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.

i kept seeing this filmy colorful background….sort of like when latex balloons in bright colors overlap each other with the sunshine behind them? Bright, vivid and transparent….

The sketches had to be white. No other option. The sketchy, messy style is a little different than my usual doodlings, but i see a trend moving toward the UN-done look like this for me in the coming weeks. It feels very genuine and somewhat warm and inviting because of it….like a conversation. Approachable and friendly. i haven’t named it yet, though i’ve had many suggestions on facebook.

Fingerpaint was my favorite theme so far.

Maybe Fingerpaint & Chalk??

The wonderful, amazing, endlessly talented and sweet Stephanie Fizer has shared one or two tips with me. Her illustrations are way too cool for school. Check her out!

One thing Stephanie recommended for me was to start with a pencil drawing, scan it in and work from there. So, i made this little drawing of a Boho Rag Doll to play with. And i’ll post some progress images as i work on it on the tablet! Bear with me, and feel free to send me tips if you’re one  of folks who has already got it down-pat : )

i’ve really been loving blogging about these designs this week. It makes me remember what i loved so much about sewing one-of-a-kind gowns. (sigh*)

Please do not use this design without my permission.

Um, this sketch stole my dream hair. Touseled, wavy low ponytail with perfect pieces around the face. Ah well, my hair does not have quite the volume to pull this off, but pencil chick here is rockin it!

This sketch was for an asymmetric beaded/sequined skirt with a charmeuse keyhole, racerback bodice with beading along the armhole edges.  This was one of 3 sketches that were shown to a very cool bride who actually became a dear friend. She chose a different dress….a sheath dress entirely in beaded chiffon with a low scoop back that was held up entirely by an attached corset which was the workhorse of the dress. She is awesome. She rocked a cage veil and black gloves and i think there were black feathers involved (tastefully) in the bouquet. My fashionista buddy. She is fearless!…and is now a brand new mama : )

i had so much fun sifting through my design journals from my days in the bridal biz. And response from my sweet readers was quite positive….so here we go~ a week-long peek at some of my favorites.

Dress #1

This sketch is a beaded, triple layer chiffon gown with a bodice overlay in wispy coordinating chiffon with beading along the edges & dangles on the points. i think i might revisit this bodice for a little summer dress! : )

Please do not use this design without my permission

Dress #2

Now, if only i was a good at taking actual photos of the completed gowns to compare! i was horrible at that. i think i only have maybe 4-5 photos? My sister and a few friends are easy marks though. i can squeeze some photos out of them! For now, i’ll leave you with and in-progress shot of my sister’s gown and veil back in 2000? i think?  In this pic, i was about midway through the sewing and had a lot of hand beading left to complete….

Please do not use this design without my permission

bye for now! More tomorrow!

Ah, my roots.

Watercolor on wood and sketchy ink drawings. This is a small wood block destined to be a little organizer or key hook. Pics to come…

but here is my most recent completed work, “hanging by a thread.” it’s an ink drawing that i’ve scanned and colored digitally. i wanted a wispy, thin-lined work where the thread-like lines take center-stage. enjoy!

As i grow accustomed to blogging more consistently, i’ve been thinking hard about how i can keep up with interesting posts/features for you wonderful readers AND keep my sanity as i attempt to wear the many other hats we work-from-home moms, and otherwise busy modern women do. i thought a LAzy Sunday feature might be a nice, short & sweet way to end my weekend in a low-stress way, and would give me carte blanche to simply share a beautiful or meaningful image. i’d love your thoughts on this!

The above is a simple pencil sketch of my son that i did on a slubby, linen-type fabric which i then “upholstered” onto a wood board with soft padding and frayed edges. i have no idea what made me do this! My son calls it his “pillow picture” He rests his face on it sometimes! It’s an oddity, but precious to me just the same.