Hot Tea Month

January is Hot Tea month.

 To commemorate, I sampled a different variety every day. I don't drink tea-plant tea (black, white or green), so these are all herbal varieties. Here is my report:

A recap of this month's tea varieties:

1- Yogi Tea - Egyptian Licorice Spice

2- Celestial Seasonings - Bengel Spice

3- Steven Smith's Blend No. 13 - Red Nectar

4- Teavana - Orange Blossom

5- Twinings- Herbal Revive (Cherry and Cinnamon)

6- Yerba Mate- Chocolate Spice

7- Yogi's - Echinacea Immune Support 

8- African Red Bush-Cranberry Mint

9- Roasted Barley Tea

10- Trader Joe's - Raspberry Fruit Infusion

11- Roasted Dandelion Root tea

12-Twinings - Herbal Revive (Lemon and Ginger) 

13- Market Spice's 'Sunset in Seattle'

14- Queen Mary's - Apple Streudel

15- Republic of Tea's - Coconut Cocoa

16- Celestial Seasonings - Almond Sunset Dessert Tea 

17- Good Earth's Original (spicy cinnamon)

18- Bigelow's - Chamomile Mint

19- Trader Joe's - Ruby Red Chai

20- Traditional Medicinal's - Gypsy Cold Tea

21- Stash's Cranberry-Pomegranate 

22- Twinings - Herbal Revive tea (blackcurrants, ginseng and Tahitian vanilla)

23- Teavana - Caribbean Calypso Mate

24- Bigelow - Blueberry Harvest

25- Celestial Seasonings - Red African Safari

26- Tazo's - Wild Sweet Orange  

27- Trader Joe's - Organic Mint Melange

28- Lavender-Mint, with chamomile and rose hips

29- Stash - Lemon Blossom

30- Teavana - Citrus Lavender Sage

31- Teavana - Zocolatta Spice

Review: My favorite tea all month was Teavana's Citrus Lavender Sage blend. All of Teavana's blends are good, but the primarily herbal mixes (theirs or mine) are apparently my preference. Second favorite is a tie between my Lavender-Mint blend and roasted barley tea (which I could drink every day). I also like flavored Yerba Mate' - both for their taste and mild stimulant qualities. I pretty much universally do not care for rooisbos (African Red Bush) blends. They're fine, but not better than fine. Loose teas seem overall much tastier than bagged teas. Of the bagged tea brands, I mostly seem to get what I pay for - the cheaper brands: such as Bigelow or Stash have suspect, non-natural ingredients - which does not improve overall flavor IMO. Of the bagged teas, Tazo and Twinings are pretty darn good. Also Trader Joe's and Celestial Seasonings have some nice options.

I still have a number of flavors in my tea drawer that were not drunk this month. Maybe I'll have to continue to drink a different flavor daily until I've gone through them all. :-)

What is your favorite tea flavor?

Music Monday - As the World Falls Down

Feeling rather on a 1980's movie kick, here's another glorious cinematic scene - from Labyrinth, David Bowie singing 'As the World Falls Down'....

I've always loved the spectacular visuals, masks and costumes in this scene. One of my favorites!

Sunday Sketching

In my teensy purse Moleskine upon my knee...

Music Monday - Ladyhawke

The transformation scene three quarters of the way through the dark medieval fairy-tale of an 80s movie, Ladyhawke, is possibly one of the most wrenching thwarted-love scenes in all of cinema.


I believe this movie holds up quite well despite the intervening decades. The cast is is strong (and features an incomparably beautiful young Michelle Pfieffer), the locations stunning, and the story full of action, pathos and humor in nearly equal parts. I've always held an affection for its Alan Parson's produced soundtrack - albeit, so very 80s in feel. The opening credits are still a nice watch - they are designed so beautifully.

Sunday Sketching -

In the teensy purse Moleskine balanced upon my knee....

Music Monday - O Mistress Mine

(I know it's Tuesday, but I wanted to do the Big Workshop Website kickoff announcement yesterday).

This weekend I watched the 2011 version of The Tempest, directed by Julie Taymor - whose artistic vision and choices are always interesting, often surprising and many times very very beautiful (I lost count of how many times I gasped at her stage production of The Lion King). Her version of The Tempest is nearly a musical, and although Shakespeare did have quite a bit of sung verse in the script, she also imported a song originally in Twelfth Night (see Ben Kingsley singing it here). It fits well and Reeve Carney sings it sweetly (be warned that half of this video is a musical introduction... It is ultimately a short little ditty, and sadly I do not see the clip from the actual movie anywhere on youtube):

Workshop Website is Live!

Announcing an exciting, new Professional Art Series for 2012. Located in the greater Seattle area, each weekend workshop is packed with one-on-one interaction and instruction from some of the most brilliant illustrators and art professionals working today. These select intensives offer the professional illustrator the opportunity to work side-by-side with the best in the industry - infuse new life and confidence into your work. See all the details at TLCWorkshops.blogspot.com


Workshops Offered
Beyond Reference: How to Imbue your Characters with Characters with Justin Gerard. Fri-Sun, March 30-April 1 $375.


Idealized Realism and the Human Figure with Terese Nielson, Fri-Sun, August 24-26. $500.


Self-Promotion: the Portfolio and Beyond with Jon Schindehette (Senior Creative Director at Wizards of the Coast. Blog here). Sat-Sun, Sept 15-16. $300.


Planning Great Images, From the Ground Up with Greg Manchess, Fri-Sun, Nov 9-11. $500.


To inquire about availability, ask questions or to reserve your spot, contact Tara Chang: TLCWorkshops1@gmail.com.