Illustration Friday: Beneath

You may think there is just grass and earth beneath your feet but if you look a little lower there's a party going on.

Daily Doodle: Jack

Graduation Card

Do you know someone who is graduating next spring? Do you shop at Walmart? Yes? Well you are in luck! This adorable graduation card will be gracing the shelves of your local Walmart Spring 2011. Just in time for graduation.

Daily Doodle: Sweet Little Mouse

This sweet little mouse would like to give you a little flower.

Daily Doodle: Andi

Little Andi
sweet as candy
until you turn your back.

Daily Doodle: Pitbull

For today's doodle I'd like to share a friendly pit bull playing Frisbee. There is a lot of controversy surrounding the pit bull breed. Some people love them, some hate them and some fight them. I prefer to stay out of most of it and just cuddle with my personal pit bull, Moose.
This lovely little Pit Bull is available on a card here.

Daily Doodle

Daily Doodle: George

George was a modern spider. He made a web inspired by Mondrian and Frank Lloyd Wright.
He is currently available on a little hand made card. Check it out: http://www.etsy.com/listing/57268415/modern-spider-card

In other news Shirt Prize is down to the final 10. My shirt "Taking it Slow" is neck and neck with the other top competitors. Please take a minute and cast your vote: http://www.shirtprize.com/final-week/taking-it-slow-finalist-1/

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Illustration Friday: Old-Fashioned

Prudence wasn't really that grumpy. It was just an old-fashioned photograph. Well.... OK she was almost that grumpy but not quite.
She now available as a print here.

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Shirt Prize

There is a fun little competition going on right now in Grand Rapids called ShirtPrize. Artists enter t-shirt designs the people vote for the ones they want to win. My entry is called "Taking it Slow" and features two lovely turtles in love. I you get a chance stop by and vote. http://www.shirtprize.com/week-two/taking-it-slow/ Thank you!

Illustration Friday: Immovable

Sometimes our problems seem immovable.

Illustration Friday: Atmosphere

Let's go fly a kite
Up to the highest height
Up where the air is clear
Up to the atmosphere

Illustration Friday: Star Gazing

This is the perfect Illustration Friday topic for me today. If tonight is clear my husband and I will be going to my brothers house to watch the perseid meteor showers. We will even be borrowing my parents telescope to check out some other celestial objects. If you want to see what is in the sky tonight check out skymaps.com. They have free, downloadable sky maps and lists of objects that can be seen with the naked eye, binoculars or telescope. While you're at it check out Astronomy Cast too. It is one of my favorite podcasts. Have fun star gazing!

Electric Cheetah

I had the wonderful opportunity to hang my work at a local restaurant called The Electric Cheetah. Don't you just love the name? It is one of my favorite restaurants in Grand Rapids. They have fantastic soup and if you know me, I'm a sucker for soup. I hung a variety of work. Some of it is older and some of it is brand new. All of it is for sale. So please stop on by. Eat some food. Look at some art and maybe buy your favorite piece.

From my sketchbook

Now that I have a baby I have a lot less time or doing my own personal work. His nap times are spent getting my paid illustration work done. I try to squeeze personal paintings into the little cracks of time when he is playing happily by himself or with my husband. This has unfortunately resulted in many ruined paintbrushes when he suddenly starts crying just after I've mixed the perfect color and I leave it on my brush thinking I'll be back before it dries. I should know better. As a result I've been doing many more pen and ink drawings. They are quick, portable and the only clean up required is putting the cap back on the pen. I've been doing a little series of odd creatures. I've always loved drawing animals and no one can deny my affinity for the odd and the quirky. I thought I'd share the spring hare and naked mole rat I have finished. Enjoy!Share

Illustration Friday: Breakfast

Last week Tuesday Wilbur narrowly avoided becoming breakfast.
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Milton, Jerry and Winston

A few more little paintings using those cute little 3x3 canvases.

Coffee Cups

I found a great deal on some small canvases. I thought I'd try something a little different than I normally do. I decided to make some simple brightly colored images. I used three of the 6 3x3 canvases I bought to make a little set of coffee cups. They will be available for sale when I move into my studio space. I think the bright colors will be great to attract attention if I hang them in the window.

Illustration Friday: Satellite

Watch out for low flying satellites.

Illustration Friday: Ripple

This illustration was done for Iguana Magazine. A small Spanish language magazine for children.

New Stamps

My Favorite Things Rubber Stamps just released some new stamps from my designs. There is geeky Who's that Guy set and an Earth friendly Who's that Girl. Check them out at www.mftstamps.com

Festival

It's the beginning of June again and you know what that means? Festival of the Arts! I've been involved with Festival for three years now. I volunteer at the Regional Art Competition helping artists drop off their work and carting accepted and rejected entries to their proper locations. I will also be gallery sitting this year which mostly involves looking at art, talking about art, making sure people don't touch the art and telling people where the bathroom is. The art this year is exceptional. If you have a chance to stop by this weekend you should! You can check out the Festival website for times and location.

I entered and was fortunate enough to have two of my paintings selected. I'll share my favorite one; "Ancestry."

Illustration Friday: Fearless

I was fearless as a child.

Illustration Friday: Detective

Who could have made this hole in this apple?

Little Monsters

Wow, a month sure goes fast! My son is a month old already and I'm back to posting, painting and designing. I've been working on a few designs for a small company called Trendy Tykes that makes embroidery patterns and children's clothing. I came up with a few cute monsters for a little monster outfit they make. I'll be sure to post a link to it once they have it on their site. Here is a little preview of one of the monsters.
In the spirit of posting pictures of little monsters, here is my little monster, Wesley Luke.

Illustration Friday: Brave

Sometimes we imagine we are braver than we really are.

Illustration Friday: Perspective

"Sitting atop a tiger certainly give one a new perspective on the world." mused Matilda.

Illustration Friday: Propagate

Propagate is a great topic for me this week. I'm currently 39 weeks pregnant and wish that *@$ stork would just deliver that baby already!

Illustration Friday: Adrift

Here in the cold snowy north there isn't much to be adrift on so I chose to draw a drift. Poor little bunny. I'd head south if I were him.

Illustration Friday: Muddy

It is a muddy, mucky world out there.

It's been said

I thought I'd share a little doodle from my sketchbook with you all today.

NPR Calender

I got my NPR Calender in the mail yesterday! It looks great. All of the artists they chose are incredibly talented. I feel a little overwhelmed and very honored to be included in the same publication. I'm the inside cover, the page that describes NPR and their member stations.

I have a few exciting announcements and a few recent jobs that I'll be posting in the next few days. I've been working hard and getting a lot done. Now I need to catch up on all the little things like self-promotion and sleep.

Post it note fun!

I love doodling while I'm on hold. 

Winning Legs

The painting I call "Legs" has won two awards at festival this year. The first is the Elmer & Rita Zinn Memorial Award and the second is a purchase award from Brooke & Jonathan Shuff. This of course means that I will once again be up on stage in front of people trying not to pass out or trip over my own feet. I managed last year with a migraine so I'm sure I'll come out of it fine this time around. Don't get me wrong I'm extremely flattered that there are people out there that like my work enough to recognize it publicly. I just have terrible stage fright! 

Art Festivals Galore!

This year I had the wonderful opportunity to volunteer with the Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts. I helped with the art take in for the Regional Art Competition. It was amazing to see all the high quality entries that came in. I also entered and am very excited to announce that three of my pieces were selected. 

Legs 

NPR Candy Store

Octo-toilet

The Regional Arts Competition will be located at the old Art Museum at 155 N. Division. An opening reception will be held Friday, May 29 from 5 – 9 pm with the exhibit continuing through June 14.

I also entered the Muskegon Museum Regional Art Competition and one of my pieces was selected. 

Tea with a Tiger

The Muskegon Museum of Art will open its Regional Exhibition on Thursday, May 28, at 10:00 a.m. The public is invited to attend an opening reception that evening from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. Artist awards will be announced at 7:00 p.m. The exhibition will be open through August 5, 2009.

I also want to say congratulations to my fellow Grand Valley State Illustration grad, Chris Mrozik, for winning the Robert and Veronica Youngman Memorial Award. Great work as always!

NPR Illustration

Whew it's been a busy week! I finished the illustration for NPR. It's definitely one of the most detailed paintings I've done in a long time. As much fun as it was I'm very glad it's done and submitted. I think it turned out great and can't wait to see it printed in the calender! 

Illustration Friday: Impossibility

I have always believed in the possibility of the impossible. 

Prints for Sale!

This is just one of the many images you'll find for sale over at POD Gallery. Take a minute and check them all out and buy one or two if you like! 

Forgetful Girl

I've been working on belated birthday cards lately. I thought I'd share this poor girl who forgot her friends' birthday. At least she remembered eventually! 

Easter Doodle

I visited my parents church this morning for the Easter service. The service was on power, particularly the power to change. Being the contrarian I am, I did a little doodle about how some things never change. All I had was a purple gel pen and the back of a bulletin. I kind of like the purple ink on the yellow.

Illustration Friday: Fleeting

I went to see The butterfly exhibit at Frederick Meyer Gardens this past week and was struck by the fleeting beauty of the butterflies.

Long Legs

Everyone wants to be a little different than they are. Some want to be thinner, smarter, cooler or just able to keep up.

Illustration Friday: Talisman

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of talisman is religious iconography. Instead of just recreating existing iconography I decided to make it a bit more personal and do a self portrait of my self as a saint. I don't personally attend a church that worships saints or displays icons but I've always love the images and have gone to churches just to spend time looking at their icons. I gave myself a pink bunny. If I believed in luck or lucky objects it would be a pink bunny.

Joyful Mouse Tote

Spreadshirt Market Place Product

Joyful Mouse

I've created a little shop where you'll soon be able to find all kinds of fun little products with my images on them. The selection is limited at the moment but there will be much more to come! Just click the "Shop" link on the right or click the cute mouse tote and you'll be on your way.

Tea with a Tiger

Tea with a tiger.

A flick of his whisker
A blink of his eye
You pick at a biscuit
And prepare to die.
You begin to wonder
as he cradles his cup
Will he nibble politely
Or gobble you up.
Will he lick his whiskers
With his sandpaper tongue
Or dab neatly with a napkin
When his meal is done.
Will he politely request
You tip your head to the right
So he can finish you off
Without any fight.
Will he go quick
Or take it slow
When you have tea with a tiger
It’s so hard to know.

Gravity

Sometimes you win the fight, sometimes you lose.

Tea for Two

I liked this cute little bundle of flowers as soon as I doodled it. It's made with ball point pen, a couple highlighters and a Post-it-note.