Illustration Friday - Bottled

I start each week saying that I need to drink more water, but sometimes that tends to ween as the week goes on and flavor takes priority.

Oh happy day!

A little realism sketch of a mouth and nose... Although I drew someone else, I will be wearing a smile all day because today is my Friday. I am taking tomorrow off and am very much looking forward to a 3 day weekend!!

It's Farmers' Market time!

This is an illustration/painting that I did last year of a blue grass band at our farmers' market. The market starts this weekend which I am really excited about. We have decided that we want to try and buy most of our vegetables from local farmers this year.

Illustration Friday - Toy 2

I had originally posted a digital illustration, but decided to remove and post this instead after todays happenings. My husband and I bought a "squirrel-proof" pole to hold our bird feeder, as well as a few planter containers so that we could plant our herbs.

Well, the little creatures in our back yards decided to use our new purchases as toys. It was too funny watching the squirrels jump the pole and then slide down as if they were little firefighters. The big-bellied robins sat on our new planters and watched it all go down. I could have sworn they were smiling with me.

Fig Recipe Illustration - They Draw and Cook

So, 2011 is the "Year of the Fig", and Nate and Salli over at They Draw and Cook have provided another recipe contest, this time with their sponsor The California Fig Advisory Board. I love figs (especially with wine and cheese), and California Fig's website has tons of wonderful fig recipes and information on figs.


My husband and I picked a recipe from the California Fig website and prepared it over the weekend. My illustration of the recipe is posted on TDAC's website along with over a hundred other fig recipes. Click here to see all of the fig recipes entered into the contest. There are some really fun and beautiful entries.


UPDATE: Check out the winning illustrated recipes here. Thank you for the Honorable Mention! 

Snapshot of Spain - Tres

So, these are actually snapshots of France. We went across the border to Biarritz, France for an evening. I loved the food, architecture and storefronts in this town - so different than Spain...


We took a walk on the beach one morning and there was this lady in her 70's in a one-piece swimsuit/shorts ensemble. She simply stood there with here feet invisible, firmly planted in the sand. She just stood, watching the waves, completely fulfilled and happy to just be in the moment. It reminded me to do the same.

The waves were enormous where we stayed and there were huge hydrangeas everywhere! It all made for a beautiful environment both sound and sight. 

Illustration Friday - Stir

It's been a crazy past couple of weeks for me, so I am so happy to finally have a weekend at home. I am so excited for the time change and longer daylight!

I always draw my illustrations by hand, but this week I finished both in watercolor and digitally. Which is your favorite?

Doodle time

I don't really watch movies that much any more, but I do enjoy seeing the dress choices at the Oscars so I halfway watched on Sunday while doodling.

Illustration Friday - Swarm

Swarms of birds and fish freak me out a bit... Sailboats on the other hand...

Illustration Friday - Layer

If you have not yet had a smore this winter, I highly suggest you consider making a run to the store to purchase the goods to build these magical layers of goodness. There is not much better when it comes to simple, sweet comfort food.

Illustration Friday - Reverse

I work on a Mac at work and also in my free time at home. I am so used to "undoing" or reversing my steps on the computer with my command Z shortcut (or apple Z depending on your keyboard), that sometimes when I am drawing and erase something that I wish I wouldn't have, I immediately think COMMAND Z! Of course this does not work in the non-digital world. Anyway, when I saw the theme "Reverse" for Illustration Friday, all things that help "undo" came to mind.


Still have a couple of spots for my "Pay it Forward".

Pay it Forward

Last weekend, I happened to encounter the blog of the incredibly talented Penelope Neal (go check out her blog, it will make you smile) where she had a great post about paying it forward.

Here is the concept: “Pay it forward” is the idea that random acts of kindness are given without expecting anything in return. It’s passing on a kindness hoping that your recipients will do the same, and forming a never-ending chain of goodwill, that’s what this is about. But it isn’t only kindness, it is also a means to connect and share instead of just keeping it to ourselves.

Here is how it works: You’ll have to comment on this post and the first three people who comment will receive a handmade gift from me within the next few months. But those three people will also have to post the idea on their blog and commit to creating something for the first three people who comment and so on and so forth.

SO, the first three people to comment here will get something handmade by me, but you have to do this on your blog as well. I’ll be reading your blog to make sure that you have posted about your "Pay it Forward!"

Winter weather - Bundle up!

So, I haven't submitted a design to Smashing Magazine's monthly wallpaper since October. I decided to submit one for February and was inspired by our impending inclement weather. We are expecting up to 12 inches of snow tomorrow! Stay warm this month and go check out my submission and all of the other February wallpapers (with and without calendars) at Smashing Magazine. (Note: The image below is low res so if you want to apply it to your desktop, you will need to visit the SM website. The 320 x 480 resolution is for iphones)

My husband made the rack out of wood from an old table from my mom's former cottage, and he made the "hooks" from branches that he found in our backyard.

Illustration Friday - Surrender

I love the mountains and being outdoors. In high-school I went on a 30 day alpine mountaineering course with Outward Bound - one of the best experiences of my life. I learned to respect nature and that sometimes, you have to surrender to its volatility. 

Snapshots of Spain - 2

One thing I loved about Spain is that each apartment building was unique. This illustration is of the first city we stayed in (Durango) - a street on my walk to the downtown area.

There were picturesque views between the buildings on the side streets.

I walked to the local grocery store. It was so crazy seeing eggs not in the refrigerated section. I suppose they are just that fresh...