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!

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?)

Butterfly, Flutter by

The other day I was sitting on the patio trying to figure out what to draw. First I tried drawing the hops but they were too detailed and I got frustrated trying to be precise. Then I noticed the white butterflies dancing around the flower bed—the kind that almost look like they must be drunk the way they flip flop around. I started sketching butterflies with stylized patterns. I liked the play on words of 'butterfly' and 'flutter by' and used the text in the background, kind of like a wallpaper effect. I added some scanned papers because the flat colors seemed, well—too flat. :)

I thought it might be interesting to see my original sketch so I'm including that as well. 

The Living is Easy...

Recently there has been a strange phenomenon here in Seattle—sunshine and warm weather! It's quite rare to have such good weather weekend after weekend here this time of year. Usually summer doesn't really hit until after July 4th and it's not even June! Trying not to jinx myself here, but I'm hoping it will stick around until, hmmmmm, how about October? That would make up for the terrible winter and spring we endured.

So here's a new illustration for you inspired by the sunshine. Enjoy. :)

Poppy pods

I did this illustration a couple of years ago and just rediscovered it in my sketchbook. I always liked it and thought it would look nice with some color and texture added. One of these days I'll get around to planting poppies in my yard—the big frilly orange kind that are so perfect they almost don't look real.

Happy Easter!

Wishing you a peaceful Easter and sunshine on your egg hunt. Moms and Dads—keep track of where you hide them, it's no fun playing 'find the rotten egg' two weeks from now. Me, I'll be hitting the after Easter candy sales—there's nothing like stale Peeps. Mmmmmmm.... :)

Snail snack

I've often heard the old adage 'write what you know'. Sometimes when I'm stumped on what to draw I remind myself the same thing applies—'draw what you know'! So here's what's going on in my little corner of the world: starting seedlings for the garden and keeping an eye on two pet snails. I curse the snails and slugs when they're chewing holes in my hostas and ligularia in the garden, but I can't bring myself to kill them. Most often they spend their retirement in the yard waste bin.

So here's a new illustration for you. This time I incorporated painted textures, paper and a scan of a rusty background. Hope you like it.

Donuts make people happy

Here's another illustration for you inspired by the yummy donuts at Top Pot here in Seattle. Nothing like a fresh donut and good coffee! This time I scanned some origami papers and combined them with the drawing and painted textures I made. Enjoy! 

Laundry time

Here's a new little drawing for you. Must be the spring weather, sunshine and fresh air that inspired me. That and striped socks.

Toasties!

I've been having fun doing these little drawings, then playing with them in the computer adding color and fabrics. Here's a new one! 

As always, you can click on the image for a closer look.

Coffee & Tea

Here's a quick little drawing I did. First I drew it with pen, then took it into the computer, added color for accent plus some hankerchief fabrics. It's definitely busier than my recent illustrations, but I like that about it—it makes it feel more girly and tea partyish.

More from the garden

Although my work load right now is busy (which is great!) I've been sneaking out to the garden for more sketching when I can. The summer months here are so short, you have to enjoy them while they last. The other day I tackled Bee Balm which to me looks straight of a Dr. Seuss book. I planted it last year and this year it has completely surprised me with its size and color. Initially I tried to draw it very realistically but it is so detailed, I quickly realized this lady had to be stylized so I changed gears and got much looser with it. The hummingbirds and bees adore it.

From the garden

After brainstorming for a client's project the other day, I sketched one of the echevaria babies I started that is now getting pretty big. I drew the black outline with pen as one continuous line (not lifting it up as I drew). Then I went back with colored pencils and tried to capture all of the different colors in this little guy.