July Birthdays

I have so many friends that have birthdays in July - including me! Here's a page from my sketchbook, a future Fashionista birthday girl. I'll post the finished version, when I finish it! Rembrandt and I were born on the same day in July, a trivial fact that I relish. Who do you share a birthday with?

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!!!!

Retro Summertime

Summer is here and the living is....HOT! I thought I'd share some illustrations from a past fabric design in which the motif was fifties fashion. There is really nothing new under the sun..... these vintage style swim suits are popping up in current fashion catalogs, which just goes to show ya, what's old is new again!

Oh my, it's been SO long since I've posted - I'm working on a project that I'll add to my blog in a bit. But for now, I thought I'd share some sketches for an upcoming children's book about a little Pomeranian who has a love of Opera. It's odd, but this is the second project in 4 months with the theme of the Opera. (here's a look at the other.) Maybe that's because my great-grandmother was a Parisian opera singer, and I'm carrying on the legacy. If I can't sing in the Opera, at least I can illustrate it!

New Cover Illustration

I was fortunate to work again with Janna Netland-Lover of Local Design Group on the May cover of Minnesota Medicine Magazine. The theme for this issue's cover was the subject of organ transplants. Organ transplants are now able to be used on a much wider base of the population for a wider variety of situations than in the past. Janna envisioned an illustration of silhouettes and organs - so I got out my trusty Wacom pen tool and tablet, and away I went.

First I sent her the following three sketches, using the magazines template to position the elements to work with the type and label.


Version One: Patterned background, organs, which are illustrated in pen & ink style are highlighted in rectangular solid shapes.


Version Two: Plain painterly background, organs depicted in realistic medical illustration style, no backgrounds to highlight them.


Version Three: Another painterly background, but in warm colors, and organs are highlighted by rectangles.

Janna chose the patterned background, but preferred the organs without highlighting shapes behind them. So I went to work on tweaking the figures, completely changing a few, and here's how they came out:






I'll post the finished cover tomorrow.

Happy Earth Day, Happy Spring!

First a howling blizzard woke us,
Then the rain came down to soak us,
And now before the eye can focus -
Crocus.
-Lilja Rogers

LET'S GIVE A BIG HAND FOR SPRING!

Illustration Friday - "Bottled"

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

Monday Morning Men

Now the question is, are they running to work, or away from work? This is a doodle from my sketchbook.

Workout Miss

Every spring I make the same horrible discovery - I CAN'T FIT INTO MY CLOTHES! Every spring I say, "How did this happen?" I'm sure my clothes shrank from too many washings over the winter (roll the eyes), but I guess it wouldn't hurt to ramp up the exercise regime.

Paper Dolls

I loved paper dolls as a kid, so it was really fun to do a grown up version while creating concepts in an ad agency. The art director needed different outfits to present to his client, and this was the barbecue outfit. The final version, which I don't have, was in full color.

Sketches for the Retro Fair

Here's a sketchbook page for another fabric pattern. The theme was that of a country fair with the roller coaster, big slides, cotton candy, fortune teller and "Guess your Weight" scale. Sometimes the sketches have a loose lively look to them that compensates for the lack of color.

Farmer's Breakfast Print

This was a fun novelty pattern to make for fabric, entitled "Farmer's Breakfast". I don't know what I like painting more, animals or food. Both are so comforting!

Retro Gloves & Purse

Why wait until you are crowned Queen of Everything to to put on your long white gloves? You will need them to carry around your cute little beaded purse when you go to pick up your dog from the groomers, etc.

Illustration Friday - "Stir"

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

50's Fashionista - Mop Girl

Yes, home-owning is an endless round of chores, but nowadays it's a lot easier to mop a floor without wearing high heels! This illustration is available as a card - come visit my Etsy Shop!

50's Fashionista - Jello Girl

There's always room for JELL-O. Some things never change...

This illustration is available as a card - come visit my Etsy Shop!

50's Fashionista - Dusting Girl

Joan Rivers once said, "I hate housework. You make the beds, you do the dishes and six months later you have to start all over again." This Fashionista looks like she is thinking the same thing!

This illustration is available as a card - come visit my Etsy Shop!

50's Fashionista - Pie Girl

I've been expanding my Fashionista line, thinking these retro ladies would look great on cards as well as prints. Here is Miss Pie Lover, the first of my new creations. I'll be listing them soon in my Etsy Shop.

TAKE ME HOME!

Alfie


Sidney

I met an angel at a dinner party last week, and she was trying to pretend she was just a normal human being. But I could tell she was special, especially when she got to the part in her story about the seven dogs sleeping on her bed at home while we were having this lively dinner conversation. It turns out that St. Cheryl is a volunteer for Second Chance, an animal rescue organization here in Minneapolis. Second Chance was recognized by City Pages Magazine as the Best 2010 Charity (you can read the article here). Cheryl, like other foster moms, provides a home for dogs who have been abandoned or rescued until they find their "forever home" through the organization.

This is a special cause for me, since I am an animal lover, and now that the economy has forced so many people into tight situations, their pets are suffering, too, being abandoned or put up for adoption. The equally sad situation is that due to budget cuts, many shelters are closing their doors, and the need for private home foster care is so desperately needed.

Alfie and Sidney, above, need a home. You need a dog or cat. Who can't benefit from a little unconditional love and a nice warm hairy greeting committee when you walk in the door? So check out the list of adorable little creatures who need homes on SECOND CHANCE's website.

The next adoption date is March 12th - go for a visit and take your friends! - It will be the Petco in Roseville between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. For more information, see the website.

I adopted my Suzi years ago and you can see what a difference a little TLC can make with the following photos - her face went from worry lines to snotty confidence. Her TLC made a big difference in my face too, but that's another story:



DAY 1


Several months later