Illustration Friday - Winter

{Digital, 2010}

{Printed Cards, 2010}

{Back of Cards, 2010}

Wishing everyone a magical and Merry Christmas! I love being able to share my artwork with the world through this blog and I appreciate every single person who comes here to take a look. A few posts back I shared the top illustration, which was done as the main image for my family (ie. my husband and our menagerie of pets) Christmas card. I said I would share the final printed version, which I got from Overnight Prints. They turned out very nice with wonderful colors and great quality.

Happy Little Things

{Etsy Treasury Featured Artist, 2010}

*Click HERE to visit treasury!*

{Etsy Treasury Featured Artist, 2010}

*Click HERE to visit treasury!*

I'm super excited to be a featured artist in a few treasuries on Etsy! You can still get 15% off until December 24th by using the Coupon Code CIBLOGSALE at checkout. Even if you are done with your holiday shopping, why not get something for yourself? Thanks for visiting my shop!

{Printed Tag Sheet from Previous Post, 2010}

I printed out some of the tags that I had created as a free download for this blog! If you still need a few tags or have some wrapping paper that matches, visit my post from yesterday to get yours!

{Completed Tags, 2010}

I used some ribbon and crafty scissors to cut my tags out for a little extra flair! They actually print out more colorfully than shown in the pictures. My husband has been in Israel with work so I let him take the Nikon and have his Fuji. I'm glad he took the Nikon, but I will be happy to have it back soon!

Free Holiday Gift Tag Sheet

{Gift Tags, Watercolor and Digital, 2010}

I used a collection of watercolor images and photoshop to create a part of a Christmas gift for my friends, but I can't share that just yet! Until then, I have used that same collection of images and created a gift tag sheet just for you! Just follow the simple instructions below!

For best results:

1. Click on the image and zoom in.
2. Either drag to desktop or right click and save.
3. Print
4. Cut out and enjoy!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

{Watercolor, 2010}

How does your container garden grow? Mine grows with several succulents and tropical plants all in a row! This piece is also listed in my Etsy shop for $18 and you can get an extra 15% off if you use the coupon code CIBLOGSALE now through December 24th, 2010!

Illustration Friday - Phenomenon

{Watercolor with Digital Text, 2010}

{Watercolor, 2010}

Every year on the second day of Christmas winged turtles (aka Turtledoves) take to the sky to spread some cheer. It is quite the phenomenon and you can only see them if you are lucky enough to be looking up as they pass by!

We are doing a "12 days of Christmas" series of posts on my group blog, The Doodle Diner. Head over each day to see what we have come up with!

{Etsy Coupon, 2010}

I also wanted to let you know that I have set up a coupon code until December 24th, 2010 for an extra 15% off anything you buy from PinwheelArt on Etsy! Several original illustrations and crafts are listed for your viewing pleasure!

Follower Appreciation Discount

{Etsy Coupon Code CIBLOGSALE for 15% off until December 24th!}

In appreciation of my blog followers I have created a coupon code for my Etsy shop which is currently stocked with several original illustrations created as recently as this year! I have priced them to sell. If you are still looking for a gift for someone or even for yourself, please visit my shop! Thank you for reading my blog!

Book Signing Event: Sue F. Cornelison

{A Picture with the Author/Illustrator at Barnes & Noble, 2010}

{Sue F. Cornelison, 2010}

{"The Twelve Days of Christmas in Iowa", 2010}

Yesterday my friend and I tromped to Barnes and Noble in West Des Moines because we wanted to meet Illustrator Sue F. Cornelison and have her sign our "The Twelve Days of Christmas in Iowa" books. I brought along my camera hoping I might snag a picture with Sue and she kindly agreed! Meeting her was wonderful, she has such a warm personality and really took time to meet her fans! You can get her book HERE on Amazon!

Christmas Card Illustration 2010

{Digital Mixed Media Illustration, 2010}

I didn't have time to make handmade cards this year due to my current illustration workload. (which I am really grateful for!) I decided to do an illustration and have some cards printed professionally and mailed to me. I am running a little behind this year, but I have always had good luck with Overnight Prints in terms of quality and speed of delivery. I thought it would be fun to have our whole family (which consists of several furbabies!) Photoshopped into a gingerbread wonderland! I love that the pictures are totally not to scale in relationship to each other. It's probably pretty accurate if we were measuring personality! I'll make sure to post some pictures of the printed cards when they come in the mail. I'm really looking forward to seeing them!

A Snowman and an Artwork Sale

{Sketchbook with Digital Color, 2010}

Even though we haven't had our first real snow yet this year (very unusual!), I am starting to get into the spirit of winter and the holidays. Every year I get an itch to draw a snowman... maybe its because I don't get outside and make one anymore. When I was a kid, that was one of those things you just had to do! Who knows, maybe I will do it this year!

{Etsy Banner, Click to Visit, 2010}

I also wanted to share that a bit later today I will be updating my Etsy shop with several illustrations that I no longer have room for. Our house is quite small and its actually a bit painful to get rid of some of my more favorite pieces! I plan to price them reasonably so that they will *hopefully* sell. There will be watercolors, oils and drawings. If you are looking for a Christmas gift or a piece of art for a nook in your home that needs a lil' something, please visit my shop!

An Artful Weekend

{Windsor Wonderland, Windsor Heights, 2010}

{Windsor Wonderland, Windsor Heights, 2010}

{Windsor Wonderland, Windsor Heights, 2010}

This past Saturday I led a ornament and card making workshop for children at the Windsor Heights community center for their "Windsor Wonderland" event. It was a really wonderful event and the kids (and adults too!) made some very creative work!

{Reindeer at Reindeer Roundup, Des Moines Art Center, 2010}

{Reindeer Roundup, Des Moines Art Center, 2010}

{Reindeer Roundup, Des Moines Art Center, 2010}

The next day, my husband Ken and I stopped by the Des Moines Art Center for their event, "Reindeer Roundup". There were crafts, cookies, hot chocolate and best of all, LIVE REINDEER! I even got to pet one! They were still quite young, and their fur was so soft! I just had to have my picture taken in front of their pen, they were so cute! After that, Ken and I braved the mall to take care of the majority of our Christmas shopping. (Glad it is mostly done!) I plan to make some gifts too... and of course share them here later!

Sketchbook Pages

{Cats and Plants, Sketchbook, 2010}

{People at the Car Dealership, Items, Sketchbook, 2010}

{Home, Sketchbook, 2010}

{Home, Sketchbook, 2010}

{Creative Rambling Page, Sketchbook, 2010}

After spending a lot of each day working on a children's book project, I have found that it helps to clear my mind and settle down by drawing in my sketchbook. Its sort of like stretching after you complete a hard workout. These are a few of my pages from the last few weeks.

Figure Painting Study

{Acrylic on Canvas, 2010}

My most recent study of the figure. I painted the model from two different places in the room. I like the negative spaces that the two figures create together. I am also really enjoying using acrylics when I paint from life because they dry fast and I can stay loose as I try to record as much information as possible in the allotted studio time.