IF - rejection

I was able to work on my entry for this week's IF challenge yesterday, while my daughter spent some quality time with my husband for Father's Day. They went to see Ocean's Thirteen and both liked it. It's nice that she is able to go see more adults movies now (we've moved out of the kiddie shows!)

The theme of the week - rejection - was a good chance to try something more conceptual. I wanted the characters to have empty faces and do the piece in a nuetral color palette to evoke the feeling of rejection. I also had them facing apart for the same reason. I used a section of the Help Wanted pages for the background and I added the squiggle lines at the bottom to ground the piece and also to give the essence of blah, blah, blah.

new website

Well, I did it! I got my new website up and running. I still am uploading some images and tweeking it a bit, but it's pretty well finished. Check it out ninasevenillustrations.com

I also signed up for a portfolio on Portfolios.com to get some more exposure for my work. Wish me luck!

IF - suit

A quick illo for this week's IF theme - suit. I think I am addicted to doing these challenges! I can't seem to not do it each week! I love it thought, it's so much fun to see the theme each Friday, think about all the possibilites, then create it, hopefully, exactly how you envisioned it. I'm really grateful to Penelope for starting this site...what a great community of people with the same passion.

new website banner

I'm super busy right now -lots of card orders for my greeting card line, stamp designs to draw and ink and of course the usual stuff of life, but I am trying (in my spare time) to start a website for my illustration work. I'd thought I would share this banner I designed for it. I won't be sure if it's a go until I get it on the site, but I like it so far!

IF - your paradise

My paradise is made up of the simple things in life that make me happy. I couldn't fit all of my favorite things on an illo, so I chose just a few to illustrate IF's theme of the week. I decided to use beachy tropical colors to give it a more traditional paradise feel. Sometimes it's easy to forget about the great little things that make up our everyday lives. When I saw the challenge for this week, I sat down and made a list and it was a good exercise for me, so I appreciate life's simple pleasures. What simple things make you happy? Make a list, choose to be happy!

(click on image to view it larger)

IF - cars

When I first saw the Illustration Friday theme of the week - cars, I was pretty clueless on what to do. I even thought of passing this one up, until I heard Springsten's 'Pink Cadillac' on the radio, coming home from the grocery store yesterday. A pink cadillac and all the groovy design elements from the 50"s? Who could ask for anything more?

sweet shop

I just finished this illo that I've been working on for a about a week. (off and on) I gave myself this challenge - to illustrate an article for a magazine, about where to go in the city for the best treats. I wanted to use a limited color pallette, make the background and images somewhat painterly and of course make it fun and hip. I pictured it in my mind before I began and pretty much accomplished what I had envisioned, which isn't always the case! I'd love feedback on this...positive and negative. Don't be afraid to say what you think!