty amazing (thank you Wiki)

Here are a few more clips of his incredible range

(and "Black Sapphire" on HeeHaw with animated pigs for some reason)

Can you tell he's a classically trained violinist?

Cherry Blossoms on the Tenpaku River

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica Fish) — Mon, 13 May 2013 01:41:00 +0000

✿Happy Mother's Day!❀

Here are more images from Japan

Some shots from this March, along the Tenpaku in Nagoya :)

My dream of seeing the cherry blossoms came true this year,

and it was just as magical as I'd hoped ❤

the octopus eggs vendor

Nabano Sato Illuminations なばの里イルミネーション

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica Fish) — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Nabano Sato [site]

The Illuminations are every February - March, then March - April they host a fab tulip/spring flower festival.

I do not recommend going on the last weekend though... wow was it crowded!

But with a special deal you can get your train ticket included, about $10 worth of free food and a discount on your admission - ...

so I highly recommend that in case you want to lessen the sting of a hundred bajillion people crammed up against you walking half mile an hour for 189 minutes...

But hey, look at all these awesome pictures I got out of it :D

Review: Le Pen + Le Plume Pen Sets

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica Fish) — Tue, 07 May 2013 21:29:00 +0000

The good people at Marvy Uchida asked me to review their line of Le Pens + Le Plume, which was a pleasure since I've used many of their products for years.

* PS : Here are 2 more lines I love by Marvy Uchida: DecoColor Paint Markers / Fabric Brush Markers

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇ LE PLUME Brush Pens ◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

◉ Alcohol-based ink, soft brush tip, permanent, 141 colors available
◉ $3 ea. / sets of 6 for $18 ea. BUY IT HERE

PROS: Very beautiful array of colors, dries fast,
CONS: May bleed easily, tip may be too soft for some

NOTES: Not good for the super detailed-oriented, but can get beautiful skin tones and blends well. Lovely variety of shades, good lifespan, great on heavy papers. Grade: A-

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇ LE PENS Permanent Markers ◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

◉ writes on most surfaces, permanent + opaque, 3 tip sizes
◉ about $1.50 ea. BUY IT HERE

NOTES: The Fine tip isn't as smooth as the Drawing pen w/ the same size tip, but it's great for times you don't want to use your nice stuff. Fine Tip: B- / Medium Tip: A+ / Broad Tip: A+

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇ LE PENS Drawing ◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

◉ Permanent technical drawing pens, available in 7 tip sizes
◉ about $2 ea. BUY IT HERE

NOTES: The smaller tips are close enough to be indistinguishable (0.05 vs. 0.03) but they dry fast, have a solid life span and can take a good amount of abuse. Technical Pens: A / Brush Pen: C-

Be careful applying the blender, put too much and it will actually take color away, depending on the look you want.

Try blending colors on their own by applying them together, while the first layer is still fresh.

^ Here is a close up of some layered doodles. Some of the colors sit very nicely on top of each other, and they naturally blend a bit even without the clear blender.

^ You can see here (above) the second layer of light red (on the nose and cheek bones) didn't add to the color but rather pushed it away, forming those strange rims.

I'd recommend (with all alcohol-based products) to test out your layered colors on scrap paper first!

^ Only the Le Plume brush pens used until this point (above), then finished with technical pens (below)

The Le Plume pens went over pencil nicely, remember that the softer lead you use, the more graphite will get smudged around by the alcohol in the pen.

The skin tones layered really well, although you can see above in one example it didn't work out as expected.

The colors are vibrant, and although my husband said my studio smelled like a bar, I couldn't really tell ...? Maybe you guys will smell them but I really wasn't bothered by it.

If you are to control your color application these will take some getting used to, you can see in the example above in the right corner I tried blending my strokes together. Two stacks of short strokes were a bit tricky to blend smoothly.

......

Bottom line: If you are a control freak, these pens will bother you. They will blend a little bit, the tip needs to be used gingerly and they take a little bit of finesse.

Who are these for? These pens would be excellent for the kind of person that loves to add a bit of color to their sketchbooks, putting down nice grays over some comic artwork, and for those of us who dig brush pens.

I really enjoyed these guys a lot, they have beautiful colors and a good lifespan.

My recommendation: start with buying maybe 2 colors that you really need such as a light gray and another shade you use often. Try combining them with different pens you own, test them out on different paper weights, and see if you like them!

On to the Drawing Pens!

The Le Pen Drawing Set is a really handsome one, isn't it?

These were really great, excellent line quality, I loved the long, silver tip holder that balanced well against a ruler.

They dried fast and held up well to erasing pencil underneath.

My only issue is actually with the brush pen, not the fine point pens at all.

The brush pen really wasn't for me.

It is a felt brush tip instead of fine hairs, so you can see in the example below it just doesn't hold up to the line quality of the Pentel Sign Pen.

If you aren't using this particular brush pen for fine work, it's not bad to have around. But I used it to do sketches at Free Comic Book Day this weekend, and it was worn down noticeably after just one full day of vigorous use.

......

Bottom line: If you are a control freak, you will love these.

Who are these for? These pens would be excellent for the kind of person that does fine, technical work, or even lettering comic pages.

I liked these more than my Microns, actually, but personally I'd pass on the brush unless you don't use brush pens often and need to round out your supplies.

My recommendation: You may not need the 0.03 and the 0.05, because they are both so similar, but it depends on the kind of work you do. These are great for inking machines or other man-made objects in comics, or even just jotting down notes in your Moleskin!

On to the Permanent Markers!

I really liked these guys, too, especially the Medium + Broad tips!

In fact, I loved them, even though they were quite heavy and bled a bit.

But that's what they do, they are super opaque, juicy, heavy permanent markers! They work on lots of surfaces, dry fast and are great for marking up stuff.

These are really solid pens, I liked how they felt in my hand, and don't leave that maroon shine thing after it dries.

......

Bottom line: These totally give Sharpies a run for their money

So how are two similar pens different?

You can see here how the Drawing Pen has a smoother line than the Permanent, but you can write on my surfaces using the Permanent one.

So thanks for reading!

I'll have one more review of Le Pens up soon, stay tuned!

Spring in Japan 1

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica Fish) — Sun, 05 May 2013 23:35:00 +0000

Going through my Nikon, finished editing the bajillion pictures from Japan, here are a few from around the neighborhood of Hirabari, Nagoya

This is basically what I saw every day, leaving my brother's apartment

Free Comic Book Day Sat. 5/4

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica Fish) — Sat, 04 May 2013 00:07:00 +0000

Hello friends,

Andy and I will be appearing at Free Comic Book Day tomorrow (Saturday May 4th) from 9am-12pm noon at Friendly Neighborhood Comics in Bellingham, MA

We'll both be doing sketches, and I'll have copies of Frankenstein 1921 issues 1, 2 and the first Special Preview (the one released last year)

Dispatches from Japan 第19回 - Departures 出発

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica Fish) — Wed, 01 May 2013 12:07:00 +0000

These are the last of my iPad-snapped Japan photos, I actually have 800 more on my Nikon! Whoa-ho-ho!

But don't worry I won't dump all of those here, just the best 50 or so over the next few weeks.

Staying there for a month was just long enough to start developing a new daily routine, and weirdly I found myself experiencing some culture shock coming back to my own country.

Why isn't the bank or post office open until 9pm?
Why aren't the grocers wearing hair nets and gloves?
Why isn't the arriving train announced with a cute jingly bell song?
Where is the genkan in my apartment?
Shouldn't tofu man be bringing around his cart about now?

Oh right! Because I'm not in Japan anymore, and I actually forgot for a second.

Isn't that strange? It's not really along time but it felt quite that way.

Dispatches from Japan 第18回赤池

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica Fish) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 23:42:00 +0000

Pictures from a lovely old section of Tenpaku, Akaike or "red pond" (aka-ee-kay)

Finally over jetlag, took less time than before, just 6 days to full recovery! Years ago it took 9 or 10 I think? I just remember it hit me really hard, I completely slept through Halloween '10!

Dispatches from Japan 第17回ヒルズヲーク

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica Fish) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 04:00:00 +0000

Here are more pics of Hills Walk, in Nagoya

The more I stayed in Nagoya, the more I realized Tokyo isn't really some kind of glorious Mecca. It's awesome, don't get me wrong, but there is nothing there I can't experience in other cities in Japan.

Well, except visiting Yuka! And that's worth any trip.

sakura-flavored mini donuts

Dispatches from Japan 第16回 - 立ち飲み

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica Fish) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 03:49:00 +0000

Back in MA now, can't even express how much I despised our flights (simply the worst travel experiences of my entire life)

Except our domestic Japan Airlines flights (which actually were the most superb flying experiences of my life.) So 2 out of 7 were perfect, 5 were utter Hell.

So happy to be reunited with my husband, I cried when I saw him!

.......................................

Aaanyway... More pictures from Japan!

At my brother's local joint, きくや the "Cheers" of Hirabari

It was an amazing experience, and priceless family bonding time.

.......................................

I've never spoken so much Japanese before, it was pretty nerve wracking at first, but after an Asahi I was good to go, choppy mistakes and all.

Ended up meeting a made-for-TV film director, an architectural draughtsman, an office lady the same age as me, and lots of other cool people.

The key to getting better at anything

is to not be afraid of making mistakes!

Try to have NO ego!

No one cares as much as you think they do - just go for it!

shelves and shelves full of manga to read

Can you tell how much I love Kumamon?

The architect's customer special - grilled ham slices with macaroni salad + eggs

(it was amazing! ごちそうさまでした！)

Al's special - Thai-Style cheese fries with sweet chili sauce

They close at midnight but we ended up staying until 1:20am!

But the guy was super nice about it

すみません！　お疲れさまでしたね！

Olivia from Fringe

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica Fish) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 10:57:00 +0000

Last month I finished work on a new painting for Gallery 1988 for their JJ Abrams tribute show "The Bad Robot Experience"

One show I liked that didn't get a long enough life span was "Fringe", coincidentally an episode was shot + set in my hometown, Worcester, Massachusetts!

And it also had Joshua Jackson from Dawson's Creek, which yes I watched every week in 8th grade...

Now I can finally post this!

Available at Gallery 1988 Melrose, April 26th - May 18th

I think I like it a bit better this way...

If you are in the area, please check out the show! It looks amazing!

Olivia from Fringe painting process

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica Fish) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:31:00 +0000

Some process work for a recent painting.

Tried experimenting with doing the underpainting in brush pen, and found it was a pretty good experience.

Used these, Tombow Dual Tip Brush Pens, which are actually water soluble, and the dual tips were really useful.

Can't decide which way I like it ...

Available for purchase at Gallery 1988 Melrose starting April 26th

Dispatches from Japan 第15回出発

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica Fish) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:26:00 +0000

Preparing to leave Japan tomorrow after a month.

So many wonderful memories to take home to Massachusetts. Here are some shots of HillsWalk plaza in Nagoya.

Can't wait to see you, Andy!!

Dispatches from Japan 第14回 - 最後週末

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica Fish) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 12:01:00 +0000

Last weekend in Japan after a month here, I'm sure I'll be posting many more pictures of this trip long after I'm home in Massachusetts.

Can't wait to see my husband... Miss you Andy

Dispatches from Japan 第13回お好み焼き

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica Fish) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 02:40:00 +0000

ユナって言う定食を注文した。森さんのおすすめを教えてくれた、良かった。

本当に最高だった、すごく美味しかった~ いい思い出になるでしょう

後で姉さんと一緒にプリクラやって見た、高校生達はキョロキョロしていてる、ウワッ
次回はセイラー袋を着るね

My sister in law and her mother took us out for an amazing okonomiyaki place in Ueda. I ordered the set lunch (most places here offer them) called "Yuna",

{it came with yuzu salad, tenmusu, (tempura shrimp in an onigiri) okonomiyaki and coconut pudding for dessert, oh and hojicha latte!}

Then at Hills Walk took photobooth pics with my sister in law. A really nice memory all around.

りきゅうって言うお店 http://www.rikyu-japan.com/

Dispatches from Japan 第12回 This Mystifying World

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica Fish) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:18:00 +0000

Watching the news lately has been just insane, so grateful my family has CNN available in English here.

I mentioned before that the Boston Marathon bombings happened near my parents first home together, where they met, fell in love and had me. I was born at Brigham & Women's hospital, where multiple victims were treated for lost limbs.

Then the craziest part of the story is that the manhunt for the second brother followed from Boston directly in front of my dear friends' house in Watertown. It was frightening here, to see the diner where we always meet, the background to "Swat teams searching houses", "290 shots fired", "suspect hiding in neighborhood"...

I'm thankful for Twitter, was all its glitches, inaccurate crowd sourcing and hopelessly misinformed speculation, was ale to keep me connected to the status of my dear, dead friends.

Friends who were present at my small wedding, who animated our invitations, and opened their home to us, including my other dear friend in Tokyo who loves them as much as I do.

It was insane to be talking to her here in japan, texting updates, then hearing about the explosions in West Texas, praying my aunt wasn't near there (since she lives in Houston and travels quite often)

All in all, an insane week, just unimaginable on so many levels.

Hope you all are well, back stateside this Tuesday.

Dispatches from Japan 第11回 Dusk in Aichi, Letter to Andy

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica Fish) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:17:00 +0000

Dear Andy,

I really miss you. It's bad enough that I don't even want to really do much of anything except wander around aimlessly taking pictures of things.

Maybe it's because it's a passive hobby for me, we can both look through a filter together. That way it won't be like I'm on the other side of the world, that I'm not seeing it in person, but a spectator like you. With you, I mean.

I found out the doctor who treated me is "Ina-sensei".

Like after you feel better you can say "ii na-!"

Haha, cute, right? (Like you're saying "that's nice!")

Love you darling, talk soon,

-Veronica

Dispatches from Japan 第10回 Osu Kannon + Kamimaezu 大須観音+上前津

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica Fish) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:11:00 +0000

Spent an afternoon by myself taking the train from Hirabari 平針 to Osu Kannon 大須観音 and then to Sakae 栄.

Despite being there once before, it was the first time back in 2.5 years, thought I'd get lost. Happily, I was inadvertently going in the right direction!

I gave money to the frog shrine at Gero onsen, so maybe the gods were kind to me.

Osu is Nagoya's version of Tokyo's Akihabara, and Sakae and Fushimi are alot like Daikanyama and Shibuya. Nagoya is a great city, you can find anything here you can find in Tokyo.

Including $7 coffee, yikes

(I avoid cafe coffee since its expensive and just get it from the machines)

I made some roasted pumpkin for lunch! Mm, kabocha

Dispatches from Japan 第9回名古屋農業センター

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica Fish) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 08:37:00 +0000

Woke to the news of the horrible bombings at the Boston Marathon yesterday.

So awful to see a bloody street where my parents first met and fell in love.

Thankfully they were able to control two more un detonated bombs, saving lives undoubtedly.

Strange to see my hometown on the tv on the other side of the earth, the many injured being treated at the hospital where I was born. Makes the pit of my stomach feel knotted and cold.

Nice to see people pulling together for each other, though.

...............................

Here are some pictures from the Nagoya Agricultural Center 名古屋農業センター

Dispatches from Japan 第8回お花見

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica Fish) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 15:50:00 +0000

My first ohanami in Japan was a great experience, and I have my lovely brother and sister in law to thank for facilitating that. Lots of great conversation, (I spoke about %80 in Japanese! It was so great!) and lots of good food and meeting great people.

Then we went to karaoke to meet more lovely people and have more great food. (The little girls are singing the theme song to PreCure 可愛い子供達はプリキュアのテーマソングを歌ている)

I'm learning so much from expats that have really created a great life here. I think it's so important to integrate into your community, otherwise you risk abject loneliness. It's scary to think about relocating, but in an exciting way. I mean you can still be a private person, but you need to reach out to people at some point.

No man is an island, right?

I have a lot of respect for people who learn a new language and reestablish themselves in a country literally on the other side of the globe. Or really anywhere that requires a huge cultural shift.

It has also given me a new appreciation for people learning English! Whoa! Hard stuff! 偉そう！

But despite the fun of ohanami and karaoke, I still feel so sad without my husband. 思いきゃチョウ悲しい

I had no idea I was this emotionally needy! Before him I was super independent, not interested in marriage or anything, definitely working-woman attitude.

But now all I can think about is getting back to him, hoping he's okay, wanting to make him coffee! It's amazing! 欲しがる人になるね

Anyway, some pics for you

とにかく、写真~

Dispatches from Japan 第7回日本より

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica Fish) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 09:55:00 +0000

Had my first experience having McDonalds in Japan, got nuggets with plum blossom sauce (it's spring of course) and matcha green tea milk shake. It was great! A really fun, weird experience. Don't think I need to go back, but I really thought it was a fun bizarre cultural exchange.

Some snaps of book off, the patisserie and breakfast of white peach jam with yogurt.

I keep buying food, I just want to eat everything. I think I've easily gained 7 pounds this month, ugh!

Dispatches from Japan 第6回

noreply@blogger.com (Veronica Fish) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 10:23:00 +0000

In traditional Japanese style I had to get some room slippers (2 sets) and eating as much seasonal cherry-blossom flavored things as possible! It's been awesome!

My new favorite store, Waltz, which features gourmet coffee (whole bean) and lots of awesome baking supplies! I wish we had something like this near me! Michael's just can't hold a candle to the Japanese baking / crafting supply stores!

I bought Sakura flavoring packets - made from real blossoms! Can't wait to use it.

Link to Waltz ワルツ http://www.waltz.co.jp/

商品リンク
http://www.e-ouchicafe.com/SHOP/61424/62259/list.html

Veronica Fish Illustration

Dispatches from Japan 第21回 - ShinjukuGyoenmae 新宿公園前

Storm + pics from the week

Dispatches from Japan 第20回 notes from April

Roy Clark + a vegan whoopie pie

Cherry Blossoms on the Tenpaku River

Nabano Sato Illuminations なばの里イルミネーション

Review: Le Pen + Le Plume Pen Sets

Spring in Japan 1

Free Comic Book Day Sat. 5/4

Dispatches from Japan 第19回 - Departures 出発

Dispatches from Japan 第18回 赤池

Dispatches from Japan 第17回 ヒルズヲーク

Dispatches from Japan 第16回 - 立ち飲み

Olivia from Fringe

Olivia from Fringe painting process

Dispatches from Japan 第15回 出発

Dispatches from Japan 第14回 - 最後週末

Dispatches from Japan 第13回 お好み焼き

Dispatches from Japan 第12回 This Mystifying World

Dispatches from Japan 第11回 Dusk in Aichi, Letter to Andy

Dispatches from Japan 第10回 Osu Kannon + Kamimaezu 大須観音+上前津

Dispatches from Japan 第9回 名古屋農業センター

Dispatches from Japan 第8回 お花見

Dispatches from Japan 第7回 日本より

Dispatches from Japan 第6回

Dispatches from Japan 第18回赤池

Dispatches from Japan 第17回ヒルズヲーク

Dispatches from Japan 第15回出発

Dispatches from Japan 第13回お好み焼き

Dispatches from Japan 第9回名古屋農業センター

Dispatches from Japan 第8回お花見

Dispatches from Japan 第7回日本より