The other night I had an Arrested Development netflix marathon keep me company while I worked on some website edits; I ended up staying up way too late but now my blog is looking tidier and and more in line with my main website. Part of the process involved going back through all my old blog posts - here's how my site looked in 2009 and 2006. Personally, I'm loving this new clean look! Hope you do, too. Suggestions are always welcome. :)
I'm so happy to be working with PeaceLove, an organization that is a creative voice for mental illness. Amazingly, 1 in 4 americans suffers from a diagnosable mental illness, but 2/3 of them won't get the help they need because of stigma. PeaceLove is building a positive symbol of hope and acceptance for mental illness, fostering conversations that bring this issue into the light, and bringing relief through creative arts experiences. This illustration is inspired by their tagline "Create Peace of Mind", and shows a peaceful scene being created by art supplies.
Lots more PeaceLove work to come - we've been busy!
Sometimes I find a simple, repetitive project is just what I need. This patterned wall wasn't very difficult, but the act of repeating the same brush strokes over and over required focus and patience. It's a nice way to balance too much time spent in front of a computer, and now I have a nice accent wall to look at every time I come home. If you'd like to create one of your own you can follow this tutorial.
(detail)
(in progress shots)
I spent a couple days with my friend Stephanie hanging fabric in one of the kids' classrooms at Renaissance to create a fun fabric canopy. We used some lightweight gauzy fabrics in light colors to to make the tall, industrial space feel a little cozier while still letting some light through. Here are some in-progress shots, with a finished shot last:
One of my lovely wedding clients, Nadine, was kind enough to send me a shot of her wedding invitation suite all assembled and ready to mail. I love how she used some simple rustic materials like burlap and raffia to really personalize the suite and make it her own. Thanks, Nadine! Take a look at the rest of the Tree Branches collection here.
Even though I've been keeping busy working on some exciting projects in the past several weeks, I haven't been able to share anything with you yet because everything is still in progress. So instead, I'll share a project I finished at my old job, a complete publication design for StyleWeek Northeast called "LOOK." It was a truly enjoyable process - I loved creating a showcase for these very talented designers and the entire team was great to work with. From the beginning, we knew we wanted the design to be clean and simple. The designers each had distinct styles that were all across the board, so the consistent page elements needed to be able to work with both bold and subtle aesthetics. Here are some shots of some of my favorite pages and details:
I'm super excited to share my latest project with you - just the process in itself has been fun, but what really makes it special is the meaning behind it. A few weeks ago, my friend Tino asked if I would help design a tee shirt to raise money for a family in our church that we love dearly. They are honestly some of the most loving, welcoming people I have ever met, and I can't wait to see their dream come true. They are working towards adopting two girls from Haiti, Magella (10) and Darline (11). I knew I wanted to create something really special for them... one night as I was falling asleep this image of a ship floating through a starry sky popped into my head. I loved it instantly. Here's what the idea turned into:
I wanted this to be something special and meaningful for the family and the girls who will soon be home with them, but also a message of hope for everyone. This is the first time I've ever designed a tee shirt, and to be honest it was a little intimidating! But I really love how it came out and I hope you do, too.
So, what happens next? We are selling pre-orders of the tee, with a goal to sell 200 by our deadline. When we reach our goal, the tees will go into production and will be mailed directly to everyone who pre-ordered. All the profits will go straight to the Gibb family's adoption fund, which helps cover the cost of the very expensive process of adoption. These are really high quality, silkscreened tees and I hope you'll consider buying one for yourself, and a few more for gifts! :) There are only 10 days left, so please consider helping out by buying a "Dreams Do Come True" tee.
Update: I'm so happy to announce that we exceeded our goal and ended up reaching 311 tees! Thanks so much to everyone who helped.
As a budget-conscious artist, I love being able to offer functional works of art in the form of these handmade pillow covers. They're some of my best-sellers, so you all must love them too! Here's a behind the scenes look at the process of making them:
Step one: cut, iron, pin (and sew) fabric for pillow backs.
Step two: cut fabric for pillow fronts.
Step three: prep labels.
Step four: pin together pillow front and back pieces.
Step five: sew!
The best part is turning the pillow right-side-out. Love that feeling of finishing a project! If you'd like to get a pillow cover of your own, you can pick one out from my etsy shop.
For the past three years, I have worked for Providence Media, a local company that publishes four regional monthly magazines as well as a couple annuals and a smattering of other projects throughout the year. It was my first job after graduating from RISD, and in January 2011 I was promoted to art director, an amazing opportunity that I am so thankful for. I've had the opportunity to collaborate with some great people, get a ton of experience, and make a LOT of magazines. This grid is missing a handful of covers and projects, but it still gives a good representation of everything we worked on. I could not have done this without my incredible team... going to miss them so much!
So, what's next? I've taken a position with PeaceLove Studios and will be helping them out with illustration/design. I'll also be devoting a lot more time to freelance work, including my new adventure alli coate weddings, and making more art & such for my etsy shop. I can't even tell you how excited I am - it still feels like a dream! Stay tuned, friends. :)
This month, I illustrated a feature for Providence Monthly that highlights the variety of dining options on Thayer Street in Providence, RI. Since the illustrations would take up a bulk of the page layout and visual interest, I chose a vibrant color palette - while still keeping it limited to three colors to maintain a cohesive look. Enjoy!
