I used to create little promotional fliers for a small boutique called Mapel until I went back to work full-time. Because they had a very small budget, they offered trade for my illustrations. This meant that I got fancy designer jeans and cute trendy tops -- totally worth it, in my opinion! It was a sweet and stylish shop and the women who ran the business were fantastic. I found one of my favorite illustrations for a Fall promo they had, and was reminded of how much I enjoyed drawing …
illustration
Running through Rice Fields
Every so often, I would get on an exercise kick while living in Japan. I would don my roomiest t-shirt, snap on my headphones, lug my enormous Sony Walkman and head out the door. The year was 1996. I would run along rice paddies, spotting a heron or two as the sun started to descend. With Natalie Merchant blaring from my headphones, I would start vigorously enough, only to peter out about half a mile into the run. It was peaceful among those rice fields. Crickets and frogs would snicker …
It’s not serious…
M and I got married almost seven years ago, but for the last six years, date nights have been few and far between due to a little bundle of joy who is now a first-grader. So when we were on vacation in Michigan, we jumped at the chance to have coffee alone while the grandparents, cousins and auntie kept our daughter fully entertained. We went to a quaint little gift shop/candy store/cafe in Leland. I browsed through the merchandise and took in the faux vintage metal airplane decoration, …
Gouache sketches
Welcome
It started in college. I was buying my text books for the fall quarter of my freshman year, and I saw a small, blue spiral-bound notebook emblazoned with the school logo. On a whim, I decided to buy the notebook and wandered over to the campus cafe. I was eighteen and felt so grown-up ordering a cup of coffee and a croissant. Balancing my drink and pastry and books and shiny new notebook, I settled into a seat -- the murmurs of other students and the lilt of background music …