Loose Leaf Sketchbook

Valentines Day-the day after

2012-02-15T12:16:00.002-06:00

Something I look forward to every year is a Valentine's Day exchange.

This year I decided to do a Calendar. Most likely I am going to reformat it for 2013 and sell it on my etsy store.

Happy holidays! Free things you can print!

2011-12-02T19:05:00.006-06:00

Just in time...

a free printable for you!

Download the pdf!

Holiday Fun

Before and After...a chair and table

2011-11-20T10:38:00.008-06:00

Occasionally, I go a bit nutty and decide that either a free chair or a thrift shop table can be rescued in time for an event I will be hosting.

Well, I managed to do so on time (3 days!) and with rather good results. With directions I found here, I updated both in time for use at a bridal shower.

Chair before:

Chair after:

Table before and during:

Table after:

Originally, I had wanted to put the damask design on the top of the table, but with it's surface being hard glass like stuff, I had to settle for the bottom. I think I am pleased with it that way because it allows me to layer doilies on top. There will be a third one, but I am still crocheting it.

The stickers came from Joann Fabric in their wall sticker area. I just cut them here and there to get the desired look.

Waterlillies and a Fairy — Finished illustration

2011-09-27T15:59:00.003-05:00

I suppose there comes a time when you have to let go and say....it's done. Since this is on my only larger sized pre-stretched watercolor paper stack I needed to get it off the board so I could start something new.

And just in time for me to have gotten my new Epson printer.

Visiting the Lake District—England

2011-08-30T12:08:00.010-05:00

Image taken by me from Wray Castle of Windermere Lake

It is easy to see why the Lake District in England has been so inspirational for artists and poets through the ages. The hills and valleys accented by large sweeping clouds floating across blue skies cast a light and shade in dramatic splendor.

My main goal of visiting the Lake District was to see original illustrations by Beatrix Potter. Unlike most tourists, Hill Top would have been a bonus to see, but secondary to visiting the Beatrix Potter Gallery in Hawkshead.

Beatrix Potter stayed here in 1882.

The original illustrations were stunning. Ms. Potter's subtly in painting and drawing can only be seen in the original form. Reproductions do not do her justice. I was impressed by her use of stippling and delicate line work. Some of the inking was dark brown and some black. The line work seemed to support the immediate focal point of the illustration rather then to cover all her pencils.

In a glass case at the beginning of the gallery housed in her husband's offices, we had the pleasure of seeing her watercolor palette set and an aborted illustration for The Fairy Caravan. This shows that she completed her sketch and then preceded to ink the drawing. You can see a slight smudge central in the illustration which is most likely the piece was aborted. The final un-smudged illustration was also represented in the exhibition.

At the end of examining and trying to commit to memory Ms. Potters original work, I purchased a beautiful and comprehensive book on her life and work. The main reason I jumped on the book was two notes on her colors and the mixing of them found inside an old wooden watercolor set of hers. It also had notes on palettes she recommended for beginning artists.

Below I have taken a few of her notes on greens and attempted to recreate them based on her notes for Wildflowers and Roses.

Some of the colors in her pallet I did not have exact, but I did have modern versions and I used some google-foo to find out more about them. Emerald Green for example was highly poisonous in that time. It was a color popular in the regency period and was used for wallpaper. Very hazardous I would say what with being made with arsenic. I am not sure what companies use now to make Emerald green but some still do.

My replacements are on the right
Emerald Green = Old Holland Scheveningen Green
Gamboge = Old Holland Gamboge Lake
Colbalt = Schmincke Colbalt
Prussian Blue = Old Holland Blue Deep
For Burnt Sienna and Indian Yellow I used Schmincke watercolors.

All in all it was an excellent trip that will most likely have a strong impact on anything I produce in the future. I would like to give C.E. a huge thanks for the opportunity and all the work she did on researching trains and the underground. And a huge thanks to my husband for encouraging me to go.

View on the other side of Wordsworth's gardens.

View from Rydal Mount.

Cleaned up sketch

2011-07-06T21:31:00.002-05:00

This afternoon I transferred the sketch to the watercolor paper and cleaned her up a bit. Shortly I am going to start some inking...though chances are I am going to look at her again with fresh eyes in the morning.

I don't know what I am going to title it yet. Possibly "The Secret Garden."

I am open to suggestions.

One down....What am I going to do with you?

2011-07-06T12:47:00.004-05:00

So I believe I have figured this one out.

The lower branch of the willow tree will need to be moved up or removed entirely. But here we have a fairy with her shoes off and in her right hand, stepping upon lily pads in an enclosed garden full of irises.

Bears

2011-06-24T11:39:00.003-05:00

Thinking of selling these cuties on etsy.

Cat on Shelf

2011-05-27T10:10:00.002-05:00

Frankly, I don't give a hoot...

2011-05-25T12:36:00.002-05:00

She did not have the heart...

2011-04-30T18:34:00.004-05:00

to move him.

Hmm...unbelievably productive day.

1. Finish illustration.
2. Plant a dog wood and clean up flower bed under picture window, place field and flagstones.
3. Update blog and etsy store banners.

Whatever am I going to do with you?

2011-03-13T14:26:00.005-05:00

I had been thinking about this one for weeks. The Moleskine was lost until just a moment ago.

This one has potential, but what exactly am I going to surround her in?

And then this one...nicely executed, but what is she doing?

Once upon a time...

2011-02-20T13:30:00.003-06:00

Her mother said she would have to kiss a lot frogs before she met her Prince.

But this was more literal then she thought.

This years Valentine.

And submitted for Illustration Friday Topic, Midsummer's Night.

There is always a fairy party that night.

The steampunk lama

2010-11-23T11:40:00.002-06:00

He said he wanted a steampunk lama...

Oh the joy of new equipment...

2010-11-23T11:02:00.001-06:00

Up. Up and away.

New computer, new scanner, upgraded Painter and the CS5 suite...time to start putting it to good use.

I love my husband.

Wedding Reception Illustration: A place for the Bride & Groom

2010-05-19T19:00:00.000-05:00

A while back I had illustrated these little portraits of the Husband and I before we were married. They were at first a just for fun activity in Illustrator. I ended up using the images for our wedding website and for out place setting at the Reception.

The frames were originally in a hot pink, bought from Hobby Lobby. I spray-painted them white to match.

The original portraits as seen on the Wedding website.

Snippets from the Wedding

2010-05-18T19:00:00.003-05:00

It was an over-cast and slightly rainy day.

So luckily, I had an excuse to wear the right shoes.

Photos from the official photographer are not in yet, but here are a few shots from Randy Badiola a good friend and award winning photographer. I was lucky to have him at the wedding shooting as I asked him to run over to the farm before all the guests arrived to take pictures of the set-up.

(I lightened the picture below just a bit, though)

We had our reception at Heritage Prairie Market and Farm, it was a beautiful setting even though the day was cold, grey and rainy. Originally we planned to have the reception in their rather large tent, but with the chill that was reported for the following day, it was suggested we move into the barn.

An excellent idea as it turned out as it lent a very cozy, warm atmosphere to the party.

My wonderfully talented mother did all the flower arrangements for the wedding. The Barn was also surrounded in floral installments my mother created with plants from her greenhouse, geraniums and my favorite (a lucky last minute find) forget-me-nots. (Which I later planted in the flower beds of our new home surrounding a pondering Garden Gnome)

The menu board was handmade with chalkboard paint and a frame I scrounged from a previous framing job. The turquoise/teal napkins and ceramic bird whistles were fabulous ebay finds. Names were hand-written on punched red tags by me in aqua ink. The white lanterns were bought from Ikea and then donated to the farm for the use of future brides.

The aqua baker's twine and calligraphy was used in the invitations and then carried into the reception.

Instead of a guestbook, guests were invited to write a letter to the two of us and drop it into the "Bushel of Love". Supplies in aqua, red and ivory were supplied along with stickers to decorate. It was a joy to see what people came up with, many of our guests were graphic designers, crafty people or kids.

Trial set-up.

The wonderful thing about having your wedding at Heritage Prairie Farm, is that they are willing to use your own recipes for your dinner. The food was scrumptious, I made the mistake of happily downing the delicious appetizers before the main course and could barely get through the main dish!

I am extremely picky about cake and rather indecisive. Instead of one cake, we had over 10 plus Butter cookies and Bienstich...my favorite German pastry. This cake table harkens back to when I visited German with my mother for my Oma's birthday. The table would be laden with amazing cakes. I was lucky enough to find a genuine German Baker in Chicago at Cafe Selmarie. The cake is authentically delicious and working with Birgit was a joy. I made all the cake stands from wood pieces and bits with the help of Catherine over at Restless Violet.

Having 20 or so kids invited to the reception demanded a kids table. The wicker pig was a thrift store find I painted white and filled with crayons and farm theme treat bags. Plain white paper was laid out for the kids to draw on. (My favorite table to glance over at was this table, it was a constant flurry of activity.)

Cake, Just Married, Guest Book, Espresso and Kids.

I made the signs using the aqua twine and a Martha Stewart punch that I had also used on my invitations.

Ah...warm cozy sweater and a satin flower pin with pearls. The sweater is made from bamboo yarn and was in this pattern book by Bernat. I had only just learned to knit in December with the help of youtube. (the look on my face is: "Ha ha, I have rain boots with my wedding dress, what are you going to do about it?")

So many people came to help out the day before for set-up. Including the mother of my brother's wife, my husband's parents who helped with the finishing touches the day of, all three of my brothers, my mom and my best friend who whisked me away for a mani-pedi.

Wedding Reception: Cake topper

2010-05-05T12:03:00.006-05:00

Luckily, my new Mother-in-law sent me a photo of the cake topper in use yesterday so now I can post it in it's native environment.

Instead of one cake we had around 14. Pictures of the cake table en-mass will come later. I ran out of time near the end to decoratively cut out the topper...if I only could do it over again! I also whipped out the actual painting in one night in order to get it scanned in time. With the assistance of my brother's wife's mother, this cake topper was made ready to put into the cake!

And the original illustration:

This illustration features our four cats. Maggie, Sam, Oscar and Schrodinger.

Wedding Illustrations

2010-05-03T20:00:00.001-05:00

Below is the sketch and the final illustration of a piece that was part of the invitations sent out to our wedding. The content of the illustration was completely my husbands idea.

It was originally going to be the save the date card, but time grew short!

Final piece.

Originally the colors for our wedding were orange, light blue and green. During the invitation design process, I nixed those colors and replaced it with red and cyan and brown.

Got Hitched

2010-04-28T12:03:00.005-05:00

My silence on my blog recently has a good excuse.

More images will be coming, including art and invitation design.

She didn't have the heart...

2009-12-07T12:27:00.000-06:00

to move him.

She was glad...

2009-12-06T12:25:00.000-06:00

she wore her sturdy shoes.

He finished the book...

2009-12-05T12:23:00.001-06:00

and pensively looked out.

Birds on the brain...

2009-10-29T19:18:00.000-05:00

Letting go is hard to do...

2009-09-21T19:46:00.006-05:00

And so my donation to Ted E. Bear Hollow is getting ready to ship out. It's always hard to let an original piece go.

I am hoping it it is successful in bringing smiles to a few young faces.

Thanks Trisha!

There are Monsters Under the Bed!

2009-08-18T18:00:00.000-05:00

How do you fight the monsters under your bed?

A Good Book—In color

2009-08-18T10:38:00.004-05:00

Sometimes all it takes is a good book!

Hopscotch under the Cherry Tree—In color

2009-06-24T21:00:00.002-05:00

Hop, hop, hop, Sky!

I help you up!

2009-05-29T18:15:00.002-05:00

I help you up, Teddy!

But how are we going to get the picnic basket?

Nate's Birthday Cake Monkey!

2009-05-24T22:15:00.002-05:00

Nate's Birthday present, pen & ink with watercolor.

Sometime back he gave me the idea, the sketch I reposted below.

January:

Nate:
Hee, I have a suggestion but you'll hate me.

Me:
Of course I won't hate you.

Nate:
Instead of a spaceship, maybe a chimp in a spacesuit doing an Atlas pose holding the cake up?

Me:
LOL!
Don't you think that's a bit deep?
Not many people know who atlas was or what he was doing...

Nate:
But regardless, you have a monkey in a space suit.

And so...I later drew it.

Of course it wasn't until about two weeks before his birthday that I decided painting it up would be the perfect gift for him. At least, I hope so!

Little Pieces — "Cracked" for Illustration Friday

2009-05-22T09:17:00.004-05:00

It says it all...

"Cracked", but on purpose, for Illustration Friday.

He loves me...

2009-05-20T20:12:00.004-05:00

Ah...the uncertainty of love.

A triptych panel.

He loves me..
The tentative start of new love.

He loves me not...
The insecurities surrounding new love.

He Loves Me!
The joy when love is declared.

Swinging Free—Color

2009-05-06T14:26:00.006-05:00

Happiness.

Freedom.

Love.

Blue sky.

Hop scotch under the Cherry Tree

2009-04-29T18:30:00.002-05:00

1...2...3...4...sky?

A suggestion from Linda. I nixed it immediately but it stuck in my brain all night until the next day when I came up with a solution to make it work.

"Sky", may become "home"...but Linda swore the end word when she was growing up was sky....

I could have sworn it was "home", but I was the shy kid at recess under the tree with my nose in a book.

He's just not that into you...

2009-04-28T08:30:00.000-05:00

Maybe if you introduced yourself.

Maybe when the timing is right.

Maybe when you get that new shiny bike for your birthday.

He'll notice you then, right?

Looking at her in color it seems to me that she is plotting how to get his attention then feeling rejected because he doesn't know she exists.

I still need a new scanner...

A good book.

2009-04-27T19:05:00.005-05:00

A good book.

A vivid imagination.

A grassy knoll and a tree for comfort.

Travel without the suitcase.

Not sure if in the color version I will keep the castle.

Tree House and Hot Air Balloon

2009-04-03T18:30:00.000-05:00

Wouldn't you want to go on an adventurous hot air balloon ride?

Wouldn't you want to live in a tree house on a rolling idyllic hillside?

I thought so...

Star Antlered Deer

2009-04-02T18:30:00.000-05:00

This is the sort of deer, or gazelle, that leaps through dreams at night.

It started simply enough, one antler, but then it multiplied.

"Why not?", I thought.

The addition of the stars was another, "Why not?"

Swinging Free

2009-04-01T19:06:00.001-05:00

Happiness is best found in the simple things.

The rush of air on your face, companionship of a good friend, a beautiful day.

Cover Confusion—When two book covers use the same base image.

2009-04-01T10:46:00.010-05:00

Never judge a book by it's cover?

On left: The Girl in the Glass; A Novel, 2005
On right: Life is Short but Wide, 2009

Oh, mighty confusion for the customer.

Two different books, published within 3 years of each other. The one on the left came first, the one on the right I saw in my Barnes & Noble email this morning.

Two different publishers, did they hire the same designer? What about the Art Director? Did anyone notice this design faux pas or was it deliberately done to increase the new book's sales? Yes, in most cases we designers pull images from the same stock...but this much similarity in design, including the tiny text within the door panels can't be coincidence. Or can it?

Cover differences:

Text treatment.

Butterfly instead of boots.

One is cropped slightly closer to the viewer.

Higher saturation in image on right.

At any rate, I recommend reading Jeffrey Ford to anyone, The Portrait of Mrs. . Charbuque was an exquisite read. He's the author of the book on the left.

Which cover design do you prefer?

Update: Googled for more info and better written too!

Matters of the heart

2009-03-23T15:16:00.000-05:00

I am thinking that the bear needs a vacation from tormenting situations.

However, a few love-lorn, love-torn, love-insecure sketches won't hurt...

Swirly cute house.

2009-03-12T14:01:00.001-05:00

The saga continues...

2009-02-06T23:44:00.004-06:00

Awe....

Or is this a happy ending?

Unfortunate Events

2009-02-03T20:00:00.001-06:00

Poor, poor bear.

"I'll save you!" in Color.

2009-01-28T21:10:00.003-06:00

Watercolor and ink.

I like to see the sketch and final side by side.

And the Bear and Girl Saga Continues...

2009-01-27T18:58:00.006-06:00

"He's just not that into you."

In my month long attempt to figure out what to do for the Valentine's card, I ended up continuing the bear and girl saga.

Here she is seen with the bear and a Valentine behind her back as the boy she is sweet on races past her on his bike.

The cat is either snubbing the boy with his back to him, or is interested in the bird in the tree.

It wasn't supposed to go there, but it developed as I was drawing it. Maybe the upcoming Movie Release of the same name above was stuck in my mind.

And then...

"But it's ok, cause I am."

The bear she rescued tried to console her, the cat is lounging in the tree. Perhaps he got his bird and is ready for a nap?

I couldn't leave it with an entirely unhappy ending.

I'll save you!

2009-01-26T19:23:00.005-06:00

I'll save you, Teddy!

Little girl sees a stranded teddy in the stream and valiantly goes to his rescue.

Reminds me of how when I was little I applied emotions to stuffed animals. I had separation anxiety leaving some stuffed cuties in the stores, I thought I could save all of them and make sure they had a good home.

The Story of the Traveling Terrarium

2009-01-25T22:52:00.005-06:00

Once upon a time in a land far, far away, there was a girl who like to make things. In the spur of the moment she created a little terrarium to gift to her best friend.

This terrarium however, had to brave the cold 7 degree weather. So instead of waiting in the car, the terrarium decided it would be best to meet her new owner in the movie theater.

At the movie theater the terrarium snuggled in next to her new owner and friend in the conveniently placed cup holder.

After the movie, the terrarium was invited to go out to dinner at her creators and new owners favorite restaurant the Firkin.

The terrarium enjoyed the colors of the flavorful martinis made by the bartender both the creator and the owner knew back in their younger days as regulars.

As the evening wore on, the terrarium attracted many admirers!

But eventually it was time to go its new home and the terrarium said it's goodbyes and lived happily into the ever after.

The End.

Apothecary Terrarium

2009-01-25T14:49:00.010-06:00

Today, I decided to try something different.

2 plants.

Dried moss.

Stones.

2 Apothecary jars from Walmart for about $10 each.
(Unbelievable but very fragile.)

Dirt.

Cat.

Red mushrooms from Germany.

Mmmmm....moss cake!

Hydrating the moss.

Not finished until the Inspector says so.

I am not certain of their current placement in my home. Maybe when I finish refinishing the spindle legged table, they will go there. The frog is from Germany, a gift from my Mom after she saw my delight in it.

Close ups.

Next up...sculpting a Garden Gnome.

In progress...2

2009-01-22T22:29:00.006-06:00

Tonight's progress on Fairytales. Better known as Romance is Dead, Dear-heart.

I am not certain how dark I will go with the color from here.

The photo that started it. Taken at Castle Hirschhorn.

Antidote to possible elation: long walk, clean apartment, listen to slightly depressing music, paint with grays. Balance and level-head restored.

Work in progress...

2009-01-21T22:21:00.002-06:00

Poor brushes, they always seem to end up victims of my efforts.

Monkey in Space

2009-01-20T15:54:00.004-06:00

I am thinking this is going to be the Birthday card for a Nephew and my best friend's son.

Concerning Ostriches and Cake

2009-01-20T12:21:00.004-06:00

Before Rocket Ship.

After Rocket Ship.

Creativity runs in the family...

2009-01-14T14:09:00.004-06:00

My sister-in-law Ann Druce-Hoffman is a talented knitter.

She designed this new pattern for knitpicks.com.

Keep it up, Ann!

Interview taken from the knitpicks.com website:

We recently interviewed Ann Druce-Hoffman, designer of the Ladies Jacquard Vest pattern, about her design process and the pattern itself.

Knit Picks: Can you describe your inspiration for the colorwork motif on the Ladies Jacquard Vest?

Ann Druce-Hoffman: I’ve always loved things with curlicue patterns—twenty years ago, I was doodling intricate spiral patterns all over my high school folders! For this vest, I looked at many examples of both historical and contemporary damask and jacquard fabric, and used Knit Picks designer Kerin Dimeler’s ideas as a starting point. Damask and jacquard motifs are everywhere right now—from fashion to home décor—so I didn’t have to look far for inspiration!

KP: When you design garments, do you have a particular person in mind who you picture wearing the garment, or is it just about the garment itself?

ADH: I definitely design with the wearer in mind. I’ve found that in knitting colorwork garments, just because you can doesn’t always mean you should! Often it takes a lot of swatching to find the right color combinations and motifs. Personally, I don’t like to knit something unless it will be used.

KP: What were the challenges or surprises you encountered when designing this particular garment?

ADH: Before designing this vest, I always steered clear of colorwork patterns that had yarn floats on the inside of the work that were more than 5 or 6 stitches. Or, I tried to catch the yarn every 5 or 6 stitches, with less than perfect results. When I began swatching my ideas for this design, I was thrilled that the long floats—up to 20 stitches, no less!—worked out fine. They “stuck” on the back just like they should. I feel like a whole new level of colorwork knitting has opened up for me!

KP: What was the best part of designing this vest?

ADH: The best part of designing it was seeing the end result! After trying and rejecting many ideas, it’s very satisfying to see the combination of garment shaping, motif design, and color selection come together successfully.

KP: Do you have any insights as to the body type that might look best in the vest?

ADH: Because the vest has an all-over motif pattern, I think that this vest can look good on all body types. Although the motif is fairly large, it has small components that contribute to the complicated overall look of the vest.

KP: Are there particular features of the way the pattern is written that you think makes it a satisfying knit?

ADH: I enjoy knitting most when it is both challenging and relaxing. I want to be able to watch TV and enjoy the repetitive, physically meditative aspects of knitting, but at the same time I want it to hold my interest and not get boring. Knitting colorwork in the round achieves this goal for me—steeks enable you to enjoy the color pattern emerging, and you can just keep knitting until you get to the top!

KP: What are your favorite things to design and why?

ADH: Not only do I love the process of knitting colorwork designs, but I love the final product. I’ve always been drawn to ethnic textiles, and I love how colorwork knitting can incorporate many different colors and patterns, but bring it all together within the confines of repeated motifs. I love the challenge of finding those colors and motifs that work well together.

KP: Do you knit with Palette in your personal projects? Do you have thoughts on Palette as a colorwork yarn?

ADH: I’m possibly Palette’s biggest fan. I love everything about it! I’ve made beautiful vests for my kids that meet their standards of comfort and also stand up to the rigors of preschool. Palette is also a great sock or hat yarn. Since Palette is inexpensive, it’s fun to be able to buy a bunch of different colors and experiment with new designs. Really, I could gush on and on.

01/13/09

Sweet, light, the usual.

2009-01-11T14:56:00.003-06:00

After the previous post and subsequent concerned emails, I thought I should post something true to my nature and mood.

This was drawn some time ago and I am still at a loss as to what exactly she is doing.

I'll leave future experimental creepiness for Halloween next time!

It's dark out sometimes...

2009-01-11T00:25:00.014-06:00

Why don't you just say it?

can't

Inspired by Neil, thanks for making great art.

Also Coraline, by Neil Gaiman.

Fairytales

2009-01-06T00:25:00.005-06:00

Mommy, where have all the Knights gone?

Romance is dead, Dear-heart.

Oh.

Pencil, art paper and my scanner hate each other.

Wonder

2009-01-05T21:49:00.005-06:00

Originally the turtle didn't exist. But the boy seemed incomplete without a companion. I imagined him as an apprentice to a great magi out on a journey to ask the moon a question.

Between sleep and wakefulness, this popped into my head and wouldn't leave until it was out on paper.

Watercolor, ink, gauche.

Queen Bee has a Guest for Tea

2009-01-04T19:36:00.006-06:00

The Moleskine Sketch.

The rather hastily finished painting.

Thanks again to N.T. for the addition of the tea service, whose idea of the cat and battleship is seen below.

These are the products of coffee and imaginative minds.

An Enjoyable Evening

2008-12-30T10:26:00.006-06:00

"You sunk my battle ship!"

The product of great collaboration, random humor and excellent company.

The dragon has a fondness for wicker chairs, even has an open account at World Market. It's ill advised yes, but what can you do when you're passionate about sound creaky reeds make when you get comfortable? It's reminiscent of the dragon's youth echoing the song of crickets amplified by the cave walls and the chomping of the calves.

Intently staring at the game board, the Dragon looks self-assured and certain of a win, but I do believe the cat has some surprises in store for that Dragon.

Per Request — The finished illustration

2008-12-29T19:57:00.003-06:00

For N, by request from a comment on the previous sketch post.

I agree it's about time, even though the cards won't be sent out until tomorrow. (Hello procrastination and over thinking the cards.) Next year, chances are there won't be a trip to Germany in the middle of November and my schedule will go as normal.

I wanted to keep the colors muted. The prints came out stellar and I am quite thrilled.

Sketch for this year's Christmas Card

2008-12-09T19:53:00.005-06:00

It wasn't supposed to be this complicated.

Points of inspiration:

Ella's wall. (see below)

Trip to Germany and the popularity this year of the moose.

My mom's love of Cardinals.

The red-capped, white polka dotted mushrooms I love.

Tree Mural for Ella

2008-11-02T09:07:00.015-06:00

This was painted in September. My friend Erica was pregnant at the time and wanted something unique in her child's room. So she asked me if I would be willing to paint a tree. I jumped at the chance.

This was long before we would know the sex of the baby, for Ella was modest in the womb.

The sketches:

Close ups:

Into the woods...

2008-07-30T21:01:00.004-05:00

I spent much time in the woods as a child. Mostly catching pretend fish made of wide swaths of moss from the stream. In the spring the forest floor would have a purple carpet of violets, I have never since seen anything like it in my life.

Here is a forest sketch, I have yet to figure out what colors are going into my palette or what medium I am going to use.

A long time ago, in a galaxy...

2008-06-13T10:59:00.003-05:00

It's been awhile since I posted, but I feel the need to post this little bit of cuteness.

This is an illustration made for a job at work, it has a 1950's sort of feeling which was intentional.

The One that Got Away

2008-03-09T18:50:00.002-05:00

Another piece for the dating series. This one was drawn around 4 years ago and I finally got around to painting it.

Finished!

2008-02-14T20:49:00.005-06:00

Flirting is the gentle art of making a man feel pleased with himself. — Helen Rowland

Now with monor changes

2008-01-30T21:54:00.000-06:00

It was suggested by my art teacher friend that the penguin didn't have enough expression. This is the solution I came up with.

Sketch for this year's Valentine Exchange

2008-01-29T23:36:00.000-06:00

Another Valentine's Day is coming up, and that means my long anticipated illustration for my card is in progress. Normally I keep it a huge secret, but I think few people from work visit my blog enough to cause the surprise to cancel itself. Yes, it's a Valentine's exchange at work.

Ages ago, I did the sketch on notebook paper of the girl as she is, without any background. I had meant it as part of my "Dating Series" and I think it still fits. It was originally going to be called "Dressing for Drinks" based on something an old college friend used to say about going out. I think I will come up for another name...but for now it's just called "The Date".

The sea dragon and the mermaid princess

2008-01-20T13:32:00.000-06:00

A few Fridays ago I had the joy of hanging out with my best friend and her 6 year-old son. We gathered at her kitchen table and made art. Her son is a budding artist, a child that already can sit for hours and create images on paper that surpass his age in ability. He is able to connect to that strange meditative state that most artists can obtain, the kind of state where time passes without note and it happens to be three hours later.

I drew this on that evening. I think I had his approval when he said the monster behind the mermaid was scary, and he wished to keep it for his gallery wall. I convinced him to let me take it home first so I could scan it, but I would return it to him later. I might buy a frame for it this afternoon if I am up to braving the severe cold.

Farseer and Tawny Man series by Robin Hobb.

2008-01-14T11:04:00.000-06:00

Seriously good stuff.

I am on the final book in the Tawny Man series and it's killing me.

I just got it in my head that "Falling Slowly" on the soundrack for ONCE would make a great music video for The Farseer/Tawny Man Series by Robin Hobb.

The lyrics are almost perfect to the series. It even has the word "fool" in it and has a bit about making choices.

Glen Hansard - Falling Slowly Lyrics

I don't know you
But I want you
All the more for that
Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can't react
And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You've made it now

Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can't go back
Moods that take me and erase me
And I'm painted black
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It's time that you won

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You've made it now

Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you had a choice
You've made it now
Falling slowly sing your melody
I'll sing along

New Photos for Etsy.

2008-01-09T13:30:00.000-06:00

During the few minutes of sunshine we had this weekend, I was able to take some new photos for my etsy store. Above are a few shots of what resulted from the photo shoot. I received mixed comments from other etsians, but overall I am happy with the results.

Now I just need someone with a great neck to pose with them on.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T17:16:00.000-06:00

The final illustration to this year's Christmas cards. I hope you enjoy it!

Unfortunately I didn't make it out of the house this year for Christmas, I was stuck in bed with a 101.1 fever that only just broke. So for Christmas supper I will be enjoying a mini frozen pizza and one of the chocolate creme brulee I made for today.

Here's to hoping yours was more exciting and festive!

Happy Holidays!

2007-12-24T15:48:00.000-06:00

To all the geeks out there.

Tomorrow I will post the finished illustration for this years Holiday card!

Book Review. The Temeraire Series by Naomi Novik.

2007-12-11T12:27:00.000-06:00

I want to begin by expressing how much I HATE alternate history books. I despise them with a deep passion unknown to most lovers.

Knowing that, you now know how much I went out on a limb to read these books and how decidedly turned around this aversion became.

I was blown out of the air, so to speak. This series truly is a combination of Jane Austin's formal,clever prose and O'Brian's adventure. Yet wholly unique and fresh.

What hooked me was the hatching of Temeraire. On my first Borders visit to find new reading material, I had left off before this momentous event and thought, how dull. The second time I picked it up and read where I left off, I ventured into the dialogue after the lead dragon's hatching and was instantly hooked.

Within three weeks I read all 4 books, and now I am waiting with extreme impatience for the promised excerpt of book 5 that was supposed to have been sent to me upon signing up on www.temeraire.com.

Ms. Novik is very clever indeed. The plots are well thought out, the dialogue sparkles. The dragons are dear. A stinky mushroom for lunch that was insignificant in book 2 becomes dire by book 4. This shows a very deeply thought out continuity of plot.

The battles are frequent and exciting.

I loved them and I recommend them highly. And I am dieing for at least an excerpt from book 5.

Luckily, Ms. Novik is a fast writer. It seems like she produces one a year, possibly because they have all been under 400 pages, unlike the current trend of 1,000 pages or so. The next is due out July 2008, thank goodness. I much rather like the nice, neatly packaged book under 400 pages if there is a promise of one a year.

If my oppinion mattered I would give this series a 5/5 star rating.

Until then I am at a loss of what next to read that could possibly compare.

A leaf from the LooseLeaf Sketchbook

2007-11-30T12:25:00.000-06:00

I began a practice of going to Borders on Sunday mornings to enjoy a bagel and coffee and to draw a bit a few months ago. I started out by drawing tons of figures in various poses. Mostly quick stick drawings, but a few I fleshed out because they just seemed to want it. Here's a peek of something I did during one of those sessions.

I don't know what to say about the fascination I have in drawing tree stumps. I have been drawing them since the age of 12. But they are great seats for the fey.

Sleeping Lessons—The Shins

2007-11-29T14:06:00.000-06:00

Glow, baby glow.

And remember, you don't have to swallow anything you despise.

This song can reprogram your thinking if you listen to it over and over for 4 months.

Brought to you on Theraputic Thursday.

A peek at this years Christmas Card

2007-11-28T20:37:00.000-06:00

During my week off, I successfully completed the drawing and nearly the entire coloring of this years Christmas Cards. Hooray! I am early this year. Though how I am going to put it together remains to be seen.

After sending the drawing to my best friend, an art teacher, to get reassurance that her head isn't to big for her body, I began work on the painting. I choose to go with the Polar Bear in honor of the up coming movie The Golden Compass.

The books themselves are fabulous. But I refuse to listen to them again for fear of having the same reaction when I saw Stardust. Sorry Niel Gaimen, love you and your work but I ruined a perfectly great movie by compairing it to the book.

I am thrilled about the movie, but unthrilled that some of the more controversial elements, the meat and bones, might be taken out. Please don't let me get started on them. If you think people had a field day trying to ban Harry Potter, the voracity of sentiment in trying to get the His Dark Materials series banned will be like a wild and crazy Holiday Party where someone spiked the punch and everyone was thirsty.

On the movie site my Daemon is the Snow leopard, the same as Lyra's father. Try it out!

And if you wish to be on my mailing list this year, just email me!

LATE: The Victoria Magazines Hazelnut Cake for Thanksgiving

2007-11-21T17:04:00.000-06:00

At any rate, it's better late then never posting.

It's been a crazy week for being on vacation. But it's been heavenly so far enjoying a week where all you have to do is entertain yourself and not anyone else. It's been a highly productive week also, even with nearly cutting my finger off with my jewelers saw.

For Thanksgiving I decided to resurrect a cake from the far past. This cake was found in a Victoria Magazine when I was in High school. This cake is so delicious I used it in my senior year speech class as a demonstration cake. But over the years I lost the recipe and had been hunting it down on the Internet ever since Google has been around. I could not find it. So I went on eBay and bought back issues of Victoria until I finally had the recipe. And now I will post it here, hoping it will never get lost again.

The Hazelnuts after toasting:

The three bowls mixed into one bowl of goodness:

The DISASTER of no Wax Paper! Take a lesson from me kids, wax paper is your friend in this. I had to use the metal mallet to wack out the cakes:

The $30 worth of expensive chocolate:

The delicious slice of goodness:

Hazelnut Cake

Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons backing powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1.2 cups finely ground hazelnuts
6 eggs
3 cups of sugar
4 teaspoons kirshwasser (I forgot to buy some, instead I used a shot of Cointreau left over from my party that was used in scrumptious sangria and some vanilla)

Raspberry Filling

1/2 cup of seedless raspberry jam ( I hate jams of all sorts. I hate raspberries too. But I will use it in tonight's recipe for the heck of it.)

Chocolate Icing (more like a moose and I made extra and iced the whole cake in it.)

12 ounces of bittersweet chocolate cut or shaved into small pieces.
1/2 cup unsalted butter cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 3/4 cup heavy cream
2-3 tablespoons of kirshwasser (A German cherry liqueur)

Chocolate Glaze

6 ounces of bittersweet chocolate cut or shaved into small pieces
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons of light corn syrup
3 table spoons sour cream

To Make Hazelnut Cake

1Butter and flour 4 deep 9x2" layer pans. Line bottoms of pans with waxed paper. Flour and butter the waxed paper. (Do not skip this part. I forgot it for the first time ever and am regretting it) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Shift together flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. Stir in nuts and set aside.

3 In large mixer bowl, LARGE, beat eggs with electric mixer for about 6 minutes until thick. Gradually add sugar, beating until the constantly. The mixture should be thick and yellow. Add the kirshwasser. Beat well. Set aside.

4. Wash beaters thoroughly. In another large bowl, beat3 cups of cream til it holds it's shape.

5. Fold the flour mixture and whipped cream alternately into the egg mixture. Divide between pans. (I used three cause that's what I had, and ended up making a few cupcakes) Divide batter into pans smoothing the tops.

6. Bake for 30 to 35 minuted until cake pulls away from sides and pick inserted into center comes out clean.

7. Cool on rack about 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pan. Remove waxed paper. Cool cakes completely on racks. Before icing clean off crumbs from the cakes with a feather or a pastery brush.

To Make Chocolate Icing.

1. In top of double boiler, combine 12 ounces of chocolate, 1/2 cup butter and 2 tablespoons of corn syrup.

2. Melt over simmer water, stirring often. Remove from heat. Mix until smooth and set aside.

3. In a small mixer bowl, beat 1 3/4 cups of cream a medium spread until medium peaks form. Beat in 2 to 3 tablespoons of kirshwasser.

4. With mixer running at low speed, slowly add chocolate mixture. Continue to beat at low speed until mixture is a chocolate mouse like consistency. About 2 minutes.

To Assemble Cake

1. Place first cake later on serving plate. Spread with 2-3 tablespoons of jam and 3/4 cup of icing. (work quick or icing will become soft.) Continue layering cake, jam and icing. Spread remain icing on top.

2. Refrigerate 1 1/2 hours until set.

To Make Chocolate Glaze.

1. In top of double boiler, combine 6 ounces chocolate, 3 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons corn syrup.

2. Melt over simmering water, stirring often. Remove from water. Mix until smooth. Cool 5 minutes. Stir in sour cream until blended.

3. Spoon over cooled cake and spread around sides. Refrigerate until set.

4. Serve cake at room temperature. Decorate how you wish. I know I will use the glaze as a decoration instead of anything else...

Banning Welsh?!

2007-11-16T14:01:00.000-06:00

How archaic!

Thomas Cook is a travel agnecy, and although this is old news, it's really cool to hear the Welsh Accent.

I believe the company wanted to stream line communications thus requested that welsh would not be spoken by their employees.

Cutting away...I wish!

2007-11-14T12:33:00.000-06:00

Sorry, dear readers, it's been a busy few days. I am currently finishing off another bear, this one requested by my brother so he can put it in an auction this weekend at a convention. Lucky Lia Bear will be auctioned off. I feel like an over-protective mother and I am trying not to get attached. But I am curious to see how well she will do.

I would much rather be cutting copper or making new designs for my jewelry, but there you have it.

I have include a picture in this post of my jeweler's saw in a sheet of copper. I will print out the design from my computer and adhere it to the copper with rubber cement. Then I will begin cutting away the design. Messy, but fun!

It just kinda happened....and I couldn't stop it.

2007-11-08T23:22:00.001-06:00

So I have been reading a wonderful book bought for me by my best friend for my birthday called Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. But the other day I needed a fairytale or two to get the creativity flowing.

So I began reading a most lovely short story collection called The Ogre's Wife, by Richard Parks. Tonight I was reading the third tale when I stopped in the middle of it and drew this scene.

This where Mordhu, a pooka, seeks out Stone the oldest of the Fey. Stone is sitting in a waterfall to block out the noise of the threat to the fey kingdom. "The water is noisy, but always the same. After a time it fades, and the Voice stays muffled. I do not think I will leave here for awhile."

The scan didn't turn out so well so I took some quick photos...it's to late tonight to mess around with perfection.

Close up:

Full:

Click on the image and it should take you to flickr where you can see them larger.

You would have thought I would have choosen the part where the Fey Queen gives Mordhu the task of finding out what is wrong with the land...but no...I choose a goblin and a stone fey.

Mark A. Nelson—My College Professor and Illustrator

2007-11-08T09:28:00.000-06:00

I found this a few weeks ago when I was browsing for new literature to read. You can easily spot a Mark A. Nelson or any of his students work. I think almost all of us carry in our hands and heads a little bit of that man's knowledge which ends up on the page like a red flag to other students of his. This long list of students includes, R.K. Post, Micheal Sutfin, Thomas Baxa, Neil Klemz(Neil, correct my spelling and add any other students you remember), Mike Giba, Mike Heliker, Theresa Brandon, Fred Hooper, Chris Sabatino and the not so illustrious me.

Currently, Mark is teaching at the Animation Department of Madison Area Technical College in Madison, Wisconsin. If I had a million dollars I would drop everything here and move up there and enroll. I sware, for all his tough teaching love, you can learn a lot from him. I took him at NIU where I was lucky enough to have for his last few years of teaching illustration, later he went up North to work for Raven Software. I wonder how he moved his ginormous library. He had a room devoted to skulls and skeletons of various animals. A young illustrators dream, it was like a tiny museum. I know I wanted to be just like him when I grew up.

In these past few months of reconnecting to art, I have been trying to hear Mark's voice in my head. Remembering the things he taught. I have been considering breaking out those old squares and circles that he made us cross-hatch for weeks on end and starting over from there, I even have been contemplating drawing ten things of the same subject matter each week.

Instead I drew a dragons head last night. In get this, a tiny moleskien sketchbook.

If I ever see him again, I will razz him for not having a website.

The book by Tad Williams is sold out and was $200. The small illustration to the right is from the Unearthed Arcana resource book published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

Thanks Neil for all the links the reminders!

Lily Bear — Bear in a Box #3

2007-11-07T11:35:00.000-06:00

A little history.

These bears-in-a-box come from multiple sources of inspiration. The primary inspiration is the Anano Bear which is made by a woman from Japan. You have to see them to believe in their cuteness.

Another place was the Blog of MollyChicken a marvelous crafter out of England, I believe, who I first saw because she had put one of her gorgeous Bears on eBay for charity. Without her patterns for a dress and a coat, I wouldn't of made these bears for my nieces. I mostly made my own bears because I couldn't possibly afford one of hers, they are made of mohair, I use fleece. And well, I like to make things, my way.

I took the pattern for the bear, pets and bags out of a great Japanese craft book I picked up from a place n Arlington Heights called Mitsuwa which has a full service book store now. The pattern for the bear wasn't exactly what I wanted, so I enlarged the head quite a bit. The pattern for the Beret I made up.

These bears remind me of the dolls I used to have as a child, the ones in a traveling box that came with clothes and hangers. I loved those dolls and I wanted my three youngest nieces to have the same experience. After the success Lacey Bear (#1) had pleasing a niece, I decided to make more. I created a Bear Questionnaire for my other nieces so I would know some of their favorite things, as they change constantly. Strangely enough, both Girls choose "L" names for their Bears, Lisa and Lucy. Thus the "L" series of bears were born.

Lily Bear was made for a woman I work for and it will be a gift for her Granddaughter on Christmas.

Without futher ado, Lily Bear's fashion show:

The whole inside.

Taveling outfit for fashionable bears.

The vet is in!

Super-Star Lily! With Oscar!

Walking the cat outfit.

Summer Dress!

All it takes is one mindless doodle...

2007-11-06T13:00:00.002-06:00

In the beginning, I didn't think of it much. I sketch often in meetings, it helps keep my mind alert, amazingly enough. There are times when I draw something that becomes a painting later on and times when it only is chicken scratch.

I don't generally use sketch books. Using loose copy paper for my initial sketches, makes me feel less bound. Sketch books are bound, and being bound in any form stifles my creativity. Sketch books aren't for everyone. I do wish they were for me, in college I would lust over the richly packed books of my fellow class mates. But as it turns out I go into spasms of panic over sketch books. It's something I am working on.

In the absence of loose leaf paper, I use my daily planner form work. Two years of planners, full ideas drawn out subconsciously waiting for future reference.

In this post are the sketches that began the series of jewelry I am doing on etsy. I think I intended later for these scribbles to become a vector illustration. It didn't work out like that.

So as you can see from the shear multitude of sketches, you can take an idea and redraw it multiple times before you are finally satisfied with the results.

Getting it right the first time is not necessary in art. What is necessary is letting your idea breathe, recreate itself and mature.

I began with the idea that wire would be the perfect medium to express these designs in. But it didn't work out that well. One of my electives in college was Jewelry 101 and I recalled the technique of cutting metal to pierce out a design.

I had a jewelers saw and some metal, namely copper sheets, from past projects painting miniature figures. A hobby that turned out to be an utter waste of time and money. Aside from impressing gamer boys with my mad painting skillz gleamed from my college education, it had no real-life application and didn't give me the satisfaction art did. Creating something from absolutely nothing.

It was this realization that finally woke me up. My hobbies and my art, up until now were ones meant to please other people. What I consider my best art was beyond that sphere. So let this be a lesson to you ladies. Do what YOU want to do, and you will be truly happy.