All ImagesGraphics and Photos on this site
(c) Briana Barber 2008-2009
Please do not alter, redistribute
or use without permission
(c) Briana Barber 2008-2009
Please do not alter, redistribute
or use without permission
Contact: bbarber.magpiebones@gmail.com
I have been drawing or painting or otherwise creating things since before I can remember. I loved crayola markers when I was a kid, as well as play dough so messes were rarely far behind me growing up. My mother would frequently yell at me over missing dishes and silverware that would inevitably get sacrificed to my projects. I remember when I was about 5 or so the concept of the “craft box” was introduced to the household and that was my primary resource for years- markers, crayons, tape, paper, glitter, etc. There was always something in there for me to work with, and so I did.
In terms of inspiration, It all started with dinosaurs when I was little. I loved drawing them (especially theropods) and even though its less of a theme that I use these days, I think its funny that I use more bird and feather concepts so you could say that my work literally ‘evolved’ as I went along, in more than one way. I was also really into the afternoon cartoons- Earliest were Beetlejuice, then Ninja Turtles alongside My Little Pony and Dinosaucers. Later on I fell in love with Disney’s Gargoyles. All of these really contributed to my love of animation and the drawn art-form. They also really shaped a lot of my work.
When I entered middle school I discovered Art Nouveau and the work of Alphonse Mucha. I draw on this style heavily which can be seen in the heavy use of line work and organic shapes I tend to use. I also discovered comic books and the ink work involved in those- I took some of that sensibility with me as well. This I feel lends a very graphic look to my illustration work. It was also around this time that I began doing artwork and graphic design on commission- mostly logos, tattoos and pin-up format drawings.
I attended the Academy of art in San Francisco for 3 years in their CG animation and modeling program. Although I discovered a new appreciation for anatomy and color through other courses there, I became dissatisfied with my choice of major. Computer generated animation, while certainly an art on its own, was far too tech based and cold for me. The constant numbers checking and program hiccups and of course the ever-lengthy rendering times did not grant me the satisfaction I was looking for in a career field. I returned to my roots and left the Academy of Art and started pursuing another degree at Sierra College in Rocklin CA, this time in Graphic design. The essentially fine-arts background I began with lent itself well to this end of work and there is a saying that you can train an artist to be a designer but its so much harder to train a graphic designer to be an artist. I find myself well equipped for both ends of the scale given the mixture of experience I have had in both realms.
Costuming was a re-discovered love around the same time I started at the AAU. My room mate at the time encouraged me greatly in the realm of sewing for larp, cosplay, ren-fair and other such purposes. When I returned to the Sacramento valley from the bay area, I continued dabbling in my own projects and then I eventually started working for Furr Happens of Sacramento, a mascot costume shop. There I became responsible for basically everything below the neck on a wide variety of different critters. Later I would also start taking on work from another costume and creature shop, Primal Visions. When it comes to costuming, I have a preference for the realistic and when I make heads and such of the animal/monster variety that’s what I work in exclusively for both myself, and my personal clients.
More recently I started doing jewelry making, mostly beading. Most of my work I do for myself but some pieces will be made available for purchase.
This all basically bring us up to present. I currently live in Arvada Colorado with my boyfriend and our ridiculous cat. I’m still taking freelance work but mostly in the forms of custom costumes. I hope to continue doing many and varied projects for the next many years and would like nothing better than to experience as much as I can in the creative process.
Other web places you can find me
