Dreaming of Spring!

{Click image to view larger}

Watercolor/Digital, 2014

I do enjoy aspects of every season but I am already looking forward to planting my 2014 garden this spring! With the short winter days, and long nights I guess that leaves me time to sketch variations on what I will plant and where. 

Cookies Between Friends

{Digital Mixed Media, 2013}

It has been awhile since I last posted! It isn't because I haven't been working on anything. In fact, it's very much the opposite. I've been pretty swamped with work and I have several things I'd like to share on my blog. I thought I would start with this little personal illustration I created during some down time a few months back. I liked the way it turned out and I have some other little mice I would like to finish once I have some free time. I'm currently working on my 4th picture book, which I am very excited about! Juggling motherhood, an illustration career and general life stuff (and summer is always extra busy too!) has proven to be difficult but rewarding. I really enjoy blogging too, so I hope to try and fit a bit more in. 

My 29th Birthday!

{Graphite on Illustration Board, 2012}

I like to document my birthday on my blog every year. It shows the passing of time and it's just nice to put it out there and acknowledge it for myself. I didn't have time to do a birthday themed illustration this year. I've been sick this past week as well as being 37 weeks pregnant. I was working on this mouse and tree illustration in the evenings this week though, and I thought I could share it. I meant to submit it to Illustration Friday for last week's theme of "Tree" but didn't finish in time. I still think it turned out nice and I really like some of the textures I managed to create with my pencil. It's about 6"x6" in size on a piece of scrap illustration board I had laying around. This mouse is having a peaceful day, just the kind of day I wish for on my birthday! I am planning on going to a hibachi dinner with friends tonight and maybe I'll even find a piece of cake somewhere along the way!

Illustration Friday - Prepare

{Watercolor, 2012}

Shortly after Christmas I started to get seed catalogs in the mail. In the winter, it's always nice to prepare for the gardening season. I am itching to get my hands dirty again! I'll probably plant tomatoes, peas, lettuce and radishes like always. I am considering planting a few soy beans too so that we can enjoy some edamame at home! Oh, and maybe some eggplants, onions and potatoes too! I also love to add a few new flowers to my beds every year too! My husband built raised beds for us a few years ago and we made some PVC frames that can either hold netting (to keep deer and company out!) or plastic for cold frames. I'm definitely going to be prepared for spring either way!

Illustration Friday - Transportation

{Graphite, 2010}

I think courteous drivers make car transportation much more enjoyable! My cats really like boxes so I thought I would make a cat car out of a box and then I added a little convoy of mice. I drew this in my sketchbook.

Illustration Friday - Double

{Graphite in Sketchbook with Digital Color, 2010}

A double dip ice cream cone! It looks like this mouse is about to eat more than her body weight in ice cream. With all the heat and humidity around here, that doesn't sound like such a bad idea.

Reading Buddies

{Watercolor, 2010}

Two unlikely buddies reading together! I used a black prisma pencil, black watercolor and some white acrylic ink to finish this illustration. I've been trying to get my creative groove back since returning from Europe. I might sound whiny, but traveling is tiring!

Illustration Friday - Slither

{Prisma Pencil, 2010}

I managed to participate in Illustration Friday this week! It's just a line drawing, but a drawing nonetheless! I will paint this with gray scale watercolors as soon as I get a chance. I love working in grays because I can devote all of my focus to texture and value structure. Plus, there is just something about black and white!

Some Black and White Illustrations

{Watercolor, 2010}

{Watercolor, 2010}

{Watercolor, 2010}

I am working on filling out my black and white portfolio. I thought I would show a few recent illustrations that I created using black prismacolor pencil, black watercolor and white acrylic ink. Ideally, I would like to have around 20 small images similar to these that I can group together!

Illustration Friday - Clumsy

{Graphite and Digital, 2010}

I whipped up this little mouse in my sketchbook this morning and then colored it in Photoshop. A word to the wise: Clumsy mice shouldn't carry stacks of teacups and saucers... and they certainly shouldn't run with them!

Marv and the Ultimate Question Answered

{Marv from Sin City Sketch, 2009}

{First Layer of Oil Paint, 2009}

{Mickey Rourke as Marv in Sin City}

My friend from college, Scott (aka Workhorse) has been on my case about fulfilling my promise to illustrate my interpretation of Marv from Sin City (easily my favorite character!) I'm not a die hard comic-bookie or anything, but I really loved the depth in the movie and Marv stands out as a complex character. In my drawing I made Marv's eyes a little sadder, 'cause this guy has been through some stuff! I'll probably make some adjustments as I continue working through the painting (which is relatively small at about 4"x4") I'll post the finished piece as soon as it gets done... and then I will promptly mail it to Mr. Workhorse.

Now, as I mentioned in the title of this post... The answer to the ultimate question.

Q: How do giraffes drink from a drinking glass?
A:

{Pen and Ink, 2009}

I know, I know... my sense of humor is hideous.

Illustration Friday - Drifting

{Watercolor in Sketchbook, 2009}

I wanted to participate in Illustration Friday this week, so I started my work day off with this little warm up in my Moleskine watercolor sketchbook. This little mouse is drifting away from the shore! He's got all of his belongings packed though, so I think he's waving goodbye and ready to find a new destination.
It has been SO hot in Iowa the past few days. I've been staying in doors during the day where there is air conditioning! That is probably a good thing though because I'm trying to get all my the projects on my art desk cleared before I head back to Michigan for the 4th of July holiday.

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!

Illustration Friday - Breezy (in color)

{Watercolor, 2009}

I managed to finish my complete entry for Illustration Friday this week...just in the knick of time! I used my Holbein watercolors, Arches 140# HP watercolor block and a black Prismacolor pencil. I am really enjoying this combination of materials, and plan to keep working on a section of my portfolio dedicated to them.

Illustration Friday - Breezy

{Prisma Pencil on Watercolor Paper, 2009}

Mouse is taking advantage of the breezy day! I plan to get this colored in the next day or so, but since it is already Wednesday, I thought I would post the drawing. Now, I have to get to work on some freelance stuff!

Illustration Friday - Climbing

{Watercolor in Moleskine, 2009}

"Ladybug was climbing all the way up to the tallest flower to see what Mouse was reading."
I did this in my Moleskine watercolor sketchbook today. I don't know that I am overly pleased with it, but it was nice to steal away a little time for myself. I have a lot of little projects going on right now, and most are not in my children's style. I got this done just in the knick of time!

Illustration Friday - Repair

Frankenstein knows how to repair a lonely heart! Fuzzy Friends!

I did a little sketch in the sketchbook for this week, because my schedule is just bonkers right now.

I am super excited for Halloween! I am being Ms. Granger from Hogwarts! Yay! I still don't know what my husband is going to be, but I will try to get some snapshots of us, if we bring the camera.

Beatrix Potter for Monday Artday

This is my submission for Monday Artday, the weekly theme is "Beatrix Potter". She is one of my all time favorites since childhood. This is a depiction of one of the mice in "The Tailor of Gloucester". In the story, the mice make little clothes out of the tailor's little cloth scraps, and in the end they really help out the tailor and save the day!