Lisa Hoffman

Color and Darkness

Here's the Darkness part: A few days ago my computer went all ZERO DARK THIRTY. The big, gorgeous monitor looked back at me and said: "Nope. Not today, Sister" and the whole thing just went black. I have other technology. I do. But I found myself not checking my email. Not posting via I-Pad, which is as much fun as sticking pins into your eyes. I just leaned back into my books and art-ing and stayed busy but tech-less. So family and friends may wonder if I've finally decided to move to Denmark or just kicked up my RUDE-O-Meter by 100 degrees. Not true.....here I izzzzz.

Ready for the COLOR???!!!!

The thing above is a genius invention first patented in 1902. Seriously. Yeah, I'm always on the cutting edge, right??!......so this booklet contains sheets of watercolor saturated paper. Pop this baby in your pocket with an aqua brush (to the uninitiated, a paintbrush with water in the handle so you don't need a brush AND a little water jar) and a sketchbook and you're ready to go! A very enthusiastic and lovely salesperson at Two Hands Paperie in Boulder CO hooked me by doing an off-the-cuff demo. "I'll TAKE it!" I barked so loud that she took a step back. Come to find out that this method has been around for years and is used by illustrators and, listen to this: for tinting slides and movie film !!! It's smart to read the instructional copy that hasn't been re-written since 1902 (thank God)......with lines like THIS:

"First, outline in your mind the color effects desired,-if working on an original picture,-if a copy, study well the original painting before starting, then go at the work boldly, as a lack of decision usually ends in faliure....."

isn't THAT the truth?

You can snip pieces of the pages if you need an even smaller scrap to run around with. I found referencing the colors a little tricky, so I devised my own method of labeling each page. As with EVERYthing I try, it's an enthusiastic mess, getting more polished as I go, but hey, it's just for me I'm used to wonky and somewhat sloppy versions of ....everything.

Lots of potential to look perfect.......BUT who needs THAT? I prefer enthusiasm and reckless speed:

....they actually DO spell "Wisteria" like this: "Wistaria". Love it.

So you can buy this thing on Amazon, but it's way cheaper at Two Hands Paperie. I don't know if they'll mail to you but I'm guessing they will. Don't quote me. Okay, you can, they won't know who you're talking about anyway. Here's the BIG sexy set.

I'm hoping to make a small, bad video about the book my friend has exploded on the scene. Stay tuned.

Tribute. It's about time.

It's hard for me to read long rambling tributes to people I've never known. I totally get it if you need to click away. I tried not to ramble, but that's what they ALL say.
So Happy Mothers Day...enjoy your day to reflect and celebrate. You don't have to actually give birth to be the Overall CoolPerson General commanding the troops to Grow, Thrive, go off and Contribute to the World.
I'm posting a photo of my Mom like a zillion other Bloggers this weekend, but BIG DEAL. I'm doin' it.


This woman needs to be remembered for SO many reasons:
*My mother fell in love with my father, who was a widower with a young daughter. She passionately loved my step sister as her own from the moment she saw her.
*She bravely gave birth for the first time at age 40, which was super-risky in the 1950's.
*She played classical music on the Steinway Baby Grand that my Dad gave her, learning to play beautifully in her late 30's.
*Her gardening and drawing skills also blossomed in her 20's and 30's. Let's hear it for LateLife Blossoming!
*She threw wonderful parties for my fathers physics department students, filling the house with flowers, music and bohemian comfort.
*She once sat up all night in the dark with a loaded shotgun pointed at the door, when some convicts escaped a prison, and were reported to be headed in the direction of our farm. I LOVE that story.
*She was the worst cook in the history of the World and made no apologies.
*Crippling rheumatoid arthritis never stopped her from typing over 90 words a minute to support us after her divorce.
*An avid reader, she had a better grasp of current events, contemporary music and general cultural trends than many of her contemporaries.
*After working at the Pentagon, and later, the National Institutes of Health, she read and absorbed everything that she typed and was an avid environmentalist and proponent of organic foods in the 60's, long before the tsunami of current health culture.
*She always LOVED my friends. ALL of them.
*After I moved away from the DC area in 1979, Mom pulled up stakes at age 70 and moved to Colorado to join us after the birth of her grandson.
*Battling the pain and fatigue of arthritis, Mom had developed a drinking habit from which she completely recovered, giving her joy and even MORE clarity for the last few years of her life.
*When my husband died at age 37 leaving me alone to raise my son and run a business, I asked her to move in with us. She refused, preferring to stay close by in her own "Nest". She stubbornly crossed her arms and said: "nope. You're NOT going to be the girl who lives with her Crippled Mother...."

People really didn't GET her strength. She had a quiet, almost shy and observant way. Few people got to see her wicked sense of humor. She loved me, she loved my husband and adored her grandson. I hope that I've inherited even a teaspoon of her bravery.

 I love you Mom and I miss you every day. Thank you for the numerous gifts that you've left us.
Leese

Lights, Camera.......

 

Hey! so here's my No Excuses Crap First Video. I know, I could have at LEAST dressed up a tad. I made it for my son Micah, so when I say "I love you" I meant I love HIM, except I also love my readers so...whatever. After being horrified by the video, you'll see the three finished pieces, and then you'll see the HUGE box that contained his art. I decided to slap his portrait on there because it was being mailed to the school where he teaches and I live to embarrass and BE embarrassed, as you've probably figured out by now.

 

                                                        

did I mention that these sucka's are BIG?....like 36 by 32...?

I don't even know what these things ARE, but I had a request for "Bar Tools"...okay, I DO use a cork puller.

I LOVE sharpies, don't YOU??!!!

Next Up: awesome book giveaway, courtesy of the loverly Julie Prichard. Oh, and if you want to see really GREAT videos: go to HER place, not mine *wink*

Heads Up! New Animation......sheAyeah!

Oh yes yes yes. I promised you that I'd start regularly posting again like a good Blogger and so Here We Are. My Genius Design Partners at Bad Idea Motion Studios just finished a new mini-film for the insanely Hip New Belgium Brewery. This place is SO hip that they have a "Hip Screener" at the front door of their ultra Hip tasting-room-crowded-bar. We BARELY pass the Hip filters, but that's what makes us so......you get the idea.
Matt and Greg have sweated their talented asses off making this thing chock-full of secret imagery. Watch it 100 times and see 100 different things. You guys KILLED IT!.......(I"m so excited).... so raise your glasses to New Belgium's new summer brew: Rolle Bolle and yes, their employees really play that s--t in their big, gorgeous, green break area. I just died of Hipness.

 

 

Rolle Bolle from Bad Idea Motion Studios on Vimeo.

Crawling back to Spring

A few of my readers wrote to ask me this: "WHERE IN THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN AND WHY AREN'T YOU BLOGGING??" .... My response? "Thank you for asking and noticing!!!" I hate it when I find a great Blog and then the author goes MIA. "How DARE you pull me in and then just DROP me???"  I promise to be attentive for a good long while. As you know, I make art, write a bit, design and post clips on this Blog. Well, I've been PAINTING/WRITING/DESIGNING AND learning how to make my OWN clips! I actually made one. It has all the polish of a 1968 porn movie (it's NOT Porn) and I'm working to lean more more more. For now I'll show you a fab 1 minute clip of my boyfreind Neil Gaiman (yeah, if it wasn't for his amazing and talented wife Amanda Palmer) tossing out insanely grounded advice to a graduating class. This speech is SO great that my Other boyfriend (okay, maybe Brother) Chip Kidd designed a book capturing this 1 minute snapshot of Neil's memorable and inspiring speech. Remember... my Pals, "art" can be applied to anything that you're passionate about.

Coming soon:

*Excellent Book give-away....you're going to WANT this one. A very cool book by one of my good pals who actually DOES know exactly what she's doing. There's a tidal wave of "Ho-Hum" books out there, big 'ole book-band-wagon-jumpers. This is NOT that. You'll see.

*Link to our almost-finally-finished BAD IDEA MOTION STUDIO website

*Latest animation for New Belgium Brewery beer release (Genius from Matt and Greg)

*My newest canvases for a certain Milwaukee bar......

Til then?....enjoy Neil.....watch:

 

If only.....

I promise to post some photos. After all, this is not a video sharing site, but I HAD to show you this. You'll see why. Share the s--t out of it and LIKE The Anti-Defamation League. That-is-all.

 

here and there

I have to be the slowest person on the Planet. I've been doing a lot but it all feels like it's in S-L-O-W-M-O-T-I-O-N.........I have things to show you but due to lack of cool photos, that stuff will have to wait. For now, take a look at this great place in Brooklyn (but of course). The company is called Coral and Tusk.

Oh, and speaking of BROOKLYN, I just finished a book by that name written by Colm Toibin. It's lovely and I didn't want it to end.

Now, watch THIS (and check out that sewing machine. You can DO that??!!!):

working with what we've got

I had to share this with my readers.......it's a stunning tribute to film-making on very few dollars. The message is Clear, Powerful and Important. Please watch this film and breathe in the creative oxygen. Have a safe and beautiful weekend, Dearest Readers!

 

my favorite BAD IDEA

Oh Hey!.. while you were over there doing important stuff, Matt and Greg have been busy preparing the website for BAD IDEA MOTION STUDIOS. For those of you wondering what I'm talking about: BIMS is the animation company divised by Two Creative Geniuses (Matt Wood and Greg Vannoy). I happen to be the Big Sister-Big Promoter-Big Idea Bouncer Offer-Big Sounding Board-Big Mouth that is on call 24-7. Jump over to the site and check it all out. You'll see links to our animation (duh),  the cool stuff happening and down in the lower left corners, a link to the FaceBook page if you want to add us to your five billion "LIKES". We promise to only post cool S--t, not stuff like : "..oh no, my latté is WAAAY too foamy.....". We promise. There's also a Vimeo link and a YouTube link. Oh goody!. Have a great weekend and if you need animation.....call us. What a GOOD idea!  oh, and by the way....we're dreaming of Rio. Here's an excerpt from our RUMORS section:

"....we were thrilled to receive news that our mini-film 'Times Change' has been invited to appear at Diversity in Animation 2013 (the 5th Annual International Festival of LGBT Animation held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)...." that's RIGHT Baby.....yeeee-HA!

Mad Love

...one fine day my pal Sarah Fishburn posted this suggestion on my FaceBook page telling me that HER pal was giving away an awesome print. I took a chance and left the qualifying comment. Turns out I already loved Angel Damico's work. Sarah had given me a card by Angel that I loved and popped up on my wall of inspiration....I WON!....yipes, yap, are you KIDDING ME!!???? Here's the delishious, delightful print and a shot of the card (you can see it tucked in) on my wall:

and The Wall (a Teensy segment):

...so off into the living room to add the yummyness to my one, windowless art-encrusted wall. For the un-initiated, the multitude of multi-colored creatures are vinyl "toys". Collectable art produced by KID ROBOT by well known indie artists. I know...it's a LOT.......

Here's a spot on the wall BEFORE:

...now add the killer print:

...aaahhhhh, MUCH Better. Here's a peek at the overall wall for scale:

Since Angel threw in her business cards, I had to go look into her World. WOW-WHOA-NOW-I-GET-IT! She's an amazing designer and artist. She makes the COOLEST stuff and I dare you to look through her DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION section. OMG. Then go to her ETSY site and buy stuff. Maybe start HERE. Have a fun weekend and support artists, one way or another. Oh and Angel?...Thank You. Again and again....you too Sarah. xoxo