Today I submitted an illustration (not the one below) for the Communication Arts annual illustration competition. This feels like cramming your soul into an ill-fitting bikini and parading it down a pagent runway for judging. Not the most comfortable feeling, really.
2009 was an amazingly busy roller-coaster of a year. New husband, new home, and finally my own studio space! Also, a few new pieces:
My inspiration for this was awkward beauty. I love awkward and off-kilter, don’t you?
This was really just an excuse to play with light emanating from a TV.
My favorite piece of 2009. This is my interpretation of the word “snooty.” It was incredibly fun from sketch to finish. Most of my illustrations are hand drawn in pencil and ink with color and texture added in Photoshop. This one was a bit different as I knew where it was going the minute I drew his crazy profile. I didn’t even complete the pencil sketch, but instead dove right in and rendered it digitally from scratch. So much fun, this.
This is actually a sketch from 2006 that I have played with on and off and reworked a million times over. There’s just something about her I love and keep coming back to. Three years later, it’s a finally a finished piece with which I am equally happy.
Oddly enough, this drawing is about hope and optimism. Well, optimism and fun hair.
Today is my birthday and, the way I see it, there is no better way to congratulate oneself for existing another year on this planet than the purchase of new shoes (or boots in this case). If you don’t buy yourself birthday shoes, I highly suggest you start doing so. I admit, I do have a bit of a shoe-purchasing addiction. I have a hunch that this might be an (admittedly superficial) ongoing theme on my blog so I figured I’d just put that out there now.
So new year, new shoes, and new blog. Welcome! Think of this as a peek over my shoulder at my sketchbook, for better or worse. One part social observation, two parts artistic license, and, ok, a dash of blatantly shallow shoe-worship.
And away we go!