Posts by Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled "Embroidered Life" that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
June 29, 2016

Incredibly Fit 50-Year-Old Woman Looks Decades Younger with Years of Dedicated Exercise

Many people are searching for ways to preserve their appearance and turn back the clock on aging. One woman has seemed to uncover the secret, and for her, it’s many years of dedicated exercise. At 50 years old, Ye Wen looks decades younger—more like someone in their 20s. Boasting a seemingly flawless complexion with wrinkle-free skin, the Xinyang City, China-based athlete is proud of her physical strength and youthful physique.

Read Article


June 15, 2016

Unlikely Love Between a White Tiger and Lion Has Remained Strong for Over 10 Years

It’s said that opposites attract, and for Cameron the lion and Zabu the white tiger, this timeless adage rings true. The unlikely pair first met in the early 2000s while residing at a roadside zoo in New England—an unfortunate place for the two creatures—but they were both rescued in 2004 and subsequently relocated to the Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida where they're known as the “resident odd couple.

Read Article


June 3, 2016

Minimalist Tattoos Mimic the Graceful Fluidity of Brush Strokes

Artist Lee Stewart creates minimalist tattoos that beautifully capture the fluid gesture of a brushstroke. The resemblance of this artful motion is impressively realistic, and she articulates the long, graceful lines in the same way that a wet paintbrush touches paper. Like the real thing, they have variation in weight and texture with parts of a single line appearing both light and heavy handed.

Read Article


May 24, 2016

16-Year-Old Uses Body Paint to Skillfully Transform Herself into Fantastical Creatures

16-year-old Lara Wirth produces body painting with effects so believable that they startle strangers with their realism. “After finishing a creation [on myself], looking in the mirror can be a little frightening,” she told the Instagram blog. “I did once make a man scream in the supermarket when I rounded a corner right in front of him. He wasn’t prepared to be met by a zombie.

Read Article