Portrait of a Lady in Blue

Often when I am asked to do a semi-permanent sign, I try to focus on animals or food items. I am making signs for a grocery store, after all. Occasionally, however I draw people or flowers. I have been redesigning the signage for our floral section the last few weeks, so I felt inclined to draw a portrait of a lady with flowers.

a lady in blue

This illustration will be featured on the reverse of one of our display “end caps” and will be a semi-permanent fixture in the store. I plan to draw another lady in a different color scheme opposite her.

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Cheeseboard Signage: Work in Progress

I was asked to create signage for our cheese department. There are many ways to “build a cheese board” and sometimes those choices can be overwhelming. I tried to make a fun sign that could guide customers and work with any budget.

The tools of the trade

Nearly finished, some chalk lines erased

As you can see, I am working directly on this farmhouse-style wooden paddle (purchased at Michael’s craft store) using Posca brand paint markers. These markers are the best markers for what I do, in my opinion. They come in a range of sizes and colors and they have replaceable nibs.

For every painted sign of any size, I always do a preliminary sketch on paper and sketch out the design using white chalk. As the paint drys and I get further through the design, I wipe away the chalk while the paint stays in place.

Custom Wedding Chalkboards

I am so excited to share these new custom pieces for a wedding with you!

I was recently asked to make chalkboards for a wedding. Each chalkboard was hand-drawn by Yours Truly. I am quite pleased with how these have turned out!

These were a joy to make and are something that I look forward to making for other happy couples in the future. Please enjoy this lovely piece featuring a quote from Julia Child. I really love this quote AND how this piece came out.

Hand-Lettered Chalkboards for Weddings

I also really liked how the Bar Menu board came out. This is something that can be easily customized for different venues and …well, menus! The wedding reception was held at the BEAUTIFUL Downtown Market in Grand Rapids, MI. One of my favorite places in the city!

 

Hand-Lettered Chalkboards for Weddings

I also really liked how the Menu board came out. I had a lot of fun experimenting with different fonts for this board. The menu is something that can be easily customized for different venues and …well, menus!

 

Detail shot of the Julia Child quote. I am so pleased that the bride and groom chose such a lovely quote to write for them. They said they may even hang this piece in their kitchen!