Blind Thistle

Io Saturnalia!

Io Saturnalia! or Christmas or whatever Holiday you like, just be happy.

Wow you've been neglected!

Long time no talk! I apologize if I neglect this blog, for more regular updates follow me over on Tumblr or Facebook!

My portrait of Queen Levana and submission to the Fairest Contest.

I chose to portray her as she might have seemed while she was visiting Kai inCinder, dressed in a traditional Chinese gown and a customized headdress in place of her crown (minus her veil of course). The two gold disks at either side of her head are embossed to look like the moon, along with the many rubies embedded in the other hair pieces. I imagine that she would be very fond of rubies and red embroidery, because of their similarity to blood. Her earrings also resemble that of hanging corpses; the ruby being the severed head, the main part being the torso, and the two dangling gold pieces the hands.

"She was indeed beautiful, as if someone had taken the scientific measurements of perfection and used them to mold a single ideal specimen. Her face was slightly heart-shaped, with high cheekbones barely flushed. Auburn hair fell in silken ringlets to her waist and her unblemished ivory skin shimmered like mother-of-pearl in the sunshine. Her lips were red red red, looking like she’d just drunk a pint of blood." - From Cinder by Marissa Meyer pg. 183

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Some quickie Lunar Chronicles fan art of the lovely Winter -or my perception of Winter. I have this idea in my head that she really likes Victorian and Rococo styled things; pale, pastel colors, things that stand out starkly against her own warm brown skin and also remind her of innocent, happy things to combat her visions of blood on the walls. A totally unfounded opinion, but my opinion nonetheless.

Some late night tragic Clariel and Belatiel sketchy fan art for you all.

To my fellow Abhorsen fans, if you haven’t gone and gotten your copy ofClariel by Garth Nix I’m very disappointed in you and you need to go get a copy immediately. It was certainly not what I was expecting, and I now have to go back and read the whole trilogy for the bazillionth time for reasons.

Spoilery Quote that this particular image is based on.

"In a Field of Orchids" 6.5"x10" Digital. Amanda Zito. 2014

Orchids have many associations with symbolic values. It's the city flower of Shaoxing, China, and has been used in traditional medicine since 2800 BC.
In Greek Mythology, Orchis was the son of a nymph and a satyr. During a celebratory feast for Bacchus, Orchis committed the sacrilege of attempting to rape a priestess, resulting in his being torn apart by wild beasts, then metamorphosing into a slender and modest plant.

Prints

A Commission I did recently.

"For I Have Loved" 16"x20" Oil on Canvas. Amanda Zito. 2014. For Sale.

"For I Have Loved" 16"x20" Oil on Canvas. DETAIL. Amanda Zito. 2014. For Sale.

"To remember their strange light" 10"x10" Oil on Canvas. Amanda Zito. 2014. For Sale.

"To remember their strange light" 10"x10" Oil on Canvas. DETAIL. Amanda Zito. 2014. For Sale.

A prelim sketch for a wedding present.

For more of my Tattoo Flash Visit my Dedicated Blog

Commission.

In a Field

"In a Field of Poppies"

8"x10" Digital. Amanda Zito. 2014.

Poppies symbolize sleep, peace and death. The opium extracted from them has long been used to relieve pain. The blood red color of its petals is symbolic of blood. In Greek and Roman myths, poppies were used as offerings to the dead.

Prints Available

More Tattoo Flash!
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Commission, 7"x10" Drawing in Pencil on Somerset Paper

Finally finished this art trade
Acrylic on Canvas, 18"x24"

A gift for my brother's birthday
A painting of my father and grandmother in acrylic on a cow skull

The revised rough sketch for Lazarus's Gas Tank

My first tattoo on human skin! Woo hoo!
I'll be taking volunteers soon! Email me at blindthistle@gmail.com
if you're in the Portland/Vancouver Area and would like to volunteer a piece of skin for my practice!

Another trip to Montana :3

Up Sleeping Child, Montana

I also made a trip to Shaniko, OR recently, which only had 3 open stores, which did not include the hotel/cafe behind me (the largest building in the vicinity.) The museum is self guided, and there was a building filled with very old dust covered cars. I was a little bummed I didn't get to go into the Hotel, but the ice cream at the parlor was good. Definitely worth a stop if you're in the area, if anything else, just to look at the old cars, the neat buildings, and get a stereotypical shot behind the jail bars.

Let's Catch Up Shall We?

I graduated College! After four very very long years of being told what to do and how to do it, I am free.

As a celebration I drove home on my graduation present from my lovely father, a 2005 Honda Shadow 750.

My last assignment from art school, a artist portrait of the lovely Aimee Flom, a fellow PNCA Graduate.

a few animal sketches

One of the last etchings from my Printmaking Class, which is available on my etsy

I have also reopened Commissions!
See Example A, another custom Golden Snitch Tattoo!

Another Commission this time of Deadpool!

And a rare example of a acrylic painting commission of a lovely friend's deceased pet.

If you're interested in chatting about commissions or have any questions please email me at blindthistle@gmail.com or shoot me a question in my ask box on tumblr