Kiki Keller Illustration

A Business Card for a Comedian

2012-02-01T09:51:00.000-08:00

Front

Back

Although this card has been in the works for quite some time, it doesn't matter because it's perfect and I think will attract a lot of people's interest. Kirk is happy, so I'm happy. If a comedian handed this to me, you know I'd be at his next performance.

Mini Adventure Time Paintings

2012-01-29T16:48:00.000-08:00

I decided to make some mini Adventure Time paintings for fun. I love the show (obviously) and yeah... this is unnecessary because it's self explanatory. :P

Peppermint Butler and Jake the Dog!

And these little guys can be yours to own! Check out my Etsy page. :)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/KikiStardust

Don Draper

2011-12-21T15:23:00.000-08:00

Quick portrait done in Photoshop. I'm working on a painting though... it's large scale and pretty awesome. Pictures of that will be posted on here soon enough. For now, this is Don Draper.

Regular Show!

2011-11-13T14:00:00.000-08:00

I recently finished a Regular Show painting for commission and it turned out awesome! YEAHH YUHH!!! :)

Halloween & Adventure Time!!!

2011-11-12T23:00:00.000-08:00

For Halloween, my brother Max was Beemo, my boyfriend Kris was Finn, and I was Princess Bubblegum! I made all 3 of these costumes and I was really happy with the way they turned out. I had a somewhat small party at my house and it was a lot of fun.

I also decorated this really awesome ice cream cake...

Jack White iPad Drawing :)

2011-10-24T17:11:00.000-07:00

I recently received an iPad as a gift and I thought it was gonna be a little pointless until I discovered all the sweet things you can actually do with it... such as Sketchbook Pro, Adobe Eazel, Adobe Nav, and PS Express. All which were pretty cheap apps too. So anyways, I've been practicing using Sketchbook Pro and for my third attempt at doing something... I had to choose Jack White. :) :) :)

Universe Picture Frame

2011-10-24T17:05:00.000-07:00

I should have taken a before picture because this picture frame was really ugly. But with some paint and an awesome photo of the universe, it looks amazing. :)

My Senior Wall

2011-08-24T20:10:00.000-07:00

I realize this happened in May but I didn't have my graduation pictures until just now. So sorry for the delay on this one. I only got one good picture of my senior wall. I wasn't able to take one straight on because there was another wall close by. I worked extremely hard throughout school and I am very proud of the work I created, especially during my last year. Looking at my work on display makes me really really happy. The show was fantastic and I want to thank everyone who came to see it.

(Click on it to enlarge.)

Somerset Display

2011-08-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

I had a print of my Detroit painting on display in Somerset Mall in the beginning of the summer but I misplaced the pictures. I thought they were goners but I found them. So I might as well post them.

I was slightly annoyed by the fact they must have thought it was "artsy" to place some of them on an angle or something.

Hey! I went to that school! haha

Happy EARLY birthday, Hollie!

2011-07-26T22:41:00.000-07:00

Hollie's birthday isn't until August 10th but I wasn't sure if I would be seeing her then or beforehand so I gave her her present early. And because I COULDN'T WAIT!!! :D

First the card:

And of course who better to put on the front of the card, other than our favorite drag queen, Jujubee!!!

THEN... the gift:

THE BOY WHO LIVED

2011-07-21T20:20:00.000-07:00

I finally saw the final Harry Potter movie yesterday and since then I suddenly remembered why I became obsessed with Harry Potter in the first place all those years ago. haha. So I decided to re-read the books and make some art. :)

Slash!!!

2011-07-20T19:42:00.000-07:00

I recently was commissioned to do a painting of Slash and I think it came out great. :)

Mini Paintings!

2011-07-20T19:14:00.000-07:00

Leopard kitty cat with glasses!

Mini Sasquatch!

Both were done on mini canvases I found at Jo Ann's and for sale on my Etsy page! Many more mini paintings and posts on the way. :)

Band Posters

2011-07-05T14:34:00.000-07:00

Along with that Blanche poster I did, I also created one for The Detroit Cobras and The Dirtbombs. And here they are! Again, lot of the wood burning tool was used for text and for The Dirtbombs poster.

Silkscreen on Wood

2011-07-05T10:09:00.000-07:00

This was my final silkscreen project. I printed on 1/2 inch thick birch wood. I first thought the colors came out too dark but then I realized the wood is just too light. I tried coating the whole piece to make the colors match more but I don't think it did anything. Oh well. I think it still turned out nice.

Raccoon Girl

2011-07-04T11:01:00.000-07:00

The forth painting of my animals and people series. I didn't post it before because I wanted some things on my senior wall to be a surprise. So I withheld from posting certain pieces that I will now finally post.

Drawing Fun with Hollie in NYC

2011-07-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

When me and Hollie Hulst hang out we always end up collaborating on some sort of drawing or painting. It's a lot of fun because we always go crazy. When I was visiting her in NYC for a week and a half, most of our nights were spent late at her studio space doing art and listening to loud music. So here is some of the drawings we ended up doing, just for fun. :)

It started with a horse. Magic Horse. Isn't he fabulous? haha.

"We All Make Choices"

The finished Magic Horse. So majestic.

My drawing of Hollie. hahahaha

Lots of new things on the way!

2011-06-19T23:43:00.000-07:00

I apologize for being absent for so long. Big changes are coming and perhaps maybe even a new blog. I've been having difficulties using Blogspot/Blogger over the past year and I'm sick of it.

I just made a new facebook fan page, so be sure to LIKE it! Facebook Pages - Kiki Keller Illustration

I have my Detroit poster on display currently at Somerset Mall in Troy, Michigan.

And I added some more artwork to my Etsy store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/KikiStardust

Also, if anyone could help me out with my website, that would be fantastic. :)

Final Silkscreen Assignment Idea

2011-04-20T07:09:00.000-07:00

So I put this together in Illustrator, this is going to be my final silkscreen assignment. I'm pretty excited to see how this is going to turn out. It'll be my first time printing on wood. :)

Jack White Screen Prints

2011-04-13T20:19:00.000-07:00

I printed 18 of these total, 9 gray and 9 white. I had to do these prints super fast today because I was having troubles over the weekend. Overall I'm alright with the way they turned out. I really love the gray paper ones.

Somerset Contest!

2011-04-07T11:47:00.000-07:00

For our senior studio class, we had to come up with a poster promoting Detroit for a Somerset contest. After hours of researching and I came across the most amazing old picture of downtown Detroit and the idea hit me. The photograph was taken in the late 1800s and it was of the statue that still stands today right in front of what is now, Campus Martius. It's called the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. This woman is the figure at the top, who represents victory.

More Blanche!

2011-04-07T11:37:00.000-07:00

The original water-based oil painting on wood.

First silkscreen on light gray paper.

Second silkscreen on blue paper.

Third silkscreen on black paper.

Detroit Zoo Silkscreen

2011-03-02T17:14:00.000-08:00

For this assignment we learned how to use the photo emulsion on the silkscreen. It was a lot easier process than our first silkscreen assignment... or I could just be getting better at it. haha. I love the blended colors one but we had to do a solid color as well and unfortunately, I have more of those than the blended. But this class is seriously awesome, I'm learning so much and it's fun. And for our next assignment, I'll finally be able to incorporate what I'm doing in my senior studio. Yay!!!

Blanche Poster

2011-02-28T22:58:00.000-08:00

WHOOO! My first time using a wood burning tool and now I'm obsessed. I love love love it. Actually this isn't the greatest photo but it's good enough for my blog... This is a promotional poster for the local Detroit country rock band, Blanche! They are amazing. Oh, you don't know who they are?! LISTEN!!! NOW! :D

First Silk Screen Print!

2011-02-16T14:50:00.000-08:00

Our first assignment in my silk screening class was to create an abstract image using the 3 techniques that we learned and 4 colors, 2 of which had to be transparent. I did 22 prints and ended up with a collection of 10, which are basically the best ones. Since it's silk screening each print comes out looking unique. I really had a lot of fun with this and hope to do a lot more in the future. I'd also like to use silk screening in some of my work for my senior studio.

Kawaii Crochet Business Card and Tag!

2011-02-14T19:13:00.000-08:00

Front

Back

Tag

Recently, I designed a business card (front & back) along with a tag for a very unique local business, Kawaii Crochet. Alisha makes really great handmade products from hats to stuffed animals and I'm really glad that I got to design cards for her. Everyone should check out her website: kawaiicrochet.com

Top Hat Cat

2011-02-08T09:35:00.000-08:00

My third water-based oil painting on wood. This is actually the largest painting I've done, despite how it appears here, it's over 3 feet tall.

Bird Girl

2011-01-27T21:18:00.000-08:00

My second painting in my series from last semester. This piece has gone through the most changes, from plaster disaster to pretty in pink. I originally had plaster as the background and it was a horrible experiment and lots of pain. So after I sanded the crap out of it and gave it a rest for a few weeks, I came back to it and made it amazing. haha.

The Man with a Crab for a Beard

2011-01-26T22:28:00.000-08:00

Ta-da! Here is my first large painting on wood from last semester. I really fell in love with using water-based oil paint on birch wood and plan on continuing my methods. I got a lot of great response from this and I can honestly say, I'm really proud of my work and I am happy.

New Side Project!

2011-01-25T19:42:00.000-08:00

Can anyone guess who this is? It might be a tough one so I'll just tell you. It's Nico from The Velvet Underground. I'm also doing a Lou Reed one that'll look similar to this, just different colors so they look like a set. I plan on doing a bunch of portraits of musicians throughout the semester and then eventually selling them on Etsy. I figured this is good practice for what I'll actually being doing in Senior Studio which is artwork for Michigan bands. So far, I'm super excited about my ideas.

Beyond the Portfolio

2011-01-25T19:36:00.000-08:00

Lora Parlove decided this semester to do a "pimp your binder" contest and this was mine. Although I didn't win, it was fun to do something different. I cut the shapes out of colored Canson paper and then his beard was white felt. I love lawn gnomes. :)

iPad Ad

2011-01-13T19:58:00.000-08:00

And this is the second final assignment for Image Making 2.
Apparently I didn't organize my tag line at the top that well because a few people claimed to have read it differently. It says, "Can't Keep My Hands off of You." I rendered the iPad itself completely, re-created the Apple logo, drew the hands and rendered them in charcoal, then scanned it in as a clipping mask.

7 Deadly Sins

2011-01-13T19:52:00.000-08:00

In order: Wrath, Sloth, Envy, Pride, Lust, Gluttony, Greed

(You have to click the image to make it bigger)

This was one of two final assignments I had last semester for Image Making 2 aka the hardest class I've ever had.

Gradient Mesh Flower

2010-11-23T16:08:00.001-08:00

I dislike the fact that most of what I've been posting on here lately is digital work but unfortunately I haven't finished any of the paintings I've been working on for senior studio. Hopefully soon! I really want to post my paintings. The latest one I've been doing is the largest I've ever painted. It looks sweet so far so I hope it turns out nice.

Anyways, here's the gradient mesh flower:

Chair

2010-11-11T05:57:00.000-08:00

Reason one of two why I didn't sleep last night:

Rendering that mother in Illustrator took me about 20 hours. If I ever have to render something realistically again in Illustrator I better be getting paid very well.

This is the image I had to work off of:

Fine Artsy

2010-11-05T00:20:00.000-07:00

I decided to randomly do something fine artsy. I got a bunch of "scrap" wood from the woodshop and I'm gonna do more paintings like this. It started out as gesso with string on top of the wood but then I decided to experiment with plaster so I added a layer of that. Then I just randomly choose colors and started painting these feather/leave shapes... whatever they are.

Product (RED) t-shirt design

2010-10-26T23:49:00.000-07:00

I drew out the animals, inked them, scanned it into illustrator, and live traced it. Easy enough. :)

I wasn't able to use all the animals, so I think I'm gonna do another variation.

7 Deadly Sins Sketches

2010-10-26T00:53:00.000-07:00

I'm doing western characters and each one represents a sin. I already know some of the drawings need to be fixed. Everything is gonna be done in Illustrator.

Design Stuff!

2010-10-20T16:31:00.000-07:00

I did this logo for the sushi place, Noble Fish, in Clawson a couple weeks ago. I really love my design and I kind of want to submit it to them or something but I'm not sure.

This was a CCS t-shirt design for the new student orientation that didn't get selected but I would buy it if it was an actual shirt. I did this towards the end of last semester but it never got posted. Womp womp.

Zombie Michael Jackson

2010-10-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

So this is it. I don't have much to say about it. Other than, I hate doing the munny assignment and the fact that I've had to re-take Image Making II because last time I took this class I almost failed because I had too many credits and couldn't keep up. At least now it's an easy A.

I'm not dead yet.

2010-10-15T21:55:00.000-07:00

I feel the need to apologize for my extended absence. I need to update a lot more often, I know. I will try to make a goal for every other week or maybe every week, that would be nice. Also, I gave myself a new name, 'Kiki Stardust' it's a combination of 2 nicknames. I think it's pretty bad ass. haha. I personally like using an alias vs. real name but maybe that will change when I am professional or something. I don't really know how that works come to think of it. Like if I made business cards right now, which I plan on doing before December, what name is most appropriate? That's a good question to ask. If anyone has any input, please let me know.

Anyways, these are some what older pieces that I did sometime between last winter and spring that I never posted. I'll be posting newer stuff soon, I promise!

Grrrrl, Yous a DIVA!

2010-03-16T21:31:00.000-07:00

I'm surprised no one commented on my last post, I guess I scared everyone. haha. Anyways, this is a charcoal study for my painting that I'm working on. Yes, for Erik Olson and yes, I'm trying to get an A in his class.

My Wonderland

2010-03-07T01:38:00.000-08:00

It's the first day of Spring Break and how do I spend it? Making this intense photoshop montage... just for fun and because I'm weird. This is MY wonderland. MUAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

One of my favorite parts... the Bowie Gnome. hahahaha!

Logos

2010-03-03T01:25:00.000-08:00

These are from my Advance Illustration and Design class with Bryan Durren. The colors are kind of muted here for some reason.

Portrait Studies

2010-03-01T21:03:00.000-08:00

Here's some of my in class charcoal studies, starting from most recent at the top:

Gia Carangi

2010-02-27T16:27:00.000-08:00

"Gia Carangi" 11" x 14"

This is my latest piece that I just finished this past week. It's probably one of the best paintings I've ever done. I used water-based oil paint and fabric for the clothes. I added a little texture on the background but you can't tell because the photo isn't the greatest.

Gia was a famous super model in the late 70s/early 80s. She was also the first famous woman to die of AIDS. There was an HBO tv movie starring Angelina Jolie about Gia's life.

Rewind

2010-02-27T16:07:00.000-08:00

I did this painting over a year ago in Advance Illustration Techniques. But I never posted it and only few people saw it. I came across it and thought I'd finally post it. It was funny how people would ask me, "why are you carrying around a toilet seat?"

Embarrassing but what the hell...

2010-02-23T12:16:00.001-08:00

I need to try harder at updating my blog more often.

First Post of the New Year! Yayyy!

2010-01-25T19:44:00.000-08:00

First order of business...

This is a painting of my oldest friend, Rei Golay, IN A SHARK! WOW! haha. Actually, I really love this piece. It started as a sketch that I drew during Shark Week and then transformed into this. It's hard to tell in the picture but the top section of the shark is molded out of clay, then glued onto the wood, sanded, then painted. I really love using different materials in my illustrations. In fact this semester in my portrait painting class, I'm gonna incorporate a lot more craft materials in my projects. And speaking of my portrait class....

This is the model we drew/painted today. Each one of those were 45 minute poses and larger than what I'm used to drawing. She walked by mine and had to take pictures because she loved them. haha. It's cause I added the flower. ;)

Then another assignment I'm SUPER excited about... for Mr. Steve's class we're making a book and mine's gonna be about LAWN GNOMES!!!! I wrote one short story which is a fairy tale about gnomes and then Kris is going to write another about the guys down there, the metal gnomes. haha. My book is gonna be awesome! :)

Newly Added Monocle! Psychedelic Cat

2009-12-10T18:13:00.000-08:00

It's been a really long time since I've posted anything but luckily I'm on break now and will be posting a lot more often because I've been coming up with some really awesome ideas. Just take a look at this sketchbook painting... you can't tell me it ain't awesome. :P

Side Projects

2009-10-06T18:49:00.000-07:00

I don't like what I'm doing in any of my classes this semester so I'm mostly gonna post side projects and sketchbook work for a while. I normally hate posting sketchbook stuff but I think I'll get over it eventually.

Jack White (sketchbook page)

Then this is a logo for Kris's band. We're also going to make a comic based on a character also known as Brewheist. I have some drawings started but it's not finished yet.

I love you, Norton the Gnome.

2009-09-18T16:05:00.000-07:00

Since the beginning of this summer I've been wanting to paint my shoes but I was kinda afraid of ruining them. Yesterday I finally said screw it, I'm painting them. I'm sick and got nothing better to do. And of course, what else would I choose to paint except my most favorite lawn gnome ever, Norton. I think I might paint a squirrel on the other shoe.

Forgotten Childrens Book Illustration

2009-09-01T20:49:00.001-07:00

I just came across this painting that I'm pretty sure I lost. It's from the beginning of last semester. This is it before it was 100% finished but it's the only photo I've got and I did like it a lot, especially the sheep.

"Baa Baa Black Sheep", acrylic

Summer Activities

2009-09-01T18:24:00.000-07:00

Over the summer I focused on mostly craft projects and experimenting with different materials. I also did two paintings but I really didn't like the first one, so I'm not going to post it. haha.

This isn't the best photo but it works. It was sold at a silent auction. I don't remember the dimensions. 12 x 16?

Then I painted my boyfriend Kris's guitar.

This was actually somewhat titus but I love the way it turned out. I didn't paint the pick guard, just the guitar itself.

Then I did some sewing projects but more importantly, these bead projects. I fell in love with funfusion beads. Sounds like a little kids craft thing but that's because it is. BUT I have future plans with these and I want to do a large "painting" in all beads. I started sketching out ideas but nothing has hit me yet. When it does, watch out. I'm also thinking about selling some of these.

Super Mario 3 and Bubble Bobble!

Red panda

8-Bit

2009-04-16T14:39:00.000-07:00

8-Bit self portrait just for kicks.

Line Drawings

2009-04-15T19:03:00.000-07:00

For Image Making II, I am working on a zodiac charm bracelet. It's still in the works but this is the drawing.

And this is my iPhone ad drawing. I took out the space ships and moved everything up then added part of the Earth in the bottom left corner.

Art, art, art!

2009-04-15T14:50:00.000-07:00

This is only some of my work from this semester, the rest of it I don't have a picture of. The circus painting is the one that sold. And although I didn't win the zoo contest, my artwork will still be shown in a gallery with everybody else's during the summer. The winner of the Somerset bags have yet to be decided. Tomorrow at 4 pm in U-245 my "Ailurophoia" will be hanging. Everyone should check out the work from my class.

Tradigital:

"Ailurophobia", 9" x 11"

"Don't Text and Drive", 11" x 17"

Somerset bag competition entries:

Children's Book Illustration:

"Circus", acrylic

Zoo competition entry:

"Essence of the Detroit Zoo", acrylic

Munny

2009-02-18T09:21:00.001-08:00

This is my owl munny for Image Making II. I don't really have much to say about this. haha. It is what it is and I like it. :)

Who Watches the Watchmen?

2009-02-14T23:13:00.000-08:00

In my excitement for the upcoming Watchmen movie, I photoshopped my Kris as Dr. Manhattan and myself as Silk Spectre II, just for fun. I'm in the middle of reading the graphic novel right now and I am in love. The movie is going to kick so much ass. It just NEEDS to be March 6th already. It's killing me.

Finally an Update!

2009-02-14T22:36:00.001-08:00

These pieces are from the end of last semester that I never posted due to laziness or something.

My final Editorial Painting assignment:

Final for Image Making I, the CD:

Back of the booklet and CD front

Inside of booklet

The CD

The back cover

And then my final for Erik... and yes I already know. hahaha. There is a really funny story behind this painting.

"Little Zombie", 2" x 3", ink and watercolor

2008-11-23T10:55:00.000-08:00

Editorial Painting: Assignment #4-

This article was about humans whether or not our brains are evolving throughout time or if our brains are still the same, we just are learning different things. It also mentioned the brain as a source of energy. I liked my piece a lot.

"Spoon Fed Brain", 8.5" x 11", Oil Paint

Image Making I: Assignment #3-

We read an article about how money talks and it was about the election. I did it all with the wacom tablet, I feel I got a lot better with using it. My piece just illustrates that it doesn't matter who's president because it all boils down to money and greed.

"Money Talks", 11" x 17", Photoshop

Still trying to get caught up.

2008-11-23T03:32:00.000-08:00

The U-245 Dark Knight show happened in the middle of October. My joker painting was in it and I was super excited. The show kicked ass and I think everyone pretty much loved it.

Myself, my piece, and Chelsea.

Then came HALLOWEEN when I went completely all out. My make-up took me over an hour to put on and a lot of the pieces of clothing was things I found at Salvation Army and were sewn to fit. This costume will always be one of my favorites.

Long Over Due...

2008-11-02T21:06:00.001-08:00

I know I haven't updated in a long time, basically blogger.com hates me. So there's a LOT I need to post.

Editorial Painting: Assignment #1-

We had to read an article about vinyl records making a come back and being popular again. I thought of it as in sort of a fashion. So my illustration is of a girl with vinyl records for a dress.

"Vinyl Dress", 10" x 14", acrylic

Advance Illustration Techniques: Assignment #1-

Everyone was given a different quote and had to come up with reductions for it. My quote was "Those who stand for nothing fall for everything." I liked the idea of a gimmick and thinking that someone is above the law.

"Panda Man", (??? measurements), acrylic

Image Making I: Assignment #2-

This project could be anything related to mythology and had to include photo elements. I choose MEDUSA because she's awesome. This was my first time using a wacom tablet. This piece never really got finished but here it is anyways.

"Medusa", 11" x 17", Adobe Photoshop

Mackinaw Island

2008-10-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

Me and my Kris.

Last weekend I went to Mackinaw Island with my boyfriend and his family. The trip was lovely, I ate a lot of fudge, and had a good time. I just thought I'd share a few of the pictures I took.

Horse and buggy

Fort Mackinac

From the butterfly house

Weird rock formation

The town

btw, HAPPY OCTOBER!

Hello everyone!

2008-09-24T19:20:00.000-07:00

My name is Kiki or more formally, Kristina Keller.

This is my first art blog and I'm excited because I think it'll be fun to see how my artwork changes and a nice way to reflect on it as well as get outside feedback from you all. (Please don't be afraid to comment!) I feel a little guilty because over the summer I really didn't do much art. I did one painting and a couple sketchbook drawings. I became completely obsessed with the Joker from The Dark Knight and so naturally, that is what my painting is of.

"The Joker", 9" x 12", acrylic

All of my classes this semester have been going very well so far. And I've completed my first assignment! YAY! This was for Image Making I and we had to come up with an illustration for this newspaper article about a time machine. My idea was a thought cloud which originally had the man, Ronald Mallett (who in real life is working on a time machine), in it but it looked better without him. (Sorry Ronald.)

Untitled, 4.5" x 5.5", Adobe Illustrator