Summer Berries and Yellow Fashion Fun

I took care of my in-laws garden a couple of weeks ago while they escaped on a much needed beach house vacay. I have never been a green thumb, but I do relish in making my small collection of house plants thrive(ish), so I delighted in the chance to participate in the creation of food that I would surely eat at some point this summer.

The Phillips' ranch garden was blossoming with soon-to-be, edible abundance - a sure sign of spring in Santa Barbara. The asparagus spears were popping from the dirt and the strawberries were already becoming prolific. As I watered the flowering blooms I could NOT resist plucking a few of the ripe berries right off the plants and straight into my mouth. They weren't at peak season sweetness, but I couldn't resist the fun of feeling like a 5 year old in the garden.

You can watch my gardening in action with my fun Vine video. 

As a fun part of my daily art practice I drew this sweet summer girl savoring a ripe strawberry. I have been having a ton of fun playing with the colored paper in my doodles. Often I pick a color solely based on a snap decision of a feeling I want to capture. In the case of my summer berry girl, I chose a lovely sunny yellow.

Building up the lush green grass behind her and letting the yellow shine through is what keeps her garments so vibrant.

Prismacolor colored pencils on yellow paper, with some finishing touches of ink pens.

Daily Doodles: Taylor Swift Inspired

Feeling a little uncreative lately and looking for a fresh way to start my days, I decided to dive into a daily art practice. The concept is simple - paper, some fun pens and pencils, and a free sketch of whatever I choose. I am deeply inspired by the daily art practices of my Santa Barbara illustrator friends Tad Wagner and Molly Hanh who's blog posts and Instagram snapshots of their doodle brighten my day and I thank them for inspiring me to do this.

Today's kick off doodle was inspired by the adorable Taylor Swift on the cover of Elle Magazine. It was on my table, right next to my pens and I couldn't stop myself from a quick sketch inspired by her  in that that mod style Louis Vuitton shift.

Happy week everyone!

Ethereal Inspiration

Design and art isn't just about pen and paper. A lot of great design comes from inspiration of things all around us. Currently my life has been incredibly busy, but every once in a while I get a chance to explore my guilty pleasure; reading blogs. Any type of blog really. But usually a mixture of fashion, design, food, art and lifestyle.

Last night I took a small amount of time to peruse the internet and stumbled upon the latest Elie Saab couture collection. Fashion at its finest, I was instantaneously rendered with an urge to wear every single dress available. But not only would the collection be pure heaven to wear, it is pure inspiration to look at. Particularly fun for me was the muted/bright color combination of the line. Pair that with the flowy, gauzy, soft edges of the gowns and you have an awesome watercolor painting to happen. See the full collection here.

So take a breath, look around you and find something inspirational today. Happy hunting.