A Fresh Desktop Background

I've been thinking about making some desktop backgrounds for you to download and brighten your workspace. I thought about taking the designs from my 2010 calendar, but I figure some of you already have that so why not do something new? Continuing with my experiments with painting with walnut ink and my love of poppies (remember these?) I drew these the other day. Then I took them into Photoshop where I made them white, added some textures, color and text. I'm kind of in love with green right now—the bright, slightly chartreuse kind that is popping up all over my garden.

There are three sizes to choose from, just select which one fits your monitor and click on the link to automatically download the file. I hope you enjoy it.

1024 x 768

1600 x 1200

1900 x 1200

Securing a School's Legacy

Earlier this year I designed this piece for Bertschi School's capital campaign, 'Believe in Bertschi'. It consists of a brochure which opens up to reveal information about the campaign and a pocket which holds information sheets on the new science building and the endowment. It matches the look and feel of other pieces I've designed for the school which align with the Bertschi brand.

Painting with walnut ink

The other day I felt like trying something new with my sketching so instead of using a pen to draw I grabbed a bunch of brushes and some walnut ink. I like the way it layers like watercolor and the sepia tone is really nice. But what to draw? I remembered a yummy looking recipe I saw in my new issue of Sunset Magazine and thought that would be fun to try. I liked how the buns were all lined up in the pan with their little icing Xs on top—it made me think of a game of tic-tac-toe. Plus I could use write out some of the ingredients, that would be fun.

After I painted all of the pieces, I scanned them into Photoshop where I rearrange everything and added the color and fabric. I like the combination of the sepia walnut ink and the orange—I thought about adding more, but liked the simplicity of just using two colors.

Corbis Stock Illustrations

Corbis recently added some more of my illustrations to their Cherry collection. So if you're looking for the perfect petri dish, ice skates or gardening girl check out my selection which are available for purchase. Don't see what you're looking for? Then contact me about creating custom illustrations for you! :)

Spring Has Sprung

It's a little more than a week away until it's officially spring, but here in Seattle we've had record setting warm weather lately. Daffodils, crocus and cherry blossoms have been making an appearance for a couple of weeks already. So I'm going to pretend that it wasn't snowing today (what the heck?) and forge ahead with the belief that my veggie garden will soon be underway.

For this illustration, I sketched the lettering and a few elements, scanned them and then started refining it in the computer where I could play with color. Looking back at a previous spring illustration, it's funny to see some of the same elements pop up—gradation, bird, flowers—but I can see how my illustration style is evolving into a less fussy, more playful style. I hope you like it!