Valentine's Cards

Anyone out there with little tikes that need cute classroom valentines? My design is now available for purchase on Minted!


















Check it out here!

Runner-up!

A couple of weeks ago, I entered the Tigerprint Competition for hand-lettered type. Tigerprint supplies exclusive cards and wrapping to Marks and Spencer in the UK. They were specifically looking for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Birthday concepts. I took out my india ink, brushes, pens and paper and got busy.

I knew that two of my designs made the top 53 out of 240 entrants (top and bottom—perhaps Eat Cake! was too bossy??) Yesterday, they published the results. While I was beyond thrilled to see my Love design as the top runner-up, it was a tad bittersweet to see they chose no winner, as the entries didn't fit with their line. Alas, I will be getting a great font book as a prize. Back to the drawing board I go….

See the results here Tigerprint Competition

New Logos

I recently designed a of couple new logos for some pretty special girl entrepreneurs. My 11 year old twins, along with two friends, started an organization called Creatures for Care. They knit and crochet some amazing little critters to donate to children in need. They began this group on their own and make-up the animals as they go, relying solely on their creativity—no patterns.

They've donated their first two batches of creatures to children staying at Seacoast Family Promise, an inter-faith shelter for homeless families. We are on the look-out for more organizations who might want to receive some of these cuties—my house is getting quite full!

They recently started a blog to to promote their group and highlight some of their favorite animals. You can find it here: Creatures for Care blog

And check out some of these beauties…

Wolff Neckies

My teenage neighbor, a fantastic competitive ski-racer, has been busy in her down time making and selling neck gators. She sews with super cute fabrics on the outside, soft fleece on the inside and a velcro enclosure in the back. Here is the logo I designed for her business and a snapshot of her cool products:

Hello 2014!

If you're like me, you start each year with a long list of resolutions. One of my goals is to draw more. I typically go straight to the computer and create vector art. But, I really admire the hand-drawn quality that I see lots of my favorite illustrators using. Enter the Doodle-a-Day project. That's right, at least one doodle everyday—365 doodles for the year. You can follow my progress on Instagram here. And from time to time, I will post my favorites on the blog.

Other goals for the year? My main goal is to get my designs on products. So, I keep building my portfolio and will soon be sending out samples to manufacturers. What else? A new, more focused web site, Boot Camp with Lilla Rogers, oh and did I mention that soon I will have a design for sale on Minted? More on that later….

How about you? What are your resolutions for the year????

Let it Snow!

Buried under a foot of new snow. Now we're really ready for Christmas—well, at least my kids are. You'll find me digging out from under a pile of soggy snow pants, parkas, boots, mittens and hats. Time to stock up on hand warmers…

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Everywhere you go. Even on the blog. This month I found myself  taking some inspiration from the classic carol, Partridge in a Pear Tree. I'm still working on the turtle doves, soon to be followed by the french hens and calling birds.

Make Art That Sells Wrap-up

So what did I learn in Lilla Rogers' Make Art That Sells class? That, I'm finding, is hard to translate into a coherent blog post. Where do I start? How do I sum it up? Here are my top ten takeaways:

1. Neutrals are your best friend.
2. Make icons.
3. Add details.
4. Break assignments down (aka mini's work).
5. Tell a story with your art.
6. The virtual classroom is so inspiring and supportive (artists are nice).
7. Everyone is where they should be on the journey.
8. Keep making art!
9. Get your work out there.
10. It's fun to have a fairy art mother!

So, thank you, Lilla! I had a blast. I loved how engaged and focused I was. The assignments were inspiring and on-trend. The experts shared valuable insights. The critiques always gave me concrete ways to improve my art, even if she wasn't talking about my assignment in particular. But perhaps the best part was (is) the ongoing community of talented artists who continually share their undying support, knowledge, encouragement and passion. For this, I am the most grateful.