Illustration Friday - Jump

I created this painting years ago, as part of my "Endangered Species" series. The numbers are symbolic of the number of species left, or the number of excuses we give for not addressing the loss of our wildlife. They definitely are jumping!

Illustration Friday - Suspense

Nothing says suspense like a volcano on the horizon!

A very odd story accompanies this painting: I painted this several years ago after seeing this lovely location (minus the volcano) in a travel magazine. I made up the rest of the composition, the image came into my head without any other source of inspiration. Six months later I hung it in my studio for an Open Studio event, and a woman came up to me and said, "In my country (she was Japanese) we have a children's fairy tale in which two rabbits get in a boat and row out to a volcano. Have you read it?" I had not - and I was amazed that somehow I must have channeled into that ancient fable!

I have a "thing" for bunnies.....have you noticed?

Illustration Friday - "Forward"

Me thinks this young lady and her butcher friend are not going to go "forward" on any level here.

This was a preliminary thumbnail sketch for a book cover. The book is an amusing and informative true tale of the author's travails in attempting to adopt a new diet that included meat (upon the advice of her doctor). This sketch did not go FORWARD and another illustrator was chosen for the project. This was the decision of the publisher - yet another reason why authors should refrain from choosing their own illustrators, since the publisher usually likes to make that call.

I'm glad that I kept the sketch - now I can use it for Illustration Friday!

Illustration Friday - Prepare

If ever there was to be a time to prepare, this is it!

If you know someone who is busy preparing, she might appreciate a note from you to remind her to slow down and enjoy a lollipop now and then. This mom-to-be can be purchased as a set of hand-glittered note cards at Darcy's Pretty Girl shop.

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY - Vanity

This week's Illustration Friday's theme of "Vanity" brought to mind an illustration I did a while ago - a perfect match for the subject!

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY - Hybernate

What a perfect theme for this time of year!

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY - Gesture

Whatever happened to that nice gesture of tipping hats to the ladies? It probably went the way of the dinosaurs when the gents stopped wearing hats and the ladies stopped wearing white gloves.

This is from a pattern design I created for Sleepyheads.com.

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY - Stay

I'm just going to the store. I'll be right back. Really. STAY!!!!

Illustration Friday - "Bottled"

Nothing says "Happy Birthday" like a bottle rocket shooting out of the cake!

Illustration Friday - "Stir"

Oh, those 50's ladies, they could bake a cake in pearls and high heels!

Illustration Friday - "Surrender"

DETAIL

Sometimes it's best to just surrender to love. From my Modern Aphrodite series....

Illustration Friday - "Savour"

A moment to savour - the luxury of an outdoor lunch while reading a book and having the waiter bring me a piece of chocolate cake for dessert - YES!

Illustration Friday - "Proverb"

Just yesterday I came across a Chinese proverb that I liked: "You often find your destiny on the path you take to avoid it". Sometimes I worry so much that my dinner party will be a disaster that it becomes one!

Illustration Friday - "Atmosphere"

I'm not sure exactly how this image fits into Illustration Friday theme of "Atmosphere", but somehow, I just know it does, and I get the giggles thinking about it!

(Originally, this vignette was one of 8 other little retro scenes I created for a fabric design, with "camping" being the concept)

Illustration Friday - "Paisley"

When I read the theme for this week's entry for Illustration Friday, this image that I created several years ago immediately came to mind!

Illustration Friday - "Rescue"

It's been a while since I posted something for Illustration Friday, and when I saw the theme for this week, I thought of this image that I created for a fabric design. Will the Princess rescue the Prince from his froggie prison? Or will the Frog Prince rescue the Princess from her loneliness? We all need a rescue of some sort at some time or another!

Illustration Friday - "Confined"

Here's what happens when you keep your kids inside on a snowy day. A lonnnnnnnggggg snowy day! (It's also what happens when you put them in new clothes for the first time.)

Illustration Friday - "Undone"

If you want a bed to become undone, if you yourself want to become undone, just put three monkeys to bed, in the same bed. This was an illustration that was part of a fabric design that I did several years ago. It ended up on the the cutest pajamas under the Frankie and Johnny label, sold on the Sleepyheads.com website.

Illustration Friday - "Crunchy"

Nothing says "crunchy" like a bag of kettle corn! This illustration was originally created as part of a fabric design for a online company, "Sleepyheads.com". They make the cutest, most cozy pajamas,
check them out here.

Illustration Friday - "Entangled"

Thanksgiving meal is over, the kids are tucked away sleeping soundly in their beds. Or are they? Oh, well, let's have another piece of pumpkin pie and we can bounce around until midnight!