white picket fence

dipping my toes in the (colored) water

I got a new sketchbook after finishing up the last one (it was like pulling teeth to fill those big pages!); and now I'm drawing again. 

I've been itchy lately to get my drawings out of a sketchbook though, and into the world. But I also know that if I really want to work on my art and illustration and take it to the next level, I have to start adding some color. It's something I'm weirdly scared of when it comes to my illustration work. A silly fear, I know! So, recently I scanned in a doodle, redrew it in Illustrator, and started noodling around with color combinations. Just for fun. These types of combinations are my standbys (I've realized I'm drawn to contrasting secondary/tertiary colors), but no matter. It's good to get started. 

 

 

And, Norah saw me "coloring" on the computer and requested a pink and purple version:

What colors are you drawn to? And do you have any weird, irrational fears about color like I do?

layers and layers

As I wrote in one of the pages below, I had recently started feeling like I'd broken my "drawing machine" (aka the part of my brain that needs to put pen to paper). I just didn't feel like drawing, or painting, or cutting up paper. Luckily that's changed in the past week, but before that I started to make a few journal pages, really just to force myself to make something. These pages are pretty basic, lots of layers of nice paper in a simple color palette, which I've realized is my number one go-to technique. Not revolutionary, but that's okay. Because:

I think it helped. I may have mentioned here before that, as I get older, I don't really believe in "inspiration" as much as I used to. You can be inspired all day long but if it doesn't get something made, who cares? You just have to work through a dry spell and into the creativity. 

These pages were made on the same 1970s yearbook I've used for a ton of projects. I think between my etsy shop and my journal pages, I've almost used up the whole book and I'm starting to feel a little panicky about it. I'm IN LOVE with the quality of this paper. And with that... I'm off to ebay to find a replacement.  

collage & art journal ideas zine, volume one

I've wanted to make a zine for probably 10+ years. I can't believe it took me this long because it was SUPER fun and the perfect project for me. Collage, little books, typewriting? Yep, that's me. 

So here it is! My first little zine. First of many, I hope. 

It was made entirely by hand, no computer involved. (Just pens, x-acto, scissors, tape, old paper, a typewriter and the copy machines at Staples & FedEx.) Though I have to tell you... typing on a typewriter is not very forgiving. There is a typo in the zine, by the time I noticed I didn't have the heart to redo the entire thing, and I'm just chalking it up to the downfalls of the medium. Namely, the fact that a 1950s typewriter doesn't have spell check. Plus it's like a fun treasure hunt! Find the typo! Whee!

I'll be sharing a few more peeks of the inside soon, and maybe some of the original color pages. 

Available on etsy! Hooray. 

tuscan serifs (aka circus-y lettering)

My kids like to read the same stories over and over. I've realized there are a ton of truly horrid children's books out there, so I try to find ones that we all enjoy. Them for the story, me for the art and art direction, of course.

These are 2 of our current faves:An Oliver Jeffers classic, The Incredible Book Eating Boy, and Limelight Larry by Leigh Hodgkinson. Both are full of inspiring hand-drawn typography, but I kept coming back to the capital serifs on "incredible" and "Larry."

I've been noticing this type of lettering more and more; so I did a little research and learned that it's called a Tuscan Serif, or Bifurcated Serif. Most people, myself included, associate these with the circus or wild west-y type stuff. 

Anyway, the more I looked at it, the more I really just wanted to draw some. 

I know I've said this before, but it's always good to go back to your old loves. I've been doodling letters for about as long as I can remember. It feels so natural and comforting. 

Sadly though, this is about as much drawing as I've done in the past month or so. My current sketchbook is much larger than I normally use, about 9x12, and I'm starting to realize it's just not working for me. I have no desire to work in it and that's pretty unusual for me. I'm all for trying new things but this time I struck out. It just goes to show how the right materials really can make a difference. Has something like that ever happened to you? 

february

Hi. 

So it's February, and cold, and I gave up drinking for Lent. And we put our dog to sleep yesterday. (it's really okay, she was so old and it was time.) There are piles of laundry, always, no matter how much I seem to do. Am I repeating myself? I think I always talk about laundry here. If it's not laundry, it's sweeping the floors. Every day is like a little circle: coffee breakfast school gym cleaning cooking playing dinner stories drawing bedtime. Aaand repeat. 

I know all that stuff sounds like a downer, but I'm actually doing pretty good. Having a rhythm is a fine thing. Eating huge salads and quitting Twitter have been 2 healthy changes in my life lately. Keeping it all balanced. The story of my life. 

go back to your first love.

I've been spending a lot of time drawing lately. And thinking about Etsy. And rebranding. And illustration. And what I should do, what path I should follow, the next steps to take. All that thinking was making me a little dizzy and unfocused. 

So I went back to what I know. I made some collages in my Walls notebook. It feels good to cut and paste again. 

Though of course this started a whole new flood of projects and ideas. And I'm left with more to do, more to think about, more to imagine. But I'm refreshed now, and that's exactly what I needed to be. 

(I've decided to start posting images to flickr again, and these look way better there.)

december patterns

I never fully commited to Anika's "Let's Make Patterns in December!" project, but I did make a few here and there. 

There are lots of things I do EVERY day. Make the coffee, pick up the toys, change the diapers. I can't ever fully commit to any real "thing a day" creative project though. While I'm not one that really believes in the necessity of "inspiration," some days just don't feel like drawing days. I have reading days and cooking days and collaging days all jumbled around. It works for me and it feels right.

But hey, hats off to those of you that accomplish daily projects! Last month, Instagram was full of pattern inspiration from so many artists. Thanks for working hard and sharing 

handmade holiday show

My little craft show set up.

So, it went well. I think even if I hadn't sold anything, I would have considered it a success. It was a success for me to get out there and sell some things in real life. It was a success for me to actually MAKE some works to sell instead of just keeping everything in my sketchbook and hard drive and instagram photos, you know? 

I left my display to the last minute but it came together really well I think. One trip to Ace Hardware yieled this $15 pegboard and some wooden clothespins, and the ribbon was left over from my brother's wedding. I printed out my signage on some Paper Source cardstock I'd found at Salvation Army for like 45 cents. Altogether I don't think I spent more than $20, which I'm pretty proud of. It makes me wonder how people make set ups for bigger fairs; it gets expensive to create all the work AND figure out a way to display it properly. 

Overall people were really kind about my work. There were a few little kids there that just kept looking and looking, and THAT made my heart sing. 

I had a few different postcard packs, an 8x10 print, some alphabet originals, and some mixed paper packs. All of these things will be in my etsy shop.... eventually. Let's say this weekend? The photography/styling part of etsy is my own personal challenge, and that's the only thing I have left to do, but it's a big task for me and doesn't happen without some toil. 

Thanks for reading this far. I knew a few of you were curious so I wanted to post a little update. And another thanks for all your support. I honestly don't know if I'd feel as confident about my work as I do with the kind words and comments I've received from online friends. Thank you. 

oh, hey.

what have I been up to?

Well, this week I've spent every extra minute working on this new project: an alphabet drawn entirely in my little weirdo creatures. I love these. LOOOOVE. this started as an idea for a Christmas present for my nieces, but once I started working I realized I wanted to make a whole alphabet. I think I'll finish by the end of the year, and then make some prints for my Etsy shop. 

I've had a fire lit under me ever since a friend asked me to be a part of a holiday craft show/open house. i'll be selling my drawings and vintage papers tonight, and I'm both super excited and also totally anxious about it. (If you're in the area, email me if you're interested in coming! It's at 7 pm in Naperville and there will be friendship, crafts, and drinks: something for everyone!) So a huge thank you to Abby for giving me this opportunity and pushing me out of my comfort zone a bit. 

Other things: Thanksgiving! I know I've said it before, but I'm so thankful for my family. We just have so much fun together. Did any other family you know have a Feats of Strength-style contest to see who could climb an 8 foot pole on a playground? With everyone laughing hysterically for an hour? Oh, no? Well, I guess that's just us. (For the record, I could not climb the pole and totally shamed myself. My husband, both brothers, sister in law, and 8 year old niece all completely schooled me. I will seek revenge... by going to the gym more often.) Anyway, the kids just all have so much fun together, and the adults have fun together, and we all just feel so lucky to have each other. It's great. 

SO. It's almost December. There are a lot of good things going on. Advent starts Sunday. I'm putting the finishing touches on my festive wintertime mix. I hope you're feeling happy and festive too. 

draw draw draw

It's a compulsion again. I picked up a few new pens, some colored Microns. Something about the .02 size is like pure MAGIC for me and I feel like I can't stop drawing. 

If you follow me on instagram, you already saw some bits of this big piece I'm working on. It's 11x14, by far the largest drawing I've embarked on. But you guys. I am like CRAZY excited about how well it's turning out, even though I'm less than halfway through filling the page, and oh yeah, I decided to stipple all the negative spaces. I'm in for the long haul on this one.