Lilla Rogers Global Talent Search

I just entered the Global Talent Search competition to be represented by Lilla Rogers, international art representatives! So excited and nervous to be competing next to a ton of very talented artists worldwide, there will only be ONE person who wins aahck!! But I thought this would be a great chance to get my work out there more, and do some professional assignments at the same time to build my portfolio.

The first creative brief has just been posted, and I'm off to do some art! wish me luck...

princess time

happy valentines day!

Puffers first kiss! This was an idea I had on valentines day but didnt get to it til now, a few days later. Love to all!

Hula friends

Aloha! My husband Luke and I just got back from our honeymoon in Hawaii, and Im already missing it! Lazy warm beaches, snorkeling with tons of fish, dolphins and sea turtles! An amazing hike on the Kalalau trail in Kauai, and just absorbing the beauty and peace of the ocean and tropical paradise... ahhh... perfect! heres a little painting I just finished of how I feel, still in Hawaiian time :)

Cirque du Johnson!

I recently had a fun illustration commission for the Johnson family, with all four family members plus their pets in a circus act! I had lots of fun vintage circus reference, and got in the mood painting to circus music (John Phillip Sousa!) Heres a little bit from my process, from sketches to the finished painting. It was a challenge to get all the figures into one composition, but I'm happy with how it came together. They used this as their Christmas card!

Snow White & Rose Red

Another one of my daily paintings turned into this little one. . . Snow White and Rose Red out for a reading picnic with Bear.

daily painting #1

Ive been trying a new exercise, doing a painting a day in an ity-bity watercolor journal! Sometimes there is so much to do in a day, errands, emails, other work that I never get to painting anything, so I decided at the very minimum I would paint one small thing. Here we go!

Bella & Luci's book!

The last six months have been spent working on a secret book project, that I've been dying to share for forever! I finally finished the illustrations in July and had a couple copies printed. It was a surprise book for friends of ours (and awesome photographers at Bellalu Photography!) Lindsey & Nathan Freitas and their adorable daughters Bella & Luci. The idea was planted in my head last December, when Lindsey mentioned to me how she would love to have a storybook about her two girls. I had so much fun writing, and sketching out the thumbnails for the book trying to figure out the flow of a full 32 page book (and trying my hardest not to mention anything to them the whole time!). And finally after months of multiple dummies and redrawing, I tackled the final step: painting 34 watercolor illustrations! Whew it's done, and I'm pretty proud of it!

heres a couple in-progress sketches from my book dummy:

and the finishes:

new work: "Go Fish!"

New Illustration: The Summoning

The Summoning

A newer painting I did for a novel cover concept. Its watercolor & digital, although Im trying not to overuse the digital aspect. I love the bright translucency of colors you can get with watercolors alone, but my photo/ scanning looses some of that. (Time to get a larger flatbed scanner!)

Beauty and the Beast cover illustration

beauty and the beast

I did this illustration for a young adult novel cover concept. The first sketches were too much like a girl and wolf, so I added horns and pants to make the beast a little more human and beastly at the same time. Beauty wears a locket with a mysterious picture of a handsome prince, but she has yet to find out that its the Beast himself.

( first sketch, and revised final sketch)

New Illustration: The Beetle Ball

A new illustration I have been working on over the last 6 months! These critters have been waiting on me forever, and whew its finally finished. Now time to go find some blue grass music and dance!!