J is for Jaguar

I keep going back and forth with the gender of this one, but I think I'm going to take my friend Marisa's advice and go with a unisex name. I like the name Jaden, but am open to changing it if anyone has any suggestions. =)

the study

the sculpture

the drawing

the vector graphic

jaguar maquette

I'll be doing a jaguar next, and here's the maquette. I think she's a lady, so let me know if you think of any good female "J" names. Thanks!

Byron the Bullfrog

I finished the collage for Byron today...

(To view the study, sculpture, drawing, and vector graphic for this portrait, please view a previous post.)




The challage from last time was to make the animal's environment engaging so that it tells or begs a story. In this story, Byron is the hunter, and the moth is his prey. I think this is a good start, but it's still too commonplace. I need to think of the animal as a character in a fun and quirky story...

At 10 weeks in, I'm also finding that the novelty of this project has worn off. I might not feel very excited or confident about what I'm doing every day. I guess that's natural though.

Recap from this portrait:

Lesson - Inspiration is around the corner, so just keep working and stay positive
Discovery - Patterned fabrics can really affect the mood of the portrait
Challenge - Write a story for the animal before starting the sculpture

Thank you for all your suggestions so far. Please keep em' coming! They really do help me. =)

B is for Bullfrog

What with getting all the designs and files ready for card printing, I've fallen a little behind with Byron, but I'm sure I'll catch up soon! Here's what I have so far:

the study

the sculpture

the drawing

the vector graphic

I'm not sure when I'll be finished with the collage, but I hope to make some good progress today. Hopefully I'll catch up on Monday, cuz I'm ready to relax this weekend! =)

Card Printing Time

Here are a few of the new card designs I've done in the last couple months. I'll have a new catalog to share with you all soon, now with a grand total of 30 designs!

Happy Friday!

I am ohhhn track. Yesterday, I finished the sculpture of Byron the Bullfrog, and I'm doing the drawing today.

I even had time to write 2 letters and design a new card (will be going to print in a couple of weeks!)



Thanks for tuning in. =)

fun with organic material

I picked some leaves and petals a few months ago and pressed them between the pages of a heavy book. When I retreived them yesterday, I was happy to see that the colors were still pretty vibrant. With more time, they might fade away, but that would only be natural.


It's fun to look at the shapes of the leaves and imagine something new from them. It makes sense that plants and animals would share similar forms. It touches on the idea that everything is connected, and that ultimately, we're all made from the same stuff.


Organic material is just so beautiful, and I would love to become more familiar with this medium. It's not as pliable as paint, or even fabric, so I don't think it's possible to ever fully harness it. Instead of designing something and using the material to execute, you have to let the material lend itself to a design. But, in that way, I think you end up having more of a partnership with the material. It's more limiting, but also more satisfying.