My art featured on the MATS blog!

I can't believe it has already been a year since I last blogged (whoops)! This past year has brought some really great projects my way, namely a picture book which I will share next. But I just found out that my artwork was featured on the Make Art That Sells (MATS) blog showcasing some of the student work from the Assignment  Bootcamp I participated in last year (2016). 

I LOVED the Assignment Bootcamp! It's one pro-level assignment every month for 5 months, and because of it I was able to push myself to develop more personal work to add to my portfolio. And this particular assignment, creating holiday ornaments in the "lumberjack" theme, actually led me to make the real ornaments that I have for sale in my Etsy shop here! I would recommend this course if you're looking to push yourself further and learn about yourself as an artist. There were certainly assignments that I got really excited about, and others that pushed me outside my comfort zone, but that's where I learned the most about myself. Yay MATS!

"lumber jack" themed ornament designs for Assignment Bootcamp

Ornaments in my Etsy shop

MATS Bootcamp 2016: Coloring Book

I just signed up for Lilla Rogers course: Make Art That Sells Assignment Bootcamp again this year. It's always a good challenge for me to explore themes that I might not have otherwise thought of. We get 5 pro assignments in 5 months. The first assignment this month was to draw some 1920s ladies and turn them into a coloring book design. Mine is inspired by one of my favorite artists Alphonse Mucha. The illustration was drawn with pen & ink, then I vectored it in Illustrator to pop in some color. Check out all the gorgeous artwork by other illustrators in the March Gallery.

Check out the MATS March Gallery

MATS Bootcamp: Journal Design

I just finished my assignment for the Lilla Rogers Make Art That Sells Bootcamp, which was to create a journal cover with the theme of Edwardian brooches. I did a few pages of sketches to get some ideas flowing, then painted some of the designs in watercolor. It was a fun challenge, and I'm excited for next month's assignment! By June I'll have 5 new pieces of artwork to add to my portfolio.

Happy 2015!

Happy New Year! I'm so excited for this new year, and have so many cool things to share in the next few months, one being a picture book I'm illustrating for Long Bridge Publishing! After the excitement of the holidays are over I always get a little bit of a lull, (sometimes a rut) but this year I can feel the momentum from the fall pushing me forward. I like taking time to sit and journal (I like to start a brand new pretty journal & sketchbook every year), and on the first page I write down my personal affirmations for the year. Here is one that is close to my heart:

... I am good enough, talented enough, and BRAVE enough ...

I'm working on being braver, and pushing myself to take risks. I often get overly critical of my work, and of myself, and struggle with it being "good enough." But I'm realizing as long as I'm having fun doing it, nothing else matters really...

One of my goals for this year is to take my work to the next level, creating more assignments for myself to branch out to not only children's books, but children's pattern design and art licensing. I signed up for Lilla Roger's course Make Art That Sells, and it starts today! Every month for the next 6 months I'll have a new assignment aimed at different markets, to expand my portfolio. So here we go, I'm anticipating much goodness and creativity this year!