Fabric Design Contest: Vote for ME!

I have submitted a design in Spoonflower’s “Fishing Lures” fabric design contest. The winning designs will be printed as designer fabric on a variety of fabric types! Too cool!

I created this design this summer. I was inspired by my father’s recent success fly fishing this summer, catching several large trout this season. I would love to use this fabric to make aprons or hot pads (for the cabin!)

If you like my design, please vote for it! Here’s how:

1. Go to Spoonflower’s Fishing Lures contest page.

2. Click on the vote icon next to my design.

3. Press the submit button to place your vote.

I believe that only one vote per person is counted, but please feel free to share the information if you like my design or others. Thank you!

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New Graphic Design Project

I am someone who always seems to be creating and working on one project or another; I always try to keep busy and improve upon my skills. I thought it would be fun to challenge myself and try to design something new. I’ve been working on new greeting card and print ideas lately, but I thought it would be nice to get a change of pace. As I have moved recently, I thought it was time for me to update my resume in a creative way.  I had two conditions to meet as part of my challenge:

1: To showcase my design skills along with my employment history in one document? I already have a “standard” resume with all the information needed, How hard could it be?

2: Could I create this project using more than one software, perhaps one that I feel I should use more frequently?

The results:

This is what I came up with: an cool updated resume! 

I created this project using Adobe Photoshop, Indesign, and Illustrator. The assorted clip art is sourced from vintage royalty-free printed materials. I’ve blurred out some personal information, but you can see that (even without that information) the piece is clear, concise, and informative. I job well done, if I do say so myself!

Breaking News

WE ARE MOVING!!!!!!!

Yes, you heard it right: we are moving. From Los Angeles to Western New York. In winter. In December. With two silly cats. While we have been talking of moving for a while now, I didn’t think it would sneak up on us so quickly!

While we’ve been told that moving in the middle of winter from sunny Southern California may not be the best idea, we’ve decided that the timing couldn’t be better! Fortunately we both have work lined up, which is part of the reason that we are moving now and not waiting for spring. I was able to transfer with my current job and they want me to start “yesterday”. They are excited to have me join the team here in Buffalo, which is amazing. My boyfriend also has a number of contract positions ready for him when we relocate. It’s so, so exciting!

We’ll be using a moving company to ship my car and our things that we can be without for a while, and then  we will each be flying with a couple checked bags and, of course, one cat*!  This is all very exciting news and I will be sure to keep you all posted!

*If you fly Southwest Airlines you are able to fly with your small pet in a carrying bag . They sit underneath the seat in front of you, just like a carry-on bag!

UPDATE 12/16/2013: I have arrived safely with Ferdinand the cat. We were picked up from the airport shortly after our arrival (I had to get my bags!) and my boyfriend’s dad took us to the apartment. Ferdinand was none too happy, but our family in the area was amazing and bought a makeshift litter box and some litter for the little guy and he was fine once that was set up and there was food in his bowl.  We need to wait until tomorrow to see if Leo and the Boyfriend arrive safely. I also need to wait until tomorrow to get Ferdinand more food. Not one for planning ahead, he immediately gobbled up everything I gave him.

Update 12/17/2013: Leo and the Boyfriend arrived safely. Leo was, of course, perfect the whole ride only complaining a bit when the plane was taking off or landing. He’s such a good little Dude. The only causality was that my Boyfriend found out upon arriving that his “Wacom Companion” charger got packed away with our moving truck. Hopefully we can pick up a spare one with out much trouble in the next few days.

New Unicorn Postcard Colors

One of my most popular postcard designs has gotten an upgrade!

I love the pink and white unicorn, but I felt a it needed a friend in complimentary colors. Unicorns aren’t all the same color anyways. Both designs are made from original pen and ink illustration and digitally colored. They are printed in the USA and are available in my Etsy shop, Pink Toe Press as separate and joint postcard packs! They are also available at Rocket Fizz Burbank. You can send them in the mail like a regular postcard (just add a stamp!) or they fit nicely in a frame or envelope.

Spilling the Beans: Inspiration Post Rocket Dog and Cat

I’ve had a lot of people ask me where I get my inspiration from. That is a hard question to answer for many artists and, many times, one illustration can be inspired by many different sources. I know some people who make work about their own experiences, others who are inspired by the programs and movies they watch, the foods they eat, and the list goes on and on. Many of my pieces are inspired by my love of animals and nature, history, food, and, well, my list goes on and on too! Today I thought I’d share my inspiration for my Retro Rocket Dog and Cat Prints.

When I was in college, my senior thesis project was inspired by vintage postage stamps and match boxes. I did a lot of research and made a series of prints featuring extremeophiles (animals and insects that can live in extremely hostile environments). My favorite extremeophile, the Waterbear, is able to survive in space! They are able to go in to a state of extreme hibernation and are able to be revived back to life by a drop of water. No kidding!

The famous Waterbear!

In researching other space-traveling animals, I found inspiration in Laika the Soviet Space Dog. She was the first animal to orbit the earth on November 3, 1957. She sadly died due to overheating of the spacecraft, but her story lives on in stamps, sculptures, books and more!

I love the idea of making a print inspired by a real animal who helped advance our knowledge of space travel and its effects on living things. I also love the design of old space crafts, so that was a no-brainer for me to design a print inspired by those. I’ve been hand-drawing retro-rockets on bags at my other job for over 3 years, making a screen print is the logical next-step!

Candy Bags make everyone smile, young and old! Every purchase comes in a hand-drawn rocket bag!

Retro-future rocket stamps!

Sputnik 2 was eye-catching, but I wanted something more flashy, so I gave my “Puppy Stardust” a different rocket inspired by retro-future illustrations of the late 50’s and 60’s. There were many designs I liked that were memorialized in stamps and postage, but my favorite rockets are the old Tin Toys that I’ve always coveted. Hoping that kids would like my design, I drew inspiration from those toys: their simple shapes and bright colors.

An assortment of retro Tin Toys.

And now you know where I got the hair-brained idea to make a Rocket Dog and Rocket Cat. I don’t know of any cats who orbited space, but as a Cat Mom of two silly cats, I thought it would be unfair to leave them out. The “Rocket Cat” design is inspired by my cat Ferdinand who, I think would make a fine AstroCat.

Retro Rocket Postcards

I am excited to share my newest project with you: Retro Rocket Postcards! These fun postcards feature a Dashing Dog and Curious Cat as astronauts in their own Space Ships!

These postcards all measure 4 x 6 inches and they are printed on AMAZING Cougar Paper which gives the postcards both an amazing weight and color.

They even have a space on the back for writing the recipient’s address and a handy icon so you know where your postage goes; it’s 33 cents for a card within the USA, $1.10 for anywhere else. These postcards are perfect for sending little letters to people all around the world!

NOW available as a 6-pack in my Etsy shop!

Sneak Peek of New Projects

Howdy! It’s been a while since we last chatted. I’ve been quite busy with work and also had family visiting, so I apologize for the delay.

A sneak peek of a new project! Stay tuned for more info!

I’ve been working on a few fun new projects recently and I’d love to share a sneak peek of one of the newest projects I am working on! This is a new drawing that I will be printing very soon! Stay tuned for more process photos and other sneak peeks of other projects in the same “series”!

A Record-Breaking NEW Project!

An ornate hand-painted letter “A”

Well, I’m not actually breaking records, I’m painting on them… As you all know, I love typography and I have an interest in traditional sign painting.

A close up.

This is my newest project: An ornate hand-painted capital “A” on an old record.  I painted this last night using acrylic inks on a record that was primed with a matte black spray-paint (the paints don’t adhere well to the vinyl alone). I love it when bright colors come together well on a black background, and I feel I pulled it off here. I can see myself making many, many more of these…

New Graphic Design Work for the Shop

Here are some fun new designs I put together for the shop. They are always looking for refreshed artwork and graphic design items (Business cards, posters, signs, etc.) and I created this button design for them this week.

Swanky new button design for Rocket Fizz!

I think I may make more of these to sell in the shop very soon.

I just love these button designs. I think I might put one on my motorcycle jacket. :-)

Retro Happy Birthday Card

Nothing says summer like a trip to the  fair or, if you’re near the beach, visiting the pier. I especially like taking a ride on the Ferris Wheel. Living in Los Angeles, I like visiting Santa Monica to see the pier; taking a shot at the arcades, riding the roller coaster, then taking a spin on the Ferris Wheel, looking out onto the beach. As fun as the other rides  are, the Ferris Wheel is my favorite; you get a great view of the ocean and the city.

The photograph on this card was taken on a recent visit to the pier, and I think it makes a splendid card. The colors are fantastic.