Sketch of the Day  2  23  16

On the R Train

Much Needed Return

I've spent too long away from drawing and sharing my drawings with you! I've finally gotten back into my natural rhythm of drawing everyday, so here are some of my latest. I'll be posting later this week with more! Hope you enjoy :)

Evil Lady covered in fur

Model from Sketch Night at the Society of Illustrators

Faces on the R train

Sleeping woman on the R Train

My kitty, Franklin, doing what he does best

Bluestone Lane Cafe in the West Village

Waiting Room - Fake Flowers

LA v NY: REMATCH!

If you didn't get to see my drawings from New York and Los Angeles back in September, you're in luck! Some of the work will be on display (and for a much longer period of time, I might add) at the Hewitt Gallery in honor of my alma mater's Alumni Art Alliance Show.

For more info, visit my events page:
Alumni Art Show

Come check it out, but don't be surprised if Biggie and Tupac play over and over again in your head...

Reppin' the 718 in the 213

Dog Day Afternoon

On Sunday I had the pleasure of being invited to join Society of Illustrator members at the annual Bark for Life event - a dog walk benefiting the American Cancer Society. For $20 we drew (or painted) portraits of doggies, with all proceeds going to the ACS. It was lots of fun, even for a cat lady like me :)

The superb Stephen Gardner drawing Sigmund "Siggy" Freud

The handsome Max

The lovely Leigh and little June

Meat Melts Ice Caps

Here's an old one I found - I did this a couple of years ago in Steve Brodner's class at FIT. 


Did you know that eating meat leads to global warming? The fossil fuels used in storing, shipping, and slaughtering animals, not to mention the transportation and refrigeration of those animals once they've been prepared for human consumption, release CO2, one of the primary gases that cause global warming. In 2006 the University of Chicago found that "eating a vegan diet prevents the equivalent of 1.5 tons of CO2 emissions every year, more than the 1 ton of CO2  emissions prevented by switching from a typical large sedan to a Toyota Prius."


Along with CO2, methane and nitrous oxide (a gas 296 times more portent than CO2!!!!) are released from the manure, fertilizer, flatulence, and belching created by the massive amounts of factory animals raised for meat. The process of deforestation in order to make room for these animals also adds to our immense Carbon footprint.


Go Veg! Happy Earth Day!!!

And if it's raining, have no regrets; because it isn't raining, you know...it's raining violets

I am a lucky young woman. I have been fortunate enough to live in the same house as my grandparents, and for twenty five years to boot. It is due to these circumstances that losing my grandma three weeks ago has been especially hard. While many children speak of grandparents passing away when they were too young to know the significance of their loss, I am only now beginning to realize just how lucky I was to have my entire childhood filled with memories of my grandma.

The absence of my posts for the past handful of months are due in part to being occupied while looking for work, but mostly due to my grandma's fall in November, leaving me and my family with little time outside of a hospital or nursing home. I would like to now recommence my blog posts, starting with one dedicated to the incredible woman I was fortunate enough to call Grandma: Violet Vila.

My grandma lived with gusto and everyone she knew was touched by her avid enthusiasm for life. She spoke, wrote, ate, drank, danced, and laughed with a vivacity that one does not see often in others. She was witty, spunky, outspoken, kindhearted, and strong. She stood by her beliefs with a stubborn tenacity, but knew when to admit she was wrong. Because of my grandma, I have an insatiable yearning to learn, I read everything, I write wholeheartedly, and I argue adamantly.

There are days when a memory of my grandma is so vivid it stops me in my tracks, like when she taught me how to whistle, and when I read to her while she did the laundry. And there are other days when I panic when I can't remember every single moment we spent together; every recollection like grains of sand falling through my open fingers. My mom and I were recently going through my grandma's belongings, and I came across a notebook that was filled with scraps of paper and article clippings. There was a sheet with several quotations written in her exquisite handwriting, one of which read: "Love never dies as long as someone remembers." It is with this thought in mind that I know will get me through this difficult time. My grandma lives on in me, in my memory of her, and in the stories I will pass on to my children, and theirs.

Grandma, here's to you. Miss you like hell, but I know you're not far. Love always and always,
Margarita Violeta

New York City Marathon

My mom and I went to see her good friend Tina run the New York City Marathon and cross the finish line with her sister. The city was buzzing and I managed to sketch a bit while we waited. Here's one I scanned into Photoshop and added color to. More to come so stay tuned.