Love Birds

{Watercolor, 2012}

My brother-in-law is getting married this summer and all the new sister-in-laws are planning on throwing his fiancee a bridal shower. I was asked to do two love birds for the invitation and I tried to use some of the colors she has planned for her wedding. I love weddings and I can't wait to go to theirs in August!

Work in Progress

{Watercolor in Progress, 2012}

I've been taking a watercolor class on Tuesday afternoons and it has been really enjoyable. We still have several weeks left, which is good because I have only been working on this piece during the class time. If things settle down at my home studio I will plan on working on this more at home too. I plan to work up the foreground figure completely before I decide what to do to finish the background. I have a feeling I am going to need to tone down the three red poppies, but I won't know until I finish the figure. I've really enjoyed working on this piece so far!

Thinking About Spring

{graphite, 2012}

This is the drawing for the next piece I am going to work on in my Tuesday watercolor class. I'm still considering the background. I assume I will probably add something, but I still have to think about that. I feel like this drawing sort of morphed into the personification of Spring, so maybe I will add something that has to do with that. (Perhaps a little research is in order!) It is nice to be doing something a little more serious for my personal work. I have been doing a lot of freelance work lately, which I LOVE, but sometimes it's nice to switch things up!

Little Watercolors

{watercolor, 2012}

{watercolor, 2012}

I painted the little Valentine beaver in my watercolor class this afternoon. The flowers and plants are the product of spending a little free time experimenting with a slightly different style of painting. (and I would like to continue evolving this style!) I am really enjoying playing with watercolor and also learning more about it in my class from a more traditional standpoint.

Sweet Wedding Birds

{Prisma Pencil and Marker, 2011}

I finished coloring this today using Copic markers and Prisma pencils. In my previous post, I shared the black and white line work which has a certain beauty to it. I really love color though! For this piece the color gave the illustration more dimension, texture and mood. I really hope they like their gift! I'm excited for the wedding!

A Wedding Gift

{Prisma Pencil on Stonehenge Paper, 2011}

My cousin is getting married and I decided to make a gift for her to commemorate the day. This is just the line drawing. Once I get it colored, I'll share the final illustration!

Perennial Garden

{Digital, 2011}

{Digital with Labels, 2011}

This is the color version of my last post. Our internet has been down at our house for several days so I haven't been able to put it on this blog. (I'm borrowing my neighbor's connection for a few minutes!) The second image has little letters by each plant and the corresponding plant names are listed in order below:

A. Purple Coneflower

B. Daisy

C. Black Eyed Susan

D. Hosta

E. Pasqueflower

F. Forget-me-nots

Illustration Friday - Perennial (Uncolored Version)

{Ink on Paper, 2011}

I did a drawing of flowering plants that are perennials here in Iowa. I have each of these plants in my own garden. Can you guess what plants they are? I will be posting a digitally colored version later this week, as well as identifying what plants they are. Aside from illustration, gardening is one my my most favorite activities and I especially like when illustration is inspired by gardening!

Sketchbook Ramblings

{Sketchbook, 2011}

{Sketchbook, 2011}

You know how some writers do free-writing exercises to stay fresh and inspire new ideas? I like to do the same thing with drawing in my sketchbook. (I think a lot of illustrators/artists do!) Last night I did the top image in my sketchbook. When I ran out of room, I went to bed feeling satisfied that I had emptied my mind for the day. That is a typical looking page for night sketching. Its disorganized and random. However, the second image is a morning sketch with space to breathe and the items are related. This is typical of morning sketching. Is anyone else like this? Do you find the later in the day it gets, the more chaotic your sketchbook gets? I think its sort of amusing, and something I only just noticed about myself recently... even if I have been doing it for years!

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.

A New Year

{Sketchbook, 2010}

I love a fresh start. So full of possibilities and hope! Here's to a fabulous 2010!

Crafty Felt Barrette Gift Set

{Barrette Gift Set, 2009}

{Detail of Barrette, 2009}

One of the gifts I created for Christmas 2009 was a set of barrettes with little felt flowers. I made it for my cousin's two year old daughter, Josephine. Aside from the actual barrettes, I was proud of the packaging I created to go with the gift. These were so fun to make and I plan to make a few more of these in 2010 to add to my Etsy shop. I have a few more handmade gifts to share with all of you in the next few days, so make sure you come back and visit again soon!

Autumn Spice Headbands

{I'm wearing one of my autumn inspired headbands, 2009}

{Headbands: Details and Colors , 2009}

When I got my hair cut too short to wear in a ponytail, I decided I wanted to make some autumn inspired headbands. I made one for myself, and then I made five more variations to sell at the Market Street Media Foundry Market Day. The sale is this Saturday (October 24, 2009) from 9-5. Not only can you find reasonable art and craft deals, this particular Market Day event is also having a rummage sale. If you are in the Des Moines area, stop by for some great finds and even better deals!

Market Street Media Foundry

118 SE 4th Street

Des Moines, Iowa 50309

Harnessing the Butterflies

{Watercolor, 2009}

I finished painting this yesterday, and am excited to hand it off today. The client is someone I have known since kindergarten! This is a gift that she commissioned  from me for a family member that is having a baby girl soon. It is so crazy, because we are all grown up now, and our friends that are our own age are having kids of their own! I really hope the gift goes over well and that she is pleased with it! I posted the drawing not too long ago.

Illustration Friday - Strong

{Colored Pencil on Watercolor Paper, 2009}
CLICK IMAGE FOR BETTER VIEW

This would have to be a pretty strong little butterfly! This is a commissioned piece I am currently working on. (I promised not to name so no surprises are ruined!) So far, I have transferred the drawing onto the watercolor paper. I will finish the painting portion next week. I have a very definite color palette in my head, so I hope it works out as good as it looks in my imagination!

Experimentation Creation

{Watercolor and Stamping, 2009}

I spend a fair amount of time experimenting, so I have decided to start doing "Experimentation Creation" posts. This is my first official creation but if you read this blog regularly you have seen some of my other experimentations. I started with a blank piece of paper and just started adding watercolor elements to fill up the space. Then, I stamped in the words, "Bluebell" and "Poppy".
You can purchase this original piece, which is 4"x6", on Etsy for only $20.00! Thanks for stopping by!

Sewing Project

{Felt Details, 2009}

{Sewing Project in Progress, 2009}

I've been working on a sewing project for the past few days. I am making a doll, and I can't wait to show it when I have it all finished. For now, though, I thought the little flowers looked darling all lined up. Like a felt flower patch!

Bloomin' Time

{Bloom Pillow, 2009}

Yesterday, after my parents had departed to head back to Michigan, I was really itching to make something. I was looking through some of my favorite craft books, and got inspired to make a mini pillow. I hand cut and sewed on the decorative flowers and the word "bloom". Then I grabbed my sewing machine and added some Amy Butler fabric to the back, and stuffed it. It matches the bedroom and adds a bit of a spring flair!

Click photo to view larger
{Snapshots from Memorial Day Weekend, 2009}

Here are some other pictures I shot this weekend. The dog is my parents' Boston Terrier (I named him Scout when they first got him ... I was still living at home.) Of course, there is a shot of Oliver. He was relaxing up in the attic while I was digging around for something. There are several pictures of some of the spring plants around the yard. The baseball was just laying in a mud puddle across the street in the park. I thought it was kind of cool. I'm sure its from one of the many games of fetch that seem to go on during all the nice weather with the neighborhood dogs! I hope everyone else out there had a magical long weekend too!

SONshine!

{Watercolor, 2009}

I just finished this illustration for My Light Magazine, which is an online Catholic magazine for kids. You can see where the text will go in the middle. My thoughts after reading the text:
With the proper care things can thrive. Its a bit of a metaphor, but instead of water and sunshine, prayer and practice can bring you closer to God. The text should help convey this.

Landfill Art Project

{Oil on Primed Hubcap, 2009}

I recently finished my contributory art piece for the Landfill Art project. It is a global effort and reclamation project to raise awareness about the situation our earth is in and create art from something that would otherwise be junk. The founder, Ken Marquis, contacted me a while back and asked me to be the Iowa contributor, as he would like a piece of art from each state in the U.S.A. He is also looking for contributors all over the world. You can learn more about it, and even apply to participate at www.landfillart.org! You can be friends with Landfill Art on MySpace too, if you want to watch the project unfold. It was really fun working of this different type of surface. In fact, this encouraged me to be more open minded when I think about what constitutes an art surface. As of right now, there are 1, 041 participants!! WOW!