Little English Houses

I mentioned having a new obsession? I found these two little porcelain houses at the thrift store. Aren't the subdued colors elegant? They are stamped "Mudlen End Studio, Felsham Suffolk, England." They're just the right size to lurk on the edges of my bookshelves, for now. They might find a new home later on.

Pumpkins' Process

Fall weather has come to Portland with a vengeance. And by vengeance, I mean raining ridiculously. Can you tell I don't like it much? While I do like autumn, in all its sweet, mellow glory, the rain bums me out. Especially because we had about eight weeks of summer this year and no spring. But enough complaints about that (for now).

I'm excited to have "during" and "finished" pictures of a little art project to share. It's not a really big deal project or anything, only a bit of me putting pen to paper for my own pleasure.

Pumpkin sketch in progress:


Pumpkins colored in:


As I said, not a big deal, just a bit of fun that made me smile and think of the good things about fall. While I wish the picture quality was a little better, I don't wish it enough to get out my camera and set up proper lighting. I do like things that reduce the barrier to getting things done, like my laptop's camera and my phone. As I get used to the idea of not taking "perfect" pictures, you may see me post more often, ha ha.

A Rising Obsession

I'm more and more obsessed with representations of houses lately. The other day, I got the urge to do some pen-to-paper drawing (take THAT, shiny little Mac!) and like a mashed potato-frenzied Richard Dreyfuss, I found myself drawing cottage after cottage. This is the first, rendered in a rapid sketchy style with something less than reverence for line and perspective, but still somehow satisfying.

The Hippies Were Right - Illustration

This remains one of my most favorite of all the illustrations I've ever done and I'd really like to do more like it. Editorial illustration is tremendously fun, not to mention challenging. See this piece in context here.

Things To Do In April

1. Put one thing in the discard pile every day.
2. Pick a design book from my shelf and go through it with sketchbook in hand. Inspiration, I invite thee in.
3. Re-establish an exercise routine. Bike. Walk. Stretch.
4. Figure out what I want to say, who I want to say it to, how I want to say it, and where to say it.

I need to get this blogging thing sussed out. As I grow as a graphic designer, I'd like an informal way to communicate with separate but possibly overlapping communities: people whose work/lives/play inspire me, people who find my stuff interesting, and people who are interested in hiring me to do work for them. That may mean a more formal blog attached to my website or maybe continuing here. We shall see.