Inspirational Quote: You’re a Lion

I have recently started re-watching the show 30 Rock. I think it is a well-written show with some very funny moments. When my playlist just won’t do, I put it on while I am working on projects.

I made this “inspirational” illustration while watching an episode last night where Jack is psyching himself up for a big presentation. This was one of the things that he said to himself in the mirror: “You’re a lion, take what’s yours.” I thought it was sound advice.

 

This drawing was made using pen and ink, Prismacolor grey markers ranging from 20 %to 80%

“You’re a lion, take what’s yours” Jack Donaghy

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Typography Illustration: Do Your Best

Hand-Lettering is a BIIIG part of my life. It seems like every day I have a new lettering project that I am working on. Some projects are client-driven, while others are ones that I take on myself. This illustration was an exercise in not only doing the work, but documenting it and photographing the steps.

I chose the phrase “do your best” for this illustration because I want to encourage others to strive to do the best they can do with their art.

I wanted to show my followers on Instagram the steps I take in completing the inking of a typographic piece. I always start with a pencil sketch. I generally use mechanical pencils for their precise line and easy erasing.

Once the lines are finalized, I go over them with ink. I use a variety of pen sizes and types.

Start to finish: counter-clockwise from top left.

I wait a short while for the ink to dry and then use a soft, white eraser to erase the pencil lines. This is sometimes the hardest part! Be careful to let the ink dry, though, as it can smear and ruin your drawing!

I added stippling after adding the bold ink outline.

After the ink has dried, you can add other embellishments like hatching, cross hatching, or stippling to add contrast. I think I will color this piece, but I will leave that for another time!

 

If Only In My Dreams

We’ve been listening to Christmas songs at work for about a month now. I think I have heard every possible variation of every classical Christmas song ever produced for radio. One that has been sticking in my head lately is “I’ll be Home for Christmas” by Bing Crosby, perhaps because this is the first Christmas that I WON’T be going “home” to Michigan. I was so fortunate to be able to go home three times this past year but, unfortunately, I do not have any additional paid-time-off to use.

While I will not be traveling to Michigan this holiday season, I will certainly be thinking of the Great Lakes State. I put together a collection of my Michigan postcards and hung it up today. “I’ll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams!”

Love is in the Air

Love Embroidery

Valentines Day is just a little over a week away. I can’t believe how fast this year is going already!

Heart Embroidery

If you’re looking for a great gift to give that special someone in your life, mosey on over to my online shop… I’ve added a few new items that might make great gifts. If you don’t need a gift for your Valentine, perhaps you have a friend in need of a housewarming gift, a birthday, or a spring wedding to attend. These embroideries make lovely, unique gifts for anybody. If they strike your fancy, click on the links below the picture for more information.

Lovely Chickens Embroidery

These embroideries make great additions to a home, office, dorm room, and more… they are lightweight yet durable and can hang on most any wall!

**SPECIAL BONUS: Any orders placed during the month of February get a free “LOVE” postcard with their order.

Terrarium

I noticed that this little guy was shown in one of my earlier posts, but I hadn’t shared him with y’all yet. So here you go!

This is Terrarium that I made not too long ago. It is made with eco-Felt, wool felt balls, embroidery thread, ribbon, cotton gingham, and some acrylic paint. The jar is a recycled/up-cycled jar with tiny handles on the sides. It’s a really lovely piece that is actually for sale at the Handmade Galleries in LA.  This is one of my favorite terrariums to date. It’s nice and big and is quite lovely. Each flower (felt ball) is hand embroidered with painstaking detail and is nestled amongst leaves of grass. There are three unique flowers inside the terrarium as well as one small flower on the outside of the terrarium (on the bow). Green grass is even painted on the bottom of the jar to give it even more dimension.

I hope you like this piece as much as I do.

Happy Chinese New Year

I’m sure you’ve  heard it’s the year of the Dragon! Happy Lunar New Year!

This lunar new year started off with a rainy day here in So Cal, but I hear that water is lucky for dragons…besides we needed the rain. Here’s to the best of luck and good fortune to you in this lucky Dragon year!

My Artwork on Burbank Life Website

My artwork was featured on the Burbank Life’s website! They had a nice write-up and selection of photographs from the Piece Riot Art Show. Pretty Neat-o!

They had a brief write-up for the show and several pictures taken during the show. There was a great selection of work on the site, and my artwork is there twice! How cool!

And yes, that is my work in the corner of this picture next to Kevin S. and his “Club Kevin” artwork.

Art On Display

Here is a view of my work on display at the gallery in Burbank!

Power Blue and Pendants? Yes PLEASE!

Each piece shown here was handmade, drawn, painted, or screen-printed by me. Everything was/is made with love and care, and an extreme attention to detail. This space measures about 10 by 10 feet, although this photograph cuts off a bit of the right-hand side.

I think that everything looks really great! The blue paint for the wall was perfect (I mixed it myself)! One of my friends even said “Page, whenever I see that color blue, I think of you!”

Stay tuned for more pictures soon!

Love Birds Finished

I finished the “Love Birds” Painting! I am so pleased with how these pieces on wood turned out. I am really excited to hang this and my other pieces in the gallery! I’ll be sure to show the full painting soon.

Detail shot of the heart and birds from my “Love Birds” painting.

Wood TV8 Feature

My ArtPrize Project was part of a small feature on WoodTV8’s website.

Check out the feature for my work HERE.

There are 23 slides in the slideshow, and my work is on 2 slides. How cool is that!?

Thank you to my Mom’s friend for finding the feature for me!