Maribel Made

This week I went back to the Cafe El Paso for another life drawing session. Having the urge to try something new this time, I thought about drawing white on black, but then I didn’t have time to pick up materials so I took the cheapy color pencils I bought at Argos last Christmas, thinking they might come in handy at some point. Considering they were meant to be used as stocking stuffers, I think the results came out pretty neat!

These drawings remind me of coloring black and white photographs with markers and I love the fact that they have a ghostly, vintage-like feel. I might make some postcards out of them at some point…who wouldn’t like a nuddy postcard!

Btw, Nathalie is an excellent model! She really goes beyond what most models do and since I’ve drawn her before, I’m a bit used to her form. It’s fun drawing her curly hair

I’m back from life drawing hiatus and this time I went to the session held at the Cafe El Paso on Old Street. I liked that the directions to get there said it was “opposite a back massage place with a big spine fixed on the wall.” Hannah was our lovely model; I did some nice pen cyborg looking drawings of her for the last two poses.

Life drawing at Cafe El Paso

Scavenging down Brick Lane last month unattended, I paid my way into a fair called the Art Car Boot Fair. It was quite interesting and it made me think of a few things. One, people pay for the weirdest things and the other, the artwork in this photograph, which inspired me to create something based on it.

The art in the poster striked something big in me. It’s the wabi-sabi atmospheric vibe that I got from it that made my hands itch. Why? Because I’m such a perfectionist that anything I do, and I dare say, must be excellent, yet this art looked nowhere from being perfect (my apologies to the artist if this was the intent), but it was still mesmerizing and it awoke this new way of thinking.

I used to think that art had to be perfect, but the more art and fashion I see, I realize that it’s not really about that at all. It’s about an idea, a grand master plan that changes people or if only just someone. Ok, so I knew that but I’m beginning to understand what it means…and in a graffiti infested beautiful world, I say why not start with “Gold or Gold” spray paint and a Picasso backdrop.

It was only a matter of time before Maribel Made, made its way into the diy web printing services out there, and Zazzle came to be easy and fast for publishing the new Mars Monkey illustrations I created based on the Mars Sock Monkeys soft toy product line (see my post, Sock monkeys + knitted sweaters = Mars Sock Monkeys).

If you’re already a fan of the lovable monkeys, then you’re really going to like the products I’ve lined up for my summer offering on my new Zazzle store at, http://www.zazzle.com/maribelmade. I’ve listed Mars Monkey Beach Totes, Buttons, T-shirts (in many sizes), and Mousepads! It’s a Mars Monkey craze!

The great thing about Zazzle is that as a purchasing customer, you’re able to customize each item to your liking, following a bit of the creators guidelines; like if the the design should be printed on a light or dark t-shirt. Other than that, it’s really up to the buyer, but if you’d rather not do the customization yourself, I’d be very glad to personalize whatever item you’d like for you…just let me know.

These are some of the products available for sale…check them out! =D

I’m very excited to say that I will be collaborating with Sara and others crafty folks on the DIY City Magazine London issue, to be published in July 2009. The magazine is available online and will feature a ton of resources for independent artists, including the artists themselves–Maribel Made being one of them! I will also act as a correspondent for the magazine, writing an article on the London Plastic Craft Scene and a do-it-yourself tutorial project.

The magazine is currently looking for more artists to feature! If you would like to be included in the London 2009 issue please read Sara’s article, DIY Magazine - London Issue Summer 2009.

DIY City Magazine launched in February 2008 with a New York issue and will be launching a New Orleans issue July 1st. Stay tuned for more!

DIY City Magazine Blog
DIY City Community

As I was exploring Berlin, DE last week with old friends and enjoying the nice hot weather with super cold beers, I got the warm feeling of summer coming ahead. So when I got back to London, I thought of going down to Brick Lane to scout out some henna to create a mendhi for myself (just in time for my b-day trip to California)!

I found a few options at a small grocer on Old Bethnal Green Road and bought the recommended Al Qamar CONE Henna Paste. I was expecting to buy the ingredients to mix, but this seemed like a much easier and faster solution. The guy behind the counter was right. This is by far the best £1 I’ve ever spent! There is no waiting for the paste to set and no messing with home-made cones, which made it super easy.

I was pretty happy with the end result. It’s a very nice dark reddish-brown color. You can tell that the design is darkest, where I began, on my hand so next time I’ll try removing parts of the henna towards the bottom first that way the design carries the same tone of color all through out.

This is what the design looked like before the paste was washed away.

Living in London without corn tortillas is hard! Most of my diet consisted of corn tortillas and I didn’t even know it. Now my diet consists of pasta, pizza, fried chicken and the occasional fish. Oh man, that’s why I was thrilled to get a package from back home in El Paso, TX! Did I mention I also miss pozole? Where do I find hominy around here!!

The package contained: 8 bags of dried chile de arbol (for super hot salsa), 2 large packs of Mission corn tortillas (!!!) and about a dozen rolls of pink, black and white Omega 100% nylon thread, which Mom bought in Mexico, for crochet (abuelitas must have used this thread back in the day).

Some of Mom’s hand crochet tablecloths…

The chile will last me a while, the corn tortillas have all been eaten (even the broken ones I used to mindlessly discard in the US), but I didn’t really have something in mind for the thread until recently. That is something I will blog about later, though.

All this thinking about what to do with this thread made me think of the amazing tablecloths my Mom crochets with it. They are beautiful pieces of art! I’m so blown away by them and it seems like she finishes them in no time because she’s always working on something new. I have no idea how she does this. She invents most of her patterns and she can replicate pieces just by looking at them…just by looking at magazines written in English, which she can’t understand! Mom is so good; I think crochet is one of her favorite things to do, maybe besides sewing.

These photos were taken in 2002 so, as you can imagine, there are plenty more now!

Pineapples!

Work in progress

Like the unveiling of a spanking new fortune 500 company product, I give you the newest in independent crafting technology, the new and improved collection of Mars Sock Monkeys for the Spring of 2008!

Seattle/London raised Mars Sock Monkeys pictured from L to R: Stella, Frankie, Sheena and Lulu.

Stella and Lulu come with newly designed sweaters, modeled after the ever so popular polo shirt. For these, I chose a short puffy sleeve and non-ribbed finishing to add a feminine touch. They also have a small heart on the left side as opposed to something large taking up the front of the sweater, also to add a delicate touch.

Another new addition to the sock monkey fashion wear are knitted hats, which I learned to make especially for the occasion! I had already been making crocheted hats for people so I thought why not make them for the monkeys as well! The only problem I ran across this was that the crochet pattern didn’t work so well on a small scale because it looked too bulky, that is why I learned to knit them instead. The hat made for Stella has a crocheted flower attached to the side and the other made for Frankie sports the cutest yellow puffy pom-pom I’ve ever made!

Stella comes with a polo style, puffy short sleeve light pink and grey sweater with small heart design and same color beanie with flower. For sale, at Maribel.etsy.com.

These are the best sock monkeys I’ve done so far and I must say that my knitting skills have improved quite a bit since I made my very first monkeys last year. The construction hasn’t changed all that much (it is a sock made monkey after all), except that I’ve switched from sewing with a cotton thread to a more elastic invisible thread and I’ve replaced the plastic eye backings to metal since the plastic ones were tearing from the pressure of the front eye piece. Anyway those are all minor details, but I guess you could say that it has improved the quality of the product. You could almost even say that these monkeys are indestructible

Frankie comes with a long sleeve brown and yellow sweater with duckie design and same color beanie with pom-pom. For sale, at Maribel.etsy.com.

I’m going to keep the amount of time it took to make these five monkeys including “jumpers” a secret because it’s still a process being worked out. The most I can say is that I was right on schedule and I got photos and marketing done within my specified amount of time. No wonder I’m beat! Next up is more painting and digital drawing. Yay!

Shenna comes with a striped sleeve hooded black and purple sweater with a skull and crossbones design. Party hat included! For sale, at Maribel.etsy.com. SOLD!

If you would like to adopt one or ALL of my cuddly monkeys, Stella, Frankie, Sheena and Lulu are for sale at Maribel Made DaWanda and Maribel Made Etsy.

Lulu comes with a polo style, puffy short sleeve hot pink and brown hooded sweater with small heart design. For sale at, Maribel.etsy.com. SOLD!

Got soaking wet trying to find this place and got there a little late. The place, called the Salon Gallery, was farther than I thought, but the model was well worth it. It was cozy, intimate and they offered complimentary teas and biscuits. Probably won’t make it there in bad weather because I would rather walk there so I might pop in more at the ones held at Bar Kick. Then some at the Intrepid Fox with a beer

The Life Drawing Society holds various life drawing session per week around the London area.

The necklace and bracelet were a nice touch.

Now I know why it’s so exciting to be working in secret. I can’t wait to get this batch of sock monkeys out the door! I had a great response from my last sock monkey, Eriko, and I hope that these little guys will be enjoyed just as much.

These new Mars Sock Monkeys, which I named Lulu, Frankie, Stella, Ben and Sheena, were half-raised in Seattle and London because I bought the socks in Seattle before I moved and put them together here in London. They are international jet setter sock monkeys!

I should be finished with all five this week (four of which will go for sale) and hopefully do a photo shoot by the end of the week if weather permits. I’ve been thinking of a theme and will need a few props. I also have a few other unveilings. One being the new sweater design below, which I modeled after a polo shirt. This is Lulu’s puffy short sleeve hoodie. The rest you’ll have to wait and see!!

Here are some London raised next generation monkeys to be…