The Inky Illustrations of Ali Cantarella

The Drink: Revolution Brewery's Very Mad Cow Milk Stout
The Place: Revolution Brewery, Chicago IL
The Art:  Watercolor Ink, Micron Pens, Copic Markers on Bristol board

After so much wine and tea, a beer can be a most excellent change for drinking and reviewing alike~  This 22oz bomber hails from local Chicago brewery, Revolution Brewery Co.  Revolution opens the doors to both their brew pub -- with prix fixe beer pairings and multiple brews on tap -- and their warehouse brewery, where you can sit at a bar and order from specialty draft beers while canning and bottling goes on in the vast space behind you.  Mere miles from each other, either Revolution location is worth checking out for a different experience, and a cool pull of local craft beer.  

Check out "Read More" below ~ !

I think we know by now I like wine.  I like it oodles and lots.  The famous quote heralded by writers everywhere encourages one to " Write drunk, edit sober", and I like to think those words can be taken to heart for art as well.  This post is all about wine from top to bottom ( of the bottle c; ).

The Drink: Wine Cube brand mini-boxed-wine: Chardonnay
The Place: Westeros
The Art: Watercolor, Micron pen, Copic Caoi Markers on Bristol Board. 

                                                                                         Read More Below~

Late to the bandwagon, I finally succumbed to my friend's persistent suggestions and starting reading and watching, A Game of Thrones.  This has resulted in two things: repeated self-scolding for not listening to my friend sooner, and overwhelming cravings for mulled wine every time I venture into Westeros.   

The Drink: Spiced Mulled Wine
The Place: The Wet Stain Studio, Chicago
The Art: Watercolor, Copic Marker, and Micron Pen illustration on Strathmore Bristol Board.

Click Read More Below for tasty deets!

The Drink :  Club Lucky House-made Limoncello Liqueur
The Place: Club Lucky Restaurant, Chicago IL
The Art:  "Bottled Sunshine" Limoncello label

Today we're taking a trip back to summer, and out of the studio! In Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood, Italian restaurant and lounge Club Lucky boasts a supremely tasty menu. But in the beverage department, they shine with a seemingly endless bar and thirst inspiring cocktail options. 

(Read More below for sweet deets~)

A little while back, I drank cheep beers at a bar and scribbled on square bar napkins to pass the time.  Stained with yellowish beverage rings and questionable bar residue, these little canvases held drawings of tall bottles, shot glasses, martini strainers, clear mugs, and more. 

I've always had an affinity for mixing, making -- and of course, drinking!-- tasty beverages.  Imperfections have always interested me.  So I've decided to take this blog in a better (wetter) direction, as an experimental sketch & beverage Blog!

If I'm sitting at home sipping one of my dozens of teas, coffees, wines, or beers, or if I'm out at a bar trying some new drink served to me with an intriguing spill on the coaster, you'll find it here, turned into art.  I'll talk about the drink, show you some cool, fun (or, funny?) , art on this daily blog, and maybe you'll get to experience some Chicago bars and restaurants along with me~!

Post One: Tazo Tea & Ballpoint Pen

The Drink: Tazo Berryblossom White Tea, kissed with Blueberry and Cranberry
The Place: The Wet Stain Studios, Chicago IL
The Art: Blue Bic Ballpoint Pen, watercolor brushes, watercolor paper.

Yesterday in Chicago was grey, wet, and cold.  When I'm freezing in my studio, I usually reach for tea to warm me up.  Cheaper and easier than loose leaf, but with much lesser flavor, I might re-steep the same bag three or four times before I give it up for gone. 

First up, the tea (which I drank before even taking the picture, oops!  Sorry, I was cold!)

Tazo Berryblossom White Tea disappointed me the first time I drank it.  A fan of Tazo's Mint Refresh and Hibiscus-orange Passion, I had high hopes for this little blue box. Bitter and dark, it was nothing I expected, and thus it sat on my shelf for months before a moment of desperation brought me back.

However, the second steep around gained much more favorable results.  Maybe I burned it the first time, but a second attempt garnered a medium yellowish tea with flavors that tasted more flowery than fruity. 

For me, this is a pretty basic tea.  I will drink it when I am cold and need something to warm me up until my box runs out, but I probably won't buy it again.  However, as a lover of many other Tazo flavors, this brand hasn't lost me for good <3

For my sketch, I splashed a little tea abstractedly on a sheet of Strathmore Cold-Press Watercolor Paper and waited for it to soak in.  The tea made a weak stain, not great for painting with, but with my trusty blue Bic ballpoint pen, I found a shape that interested me and started sketching.  The strange wet stain brought out island like formations, so I decided to stick with the wet, aquatic, blue theme and draw: A Beta Fish! 

The watercolor paper was amazing for ballpoint pen!  The textured surface allowed the pen to create line variation and freestyle imperfections while sketching, and the thickness of the paper stood up to the heavy handedness of bolder lines.  The pen was almost able to carve into the heavy paper, creating crisp lines and a smooth drawing experience.

When finished, I was pretty pleased with the Beta, and had completely forgotten about my tea. It's a good sign if you're so absorbed in your work that you forget about your food...right? ;) 

Hope you enjoyed this abstract adventure, and look out for new inspiration and experimentation tomorrow! Feel free to click on any of the photos to make them larger and take a look around the rest of the site for more ballpoint pieces and watercolor works.

<3

~Ali
The Wet Stain

First off, thanks for checking out the blog!  It's all shiny and new ( like this site) and like a lot of the things I have been going through this month.  October has been a big month of firsts for me, giving me a chance to really apply the things I have learned so far, and showing me what I still need to learn and work on. 

After creating a 3 piece Bike Series (Seen here) specifically for a call for work, I was ecstatic to be accepted into "Chicago's Best Kept Secrets: Unknown Artists of Chicago."  2 of my 3 pieces were selected, along with 2 older pieces that I submitted as well.  The opening was October 5th, and marked my first ever showing in a gallery event!  I learned a lot, from proper sizing and printing of my images, to proper framing and hanging materials.  But besides the technical stuff, I also had the new experience of being a showing artist, seeing firsthand how people besides friends, family, and classmates receive my art. 

It was great, and I am super thankful to curator Angela Redmond (who is a talented artist) and One Stop Productions (who have some beautiful photos of the evening here) for making the night happen.  The opening was followed by a closing reception on October 26th, where the artists felt like family and a Q&A gave me a chance to talk about my work to people who were genuinely interested.  It was a beautiful, fun experience, and I look forward to keeping in touch with some of the great artists and individuals I met there. 

With the gallery over and my last full-time semester of undergrad at Columbia College Chicago in full swing, I am still keeping myself busy.  This upcoming weekend I head to my home-state of Michigan for an Anime, Sci-fi, pop-culture Expo called 'Youmacon'.  I will be participating in the Artist Alley, where for three days I will do my best to sell stickers, magnets, illustrations, and smiles from a 2"x6" booth.  Like an art fair, it's an amazingly fun way to connect with people and I'm really looking forward to it! 
Look forward to a colorful, picture-filled Blog post about it~
-Ali