Paintings for the Advent Season

This year I made a festive contribution to my church in the form of 5 Advent paintings.  Each week leading up to Christmas, the church revealed a new painting, telling a bit of the story leading up to Christ’s miraculous birth.  These whimsical paintings each come with a bit of hand-written scripture which inspired each segment.  It was a fun way to celebrate Christmas this year!

The first painting is a depiction of the Prophet Isaiah fortelling Christ’s birth. (Isaiah 64)

The second is John the Baptist announcing the coming of Christ. (Isaiah 40)

The third shows a pregnant Mary and Joseph making their way through the wilderness in route to Bethlehem. (Isaiah 35)

The fourth shows the announcement of Christ’s birth to the Shephards. (Isaiah 61)

The fifth and final shows an empty nativity scene with the Holy Spirit hovering overhead, and Zion in sight. (Isaiah 52)

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

 

Final Touches to Hygiene Matters

It’s been a month or so since updated my blog, so I thought I’d share some of what’s kept me so busy lately!  I’ve finally wrapped up my first book project, Hygiene Matters for Central African Republic (referenced in “Meet Fumo and Fatima” from the previous blog post.) Talk about an adventure!  I’ve learned so much, and loved every minute of it.

Here is a sampling of some of the pages and spot illustrations from the book:

I look forward to designing more characters, learning more techniques, and exploring new topics in books to come!

Meet Fatima and Fumo

Fatima and Fumo

My latest project is inviting some exciting new challenges in character design!  A quick project overview: my client, a humanitarian aid group working in the Central African Republic, asked me to illustrate and design a book that teaches children how avoid getting worms.  According to research, worms is a plight that effects 40% of all children in the country, and causes problems such as diarrhea, malnutrition, and stunted growth. This instructional booklet will teach 4th-6th graders how to avoid infection, stay clean, and help educate others. Read the full post »

Illustration Friday: Influence

This week’s Illustration Friday word is ‘influence.’ With this in mind, I chose the classic subject of a flower to demonstrate how light and reflection influence an object.  This image is a festival of jewel tones spotted by the eye of my artist friend, Heidi (also mentioned in my post, IF: Gesture) on her recent trip to the Ft. Wayne Zoo.  From her trip, she sent me her lovely photos, ranging from baby lemurs and tigers, to feather textures and flowers. (I hope to illustrate some of her animals soon!) From her photos, I was particularly taken by this vibrant fuchsia, and thought I would enjoy painting under the influence of this kaleidoscope of color.  Enjoy!

Indulge

 

 

 

 

Illustration Friday: Swell

Swell

The good news is, I didn’t give up on Illustration Friday!  I’ve had a busy spell these past few weeks, but I can’t complain about the influx of work—as a freelancer, that’s great news!  However, things have slowed down these past few days as I wait to hear back from clients.  What better time then to pick back up with Illustration Friday and practice some digital painting!

Some illustrators I’ve been following for inspiration are Daniel Swartz and Jeremy Provost, (also friends of mine.) Though their styles differ from each other, their work inspires me and it helps enliven my characters and improve my technique.  I’m finding there are more and more ways to incorporate texture into the digital scene, and I enjoy the way both of these artists do just that, while still keeping their brightly animated feel.

The word for this week is ‘swell.’  I know the direction I took this is sort of “golly-gee-willikers’ quaint, but that was my first honest reaction.  Other interpretations could be along the lines of swelling, such as: “I hit my thumb with a hammer and now it will swell” but I happend to like this sun-shiny approach.

Enjoy!

 

More logo problem solving!

The name of the game is keeping busy right now, and my docket is full of new and exciting work!  I’ve enjoyed some brand new design horizons, and revisited some familiar projects.  Most notably, I’ve been designing smartphone apps.  I should have some examples I’m approved to post shortly.

A more recent logo project I’ve completed was the Celebrating 10 logo for Common Ground Christian Church (where my husband and I worship).  The church had a large gathering in Military Park in downtown Indy yesterday. The fascinating thing about logos is that they are very similar to puzzles.  You are given a number of elements which have to be visually present for approval from your client, yet still maintain readability from a distance and visual simplicity.  Often if your client’s list of requirements are a mile long, your logo ‘puzzle’ becomes harder and harder to solve. Below are some examples of logos I submitted before the church made their final decision.

This logo, thankfully, did not come with a long list of requirements, but it still was a bit challenging to land on a final design.  My final solve reflects the biblical passage in 1 Corinthians 3:6 where the Apostle Paul says, in reference to the growth of the church, “I planted the seed, Apollos [another missionary ] watered it, but God has been making it grow.” This passage helped tie all of the elements the church wanted when promoting this event: the visual aspect of the Trinity, perhaps some trees to reflect the park we’ll be meeting in, and a focus on the ‘C’ and ‘G’ in ‘celebrating.’ (also in Common Ground) and also a slight ‘retro’ feel.  All of these elements were featured, but I believe proper emphasis was placed on the growth of the church into maturity.

Celebrating 10 Logo

Logos are truly amazing in that, with one or two little marks or pictures, so much can be said.  They will remain something I will always need to practice, and forever be in awe of!

IF: Gesture

 

A few months ago my friend Heidi Beaver and I agreed to read a children’s book together and then illustrate from it.  She chose a childhood favorite from her grandmother’s shelf: Miss Bianca Goes to the Orient, by Margery Sharp.  (Yes, the very same Miss Bianca from Disney’s The Rescuers, and The Rescuers Down Under) Though not wholly captivated by the plot line, I was entranced by the language and imagery which made it a pleasurable read altogether.  I am heartily for books that assume more of young readers abilities to comprehend, rather than less.  There was more than one occasion where I had to pick up the dictionary. (Anyone use the word ‘coiffure’ recently?  Apparently Miss Bianca does.)

Read the full post »

Monster Cookies

As devastated as I was that I missed my deadline for last week’s Illustration Friday, I decided to complete my vision for ‘remedy’ and finish painting it!  I’ve now posted it to They Draw and Cook.  (I’m really getting hungry for some cookies now!)  Hope you enjoy!


IF: Stay

This week’s Illustration Friday word is ‘stay.’  After visiting San Diego last year, my husband and I tossed around the idea of visiting the Northwest region like Oregon, Washington, and Northern California.  Before every vacation, I like to imagine what our stay might be like.  Not only do I think about the places we’ll go, food we’ll eat, and people we’ll spend time with, I also like to imagine the atmosphere, the mood, and the energy. This image, depicting Seattle’s iconic Space Needle, is a place I’ve never been before, and can only guess at what it’s like.  But for this instance, I prefer to guess. I was allowed to enter my imagination and explore!  Hopefully in the near future we’ll visit, but for now, I’m left to enjoy this nice color and complementing urban and natural landscape.

Read the full post »

IF: Remedy

The ultimate remedy for any ailment.

It’s Friday again!  That means another concept for Illustration Friday!  I’m sad to say, however, I missed my deadline for the Illustration Friday Website… apparently Friday noon is not when everything is due.  From here on out, I’ll get it posted Thursday night. Regardless, I will share my concept for my Thotful followers!  Here is a black and white comp of my concept for this week’s Illustration Friday.  The word was: ‘Remedy’. My concept for the ultimate Remedy: Monster Cookies.  Cookies that are the solution to any problem from a bruise to a broken heart.  You see my monster’s enthusiasm for the heart-stopping goodness of the M & M’s, the peanuty-buttery, oaty, chocolatey, deliciousness before him.  The best way for this delicious remedy to be served up is right out of Grandma’s oven. My Grandma Penrod always made these incredible treats for the grandkids when we’d come to visit.

If you are in need of a Monster Cookie Remedy this weekend, here’s my Grandma’s Penrod’s original recipe for you to enjoy!:

Monster Cookies (Makes a monster quantity of 4 dozen.)

6  eggs                                                            2 cups white sugar (or 1 1/2 cups)
1 pound Brown sugar                                      1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon corn syrup                                  4 teaspoons soda
1cup margarine                                               1 1/2 pound crunchy Peanut butter
9 cups oatmeal                                                1/2 pound chocolate chips
1/2 pound M & M’s

Mix in order given, do not over bake. There is no flour used in this recipe.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 12 min. I usually bake it about 10 min. it makes a softer cookie.

Stay tuned for next week’s topic!