IF : VOICES

This is another quick post and probably the last one until the New Year. There's just too much going on right now.  I am having a great time though, enjoying my kids, my family and my friends. This is most definitely my favorite time of year. I wish you all Happy Holidays!

I only wish I had more time to visit all my favorite blogs. I am way behind!

I did get a chance to rework the composition of my last IF entry, since I wasn't to thrilled with it. I changed the big bird on the foreground to the dancing girl, and I think she is much more interesting to look at than the bird. I also moved and flipped the pets (thanks to Photoshop) to make the negative space more dynamic, and added some props to the kids. Oh, and the Dad magically aged a few years. He looks more like grandpa, which is fine. I can see grandparents in this type of predicament as well. Oh, and I figured with all the commotion, one could almost hear the voices of the children! There! That's how I link it to this week's IF. I do plan on painting this one, but after the New Year!

IF: Rambunctious

Here's my entry for this week's topic. I tried ink a few weeks back and I really enjoyed it so I tried it again. I am not 100% pleased with this piece. I think it's the composition and some of the line work turned out heavier than I wanted. I've realized I work much better in solitude than with my children around! But these days, I can't find much time for blogging or art.

Oh, well! I may play around with it some more or give it up completely as one of those that didn't quite turn out! 

and the winners are...

This was my first giveaway! Thanks to everyone who participated. I really loved reading all of your stories! Some of the stories that stood out to me:

1. Deborah - Your story about your son being your favorite gift, really brought tears to my eyes. So touching! 
   
2. Kate- I'm glad you still have "Shnoop". My kids still have their favorite 'blankie' and 'bear' but they are still little! We'll see as they get older!
   
3. Eric- My favorite part about the holidays is family gatherings and the warmth and love that comes with it. I've found that now that I have my children, as long as we are all together, my heart is warm even if extended family is far away!
   
4. Alicia- What a great gift! and soooo romantic! travel tickets to Lake Tahoe! wow!
   
5. Chris- A selfless gift. So honorable and caring especially at times like now, where so many families are in need. You have inspired me to give more to my community.  I heard that the Salvation Army ran out of presents for the kids. We all need to give a little more, if we can.
   

...and now to the winners:

My son picks: K. SPOERING

My daughter picks: ALICIA PADRON

My son picks: BELLA SINCLAIR

CONGRATULATIONS WINNERS!!!! Now, please email me your info so I can get the card in the mail asap!

THANKS FOR PLAYING!!!

White Elephant Gift Exchange Party

This past weekend I had a White Elephant Gift Exchange party at my house. It was so much fun!

I wanted to share with everyone a surprise one of my friends had for me. She made a cake for the party and used my card as inspiration for the decoration. I thought it turned out so cute and adorable! She did a fantastic job! The cake was so delicious too!  She is incredibly talented and I am so grateful and touched with her kindness!

 The cake

The Card

IF: Similar

These kids are dressed similar as they prepare for Santa's arrival.

I'm not sure if I still have time to get this illo printed for my x-mas cards, but I will try!

I still need to add some text to it. I'll repost the finished piece at a later time!

If you would like to participate in my giveaway scroll down 2 posts below for instructions.

IF:Balloon and award!

I almost didn't make this week's theme! I have been busy with the holidays, as everyone is, I guess... I  just thought I would not be able to finish this on time. I bought some pens and got to try them out for this illustration. It had been a while since I had done something in just ink. I had a good time. Now that I look at it, I think I may want to color it in Photoshop just for fun.

There's still plenty of time of you want to participate in the giveaway I'm having. Just make a comment on that post. 

I also wanted to mention that my dear friend Nicole awarded me the "Uber Amazing Blog", and I must say that I am so honored coming from her! She is so talented!!! Definitely check out her artwork if you get a chance. She also has some cool jewelry and art on ETSY worth a browse! 

Here are the rules:

*Put the logo on your blog or post.
* Nominate at least 5 blogs (can be more) that for you are Uber Amazing!
* Let them know that they have received this Uber Amazing award by commenting on their blog.
*" Share the love and link to this post and to the person you received your award from."
Here are my uber bloggers who I think might follow the rules- check 'em out:

- Vanessa

- Deborah

- Alicia

- Kate

- Candace

- Diana

- Jannie

My First Holiday Giveaway!

I had some of my work printed on cards just because I wanted to see how it would look… and I thought it would be good to have around to send to clients or friends. Then I thought, why not have a giveaway? Everyone loves giveaways! Besides this is the season for giving.

So, if you would like one of my cards, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post saying what has been your favorite holiday present ever. I will announce 3 winners on Monday December 15th. 

Good Luck Everyone!

Also, if you are looking for a gift idea for this holiday season, think ‘art’. I have museum quality giclee fine art prints  for sale in different sizes with different fine art papers and cards available at reasonable prices. Visit my ImageKind gallery for a list of available illustrations.

I am back!

I had such a wonderful time in NY! The people, the energy, the places, Broadway, the shops, and the food make NY one of my favorite places to visit. It can’t get any more cosmopolitan than that!
I first want to thank everyone that left comments wishing me a good trip. I really enjoyed reading them when I checked my email in NY. Thanks for not forgetting about me while I was gone. I really appreciate all of you and all of the connections and friendships I have made through this blog!
I will only mention some of the highlights of my trip that relate to art (really everything was fabulous!). I may dedicate another post to highlighting some of the other places I visited, some of them recommended by you.

First I visited the Society of Illustrators Museum and was delighted with the ‘Original Art’ exhibit featuring children’s book art. It was a great display of talented artists. As someone that is trying to get in the business, I was very inspired by the quality of the art and the fact that most pieces were mixed media. It made me realize that the end justifies the means… in other words, you can start digital and end up with pencils, or vice versa. There are no limits or rules as long as the end product is great! I could not leave without a book about the history of illustration (not too many of these out there) and another great find, Show and Tell, a book about children book illustration.

My next stop was the MOMA. The only thing that I can say is that if you are visiting NY City, you must definitely make a stop at the MOMA and expect to be there a while. You need a minimum of 2 hours. To see so much original artwork by so many masters is invigorating! We went on a Saturday and there were soooooo many people! It was truly amazing!

The picture below is next to a Gaughin. He is one of my favorite artists!

We then went to SOHO, which is known for artists displaying their art on the sidewalk. I bought this small original for my daughter who loves horses. The picture below is with the artist (I'll have to get the name later as it escapes me now).

The last part of my trip was really special. I got to meet one of my blog friends and inspiration, Jannie Ho from Chicken Girl Design . When I found out I was going to NY, I thought of meeting with a professional illustrator or an editor to have an informal review of my portfolio. Other than the feedback I have received here (which I always appreciate) I wanted a more in-depth review. I wanted to find out if my style was suitable for picture books or if I have just been wasting my time. I also wanted to find out more about the industry. When Jannie agreed to meet me I was so excited for the opportunity and I must say that she is so nice in person and so down to earth!

I took her book with me ‘The Penguins Perfect Picnic’ and she was kind enough to sign it.

We had a great conversation about illustration as a career, how the economy is affecting the business. Self-promotion and a few other things...and yes she did look at my portfolio and had some really great suggestions! I am glad I ended my trip with Jannie. She is such a warm and nice individual. I felt really blessed to be able to meet up with her.

Well that was my trip in a nutshell!