Dove Day, 2014

My Dove Day card

A few years ago my I read my son a book that involved a planet of doves, an asteroid actually, and as he often does he became obsessed with doves for a time. He decided we needed a new holiday, Dove Day, that would have parades, presents and lots of doves. I talked about it with him a lot and we decided we'd try it but didn't pick a day...I figured he'd forget eventually. But this Dove Day plan kept resurfacing every few months and now that he is 7 he pinned me down on a day and remembered it. So on the first Monday in January we celebrated the first annual Dove Day. We kept the festivities kind of simple (no parades) by making cookies:

A Dove Day cookie

And of course, cards!

I made my card for my son on a piece of corrugated cardboard.

I used sharpies and highlighter pens. He liked it :)

My son's card for me. Doves in the sun and in the rain. 

So, a Happy Belated Dove Day to you! I hope you will consider adopting this holiday yourselves as it was quite nice; a day to think of peace and especially... doves.

Here's the book that started this all:  Commander Toad and the Dis-asteroid, by Jane Yolen

                                          

Custom Artwork

Last summer I had the opportunity to create a few commissioned pieces that I wanted to share.


For a friend in California I painted these two dancing animal pictures.

Charleston Koalas

Jitterbug Dachshunds

I also made a snail photographer for a photographer who love love loves snails.

Traveling Snail

And the last one was this image of a flying squirrel for an auntie who's nephew is really into squirrels and planes.

Flying Squirrel

Timeline Card

 I recently had an opportunity to create a unique custom card. This card was given as a retirement gift to a man who had lived a long and varied life. I made a timeline that highlighted some of the pivotal roles and events in his life and folded it accordion style.

The timeline starts in 1948 with his babydom; 1966, high school graduation; 1970's, Navy; 1977, marriage; 1980's, working man; 1990's, growing family; and 2013, retirement surrounded by his wife, kids, and grandkids.

This was a really fun project and it got me thinking about different formats for cards. Folded, this card is 4.25" x 5.5" and extended it is 35" x 5.5".

New Valentines!

Valentines are one of my favorite cards to make. They are fun and sweet and have a rich history of traditional styles to play with when making new designs. I usually like to imagine different kinds of creatures in love. Making these amorous characters come to life is a great pleasure to me. As is giving them to the special people in my life!

Here are a few of my recent Valentine's that I made for my husband, son, and parents. Hope you enjoy them!

Mouse in Love

Alien in Love

Mermaid Valentine

Dinosaurs!

As my son turns 5 this week, I turn to the subject of dinosaurs. This summer I have had a real education in the beasts and it turns out there are quite a few new ones compared to when I was a kid– Einiosaurus, Elasmosaurus, and Giganotosaurus to name a few. After many books, cartoons and conversations about dinosaurs I've spent a little time drawing them as well. Here are a few of my new dino-designs:

Daddy T-Rex biking with his young

Tricerabot, a Cretaceous Flying Machine

Birthday T-Rex

Sugar Beet Press has moved!

After years 7 years in Brooklyn we are now located in my childhood summer home of Ocean City, NJ!

Looking forward to making lots of new art and being inspired by the sea and sand.

Sketches...

When I do sketches for an art director, I have to draw them neatly so someone else will understand what my final intentions are. For my cards however, I am the art director and the drawings themselves tend to be pretty scribbly. I find this very freeing and it is always my starting point for new artwork. They are purely the idea and only to help me start thinking in pictures. As you can see from my examples, my thinking is pretty fuzzy at first, and then gets clarified as the artwork progresses.

Here are a couple of pages from my sketchbook that show my ideas for this years Valentines cards.

After I've made some little drawings I like to make a few written notes about color ideas or drawn details. There are always a few ideas I don't use, but sometimes I do later.

Here are the finished pieces: