NEWS: Creative Quarterly 16: Winners Announced!

I am really excited that this illo of mine was chosen in the runner-up category of Creative Quarterly 16! To see Charles Hively's Creative Quarterly: The Journal of Art & Design and CQ15 (last competition) winners go here. The runner-ups are only posted on the website (hopefully soon:) and not included in the print magazine....that's ok, I am thrilled! The next deadline (CQ17) is in July! Congratulations to all the winners! Now,...back to the drawing board:)
Have a great weekend...

IF:Crave

A place of one's own is craved by many today....
Thoreau understood this.

Image made digitally in Photoshop and Illustrator. The bird was drawn into the image in Illustrator.

Barn Sale

Been reading the WOW book for Adobe Illustrator and wanted to try a few things. This image made by doing a live trace of a color photo then restricting the colors to 6. It has a similar effect to "cutout" which I like...





















There is a big barn sale coming up! MacKenzie-Childs in Aurora, NY on weekend of June 12-14! Fun road trip:) with out of town guests! What's the barn sale like? You can watch a video on their website:)

Peony: Contour Drawing

Before starting the painting, I wanted to make a contour drawing for use later in Illustrator or PhotoShop. The redrawing helps me to refine the shapes. I inked the second drawing with a Stadtler pigment liner 0.5mm (waterproof and lightfast) that you can get here (best price I found) or at Staples here.

Peony Sketch

I could not resist drawing this peony. Its fragrance was reward enough. This was a tonal study in preparation for a watercolor painting.

Summer Begins

Summer begins.
Am loving the Christopher Silas Neal illustration on the cover and spots inside of the NYT Book Review "Summer Reading". What are you reading this summer? Right now I am reading this book...a graphic novel. It's now peony time in the garden.

In the garden

Garden Day. Weather perfect. Some surprises...a poppy opened, a visit from Mr. Chippy which Jack (cat) the Ripper is loving. Birdhouse is from Iron Kettle Farm.