Introducing Henry Robert Camling

{Henry, 2012}

{Pen and Ink with Digital Color, 2012}

On December 6th, at 10:21pm my husband and I welcomed our son, Henry Robert into the world. He weighed in at 7 lbs., 4 oz., measuring 21.5"long. Right now, we're doing our best to learn about caring for an infant, and the most important thing right now is helping him to thrive! He's absolutely beautiful and we both love him in a way we never thought possible. I also included an illustration I made for the thank you cards I wrote to friends and family that provided us with baby shower gifts. Since Henry's birth, I feel like we need to write some more for all the people who have brought us meals and made sure that we are doing alright. My parents will be visiting for Christmas, and we are really looking forward to that too.

Bear Family

{Watercolor, 2012}

This is a watercolor illustration I did as a gift for some friends that will be having a baby boy very soon! I'm going to put his name on the bunting above them, but I'm posting it without because the name is a secret until he's born. I hope they like it!

A Sweet Baby Commission

{Oil on Canvases, 2010}

{Oil on Canvases, 2010}

{Olivia with her daddy, Mao, 2009}

These are a few progress shots of a commission I am doing for a friend's baby room. I'll post them again as soon as they are completely done. I plan to stick with a mostly blue and brown palette, which is the color of her room. Olivia, is around 8 months old and is a real cutie! My husband and I really value the time we get to spend with Olivia and her parents (Anne and Mao). They are a sweet family and really fun to be around.

Portrait Commission

{Graphite on Bristol Paper, 2009}

I was asked to do a portrait of a friend's child as a wedding anniversary gift. I couldn't share it right away because I didn't want to ruin the surprise! However, since the recipient thanked me for it, I am going to go ahead and assume its safe to post! :)
On another note, if you follow me on Twitter at all, I mentioned that I was hoping for good news! So here is the story:
I made a poster to submit for my neighborhood fall festival (Beaverdale Fall Fest, as it is lovingly called). I submitted it to the Fall Fest Committee last night, and out of 8 entries, it made it to the final two. I have to wait until June 24 to find out if my poster will adorn doors and windows throughout my lovely Des Moines neighborhood. The festival is a pretty big deal around here, so I have my fingers crossed that my concept/illustration will be chosen! Once I find out, either way, I will share my whole poster concept in a post!

Illustration Friay - Fleeting

{ Watercolor, 2009}

I finally finished my Illustration Friday entry for "Fleeting". I had the drawing completed and had been thinking about it all week! I just wanted to start painting it, but had some more pressing work to finish. I have to say, I can not wait to get a better scanner. The richness and subtlety of the colors just doesn't come through, even if I tweak it in Photoshop. When I have to have things perfectly accurate, I always have to go to the local print shop to have a nice scan made... maybe a portion of the tax return should go to a new printer/scanner/copier... hmmmm... hopefully!

Illustration Friday - Fleeting

{Sketchbook, 2009}

I will finish this in watercolor later this week, so check back, but I sort of like the "aged" look of the tracing paper over the sketchbook paper, so I decided to post the initial sketch. This piece really flowed for me, and I thank God every time that happens, because those are the moments I live for as an artist. I think I was really inspired by all of the recent pregnancies that seem to be popping up for people I know right now. Only in the last 4 months have I even began to think of becoming a mother. Now, I know I want to be one someday, but probably not until closer to 30... because I have a lot to do with my career still, and I know that childhood is fleeting, and I want to be able to savor every moment.

{Colored Pencil, 2009}

This is the colored pencil drawing that was transferred onto the watercolor paper. I Hope to start painting tomorrow!!