Happy Friday! Boy, am I glad it's the end of the week. I caught K's stomach bug and spent all day Wednesday in bed and part of Thursday feeling mildly queasy - I got about 20 hours of sleep though, and thankfully, it was a 24-hour thing so I'm back to my normal self today. The goldfish illustration is truly random, but I did feel like I was underwater whilst in in the grips of what felt like food poisoning. I've come to the conclusion that M must not be human because he never gets …
illustration
Me-Made-May 2014
I started sewing clothes for myself on a fairly regular basis last May. It's been almost a full year, and I've made loads of clothes. Back then, I held a secret aspiration to participate in Me-Made-May in a year's time, and now that event is starting tomorrow! I think I'm ready, and I just signed up. So excited. I've been wanting to participate for years. I've noticed that on many sewing blogs, folks often talk about how they constantly make these beautiful clothes that just never get worn …
Poppies + Distractions
It's good to be back. Taking a week off of blogging was rejuvenating without a doubt, but I also discovered how much my days are anchored by creating my posts, buoyed by the interactions I have with you. Beyond Tuesday of last week, I was completely in a time warp. Spring break was amazing. So good, so good. Because many of our friends were out of town, K and I spent the bulk of the week with just each other (M made guest appearances in the late evenings and on weekends, but he works a lot). …
The Joy of Seeing
I was sketching randomly today (sort of my version of a warm-up for the final phase of book illustrating, which is like a creative workout) and remembered when a friend asked me whether I'm researching other children's book illustrators, and I told her that I purposely avoid it. Instead, I look for inspiration in other forms: traditional museum paintings, clothing designs and colors, old school album art, retail store advertisements, interior design, nature, everything. A lot of it has to do …
Unusual Creatures
This is a leafy sea dragon. There really is such a thing! I got so excited when I saw it in a book I checked out from the library a few weeks ago - it's the sort of unexpected, delightful and unnecessary information I gobble up. I was pondering this lovely creature in the back of my mind, and then when I was running errands at a bookstore yesterday, I saw the same book in the bargain sales section. I'm not sure why, but I took it as a sign to paint the sea dragon. You can see that I took some …