Playing with Logos

Making a logo for a friend's awesome new website. These are what I am playing with and its really fun. Its basically a site about writers and book related events in New York. Soo I am playing with all sorts of ideas and we will see if any of them are what they are looking for. Either way I am pretty happy with the preliminary logos.

Everything and the Kitchen Sink

I bought a small travel watercolor set to test out. I decided to use it on this illo and it looks ok. I think if I spent more time working with watercolor I might like it better. I am just so used to gouache and it honestly scans better. Anyway, we shall see. I might just give the watercolor set away, but you cannot hate something if you never try it...which isn't true at all so never mind.

Winnie's cake includes: hot dog, banana, jelly beans, spatula, cheese doodles, and potato chips!

IF: Sink

Holiday Slog

I am feeling a little overwhelmed right now. We are supposed to be moving this week...yes, this week, but does our apartment look like we are planning to move? Do the cats seem anxious? No. In fact, we are still waiting to hear that we can move in and we have keys or contract...this is extremely unnerving. Only in New York, really, I think that is the biggest downfall of living here. The insane things that go on in this market where people bring 4000 cash just to secure an apartment to rent, where making a quick decision is almost waiting too long, and where negotiating means you lose the apartment.
We are just moving across the hall, but its still moving. We are going to the yearly tornado of holiday events. We take a bus down to VA to have dinner with JJ's Dad and step mom--->from there go to Oxford, NC for extended fam time---->California, MD to see JJ's mom and step dad----> back to NY and on the same day we get in have dinner and jazz concert with JJ's dad and step mom. This is not a week trip, but 23rd-27th. I cannot tell you how tired it makes me to think about it.
A couple of exciting thing to negate all this negative chatter: I bought all gifts this holiday from Peru or from small vendors in the USA.
I have a meeting with a literary agent in January. This is exciting because I lost my agent recently (who was not a literary agent) and went to see two literary agents who did not really see my books going anywhere. I find it frustrating that my book is less re-readable than a book called "good night ipad." I was showed this book and all I could think was, this is not a children's classic nor will be be relevant in 5 years. Angry birds will not be vogue. I was told that: no one would reread a finding book (that must be why where's waldo never took off), a kid does not want to read a book about getting dressed for school when they are about to go to sleep (no joke, she said that), and there was not enough of a plot. So, it will be nice to meet with someone else. Even if this other person cannot see how to sell this book at least I will feel like I am trying.
I am cleaning house of art, which feels very good. I put tons of prints on etsy because I have too much back stock, I put ceramics on etsy that I painted recently, and I just finished a commission painting of whales.
I am excited to move and next year: get published somehow, do some craft fairs with another great design duo, pay a lot of money for a full website overhaul that will give me a blog-store-pholio all in one place, do a kick starter for tea towels, and last but not least work on a book of illustrated recipes from celebrity chefs...after I pitch it to the chefs in question.

Right now I am in the process of testing out a recipe I invented called Holiday Snog Bread. If it turns out well it will be another illustrated recipe. Fingers crossed.

Now off to get packing and divesting.

Frenchy French

A little something because I should not be sitting around watching netflix and not have something to show for it. I wanted to start drawing something every day, but this seems unrealistic as some days I leave at 5am and get home at 8pm and then have to go to sleep by 9....so

Anyway, this is a little concept for another children's book about a little chef. The idea is that she cooks in other peoples kitchens because her mother does not think she is old enough to be cooking. She has a frenchie and uneven pony tails. She is not good at a lot of other things, but she is a great cook! So, while I have not gotten the other two books off the ground I am starting another one. I know this is silly, but I figure I will work on submitting the other two to a book contest and then self publish if I have to. I think it will be cute because I do love to draw kitchens and I have an entire pinterest dedicated to them.

Hoping I have some time to cram in some drawing tomorrow.

Sleeves!!!!

New sleeves!

Yay, stocking stuffers for all.

Keep em' Separated

Based on actual events....all the time

IF: Separated

Because its funny

Just a little something.

Squirrel holiday sticker labels

Stickers! These custom stickers measure at about 2 x 2.5 and are really beautiful. Yay stickers!! They are now available on etsy!

Holiday Treats

Here are two new commissions of some really cute animals! I love the holidays because everyone wants to give the gift of animal portraits.

Horseradish Cauliflower Mash

Holiday recipe contest. Yay!!!

The month that keeps on giving

Writing about the last few months seems completely impossible based on the things that have occurred...I can hardly keep it all straight. I am going to try and sum it all up in a list format....just for the sake of efficiency

1. marathon 1 Portland: great trip was supposed to end with marathon, but for me, it ended with a 10 ml fail and sad charrow

2. Iron and Wine viewed at the distance a 15 year old would approve of...smashed against the front fence, and we actually were sandwiched between teens who clearly had heard the twilight sound track. And yes, we did feel too old.

3. finished another book....but still have to figure out what to do with it. Going to enter a book contest and if that is a no go I will do some self publishing.

4. Signed up for the Philadelphia marathon...because I'm dumb (but I finished and it goes on the list of crazy things I've done)

5. Went to Peru and Ecuador...and still need to upload illustrations and photos

6. Started closing on an apartment we found. We were going to be owners!!

7. said apartment fell through

8. crap...where are we going to live?

9. probably will sublet across the hall...literally...for another year while we look for something new. The pros of this other place: it has sun, faces the back, and the kitchen was redone! No more black counters...which are gross.

10. entered contests for holiday recipe, card contest, CMYK Mag, Comm Arts, and maybe a few more...good bye money

Im sure there is more, but it feels like more than enough. Being busy is good, but I feel completely run down. I have not run in a few days because I have some head cold which makes it hard enough to breath while sitting.

I have to fit in all the divesting and packing with teaching classes and working...not to mention xmas. It was so much easier when I could ignore xmas. I viewed from the outside and thought what a pretty holiday it was. I loved the lights and candles and it was such a beautiful thing that I could work on a holiday I did not celebrate and get paid time and a half....oh those days. Now I see what this holiday feels like from the inside. It is stressful. It involves spending money you don't have and if you decide to break the mold and not spend money...well then you are the jerk who didn't buy people things. And instead of spending money you end up getting neatly packaged guilt.

I do pretty well on the holidays, which is the flip side of things. I sell a lot of commissions, prints, and cards. I think this time of year is partly what keeps me feeling like I can do this for a living. Its not that I do not do well the rest of the year, but December it all comes at once and keeps me busy. Likewise, this year, I bought most of the gifts in Peru and Ecuador to small vendors and then the rest came from one person companies. In fact, even most of my major vendors are small businesses.

People you should support:

eviro totes - They are a woman owned, woman run, american company operating out of New Hampshire. They have bottle cotton (100% post consumer bottle plastic) and a recycled cotton made 80% post production cotton and 20% bottle cotton. They print on site and do custom anything. They make my totes, wine totes, java jackets, and soon they will be making my tea towels....those will come next year. I might make a kick starter for it.

Sticker Mule - they make custom stickers. I get my squirrel wearing a bow tie stickers from them and soon!!! I will be getting sticker labels for Christmas and Hanukkah packages. The stickers are not shiny and are vinyl, which makes them classy and sturdy. I have gotten personal thank you's from the company for using them and that makes me feel special. They do a bunch of other things, which I have yet to take advantage of such as skins and die cuts...but clearly at some point a die cut squirrel is in order. In fact, if you think you might want a skin for your lap top, ipad, iphone, or kindle...let me know :)

If you do want stickers you can get $10 bucks off by using this link.

Ok, off to make some cards and get ready to move