Joanna the Mad

I had to create a character illustration for a book collage- so I chose Joanna the Mad. One of the most fabulous facts about this Cuckoo Queen of Castile is that she was married to "Philip I the Handsome". I think I will just start calling my husband "Brian the Brawny". Yes, yes, I think that's a fine idea.

burn out.

So what does everyone do to get rid of that "burnt out" feeling? I usually start sketching crazy royals and force them into an illustration friday theme... but I don't have any time to do that! CALGON!!!!

Been working at an unhealthy pace and hope to slow down very soon. But as all freelancers know- it's feast or famine so you have to make hay while the sun is shining. I'm not complaining about having work, I'm more fearful there will be nothing tomorrow. Catch 22. Can I work in any more clichés into this post?

One of the more interesting projects- (design-wise, it is limiting- but high score in coolness) signs for a historical inn and tavern in upstate New York that a friend just finished remodeling.  I grew up in the sign business, which accounts for my addiction to fonts.

Pattern Power

I've always been jealous of those artists who get to make patterns (especially like the amazing Helen Dardik) and then I got the assignment... 12-20 patterns- no boundaries or limitations. OH.MY.DOG. The potential- HUGE. (granted, it is focused around gardening) I can't tell you what these are for--- yet.
But I will tell you this... I'm not jealous anymore- this was extremely difficult. Fun, but difficult.

For Hadley

In celebration of a beautiful girl...
A friend asked me to read Hadley's story and design a print for her mother. No child should have to endure what this girl went through. She is most definitely dancing in heaven.

Illustration Friday: Dusty

The word for the week at illustration friday is DUSTY. Likely composed in the 1580's, Philip Sidney's Astrophel and Stella is an English sonnet sequence containing 108 sonnets and 11 songs. The name derives from the two Greek words, 'aster' (star) and 'phil' (lover), and the Latin word 'stella' meaning star. Astrophel is the star lover and Stella is his star.

Some have suggested that the love represented here may be a literal one - Astrophel is Sidney and Stella is Penelope Rich, the very attractive wife of a courtier. She was considered one of the beauties of Elizabeth's court. She was golden-haired with dark eyes, a gifted singer and dancer, fluent in French, Italian, and Spanish.

Details of their relationship are sketchy. Where does the word 'dusty' come in? Read the sonnet.

More Sketchbook shots

These are the final pages of my book for The Sketchbook Project. I'm having separation anxiety as this book became part of my daily life. There were so many themes to choose from- I chose "Make Mine A Double" so I thought it fitting to have me and my gal pal Cha Cha (clearly a nickname) sipping a Scorpion bowl-ish beverage. Double trouble.

More Dell Movies

Due to a Blizzard here in the Northeast, I was unable to fly out to Chicago for filming this- soooo, all my illustrations but not my hand doing the demo this time (still my hand in the Bethenny and Jenn D movies though!)  Still very fun to be a part of this. So check out all 4 celebrity movies (Kathy Buckworth, Sheldon Williams, Bethenny, and Jenn D.)

Click the image below and it will bring you to the site.

Illustration Friday: Déjà vu

I'm guessing Queen Victoria had a lot of those "gee, I feel like this has happened before" moments. She had 9 children and 42 grandchildren (despite the fact that she hated being pregnant and was repulsed by breast-feeding.) And in her extremely long reign as queen (longer than any woman in history) there were 7 assassination attempts on her life. One odd little fact about Victoria- she had "Bishopophobia." 

The Sketchbook Project

So it looks like all my fellow participants are having similar panic attacks about finishing their sketchbooks. Like I said to Deborah Mori... Shoemakers have the worst shoes. Here's a peak at the current state of my sketchbook - for more information about this project, visit the website HERE.

Illustration Friday: Resolutions

The word for the week at Illustration Friday is "Resolutions." My new year's resolution is to wear a lot of black with strands of pearls and follow the words of Coco Chanel.

Random People

Been working my butt off. Here's a sneak peek at various components of a recent project. Stay tuned for details!

Illustration Friday: Phenomenon

This week's word for Illustration Friday is Phenomenon. I have been enthralled with the story of Anastasia since I was a little girl. I still am. Anastasia Romanov was the most mischievous of Nicholas' daughters. Their family was murdered in 1918 by forces of the Bolshevik secret police. It was believed that Anastasia and Alexei escaped the slaughter because their bodies were not found with the family- sparking a worldwide phenomenon of various loons pretending to be the heir to the throne. It was only in 2009, thanks to DNA, they were finally accounted for- they did, in fact, die with the family but were buried in a separate grave. So tragic.

I've overlapped a hint of Ravel's Pavane Pour Une Infante Défunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess.) I love playing that one on the piano- some of the most beautiful music ever written.

Happy Holidays

Our Christmas Card for 2010! Happy Holidays to all my blog friends.

Illustration Friday: Prehistoric

Boy, I hope she had a good personality. The Venus of Willendorf, also known as the Woman of Willendorf, is a 4.3" statuette estimated to have been made between 22,000 B.C.E. and 21,000 B.C.E out of oolitic limestone. She was discovered in 1908 near a village in lower Austria. Her name is kind of funny because she predates the mythological figure of Venus by millennia. The original has no face, so I took the liberty of adding one. I imagine if ol' V of W could speak- she's say something like "get me more ribs".