My “Crustaceans” Project for Lilla Rogers’s “Make Art That Sells” Course

This month’s assignment for class was tricky. The subject was “crustaceans.” I felt like I was supposed to get realistic with the subject matter, but I just wanted to have fun, so I stuck with my cute cartoony style (have been DYING to get back to it – it makes me happy). I loved this little hermit crab sketch which was the VERY FIRST sketch I created for the “mini” part of the project.

Initial doodle sketch for the “mini”

I went ahead to create more and more sketches, but nothing made me happier than my original hermit crab sketch, so I ended up using it for my final piece, and using the various shells I doodled as decorative elements. Here is a page of those elements I ended up using for the final – scanned. Ended up not using the happy crabs. If I had given myself more time I would have created a second plate featuring these guys too!

ICONS used as decorative elements for the final piece.

My New Line of Art Stamps Licensed By Rubbermoon!

My new batch of Art Stamps licensed by Rubbermoon!

I am so thrilled to have a new batch of licensed art stamps in the Rubbermoon gallery! Check them out at my new online store!

It’s been a JOY to see the art that I love creating for fun on real product. These are images I would draw just for the fun of it. They come completely from ME. That’s what gives me the most joy about it. It’s every artist’s dream!

This new line of stamps has sold even better than the last batch so far. I’m so happy! This little girl character is getting popular  🙂

My February Project for “Make Art That Sells” Course with Lilla Rogers

Finished product: Meet Frida, the Create-A-Way Fairy!

This month’s project for “Make Art That Sells” was to break out of computer mode and do some actual, physical painting on a wooden round surface. I’ve been wanting to paint again for a while, and this was the perfect opportunity to get my hands (and dining room table) messy again!

I didn’t originally want to do a painting with this character. My plan was to use this project as a way to launch a series of images for a book I want to create this year – a picture book featuring this character. I thought the digital art I would create with this project could be used for the book somehow – maybe even as cover art. But nope – Lilla had to give us the twist and I ended up taking her suggestion to use actual paints to create something I really didn’t originally have in my head.

The end product looks like some kind of funky weird dream catcher… which I must say… is actually pretty darn cool-looking!

And the truth is, I feel like this is what I needed to do with Frida, to explore what her character means to me. Through this creative process, I’ve gotten up close and personal with my little Frida Fairy character. I’ve followed her whispers as she told me this is my chance to really have fun!

“Add sparkly things!” She said to me. I agreed. Yes, that would be fun!

“Wouldn’t it be fun to use these wooden pieces somehow? We could paint them and write little messages on them!” She suggests. I follow her advice.

And then finally she told me “OH! OH! How cool would it be to use funky fun yarns that you’ve been saving to hang the whole thing from the top instead of just adding a hand wire on the back!! Wouldn’t that be SUPER fun??” Oh, YEAH! I answer, and head ONCE AGAIN to the Michaels store (thanks, Frida!).

So what I ended up with isn’t necessarily what I planned, but that seems to be the theme of my life presently. We never know what kind of curve balls life will throw at us. This piece represents so much to me right now. Frida Fairy hangs on my dining room wall now, as my own personal muse, reminding me to enjoy life’s odd twists, to go with the flow, and to keep my heart and mind open to possibilities… while my kids enjoy playing with the fun dangles as they walk by (chuckle).

Side View

Detail

Detail – hidden treasures

More dangles

dangles

dangles

Original sketch idea!

Kitty thought the string was for her! NO, kitty!!!

Day 5 of Artist Challenge – Current Work in Progress

Moon Phases for privately commissioned picture book project

I thought I’d post some images of work that I have in the hopper right now (including the finished image above as part of a set of 28 illustrations for an upcoming privately commissioned picture book).

Happy Sun – rubber stamp concept

This is a rubber stamp concept (above) that will NOT be used in the upcoming set I’m licensing with Rubbermoon Art Stamps. Keeping the others hush hush until they are released hopefully in the Spring! But one little hint – the theme is “HAPPINESS.”

And below is a sketchie-poo from last year that I just LOVE. Her name is Frida the Fairy and I’m going to use her as inspiration for my next “Make Art That Sells” project. I am also developing a picture book around this character, already written! Using this month’s MATS project as motivation to get a firmer idea of what I want the art for my Frida Fairy book to look like!

Frida Fairy sketchie-poo

Day 4 of Artist Challenge – My “Doodle Art”

postcard I created for fun

I also call this “my non-judgemental art.” It’s the art I create when I toss aside my inner critics and just enjoy myself. I first started making this kind of art after I was laid off from my 10+ year design job. It was a sweet release, creatively and spiritually. It was… FUN.

For doodle art I HAVE to draw with my markers. I learned the psychology of what drawing with a marker does for you when I was learning on-the-job, working as a quick sketch caricature artist at Carowinds (my summer job during college). Working with a marker was a shock for me at first. NOT my cup of tea. But after a while I realized what it did for me. It taught me not to judge myself too harshly. It taught me how to turn “accidents” into art. It taught me most of all to be LOOSE with the pen (because drawing slowly with a marker does NOT work well on the page).

I took what my caricature experience taught me, and decided to try making some of my own art with my markers to see what would happen.

What happened? FREEDOM and FUN.

Here are some examples of the fun I’ve created with my markers. I’ve been surprised what has happened with my various whimsical creations. Some have inspired licensed art, some have been used in my creative workshops as workbook art, and some have been used as illustrations in published articles.

another postcard created from my doodle art

Be YOU tiful

Day 3 of Artist Challenge – Dipping my toes into Animation!

For a while in high school I entertained the notion of getting into animation as a career goal… until I decided (giving up acting for the same reason) I would probably have to move to Florida or California or basically anywhere far away from my family in North Carolina to pursue that goal. So I ditched that dream pretty quickly.

Imagine my absolute thrill when employed at Blue Frog Gaming for almost 3 years… and I was asked to finally give animation a try! It was like someone asking me, “Would you like me to give you a million dollars?” HECK yeah!!! What a great job that was!!

I blogged about my Blue Frog experiences in my “Blue Frog Art Blog” – and so glad I did – it’s a wonderful record of my first time actually EMPLOYED as an “Artist.” A wonderful experience I’m grateful for!

The animation above is a pencil sketch which I traditionally animated (yes, with pencil), for one of the idle animations for Polar Puzzles. WHAT a JOY!! I came up with the idea and finished it to this point (a coworker, Ron Yoder, did the final ink for it).

I also had the opportunity to do the final inking of this animation for the game (original sketch art/storyboard by Jeff Kunze):

And created artwork for simple animation intros for the Polar Puzzles game as well. Here’s a little piece on one below:

Piece of animated art for Polar Puzzles – intro animation for the mine cart level.

Another game I loved to work on was the terribly addictive game, Ghost Chicken. I created quite a lot of background art for the game, including the spider and ant animations. I LOVE this game because while playing it, you feel the same joy you felt while playing those old Atari games, hearing very similar blip-blip noises. I love it!!! I wish Blue Frog would create more levels for people like me who love it!

Illustration for Ghost Chicken – Blue Frog Gaming

And finally I created a delightful animation for my creative hero, Violette, as an intro for her YouTube videos. The artwork and storyboard was all created by Violette, and I animated it for her. What a thrill to animate artwork by someone I admire so much!

Day 2 of Artist Challenge – My PASSION for Book Illustration

Illustration from “The Odd Ones”

My interest in drawing grew alongside my passion for writing. When I was in Elementary School, I filled up as many journals as I could with science fiction stories based on my favorite movies: Gremlins, E.T., and Close Encounters. I filled them with writing and illustration. I was an addict. I loved writing stories. It was definitely a big childhood dream of mine to someday publish my own books, sharing them with the world.

It’s only recently that I’m finally making my dream happen to publish my own books – I’m so happy about this, and have started my own little publishing website, Create-A-Way Books, where I’ve also illustrated works written by a couple of my friends as well, and helped them to self-publish.

And very proud of my first illustrated chapter book series, Wearing My Weird – about my early adolescent life growing up in Canada and moving to the States.

Looking forward to getting some books out this year, and hoping to participate in the 12×12 challenge this year to make it happen.

Here are a few more illustrations from books I’ve published this past year:

Illustration from “Pretty Betty Butterfly” – written by Sally Deems Mogyordy

Illustration from my “Wearing My Weird” book series

Illustration from Book 3 – “Wearing My Weird” series

Illustration from Book 1 – “Wearing My Weird” series

Day 1 of Artist Challenge – Portraits/Characters: My First Love

Self-portrait study – 1994

Self-caricature sketch – 1994

As I move forward to rework my portfolio, I am looking at the art I naturally enjoy doing. I ask the question, “What naturally comes out of me?”

I look back on the sketches I enjoyed doing back in college and a favorite subject to draw was people. I drew my friends, my teachers, myself.

Portraits – drawing people – was where I started. I drew my first self portrait when I was in Elementary School. I took my sketchbook to museum visits and LOVED the attention I received from others when they saw me, stating, “Oh, look at the cute little artist!”

No wonder, then… I look at the illustrations I enjoy doing most, and it all has to do with CHARACTER. I love developing a character on the page. And portraits/caricatures are the purest exploration of character. I love the challenge of visually expressing personality on the page.

And this passion has not only limited itself to art for me. I was heavily into acting in high school, and when I write I have a strong character focus (I love writing dialog!).

Attaching a few character studies from my college days, here! Enjoy!

Professor Cintron at CIA – portrait class sitting

Chris, my roommate – study

John Laporte

Rich Sandy

Teachers from CIA – doodles

Min Koo

Tony Schmidt

My Recent Art Technique Inspirations

I thought I’d share my recent inspiration. I recently bought a book that I fell in love with in the bookstore, Uni the Unicorn, illustrated by Brigette Barrager. Both the art and the story is wonderful! And, okay – the subtitle: “A story about believing” REALLY grabbed me!! The art attracted me immediately as a technique I would love to try, which I had in front of me while creating my recent Peacock Journal piece (above).

Thankfully my husband, David Fedan, coached me on how to use the photoshop pen tool (a tool I’ve avoided for far too long). I’m thrilled! I’m finally creating the kind of artwork I’ve admired by others, like Brigette.

Just wanted to share some of the images of this lovely book to show why I love it so much. I use textures a LOT in my current surface design work at 4Walls, and really want to apply it to my illustration. I love the way textures are used in this book art.

 

Treasury of Musings – Journal design for Lilla Rogers MATS Class

Journal cover design for Lilla Rogers “Make Art That Sells” course

I am SO excited to have finished my journal design for the Lilla Rogers “Make Art That Sells” Bootcamp class! Testing out by actually uploading it onto Zazzle for sale in my Zazzle store. Please take a look! I worked SO hard on this piece.

Showing some of my progress work below.

I used the Photoshop pen tool for the first time with this project. I’ve been avoiding it long enough. Thrilled to see what I can do with it. Having fun with textures!!

Original sketch

In-progress computer work.