Touching base and PPF

I'm posting this a bit early for PPF, as I've got a heavy load of homework, including writing a formal report for my first lab in Biology this semester.  Oy!  Although it's proving to be a very challenging semester, I am enjoying it alot thus far.  For one thing, my schedule for both school and work is the best it's been, which allows me to balance out homework, work-study and my illustration work in a more productive manner.

The piece above is a Valentine card illustration I'm continuing to work on.  It may not make it to the shop for this year but maybe later on for a more general greeting card for "Love", "Wedding", etc.  :)

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Sunday Sketches

My first week of Spring semester classes has officially come and gone - let me tell you how incredibly busy it was, too!  For example, after my second day of Biology class, we were given our first take home exam.  Oy!

With that said, the stack of custom orders are still on my desk and waiting for my magical touch.  The illustration above is to represent a young black lady who is a baker.  There's a few more areas I'd like to fine-tune but I'm really loving where this one is going and can't wait to color it in.

I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone this weekend!  Happy Sunday Sketches!  :)

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Sunday Sketches

It's another wonderful week of doodles and whatnot and I'm really excited!  I look forward to Sunday Sketches, pulling up a chair with a hot cuppa in hand, visiting everyone.  Each of you have become such an intricate part of my life.  I'm so blessed and my heart couldn't be happier.  Uh huh.

Above is one of the many custom orders I've been trying to knock-out this past week with everything else going on.  You can see my finished product (which is a greeting card) along with the step-by-step.  This piece pushed me a little past my comfort zone with adding some significant line-work in order to produce a more realistic feel of a patch of purple and pink hyacinths.  My customer is thrilled and this particular painting is on it's way to Maryland for her special friend.

Happy Sunday Sketches to each and every one of you!

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This week's participants:
Please sign-up below to submit your sketch for this week, which will also allow others to stop and visit.

PPF and healing

It's been a long week filled with sickness and frustration in my creative world.  As many of you know, I fell very ill while on our honeymoon in London and felt I was finally on my feet, only to be stricken with sickness once again this week.  Apparently the antibiotics I was given then wasn't enough  to fully kick what I had and it returned full force.  Thus, I've been so sickly and discouraged this week as I've many custom orders to finish fulfilling.  Sigh.  Please do keep me in your thoughts and prayers as on top of this, I'm scheduled to resume my undergrad studies this coming week and my semester will be the most intense studies yet.

Please enjoy the process of my "peace" WIP.  This is one of the many custom orders I'm (trying) to fulfill before next week.  There are two different versions of this particular illustration and I'll soon reveal which one my customer chose.  :)

Happy Friday, everyone!

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For more wonderful PPF artwork, please visit here.

More LOVE, please.

More LOVE in 2014.  Uh huh.  Continuing to reflect upon this personal theme and how it motivates me to be the best I can be this coming year, I find myself returning back to the core of what is truly LOVE.   This morning, while sitting here cozied up on the sofa, watching the snow gently tumble down, I'd like to focus on one of the many parts of LOVE and what it can do. 

SELF-LOVE:  The instinct or desire to promote one's own well-being; regard for or love of one's self.  Sense of personal worth and ability that is fundamental to an individual's identity. 

Life is filled with challenges and difficulties which, at times, take us by surprise, knocking us so low we feel as if we'll never recover.  Waking up and facing the day becomes such a chore, we soon shut the windows and doors, refusing to allow LOVE in to transform and heal our heart once again.

Life stinks sometimes.  Yep, it’s true.  It certainly does.  Take it from muwah, a survivor and over-comer of abuse and broken situations which sought to destroy me from who I was meant to be - my destiny!  But you know what?  Despite the hurt.  Despite the pain.  Despite the anger which could have easily destroyed me permanently, I dug down deep in my heart and found what little LOVE I had left and fought to stay alive.  I fought for me!  I wrestled with every "demon," abuse can leave on a child, an individual.  I found that SELF-LOVE once again and won!  Oh yeah! 

I'm not saying it's easy but what I am saying is that each of us have the power and inner-strength to choose to fight, win and LOVE once again.  I deserve it.  YOU deserve it.  So, what are you waiting for?  Get up and LOVE yourself again!  You have a life of LOVE and opportunity waiting to be discovered!  :)

Sunday Sketches

It's been a few days since arriving home from London and we're slowly settling back in to the daily routine of life in a quaint, little town of Colorado.  It was wonderful getting to travel abroad for the first time, meeting Michael's family and spending some time on our own to celebrate our new life together.  Do I miss London?  You betcha!  However, it's nice to be home, spending time with our family and friends.

The illustration above was inspired by our lovely and exquisite time at The Ritz in London, where we had Christmas Tea.  There was beauty all around - from the holiday decorations, to the china, to the the ladies strolling through in gorgeous gowns and dresses.  My evening with Mr. Toast was all a girl could ever hope and dream for!

Happy Sunday Sketches!

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This week's participants:
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PPF - London Inspiration

The blue sky is trying to peek through the grey clouds this early morning.  As I look out the window gazing upon the row of houses behind our home here in our quaint, little town of Colorado, it reminds me of the darling, cozy homes lined up behind the perfect hotel we stayed at in London this past week for our honeymoon.  Ahhh, I do miss London very much so but am reminded of the many things here back home in which I do love and have missed while away.

Things such as my adorable doggie, beautiful sunsets/sunrises over the majestic mountain peaks, my creative corner and of course - our family and friends here.  Where would we be without them?  :)

So, as I continue to settle back in with the normal chores, etc, please do enjoy another one of my many inspired sketches/paintings from our fabulous three week trip to London.

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For more wonderful PPF artist, make sure to stop over here.  Happy Friday!

LOVE BIG in 2014

Over the past few days, I've been reflecting on what my focus for 2014 would and should be as a newly married woman, step-mom, illustrator and full-time college student. After reading through several inspirational blogs, such as Susan over at 29 Black Street, and spending a considerable amount of time drinking tea while mulling over a handful of words (uh huh, you bet I did!) my heart settled on the word, LOVE.

I recently heard a speaker talk about new year resolutions and how many individuals often fail to complete them, purely due to setting such expectations too high.  He suggested instead of making a list of things to accomplish, why not just focus on one thing? Hearing this, I turned to Michael and mentioned how I really liked Susan's idea of choosing one word for the entire year.  This approach allows an individual to focus on the word, shifting their life around it, rather than one's life around every single resolution made, only to fail in the end.

We all fail at times in our lives, of course, and such situations allow us to grow.  However, we can grow from a myriad of things rather than waiting to fail.  For example, my word - LOVE.  What comes to mind when you hear this particular word?  For me, I hear many powerful mini-words behind it.  Such as, empowerment, passion, devotion, respect and so forth.  The thing I LOVE (ooh!  there it is again!) about this word is that I can not only allow it touch my own life in various ways but can allow it to move through me to touch and inspire those around me as well.  LOVE is endless and can change lives.  LOVE is contagious.  LOVE is healing, to you and others.  LOVE can and will inspire...if you let it into your own heart.  LOVE yourself and you'll find you'll LOVE others just as much, if not more!

Sunday Sketches from London :)

Hello everyone and WELCOME to another wonderful week of sketching, doodling and anything creative!  Uh huh.  :)

We've had a fabulous time here in London (despite me being sick for half of the 3 weeks here) and are preparing to return home in just a few days.  I hope everyone has had a wonderful week.  I look forward to seeing what each of you have been up to and how your new year has unfolded thus far.

I've got a small sketch book full of new card/illustration ideas and look forward to designing some new cards, etc, before resuming my college classes for the Spring semester.  Happy Sunday!  :)

Grab the Sunday Sketches button here.

This week's participants:
Please sign-up below to submit your sketch for this week, which will also allow others to stop and visit.

Paint Party Friday from London!

I'm so happy to participate in this week's PPF.  Especially after being sick in bed - in London, no less!  This is supposed to be my 3-week honeymoon and I've spent over a week of it in bed horribly ill.  I was finally able to get in to see a doctor here in London and am now on antibiotics and hopefully, a full recovery!  :)

Above is one of the many fun things I've seen here in England.  I've got so many ideas to sketch and paint from my trip here and look forward to sharing them with you.  Until then, happy Friday!

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For more PPF, please visit here.