sketchy notions

It's official! I have my own website! I'm so unbelievably happy to finally have one. It is high time that I got one and started getting more professional with my work. Next step...business cards!

Also! I've been getting a 2nd Etsy shop, heckyl & jyve, up and ready for my prints and less children's book oriented stuff.

AND! The icing on the happy cake for these past 24 hours...my sketchbook post was featured on one of my favorite sites, Craftgawker. Happy day!

SO! Check out my website if you'd like, sketchy notions. It has all my children's books, artist books, prints, photos and many things I never even put on this blog...for example, my little Belgium book (which was I actually photographed for the first time ever yesterday!)

sketchbook ode & the last of the Italy sketches

These 2 sketches were the last sketches I did in my now ENORMOUS sketchbook that lasted my whole stay in Europe, starting way back in May 2010 until this past December.

The first one is from when I went to visit my good friend Vanessa in Lucca. It's such a fun little town with amazing food and the greatest raised wall that encircles the older part of the city. And you can rent bikes to ride around on top of it!

The second image is the last sketch I did in Italy, as I was waiting in the airport to catch my dreaded flight to Switzerland.

Unfortunately, there are still 5 blank pages in it and I can't bring myself to sketch anything from photos after all the time I spent on the other drawings on location...I guess I'll just have to go back, what a shame!

 

I really love how fat this sketchbook is now. Nearly all my train tickets, museum stubs, business cards and other randomly assorted paper scraps and items are kept in the back pocket. It is now so full that the binding is coming undone!

I still like to carry this guy around with me, it's kind of like a comfort blanket now. Aside from my lucky bag, this is the one item that was constantly with me through my travels and daily life.

It travelled all over Europe with me. From Belgium to Sicily (in one day!),

to Switzerland and across France,

across Spain and everything Gaudi,

and, of course, all over Italy.

I branched out to using mini sketchbooks while I was travelling but this big guy was my go to every time I needed to draw some thing/place amazing.

Lately....

Busy busy busy lately! Lots of projects and new things happening....a really big one is brewing over the weekend that I'll be able to post next week...So excited!!!!!!

After a long hiatus on my part, Livi & Grace is back on the table too! Updates one those little lovely girlies are coming soon. And I have a bunch of tattoo designs in the making right now too. AND a skateboard deck design. Lots happening...

But! In the meantime, here's a look at what's on the drafting table today. I'm re-working my friend's family wine label, Pace Family Wine. It's my first real design project and I'm loving it so far. We have it narrowed down to 5 ideas, including this one. (but so far this one is my favorite!) It's a pretty wide array of ideas that we've come up with, everything from plain text, figure silhouettes to this 70's typeface collage. I'll be adding the color to this one today so we shall see how it goes....

mini sketchbooks

High time for a little update of the mini sketchbooks! I first picked up a couple when I was in Spain last spring but now I'm addicted to these little minis! I always have one on me now, they're the perfect size to fit in my doily purse or back pocket.

I started a 2nd little mini sketchbook  a little while back for drawing things from life, so I could keep the first one more design oriented.  Also started using a fountain pen! The ink quality is so much more rich! It may get a little messy at times by I'm slowly getting the hang of it...

Most of these were done while I was still in Italy but a couple were done during some time I spent down at Venice Beach last month (gotta love California in January!)

These next few are from the new mini...I really like how the Venice one turned out! I need to use my watercolors more often...

When I was still in Italy, I was living up on a mountain at a park called Parco dal Lignano. They had a bunch of animals tucked back there for people to feed and visit so I had the opportunity to sketch some deer and rabbits from life!

gnocchi a mano {by hand}!

I don't usually post about food and such, I'd much rather keep this blog just for artsy related stuff....but I was just too stoked that this actually went well that I felt the need to share!

In keeping with my list, I made gnocchi by hand last night! It may not be pasta exactly but it sure was tasty...

 






















         Gnocchi is one of my favorite Italian dishes...I'm a sucker for it if it's handmade. I used this recipe from Food Network and it made quite a lot for just 3 potatoes!

                      Gigantic ball of delicious potato dough! I didn't have an actual ricer or a scraper/slicer but the combo use of a cheese grater, heart-shaped cookie cutter and parring knife worked just fine!

We ended up doing a simple butter an sage sauce on top...then poured on the parmesan! Soooo good!

faythurs and ribbons

I'm on a bird and ribbon kick right now! Keeping with my list, here's a new little bird, a Titmouse to be exact, that's headed straight to my Etsy store.