E is for Excedrin, and...

I am not a big taker-of-medicine, but when I have a killer headache, I take these little magical pills. Today I was inspired to draw the little green bottle since it saved my Friday at work by eliminating my raging headache. And no, unfortunately I am not being paid by the makers of Excedrin for this endorsement.

After painting the bottle, I decided to give myself a challenge*. What else could I find in my house that starts with "E", illustrate with pen, and paint all in less than 20 minutes (no pencil or starting over allowed). I actually had a hard time finding things that started with "E", but enjoyed the exercise so might try to make this a Saturday ritual.
*the illustrate-by-letter-in-home scavenger hunt was not my idea but a suggestion from a friend/mentor a few years ago).

Fun News!!

Taking the day off today so thought I would post some fun news. Nate & Salli over at They Draw & Cook have published an e-book and have selected one of my recipes to include! You can download one now - the e-book is available through iTunes for $1.99 and can only be viewed in iBooks 2 on the iPad. Below is more information about the e-book, including the link to it.

They Draw & Cook for Kids contains 20 illustrated recipes that are easy to make and yummy to eat. This book is a very fun way to introduce kids to cooking. They Draw & Cook for Kids is published by Nate Padavick and Salli Swindell, the creators of the websites They Draw & Cook and They Draw & Travel. Here is a link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/they-draw-cook-for-kids/id560909821?mt=11 

A day at the lake

Recently I was able to get away and spend some time at the lake to get some much needed Vitamin D. There is not much more relaxing than being on a boat on the water in the summer.

Yay - Memories and a win!

I illustrated this recipe for All-American BBQ Bacon Cheeseburgers from Kraft for a recipe illustration contest held by Nate & Salli over at They Draw and Cook.


I had a lot of fun with this one because it brought back so many great memories of growing up. When I was little, my sisters and I would get a slice of Singles Kraft cheese while we watched Saturday morning cartoons, and I would break mine into little shapes like the stars in the illustration. And since I grew up at a camp, during the summer we would have bi-weekly cheeseburger cookouts using these exact ingredients. Our table often looked this way!


I was awarded a second place win which is a huge honor considering there were so many great submissions. Thanks so much to Kraft for all of their wonderful comments and to TDAC. Check it all out here: http://www.theydrawandcook.com/blog/winners-of-the-7000-kraft-recipe-contest

Nashville Skyline

This is an illustration that I did a while back of the Nashville skyline. I started painting it this evening and am not quite finished, but I am trying to post more often so... I accidentally spilt coffee at the ink drawing stage and I kind of like the way that turned out.


I have never been to Nashville but I had an opportunity to illustrate the skyline for a project.The final piece that we used for the project was a digital version that I illustrated.

Separated - Illustration Friday

The theme for Illustration Friday this week is "Separated" and here is my take on it. "Separ" apparently finds "D's" particularly delicious.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

A brigade of Kilts_Illustration Friday

I can't believe I haven't participated in an Illustration Friday entry since May! This weeks theme word is "Brigade."

I was going to draw a brigade of kilted men, but then changed direction and just went with a brigade of kilts. This illustration was done with pen and then I scanned it in and finished the color digitally. I myself love plaid so wish my closet look like this (minus the kilted man : ).

Wednesday Doodle

I am SO looking forward to Fall and (soon) having fires in our fireplace and outside in our backyard. Tonight I felt like doodling. While mindlessly watching TV that I was not interested in, I realized how much our treasures on our mantle mean to me.

Random fact about me: starting in high school, my doodles typically consisted of small lines. For some reason, drawing lines is relaxing to me. It's interesting that when I sketch I do not use crosshatching more to shade. Hmmm...

I also love cutting things out with scissors (which I have had the opportunity to do quite often in my line of work). I find cutting paper with scissors stress-relieving. I know - I am a nerd.

Snowcap Pie_Cooking 4 Kids Recipe

Salli and Nate over at TDAC are holding a kids cooking contest for allrecipes.com. Here is my submission.


This is one of my favorite meals because it is so easy, as healthy as you want it to be, and the combination of flavors just takes great. So simple yet so yummy!

Tugboats

A quick ink sketch of some tugboats in Portsmouth, NH (from my husband's recent business trip). I have no idea what any of the stuff on the boat is for, but I am sure it all serves a very important purpose. I think I could look at boats all day. Why do I not live on the water again...?

They Draw and Travel - Fayetteville

I cannot believe it has been so long since my last post, and yet I can because I have been pretty busy lately.


They Draw and Travel is having an illustrated guide contest so I sent over my entry today which was the deadline. Click here to check out all the fun maps.


Here is my entry of Fayetteville. Below I also included a few snapshots of enlarged elements to show details.

One of my favorite restaurants... so far

It feels like it has been forever since my last post. Life has been pretty crazy for me lately, but here is a really quick illustration.

I was in Chicago for work maybe six months ago now, and for dinner one night we ate at an Italian restaurant in Little Italy called Davanti Enoteca. The decor and environment was warm and inviting. The menu offering, which was surprisingly affordable, was probably the coolest that I have ever seen. It was difficult to choose a dish, but I loved my meal.

I started with a roasted squash, farro, whipped goat cheese, hazelnut and watercress salad. If you like goat cheese, whip it! It takes it to a whole new level.

For my main course I chose "Ricco di Mare e Granchio" which is linguine with sea urchin and crab. Oh my yumminess!

I loved some of the sayings that they included on their menu:

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not eaten well"

"You don't ever age while seated for a meal"

"Eat and it will be over, you'll feel better"

I hope everyone is doing well and had a wonderful weekend!

Illustration Friday - Safari

If Animal Crackers had their way...

What I ate yesterday...

Happy Mother's Day

I have the most amazing mother who, by the way, is the most creative person and talented artist I know. Happy Mother's Day mom - I love you so.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful day, and that all mom's feel truly loved and appreciated today.