Orange Blossom

This is the illustration I spoke of. This is a special gift for my dear friend Leigh Ann and her husband, Jeff. I don't want to get into the gory details, but I will tell you that the orange blossom is a symbol of fertility, love, and togetherness. The bee is fertilizing the flower. So it's sort of a good luck charm for them.

Venice Beach

I thought it would be a good idea to bring along my little travel watercolor set and my little watercolor moleskin sketchbook to do some plein air painting at Venice Beach. I did a fun ink drawing with a sepia Hi-tec C, and started laying down watercolor. Then everything fell apart. I knew the pen would bleed a bit, but I did not know it would turn purple. I had about a teaspoon of water to mix with so all my colors became muddy. Sand was in my paints, my water, and in my paintbrushes. So I sort of gave up, but there's still something I like about it - I captured my day in this little watercolor. I look at it and am flooded by the experiences of the day, even if it included a failed attempt at plein air watercoloring.

Heather

I took a break from my other illustration project and did a quick sketch from a snapshot of Heather Heckel, my roommate at the Illustration Academy last summer. Then I started putting acrylic down and just played with the paint a little bit.

New office view

I have to boast - my company recently moved to a new office building in Santa Monica. This is a view from my desk. We're on the 16th floor in a building that is quite literally across the street from the beach. It's incredible. (click to enlarge)

Self portrait with Nike shirt

This is a quick self portrait in my favorite old thrift store Nike shirt. This was done with a Crayola marker so old, the color's name has rubbed off. Doodles, writing, and gouache were added on other days.

I have been working on my next "illustration" - which is defined by the use of tracing paper and illustration board, as opposed to quick "get it down" line drawings that I cover with a wash of paint. It's a non-figurative piece that's a bit of an experiment. I hope to finish it this week.

my new apartment

A little something for the Girls Who Draw assignment (from a few weeks ago) - Where I Live. I have finally gotten settled in my new apartment in West LA so I'm trying to catch up on some art making. Unfortunately, my new apartment only has one (small) bedroom, so instead of a 2nd bedroom office/studio, I share space with the dining room table. I guess since I'm only making art at night now, it will do!

red saucony's

A little sketch of my favorite shoes, my red Saucony's. Pen with Acrylic in my moleskin.

RedHot

A gift for my brother, Phil. This is his favorite condiment. Excellent on frozen pizza.

This is pen & gouache in my moleskin watercolor sketchbook.

Geeky Fish

I decided to participate in Illustration Friday for the first time in over a year. Just another excuse to create something in my sketchbook. The topic this week was "Geeky" and it made me think of the benefits of being a non-conformist. After some clever googling, I found an interesting tidbit about male guppies: Most have plain old spots, but some have brilliant color and design to them. These guppies have an advnatage over others: Not only do they attract the females better, but predators seem to overlook them. It's good to be different.

This is pen and gouache in my Moleskin sketchbook. The "geek" glasses were one of those last minute additions... why do we all think "glasses" when we think "geek?" I couldn't resist it.

Katy

A drawing of my co-worker Katy. She is a very skilled photographer and designer - she LOVES designing invitations, greeting cards, announcements... that sort of thing. She just started a blog - check it out!