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.

November Visitors

 {Sketchbook, 2012}

{Sketchbook, 2012}

I love November. It's the month that holds my birthday, Thanksgiving, and the excitement that leads up to Christmas. I also love the scurrying of all the animals trying to get the last tasks done before they migrate on or go into hibernation. In fact, right now there is a vibrant bluebird in my birdbath! I always see bluebirds in the spring and fall because we aren't situated in their habitat, but in their migratory paths. These are a few sketches inspired by November. (I wish animals had to bundle up like we do. Wouldn't that be cute?) Oh well, I guess in my imagination they still can. 

Critters!

{Sketchbook, 2011}

{Sketchbook, 2011}

Just a few sketches of some of the furry little visitors that I often see wandering around my yard. Of course, the deer around here don't usually wear scarves! (The squirrels certainly DO hoard acorns, though!) I think the squirrels and deer are really enjoying our mild December so far. They are much more active than they normally would be this time of year.

Illustration Friday - Round

{Prisma Pencil with Digital Color, 2011}

Every morning when I walk to the gym I notice the squirrels are getting rounder and rounder as they prepare for winter! Of course, the squirrels around here don't wear cute little coordinating winter outfits. This little guy is getting ready to store his last nut because he is caught in the year's first snow!

Illustration Friday - Scattered

{Oil on Board, 2011}

This is a small part of a larger illustration that I have been working on. I started it quite a while ago and am now chipping away at finishing it. I thought it worked well for scattered, since thats what animals tend to do when startled. I still have quite a bit of work to do, but I don't think it will be done by the time the week is up, so I figured I would post what I have.

Busy Squirrel

{Graphite in Sketchbook, 2011}

The squirrels around here have been pretty busy the last few weeks. The acorns are falling off all the oak trees and the air is changing into that crispness that signifies fall. I love this time of year and I always look forward to all the sights, smells and festivities that it brings!

Illustrating My Name

{Black Prisma and Watercolor, 2010}

{Black Prisma and Watercolor, 2010}

These illustrations were created as examples for the current project I am teaching in my Introduction to Illustration Class at the Des Moines Art Center. Its a really fun project but it also makes you think outside the box and decide how abstract you can make your letters while still making the piece legible. The top piece is garden objects and the second is inspired by different animals (and a ladybug!) Its addicting to turn words into shapes... so beware if you decide to do this project. You may not get anything else done the rest of the day!

Why I'm Not Getting A Tattoo

{Squirrel Tattoo Concepts, 2009}

{Seashell and Floral Tattoo Concept, 2009}

It has been a long while that I have been contemplating getting a tattoo. So finally, I said to my husband one day, " I want a tattoo for my birthday". (Which happens to be today.) I have thought it over for months, to the point of waking up in the middle of the night to think of ideas. I had totally planned to have a smaller tattoo placed on my inner left wrist. The sketches above, are the concepts that I spent time working up. The squirrels would be significant because they were used as a motif for my wedding. I also included many different flowers on my designs that had special meaning to me. (Specifically Lily of the Valley which has a universal meaning of seeking happiness, and it reminds me of my Mom.) The seashell drawing would be significant to me as a reminder to keep working towards being able to live by the ocean and I can not think of one thing I love more than being near the sea and all the ecology that goes with it. ( I'm a total nerd, I know) So... after working out all these sketches and doing tons of research on local tattoo artists and tattoos in general, why am I not getting it done?

Here are a few reasons:

1. I am a major control freak. Its hard for me to imagine another human drawing on my skin. If they altered my drawing in any way, I would be disappointed. Human error, which is inevitable, would happen and then drive me C-R-A-Z-Y.
2. This is another control thing. All tattoos fade over time and feather around the edges. Yes, you can take really good care of them, but IT WILL HAPPEN. I'm a perfectionist, and the odds are, the minute one little dot of ink feathered or blurred, I would be annoyed.
3. Change. My tastes change like the wind. Yes, I will always love squirrels, seashells and flowers, but its bigger than that. At some point, I may not want to profess that love so openly.
4. Getting it for the wrong reason. As most artists, I am interested in things that look "cool". I like to follow trends and I really love the look of inner wrist tattoos. The only thing is, I am a little afraid it will become the next lower back tattoo... or tickle me Elmo... or those weird sunglasses that look impossible to see out of. You know, waaaay too overdone!
5. I don't want to be asked questions or groped by strangers... or casual acquaintances for that matter. I've seen it happen, probably done it before, and simply do not want to deal with it.
6. I have have made enough impulsive decisions in my life, and I finally found something that I explored and was interested in, but ultimately decided was not right for me. I love the culture surrounding tattoos, and the art is AMAZING if its done by the right artist. I think Kat Von D is wickedly cool, and I love her tattoos... on her.

Regardless of my decision, I still liked the little pieces of art that came from exploring this option. I know this is a long and slightly off topic blog post for me, but I feel that I made the correct decision for me and I want to encourage others to think things through before they make big decisions, no matter what the end decision.

Sketchbook!

{Sketchbook, 2009}{Sketchbook, 2009}

These are some sketches I've done recently. The top one is a character I may want to develop further. I like the idea of a squirrel or chipmunk as a little cowpoke. I'm looking forward to sharing some finished illustration projects soon! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

As The Wind

{"As The Wind", Mixed Media on Watercolor Paper, 2008}

{Detail}

This is the final piece that I am including in my portion of Crossroads Iowa 2008. I have a few older pieces and then the one from the last post. I used watercolor, colored pencil, acrylic and oil in this piece, and not necessarily in that order! I think photographing it did the colors much more justice, after several frustrating tries at accurate scans.
Does anyone out there have a fantastic scanner in their home that reproduces even the slightest nuances? Let me know! I may be interested in getting that...

Illustration Friday - Pretend

{graphite in my sketchbook}

I am not sure if I will finish the final of this in time...so I thought I would post the concept sketch. I plan to adjust some things and make the girl more detailed, and maybe a more flowing, prettier dress.

When I was younger I used to pretend that I was as small as the little animals in my back yard...the birds, the squirrels, and butterflies. I always thought it would be nice to have a squirrel as a best friend. It would be fun to fly from tree to tree and cover so much ground so quickly. Squirrels have been a favorite animal of mine for a long time! They have so much character and they look so sweet!

Jasper the Squirrel

I just thought I would share this sketch of a character I drew last night in my sketchbook. I did a few poses, but I liked this one best. It seems as if little Jasper has a date and comes bearing presents!!

Oh and its Election Day here in the USA!! This was my second time voting in a Presidential election! (because of age!) I have been a political junkie since I was about 15, so it was a big deal when I was finally able to go out and vote.

Illustration Friday: Plain AKA Squirrel Around!!!

I have no idea what the reason was, but I decided to play with some mixed media yesterday. This is what I came up with. A squirrel being pulled by a bee which is being lured by flowers. Also, I decided to add the words "Squirrel Around!" because that's basically all this was. It's just a strange collage of some very plain, ordinary subjects...so I guess that's why it will have to suffice for Illustration Friday this week too!

Critter Sketches

These are a few sketches from the past few days. The squirrels run rampant around here so they are always fun and easy subjects to draw. I was playing with some bird designs and thinking about Valentine's Day while watching Harry Potter the other night too.