I’ve been rather absentee lately around here! Between regular client design work and creating new work for various venues and online challenges and contests, plus sewing for my Janome peeps, and painting (or trying to) it’s been a bit nuts to say the least.
Here are some of the new illustrations I’ve been working on:
An entry for Wrappily and their yearly design challenge, (you can vote via the link!) the theme is Oceans of Delight. And who doesn’t love tattooed mermaids and narwhals?
My submission to an Uppercase magazine open call, theme of postcards and “Greetings from” or “Wish you were here”.
I chose Paris, of course, Paris in springtime? Yes please. I’d so love to go back. Sigh! I added some vintage scanned text in the background for some extra texture, all about letters.
And finally a new illustration to add to my portfolio with my fabulous agent, a cozy Christmas scene.
All of these pieces are created digitally, in Illustrator. When I work on regular client projects, (which right now are not this involved) I use the tools I know will get the job done and that I know how they work inside and out. I normally only use the pencil, bezier pen, and arrow tools. That’s it. But delving in to the illustration side a bit deeper, I’ve discovered Brushes, and there are a bazillion of them available online from various sources. All different applications and media, watercolour, vintage effects, drawing tools, pencils, ink, you name it. So that has been loads of fun. And I know I’ve only tapped the surface of it all!
Overall finding balance with work and everything I have to get done is the challenge these days. Not only client work, which is really busy, and I am very thankful for that, but also creating new work for my agent, getting back on my paintings for my show, (I am so behind on those it’s not funny anymore), sewing for Janome Canada and a new project I will have coming out with them soon in time for Canada Day and the big Canada 150, finishing our “work work” website, and finding time to relax, maybe exercise a bit every day, oh boy! I’m making a few more cuts to where I spend my time and will be narrowing my focus, again, to all the extra stuff and not spending time on things that don’t seem to be going anywhere any time fast, or at all. For now anyway! It’s all good and part of the process of figuring out where I want to be heading with my work, I have a few ideas… wink!
Wishing you much love today and every day!
