Etch-A-Sketch LA

After a long hiatus, I sketched this last week for a TEAN movie screening of "Death Spa" - a truly amazing '80s horror movie about when a killer attacks a futuristic health spa (hint: computerized workout machines may kill you!). But be warned, watching this will definitely make you wish people still dressed for the gym in style, wearing outrageous leotards and shiny leggings. Everyone had a blast watching this highly recommended movie, and I had a blast making this! What can I say, anytime I can sketch a skeleton face onto a hot lady I'm happy. Enjoy!

I sketched this yesterday while bored waiting for guests to come over. Nathan was sitting across from me on his laptop, so I thought I'd take a stab at another portrait. And I have to say, this looks so much like him that I'm pretty pleased with the outcome. It only took a few minutes, which makes me think that I should try out sketching portraits more often. Anyway, enjoy!

I made this a few weeks ago to commemorate the release party for Nathan's new comic, The Halloween Party. The comic itself is really fun and amazing, and I only wish my sketch reflected that. I chose a panel from the comic to sketch of a terrifying long-tongued creature, but unfortunately it came out way rougher than I would have liked. But as usual, I had a lot of fun with this, in particular with the lettering. Be sure to contact me or Nathan if you're interested in getting your own copy of The Halloween Party!

I made this ages ago in honor of a friend's birthday - he's the very talented artist behind Smog City (you've likely seen his street art around the city). He and his girlfriend are huge supporters of this blog, and I thought they'd appreciate an Etch-A-Sketch birthday card more than anyone. Plus Smog City is already such a cool image! I worried a little while starting this one that my lines wouldn't match the original and I'd end up with a wonky, off-kilter image, but luckily it worked out. This is definitely one of my favorites, and I'm so happy to add Smog City to the list of sketches on here. 

I made this recently for a screening we had of The Visitor, which was just released on Blu-Ray! It's a bizarre movie, and somehow manages to combine my fears of fluttering birds and creepy children in a horrifically perfect way. Definitely worth watching. And I'm so pleased that this sketch managed to turn out! When I started this one, to my dismay, it quickly began resembling Darth Vader instead of the ominous hawk. But luckily - due to the wonder of the Etch-A-Sketch - by going over some lines, widening outlines and trying to shade blank spots, I ended up with this. I'm relieved that the outcome seems as textured and strange as The Visitor itself. Hopefully you agree. Enjoy!

Yet another sketch made during a game, this one Ticket to Ride played with friends visiting from out of town. 2014 has so far been filled with visits from family and friends, so this never-ending train seems like an especially appropriate sketch. I had fun with this one - there were lots of little details I could choose to include or leave out, and the perspective of it was another challenge. And despite losing this game pretty badly (twice!), I'm glad this sketch came out of it. Enjoy!

I made this sketch a couple weeks ago to commemorate a very fun visit from Nathan's brother, Alex. We watched any semi-decent movie that was in theatres, which included the remake of Endless Love. A truly pulpy, Lifetime-ish teen love story - complete with overdramatic fights, lighting a house on fire, and lots of twirling in meadows. This sketch is from a weird moment after the couple (spoiler!) sleeps together, followed by boy-teen pulling out his phone, to which lady-teen exclaims, "Uh, rude!" But it's all okay because her phone vibrates and it's the text from boy-teen that reads, "What are you doing every day for the rest of the summer?" Amazing! Modern love is so romantic! And this extremely long description is only to say that I hate this sketch, because it really does NOT capture how truly great/hilarious that moment is in an otherwise completely average movie. I really had a hard time making this one (clearly!) - the strange combo of Helvetica font on the iPhone and sheer amount of text got the best of me. So my apologies for this, but seriously, Endless Love was ridiculous.

I made this during an awesome night of playing poker with Nathan and his sister and brother-in-law who are visiting from out of town, Grace and Tony. After hours of Texas Hold 'Em, I came out the victor AND had this fun completed sketch to boot. I really had a good time with this one because of all the textures on the fabric of the Joker King, plus I loved making a (slightly) larger version of such a small drawing. All in all, this is maybe my favorite sketch that I've done, and I'm glad it represents a fun night and fun visit with Nathan's family. 

Here's my accompaniment for the latest movie night at our house - Ninja III: The Domination. A hilarious/action-packed movie about an aerobics instructor who becomes possessed by a ninja spirit and must avenge those that wronged him. Pretty great! And I had a lot of fun sketching this one. The close up on those eyes paired with her 80s ninja stance and a really amazing font made for a cool result. My love for cover art is really starting to come from the awesome fonts I get to mimic. Hope you enjoy it! And if you do check out Ninja III, be sure to note the horrifying scenes where Secord takes his shirt off (the most terrifying/scarring part of the movie by far). 

Clipd Beaks "All Ways Closer".

Haven't updated in ages! I haven't felt inspired lately in the Etch-A-Sketch world, so I've definitely lapsed on the updates. I decided to try getting back into it again, and started with sketching something I cherish most - my morning coffee (nearly always prepared by Nathan while I'm still asleep; I'm that spoiled). I was surprised to find that because I haven't sketched in so long, I was definitely rusty. So apologies that it looks a little... rustic. But here's hoping it inspires me to get back into this!

The image this sketch is based on is a prop from a music video that a few friends are working on right now for Clipd Beaks, who have just released a new EP. The model is the talented Kerrie, and the image is for a fictional album cover that's in the video. The sketch itself was super fun because of the crazy font involved, and I like how the result of the antlers and arms almost makes her look like Vishnu. Overall a great way to remember a fun shoot! I'll be sure to update here with the video once it's online. 

This sketch is based on a cover of the horror magazine, Fangoria, which has been sitting on our coffee table for quite awhile (alongside a Friday the 13th book and Britney Spears' Unofficial Illustrated Story). This one is the longest sketch I've done so far, because it required so much detail, but it was a fun one to do. The magazine was a vampire-themed issue, which meant that my faces turning out looking gnarly could (thankfully) be justified. Attached above is also the original cover to compare, but I'm pretty pleased with how this sketch turned out! 

Note from Sonya: Check out more (comics, music, etc.) from my wonderful & talented boyfriend at his website: nathanbudde.com !

Made this yesterday in honor of a movie night for the absurd/strange/pretty racist movie, Heart Condition. What this movie taught me: 1) ghosts can change outfits, and 2) Bob Hoskins can and will yell every line, regardless of the scene. Overall, a fun sketch and a super fun night!

My first attempt at sketching from a photo. And my choice, of course, is a still from Miley Cyrus' video "We Can't Stop" (original image here). A completely ridiculous music video (how many times does she stick her tongue out?!), so it only seems right that she turned out looking a little demonic in my interpretation. 

Drew this haphazardly yesterday. The result is something that I've been calling "Rat Marsden" because of how it turned out. I'm not too happy with it, but Nathan thinks it's good enough to post, so here we are.