Kaye Blegvad's Blogvad

Lino cut: for luck

2012-02-08T17:47:00.000-08:00

I made this as a lucky token. Seems like there's been a bit of a spell of bad luck goin' round me & my loved ones. This is an attempt to ward that off.

I've got quite a bug for lino printing lately. I want to build a press, something like this one. We'll see if the time ever materialises..

ceramic cat

2012-02-04T07:51:00.000-08:00

Well, at the same time as I was making my burning woman, I also made a ceramic portrait of Milo. Here he is. And here's the man himself, to demonstrate the preciseness of the likeness (good rhyme there, eh):

Internet presence

2012-01-16T11:29:00.000-08:00

For the NYT Townies column. A harrowing one, this one, as the internet prompts a woman to recall her rape. Not for the faint of heart, but worth a read if you can stomach it. Read it here.

The author wrote to me and said she was proud to have my drawing accompanying her story. Essentially the highlight of my career so far.

ladyshave

2012-01-12T12:26:00.001-08:00

burning woman

2012-01-08T12:36:00.000-08:00

A ceramic piece. Her face didnt used to have such a grimace, but the glaze slid down a little in the kiln.

Crackup at Radio City

2012-01-06T16:15:00.000-08:00

Aaand another one for the NYT Townies!

This was a great article - the protagonist was a 24 year old girl, committed to a mental hospital. (there but by the grace of god go I, eh?). Sort of accidentally, sort of on purpose, I made her look a lot like me. A sneaky self-portrait as myself as a mad girl, surrounded by dancing girls. Pretty much sums it up.

Cathedral cradle

2012-01-04T10:33:00.000-08:00

Another drawing for the NYT Townies section - the role a Cathedral plays in the life of a family over the years. The article is here.

Hanging her out to dry

2011-12-13T17:50:00.000-08:00

I did this drawing for the NYT column 'Townies' last week. It's on the website, and was in the Sunday Review last weekend. It never ceases to be incredibly exciting to have work in print, let alone in print on the scale of the New York Times - I took cheesy photos of myself with the paper but I'll spare you. Probably better suited for my private collection.

You can read the article and see the drawing in situ here.

manuscripts don't burn

2011-11-23T16:11:00.000-08:00

More drawings from the master & margarita.

Kaye x Leah

2011-11-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

Over the summer I worked on a collaboration with illustrator/designer/woman extraordinaire, Leah Goren. We wanted to make a couple products that would combine our processes, and allow us to share skills with each other. We're both illustrators, but Leah has taken her drawings to textile designs and is a whiz at pattern making. And I'm pretty addicted to making metal pieces. So we got to learn each other's ways! Here's what we came up with. We went in a moody floral direction (I think the floral was Leah's influence, the moodiness I probably need to answer for).

A two-sided tote, with an ink blot test inspired bouquet. You can see on it the pin that we designed: a big spiky sunflower.

An allover-patterned clutch. It's hard to tell scale in these pictures but it is a pretty large pouch - 11" x 8.25".

They're finally up on my etsy, should you wish to see more photos: clutch and tote.

Switch

2011-11-08T21:07:00.000-08:00

Rituals and rebirth.

Grooming

2011-11-06T19:21:00.000-08:00

Keepin' herself in good condition.

Trophies

2011-10-19T10:31:00.001-07:00

The Master & Margarita

2011-10-13T16:36:00.001-07:00

Damn, what a book. A couple of drawings inspired by it.

Behemoth.

Margarita.

Bleach shirts

2011-10-12T20:50:00.000-07:00

Just before I returned to NYC from London in September, my brother and I made cat tshirts for each other. We're both cat fans. We just painted 'em with bleach.

Basic photos but here they is.

(my brother wearing totally inexcusable trousers he had just bought in Thailand)

My cat & crossed paws drawing.

Leather medals

2011-10-03T20:15:00.001-07:00

Playing around with scraps of leather. Awards for those who behave themselves.

They're all in my jewelry etsy, should you be interested in owning one. I'm hoping people order custom ones to be relevant to friends who've achieved something: a drawing of a carrot to someone who just finished chef school, etc. But so far people seem pretty happy with just cats and thumbs up (and why shouldn't they be?) so I'm goin' with that.

Cradle

2011-09-23T13:37:00.000-07:00

150 followers! Hi everyone. It's lovely to have you along.

cat and mat

2011-09-22T14:10:00.001-07:00

Back to basics.

crown & lantern

2011-09-12T13:36:00.000-07:00

A couple of drawings inspired by Crown's Clothing's spring/summer line.

drawings from Ontario

2011-08-23T10:14:00.000-07:00

I just got back from ten days on Raven Lake in Ontario. No internet or cell phone! I made a couple of drawings with things found on our island.

Lucky magazine shoot

2011-08-09T11:57:00.000-07:00

It's out! The shoot I posted behind-the-scenes shots from a couple months back is now revealed in Lucky magazine. There's a Lucky Kids mag pullout in the back of the mag, and in there you will find my work! Life-sized cardboard cutouts, and illustrations. I'm so thrilled with how nicely it came out. Still remains the most fun gig I've ever had.

Prize rosettes

2011-08-05T10:02:00.000-07:00

I made prize ribbons for the Brooklyn Brainery's trivia event. 1st place: Mega thumbs up. 2nd place: Thumbs up. 3rd place: Ehh, you did so so. Last place: Enjoy your ribbon of burlap and cardboard.

girl in profile

2011-08-01T08:14:00.000-07:00

Just doodlin'

Sick wheelie

2011-07-25T14:21:00.001-07:00

Trick cyclist.

etsy redux

2011-07-19T13:16:00.000-07:00

I managed to work out a way to reduce my jewellery prices a lot, for now at least. They're now much more affordable and I'm much more comfortable selling them at this level - I want things to be available to people in a similar budget-bracket to me. And now they are. If you're interested, check out the new niceness of price.

Do I post about all the things I make and sell enough? Dayumm. It's almost as though I don't do anything else.

sacred objects

2011-07-18T20:03:00.000-07:00

Some drawings for the sake of drawing.

Also, I was delighted to be featured by the magnificent Ventricular Projects recently, you can see my little interview here.

Unproductivity

2011-07-08T08:03:00.001-07:00

Sometimes it is hard to get any work done.

Cat face killer

2011-06-30T07:55:00.000-07:00

Made a new banner of my happy cat faces.

Also made some simple packaging for the banners because shipping them off just in plain envelopes was bumming me outtt. Much better now.

Makin' metal

2011-06-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to photograph the waxes that get turned into jewellery for a while now. Finally remembered to do it. Here is a fox stole in original carved wax form:

And here it is in final brass form. Also, you can get pretty well acquainted with my chest, neck, and bra straps here. Sorry about that.

I also made a ring of skulls that I haven't stopped wearing since I got it cast. It reminds me of a misspent youth in Camden town. You might need to click to view it a little bigger, their faces are pretty teeny.

Sneaky sneak

2011-06-20T17:27:00.001-07:00

A sneak behind the scenes of a shoot I made life-size cutouts for. Hands down the greatest, most fun job I've ever had. Can't wait for the final photos to come out.

Myself and lovely child model employing gaffer tape.

Prop stylist extraordinaire Kendra Smoot fixing things up.

garlands

2011-06-15T19:32:00.000-07:00

I've been making some paper garlands lately for my etsy store.

Birds

2011-06-10T07:51:00.001-07:00

Coloured paper makes life good.

2011-06-09T08:17:00.001-07:00

Reasons for terrible blog neglect:

1. I have been without a scanner for a long time now and it's been bleak and difficult.
2. I have been working on secret projects that cannot be revealed yet.

But! The scanner at least is back in action. Here's a camera and a dress.

foxes

2011-05-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

quick sketches for an upcoming project

cat man

2011-05-20T09:36:00.001-07:00

Accidentally double exposed a roll of film and got these two good shots of Lion in London & the cat in New York.

metal deer, metal eye

2011-05-19T21:26:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty absorbed by jewellery making lately. Guess I caught the bug pretty hard. I've been selling my stuff for a few months in amazing shop The Shape of Lies in the East Village, but finally got started selling things myself. Made an etsy: Datter Industries. Making stuff in metal is awesome.

London Underground

2011-04-07T08:09:00.000-07:00

I miss the underground.

there's more than one way to skin a witch

2011-03-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

Another drawing for the New York Times Book Review, in print today. Got into sort of a mad infinite loop, made many many versions of this drawing.

You can see the final one in situ here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/27/books/review/book-review-witches-on-the-road-tonight-by-sheri-holman.html?ref=review

brass knuckles

2011-03-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

21st birthday gift for my brother, Viggo. So he can leave his mark on anyone who might wrong him (and also slices of bread, soaps, leather jackets, etc). I'm going to start making custom ones, but probably a little smaller - something subtler and more wearable for your average, less-theatrical-and-eccentric-than-a-Blegvad, person.

Also, brass knuckles are illegal. So I'll have to play up the 'novelty jewellery' aspect, and minimise the 'brand your enemies' feature.

two birthdays

2011-03-18T09:42:00.000-07:00

a 21st birthday card for my brother

and a 3rd birthday card for the little girl I babysit. She is obsessed with cats.

And in between the two birthdays was St Patrick's Day. I have never seen quite such enthusiastic Irish celebrations as I saw yesterday in New York. So intense. Watched a guy fall asleep against the wall of a bar, resting on his giant padded hat, at 2.45pm. Magic.

cat scans

2011-03-15T09:59:00.000-07:00

If you're going to sleep on my scanner, you're going to reap the reward.

skinwitch

2011-03-12T15:04:00.000-08:00

Unused (very rough) sketches for a commission for the NYT Book Review. Drawing creepy witch stuff = the dream.

funny faces

2011-03-10T08:30:00.000-08:00

two brass stampings I bought for their beauteous visages

twin swords

2011-03-01T17:27:00.000-08:00

I've started making things in wax to get cast in silver. I'm fairly obsessed with it and am spending pretty much every cent I have on making new things. This necklace is sterling silver with a garnet drop.

cat ears

2011-03-01T07:39:00.001-08:00

Jewellery

2011-02-25T06:55:00.000-08:00

I've been making jewellery lately. I sell it in a wonderful store in the East Village, called the Shape of Lies, and am in the process of finding other stockists and setting up a store to sell online. Laser cutting is awesome.

full-body semaphore communication technique

2011-02-24T17:46:00.000-08:00

Shamelessly I post digital photos of the cat instead of any kind of work of substance

the most exciting thing that has ever happened in Milo's life

2011-02-21T15:08:00.000-08:00

A bird landed on the railing outside our window. The kitten went absolutely rigid with excitement.
I took film photos too but am too impatient to wait for them to get developed. So crummy digital will have to suffice.

the Old Romantic

2011-02-20T15:49:00.000-08:00

lllustration for the NYTBook Review, out today. I resisted the temptation to photograph myself beaming with the paper this time. But only just.

Lion banner

2011-02-19T11:00:00.000-08:00

Valentines day gift for Lion. Now our bedroom looks like a nursery.

family communication

2011-02-17T15:42:00.000-08:00

Sketches for an editorial piece about a difficult family trying to fix their communication problems.

Happy Valentines Day

2011-02-14T13:27:00.001-08:00

Today I saw a business man crying in the street, hunched in an alcove. Sad times. Hope your Val-Day is better than his.

Way of Women

2011-02-11T06:28:00.001-08:00

photobooth strip from Berlin, three years ago

If you are so inclined, you can read an interview with me here, for the wonderful Way of Women project. Tons of great artists are featured, including a few of my dear friends.

Diviner's Tale

2011-02-06T14:47:00.000-08:00

I did an illustration for the New York Times Book Review, and it came out today. This is my first time being properly in print, and I was filled with childish excitement to actually get my hands on its papery little self. Hooray.

You can also see it online here.

Grounded hawk

2011-02-03T11:48:00.001-08:00

The good people at the New York Times City Room Blog posted my drawings of a hawk I saw injured when visiting their building. Slight problem revealed in the comments section: it appears that my bird is more of a falcon than a hawk. When I drew it I didn't actually know which it was, so I just kind of invented a bird of prey based on a few reference images. I hope the hawk can forgive me. They are just sketches. I will do better in future, little red tailed hawk.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/portraits-of-a-grounded-hawk

Mother needs help

2011-02-03T11:42:00.001-08:00

We gave her all the cash we had.

Home Depot hell yeahhhh

2011-02-01T08:16:00.000-08:00

Snuck out of Home Depot with a bushel full of collage materials. The colours are so good. Yummm.

Milo Katzenjammer

2011-01-31T14:30:00.000-08:00

My boyfriend got a kitten a month ago. This kitten is a serious G. I made him a red bowtie.

black dogs

2011-01-27T08:49:00.000-08:00

I don't remember there being any hounds around here

tiny tenement

2011-01-26T06:08:00.000-08:00

Alphabet City, my new neighbourhood.

comb

2011-01-25T20:19:00.001-08:00

Bound

2011-01-25T06:36:00.000-08:00

Women.

Witch country

2011-01-07T11:08:00.000-08:00

A visit upstate to Kiki's house.

fing'ers

2010-11-28T10:03:00.001-08:00

chickchickchickens

2010-11-12T18:05:00.001-08:00

Paradise

2010-11-10T09:26:00.000-08:00

Words cannot express how much I want to own this storefront.

RIP Icarus

2010-11-10T09:25:00.001-08:00

(Cat on left is now missing, presumed deceased)

Mr Big

2010-11-03T08:37:00.001-07:00

New York animals

2010-10-23T03:50:00.000-07:00

I am surrounded by beauty.

rooftop view

2010-10-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

My new apartment has roof access. Hi Manhattan.

Lower east side

2010-10-15T09:49:00.000-07:00

I lived here for one month

today's sad event

2010-10-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

I found someone's xrays in the street

2010-10-14T14:15:00.000-07:00

Melanoma

2010-09-30T07:46:00.001-07:00

Cards for Poundshop

2010-09-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

I printed & hand-coloured 200 cards to sell at Poundshop, last day is today. I made six different designs:

I saw a girl I wish I was friends with.

2010-09-24T16:36:00.001-07:00

American healthcare

2010-09-24T09:01:00.000-07:00

Quite a lot more serious than UK healthcare.

lost coast boat

2010-09-19T10:25:00.001-07:00

I made a boat on the lost coast.

Big Ben

2010-09-12T15:41:00.000-07:00

A birthday gift for Lucy, another Londoner-in-New-York. Representing the homeland.

Rat Buster

2010-09-10T07:49:00.001-07:00

foot wash

2010-09-09T17:24:00.001-07:00

Chez Alexander Cockburn

2010-09-03T11:16:00.000-07:00

Fire building, animal holding, naked swimming, at the residence of Alexander Cockburn, deep in the Lost Coast of California. Good conversation and good scenery = good combination.

daughters

2010-08-31T19:19:00.000-07:00

wilderness survival

2010-08-29T10:29:00.000-07:00

Making fire from scratch. No lighters or matches.

The wigwam Adam sleeps in.

Decca & Noah looking through the wigwam door.

Ode to Scout

2010-08-29T10:24:00.000-07:00

We stayed with Adam in Southern Oregon. He has a great little cat called Scout. The floppiest, friendliest kitten I've ever encountered. Til we meet again, Scout.

lol forever

2010-08-12T14:54:00.000-07:00

Chiswick Eyot

2010-08-11T06:22:00.001-07:00

The expedition that ruined the shoes. I have wanted to get onto this island for years, but the tide is always too high, and it's always too intimidating to climb through private back gardens to get to the ladder down to the Thames beach. But we done it now. Brave explorers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiswick_Eyot

bleak english seaside

2010-08-09T01:13:00.000-07:00

...and then I ruined the shoes

2010-08-08T09:33:00.001-07:00

Went walking on muddy Thames beaches, used muddy stepping stones to cross the Thames to an island made entirely of mud, climbed around on muddy island, got intimately acquainted with mud. Mud mud mud. Damn.

painted shoes

2010-08-06T06:33:00.000-07:00

I painted a pair of shoes yesterday. They were a great success, I got asked on a hot date by a guy in a chicken shop, and got given a free pepsi. All based on the shoes.

cat encounters

2010-08-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

I've added a lot of new cats to my Cat Encounters collection. I try to photograph every cat I see on my mobile phone. It gets in the way of walks sometimes but on the whole it's an enjoyable project. Here's a selection of the new guys:

Having a bunch of cats around is good. If you're feeling bad, you just look at the cats, you'll feel better, because they know that everything is, just as it is. There's nothing to get excited about. They just know. They're saviors. The more cats you have, the longer you live. If you have a hundred cats, you'll live ten times longer than if you have ten. Someday this will be discovered, and people will have a thousand cats and live forever.
-Charles Bukowski

military countryside

2010-08-04T04:57:00.000-07:00

Suffolk battlefields.

Paris doll hospital

2010-08-01T13:18:00.000-07:00

dental escapades

2010-07-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

welcome to my mouth

the ongoing jaw injury has its upsides: got me these sweet molds made of my teeth. I was dead excited til I realised I have absolutely no idea what to do with them.

Confiscated

2010-07-24T01:31:00.000-07:00

They check your bags when you come out of the catacombs. These were confiscated from people trying to steal them.

On another note, my scanner is putting lines across everything. Very upsetting, very distracting. Soz.

Rat

2010-07-23T11:13:00.000-07:00

I guess summer is the season of the rat. London is swarming with them. I'm fairly convinced one ran over my foot the other day. Here's an homage to the wee beastie.

Prototypes

Rat is born

Rat is slain

The pest-control shop in Paris from the previous post would approve, I hope.

hanged by the neck until dead

2010-07-23T11:06:00.000-07:00

The window of a Paris pest control shop:

The window of a Paris doll repair shop:

recession graduates

2010-07-23T10:20:00.000-07:00

It's our graduation ceremony on Monday. Tickets £15 a pop, and up to £60 for gown rental. Who are they kidding? We did it for ourselves. A graduation ceremony fitting for the times we live in: the worst year to graduate in the history of the world. 90 graduate applicants per job. 70,000 graduates on the dole. And every day their numbers swell! No point crying about it, eh? Time for mojitos and graduation wear lovingly hand-crafted from recession-appropriate materials. Here's just a small selection of faces you may soon be seeing down the job centre.

sketchbook folder

2010-07-14T13:19:00.000-07:00

I tend to work on bits of paper, not in a book, and then I always end up losing or damaging them. So this is my latest attempt to keep drawings safe & together.

The red on the blue makes my eyes go funny. I quite like that.

witch

2010-07-13T10:33:00.000-07:00