save the date

I've just been commissioned to do this Save the Date design for a couple of friends, Sam and Alex. They told me that their favorite animals were bunnies and walruses (respectively) and asked if an illustration of both could be on the design -heck yes! I was excited immediately about the idea of drawing this adorable pair. The bunny was easy as pie since I've been drawing my bunny character for a while now, but the walrus was new and so a bit of a challenge. I looked up photos of the animal to get the shape of the body right and found it pretty easy to translate into my style. The trickiest part was the funny mustache business they have, I struggled to get it right, but I love how it came out in the end! (Note the sketch below has no walrus-y mustache because I wasn't sure how to draw it.)

ps. My husband Jesse may or may not have thought that the walrus was a lobster at first....

fig in the grass

Fig the fox is my newest character. She is sweet and shy and loves to dance. If you've been reading my blog then you've probably already met her, though I love this image and wanted to share it with you. It very much represents her ways. She's not hiding in order to jump out and scare anyone, but rather she enjoys hanging back and watching things from afar (unnoticed if possible). Good thing she is a fox and slyness runs in her family!

business

I just got new business cards in the mail and boy am I excited about it! They are gorgeous, printed by MOO and feature some of my newest work. Sometimes it can be a challenge to pick images which you want to represent you to other people, but this time I knew pretty much right away the ones I would choose. The dancing animals, Bunny and Fig, and then Fig sleeping beauty. Then I just had to add the baby covered in cake to the mix. It makes me laugh every time! 

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little kiddos

Vivian is feeling nervous and a bit scared because she doesn't know anyone at the party. They all seem to know eachother really well already, maybe they went to the same nursery school? Eventually she will start dancing.

I love when babies make such a mess with cake! It's one of those things we find adorable even though it's really kinda gross looking. The moms get a chance at a grown-up conversation although they are undoubtably talking about their kids.

 Just messing with the dollhouse and moving around all their stuff. It's alright, they don't seem to mind. For some reason it's more fun to put things in place through the window rather than the big open wall, because why would a house be missing a whole side anyway?

And finally, the cranky, over-tired kid. Vivian hates going to bed when everyone else gets to stay up and watch a movie. She really is tired, more than she knows. In about 1 minute she will stop screaming and be so glad because her pillow is very comfy and all she wants is to close her eyes and be fast asleep. 

...more to come...

meet fig the fox

She's a graceful dancer, and practices her own unique kind of ballet.

And just like the rest of the gang in the forest, she loves a good brew. You've probably also noticed the drawing of her sleeping in a flower patch, which I love so much that I made it my blog banner!

This is a new illustration from a series based on little children. I was recently at a 3 years old's birthday party and got a kick out of all the kids and their excitement. It was also interesting how the grown-ups were forced to chat with each other. 

happiness and suspicion

moving the boat

Bunny has the best friends.

jump!

wild west alphabet

Just realized that I never posted this! It's an alphabet I designed a while back and it's kind of clever because I used things that are wild west/cowboy themed. It was tricky, but I'm happy with how it turned out. It's fun to look at and you can even write your name with it! This is the pen and ink version which I colored digitally, but I also made a screenprint of it and printed it on organic/fairtrade totes. Check 'em out on my etsy shop.

party!

This little scene speaks for itself, I believe! Bunny's friends know him well and have given him books for his birthday, mostly non-fiction and how-to manuals. He's going to have learn how to build himself another bookshelf!

super bunny

Here are a few more of the most recent Bunny and Bear pictures. I'm working on illustrating the characters in diverse settings and using interesting perspectives. I really love the painting of Super Bunny (above) because he seems weightless, like the clouds behind him.

This one shows the interior of Bunny's home, in the trunk of a tree. His place is cosy and he has made pot of hot chocolate to cheer himself up a bit because his plans for the day must wait until the rain lets up. 

Bunny has recruited Bear into helping him build a boat, so they pack a lunch of sandwiches and a thermos of cocoa and begin felling the first tree to make into lumber. I don't think they realize how much work building a boat will be, but at least they are doing it together and have brought snacks to carry them through it.

More to come!

bunny and bear

Summertime, watercolor, 2012

Sometimes you happen to create a character or two who really interest you. These little friends are Bunny and Bear and they are the main characters in a series I've been working on. For some reason I have grown fond of them, like friends, and am having a great time thinking up a world for them to live in. 

Bunny is curious and is always scheming and trying new things, like building a boat or organizing a pancake feast for the neighborhood. He doesn't mind taking a day off though, to just laze about and nap in a hammock! Bear is Bunny's best friend and the friend we all hope to have, dedicated and thoughtful, although he's got some quirks which make him unique and even more lovable. 

Stay tuned as I will be posting more of the adventures of Bunny and Bear!

Over Land, watercolor, 2012

Over Water, watercolor, 2012

Dance, watercolor, 2012

I also want to mention that I attended the Summer conference of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators last weekend and it was amazing. I learned so much and was incredibly inspired by the wonderful speakers. On top of that my portfolio received and 'Honorable Mention" at the portfolio showcase! If you are looking to become an illustrator or author of children's books, I highly suggest joining this society because it's a great resource and community. 

postcards!

Yay! I'm so excited about Renegade Craft Fair and about these new postcards I had printed for the occassion. To get them in the mail today was such a delight, I just want to send them to everyone I know! 

 I intend to sell them individually and as a set of five. I made one specifically for Los Angeles because I know people are into that sort of thing, besides the fact that I love this city and want to share my enthusiasm for the food truck culture here.

Reminder: Renegade Craft Fair  Los Angeles, July 28th and 29th.

 Be there. 

oh my goodness renegade!

I am honored to be participating in the 4th Annual Reneagde Craft Fair in Los Angeles. It'll be my first one and I couldn't be more excited. I began selling my work at craft fairs about 4 years ago in England. The experience gave me a lot of inspiration and satisfaction and of course motivation to continue my crafty artwork. I've been selling on Etsy, which is great, but it's just not the same thing as being face to face with your customer. I'll be sharing a booth with the very talented Jenny Smith of Teddy Bear Republic.

I'll be selling handmade cards, journals, prints, tote bags, and more! (See my Etsy shop for a preview)

If you live in the area, please please please come by and check out this event! It's Saturday and Sunday, July 28th+29th in downtown LA. There are over 200 vendor, food trucks, and a photobooth. 

I'll see you there!

menu

After designing and handmaking the wedding announcements and invitations for Chiara and Ryan, they asked me to also do the menu for their reception dinner in Italy. I was so happy to do this for them and it was nice to try my hand at another project. 

I've never done a menu like this before and there were several things to figure out. The main challenge was to fit everything onto the page in a neat and clean way. The list was pretty long when she sent it to me, everything was stacked and so it would've run off the bottom of the page had I written it like that. This had to be printed onto a 8.5x11'' letter size page, but it also had to be legible for people who are looking at it form a few feet away. What I decided to do was use the brackets in order to use more of the horizontal space and reduce the number of items in the stack. It think it works really well and makes great use of the space.

The other challenge was that it's in Italian and I made several spelling errors in the first draft. I sent it to Chiara for review and she found them all, but when I corrected them I was a bit paranoid that there was something I couldn't see. It's incredible how easy it is to overlook a mistake when it's in a foreign language! 

Anyway, it sounds like an amazing party and I wish it was here in LA!

done!

After two weeks I have finally finished the mural. Actually, all the painting was done on Saturday but I had to varnish the whole thing, using first and isolation coat of gel medium and then two coats of MSA varnish. I found really good information about what to use on Golden's website: http://www.goldenpaints.com/technicaldata/murals.php I bought the stuff at Artist and Craftsman Supply, my favorite art store in the Boston area, located in Central Square, Cambridge. With everything I needed for the mural I went to local businesses, supporting them while creating a piece of art for the community.

I have to say that varnishing was my least favorite part about the whole thing, but I got some help from Jesse for the first and last coat and I was so thankful to have an extra hand. 

This red thing is the fire pull alarm outside 1369's front door. Cambridge has then around the city and they are basically free-standing fire alarms. It was Josh's idea to make this drain pipe into red alarm and I think it's really cute. 

1369 Coffee House is located at the corner of Cambridge and Springfield Street, which is at a six way intersection. During my days there I heard enough car horns to last me a lifetime! People generally go slow into the intersection because it's a confusing place, not to mention all the pedestrians and cyclists, and then people behind them become impatient and honk. This actually happened to me while driving through yesterday and it's pretty annoying!

The ribbon cutting ceremony is supposed to be this evening but it's a dark rainy day so far. We'll see how it goes and if anything it'll be just be totally done with it. I hope to paint more murals in the future because this was so much fun and a great learning experience. I'm honored to have my work up in public in such a permanent way, it could be there for the next 20 years! 

day 8

 I can't believe how long I've been here (a week and a half now!) but at the same time I'm surprised at how quickly I've put this mural up. I'm very close to being done, just got to finish the white outlines and do some adjustments here and there. I'm extremely happy with how it has turned out, my goal was to make an interesting and delightful picture, which is what it is. Many people comment on how much they like the colors, making me feel that I did a good job there!

I'm still trying to work this part out a bit. It's supposed to be coffee cherries turning into green beans, then roasted beans, then ground coffee and then liquid. The liquid part is trick, but I'll figure it out. 

 The owner, Josh, wanted this on the back wall. It's a bottomless portafilter with espresso pouring out. He also wanted the logo nice and clear because this is the first part of the wall people will see when are coming down the street.