i stumbled across this awesomeness on freshome.com while i was browsing some of my favorite Google search terms; unique color, colorful home decor, vibrant decor, colorful home furnishings….. i think maybe it has made the web rounds already? But its beauty is new to me and well worth sharing!

The arrangement was done by flickr user chotda. It is just so stunning that i will now have to make endless dust jackets and start collecting a whole lot more books! i’m imagining i’ll do some solids, some tone-on-tone and some patterns with a dominant color palette that will blend in nicely. Now all i have to do is have my hubby build me a custom bookshelf to house the gorgeousness!

Look for custom dust jackets in my shop soon – haha. i often feel the need to share my obsessions with others.

The customer had referenced one of my popular series of little girls’ artworks; Dream. Create. Grow. Fly. Since she loved the style so much, i really pulled inspiration from those when laying out the sketches. My intent was to show the take-em-anywhere-and-everywhere kind of love a child has for a special toy, in this case, a doll. i hope i succeeded.

After the artwork was carefully packed up and shipped out, i waited patiently to hear how the gift would be received. This is always the part where i become so nervous i could bite my fingernails down to the nub! Then, finally….the word came in. The eagle had landed. And happily, the eagle made the recipient cry….happy tears! YAY!!! These are the moments that MAKE MY DAY. And in these moments, i realize why my job is worth it.

Of course i love to put my creative vision out into the world. That feels good. Of course its nice to make money doing something i love to do. But really, the thing that makes every day worth it are the happy memories and keepsakes i get to realize for my customers. When i get an email that tells me i’ve done a good job, exceeded expectations or made someone’s birthday/anniversary/any day all the more special, i cannot help but smile.

So thank you from the bottom of my heart to every one of you who has allowed me the opportunity to participate in a moment in your lives. i can’t wait to see what’s next.

These first two are from etsy seller ChuanShuo. The green is my absolute favorite!!! “i die!” : )

This one is a tad less dramatic, but super cute and casual. i can be a prego mama in this! And the bag might need to become my diaper bag. LOVE! Both these items are by Miya Bags

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?

i have met people who are suddenly part of my support structure. They encourage me with words and action! They order art from me! They collaborate with me! We trade products and messages and laughs. The constant influx of positive reinforcement has kept me going this past month. And believe me, i’ve needed that mojo! Oh boy have i needed it.

i haven’t yet made a formal announcement in a public way. A past experience left me a bit nervous to say anything early-on ever again…but i’ll spill the beans here first. i’m expecting! i’m in the throes of all the lovely first trimester gunk that slows you down but also makes you feel somewhat reassured that everything is progressing as it should. But as much as my normal pace has been compromised by the little peanut who’s fighting me for my energy, i feel as though i’ve received an infusion of positive thoughts from all over the country and a few outside of it!

i feel grateful.

Grateful that i’ve spent 90% of my work life the past few weeks making art.

Grateful for the wonderful new people i’ve met.

Grateful for support and generosity of “strangers” who are tickled to see me succeed.

So, here’s me, back to blogging and wanting to show you some of the pieces i’ve been working on recently. Mostly i’ve been sketching some spunky little girls with stellar fashion sensibilities. i introduced these “Li’l Fashionista” sketches in my etsy shop following a project i did for Ashley at LBB. SHe asked if i could do a fashion illustration to embody the amazing, upcycled dresses she makes. That meant all focus was on the dress and the figure was left as a sketchy, B&W drawing. This first illustration below is what resulted. Then the brainstorm hit that i could offer drawings a bit like these to moms of other Lil Fashionistas! Awesome.

Ashley posted a pic of her illustration on one of her signature dresses, and the rest was history. i’ve been capturing little independent spirits ever since and i couldn’t be happier. More examples are below.

I shouldn’t forget! i also recently helped my good friend, Dawn of The HodgePodgery in Harrisburg, PA develop a whimsical logo for an outdoor market they’ve begun called the HoPo Road Show. Isn’t she cute? The idea was all Dawn’s. She is a business whiz and i am ever so grateful to her for selling my work in her shop and for being yet one more source of constant support.

And last but not least, a possible teaser….i’ve been approached to do an amazing (and large) project that i really hope i can make happen. Just one more thing to turn my life upside down (in a good way) this past month. It’s crazy! If it happens, you all will be the first to know!

So, that’s what i’ve been up to. Stay tuned for postings of other completed projects that are still top secret and can’t yet be shared. They’re a-comin’!

Repeated thanks to all of you who are reading this. You are making my dreams come true.

http://www.scoutiegirl.com/2010/07/wake-create-repeat-creating-a-family-tradition.html

http://www.scoutiegirl.com/2010/07/wake-create-repeat-if-ya-cant-beat-em-join-em.html

The above illustration is one i recently completed for Ashley over at Lil Blue Boo. You may have read my recent post about how we collaborated on some kids dresses featuring one of my art prints.

Anyway, Ashley asked if i’d do a little illustration of a girl wearing an LBB in a fashion-y, sketchy style for her new business cards. i created this drawing with her beautifully curly-headed Boo in mind. And since i had SO much fun sketching this little lovely, i thought i’d offer this style of “simplified portrait” in my etsy shop as well.

The idea is to capture your little one’s essence and fashion sense. To freeze a moment in time. To create an original and fun piece of artwork for her room, and maybe someday, HER little girl’s room. Here’s how it will work and some basics on pricing plus a link to my etsy shop where you’ll find the various listings!

You Color It Option: A B&W illustration in ink on Vellum finish Bristol illustration card stock for you and your little one to color yourselves. Its a work of art they can contribute to! And it’s economical too.

- 8×10 B&W = $95 /  9×12 B&W = $100  /  11×14 B&W = $105 / *custom sizes available upon request, just email me!

Digitally Colored Print Option: An original ink illustration, scanned and colored digitally (like LBB’s) then printed on archival, heavyweight art paper with genuine Epson Ultrachrome inks for long life .

- 8×10 Digital Color = $145 /  9×12 Digital Color = $150  /  11×14 Digital Color = $155 / *custom sizes available upon request, just email me!

Full Color “Original” Option: An ink illustration with mixed media color on Vellum finish Bristol illustration card stock. You get the original, signed artwork. An authentic artwork created just for you!

- 8×10 Original Color = $165 /  9×12 Original Color = $175  /  11×14 Original Color = $185 / *custom sizes available upon request, just email me!

Sibling orders are eligible for an overall 15% discount. Convo me on etsy for a custom listing

i am also very open to custom orders on canvas or possibly 3 “looks” on smaller stock for a runway feel when framing. The sky’s the limit! Nothing makes me happier than creating truly one-of-a-kind artworks that have special meaning for the recipient.

Sometimes we underestimate an oncoming wave thinking we can take it in stride, but then it ends up tackling our sorry butt, turning us topsy-turvy, gurgling and gasping, thrashing our knees on the ocean floor and leaving us coughing up salty water on the beach.

And so it is with life and with art…especially art commissions.

Let it be known that i have not mastered the skill of adequately estimating the time it will take to complete a project. If the skill set involved is basically simple, i think the project will go fairly quickly. i am wrong. i am dead wrong for primarily 2 reasons.

1) just because the skill set is in my wheel house, it doesn’t mean that i won’t still painstakingly labor over every detail. In the case of the mammoth art shown above, that meant using about 9 different hardnesses of graphite to sketch in subtle detail and to block in larger areas of shadow. It meant putting my kneaded eraser to work and pulling out highlights and detail. It meant studying closeups of the kids in the piece to get a likeness….and then working to make that likeness look more UNstudied than i normally would, so it would match the surrounding textures more closely. Add to that the articulation of about 8 gazillion leaves and shrubs…… and skill sets-schmill sets!  i was at it for weeks!

2) Size. That’s all i have to say.  It takes a loonnngg time to fill 46″x46″ of paper with detail. Yep. It just does.

So, somewhere around my 22nd hour of work on a job i quoted at 12, i began to ponder an article that Tara Gentile posted on Scoutie Girl last week. The article, by Carlos Velez, talked about how we artists, as a community, hate selling our art. i mean, we love “getting paid” for our art, but we hate SELLING it. It’s like selling ourselves, and putting a dollar amount on our souls. (i’m pretty melodramatic sometimes.) Truly, that’s not what a business should be! You’re selling a commodity. Your time. Your talent and training. The art materials. All of it. But somehow it doesn’t click. We can’t be objective about it!

If you’re nodding your head right now and you haven’t read this article, please go do so and then come back to me here.

Now i don’t necessarily think i underestimated my time on this job solely because i was devaluing myself or my work, but i will admit i was nervous that a super high number might give the impression that i thought TOO highly of myself. i didn’t want the reaction to be, “Who the hooey does she think she is!?” And i really did want the job. It was something i could envision from the start, so i wanted to see it through. i mostly think i underestimated because i had no point of reference. i had never done a pencil piece of this size, and didn’t do a very good job estimating the hours it would take. Those doubts about my self worth crept in a bit too, but they weren’t knockin around all alone up there in my noggin.

So, what did i learn? And what can you learn from me?

Well, i’d say that if you’re quoting a type of job you’ve never done before or a size (ahem!) that you’ve never done before, think hard about your number. Double it! You can always refund money if you come in under time. But you can’t (at least i don’t feel i can) announce to a customer who has signed a contract for “x”, that the project will actually cost “3x”!  It’s just not ethical, fair, or very nice. It’s like a bait-and-switch scam, and it will give you a bad name. Your reputation is more important than whatever money you’ll lose while learning your lesson.

Second, i’d advise you write a little wiggle room into your contract. i actually already do this. i have a “10% overage” clause stating that i can charge 10%, but no more than 10% of my base quote if i exceed my estimated time. It helps if you only go over a little. But if you botch it big like i did this time (37 hours), you just have to suck it up and do better on the next one.

Last, i’d actually like to add in that you shouldn’t underestimate your client either. Chances are if they appreciate artistry and originality enough to hire you in the first place, they probably value you and your time more than you think! In my case, i’ve been apologizing to my client that the art has taken so much longer than i estimated. i was upset that i was taking more time to get her the work. But she immediately offered to cover my additional time. She offered! Isn’t that amazing? Best client EVER – for sure. i told her absolutely not, for the reasons i mentioned above. But it goes to show that customers can be pretty great. They are already our fans. We needn’t be so terribly scared of losing a sale or an opportunity because the price isn’t right. Of course, it will happen from time to time. But if we really start to value ourselves, others will follow suit and we’ll actually get to spend more time doing what we love.

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!