Glam Girls and Pretty Pups

Playing around with some ink and brushes this rainy weekend and these little fashion girls with adorable pups came alive on to the paper. 

Each little lady is about 2" tall. A tiny, short bristled round brush loaded with some Speedball Super 

Pigmented Acrylic ink in super black was used. 

Santa Barbara isn't used to the rain, but I am enjoying the feeling of being stuck inside with new set of brushes and some blank paper. 

I've also be playing around with more hand lettering these days and am preferring the fluidity of brush and ink to the classic style calligraphy pen nibs. I might need some time to get used to the whole set up, but the simplicity of black ink and bright white paper leaves no excuse for not practicing.

Pink Ink: More Peony Illustrations

Happy Monday everyone! Starting off a fresh week with some pretty floral ink drawings for everyone. These peony illustrations were a continuation of an ink peony drawing a I did a few weeks ago after being inspired by peony season. 

I'm thinking of making a set of greeting cards with some of these images and getting my Etsy shop back in action. Thoughts?

These drawings were created using  Prismacolors' dual ended art markers. The wide, chiseled tip can give a really great painterly quality to the drawings when utilized at its thickest point and with some brush-like strokes. 

Fresh Melon

Many of my illustrations, doodles and paintings are inspired by the world around me - seasons, holidays, weather, travels, life experiences and food. After camping last weekend in over 100 degree heat my friends and I found respite in fresh and cool watermelon slices from the depths of the cooler.

Nothing beats the heat like the cool juice of a watermelon drizzling down your chin!

What are some of your fave creative inspirations??

Independence Day Sweets

The Fourth of July is about getting patriotic, throwing on some red, white and blue and celebrating our amazing country. It is also a day to enjoy family, friends and delicious food at the peak of summer.

Hoping your Independence Day is filled with sweet treats and fireworks!

Pink Ink: Peony Ink Illustrations

Happy Monday my creative friends! Hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing summer weekend.

We kicked off the summer season with margaritas during Santa Barbara's Summer Solstice parade and ended Saturday with a dip in the pool with fabulous friends.

In a nod to the free spirited nature of the parade I created a couple of flower crowns for me and my BFF to rock during the festival. Wired faux flowers and some extra wire for tying it all together are all you need! (Can you tell I shot this in the car?)

In between outdoor gatherings with friends I have been playing around with some of Prismacolors' super fun art markers. The doubled ended (chisel and fine tip) pens make for some fun contrasting texture. So far I have been experimenting with loose floral shapes using the large chisel edges. I plan on framing this sketch to hang in my bathroom. I kinda love its vintage 70's feel.

Daily Art Practice: Fruit Salad

Although my daily art practice has been wavering (especially the part where I share it with everyone) I am still drawing nearly every day. Part of this practice is because I have a nice little art station set up that I never take down. I know that some people enjoy more of a ritual with their art practice; the setting up and taking down helps begin and end the process. I am the opposite. I like the call of the colored pencils,  the wanderlust of watercolor exposed to my eye. I love the inspiration of teal paper on the tabletop. That is what pulls me in,  inspires, and motivates me to keep the art and doodles alive.

Often, once the paper and pencils call me over, I let my imagination run amok. As the weather shifts, and spring hits us full force, I am inspired by all things summer, and bright and warm; and fruity! I love the kitsch and nostalgia of drawing fruit. It reminds of another decade and is the type of thing I love to create and it always reminds me of freshness and summer. 

And as subject matter, I always have it hanging around ;)

 Cherries were done in a mix of opaque ink and colored pencil. I love the color combo of pink and red.

 My funky fresh banana in retro 80's fun. In this doodle I was inspired to let the yellow of the paper shine through as the fruit color.

A little tropicana fun with this fruity pattern. Colored pencil and a touch of pen on lime paper. It reminds of the late Lilly Pultizer's prized preppy patterns.

Goat Sketches

I have a thing for goats. I just find them adorable and endearing. And I also happen to highly enjoy goat cheese (yuuummmm, just ask my girlfriends Erica and Alison about the massive quantities we enjoyed on our French adventures).

But cheese aside, I have a habit of visiting some local goats on the coast out on my runs. Perched on the bluffs overlooking the sea, UCSB has some sort of goat program running and there they are, surrounded by low lying electric fences, ready for me to harass. Usually they are lazily laying about, most of the time eating, much more of the time actually eating while laying.

This week during one of my daily art practice sessions the cute little goat guys and gals popped into my head. And I couldn't help but doing some quick doodley sketches inspired by goat cuteness.

Daily Art Practice: Mad Men Red

Happy Friday! The last two days I have been keeping up with my daily art practice of sketching small, usually in the morning before diving into work, but haven't had the chance to share on my blog.

One of today's illustrations is this retro style redhead on pink paper. I have really been having fun with opaque inks and colored pencils on the colored papers. I think it helps to bring in an added layer of creative to my pieces, since the color paper tends to dictate the doodle.

 Here is a quick snapshot of my redhead in progress. I love how fun it is to play with an idea and not no where it goes - I had thought to stop at the opaque ink, but the addition of the color pencils brought it to a more finished level.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I'll be playing in the gorgeous weather we have been having around here!

Daily Art Practice: Lemon Studies

This morning's art practice was a quiet and soft. The light wasn't as golden as I was expecting at my little table. After watering my plants I grabbed two bright and sunny Meyer lemons from the kitchen produce basket. Meyer lemons are thought to be a mix between a lemon and a orange - slightly sweeter in flavor and a deep yellow and I was inspired to create a fruit still life.

Playing on colored paper I couldn't help but try to different techniques. Opaque white ink, black ink and colored pencil brought them to life. I started with the lemons on yellow first and followed with the lemons on green paper. Here is a side by side comparison: