Sketch Meetup Night at Cafe Express

Tonight was a sketch meetup night at Cafe Express. My friends Gary and Ashley were there and I got to meet two other sketchers.  I added to my "octopus" sketch page and doodled the bunny that the octopus is going to be hugging with all eight legs. I'm kind of liking the jellyfish that I created and of course some Amoebunnies™ showed up. They always do. The little guy in the bottom left is heartbroken about something...

Exercise in Progress

Tonight I am playing with the blob brush, line width, paintbrush and pen tool. I am using doodles from my sketchbook as my subjects. We'll see where this goes. My goal is to experiment more this year and to bring more of my sketchbook to life. This will help me to flesh out more of my ideas and develop my "styles".

I really like drawing hair... by the way. :P More updates on this illustration later.

Quick Octopus Study

 

Tonight I did a quick study of the octopus that I will paint on the Mini Qee Bunee. I am REALLY loving and am addicted the Lynda.com tutorials on CS5. I have been using Adobe Illustrator since 1998 and most of it has been self taught. Going through the lessons has really been beneficial in picking up little tid bits that I had no idea about! 

 

This is the quick doodle that I created and scanned in. I really like drawing initial sketches using a real pencil and paper and then tracing them in Illustrator.

Mini Qee 5" Bunee Project

I've recently been commissioned to paint a do-it-yourself vinyl toy! Yeah! I am super excited about this because I've been collecting designer toys and have even collected a few blank ones to paint on for myself (that are still blank >.>).

This project is the "push" to get started and I will blog about my progress. Like I said, I've never done anything like this, so there will be a lot of trial and error (on another blank DIY toy that I will name "frankentoy" just for that purpose) and discoveries along the way.

The first step was to do some quick sketches so that my client could pick what this guy is going to look like! She gave me full artistic freedom, so I sat down and had some fun and then passed the doodles along.

 Icarus comes from my love of Greek Mythology.
This one was not selected, but I may have to do him for myself. 

 

I just let myself go on this one and let my sketch flow abstractly.
Abstracty was born. 

 Arrr! Who doesn't love pirates? This octopus sure does!
And so does my client, Richelle! 

My next step is to flesh out this design further, front and back, in more detail!

Two Friends Moved to Florida

Another Christmas gift that had to be made! Sometimes the ideas are so obvious that it makes up for the ones that I struggle with! :P

Lolita Mario

My friend, Richelle, dressed up as a female version of Mario for Halloween last year. She looked so cute that it was super easy to figure out what I was making her for Christmas! :D

Illustration for the Rosewood Crescent Hotel

This is an illustration that I completed a couple of months ago for the Rosewood Crescent Hotel and I've been very excited to share about it. Now that the program that I designed it for is coming up soon, I am able to post about it here on my blog.

Every year the Rosewood Crescent Hotel gives gingerbread classes that are taught by the hotel's pastry team. I was asked to create an illustration of the front of the hotel as a gingerbread house in a playful and whimsical style to go on aprons that are available for purchase and use at these classes.

It was a lot of fun to take such an ornate, lovely and complex building like the Rosewood Crescent Hotel and simplify it using graham crackers, cookies, icing, jellybeans, candy canes, peppermints, candy corn, gumdrops, and an assortment of other candies.

I am really looking forward to taking one of their adult classes in December. It seems like a wonderful thing to do with a date and I would definitely encourage you to try it out for yourself! They offer classes specifically for children as well as others for adults.

Visit their events page to see the dates, times and price of each class. And be sure to get an apron! :)

My camera doesn't do such a great job in low light, so please excuse the blurriness of this image. I will get a much better picture later. :) The actual image is very crisp and clear like the illustration above. Aprons come in red and green and you can also have your name embroidered on them for an additional fee with a week's notice.

Recycle Bin Finished!

The recycle bin is finished!

Side facing the property entrance.

Side facing away from the entrance. Areas have been left open or blank for the placement of magnets and stickers from the recycling company. Those will be added after the paint has set and a varnish has been added. Phew. I have been working so hard today that I forgot all about eating! 

It is now time to eat! See you soon!

(also... my lofts used to be an oil company... several old fashioned pumps are still scattered around the property. That is the reason for the gas pump in the illustration. Our buildings turned 100 years old this year... full of personality that you usually wouldn't find in an apartment complex.)

Mural Progress

The front side is almost finished! The bricks need a second coat and some color variation. The trees also need a second coat. I spent most of the weekend painting and it felt good to be outside. I also was able to meet several neighbors that I don't normally see. Next weekend I will have more updates and side 2 of the bin!

Preparing for a Mural and Happy

I am in the process of painting a mural for my apartment complex. The design is going on a recycle bin in an effort to beautify what would normally be a dingy brown receptacle.

Since the mural is outdoors, I project the design on the wall of my loft and create stencils to transfer the design.

And this is "Happy" the outdoors cat that likes to say "hi" while I draw!

 

More updates to come...

Invitation and RSVP Cards

A few months ago I illustrated a save the date card for Gary and Ashley's wedding reception. Last week the official invitations went out so now I can post them publicly!

Go to my website to see the save the date, invitation and RSVP next to each other.  I can't believe it is almost here!

Logo Experimenting

I'm in the process of creating a new logo for myself. This is one of the roughs that probably isn't "it", but I am playing around with each idea because every sketch has possibilities, even if it isn't for the original intent.

There is a part of me that loves simple, iconic design. I am also falling in love with creatively done infographics. Also, I am falling more in love with fonts.

It is nice to know that as I get older that I love what I do even more.

Art Cards

 

...art cards that i recently made in a trade...

...i always think of coloring books...

...from when i was young...

...when i draw in black and white...

Reception Save the Date

Please click image to see a larger preview.

This is an illustration that I created for my good friends, Gary and Ashley, to announce their upcoming wedding reception. I look forward to being there! :)

Reception RSPV and Android Game Design

...it has been so quiet here...

...so here is a little nudge...

... to let my little blog know...

... that I am still here...

...small snippet of a wedding reception RSVP that I am illustrating...

...and a crop of part of a video game illustration in progress that I am designing
for the Android platform...

...I will be back again...

...soon...

:P