end of the semester

welp. just two weeks left until the end of my first semester at college. here's some concepts from my final film project... it's an homage to tim burton.

 these are the main characters of my film. it's about a boy named charlie who can read minds. then he runs away and joins the circus. he is bullied by a girl named darla.

it's almost christmas, and it started snowing yesterday. it's beautiful.

-marissa

busy beyond belief

i knew i was never going to update this thing.

i know nobody reads this stupid thing, but i feel like a failure for not updating. it's more of a personal thing at this point. i've been having the week from hell: i'm doing storyboards for three films, production designing another, as well as directing, production designing, and screenwriting my own. i was supposed to begin shooting this weekend and record voice overs so i could get a head start on animating this week, but... the man who's in charge of my actors had jury duty so my amazing producer and i couldn't get in contact with him in time. luckily, she and i were able to get in contact with him today, so... i'll be scooting over to the school, [where we will be shooting], and cast this crazy thing. 


so, besides that, i have other classes. two gigantic projects in first year seminar, a four page paper in writing and rhetoric, tests in math, and a six page paper on Tim Burton that is due monday morning. honestly, i should be able to just rattle this thing off, [i adore Tim Burton], but i'm having so much trouble... so much blockage in my creative tubes...

i confess. there is a boy, and i want things to work out with him so very badly... but i have fantastically bad skills when it comes to picking boys. oh well. maybe he'll just get tired of me. or maybe i'll kill the spark dead. either way, our date tonight went pretty poorly. but that's probably because we've both just had incredibly bad weeks and roommate problems. why am i admitting this on the internet.


ANYWAY. my productivity has been poo. so, here's some very old drawings i did when i was a toddler.

apparently i've always been disturbed.

bizarre.

d

ugh.

i'm hoping chicago stops seeming so bleak soon. i could use a miracle right now.

-marissa

birthday card

so... of course i got distracted and didn't finish the outline of my paper. but i DID whip out a card for my mother's birthday! [which is next thursday].

so... ignore the "HAPPY BIRTHDAY." i did it on some green cardstock with colored pencil. i hope she likes it!

-

----------

-

and... here's a self portrait i did for first year seminar.

it was supposed to be a visual representation of me... idunno. i guess i'm just constantly surrounded by art supplies and monsters. 

anyhoo, it's getting late and i have GOT to get a move on on this paper of mine.


-marissa

umbrella

so no dice on the DreamWorks presentation... i got too caught up in math and didn't want to miss the next part of the lesson. but it's okay, 'cause i'm scheduling a meeting with my academic advisor and the Columbia internship coordinator. 

here's a tattoo i designed for my sister... well, this is actually a re-design of a design i did for her like two years ago. i wish i still had the original for comparison, but... she lost it. it's just a little pencil doodle. 

scouted out our location for my group's shoot tomorrow... then luke [a kid in my group] sold his shirt to a bellhop at a hotel for $10. no, really, this happened. i couldn't make that up if i tried. shooting all day tomorrow, [hoping it doesn't rain...] then back to the grind on my homage project... ugh. 


rockin' and rollin',
-marissa

scoot yer little ass up that rouge car-pet

watchin' movies and working away at my essay... not much done in the way of treatment development today. hopefully i'll get some stuff done tomorrow. also, there's a man coming tomorrow to talk about internships with dreamworks... it's no pixar, but hey! i'll take what i can get if i can get it. 

here's a dude i made for a friend a while ago in pen and colored pencil.

so... i guess that's all in the way of class. my project is shooting this weekend, and the rest of my free time is going to be spent hacking away at my homage paper and absorbing movies. well... uhm... i guess, here's some doodles i did at work on receipt paper:

-

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

-

this dude's pretty groovy. 

-

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

-

this last one i did is of me. i was sick... my nose felt HUGE! i kept sneezing and stuff... it was bad. 

-

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

-

welp. that's all. i'll keep rockin' and rollin. 

all the best,

-marissa

what i've been doing...

hey all! i'm an artist... so... i'll start posting artwork, shall i?

i guess i'll just post a few right now...

i started taking a drop-in figure drawing class on wednesday nights... the guy who runs it is named george, and he's a wonderful human being. anyway, today was-[well, yesterday really] was my fourth class. i tried using pen this time, and i like it so much more than pencil or charcoal!

... and here's a couple of monsters. because they're my favorite.

i've decided i want a tattoo on the back of my right arm... something along the lines of this^ guy. not this exactly, obviously, but still. i think he's charming. maybe it's because he's smillin' so big!

i've been terrible to this blog, just like i KNEW i was going to be. but things have been incredibly hectic with classes and midterms are starting too! in MIP we're starting our homage projects, and i'm trying to direct my own. so i gotta pitch it on tuesday in front of the two classes... oogh, nervous. i'll post the work i do on that as i get it done. hopefully i'll have some sketches of the characters and sets done this weekend. 

 til next time,

-marissa

go-o-o-ood morning chicago!

just as i said before... good morning chicago! i'm here! its official, and the city is... awesome. the roommates are nice enough, and we're all sort of pitching in to make this place a fantastic homespace. 

we've got these absolutely fantastic giant windows... and a great kitchen and common area. we spent last night putting up posters, exploring the city, and watching 'the rocky horror picture show.' [one of 'em hadn't seen it before!] 

anyway, yesterday was somewhat hectic. my parents and i woke up around 6:30 and headed into the city. we arrived at my dorm around... 8:20? yeah. and we were third in line. we didn't actually get to start unpacking until, like, 9:20. but whatever. it was a good time. i got to my dorm first and claimed the bed under the super-fantastic window. i felt like a jerk... but dear god, that window! so... uhm... yeah, that's about it. my parents helped me set everything up, we went out and got my required laptop- [which i adore and am using right now, just like i said i would. also, i installed netflix view it now, so it is pretty much my favorite thing in the world.] then my parents and i had a farewell lunch at jimmy john's, and i have the leftover half sandwich sitting in my refrigerator calling to me. after that... one of my roommates showed me the target and i got a ream of paper for my printer and a muti-plug outlet. and some chocolate peanuts. because who doesn't love chocolate-covered peanuts? [besides the people who are allergic to peanuts.] then... floor meetings, tacky safety videos, and a fantastic intro to the 'living learning' program that i'm in. its fantastic! dimitri moore is our leader, i guess, and he's gonna help us find different activities and stuff that have to do with our majors. 

so... today we're going to get our IDs and buy a few more necessities, then tonight i'm heading over to chinatown-[hooray! lucky cats!]


-marissa

moving to chicago

okay, so... today i'm starting a blog. lord knows why, i mean, i'll never update it and probably the only people who're gonna read it are people who wound up on this page accidentally. 


well, i lied all ready. i do know why the blog is starting today. today's kind of significant for me... today's the day i leave Pittsburgh for Chicago. i start college one week from friday, and its terrifying. but exciting. well, obviously it'll be terrifying and exciting. i mean, its college. its the last step in education before somebody steals my water wings and i get dumped into the ocean of adulthood. ... and i'm starting a blog because i think it'll be easier than a diary. also, this girl at work inspired me to do it.


anyhow. i spent all yesterday doing last-minute shopping and packing everything but the kitchen sink into my dad's car. we leave for Illinois around 2, i guess. it'll be nice to get some sleep in the car-[spent last night watching 'American Psycho' with my sister instead of sleeping. its one of the greatest movies on my long, long, long list of cinematic favorites.] idunno, i guess now i'm worried that i packed too much. yesterday i was more worried about getting lost in the city. or walking into the wrong class or something- and i have actually done that! last year i got into an animation apprenticeship with josh tonies, [an amazing animator, badass, artist, and all-around nice guy], and managed to go to the wrong building. i walked into a screenwriting class with guns blazing, and... well, let's just say that was not fun. hilarious. but not fun. 


oh, okay, here's an idea. how about i define myself? that'd probably be a good idea. 


hello, my name is marissa. i'm short, pale, irish/ puerto rican, and aspire to someday become an animator like the 9 old ones. as for now, i just draw and paint a lot. i'm not sure if that constitutes "artist" or not. i am currently a student at Columbia College Chicago studying traditional and stop-motion animation. 

[here's an example of the kinda stuff i draw... 'cause i draw a lot.]

i work at a movie theatre making popcorn, seeing free movies, and doodling on receipt paper. i have a nasty habit of becoming madly infatuated with boys who don't really suit me, am terribly superstitious, and am horrible with making decisions. i enjoy scarves, movies, stop-motion animation, batman, sherlock holmes, oingo boingo, boots, cartoons, books, comics, oversized sweaters, blue eyes, dark curly hair, french bulldogs, boats, the color grey, robert downey jr, and monsters. anyway... that's me; surly and stubby and immature.


hopefully everything'll work out in the city they filmed 'The Dark Knight' in.


next time i write an entry, it'll probably be on my shiny new 15-inch macbook pro, complete with editing software and a wacom tablet. oh yes. 


-marissa