i posted a ways back about some custom rubber stamp characters i was commissioned to design for Tickled Pink Stamps in Australia.

Well!, i got a fun package with a few of them in my mailbox yesterday!! The stamps are so cute and shipping was flat, b/c you just get the rubber part and can mount it to a chunk of wood if you choose : ) OR, you can choose the digital option and receive a file of the art to use.

The 4×6-ish size is perfect for making cards and decorations. Stamp it down and color it up!!

Go visit Tickled Pink to snag some of their other designs as well.

Here’s little something  i’ve been working on….yep, still taped to my art board….

My friend commissioned this sketch for her boyfriend who is from the town where this gate is a landmark. Such a sweet thought, right? i hope he likes it.

Here’s a little info on the gate/arch.

From Wikipedia:

Qur’ān Gate (Persian: دروازه قرآن, Darvāzeh Ghor’ān) is a historic gate in the southern-central Persian city of Shiraz.

It is located at the northeastern entrance of the city, on the way to Marvdasht and Isfahan, between Baba Kouhi and Chehel Magham Mountains near Allah-O-Akbar Gorge.^[1]

History

The Gate was first built during the reign of ‘Adud ad-Dawla. By the time of the Zand dynasty, it had sustained a lot of damage, so it was restored and a small room on top was added, in which were kept hand-written Qur’āns by Sultan Ibrahim Bin Shahrukh Gurekani. The two Qur’āns are known as Hifdah-Man.^[1] Travelers passing underneath the gates were believed to receive the blessing of the Holy Book as they began their trip or journey from Shiraz.

During the Qajar dynasty, the gate was damaged by multiple earthquakes; it was later restored by Mohammad Zaki Khan Nouri.^[1] In 1937 the two Qur’āns were taken from the gate and were taken to the Pars Museum in Shiraz, where they remain today. In 1949 the arch of the gate was restored by Hosein Igar, a merchant also known as E’temad Al-Tejar.^[1]

Today the gates are part of a city park where Shirazis relax and picnic during their leisure hours.

October is all about Breast Cancer Awareness! Tickled Pink Stamps Australia commissioned me to draw up 2 rubber stamp designs that will be produced and sold with a portion of profits donated.

Since there are so many other causes marked by ribbons of various colors as well,  we decided to keep the 2 designs neutral, merely featuring plain ribbons. This way, they can be colored any which way making the stamps versatile for lots of users! Make a flyer, a sticker, an email for your event or fundraiser! We’ve got you covered and you’re donating just by purchasing.

These 2 ladies are e not available just yet at TPS, but i’ll let you know when they are.

i love the name of the blog.

PASSION FLAKE.

i identify with it. It is so very human. i don’t know about all of you, but i wanna be friends with those people who are highly passionate, but can also be a little flakey. Flakes are fun. Perfection 100% of the time is so unapproachable! So, kudos to Justine for coming up with such a poetic title and i am so happy she asked me to help her with her vision.

A Chinese proverb goes; “If you keep a green tree in your heart, perhaps the singing bird will come.”

i had never heard this beautiful passage before. But a customer contacted me asking if i might illustrate this idea in my own fashion. i was immediately touched by the proverb and was so excited to get underway!

First, i sketched out the rough layout i had in mind, then i typeset the proverb with a combination of font, some alterations to the font, and hand-drawn curves. Once i was happy with that, i printed out the type and took pencil to paper to add the drawings. Finally, i added some very basic color to indicate the strongest/dominant colors i’ll be using in the piece. Of course, i’ll be adding scads of bright hues in the tiny details throughout.

The piece will be done in mixed media on a large wood board and i’ll be sure to post progress pics as i go.

i think working on this piece will be a meditative experience for me. It has been so far. i think of all the meanings the proverb can have to individuals. For me, i think the green tree i need to tend is one of peace and trust in my life and my path. i’ve stopped second guessing and worrying as much as i used to. i know i am where i was meant to be and i hope that the singing bird that will light on my tree is the ability to be happy in the simple moments this life affords me….snuggling my son &  watching Food Network Challenge, just the 2 of us, reading his bedtime stories and patiently waiting as he adds in his parts, teaching him new vocabulary all day long since he asks what words mean ALL the time. : )

i am holding on to peace and contentment  in my heart and welcoming the resulting quiet that allows me to recognize these daily joys.

i wonder if the proverb minds that i’ve interpreted it in my own way? Or if that is the whole point? i think those proverb writers were way smarter than me!

What is your tree? What bird is waiting to perch on its branches?

But the soon-to-be-mama recipient had her baby shower today and now the cat’s out of the bag, so i’m free to post! This piece was done with colored pencil and paint pen on a 13×17 wooden board painted with chalkboard paint. It suits the nursery’s owl theme and color scheme of greens and blues. i am always so honored to make art for new additions to a family. It is such a joy to create with a little one as my inspiration.

Congratulations Jessica! Good luck with the arrival of your precious boy!

i’ve been working my little fingers off lately! Here are 2 designs recently sent off to Green As Wee Grow for screen printing on their organic baby tees and onesies. You may recognize these pieces from their original appearances in larger artworks in my etsy shop. GAWG has licensed these two excerpts and i also have one original design in the works for them as well. Hint: it’s and animal with a lonnnggg neck interpreted in swirly stephanie style! Just a few more ways to give a darling baby gift of a nursery print and a onesie or tee with the coordinating design.

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Last week i received a lovely email from a man who had seen a past art exhibit of mine and bought some of the pieces for his daughters. He mentioned that seeing one of my art pieces on the wall as he was tucking his daughter in one night gave him an inspired idea for a birthday gift for his wife, Sadie. He wondered if i could create a portrait of her so she’d have a piece of her own.  i sent my usual reply quoting my pencil portrait and painted portrait prices, but also mentioned that maybe we could do something more whimsical if she was a fan of my style. i was over-the-moon excited when he quickly wrote back that he was absolutely interested in that! From that moment on, i was working with a collaborator and dream client. He encouraged me to take artistic license, he listed all his wife’s favorite things and the names of their precious 3 children, then mentioned a few of my pieces, namely, Miss Lookilou, whose style he admired. That was enough to get my creativity revved up, so i got to work!

i whipped up a quick pencil sketch and emailed it along with the Miss Lookilou inspiration piece and another illustration i’d done last year exclusively for indie fixx’s Feed Your Soul project. i explained that i’d like to sort of combine the 2 concepts and come up with something just for this project. i also mentioned that i’d love to do a custom collage mat if he was game….and find a frame all with a bit of Anthropologie flavor since he’d mentioned she loved that style. The comp was a hit and i was on my way.

The final drawing took about 3-4 hours all in all and incorporated the kids’ names, a map of Ireland (the couple’s native country) the Sydney Opera House, a glass of red wine (my kinda lady!), books, some red crosses as a nod to Sadie’s career, her birthdate, the Milkboy Coffee Logo (b/c that’s where they first saw my art and where Sadie goes to get her caffeine fix regularly), then the words, “Sexy Sadie”(her college nickname) and  “i love you.” The final touch was a cut paper yellow rose which i placed above her ear. Yellow roses are her favorite and i thought the collage element would add dimension and tie the drawing in with the patchwork mat i’d made.

Finally, i scanned the art and manipulated it digitally to create 4 possible colorways for the client to choose from. They’re shown below.

We couldn’t decide! It was tough, so i’m giving the couple a few prints as options and letting Sadie be the final say. But for framing, i chose the drawing done in reds since that is her favorite color. Here are some shots of the finished piece.

i truly hope this is only the first of many projects like this that will come my way. The client, John, was simply the best to work with. His enthusiasm for the project and willingness to give me creative freedom was so refreshing! His excitement to give the gift and his overall generous demeanor were icing on the cake. When i work with husbands for gifts for their wives, i am always touched by the thoughtfulness and obvious care and affection they have for these women. i sure do hope Sadie likes the art! It is filled with  devotion and love.

Happy Birthday Sadie!

….and if anyone else wants to collaborate on a piece like this, shoot me a message! i am primed and ready and thirsty for more!

i will explain.

i received an email from Mr. Awesome (name changed to keep him safe from throngs of women). Mr. Awesome had just finalized purchase of his first home with his beloved, and wanted to have me create a piece of artwork to hang in a special place and commemorate their milestone.

“Can you create an artwork showing the house as a creampuff, he asked?”

Hmmmm………Now there’s a sentence you don’t read everyday!

Mr. Awesome went on to explain that somehow or other (possibly because of it’s sweetness or size?) their house had been nicknamed “The Creampuff.” Ahh, now i was getting it. His idea was to embrace the name and the adorableness, & preserve it for posterity. So i am happily obliging, and quite hurriedly put together a crude pencil sketch. i explained that i’d love to make the art with sketchy pencil & watercolor, with touches of colored pencil shading and such. My goal was to evoke a storybook-look, akin to illustrations of the woman who lived in a shoe. Remember her? i’m sure she’d have chosen a creampuff if there was one available on the market when she was buying!

Anyway, the sketch was a hit!

So that makes my …um…..7th? commission this month. gulp!

Now, as the title to this post aptly states, i am buried (and drowning just a little) in literal creampuff sweetness as well as the sugary loveliness of abundance. i blame it all on scoutiegirl tara. i read her post on embracing abundance a few weeks back and it has stuck with me BIG TIME!

In the past, i’ve always taken a fair amount of commission work. That’s nothing new. But i’ll admit i’ve also often shied away from certain projects. If someone approaches me, who i find intimidating, or who wants something that i think is too lofty for my skill set, i balk. i can’t help it. i have a fear of failing. Don’t we all? But i’ve put those feelings of inadequacy aside lately. i’ve grown a lot more confident in my individuality, my unique talents, and what i have to offer. i attribute these changes in attitude to tara and the community of indie artists and crafters who’ve told their story in response to her prompting in posts like “embracing abundance” and “kick the damn door down.” Just yesterday, i wrote a would-be client, that my experience doing commissioned works as well as my 13 years experience as a graphic designer working with clients of all different tastes has made me “quite adept at flexing my art muscle and adapting to suit the client.”

i surprised even myself with that! Because, while i believe that statement to be 100% true, i’ve never had the guts to put it out there before. (and i think the guts are making my art better too)

Reading so many stories of inspiration from other artists, and hearing encouragement from people i respect was definitely timely medicine for me. Look what the universe dropped on my doorstep! Three LARGE canvas painting commissions, 2 pencil portraits, a piece of nursery art and “The Creampuff.”

i will be a crazy person working my day job, trying to get goods ready for upcoming art markets and trying to complete all this work. But that’s hardly something to complain about!

So, thank you to tara. Thank you to all my fellow artists whose stories have inspired. Thank you to my customers who drive me to create…and thank you to myself, for finally getting it into my skull that i don’t need to try to be an artist. i’ve been one all along.

Fast forward a few months and my friend is excitedly anticipating a baby shower and wondering what exactly she’ll need for her daughter, who will be about 18 months old when they bring her home. Lots of the standard baby shower gifts just won’t apply. But one thing she knows she wants is a piece of art for the asian-inspired bedroom she is decorating. That’s where i come in. And here is the color scheme.

The proud mama had lots of great ideas, but the general idea is that i’ll be painting a 24×30 inch canvas with some blue skies and cherry blossom branches in the background and the baby’s Chinese name AND American name in the foreground. Inspiration will be drawn from the meaning of her Chinese name, which translates to “before the dawn.” I’ll also be including a hummingbird or two because the birds have special significance to the parents along their adoption journey. This artwork will be designed digitally for composition & color. Once approved, all bets are off as that flat digital image is translated into a richly layered paint, collage, pastel work of art.

i am so honored to be taking on this project for my dear friend and will happily post my progress for all of you to see.