This illustration was inspired by the Westminster Dog show.
And some sketches from my notebook. The handlers always crack me up. And what's up with female handlers always having to wear flats? Can they not wear heels? Just looks a bit frumpy to me.
Two weekends ago, I went to ICON 7 in Providence, RI. This was my second ICON. I really felt that this year I was more comfortable and confident with myself. Last ICON was really intimidating, especially going to it all by myself in LA. So, in turn, I felt that this subtle boost of confidence made it easier to strike up conversations with super talented illustrators and art directors.
There are some great recaps out there from my fellow illustrators. I'll link to them here: Mark Kaufman The Top 20 Things I Learned at ICON7 Sam Washburn Icon7 Recap Claire Manning ICON7: Part 1 Alice Young ICON: Part 1
I laid out all the great cards, prints, items, etc. that I acquired that weekend. Really, my peers are so talented! So here they are!
On Thursday, I attended a workshop moderated by illustrator Jen Corace. I've been a fan of her for a long time. She talked about crafting your own shop and selling directly to people. She spoke about her own online shop on Big Cartel as well as the ins and outs of selling on etsy and big cartel. Our group went to Craftland and I thought I died and went to heaven. So many items all made by individual people. Here are my favorites...
eggplant from feltlikeit
my obsession with the small object continues
I recently discovered Pinecone & Chickadee tshirts, and had to pick up one for myself and an onesie for a soon-to-be-mom.
On Friday night, ICON had their first public roadshow. My hotel roommate, Shannon Freshwater had some fancy pieces of original art, prints, and books for sale. I picked up 2 original pieces of artwork.
Also, at the roadshow was Sam Washburn. I met Sam last ICON, so it's been great to see him transition to freelance over the last two years since ICON. I picked up a print of all the House of Representatives from the midwest/north region as an early gift for my step-dad.
And to give some shoutouts to just a handful of new friends I made:
Natalie Andrewson (I met at the roadshow) Mario Zucca Sounion Hong Alice Young Lauren Simkin Berke Muddyum Choudhury Jeremy Leung
And to conclude, I made a list of quotations or paraphrased blurbs that resonated with me.
-"A lot of people set their prices in retail at the wholesale price. It should be double." -Jen Corace. I gotta rethink my pricing - Daniel Fishel paraphrased, I think from Marshall Arisman originally (correct me if I'm wrong), "You're always going to be broke, so spend the money you have on stuff you can write off" -"Be nimble" -Bob Staake -"Don't always accept the brief as they (art directors) present it" -Chris Silas Neal -The term Procrastiworking coined by Jessica Hische. Means to work on side projects/research while working for clients. -"Make things you wished existed"- Jessica Hische -Copyright your work, you'll have more of a backbone if someone rips you off. -"Don't wait for approval from others, just do it!" -Idiot Books
And last, for your viewing pleasure from the opening night...
My Sun Smarts illo was featured on the Hat Attack blog and Facebook page! Many thanks to the kind team over there for this post and for the awesome hat that I won from their Facebook giveaway!
I'm currently at ICON7 in Providence, RI. I'm having a blast here and making new connections. Can't wait to recap you on my highlights when I get back to Brooklyn!
This February through March, I worked on a branding project for Todd H Carlson Weddings.I met Todd when he was my sister's wedding photographer in September. Let me say, Todd did a great job rolling with the punches of the inclemate weather that occurred on my sister's wedding day.
But, back to the project. We worked through a few rounds of sketches and in the end, we decided on a logo with a serif, hand-done font, with watery elements of gouache. For the images used on the main pages of his website, Todd wanted me to incorporate some organic, painted elements that were reminiscent of platinum printing. I added some brushed details to his bio photo (just below) and his testimonial photo (4th image below). All in all, I think it's a really nice touch.
I adapted his logo into a horizontal format and added gouache elements for his blog header.
In addition to developing the logo for his portfolio, blog, Facebook and Twitter, I had the logo made into a stamp at Casey's Rubber Stamps on E. 11th street in the city. Todd will be stamping these guys directly onto the CD packaging for his clients.
I wrapped up the stamps and sent them off to Todd for his keeping.
These are the final promotional pieces that Todd sent to me. Including a business card with a full bleed on the back side, the CD packaging, and his promotional postcard.
Todd is great photographer in Cleveland and would be a great for shooting your wedding, engagement or new baby pictures. Check out his work here. And, again, thanks Todd for collaborating on this project with me!
If anyone is looking for a rebrand of their business, I would be happy to talk!
Thanks mom!
1. Sending me (and my 2 older sisters) to an all-girls catholic school as a single mother, where I learned to be myself and to pursue the arts.
2. For dealing with me when I had a meltdown in the grocery store over fudge popsicles. I was old enough and should have known better.
3. Again, supporting me to attend Parsons to support me in the arts.
4. For putting herself first to pursue career goals, showing me by example to put your education first.
Two weekends ago, I was walking around Williamsburg when I remembered my co-worker, Jessica, mention this cool shop that is off of Bedford between N4th and N5th. I wandered around the small interior 'mall' of shops and found Me Me Antenna. After seeing all the pretty things, my eyes locked with this beauty and I knew I had to have it.
Mr. Fox Photographer in a Bow Tie- Thank You Cards, set of 10 cardsNow available here in my etsy shop. 10 Cards for $18.
Wow. I didn't mean to abandon my blog for a month and a half now. Sorry readers! March was a month of visitors, my mom and my best friend from back home in Ohio, Adrienne. My cousin Neal also came into New York for a brief stay. I also routed on my sister to complete her first half marathon. She did a really great job! I also just completed a branding job for a wedding photographer that I will tell you more about when the end products are in a more 'live' state online. So, I think April is a nice time to catch my breath and get back into what I love doing.
Before all the craziness hit in March, I got a hold of one of Tom's men's fashion books and I fell in love with the men's shoes. Something about men's shoes really catches my attention. The buckles, the wingtips, the colorblocking. These sketches came out of that obsession.
A little something from my sketchbook. Hope you spent it with someone you love.
You might notice the new Pinterest + Instagram links on the right hand column. I did some house cleaning with the links to the right. Feel free to check them out. I am now living in this century with an iPhone, thanks to a wonderful Christmas gift from Tom.
