Artists Around the World Blog Hop

I was recently very humbled to be asked to take part in a blog hop of artists from around the world. One of the great benefits of having enrolled in online courses like MATS, is the chance to get to know and connect with other designers and like minded artists. The lovely and talented Antonija M. was kind enough to write a bit about me and some other great artists on her blog. Now it's my turn to go on about her! 

I had never met anyone from the country of Croatia, but if she is any indication, I would sure love to visit there some day. We have been MATS buddies since the inaugural Part A of the spring of 2013, all the way through 2 Global Talent Searches ( she was Top 50 last year!), Part B, and Bootcamp. I have come to rely on her keen and thoughtful eye throughout our shared design experiences, as have many other artists. Her designs are instantly recognizable with their clean lines, sophisticated palette and super stylized, yet super cute characters. That's an extremely difficult combination to achieve, but she excels at it, while being a complete original. Just take a look at her amazing work…

She has also designed and developed her own brand lil' ledy, which she plans to debut at the Brand Licensing Europe Show in October. Her description of the brand as "Japan meets Sweden. Kawaii merging with classic harmony" is perfect and I can easily imagine her lil' ledy character on a wide range of product. I can't wait to hear and read about her success there! Be sure to check out all her work and her blog as well.

Ok, now is the part of this blog hop format where I have to talk about myself (ugh) and answer the following set questions. 

1. What Are You Writing/Working on? Well, I've been working on some cute cards for Peaceable Kingdom, developing some little characters for a shop, getting together some pieces to submit to companies, trying to remember how to paint, unsuccessfully entering design contests ;) etc., etc. Here's a sneak peek at a baby card…

2. How Does Your Work Differ from Others in Your Genre? hmmmmm…that's the 50 million dollar question, isn't it? I'm a firm believer that there's not much out there that hasn't been done before. If you don't believe that, perhaps you haven't heard of this thing called Pinterest ;). That being said, every artist needs to develop their own approach/style to have any level of success. I'd like to think that I can put a fresh slant on the mid century illustration that I love. I always try to inject some happy-go-sweet-unabashed-cuteness into my work. Does that make me unique? No, but I hope I do it in such a way that my work is recognizable.

3. Why Do You Create?  I dunno, but I've done it since I was little. There is always something about that rush to see what you can come up with and how it will turn out. I just like to make cute stuff! How's that for an in-depth answer, haha.

4. What is your creative process?  Because my background and degree is in graphic design, I tend to take more of a problem solving approach especially if I've been given a brief. Who's the audience, the message, the best way to visually communicate this, and so on. I'm not a trained illustrator, so I don't just sit down to draw before I have an idea of where or how I'm going to solve the problem. Lilla's technique of getting her students just to sit down and draw first has been a hard road for me to follow, but it has paid off, and I now actually use a sketchbook, and I love it! Anyway, I like to think it through first (like when I'm driving or in the shower…my mind tends to wander and I can think more openly. No, it hasn't caused any accidents, but I tend to forget some turns along the way!) Then I get to any necessary research followed by pencil sketches which I usually just take a pic of with my phone, and bring into illustrator on my laptop. I usually redraw everything there (that's the super tedious part) but lately, I've been trying to incorporate some traditional media into my work. Finally, I do my favorite part, add color, followed by texture, all in AI. Just a stubborn vector girl here. That and I'm not comfortable in photoshop.

Ok, more than enough about me. Let me introduce you to two wonderfully inspiring artists that you no doubt already know about… they are that good!

TAMMIE BENNETT

Tammie is one of those people that I find inspiring on a number of levels. We met through MATS and the happy happy art collective, which I am proud to be a member of, was her brainchild. She has the guts, intelligence and tenacity to take on any task…whether it be going solo at Surtex, to designing a pattern a day for 365 days…. (yeah, you read that right), to her tiny thanks project, 50 asks, producing great pieces traditionally as well as digitally, the list goes on and on and I haven't even talked about her art. Tammie has an uncanny ability to think in terms of pattern, but it doesn't end there. Her colors are so fun, the graphics, so brilliantly joyful… it's an irresistible combination.With degrees in journalism and a law school graduate, believe it or not, she is a self taught artist! I really don't know how she does it all and continues to do new things. Be sure to check out her website and blog for more inspiration.

Tammie got our happy happy alphabet off to an awesome start with the letter A! 

DENISE HOLMES

Another member of the happy happy art collective is the charming Denise Holmes! Ever since I first saw her work in MATS A, I have been in awe of her innate ability to infuse pure charm and sweetness into every thing she creates. I so admire how she has developed her own instantly recognizable style. She recently illustrated her first children's book and it should be on every parent and illustrator's "must have" list… it's that good! You can pick up a copy here!

I just love her distinctive line work… always just enough, always just right, and her innate use of color is a big part of her signature style. I tend to go a bit overboard when it comes to color and I know I could definitely take a pointer or two (or four or a whole lot more…) from all her work. I don't have a crystal ball, but I have no doubt there is a long line of books in her future, her style is just so sweet and clean with a fresh vintage vibe that I adore. You immediately know when you see a niseemade piece!

this letter T is one of Denise's contributions to the happy happy alphabet… how cute is this?!

Please be sure to check out her website and blog for more cuteness!

Well that concludes my officially longest post ever! It was a pleasure to share the work of these talented artists!

Global Talent Search 2014

I really can't believe that it has been an entire year since the first Global Talent Search. It's funny, I really had no intention of entering last year because I knew I didn't have a chance, but when I heard the subject matter, "vintage playground," I couldn't resist. Besides, being a first time MATS student, the entry fee was waived, so I figured, why not? I put a ton of time into it… not saying that that necessarily showed, but I was one of the fortunate ones that made it through that first round. 

It was a great journey and I learned a lot about what it means to put yourself out there, which in the world of art, is a scary but necessary step to any level of success. When the opportunity came around again, it was one of those things that was hard to resist. I knew I would miss being part of it all, regardless of the outcome. Unfortunately for me, the timing was terrible. The brief was to come out the day after I was on a family vacation and I would be left with 24 hours to do it once I was home. I decided to just go for it in the hopes that I could come up with something anyway.

The brief itself, little terrariums, wasn't exactly in my wheelhouse. I like to do stuff with characters and this seemed more suited to those who work more with botanicals and flowers. Plus she mentioned paint. ugh. Plus she categorized it as "wall art." ugh. I knew I was in trouble. 

With limited time, I tried to stick to what I'm most comfortable with (vector) and tried to make it more of a little environment (a.k.a. world) and of course, meant for kids. I decided to include a waterfall and castle, as opposed to filling it with various plants and flowers. Not that I don't love plants and flowers, but there are soooo many people that do that better than me. I like the palette I ended up with, but I still question why the heck I made the little people green. I mean what kind of martian pea pod did they escape from?! Or are they just from the Emerald City? who knows?!?!?! These are the things that you don't have time to consider when you're doing a project from start to finish in one day. I'd show you my sketches, but they are even crappier than usual and I'd be too embarassed!

Anyway, even though I didn't make the first cut like last year, I am glad I played along and entered! There is always something to be learned. I'm happy with my piece, but I would have loved to develop it further, especially in terms of rendering, textures, real paint, etc.Best of luck to the final 50, many of which I know from MATS courses! Amazing pieces one and all and enjoy the journey!

uppercase :)

I finally got my copy on Friday and I must say, it still seems surreal. I submitted on a whim at the last moment, figuring I had nothing to lose and to say I am humbled at being included is a huge understatement. I had done the middle and bottom patterns as an offshoot of my second round submission for the GlobalTalent Search, last fall and the top piece was an extension from the final assignment from MATS A for giftware, as you can see below. 

I gotta say, when I look through all the pages of loveliness and then get to mine, I still get a "what does not belong here?" moment, but I'll take it. It's not flowery or super graphic in nature, but kinda goofy like me, so I guess they needed a dose of that in the issue. What can I say, but now my silly anthropomorphic flirtatious pear has now had her thirty seconds of fame, and that's a good thing :)

thanks for all the support!!

Well, today was the big reveal, when the 6 finalists for the Global Talent Search were finally revealed and I didn't make the cut. Understand that I never thought I would get as far as I did in the first place and held no illusions of making it further. The competition was so great and was chock full of artists with truly impressive licensing portfolios. But dreams are a funny thing. Even though you always think you have one foot in reality and are confident that you can handle any outcome, they get in your head! I in no way feel defeated, just a bit down that this one was not meant to be. But the awesome part was that I was supported by so many wonderful people that I actually managed to meet my goal of getting over a 100 votes! Around 125 and I don't think I know that many people, so my deepest thanks to everyone who took the time to cast a vote. In a world where we are constantly bombarded with clicking requests, for someone to actually follow through to support my work is appreciated more than you could know.

The other great thing about dreams? There's always another, often even better one right around the corner! Best of luck and good wishes to all the finalists, most of which were my classmates in MATS. Back to work ;)

P.S. in an effort to keep the ball rolling on my 40 days of lettering project, this will serve as day 3!

Lilla Rogers Global Talent Search 2013... VOTE!!

Well folks, you have until Monday, September 9th to cast your votes in Lilla Rogers Global Talent Search competition. An artist's life depends on it! Ok maybe that's a little dramatic, but it certainly will change the life of whoever ends up winning. Yours truly would of course be extremely appreciative and thankful for any support, but beyond that, please take a minute and click on over there to see some wonderful work. 50 artists have worked very hard to make it this far and it's worth the look, no matter who you decide to cast your votes for. Being the helpful person I am, here's a convenient link. Be sure to check em all out (especially the third row down, third from left....haha) Enjoy!

Lilla Rogers Global Talent Search ...Round 2!

After what seems like an eternity, the second round of the GTS has gone live and is up for public vote! 50 lucky semifinalists, of which I am extremely fortunate to be a part of, worked on a brief to design a fall tote bag. The topic was completely open ended, as well as the targeted audience. The only parameters were that it pertain to nature in some way and it was suggested that we include people and hand lettering. I don't regard suggestions like that from Lilla Rogers as optional, so I began my thinking on those lines.

I knew from the get go, that I wanted to have some sort of an apple theme. You see, I grew up in a tiny town in north central Pennsylvania. My dad ran a small family owned sawmill and had a love for trees in general. Rather late in life, he took up a new hobby... apple trees! Before too long we had an orchard of around 100 trees in our downtown backyard. Some hobby! Dad was a natural born salesman and loved to sell them to neighbors and folks passing by (alongside his own cider) in our front yard on main street. No, I am not kidding...main street USA! Talk about all American apple pie stuff! "Mighty good" is a phrase he would typically use when describing something he really liked. If you look closely, you can see a little ranch house off in the distance. This is pretty much how the house looked and yes, it even had a pink gable and window box! Dad liked to call it a little bungalow. This was kind of a therapeutic project for me as my brothers and sister and I are in the process of emptying out the house after my mom passed away in April. So many happy memories as it was the only home we ever knew! We were all blessed with happy childhoods and the best parents any kids could ever hope for.

Here is dad out in front of the house on the 4th of July
watching the parade go by! I'm not much of a caricature artist,
but you get the idea ;)

Anyway, once I had the orchard idea, I also wanted to incorporate a vintage fruit crate label feel, hence the lettering and the little apple mascot dude. I had thoughts of trying to put a Pennsylvania dutch folk art vibe to it, but really, there is only so much you can put in one piece. The little border treatment on the bottom was an ode to that look with the intention of it being a strap design for the bag.

Below, you can take a peek at my super rough sketching style...thank goodness for the computer! I tend to rough things out in a thumbnail sketch and proceed to refine the individual elements and lettering further in pencil. I then scan it and basically redraw everything in illustrator. Not too glamorous, but it's what works for me. If I were doing this for a client other than myself, I would have done a clean finished pencil layoutfor approval purposes, of course.

If you have a moment, please throw me a vote! It's pretty simple and you can vote for up to 5 designs. They are all worth checking out! Here is the link. You will get a follow up email that will ask you to confirm your vote. There will be 5 finalists chosen by an esteemed panel of judges, the likes of Paperchase, Robert Kauffman Fabrics, Chronicle Books, Gymboree, to name just a very few! The 6th finalist is the "people's choice." The final winner will be represented by Lilla for two years along with being awarded with several fantastic licenses! Pretty heady stuff. Thanks for your support!!

Lilla Roger's Global Talent Search...

You may have heard all the buzz surrounding Lilla Roger's Global Talent Search contest. Winning it would be like winning the ultimate power ball lottery ticket right after Publisher's Clearing House rings your doorbell. Truthfully, I have never ever bought a lottery ticket, and I rarely, if ever, enter contests. Given the loooooong odds of ever winning, I had paid zero attention to it despite the lucrative prizes... two years of representation, along with licensing deals with some very big names. Even though the registration fee was waived for all MATS students, I still hadn't given it any thought, until I read the brief. Paperchase. Vintage playgrounds subject matter. Incorporate lettering. Make it fun. I was in. 

I tried to approach it like Lilla had led us through each week in the MATS course with a mini assignment of little drawings. The advantage this time, was 3 weeks to play with. I began by drawing multiple pieces of equipment and kids in different settings, etc. I knew I wanted to incorporate kids since an empty playground just didn't sound fun. As you can see, I'm far from a world class sketcher, but I had fun playing around with different kids, many of whom missed the final cut. I had wanted to make the required word "Journal," into part of a hedge, but I couldn't make it read well enough. Usually, I would pencil out the entire final layout, but this time, I pieced together the individual drawings, kind of treating it like a pattern, fitting it all together in illustrator. 

I kept trying to add as much detail as possible, until my daughter cut me off when I told her I wanted to add a half eaten pb&j sandwich on the ground for one of the birds to be pecking along with a squirrel juggling acorns! So wise for 13 years! I took her advice ;)

I was going to include this boy admiring the girl walking the puppy amongst other little scenes... paper boats and ponds, tire swings, benches and monkey bars, but I ran out of room and in many cases, I thought they didn't have enough to do with a playground scene.

Make no mistake...I have no delusions about winning, let alone making the first cut to the top 50, but it was too fun of a subject to pass up. No matter what, I have no regrets... other than maybe not including the acorn juggling squirrel ;)