Just Sayin...

ILLUSTRATION INSPIRATION: Sandra Dieckmann

This week's Illustration Inspiration comes from the talented, Sandra Dieckmann of 

East London. Sandra says her inspiration comes straight from nature... this is clearly 

shown in all of her work. Her beautiful work looks as if it has been collaged, 

but upon closer inspection, you can see layers of painted in texture. The texture that 

she adds to all of her work creates a beautiful marriage between the natural lines

 of nature, and repetitive geometric lines. These lines lend to a Native American feel, 

reinforcing again her strong tie to nature. I adore her work. What do you think?

For more illustrations from Sandra visit her site: Sandra Dieckmann Illustration

PROJECT PROGRESS: Ada Chewed Some Gum

My favorite part of my Job is when I am commissioned to illustrate a children's book.

 So when Thomas Knight approached me with his adorable book, 'Ada Chewed Some 

Gum' I was thrilled to par-take. This is just a snippet of what I have created for the

 book, to get everyone amped up for its release.

My Process is simple but it happens in a three stages. First I illustrate/sketch the 

characters and scene (sometimes together, sometimes separate). Than I ink the sketch 

over and scan the inked image. After its scanned, I touch up the inked lines and 

color it all in photoshop. It is a lengthy process but I have found this works best for me.

I can't wait to see it completed and formatted. How about you?

Ada Chewed Some Gum will be available soon here.

And don't forget about My Dad is My Hero Illustrated by me 

and written by Lauren Wade

'Obviously', Audrey Corregan

I was drawn to Audrey Corregan's photographic series titled 'Obviously' specifically

because of that brown bird at the bottom left. I couldn't quite place it until I saw the 

other bird portraits. It almost looks furry... Birds are interesting creatures aren't they? 

The fact that they can fly puts them pretty high on the coolness scale as well. And 

in this series, it almost seems like they are angry with us. Its like they have nothing to say 

to us and are deep in thought about how we have shamed them. Its interesting the 'wise' 

persona that some birds have been given, isn't it? Like all of them are 1000 years old and 

know so many more years of knowledge then we do... 

Happy Mother's Day {Mom} xox

TYPOGRAPHY FRIDAY: Victor Bregante

Not only is this Typography design absolutely genius. I totally love it. Victor Bregante, 

a designer, used his medium of choice as the subject to create this text about loving his 

job. He perfectly joins the words and subject together to express his sentiment perfectly.

 I couldn't agree more Victor. {xox}

Aerial Yoga, looks amazing

Desperate to try this. Have anyone out there done this before, I would love to hear 

about it? It looks amazing for my back. I just spent the morning searching for a place 

in Baltimore or Annapolis that offers it but have not had any luck. If anyone has a place 

to recommend it would be greatly appreciated. 

ILLUSTRATION INSPIRATION: Aileen Leijten

Lets talk about the talented Aileen Leijten, because I have a lot to say and most of it 

involves swooning. Aileen is an Illustrator with a very impressive resume and client 

list (Including Hanna Barbera and Walt Disney Imagineering, wowsers) But what I love 

most about her are her characters. They are absolutely tangebly adorable. I appreciate 

their big puffy clothes and spindly legs and arms and really love their super big heads. 

Although these may seem like silly things to say, this is what makes her characters 

(and her style choice) stand out. She paints her illustrations and her blog offers a bit of 

insight into her process. (I am always fascinated by how other illustrators create). And Let 

us not forget her palette. Do you notice all of the nice warm hues, my eye could swim 

in the soft color palette that she uses.   

Check out a list of her illustrated books here... my favorite is The Hugging Hour

A Mother's Day Commission

Just slipping in a recent Meant for a Moment Mother's Day Commission.

This one was really cute, commissioned by a musician for his mom. {xox}

Beet and Potato Chips = Beautiful

Here is a great idea to add to your Mother's Day Lunch Menu, aren't the beet chips 

beautiful? Head over to Sips and Spoonful for more details, but for now, 

here is the recipe:

Beet and Potato Chips with Thyme Rock SaltIngredients:Beets
Potatoes
Himalayan sea salt
Fresh thyme leaves
Oil for deep frying (canola or sunflower oil)

Directions:Wash and dry the beets and potatoes. Finely slice with a mandolin. Make sure the 
slices are dry. Heat oil in a frying pan on high heat. When the oil is hot, add the beet 
and potato slices one at a time so they don't stick to one another. Don't overcrowd the oil. 
Fry, stirring every so often until they are crispy. Drain on a paper towel and immediately 
sprinkle with thyme salt. Serve when it cools down.
To make thyme salt, grind Himalayan sea salt with thyme leaves in
on beets and potatoes but that is personal preference. a pestle and mortar.
Notes: Beets will shrink when fried so you are better off using
 larger beets. I left the skin 

Come with a Story Campaign

"Come with a story, Leave with Another" is a brilliant ad campaign for the 

Colsubsidio Book Exchange that will have you double taking. These clever paper-cut 

silhouettes, by the Lowe/SSP3 ad agency, feature a mash-up of two literary icons. 

The First one: Little Red Riding Hood and Moby Dick. The Second one: Harry Potter 

and Troy and the last one: Snow White and Sherlock Holmes. I really like the minimalist 

approach and the brilliant attention to each detail. This campaign caught my attention 

and has me looking for more, job well done!

TYPOGRAPHY Friday: Gem Goode

Sending along some more type love for your Friday. I love the length these design 

have from Gem Goode at Deviant Art. Creating Type Art that is easy to read is a 

difficult task but I think the balance between flourishes and fancy typography here balance 

well and my eye flows across the page. I love that the entire design in both uses only one 

color. And once again, Great Quotes!

ILLUSTRATION INSPIRATION: Featuring John Rocco

Are you taking notes here? Because John Rocco is seriously talented and it is blowing 

my mind. Every image I could find of his work had amazing perspective. And was so 

creative he had me thinking, "Damn I've gotta remember that." The choices he makes 

are divine. Sometimes he fills the page with color, other times he uses the white space 

to set a mood. And if you check out his color palette, he stays in a certain spot on the 

color wheel each time, utilizing hues and complimentary colors in a very strategic way, 

and he nails it.

The really cool thing about John Rocco is how he creates his illustrations. Check out the 

pencil drawing up there. Thats how he captures all of his tones, than he scans the image 

in and colors it in photoshop.

I am taking lesson now, and promise you will see this beautiful forced perspective pop 

up in some of my work. Thanks for the illustration inspiration. 

P.S. John Rocco was also the pre-production art director in the movie Shrek {too cool} 

Love

Since we are in the process of writing our vows, I have been thinking about LOVE a 

lot lately. Its a funny thing isn't it? Finding one person that you want to spend the rest of 

your life with. Knowing that you will love them for as long as you live. And believing in 

them, {all the way to your soul} that their promise of love is worth giving your life to. 

Sometimes when Dave and I are on the couch with Cricket curled up in our lap, it feels 

like we are swimming in love. Some say love is like floating, but I'd say swimming. 

Because love is heavy and weightless at the same time. Just like swimming in water. 

Marriage is a big deal, if it doesn't have any weight to it its not time to marry. I feel 

no pressure or stress, but its a big deal when I look at Dave and I realize that he loves 

me enough to commit a lifetime to me. 

That feeling, when you realize we are both making the same plans is a strong and powerful 

emotion, and its nothing to be taken lightly. 

Like being surrounded by water, swimming forward and being able to breath. 

Yes, to me, Love is like swimming... And I feel so blessed. So blessed.

photo credit Braedon Photography

The Sketchbook Project

I am so excited to have just signed up for the 2013 Sketchbook Project. 

Here is how it works: 

I will receive a Sketchbook in the mail. My task is to fill it. Once its filled, I send it 

back to the creative folks at the Brooklyn Art Library. Than in January of 2013 it goes 

on tour along with all of the other sketchbooks from other participating artists. And at the 

end of its tour, it will be archived at the Brooklyn Art Library.  {xox} I am totally 

looking forward to committing to filling that book! 

PS. The best part...Anyone can join, check out the site for more information.

Happy Birthday to my FUTURE Husband {!}

Happy Birthday today to one of the most Amazing Men I know. Not only is he incredibly 

handsome but he is thoughtful, funny, majorly skilled, creative and incredibly spirited. 

When I met Dave four and half years ago, I knew as we played the game of LIFE 

{literally} that he was the one. 

Let me set the scene for you...We had just come in from a swim at the beach and 

finished our first dinner together. Neither of us wanted to call it a night so we settled 

in for a board game. In the middle of the game I found a pink $50 floating around on the 

game board. I asked him if it was his and he said no. I knew it wasn't mine so I said so.

 So, he took the pink $50 and placed it in the middle of the board and said, "Ok, well I will 

put this $50 here and if its gone at the end of the game... Than I guess we will learn a little 

bit about each other." And I am telling you folks, thats when I KNEW I had stumbled 

into something totally amazing. I laughed... and the game got ridiculously silly. As you 

can imagine being on a first date and playing the game of LIFE, its either going to 

get really awkward or really silly as you fill your game peice with children and 

secure your job as a rockstar.  

And yes, the pink $50 remained in its spot for the remainder of the game. 

Happy Birthday Dave,  you are my best friend, I love you with my whole 

heart and I can't wait to marry you. 

TYPOGRAPHY FRIDAY: Kavan & Co

When I think about Typography Design two things are important to me:

A: Creativity and Layout and B: What it actually says. 

So I double love Kavan & Co's brilliant typography skills. Not only are the designs 

colorful and cheery, they say really wonderful things, and my heart just jumps at 

any well-put combination of words and images. I really appreciate the layers of 

'doodles' and shapes. It makes each design completely unique and absolutely cool. 

Wouldn't the pencil design be great in a Studio? I mean, could it be more perfect? 

It says it all. 

Satchel and Sage { xox }

Satchel and Sage caught my eye with their adorable collaged Animal Prints. Wouldn't 

these be cute in a little boys nursery collaged on the wall? Satchel and Sage has tons 

of adorable prints like this one about a terrarium, and some super cool venn-diagrams.

Check 'em out...

ILLUSTRATION INSPIRATION Featuring: Pietari Posti

I am totally enamored with Pietari Posti's amazing illustrations. The movement and line 

use are addicting, I can't pull my eyes off of them. I really admire his limited palette as well. 

I think I have nail polish in all of those colors :).  Limiting yourself is often a tough thing 

todo, but I think this palette is beautiful. Pietari also does a great job keeping the 

composition moving and allowing the focal pieces to pop. Can you feel your eye moving 

across the illustration in each of these?

And... Im back!

After five days in Sunny California with the cutest little face in the world, returning to 

work is proving to be a bit more difficult than usual. Let's talk about California for a 

minute. SO, I live in Maryland, and I consider it to be a pretty hip state with lots of 

coolness to offer... But have you been to California? There is so much coolness there. 

I am talking, smoothies with spinach, fresh markets everywhere, surfers and barrels of 

candy! Vintage, Retro, Contemporary... California was filled with all of it. 

And that cutie new nephew of mine! Oddly enough, we arrived during a cloudy spell 

(apparently the marine layer was out of control) so we didn't get too much sun while we 

were out there. BUT that just gave us the opportunity to swoon over the newest, 

most awesome member of our family. 

We became best friends pretty quick. My sister is a natural mother and Cole is totally 

in love with his mom and dad. Can you blame him?