Nursery Illustration for my niece

So, I have a new niece and she is just the cutest.

Seriously. I don't think they make them any cuter.

To welcome her to the world (and to her new nursery) I designed a little illustration with her name in a heart-shaped field of flowers.
Below are few pictures of the process leading up to the final image :)
I hope everyone has a fantastic memorial weekend!

Pineapple Print!

I was doing a deep clean of the kitchen the other day and I ashamedly realized that all of our kitchen tea towels are either; stained (in colors that would suggest a hasty cleanup of spilled merlot...) ripped down the side (not even sure how that would happen) or fraying along the edges (love and overuse).

My first thought was to make a purchase on Amazon, but I quickly realized this was a chance to try out something I've been curious about recently; printing onto fabric. The only issue would be my lack of sewing machine...and any semblance of sewing skills to speak of.

Mom to the rescue! She's an awesome seamstress (and is in the process of setting up a little pop-up shop with her wares) and I had a feeling she might like a bit of new, custom fabric to work with. And maybe I could get a few custom-printed tea towels out of the deal :)


I started with exploring the basic shape of the pineapple by repeating it multiple times in different color combinations. I wasn't too particular in this stage, just having fun with the colors - though I made note of what was working and what wasn't.
Eventually I decided I wanted to stick to the pink, coral and beige palette that has kind of taken over my life right now, and I felt like that would be a good match against the white and dark wood of our kitchen.

So here is the final print! I'm excited to get it shipped off to Spoonflower and turned into linen, and even more excited to see my mom makes with it.

(Besides the tea towels, of course!)
:)

Worst (but cutest) models ever.

I've worked with some antsy models before; idly picking at fabric during a figure drawing session; answering the phone while holding a pose, or constantly changing the pose that was *supposed* to be held for 45 minutes... but nothing, nothing, could compare to these guys.
I was lucky if I could get 10 seconds of stillness before they'd bound across the floor, crash into each other and start a vicious playfight that would roll across the living room and into the kitchen. Maybe I could get a foot sketched out before then. Just maybe.

Needless to say, I worked from pictures for this one.

Can't really be mad, when this is what they look like when not causing chaos and destruction.

Sigrun is just ridiculous.

This illustration was created for the 2014 Alaska Ferret Symposium and will be available during the auction. It features our little fuzzy terror dumplings, Sigrun and Stitch. I was thrilled to be asked to participate and I wish them a fantastic event!

Prints are also up on Etsy :)

On a sidenote, I am loving working with pencil and pen like this. Suggestions for the next animal?

Pastel Palm Fronds

I wasn't really sure what I wanted to make today. (No pressure, it's Saturday.)
I knew I wanted to play around with a new set of markers and I had a 3 color palette in my head to experiment with - but I didn't know what exactly to draw. After a bit of time spent fumbling around my sketchbooks, I started to draw out long lines with the markers, overlapping and weaving around eachother. And then it hit me, "Palm fronds!"

I cut a few pieces of watercolor paper to a smaller size and starting drawing.

I am still in love with pastels and was really hoping for a sunset-type resulting mesh of colors, but I think the pinky browns I went with ended up being just a bit too earthy and not as vibrant as I was hoping. It was a good exercise though -- now I have a much clearer idea of where I want this Saturday afternoon to go.
Off to make more coffee!!!!

:)

Blank Journals!

I may have gone a little photo-crazy this afternoon.
I set up a small scene to take a few pictures of the new blank journals I added to my Etsy store, but instead of taking the 10 or so pictures per item I usually take (Etsy allows 5) I just went nuts.
I filled up the better portion of my memory card with pictures of different organizations, different props, different angles of light... it quickly went from an 30 minute exercise to a multi-hour event.
And I had a blast.

Here are a few pictures from the shoot :)

I just love these journals. I rarely leave the house without 2 blank books (one a dedicated list-book, one a dedicated sketchbook) and have grown to harbor a serious affinity for unlined books.
When I received this package of blank mini-journals I knew I had to illustrate something small and precious on the cover. So I went with the three things I haven't been able to stop drawing recently; cacti, prickly pears, and crystals.

I'll definitely be ordering more of the journals, so let me know if you have any suggestions for things to add to the covers!

May Day at the Gardens

With an open schedule this morning I decided to head over to the beach and visit one of my favorite places; the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens. I walked the grounds as I usually do, checking out the plants in various states of spring foliage and took a few pictures.

I adore bougainvillea. It might be my favorite of plant of all time, I just can't get over the vibrancy of the leaves. If only I could get it to grow on our balcony...

Eventually I found a nice shady spot, (Necessary today. Was so, so, hot out) spread out my ancient beach/garden/concert/general outdoors throw and started to sketch.

I left a little sunburned, but happy with my sketches. I'm excited to play more with the basic shapes and contours of the plants; removing some of the depth and textural information. It almost feels maplike, and I am really enjoying the process.
Happy May Day everyone!