Studies for Children's Book

Working on some illustrations for a children's book, using the gouache technique I've been experimenting with on my kid portraits.

Sick-O

Poor guy has been sick. As much as I hate seeing him in such a sad state, he's so adorable and especially snuggly when he's not feeling well. I can barely stand it. I know he won't always fit so snugly in this bean bag, nor will his feet be so small. I want to remember him like this.

And oh, isn't gouache so much fun?

Illustration Friday: Roots

And now, from a completely different brain... for this week's subject, I went back to my roots, literally. Digging deep into the depths of my files, I unearthed a defining piece from my past. The topic suggested an exploration of one's source and at its conception, this piece was about the gestation of ideas. As it progressed, it revealed something much darker, as did a lot of my work at the time. It was probably just cooler to be an angst-ridden artist in 1992.

Illustration Friday: Dream

I think I labor over the caption more than the image. In the case of "dream," the image came quite easily but I can't really explain why. Twisted free association, I guess. Dreams are like that, sometimes meaningful and sometimes fluffy; I think there is a concept here, of fulfilling seemingly impossible dreams. Or maybe, just flying pigs.

Selfie

Changed my headshot to the first self-portrait I've done in a dozen years.

Illustration Friday: Wisdom

A more lighthearted take than my original idea. All fellow moms of small children will understand "The Wisdom of the 4pm Frappuccino!"

Illustration Friday: Empty

Empty nests... are they really empty?

Illustration Friday: Aging

This is my first post. It's a little late... waiting for paint to dry! I was inspired by my 3-year old's "pretend crabs" chasing her away from her "pretend beach party" today. I am no hermit crab expert, mind you but I understand that as they age, they instinctively know when it is time to trade in their current accommodations for the bigger, better deal. I am currently intrigued by the idea that as people age, they also turn in their "encasements" — sets of ideas, patterns of behavior, stale relationships, etc. and are fully transformed into... brand new CRABS!

This was originally posted here, for Illustration Friday but I've long since lost the password to this blog soooo....