November News

I can't believe it's already November and I didn't get one update for the whole month of October. Every since September hit I've been non-stop busy with work: brochure, magazine, identity project, tradeshow, web interface and illustrations. Hopefully I'll have time and some finished projects to show here soon. In the meantime, here is a new illustration that is part of a collection I'm creating for Corbis. Even though it's fall and I should be putting my garden to bed for the winter, I can't stop thinking about everything I want to do in the spring. It will be here soon...

Green Eyed Lady

A couple of weeks ago I was so excited to be asked to create an illustration for an article in the March 2010 issue of Horticulture Magazine. The article is about a very lovely, but invasive berry vine that spreads it's roots and seeds while trampling native vegetation. The art director really liked the Georgetown Garden Walk poster that my sweetie and I designed, and wanted to show the plant with human qualities.

I thought it should be represented as a bit of a vixen/temptress lady—she's alluring, but a little bit dangerous. The palette came from the actual colors of the plant, but exaggerated to be more stylized and graphic. Here is the final illustration and my sketch below it. I look forward to seeing it in print!

Neat-O

Have you noticed a new addition to my blog? Those cute little boxes to the right? Those are links to my Etsy site—check it out! I'll be adding more prints and other goodies for sale over time. And if you have a special request—illustration, custom jewelry, etc—just let me know. Currently the prints are listed as 8.5 x 11, but I can print them at other sizes as well. As of today, there are 111 days left until Christmas. Just sayin'.

Fresh Fruit

I'm on a roll—here's the third illustration in my breakfast series. I figured that after donuts and bacon we could use a healthy option: oatmeal, fruit and juice. With all the amazing fresh, local produce from the farmers market this summer I think I've eaten my weight in fruit—I can't get enough! As always, you can click on the image for a closer look. :)

Bacon: the downfall of a good many vegetarians

Oh boy, I can't believe it's almost September! What a beautiful summer we've had in the NW. The garden is bountiful and we've got so many tomatoes, squash and beans it's not even funny. So no excuses on the lack of blog updates. Instead here's a new illustration which is part of my breakfast food series. (Remember the donuts?)

For the Birthday Girl

I just delivered this special request necklace and earring set for a dear friend's birthday. I heard yesterday that she loves it which I'm so happy to hear—it's always a little nerve-wracking because I want it to be the perfect gift. For this set I knew it should be natural and semi-precious beads, nothing to sparkly or man-made would be right. It also shouldn't be too matchy-matchy or symmetrical. The focus is a silver pendant I made a couple of years ago when I took a metal smithing class at Pratt. The silver has an emboss of fern leaves which is created by putting the silver and leaves through a heavy duty roller. A very cool process, I'd love to do more of that some day! The necklace is on silk string done with a knotting technique unlike the previous piece I posted which was all wire work. Doing this set reminding me I love the look of knotting and want to do more of it in the future. For a closer look to see more details, click on the images above.

If you're looking for a custom jewelry gift for yourself or someone else, drop me an email. :)

Gardenwalk Follow Up

It's been awhile since I've updated my blog—I've just been too busy enjoying this beautiful summer we're having here in Seattle. I think it's the nicest one we've had in a long time. Last weekend was the 14th annual Georgetown Gardenwalk and of course that was the first day in a while that it decided to rain. Luckily the sprinkles were light and the cool air made the day enjoyable for strolling. A little rain doesn't deter Seattleites, after all. My sweetie and collaborator in the poster snapped a few pics of the poster in the neighborhood windows—it's always fun to see them up!