Sunday Style Section: Beach Time

Another summer resolution: get in some beach time.

Photograph by Andre de Dienes, 1949. via.

Crab Day

This is a fun custom illustration & lettering design commission that I finished earlier this summer. It was silkscreened on a t-shirt, and since the event has happened I could finally share it here. I learned so much about the Maryland blue crab working on this piece! Now I think I just need to fly out there one summer to experience crab season, eh?

It's been a very busy week with client work and an upcoming group show piece, so there will be a little more radio silence. Can't wait to share what I'm working on when I can!

Last Thursday's Outfit

In case you missed it over at my daily drawing project over the weekend, here's what I wore last Thursday. My favorite pair of lace shorts (!) that look like a skirt, by Lauren Moffatt, that I got for a song on sale at Anthropologie.

Good Links: Graphic Design Inspiration

At work, I keep a little bookmark tab folder of graphic design inspiration websites that I'll look at when I'm starting a new project, or just need some new ideas for color palettes, type treatments, etc. Here's my list:

1. Cubicle Refugee: organized by color (!!!), features a range of art, design, fashion and fancy
2. Designspiration: wide range of designy goodness
3. DesignWorkLife: lots of branding features
4. Design Seeds: color, color, color!!
5. Grain Edit: where illustration meets design with a mid-century flair
6. CSA Flat File: vintage print CSA materials, sponsored by the fine folks at French Paper Co.

What are some of your favorite design sites to go to for inspiration?

Sunday Style Section: Cat On A Hot Tin Roof

The summer is really heating up here in LA, so I'm feeling a little like this at home.

Elizabeth Taylor in BUtterfield 8.

Summer To Do

Now that summer is almost half over, I wanted to make a fun to-do list to make sure we don't spend every weekend working our lives away.

1. Have a picnic at a Hollywood Bowl concert
2. Hike Runyon Canyon with our dogs
3. Paint in plein air at Descanso Gardens
4. Go to the beach and dip my toes in the water
5. Ride the carousel at Griffith Park
6. Vintage shopping for an engagement shoot dress
7. Take a cooking class
8. Take a couple's dance class
9. Invent 3 new flavors of ice cream with my ice cream maker
10. Catch a movie under the stars
11. Have a classic film marathon one weekend, complete with fancy cocktails and homemade popcorn; start with An American in Paris
12. Go to the farmer's market
13. Have a BBQ for 4th of July with friends
14. Go to ComicCon
15. Catch a cemetery screening

What's on the rest of your summer to-do list?

Photo source.

Positive Inking!

I was invited earlier this month to join Alyssa Nassner's awesome new blog project, Positive Inking! This was my most recent contribution.

If you're into hand-lettering, illustrations, and positivity or need a pick-me-up, make this little corner of the internet your homepage. There are tons of new illos up daily, and I'll be contributing on a weekly basis.

P.S. Isn't Alyssa just the queen of building illustration communities?

Wednesday's Outfit

Feeling profesh. Lots of big ideas brewing in my head, lots of energy to keep making it happen! My secret is a 4 p.m. decaf latte - just enough to power me through the night.

I've been reading a lot about routines, my favorite read being this Daily Routines blog detailing the lives of writers and other creatives. There's a lot to be said for a routine helping you with creativity and creating in general. My weekday routine goes something like this:

7am: wake up, check email on my phone while in bed, shower & get ready for work, answer any emails/post tweets about new blog posts
9am-6pm: work at in-house design team day job
7pm: get home, feed pets, walk dogs, pick up groceries, help make dinner, eat it while watching tv
8:30pm-2am: work on client projects, daily drawing, personal projects, emails, blogging, etc.

Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat. Oh, except usually Friday nights when I'm usually passed out on the couch by 9pm. Somewhere in my daily routine I'd like to squeeze in things like working out and reading for fun again, but I'm not quite sure where...I mean, sincerely, life is about balance, right?

Black & Coral

I've been obsessed with this incredible necklace I got a couple weeks ago, and am trying to incorporate it with every outfit I own. Today for lunch, Christina and I trekked it over to the new Pressed Juicery near our work - hence the Roots 1 bottle in my hand. I'm having so much fun illustrating these daily outfits, I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoy drawing them!

What I Wore on Friday

Here's an illustration of what I wore on Friday! My version of casual friday with green jeans, and a tank top under a cropped top - I wouldn't normally wear a cropped shirt but I loved the black heart on it so much I had to make it work. And lately everything has been accessorized with my new Kate Spade bag - the color reminds me of a swimming pool, which often is where I'd rather be.

H&M top, Gap jeans, H&M T-strap flats, Kate Spade bag.

What I Wore (Yesterday)

This week flew by! Packed with client projects and day job work, and a little heat sickness, I didn't get a chance to work on daily drawings. Doesn't mean I wasn't thinking, dreaming and sketching em up. Lately I've been more interested in practicing my figurative, storytelling, and fashion illustration, so here's a start: my daily outfit!

Have a great weekend, friends! I'm heading down to San Diego for Comic Con - can't wait to spend all my money on great art books, meet some of my favorite artists, and eat tons of Mexican food & cake from Extraordinary Desserts.

Dress: Target
Sandals & Necklace: H&M
Belt: J.Crew

Baby You're A Firework

Happy 4th of July! This is my daily drawing - fitting for the holiday. I'm going to spend the day buying a washer and dryer, updating my portfolio website and working on client projects, and my evening having a BBQ and hunting down fireworks with friends.

Hope you have a wonderful one! I can't believe we're already knee deep in summer!

Once Upon A Time

Here's my piece for the upcoming Fractured Fairy Tales show at WWA Gallery in Culver City. The opening reception is this Saturday, July 7, from 7-10pm, and the show runs until August 11. I'm so thrilled and humbled to be in such an amazing group of artists, many of whom I've admired for YEARS. Check out the list here!

Sunday Style Section: Christina Hendricks

I love this shoot with Christina Hendricks from L.A. Times Magazine awhile back. This shot is up in the ban.do studio's amazing inspiration wall, and I could always stare at it for hours. Everything just feels so perfect about it. Where can I find a pompom headband like that?

Happy July & have a great week, k?

Photo from LA Times Magazines