Happy Monday! After a crazy weekend out and about, seeing The Little Mermaid Live at the Hollywood Bowl and then visiting Disneyland on a surprisingly easy Sunday, I'm a bit tired but excited to dive into this week. I started with this quote that's always inspired me to stay on that grind from Charles Baudelaire – the full quote is "Inspiration comes of working every day."
Hold Up, They Don't Love You Like I Love You
For my final Mermay, I was inspired by Beyoncé's "Hold Up" music video and her look by Roberto Cavalli. The whole album, Lemonade, has really been speaking to me lately, both visually and lyrically. It's been fun to work on Mermaid-themed illustrations for the month of May, playing around with more complex ideas and simple visual ideas, and seeing all the things that are popping up in the #MerMay hashtag on Instagram!
Penelope and Pete
People often ask me which one of my pieces is my favorite, and my (probably somewhat useless) answer is always, "my latest one". I just finished this piece, Penelope and Pete, today, after a weeklong struggle with the original sketch.
After the journey, I'm so happy with where I landed, here with Penelope, a mermaid, and her seabird, Pete. Penelope is a big fan of human jewels and wearable treasures, and Pete is her best pal with a talent for scavenging the loveliest of accessories.
Delilah and Her Deep Sea Diver
I've had this idea for an illustration for a really long time now, a story of a mermaid in love with a deep sea diver, and I finally got a chance to paint it out. Some ideas are just demanding to become tangible, and this was definitely one of them. I read Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic earlier this year, and I especially liked the chapter about how ideas don't wait around forever for you and they'll move onto someone else if you don't pay it any attention. So I'm paying attention to all the stories in my head that want to be shared.
This is a love story that spans land and sea. Delilah, an orange and pink coral mermaid, is in love with a Deep Sea Diver, and how can she not be when he brings her a flower while collecting shells for study? He uses any excuse he can to see her, and she's more than happy to award him with a kiss for his chivalry.
P.S. This image is also available as a print in my shop here.
May the Fourth Be With You
Happy Star Wars Day! I had to do a quick sketch of my favorite new female hero, Rey, from The Force Awakens.
May the Fourth Be With You...
Lettering Charm Spells
With all the excitement of Wizarding World of Harry Potter opening here in Hollywood, I've been pulled into the magical world again. So I was inspired to letter some of my favorite charm spells!
New Shop!
Hello friends! Exciting news: I decided to go pro and open my own online shop! To celebrate the grand opening, I'm offering 20% off your entire order with coupon code WELCOME20. Code valid until 11:59pm PST, Thursday 4/14.
Lots of fun things are planned in the months to come, starting with my Harry Potter/Hogwarts Yearbook series of original mini paintings that go on sale tomorrow, Friday 4/15, at noon PST.
Check out the new shop here and let me know what you think!
April Artisan of the Month at Wonderground!
Hi friends! Happy April! I'm so excited to share that I am the Featured Artisan of the Month at Wonderground Gallery in the Downtown Disney® District at the Disneyland Resort! They are featuring a wide selection of my prints and greeting cards all month long in the gallery.
I made my first weekend appearance this past weekend. Thank you so much to everyone who came out and met me down there! It was a pleasure to meet so many new people who found my work for the first time.
I'll be making two more weekend appearances for signings at the end of April:
Saturday April 23 and Sunday April 24, from 2–5 p.m.
Saturday April 30, from 12–3 p.m., and Sunday May 1, from 2–5 p.m.
Hope to see you at one of the upcoming events! That last weekend is Dapper Day weekend, so come on down in your Dapper Day best, I would love to see ya!
More info about the events can be found here on Disney's website.
WonderCon 2016!
Yay! It's that time of year again! My husband Ryan and I will be tabling at Wondercon, happening this month on March 25 – 27! You can find us in the Dealers Section at table DL55, as indicated in the handy map above. I'll have a bunch of new prints debuting at the show, along with a few mini originals, Easter egg sample surprises, and brand new enamel pins including two limited edition mermaids!
This is one of our favorite shows of the year, so I hope to see you there!
California Love Art Show
Hello! I wanted to share three new pieces I painted recently that are debuting in the California Love group art show curated by SupahCute, opening this weekend at Leanna Lin's Wonderland in Eagle Rock, California.
The theme is open-ended to anything we love about this golden state of ours, and as a born and raised native Californian, I had a lot of ideas. I decided to narrow it down to showcasing all the amazing, diverse landscapes we have in California – I love being able to be at the beach, the desert, and the mountains in the same day. I love that our forests are so diverse that there are lush citrus orchards in the south and big, majestic redwoods in the north. So without further adieu, I present: Flora in the Forest (above), Betty on the Beach (below), and Dottie in the Desert (bottom).
All the paintings will be available for viewing (and sale!) at the show opening this Saturday, March 5th and will feature work from a bunch of awesome other artists. Hope to see you there!
Event Details:
California Love Art Show
at Leanna Lin's Wonderland
5024 N. Eagle Rock Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041
Show Opening: March 5
4 – 8 p.m.
Show Run: March 5 – April 24, 2016
