Hola Y'all!

I've been so out of the loop with my blog it's not even funny. Well, what I haven't really broadcasted is I'm about 8 months pregnant. Taking care of my 5 year old and managing nausea, exhaustion, headaches and feeling absolutely ginormous has left with me with little energy to do much--like laundry and artwork and walking more than a block. I did have enough energy to go for a little photo shoot with my fabulous friend, Kelsey Clanton, who is just magical with a camera.

She and her awesome hubby and writer/illustrator extraordinaire, Ben Clanton of Ben Clanton's Squiggles and Scribbles, have a shared website that showcases her photography/design and Ben's sketches (and maybe a smoothie recipe or two as well) that is just wonderful! Please check it out.

So Cool!

A little Vimeo gem I found by artist, Rachel Kwak.

I'm on Amazon, y'all!

Finished illustrating my book, Playful Moon, awhile ago and now it's on sale at Amazon. Pretty strange and cool to type my name in the search box and a product pops up! It's for a wonderful organization. Please check it out here!

Happy MLK Day!

Had to post this vimeo gem by daneissil, in honor of the great Dr. King.

Playful Moon

So a few of you know that I've been illustrating a children's book called Playful Moon written beautifully by Michelle Leclaire O'Neill. It's for a non-profit in L.A. called Smart Beginnings/Easy Preventions. It's an incredible program that helps young parents get a great start on their path to parenthood. Please check out the website (here's the link) if you have time. This project has been a huge learning opportunity and I'm honored to be a part of (even a tiny bit) an organization that does so much good for young women and children.

Here's two of the main characters.

Sobee Doo

Last week I said good bye to my awesome dog, Sobee. His cancer came back suddenly and all we could do was keep him as comfortable and happy as possible until the end. He has been my best friend, a cherished family member, a protective and gentle presence and the most wonderful partner in crime I could have ever imagined. I miss my guy so much, but I know he'll always be with me.

Now That's a Big Fish Tank!

I've been so busy with my book project I haven't had any time to actually BLOG about it. But I promise I will. In the meantime, here's a wonderful piece by Jon Rawlinson. This is so hypnotic and gorgeous and HUGE. And the music is just...*sigh*.

Happy 4th Everyone!

Just a little vimeo, by Ian Berenger, for our country's birthday. To those in other countries, please have a lovely weekend!

About My Haitus

Hello everyone! I'm sorry I haven't been blogging lately but life has taken up most of my time. I was wondering if this post would be appropriate since it's quite personal and it may seem like it doesn't have anything to do with my artwork (it does in a roundabout way) but I thought I needed to throw it out there. After a couple of months of dealing with my own health issues, my puppy of 9 years, Sobee,  has been diagnosed with a very aggressive cancer. He had to have surgery to remove his spleen and his recovery was tough but he's feeling much better now. However, his doctor thinks he has roughly 3 to 6 months to live. Now, I'm very sad about this news but I'm also incredibly grateful we have a few more months with my fantastic dog and we're going to make these last months the best months of his life. He's also been my model for a picture book I'm doing for a non-profit in LA (I'll blog about that later) since he's so unbelievably good looking. I feel so blessed that Sobee has been by my side through my many life-changing moments and he will always own a part of my heart. I know, through my sadness, I'm a very lucky girl to have shared my time with this wonderful dog.


Fresh from the pound.

In the middle of his life.

Sobee now. As handsome as ever.

Photoshop Rework

I've always had mixed feelings about this piece. When I painted it in watercolors I originally had fireflies in mind but after several tries it never quite looked right and the fireflies evolved into snow. Well, I thought maybe I could rework it Photoshop and actually accomplish the effect I wanted. I think I did but I'm not sure which one I prefer. Hmmm...

Before & After

More Bugs!

I'm aware that I'm sporting a pretty big bug obsession these days. It's all I'm interested in right now. In fact, we had a nice (rare) sunny day in Seattle and so everyone was outside in the parks. It almost felt like a lazy summer day but I knew that just underneath us (and above us) a busy world was, well, busy. Anyway, I just love this informative video by NPR--really quite mind-blowing.

Friends Helping Friends

Finished my snail illustration. Yay! I debated on drawing faces on the butterflies but I thought that might be a little too busy. Textures found at mayang.com [link].