This Is Star

Return from San Diego Comic Con video!

thisisstar — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:07:54 +0000

I got in last night from San Diego after a crazy weekend at Comic Con!
I did some video coverage for Destroy All Podcasts, which includes a whole ton of robots and general nerdery.
Observe:

Destroy All Podcasts — Comic-Con San Diego 2010 from Star St.Germain on Vimeo.

I’ll have another post coming up with a ton of photos and general reflection on the trip, but hopefully this video will satiate you for now.

Girl Comics #3 out now!

thisisstar — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:15:11 +0000

Hey guys! Girl Comics #3 is out now, in which I had the immense pleasure of lettering for Ann Nocenti and Molly Crabapple!

This is a Typhoid Mary story, and as such, one of the characters had several personalities, and needed letter styles for each one.
Needless to say this was one of the hardest, and also most rewarding pieces that I’ve ever lettered.

A million thanks to Marvel, Ann, and Molly for having me!
It was an honor to work with such talented ladies!!

Speaking of comics, I’m leaving for San Diego Comic Con tomorrow night!!
Leave a note if you are going and want to meet up!

Zac loves Melissa, and I love Marie!!

thisisstar — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 00:06:57 +0000

I recently ordered 4 pairs of shoes from Melissa, and thought I’d give my Vinyl IIs a shot at work today.

Seriously, if anybody knows where I can find these in Red, let me know!! Blue or grey also accepted.

I was all ready to leave, when a package arrived from my dearest Wifey, Miss Marie!!

SWEET JESUS she got me the Zac Posen for Target leather Jacket!!

Dudes, I almost cried.

As you may or may not know, Target may as well not exist for the carless in San Francisco. It was so especially sweet of her to hook a sister up!

I love all the little details this thing has! Especially the safety pin hangtag.

AAH I LOVE YOU WIFEYPANTS!!
Thank you!!

This Can’t End Well photo shoot and my new cello

thisisstar — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 22:12:07 +0000

So we did a little photo shoot the other day in my living room.
So here’s our first official band photo!
We did another sweet shoot during our epic trip to the desert on the 4th weekend, but I’ll have to post that one later.

Tonight, we are doing our first ustream in 2 weeks! Please come watch us rock.

In related news, construction is well under way for my new electric cello!!

Here it is about halfway finished!

It’s being constructed custom for me by the kind folks at Vector Electric Instruments.
When completed, it will be Red (Pantone 19–1763) with mother of pearl star shaped pitch dot inlays.

Yay!

When it arrives, there will be a HELL of a photoshoot.
oh yes.

Agent Lover Redesign

thisisstar — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:23:22 +0000

I had the excellent privileged of redesigning my WIFEY’S website recently, and I couldn’t be happier with the results.

I was given 6 different header graphics to work with, created by Mr. Nathaniel Jankins.
Originally Marie was looking for just a rotating header, but I thought to myself: How could I make this COOLER?

After seeing all the images and realizing that they were so varied in color, it was clear to me that I had to create 6 different color themes to match:

I decided that it would make the most sense to keep the theme consistent for the user’s browsing experience, rather than changing on reload.
I set a session cookie for each theme, so the user only sees one theme per session.

So go check out Agentlover.com and let me know-Which one did you get???

This Can’t End Well Practice Redux

thisisstar — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 20:11:52 +0000

It, being Tuesday, is a band practice day!

This means that, once again, we are livestreaming our business all over the internet for you to enjoy.

Our noisemaking occurs weekly, Tuesdays at 8:30pm PST, on My Ustream page.

Here’s some highlights from last week:

This is something we started working on randomly. It was cut short by the arrival of the Chinese food delivery guy. I’m really really excited to see what it turns into!

This is the best recording of our version of Weebl’s Amazing Horse to date. Obviously we need to do a proper studio recording and a video.
That will come in time.

Check us out tonight around 8:30pm PST!

I don’t have the heart for this

thisisstar — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 20:06:32 +0000

My dear friend John Worsley drew this portrait of me, entitled “I don’t have the heart for this”, out of the blue yesterday.

I haven’t done a self portrait in a long time, or updated this blog with any regularity, or done about a million things that I ought to be doing.
Here’s what I’ve been doing instead:

+ Designing/developing a website for a favorite photographer of mine.

+ Spending time in the studio for my album, which will hopefully see a fall or winter release, god willing.

+ Mixing the album I made in april for the RPM challenge (yes kids, a full length bedroom recording to tide you over until the aforementioned studio album is ready later this year).

+ Anxiously awaiting the release of a dear friend’s album (you’ll know soon enough who it is!) , which I did cover art for, a collaboration with the aforementioned Mr. Worsley.

+ Working on a remix of a song on said friend’s upcoming album.

+ Lettering a comic for a major release. (for someone really awesome!!)

+ Moving into my boyfriend’s house, officially. Also, painting, installing lighting, all the stuff that needs to get done before I move stuff in.

+ Keeping Fuck Yeah Cello updated.

+ Practicing with my band once a week, and livestreaming the practice, & playing out once a week at The Hotel Utah.

+ & Oh yeah, having a full time job.

Needless to say, I’ll be posting some really rad stuff on here when I get a second to breathe, but it’s unlikely that will be for a couple weeks.
But soon, you will all see the fruits of my labor.

<3<3<3

This Can’t End Well Update!

thisisstar — Tue, 25 May 2010 22:23:57 +0000

Hello Everyone!
It’s been a little bit since I did a This Can’t End Well update.

Some things to know:

1: We are booking shows right now in SF and beyond.

This is super exciting news. Dates will be announced really soonlike!
If you want to book us for west coast gigs, please email us at: thiscantendwell@gmail.com

2: We are getting some new gear!
Kristen has a new Xylophone and a new looper/delay pedal, which we will be making use of tonight!
I, on the other hand, will have a sweet custom electric cello made by the kind folks at Vector in a couple weeks.

3. We are still livestreaming our practices every Tuesday night, around 8:30 pacific time.

Speaking of which, it’s Tuesday! Tune in tonight!

Here’s some stuff from previous practices that I haven’t posted here yet:

This is us writing a new song! No idea what it will turn into.

& here is Adam learning a song that he didn’t know previously!

I’m really happy to be sharing all this stuff with you guys as it’s in progress.
Thank you for watching us turn the raw materials into real things.

Friday Links

thisisstar — Fri, 21 May 2010 00:21:34 +0000

Everybody watch this shit immediately.

Holy icelandic stopmotion batman!

A neat panel recording of Dash Shaw and Paul Pope.
Pictures of Animals Inside the Womb.
Everybody loves an abandoned amusement park.
Rad photoshop brushes from Chris Wall.
Listen to some new Aphex Twin tunes!
Improv everywhere dresses up like Ghostbusters and invades the New York Public Library. Awesome. (Via Laughing Squid.)
Retro japanese magazine ads have really weird and awesome graphic design.
Smashing magazine shows us that Typography is beautiful in any language.

Friday Links

thisisstar — Fri, 14 May 2010 23:14:34 +0000

This video is just delightful.

Web designers, listen good: There is no page fold.
This handy infographic teaches us the trustworthiness of beards.
Speaking of infographics, Julian Hansen says: So you need a typeface. Also, it’s available as a print!
Alec Brownstein used google AdWords to get a job. So Clever! (via Coudal)
Some mindbogglingly beautiful pictures of something unspeakably horrible.
A 6th grade boy gives lady gaga a run for her money
An interesting discussion on superheroes! Science vs. Magic!
And holy hell did this make my day!

Miette!

thisisstar — Thu, 13 May 2010 19:53:52 +0000

Last weekend, Tim & I got brunch in Hayes Valley & stopped by my fave little candy shop, Miette!
We were greeted by these super cute cacti!
I am wearing:

Short sleeve hoodie — Cosa Nostra/Jeffery Sebalia
Grey lace skirt– H&M
Button leggings– Betty Page Clothing
Shoes — Indigo

Miette is the tastiest spot in Hayes Valley, with more candy than you can shake a stick at, and a working cotton candy machine!

Here’s hoping that the coming weekend is as delicious as the last!

Portland, in brief

thisisstar — Tue, 11 May 2010 17:27:00 +0000

Stumptown Comics Fest!

thisisstar — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 23:20:39 +0000

I will be in Portland, Oregon this weekend– attending Stumptown Comics Fest!! YAY!
If you’ve been wondering what I’ve been up to instead of keeping my blog up to date, I’ve been working on a new mini with none other than Mr. John C. Worsley.

I am at table 34! Come say hi! Buy my new mini!
Also, I have an awesome big surprise on the horizon that you will see either at the fest, or on here shortly thereafter.

<3!

This Can’t End Well: Practice 4/7

thisisstar — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 16:52:22 +0000

We pulled out an older track last night and this was our first time playing it through with Adam.
You also may notice that the locale is different– since we played at Tim’s house.

Watch us live every Tuesday around 8pm on my ustream channel!

Mollycrabapple.com

thisisstar — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 20:22:57 +0000

I teamed up with the most excellent Nubby Twiglet to work on my friend Molly Crabapple’s website.

I was really happy to get to add a few css3 details to Nubby’s design, like a drop shadow on the main content.
The folks viewing the page in older browsers won’t see them, but those with more modern browsers will get a couple little bonuses.

I took what I did on Sadie’s site using Cufon for font replacement– and took it to the extreme, really allowing Nubby to do what she does best with typography.

Nubby did her own post about her contributions to the site, as well as the business cards she made for Molly.

As always, I’m looking forward to more rad collaborations with the ever-wonderful Miss Nubs!

FuckYeahCello

thisisstar — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:44:13 +0000

So I started running a tumblr about cello related things.
It’s been totally satisfying and surprisingly easy.
If you’re interested in cello, won’t you please follow me?

ThisCan’tEndWell.com & Livestream tonight

thisisstar — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 17:42:33 +0000

Behold– my band has a website!
Also, tonight we have a practice.

& you get to watch.

8pm on Ustream at thiscantendwell.com

Come watch and we will make some pretty music in your earholes.

Carey-Haider.net

thisisstar — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 17:03:35 +0000

This week is about recapping all the projects I’ve been working on, so let’s kick things off with some code, shall we?

I recently worked on a site for Mr Blacktooth himself, Carey Haider.

He had a really clear design in mind for himself, so I just spun up the code on this one.

Whether he’s posting photos, apparel design, and video– he never fails to entertain me.
Go check out what Carey’s been up to- you’ll be glad you did!

Raging: NYC for NYE

thisisstar — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:42:14 +0000

Hey everyone.
Sorry I’ve been so quiet!
I’ve had my hands more than full with about a million projects.
How about I start telling you all about them next week?
In the meantime–
Months after the fact, I finally got around to editing my photos from New Year’s.
I went to NYC to visit Tim, as a last hurrah before he moved back to my beloved San Francisco.

We decided to go to this party at the 3rd Ward for New Years, based solely on the the invite:

A City of Grit:
Dark + Sultry + Dramatic. Three warm floors of a former factory have been
converted into a party paradise with hidden tea lounges, reckless rides,
live art, cheap liquor and dark dance-floors. The music here is a
throw-back to the classic loft-parties where live afro-beat mixes with
stellar hip-hop and dj’s meet in the middle to keep the people moving.

A City of Glamor:
Gorgeous + Lush + Provocative. Intelligent techno to breaks to deep dark
house join in this seven thousand square foot loft lined with dripping
video projections and female chandeliers (yes, there will be fire). The
outdoor terrace will be heated with a wood burning stove and constant
conversation.

A City of Ice:
Hidden + Festive + Insolent. One hundred fifty cubic feet of false snow,
Santas and seditious elves mix with The Modern Dance Awareness Society to
create a winter wonderland that is equal parts absurd and beautiful.
Expect spiked cider.

A City of Fire:
Captivating + Indulgent + Dangerous. This is where beauty meets vice.
Stripper poles, piano lounges, aerial acts, casino games and brass bands
blend into a tribute to the forgotten underbelly of New York City that has
existed long before any of us know, and will continue beyond when any of
us will be remembered.

The Most Important Midnight:
Two Thousand Ten will begin with: champagne bottles, fire acts, brass band
explosions, dance-floor countdowns, kisses from strangers and, for the
chosen few, a three course meal at the center of it all. This is the
start of the best year of your life.

Sadly, the party did not live up to the hype. I do, however, want to hire the person writing their copy.

We did manage to find the 3 course meal part, which was actually kind of cool.
There were also some swings set up in the middle of the party that people were swinging on, and clearly things were pretty hopping.
But there was something missing at this party, we just couldn’t quite put our finger on it.

At midnight everyone lit sparklers and it was probably the highlight, because shortly thereafter it became so crowded that it got uncomfortable.

I managed to find Amelia in the crowd, but sadly, shortly thereafter we all got stuck in the hallway in the mass of bodies.
It was not unlike being trapped in an elevator.
I remember thinking to myself “This is the kind of situation where people get trampled and die.”

We made it out alive, but we never found the room full of fake snow, and the night ended anticlimactically when we left the party, gave up, and went home.

The next day we fared signifigantly better, hanging out with Lola and Nick at this weird mexican/chinese joint in Ft. Green. The menu was the best part, with the whole “Every sip will bring you closer to heave.”

The highlight of the trip was going to Brooklyn Bowl to see some burlesque and watch Paul Pope spin.

This contortionist girl was totally amazing

Her act, however was nothing short of upstaged by performance artist Mat Fraser’s set.

Brooklyn Bowl is totally my favorite New York show venue at the moment, and the swankest bowling alley I’ve ever been in.
It’s a huge space, but it has all the details you’d find in a more intimate setting.
Most importantly, they had a boubon milkshake so good it brought tears to my eyes.

Many thanks to Jeff Newelt for inviting us out!

Until next time!

Carousel 3/5/10

thisisstar — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:38:53 +0000

OkGo does it again! This is *better* than the treadmill video.

The Oatmeal shows usHow a web design goes straight to hell.
Maggie Taylor is my new favorite.
The title says it all: Art manifestos and their applications in contemporary design (thanks, Nubby!)
Empty Bellies Do Not Beget Genius by Gala Darling.
I totally want one of these Nerd Merit Badges
Meet the Secret Society for Creative Philanthropy.
Just who is iammiwhoiam?
Sailor Twain is surprising and excellent, so far.
The best for last: I am in love with this Female Illustrators of the mid 20th century blog. Inspiring!