Pink Ladies

These illustrations are all about pink, obviously. I was trying to show how we perceive pink, and how women use pink to call out to their femininity. As for who the women are, make your own decision. Some have suggested that these are the young and old version of the same woman, or a grand daughter and grandmother. Either way, they love pink, and I loved painting these!

Mural!

So, during the last week of classes I also wrapped up the mural I have been working on all semester at the Children's Theatre Company here in Minneapolis. I think everything turned out amazing, and thank you to all that helped in making everything possible! Nadia, Sean and Hanna, thank you for taking pictures! Elissa, thank you for the paints! Debra and Sean, thank you for gathering folks to come paint and Jeremy thanks for helping paint and keep me company. It was a great learning experience and some day I would love to do this again! Perhaps after graduation....

Wrapping up the semester!

Here is some work from the rest of this fall semester.



This was an illustration for Kafka's Metamorphosis. I tried to lean away from physically putting Gregor, the bug, in the illustration, but rather have him be part of an object within the room. In this case, it's the rug.



This piece depicts the nurtured desire to be canoeing on beautiful waters under a shining sun. I love the bold colors that came out of this illustration. I usually am pretty calm with color, so this was a fun one to work on!



This illustration was the second part to the desire piece and this depicts our innate desire to be at peace and calm within ourselves. This is also acrylic, but super watered down and layered. Also a very soothing process, which fits with this piece!

What a crazy weekend! I sold most of my work and it was a nice little Christmas bonus for the end of the semester. Thanks to those who came and others, if you didn't make it, there is always next year!
The place was a madhouse, but it was great seeing everyone so excited about all the artwork on the walls!

Oh Dear Me!

Alright, so things got a little crazy this past month, but classes are coming to a close which is super amazing! I have ideas brewing for my Sr. Project, and I can't wait to have a little break, head off to VT and see family for a few weeks!  Before I head out though, I will be sure to post some recent artwork. 

So, I was quite busy with freelance work, and am just now finishing up the Mural at the Children's Theatre. I am also finishing up the cover for "A Year on the Bus" by Dan Close, a Vermont writer and poet hailing from Underhill. I can't wait to see a hard copy, but will have to wait till April before I can snag one! 

Also, I might be working on a HUGE community art project next spring involving all kids from around the Minneapolis area. It's in the works, and more news is sure to come. It will be a month of art and then a day of sharing and celebration! I will post any links, news, etc as soon as I am able!

Otherwise, things are going great and I think this semester was quite the success. One more to go before I'm left to roam free in the big bad world of illustration! I really can't wait. 

Alright, more to come. Take care :)

She is Beauty-licious

So this illustration is the first of many to come. I really love drawing people, but have always stuck to these skinny stick-like figures. Well, I have changed my ways for this series and I want to continue on with a few more women, all wearing different bikinis and dancing around like they just don't care! I think that more voluptuous women are more interesting to draw. There are curves and lines that just don't exist on a skeleton.

TC Marathon

The color might be a tad off, but this is a poster created hypothetically for next year's Twin Cities Marathon. It was all created in Illustrator, which I really love to do sometimes because I can mess with color without freaking out at the thought of destroying my artwork :D

Appalachian Sisters

This illustration is part of a series depicting the poverty of Appalachia, specifically Western KY, where it is far worse than most areas. It's a very sad scene in some places, but through color (which I am currently working on) these girls will shine through this sadness. Their surroundings are so beautiful, so I am looking to have that be something of importance in this series. I love doing this line work. It is very soothing.

Been a while...

I've been super busy, but I want to keep up with this! I have been working on a mural at the Children's Theatre and have been working on projects here and there. I am also still working on a book cover, and will get that up once it's published! Here are some sketches, pics of the mural and other randoms for you to take a gander at. Hope everyone is enjoying the fall. More to come next weekend!

Julie & Julia

Here is the final product of the Julie & Julia sketch. I think I will change Julie's head out because she looks a little alien-like, but I love Julia's expression with her lobster!

Snowboarding....oh how I miss it!

This is a collection I worked on over the summer during my internship. Just a case study....

It's Done!

After about 8 hours of scratching the top layer of skin off my fingers this illustration is complete! I used textured paper, which was new for me, and it tore my fingers to pieces. I need to find a better solution for blending pastel on this sort of paper, because I LOVE how the color looks! My fingers felt burnt for a couple days, but I think it was worth it :)

mmmm type.

I snagged this sweet link from a friend. Might quite possibly amuse you for hours on end...but only on a rainy day when all your work is done. 

Ici

Julie&Julia

Currently I am working on an illustration for my portrait class. This is just a sketch of what I was thinking for the movie Julie&Julia, which is an AMAZING delicious movie! One change I am going to make is to switch the characters out of the bathtub and into an orange 'le creuset' "french/dutch oven. Apparently this is too I Love Lucy....
Updates later!
Cheers

In Progress...

I have been working on this large pastel piece for the day. It is about 30" x 20" and is on textured paper. It's the first time for me using this paper, and I must say my fingers are all torn up from blending. I tried different methods of blending but the pastel would just come off. It's worth the pain though!
I love the color pastel brings to illustrations, however I am not fond of the scale. I thought maybe I would do my children's book in pastel, but and having second thoughts about that.
I am happy with the water so far, and am curious as to how the water below will turn out!
I will post and updated finished version later in the week!

Classes...

Ah, the madness has begun! I am actually very excited about this coming year. I have so many plans, ideas, projects, classes, the whole bit! I just added another class to the roster; The illustrated Portrait, which is only a one credit course, but seems really fun! We draw our interpretations of famous folks while also focusing on a specific target audience.
I'm also registered for a print paper book class, two illustration classes and an art in the community class where we work on art projects with kids and groups within the community! Overall, I have an exciting and busy semester ahead of me and I'm ready to go for it, arms 'a flailin, and all that jazz.
I will post some sketches up here this weekend of some work I'm beginning to create.
Till then, ta ta and enjoy the sunshine and mild weather!

Also... Here is a link to one of my illustrations on the MCAD online gallery! Second from the right on the top row :)
Enjoy the other amazing illustrators as well. They are all awesome!

Gears!

They are a'spinning in my brain right now. It seems every Sunday I begin to obsess about the year to come and projects to be done. I am going to be starting a dummy for a kid's book here in the next week, and have so many different ideas for stories, I don't know where to begin! I am thinking of doing something with this turtle and mouse....And how they make giant S'mores!!!
I also have a book cover project coming my way here in a few days for the fall. Publication is set for Thanksgiving, so I definitely have an exciting couple months ahead of me!
Gears gears gears, ooooh they are a'spinning!

I guess when I'm feeling gross I tend to wish it were gross outside so I don't feel guilty about not going out and enjoying the sunshine. I'm glad it's not humid though and all of you who aren't feeling like yuk can bask in the glorious mid 70's warmth!

An Idea of What I do....

This is just a taste of some of the random things I have recently done, and ideas I want to bring to to life! I draw, doodle, diddle and fiddle...

The start of an idea....