Illustration Friday: MYTH

Hmmm.... I suppose my illo for this week's Illustration Friday prompt is more MYTHICAL than MYTH, but whatevs. At least I got my paints out, which I haven't done in a few years!

I must admit that secretly, I hoped I'd pick up the paintbrush and adore watercolors the way I did in high school. But alas. I'm not really a fan of these things. I refuse to give up, though.Watercolors are just too pretty!

Oh, by the way, there is more to this picture than I'm showing you, because it's not just a purposeless 'I feel like painting' kind of painting. A certain kindergartner is turning SIX next week, and this illustration is really a...

TUNE IN TOMORROW, FOLKS, TO FIND OUT WHAT THIS ILLUSTRATION REALLY IS.

See what I did there? Cliffhanger blog post. 

Happy Thursday, to you!
xoxo,

Illustration Friday - Imagination

Annelie and I worked on this week's Illustration Friday art prompt together. We decided on mixed media collages, and as we were coloring and gluing and listening to Two Door Cinema Club's new album she grinned at me and said, "I'm going to make art with you EVERYDAY."

Well, how can I argue with that?

My collage is of my imaginative five-year-old, who decided she wanted a Parisian circus theme to her bedroom. I figured a circus of the imagination is way more fun than elephants, tigers, and bears, oh my... and an imaginary juggling squirrel on a unicycle is exactly the sort of circus act I'd like to see (since the animal rights lover in me can't handle the idea of glorifying the real circus - unless it's the Cirque Du Soleil animal-free kind).

More pieces to come! A Parisian hedgie, just like our little French buddy, will definitely make an appearance.

Annelie was thrilled when I promised her I'd post her collage on the Illustration Friday website for everyone to admire. It's a princess imagining she's a mermaid.

 by Annelie

age 5

I just love the random Victorian girl floating in the wall. And the mermaid swimming through her thought bubble sea. And the multicolored princess. And Annelie's artist signature! 

Yes, there will be much more art in our future. 

Hope you're all having a fabulous week, folks! 

xoxo,

Illustration Friday - Identical

Oh no she di'int show up at the Wharton's ball wearing the exact same live French Toulouse fascinator!

(oh yes she did!)

Yeah, I had fun with this sketch. I don't really get the whole fascinator thing. I mean, I liked them at first, but they seemed to get SILLIER AND SILLIER. Millions upon millions of feathers sticking out every which way, until it really did look like girls everywhere (and by everywhere I mostly mean the UK) were wearing entire geese/pheasants/colorful chickens on their heads.

I've been wanting to get back into Illustration Friday for ages - I miss drawing so much! This was a fun break into art again.

Happy it's almost the weekend, folks!

xoxo,

Illustration Friday - Asleep

Let me just say, going 6 months without picking up a colored pencil is a CRIME. I didn't even know how much I missed the suckers until last weekend when I picked them up to work on a project for my friend's dissertation (which I shall share another day). Seriously, heaven. I love my pencils.

When I saw this week's prompt for Illustration Friday, I knew sweet Consuelo needed a colored illustration, not just the occasional sketch here and there.

Raise your hand if you can guess my inspiration picture for this one?

The fair Consuelo,
dreaming of her sand and sea-glass cottage by the sea.

By the way, I want to live in this cottage.

I have a companion piece that is going on my drawing board someday. Hopefully sooner than later. I don't want to go 6 months without picking up a pencil again!

Happy Tuesday, folks!

xoxo,

Illustration Friday - Duet

When I saw the Illustration Friday prompt for this week - Duet - I instantly thought, Aw, how cute! I should sketch up a duet illustration of Hector and Consuelo, my froggies in love!

Then I thought, Oh, well, I don't really have time for that, what with this book I'm trying to revise sucking up every ounce of my energy and time.

But my muse was all like, HA! THINK AGAIN, little caterpillar, for I am bored of your book and I shall ruin it until you find the time to sit and sketch!

And I was like, No! I have a self-imposed deadline and must finish my revision by May! How can you do this to me?!

And my muse laughed.

She laughed in my FACE!

But you know, when your muse is burnt out from revisions and ready for another creative outlet, you gotta listen. You definitely don't want to mess with your muse. I should take my own advice. My muse and I are not always on speaking terms. I am stubborn and she is sadistic.

But she is boss and I am merely a pawn in her creativity game, so, I pulled out my sketchbook, sharpened a pencil, and, though I'm somewhat rusty, I sketched a little duet!

Here is Hector and his sweet Consuelo! Rough and sloppy, but that's okay.

Happy Wednesday, folks!

xoxo,

Illustration Friday - Surrender

Ooookay, I haven't done Illustration Friday in over a year. Way to be awesome, Marisa! But the topic this week is Surrender, and as I've been thinking of the PB (picture book) I'm working on for the dummy book challenge, I knew I could come up with a little something for Illustration Friday.

So here is a little character sketch (scribbled on the back of a page of the YA manuscript I'm currently revising - I'm so very resourceful - or else too lazy to dig out my sketchbook) of poor sweet Consuelo, who knows that she must surrender to her father's wishes and marry the rich, though grotesque, Don Roberto.

Poor girl.

I'm just going to go ahead and say that drawing a grotesque toad is very hard when you're the kind of person who thinks toads are just adorable. But it is only a character sketch after all. Practice, practice, practice!

Happy Wednesday, folks! We're currently snowed in, so there is much cake eating and hot chocolate drinking while we wait for spring!

xoxo,

Illustration Friday - Entangled

Poor little mermaid, caught in a fishing net! They aren't just bad for dolphins, you know. This week's Illustration Friday prompt is Entangled, so I thought a little ACEO of a mermaid in a net would be just the thing.

Gracie decided she wanted to participate in Illustration Friday, too... so she drew a mermaid, but didn't have the heart to tangle her in the net. Gracie is clearly a nicer illustrator than I am - but I'm not sure how her picture fits in with the theme... maybe she is entangled in her grid paper?

Now, if that isn't the cutest mermaid ever drawn, I don't know what is! Check out those hands! Maybe I'm biased, but I personally think my 4 year old is an artistic GENIUS!

xoxo,

Illustration Friday: Unbalanced

Why yes, I have got my priorities straight, thankyouverymuch!

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Just a quick little watercolor and ink illo for Illustration Friday (which I mean to do every week but only end up doing every other month). This one is a self portrait... with cupcakes. Seriously, who needs an apple when you have a stack of cupcakes?

Enjoy!

xoxo,

Illustration Friday: Adapt

Motherhood is quite the challenge... but 4 years after having Gracie, and two and a half years after having Annelie, I think I'm actually beginning to adapt.

Maybe.


Enjoy!
xoxo,

Illustration Friday: Contagious

Best Mates - 8 x 10 print

...there is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good-humour.

~ Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol

I thought this grinning, cheeky sock monkey duo fit in quite well with this week's prompt over at IllustrationFriday.com. Focusing on contagious laughter and humor seems more my style than drawing sock monkeys with the flu. I certainly can't help but smile with good-humor when I look at them. But I might be biased since I colored them...

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And another note: Okay, first neutral(ish) illustration done. I couldn't help but add a bright blue and a lime green button to their chests. But hey, I think they have personality and they are pretty darned cute AND they are really soft and sweet compared to my typical bright and bold illustrations, which is what I was going for.

So meet Jasper and Jackson, the newest little sock monkeys in town. They are both made of snips and snails, and puppy dog tails, and both make their fair share of mischief. And of course, with that cute sock monkey face, they usually get away with it.

Okay, I have to say a great big, tremendously huge THANK YOU to those of you who commented on my last post. While I appreciate ALL of my blog comments, in ALL of my posts, ALL the time, it really meant a lot to me to have so much support during my artistic identity crisis yesterday. Seriously, I love you guys. If we were all out for a girls night on the town, tossing back hot-pink cosmopolitans together, I'd be the one with tears streaming down my cheeks saying over and over again, "I love you girls. You know that right? I just love you."

So thank you, thank you! And have a great week!

Enjoy!
xoxo,

Illustration Friday: Parade

The Illustration Friday prompt for this week is parade, and I thought a fairy parade would be just perfect.

But after only three fairies and a butterfly, I decided I was done. Does it still count as a parade?

I hope so! I love it.

Enjoy!

xoxo,

Illustration Friday: Fleeting

Peony and the Prince

11 x 14

For a fleeting moment, the frog prince wistfully thought about how much easier his life would be if he were to stay a frog forever. But alas, reality was calling and the fairy was ready to change him back.

.:.:.
Abracadabra,
Alakazam,
Turn this frog
Back into a man!
.:.:.:.

Here is my finally finished illustration, just in time for Illustration Friday's topic of Fleeting.

I love this little frog prince!

Thanks for all of your support, my lovely bloggers. I was so frustrated with this illustration yesterday and was all set to give up after ruining page after page of drawing paper. But after a nice cup of tea and the rest of those little cupcakes (which, as it turns out judging by my waistline, were not fat-free after all), I was able to sit down with a clear head and finish!

Also, I'm in an interview feature today, this time on Holly's blog over at Winklepots and Random Thoughts (one of my favorite blogs, by one of my favorite peeps), so go on by and check it out here: http://winklepots.blogspot.com

Happy Friday!
xoxo,

Illustration Friday: Contained

Sweethearts - 8 x 10

"Their hearts contained an enormous amount of love for each other."

I haven't participated in Illustration Friday since October but have been meaning to join in the challenges more regularly as a New Year goal. This weeks topic is 'contained' and I knew just what to do.

I've been wanting to do another love-inspired sock monkey illustration, with Valentine's Day just around the corner - so here it is. My colored pencil illustration over acrylic-painted vintage sheet music.

Enjoy!

xoxo,

Illustration Friday: Late

Oh Dear, I must Be Late! - sketch

I've been out of drawing paper for the last week and a half, and it is driving me crazy. Every time I make plans to go to the art store, life gets in the way. But I wanted to participate in Illustration Friday this week, as the topic is "Late" and I thought another picture in my Alice series would be perfect.

Unfortunately, since I can't color this bad boy in, I'm just posting my sketch of the White Rabbit. This will be another mixed media collage. The rabbit will be colored pencil, the background will be paint on vintage text, the flowers... I'm not sure but I hope to make them pretty cool looking.

Sorry, Illustration Friday folks, for my half-finished contribution... as for everyone else, I'll be sure to show him off as soon as he is done.

Enjoy!

xoxo,

Illustration Friday: Sugary

Lollishops will be opening up... someday soon, I hope, and one of the projects I've been working on, which will be perfect for the frou-frou friendly market place, is a series of super cutsie little girls with awesome hats, darling retro dresses, and wholesome Campbell's soup-cute faces. They will definitely be frou-froulicious.

But with the Illustration Friday topic being "Sugary" this week, I thought I'd create a super cute sugary girl and give you a sneak peek at this little series I've been working on. Normally my delicious dessert illustrations are of the cupcake variety, but I decided to go a different route this time, and focus on candy.

Mmmmm... I love candy.

So meet Carrie Candy Hat. Her hat is entirely edible (if you are an illustrated hat girl in an illustrated land, of course) and is absolutely delish. Lollipops, truffles and all sorts of round chocolates and suckers adorn her pretty little strawberry-blonde head.

While I'm at it, here are sneaks of some of my sketches....

Just some. I forgot to photograph my favorite.

And here is the finished Betsy Bee Hive Hat

And Lucie Lemon Hat.

These girls will be added to my Etsy shop, but I think they will probably do better in Lollishops, as Etsy seems more edgy than frou-frou... and these girls are far from edgy and full of frou-frou. I can't wait for Lollishops to open!

Enjoy!

xoxo,

Illustration Friday: Canned

Canned Tuna = A-Okay
Canned Mermaid....

Okay, I wont even go there. Sorry for the unpleasant visual.

I wanted to come up with an illustration to fit in with this weeks Illustration Friday topic of "Canned," but I have to say that I've been a bit uninspired lately.

Gracie had drawn this gorgeous mermaid, and I couldn't wait to color her in, so I decided that maybe, just maybe I could tie her in with the IF theme for the week. Did I fail miserably? Yeah, probably. But I'm pretty happy with the final result of the mermaid, though!

Its no secret that Gracie loves mermaids. This ratty little mermaid doll, which I got for her from the Dollar Tree about a year ago (and is amazingly still intact, minus her tail fin which was bitten off by a shark) is to date, Gracie's favorite toy. This mermaid goes just about everywhere with my hot-pink cheerleading skirt wearing three year old.

And a scene like the one in the picture above, where Gracie is wearing her dress up clothes and twirling around the living room with her mermaid, is a very common scene in our household.

My mermaid-loving, cheerleader sure is cute, if I do say so myself.

And our mermaid illustration is now up in our collaborative shop, Tootsie and Grace.

Enjoy!
xoxo,

Illustration Friday: Enough

Do you ever feel like you don't have enough? Not enough good luck, good fortune, wealth, happiness, or love?

Meet Maneki Neko, the Good Luck Cat. With his good luck charm and paw up in the air, you won't worry about having enough for long!

I'm working on a Japanese series, and my Maneki Neko cats will be the first finished pieces of the collection. This one is my finished illustration for Illustration Friday, as it suits the topic of Enough purrrrfectly. So far, this tabby cat is my absolute favorite, and I plan on having a print on the wall above my work space to provide good luck and good fortune whenever I create. I also have finished a white Maneki Neko cat with a lovely pink cherry blossoms background and have a black cat in the works. They are so cute and fun!


I'll be adding Maneki Neko, both the prints and originals, to my shop sometime next month, once my Japanese series if finished.

Enjoy!
xoxo,

Illustration Friday: Sour

Little Lilly Lemonade loves lemons. Especially when they are sprinkled with sugar. The tart citrus is perfect for a bright summer's day, and if things don't go her way... well Lilly can just make Lemonade! This vibrant picture is sunny and sweet and perfect for a cheerful room.

Here is my contribution for Illustration Friday. I'm ahead of my game this week, as I usually don't have anything to contribute until about Thursday... and then I only have half a day before the new topic is announced! But I was able to raid Tootsie and Grace to get little Lilly, and I think this illustration is perfect for the topic of Sour. Though, she is a little more sweet than sour, isn't she?

This 8 x 8 print is of a colored pencil and permanent marker illustration on Strathmore drawing paper. The design belongs to my three year old... and illustrated by me.

Here is Gracie hard at work. I love how she smiles when she draws! The sign of a true artist, finding joy in her work as she creates!

Although, I have to tell you a little secret... moments after Gracie drew this adorable little girl, she handed it to me and said, "Here Mom. I drew a pair of scissors."

I looked down at the paper and said, "Um... Gracie, this looks like a little girl." to which Gracie replied, "No, that is a pair of scissors with a happy face."

I used my artistic license to turn this pair of scissors with a happy face into little Lilly and her lemon. Gracie didn't mind. She loves this picture!

Illustration Friday: Fierce Captain Monkeybones Sails the High Seas

I hadn't planned on creating any new illustrations anytime soon. After putting my Gnome, Sweet Gnome series together, I though a break from colored pencils was needed.

But I got itchy fingers...

When I get itchy fingers, there are only three things that I can do to fix them: Commit grand theft, hot wire a car, or draw a picture. Since I would probably get caught stealing anything (the only thing I have stolen was a button from a fabric store when I was in 7th grade.. and the alarm went off so I threw it in a carton of fabrics and ran. I didn't know fabric stores put alarms on buttons...). And since I have no clue how to hot wire a car I only had one choice.

So meet the latest sock monkey in my shop: Captain Monkeybones.

I designed this piece to be my Illustration Friday contribution for the week. The topic is FIERCE and I think a pirate sock monkey is pretty fierce.... well, he wants to be at least!!

I think this is my most favorite illustration yet. Actually, I think that about every picture I draw. But there is something about his newspaper pirate hat, wooden sword, and the fact that he is sailing in the most shallow water in all of the high seas, that completely appeals to me.

Plus, the vacant stare and joyful smile on this little red crab is beyond adorable, if I do say so myself. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to love my pictures quite as much as I do. This one is no exception. I love it!

And I hope you do too!