IlloPro

march already?!

2012-03-01T16:38:00.000-08:00

It's my birthday month so let the celebration begin!

To kick it all off here's an illo I did of Ideal Home Magazine's technology editor Amy. She's a sassy femme fatale with a fun, retro sense of style. Amy is in the know about ALL the latest must-have gadgets! See her latest picks on her blog girlabouttech.com.

death, taxes, and a skinny no-whip latte

2012-02-28T08:44:00.001-08:00

Death, Taxes, and a Skinny No-Whip Latte has been released today! This is the next novel in the Tara Holloway series by Diane Kelly that I did the cover illos for.

"It's all in a day's work for Tara Holloway, the U.S. Treasury's latest, greatest, soon-to-be-skinniest weapon against the biggest tax cheats in the nation..." This time she goes after a loan shark with connections across the Mexican border. "Fighting crime, like drinking a cup of coffee with low-fat mile and artificial sweetener, is often bittersweet."

The reviews are in and people are immensely enjoying this light and hilarious mystery series! Look for it at your local book retailer or order it online!

capable

2012-02-24T11:58:00.000-08:00

If there was a sale, she was capable of doing considerable damage!

For this week's Illustration Friday topic of "capable" here is an illo I did for this month's February issue of Ideal Home Magazine.

happy pancake tuesday

2012-02-21T10:21:00.000-08:00

It's Pancake Tuesday (also known as Shrove Tuesday in the UK)! This day of Mardi Gras feasting is traditionally kicked off by a tall stack of pancakes. Why pancakes? It was to use up all of the rich ingredients like butter and eggs before Lent.

Oh how I wish I was eating pancakes this morning!

fluid

2012-02-20T12:21:00.000-08:00

The topic for Illustration Friday this week is "fluid". This is a slightly grosser take on the word! It's an illo I did for the February issue of M Magazine. Every month I illustrate embarrassing and gross stories that kids send in to the magazine for M's LOL Stories column. This month a girl writes in telling of a snowball fight she was in. It was fun until she got hit right in the face by a snowball made from "yellow" snow. Getting hit by a pee-soaked snowball is one thing, but right in the face?!? Can you say GROSS?!?

a great valentine's day gift

2012-02-14T09:38:00.000-08:00

Roses, chocolate, candlelight dinner or finding out you won TheyDrawandTravel.com's You-topia Map Contest? This morning I had an email waiting for me in my inbox telling me that I had won first place in this illustration contest! Yay!

I recommend that you go to TDAT's site and give your eyes the gift of seeing all of the gorgeous entries! There are such beautifully illustrated maps for places all over the world in every possible style, it's definitely worth the time to go through each and every one of them!

Thanks to Nate & Salli for having this contest, and a big thanks to the sponsors Great Big Canvas and Pentel!

gardens

2012-02-09T10:34:00.000-08:00

I just finished this piece for an upcoming Paso Robles Art Association gallery show called "Gardens". This will be used to advertise the show. My plan is to create another piece like this (without the type) with even more "secret garden" details to enter into the show. I love the idea of a secret garden! Here's a closeup detail:

my favorite spots in santa cruz, ca

2012-02-06T09:20:00.000-08:00

Here is my new illo of Santa Cruz, California, finished just in time to enter in TheyDrawandTravel.com's You-topia map contest! (Click on the map to get a closer look!) I have to admit that this one was extremely labor intensive but I love the result.

There are so many things to do in Santa Cruz it was hard to narrow down a list of my favorite places. One of the hidden gems I highlight on my map is Cafe Limelight (1016 Cedar Street). They make the BEST paninis! They also make the most delicious soup. The owners take their time and craft their food with exceptional artistry. My man and I love going here.

If you have a favorite spot in Santa Cruz I'd love to hear about it!

a wrinkle in time turns 50

2012-01-31T10:43:00.000-08:00

I'm happy to announce that the 50th anniversary edition of Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle In Time is out today and it features my illustrations on the cover! For this commemorative edition the publisher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, asked me to modernize the silhouettes from the original 1962 cover (see below). It really brought back memories of when I first read the book as a child. An updated look for a true classic!

words of wisdom...

2012-01-26T08:29:00.000-08:00

...from 64 year old Susan Sarandon. I think this is true. Her message to stop worrying so much about looks and enjoy life works for any age though, not just 25 year olds!

twirl

2012-01-24T17:15:00.000-08:00

My illo for this week's Illustration Friday topic of "twirl" was inspired by a look from Jason Wu's 2012 Spring/Summer collection. What a gorgeous design! Here's picture of the actual dress:

illustrating the world's best eats

2012-01-24T15:08:00.000-08:00

That's the title of the feature The Daily Meal just did on They Draw and Travel. They mention my illustrated map of Paso Robles as one of their nine favorite food and drink maps and also include it their slideshow! I'm so excited!

zesty!

2012-01-19T09:06:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Nate & Salli at TheyDrawandCook.com for including my Lemon Tart recipe in their featured collection entitled "Zesty!". It will be on their homepage jumbotron until January 22nd!

prepare

2012-01-17T18:11:00.000-08:00

Illustration Friday's topic this week is "prepare". One of the best things I think you can prepare for is a party!

dandelion inspiration

2012-01-11T21:59:00.000-08:00

Today while organizing my studio I came across a group of photos my man took last fall. His subject was a dandelion in my backyard that was illuminated by the "golden hour" of the setting sun. (I knew that dandelion would come in handy!)

I love this photo. I like the subtle earthy colors and textures. I'm touched that my man has such an eye for small details that he saw this out of the corner of his eye, grabbed his camera and ran outside to capture it. I love the quiet beauty of this weed, which no doubt grew from a seed that drifted from my front yard where my war against dandelions is constantly waged in the summer. Sigh.

This was the perfect photo to challenge myself and think about how I would translate it into an illustration. The result is the following illo of a carefree woman/fairy/sprite/nymph swinging away in the wind. Whatever you want to call her, just know that if I'm drawing her, she must have fabulous shoes!!!

My studio is still a mess, but I will continue on, cleaning and organizing. Who knows what inspiration I'll find next?!

grounded

2012-01-06T14:50:00.000-08:00

The Illustration Friday topic this week is "grounded". I immediately thought of a woman who was rooted to the earth through personal growth.

A great topic for the new year!

featured on theydrawandcook.com

2012-01-04T09:25:00.000-08:00

My illustrated Curried Lentil Soup recipe is 1 of 6 recipes in the Featured Collection just posted to TheyDrawandCook.com's homepage jumbotron! It will be up from now until the 7th. Thanks for including me in your collection Salli!

This was an illo I worked on for months. As in, I started it, put it away for months and then finally dug it out and finished it up! Originally the background color was spice orange but then I played around with a few other options and couldn't resist the pop that the pink gave to the green lentils and yellow framework. Looking at it now I really love how the still life of ingredients turned out in the bottom right hand corner!

I hope you enjoy this illo and perhaps try the recipe. It's a great vegetarian recipe for January and one of my faves by Molly Wizenberg of Orangette. I think I'll make it again!

happy new year!

2011-12-31T14:39:00.000-08:00

My man and I wish you Happy New Year from the Grand Canyon!!! I wish you much love, happiness, personal fulfillment and success in the coming year!

merry christmas and happy hanukkah...

2011-12-23T16:29:00.000-08:00

... and Happy All of the Other Winter Holidays in between! It's been a year since I posted my very first post on this blog! Thank you to everyone who reads it, subscribes to it and comments on it! I really appreciate your presence, it motivates me to keep posting and creating new illos outside my busy work schedule.

I wish all of you a fabulous holiday and most of all I hope you are done with all of your shopping because I went out there today and it's CRAZY!!!

my risalamande recipe featured on TDAC

2011-12-19T10:55:00.000-08:00

Until December 21st my illustrated recipe for Risalamande is featured on TheyDrawandCook.com in their Red and Green collection on the homepage! I'm happy to be in this collection with other talented and creative illustrators from Las Vegas, Cleveland, OH, Providence, RI and as far away as Sapporo, Japan! WOW!

i'll have a blue (and red) christmas

2011-12-16T13:29:00.000-08:00

I had a few blue and red holiday illos kicking around here and I finally decided to finish them up! Hope you enjoy.

The holidays have been so busy for me here. I feel like time is passing by so fast and the holidays are slipping through my fingers. To slow it down I'm making a conscious effort to stop and enjoy everything I love about this time of year.

A few of the things I'm doing to stop and smell the Christmas cookies are:

• making a cup of spiced tea every night and taking in the magic of all of my sparkly Christmas decorations (notice I said tea, not coffee, aren't you proud of me?!)

• browsing through shops to enjoy their decorations

• taking the time to watch kids talk to Santa

• not stressing out about wrapping presents perfectly

• listening to Christmas music as I cook

• baking my list of "must-have" Christmas cookies

• sharing those Christmas cookies with people to get them out of my reach

• taking over the annual baking of the fruitcake from my mom who once took it over from her mom who was the one that found the most amazing recipe to pass down

• driving slow through my neighborhood to enjoy the beautiful lights. Most people don't consider themselves creative but all kinds of creativity comes out when they decorate their houses for the holidays!

I hope you're also taking some time out to really soak in the best parts of the season and enjoy yourself!

it's an american girl holiday

2011-12-13T11:07:00.000-08:00

There's lots to do this holiday season, especially if you have crafty kids! In this month's American Girl special Holiday Issue I've illustrated the steps to making cute polar animals out of edible mint dough and how to make your own edible village of candy houses complete with gumdrop trees!

eat pretty for the holidays voting has begun!

2011-12-08T09:52:00.000-08:00

The editors of YouBeauty.com have narrowed down the entries for their Eat Pretty for the Holidays contest to 30 and mine is included! If you like my illo for Jeweled Fruit Salad, please hop over to their site and vote for it!

It's number 13 in the queue and you can vote for it by naming it in the comment field. Thanks very much! :)

monika roe illustration in 805 living magazine!

2011-12-06T11:57:00.000-08:00

Want to add even more holiday cheer to your December? Pick up this month's issue of 805 Living magazine! I am featured on their back page (page 120) along with my illustrated recipe for Ultimate Peppermint Bark. If you turn to page 20, in their "Behind The Scenes" story, I share some of my holiday food memories along with an illustration of my favorite Christmas Eve dessert, Risalamande.

To read my features and take a closer look, you can go to their site and browse the digital edition.

eat pretty for the holidays

2011-12-01T11:15:00.000-08:00

I just finished my latest recipe illustration! It's for TheyDrawandCook.com's Eat Pretty for the Holidays contest. This jeweled fruit salad with tasty lime/honey dressing was the perfect inspiration. I absolutely love vintage costume jewelry so I got serious and designed my dream necklace out of the variety of fruits used in the salad!

Take a closer look at the illo on TheyDrawandCook.com's website!

happy thanksgiving everyone!

2011-11-23T10:18:00.000-08:00

I hope you have a lovely, bountiful Thanksgiving tomorrow, filled with friends, family, laughter, and most of all, a mouthwatering meal made with love! There is so much to be thankful for...

(Yes, my family likes the cranberry from a can!)

sold!

2011-11-17T11:05:00.000-08:00

I'm excited to report that my 8"x8" acrylic painting titled "Blue and Yellow" sold last night at the Small Treasures preview event!

Small Treasures is an annual show put on by the Paso Robles Art Association. Each piece is 8"x8" and signed on the back. You don't know who created each work of art until it's purchased! I have another painting left in the show and will be creating one to take the place of the one that sold.

It's so fun to see the range of work contributed by all sorts of artists! Besides paintings in every medium there are photographs, 3D work, collage, fiber arts and beaded pieces.

The opening reception for the public is today from 4-6 downtown Paso Robles at the Showroom Gallery in Studios at the Park, stop by if you can!

silent

2011-11-16T08:39:00.000-08:00

This week's topic over at Illustration Friday is "silent". This illo I did of Danielle Michaan is the epitome of silent meditation. To read more about Danielle, who is a Natural Gourmet graduate, a pilates practitioner, certified yoga instructor, world traveler and the Director and Manager of Katonah Yoga NYC, hop over to her blog A Fig-Mint of My Imagination!

lemon tart recipe

2011-11-11T09:02:00.000-08:00

Baby it's cold outside, so dream of past summers and let visions of lemon tarts dance in your head! My latest illustrated recipe can be seen on They Draw and Cook's website!

ideal home november

2011-11-08T15:06:00.000-08:00

Time to curl up with the latest issue of Ideal Home! November is the "Home Comfort" issue so all of my Savvy Shopper illustrations are about cozy comforts! Here are a couple of my favorites:

family circle beauty tip

2011-11-02T12:51:00.000-07:00

Check out this link to Family Circle's website and follow my illos to apply tinted moisturizer perfectly!

death, taxes, and a french manicure

2011-11-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

Here's my cover art for the novel DEATH, TAXES AND A FRENCH MANICURE by Diane Kelly, released today! A fun novel for me to illustrate and even more fun to read! Get your copy from Amazon or check it out at your local book seller...

Robin Kaye, award-winning author of The Domestic Gods series, says: "In DEATH, TAXES AND A FRENCH MANICURE Diane Kelly takes us on a wild ride as IRS very Special Agent Tara Holloway tackles white-collar criminals and some...not quite so white. With a quirky cast of characters, snappy dialogue, and a Bernie Madoff style pyramid scheme--hunting down tax cheats has never added up to so much fun!"

friday apple

2011-10-28T12:08:00.000-07:00

A gummy worm caramel apple for Friday!

thirsty apple

2011-10-27T11:30:00.000-07:00

Another caramel apple for October!

banana peppers

2011-10-20T12:59:00.000-07:00

A jar of banana peppers was one of the things in the treasure trove of goodies I received most recently from my friends at Rotten Apple Ranch in Sebastopol. It took a while for me to even open the jar because they were so beautiful! Before I opened them up I got out my paints and recorded them for posterity. Very inspiring!

Since my trip to Denmark this summer I've been obsessed with recreating the flavors of the open faced sandwiches we always enjoy there. After searching around I found a bread that is very similar to one of my Danish favorites. It's from Trader Joe's and is called "European Style Whole Grain Bread".

After stacking this dark bread full of nuts and seeds with roast beef, dill Havarti cheese and remoulaude sauce, these banana peppers are the perfect final touch. (This is my favorite combo lately.) The garlic in the peppers is a nice background accent to their flavor which is mellow enough for the other flavors in the sandwich to come through. They have a subtle tang and, surprisingly, a bit of a bite to them at the end.

I wish this jar was bottomless...

under construction show

2011-10-14T12:56:00.000-07:00

"Under Construction" is the name of the show that just opened at the Showroom Gallery in Studios on the Park here in Paso Robles. My paper sculpture entitled "Disguise" is one of the works featured!

If this looks familiar to you, it's because it's based on an illustration I created in August inspired by the Illustration Friday topic of "disguise". When I heard about the topic of this show, I immediately wanted to create a 3-D version of this illo.

This show is made possible by the Paso Robles Art Association and runs until November 13th. If you're in town I recommend stopping by to see my piece in person since my iPhone photo doesn't do it justice!!!

*I will get a better picture when my photographer man is in town. :)

contraption

2011-10-12T21:52:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not obsessed with coffee ever since I gave it up two months ago!!! This is just something fun for this week's Illustration Friday topic of "contraption".

tis the season

2011-10-11T18:29:00.000-07:00

Stores started stocking their shelves weeks ago with bags and bags of candy corn. The original kind, the weird and strangely addicting chocolate kind and the "harvest mix" which has all of the above plus those little candy corn pumpkins.

I usually buy a bag and put it in a pretty acorn embossed glass candy dish I found at a thrift store. It's pretty to look at, but to eat... eh... not so much!

In my garage, in the box marked HALLOWEEN I have Ziploc bags full of candy corn that I've used year after year to decorate with when this time of year rolls around. That stuff still looks great and could possibly outlast us all!

Whenever candy corn is mentioned a hot debate follows. People either love it or hate it!

Personally it reminds me of my friend Michelle who loved candy corn in high school. We would go to the local Food 4 Less when we were bored and dig into their bulk candy bins, filling a bag with candy corn to snack on as we were driving around in her Citation. Great memories!

Nowadays I find candy corn too sweet. What happened as I got older? I never dreamed anything would be "too sweet". But, alas, candy corn is in my category of "too sweet" that seems to be growing. I suspect food manufacturers are currently pushing the limit on how much sugary sweetness they can put in food. "More sweet" doesn't always equal "more tasty"! Some things are not even palatable because of all the added sugar. An example of this is the coffee house pumpkin muffin. I used to enjoy these as a once a year treat but yesterday when I bought one I found it sickeningly sweet. So that once in a year tradition went down in flames for me. Just yuck!

Anyway, I digress. Candy corn, love it or hate it???

a caramel apple a day...

2011-10-07T09:40:00.000-07:00

Doesn't keep the spiders away! This little guy is craving a sugar fix!

nothing says october like farts and poop!

2011-10-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

A peek at my illos for the October issue of M Magazine on stands now. This month's topics were hilariously fun to illustrate!!!

american girl candy creatures

2011-10-03T14:04:00.000-07:00

This month on American Girl Magazine's website you can play a game that I illustrated! It's called "Candy Creatures". Make all sorts of delicious Halloween creatures out of pieces of candy and have a lot of fun! A game for both kids AND adults! Look at my little creature below, he has chest hair made of sprinkles! HAHAHA!

Send me a screen grab of a creature you make and I'll post it on my Facebook page!

national coffee day

2011-09-29T14:16:00.000-07:00

It's September 29th, that means it's National Coffee Day!

But wait! I haven't gone back to drinking coffee since my juice fast. (Incredible, I know!!!) So I celebrate this afternoon with a couple cups of decaf. Not just ANY decaf but decaf brewed from freshly ground beans from our local coffee roaster Joebella. Delicious!

halogen tv article

2011-09-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

They Draw and Cook has been getting A LOT of splendid press lately! Today this new article on Halogen TV's website features one of my illustrated recipes! It's my illo of Fluffernutter sandwiches.

Congrats to Nate and Salli for the recognition they've been receiving! They deserve it for their hard work and innovative ideas... great work you two!

There's much more to this article, go to HalogenTV.com and check it out!

rotten apple ranch

2011-09-23T08:07:00.000-07:00

Rotten Apple Ranch is the brainchild of my friend Sheldon Rosenberg III. A year ago he started to seriously cultivate his family farm in Sebastopol, California into a productive and sustainable venture. Part of that plan was to develop a logo that represented the brand and that's when he called me!

A fan of vintage fruit crate labels, he wanted that classic look along with a "Rotten Apple" character that spoke to his earlier days in the Navy. After a few initial sketches we decided on this surly apple character showing off his tattoo with the farm scenery spreading out behind him.

I think the biggest challenge here was the typography. There was more type to incorporate than a typical logo. Fitting all of the elements together, yet still maintaining a clean and easy read is something I enjoy about projects like this. I love the end result and I can't wait to see it used on the amazing products that the ranch is starting to turn out!

From left: a vegetable patch, walking through the orchard and sky-high corn stalks.

A few words from Sheldon about Rotten Apple Ranch:

Where our values rest, are in fresh local sustainable foods that give our friends the nutrition they should expect from their produce.

We don't believe food should be shipped farther than it can be without added refrigeration as it does more damage than good — all the while diminishing the nutritional value of said food. Because of this belief, those farther than 60 miles will be unable to receive our products, and we would suggest they visit their local farmers market and begin a conversation with their very own local farmers.

However, fans of our ideals or produce/products should feel free to stop by and enjoy the farm and it's surrounding beauty whenever they are in town...

From top: the farmer's daughter (Ava), treetop view of the ranch, turkeys in the barn.

Rotten Apple Ranch will be launching their website near the end of the year. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, look for more posts about the delicious creations they've let me preview!

mesmerizing

2011-09-20T16:14:00.000-07:00

I went to a workshop on marbling and this was the result! I was going to do something with it, like use it as part of an illustration but once I mirrored it I couldn't bring myself to chop it up (not yet, anyway!). I decided to post it as is for this week's Illustration Friday topic of "mesmerizing".

The swirling inks are mesmerizing...

more fluffernuttiness

2011-09-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

Today my illustrated recipe for a Fluffernutter sandwich is featured on They Draw and Cook's jumbotron! It's one of six in the "Happy Kids" collection that will be up until September 24th. Go take a look and leave a comment! Mmmmmm....

painting of my new shoes

2011-09-16T08:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I needed a tray for the pineapple pecan finger sandwiches I was making to take to an art opening. All the trays I have at home are glass and either shaped like a fish, too cumbersome to transport or etched with Christmas motifs, not really appropriate!

So I headed off to the thrift stores hoping to find one of those etched metal trays from the '50s that were a staple in every respectable household. I found one at my first stop for $2 (relief!) and as I walked to the register stopped to check out the shoes. Oh happy day! There on the shelf was a perfect pair of 'Flora' flats by Nine West in my size. Never worn! I scooped them up at $4.95 for a total savings of $54.05 off the original retail price!

They are so pretty I was inspired to paint them last night!

curried lentil soup

2011-09-14T09:52:00.000-07:00

It's still hot here. Not soup weather at all. BUT when it cools down I am looking forward to making this Curried Lentil Soup. I found the recipe about a year ago and have made it several times. It was one of the dishes I served at an dinner party my man and I had. I still remember that night because it was a whirlwind of cooking a complete Indian menu from scratch, it was hectic to get so many dishes ready at the same time but we did it!

I've been working on this illustration here and there for at least six months! It's finally done and you can see the full size illo (that you can actually read) on They Draw and Cook's website.

If you make this, and I hope you do because it's so crazy delicious, don't skip serving it with the lemon wedges. The squeeze of lemon gives it a nice brightness and adds another layer to the complex flavor.

fluffernutter!

2011-09-12T07:12:00.000-07:00

Here's my entry for They Draw and Cook's Cooking 4 Kids contest!

Since I found out about the contest I've been trying to think of the perfect kids recipe to illustrate and then inspiration hit me... a Fluffernutter!

This sandwich is most popular in the Northeast. In fact, it's been proposed as the state sandwich of Massachusetts! Even though I grew up in California, my mom used to make these for our lunches every once in awhile.

I particularly remember finding these in my lunches at summer school. Summer school was great, instead of our usual summer camp where we learned to tool leather and went on nature hikes, at this school we played soccer and softball, had acting class and learned computer programming (remember BASIC anyone???). All of these activities were punctuated by the sweet nuttiness of a lunchtime fluffernutter. So, IF YOU = "Hungry" THEN GOTO "Fluffernutter"
PRINT "Delicious!"
END

always remember

2011-09-11T10:45:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago on September 11th I lived in Indianapolis, Indiana. That morning I woke up and turned on the television in the bedroom as I usually did to listen to the news as we got ready for the day. Instead of the usual chatter of financial markets and weather I saw smoke billowing out of one of twin towers. I woke my husband (now ex-husband) and we watched the events unfold. Horrified. Frozen.

My ex and I ran a small advertising agency at the time and we had a client meeting that afternoon. Like many people that day, weren't sure if we should continue with life as usual or not. We decided to go. Our meeting was at Holliday Park, a 94-acre park located on the north side of Indianapolis.

Once we were there we hardly had any sort of meeting. Instead we all talked about the days events and stared out the windows of the nature center listening and watching the many birds ate their lunch from the bird feeders in the trees. While terror and chaos raged in New York, we were in an oasis of quiet calm and reflection.

Reflection that continues today on the ten year anniversary of September 11th. I didn't personally know anyone that died that day but I do have friends that were living in New York at that time and their stories are always accompanied by a certain look in their eye. The look of a survivor.

9/11... always remember.

mysterious

2011-09-08T17:16:00.000-07:00

My illo for this week's Illustration Friday topic of "mysterious"...

chocolate

2011-09-07T15:17:00.000-07:00

This quote from Sandra Boynton was in my inbox this morning and I just had to illustrate something to go with it!

I remember Sandra Boynton's work most from the wallpaper she designed featuring her cute animal characters. When I was growing up my mom owned a wallpaper store in San Luis Obispo and I would go to work with her every Saturday.

She paid me $5 an hour to help out at the store doing things like sweeping the sidewalk, filing, lugging heavy wallpaper books around, answering the phone, occasionally helping customers (which I dreaded) and creating displays (which I LOVED). Reading this Boynton quote today brings back those fun memories!

ideal home september

2011-09-02T06:12:00.000-07:00

My new Ideal Home magazine came in the mail today! What a great way to kick off the month! Shown above is my opening illo for the Savvy Shopper's Handbook which I illustrate every month.

I love the navy and white cover, so sharp! In the background is my illo of the Savvy Shopper putting her passport away and a few more of my faves are shown below.

disguise

2011-08-31T07:33:00.000-07:00

For this week's Illustration Friday topic of "disguise"...

2011 peace walk

2011-08-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

On Sunday my man took me to Well Within Spa in Santa Cruz to soak my aching muscles and feet. (Is he a keeper or what!?) Every second in the hot water soothed my body while my mind reflected on the 17 miles I had walked for peace the day before.

I was invited to join the third annual Peace Walk hosted by the San Mateo County Gang Unit and John Malloy who I met through the Native American 500 Mile Run. This walk was to honor the way of non-violence and welcome home those men and young men who are working to transition their lives away from a lifestyle of drugs, alcohol, and gangs.

As John put it, "The walk is part of transitioning and summoning courage to change. The inspiration for this walk comes from some of us working with the Jericho Project and watching multitudes of former incarcerated men thirst for meaningful social and emotional change. We know it is possible to achieve a sense of inner peace and freedom after a harsh, violent past. Humans have an amazing capacity for change. Former inmates and addicts can learn to accept responsibility for their serious crimes."

The walk started out in Marin County across the water from San Quentin prison. Takashi Tanemori was among the honored guests in attendance. Briefly, Takashi is a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. He came to America to avenge his father's death and eventually found that forgiveness was more powerful and useful to him than vengeance. His story is worth exploring in more detail so if you have a minute, instead of reading the latest celebrity gossip website do your mind a favor and go to Takashi's website to read something real!

Opening Ceremony for the Peace Walk. The man on the left is Fred Short,
the American Indian Movement advisor for the state of California.

After the opening ceremony we walked single file, in silence, for the first mile. Then we continued the walk just north of Fairfax and walked all the way to Olema, near Point Reyes. We walked 3 mile stretches at a time, stopping only briefly to rehydrate.

Walking in silence the first mile.

It was a hot day and you know me, I'm fair skinned so not only did I have a ton of sunscreen on, I wore a long sleeved microfiber shirt, my long yoga pants and a big ol' hat so I could avoid sunburn at all costs!!! The last thing I wanted was to cut my participation short because of a severe sunburn!

One of the goals of this walk was to share stories and get to know one another. It was great to swap stories and some of the conversation got pretty deep. I learned a lot from those I already knew and I learned even more from those I just met. I was honored that people shared their stories with me, especially the men from the Jericho Project who are trying to start their lives anew without drugs, alcohol and violence. Their willpower to work for a peaceful future for themselves is strong, it inspires and humbles me.

The first group of walkers coming in to the first stop.

We all wore Peace Walk t-shirts and a few carried signs so the public would know what we were doing. We had a lot of support from people driving by, a lot of waves, smiles and peace signs! There was one negative response from someone driving by, but it didn't slow us down at all.

At one point a woman asked us what we were protesting. When one of my fellow walkers, Bobbe, told her we weren't protesting anything, we were promoting peace and non-violence, the woman looked confused. I know we gave her something to think about.

Me, Mia and Bobbe before the Opening Ceremony.

Around mile 9 I was starting to feel the impact of the walk on my body! My feet weren't sore but my hips were starting to ache from the impact. By the end of the walk my feet were tired, my hips ached and strangely, my collarbones had started to hurt. I didn't get a single blister on my feet because another walker lent me a pair of her toe socks to wear under my regular socks. These prevented my toes from rubbing directly against each other and boy did they work! I'm grateful to Mia for her thoughtfulness because, looking back, I would have had a harder time without those magic socks!

The walk took most of the day and we made it to the campground before the sun set to talk about what we had just experienced and then ate dinner. Joe Leonor (detective and probation officer), his wife Monica and crew did a phenomenal job cooking for us. They provided breakfast, water, snacks, a great lunch, impressive dinner and amazing breakfast for everyone. It was a lot of work but they pulled it off smiling!

My man took pictures of the event and when I got to camp he had already set up our tent. Listen people, my idea of roughing it is a Best Western and only using a carryon sized piece of luggage! I haven't slept in a tent or "camped" since I was a little girl. So I had NO idea what to bring to stay overnight in a tent. But guess what? I survived and it was fun! Laugh if you will but that was a new experience for me!

Today I walked another 4 miles to keep the memory of the Peace Walk close to me. My first steps for peace on Saturday will not be my last.

the happiest birthday cake part II

2011-08-26T09:46:00.000-07:00

I knew I wanted to illustrate the German chocolate cake I made for Louis' birthday on Wednesday. And I finally had a moment to sit down and work on it.

It's always a bit of a challenge to illustrate things like this because if you look at the frosting on this kind of cake (see previous post) it looks a lot like oatmeal with bits of nuts in it. How do I make that look appetizing, especially in a vector illustration?

The best way to start is to just jump in and focus on giving the idea of the texture without getting too hung up on making it exact. Once I do this everything falls into place and I think I ended up with a pretty accurate illo of this mouthwatering cake!

the happiest birthday cake

2011-08-25T11:03:00.000-07:00

It was my man's birthday yesterday and that means I made him a German chocolate cake from scratch!

This is the second birthday that he's had since we've been a couple. Last year he told me his favorite cake was German chocolate so I went on a hunt to find the best recipe possible!

Many German chocolate cakes have chocolate frosting on them but my research told me that wasn't an authentic version of this beloved cake. Leave it to Cook's Illustrated to provide me with the most decadent, albeit time consuming, recipe out there! Cook's Illustrated hasn't let me down yet with their detailed and scientific approach to perfecting recipes.

The frosting is cooked on the stove and then chilled while the cake is being made. The cake batter is unlike anything I've made before. After it's many additions in a specific order it fluffs up to a beautiful chocolate cloud. It's really something to behold!

Splitting the layers of the cake after baking is the most difficult part of the recipe for me but I find that if I stick toothpicks at the halfway mark around the width of the cake and use those as a guide for my knife, it makes the job much easier.

The photo above shows the toasted pecans ready to be added to the chilled coconut filling. There's really nothing like a freshly toasted tray of chopped pecans. The smell that wafts from them and their toasty crunch adds another level of temptation to the already divine frosting.

Assembly of the cake was a cinch once the layers were split and ready to go. I needed to divide the filling into 4 equal portions to spread between the layers and for a final layer on top. To do this without having to dirty another measuring cup I smoothed the filling in the bowl and then "drew" a line across the top of the filling down the center of the bowl and then another one perpendicular to that, visually dividing it into 4 equal sections in the bowl. Then I spooned out one fourth of the filling at a time. It's not perfectly accurate but it's darn close!

And the result is...

...the happiest birthday cake ever! Happy Birthday Sweet Man!!!

it's an 'eww gross' august

2011-08-12T12:45:00.000-07:00

Another gross moment illustrated by me for M Magazine's August issue! A girl falls asleep while laying out and awakes to find that her kid brother has put popsicles on her that have melted and attracted a steady stream of ants! Yeah, that's gross!

juice fast love!

2011-08-08T18:41:00.000-07:00

Last night I came off of my 7 day juice fast. 7 DAYS!!! I am proud and a little surprised that I lasted that long!

I was inspired by the documentary movie "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" by Joe Cross. It's a movie that my man shared with me. It focuses on Joe's journey through a 60 day juice fast to lose weight and regain his health. In the process he travels through the United States interviewing people about their diets and meets an overweight trucker who ultimately goes on a juice fast as well to save his life.

The message of the film is to get off junk food, and add more fruits and veggies to your diet to improve your health and live longer. What caught my attention was that normal, everyday people who tried a juice fast talked about how much energy they gained and how revitalized they felt.

As you know, I recently spent 2 weeks in Denmark on vacation. Ever since I got back I've been feeling a little "off". It's hard to describe exactly what that means. I'm not sure if it was just hard for me to recover from the jet lag or if it was a result of eating too much of the amazing food I was constantly surrounded by (my family and friends there pulled out all the stops and cooked some delicious, memorable meals for us!)

This juice fast sounded like just the thing I was looking for to jump start my energy and focus AND get back to healthful eating.

Since I have never done a fast of any kind before, I decided to take it one day at a time. I hoped to last a week but if my body told me to stop before then, I would set my ego aside and give myself permission to stop. I also decided not to tell anyone unless I had to. This was something I was going to do for myself without the judgement, praise or skepticism of others.

I was a little worried about willpower. Was it going to be too hard? Would I give in at the first opportunity? Was I physically and mentally capable of such a challenge? When these fears came up I helped them subside by focusing on that moment instead of how much longer I had to go.

It was very difficult the first 3 days. Not because I was hungry, but because of the huge headache I got that never quit over those 3 days! I drink a lot of coffee everyday, not just in the morning but throughout the day. I'm a person that can drink 6 cups of coffee at night and then fall right asleep when I go to bed. I can only imagine that the massive, non-stop headache I experienced was from caffeine withdrawal. I kept telling myself that it would pass and it did and I was SO grateful!

Looking back now that scares me a little bit. That my body was so used to having coffee that I would have such a violent reaction to not having it! I haven't decided if I will start drinking coffee again anytime soon. If I do, it will be decaf. In the meantime I will be drinking my new favorite coffee substitute... HOT WATER!

This former caffeine-aholic is here to tell you that the one thing that really helped me in the mornings and at night when I was used to having my coffee was not decaf or tea. It was simply hot, steamy mugs of WATER! It really, really helped! Eventually I did not miss the coffee (and still don't).

The whole time I was on this fast I kept asking my man (who is very knowledgeable about health and alternative medicine) where is the energy? When will it feel like I've been hit by a lightning bolt and be buzzing with a recharged battery?

Truthfully, that moment didn't come until today, the day AFTER I broke my fast. Today I've kept the juice in my eating regimen but have added fruits, vegetables and nuts. And I feel great!

I'm looking forward to juicing tonight for dinner because I my body is craving it. And to be craving something that is so very, very good for me is such a change, such a surprise, such a GIFT.

I feel like I have come a very long way in the past week and I can truly say I am glad I took the time and made the effort to listen to my body and take care of myself. It's something I will strive to practice everyday. I hope you do the same!

carnivale gallery show

2011-08-05T09:55:00.000-07:00

If you are in Paso Robles, stop by the Studios on the Park and take a look at my painting in the Showroom Gallery! The show is called "Carnivale" and is up until August 14th. The criteria to submit works for consideration was that they had to reflect "cotton candy, the circus, Mardi Gras, fiestas, masquerade, costumes and fun!"

I didn't find out that my painting, entitled "Cirque", had made it into the show until I got back from Denmark and the show was already up! It was a nice surprise that the jury included it in their final selection. Don't miss this show!

end of summer beauty

2011-08-03T10:43:00.000-07:00

Here's a sweet little illo I did for Fitness Magazine! It was for a feature on different kinds of makeup and how to apply them. I love illustrating beauty topics!

the vampire next door

2011-08-01T13:09:00.000-07:00

The Vampire Next Door by Ashlyn Chase was released today! This is the third in her paranormal series that I have illustrated the covers for.

This one focuses on a witch named Morgaine who is afraid of the dark yet falls in love with the vampire next door. A fun read!

happy july!

2011-07-05T17:48:00.000-07:00

How humiliating!!! This is one of the illos I did for the July issue of M Magazine. This was a girl's real story she sent in to the magazine for their monthly embarrassing and humiliating moments column. She was talking to her crush and he pointed out that some of the candy thrown from a 4th of July float had landed in her hair and become all sort of gooey. Ugh.

Fortunately I had no humiliating moments over the long 4th of July weekend! Success! My man and I went to his cousin's home by the beach and we all ate too much food and watched fireworks.

Karen's husband Mike made his famous tacos. (Insert a moment of respect here for Mike's tacos. They are crazy delicious!)

Some of their neighbors put a lot of effort into their fireworks and sent up displays that looked professional! With fireworks exploding around us, and the neighbor blasting Bob Marley, it was an evening to remember. God bless the USA!

zip-a-dee-duo: part II

2011-06-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

Mr. Armitage speaking to our group before the show opening.*

"I paint what I want, when I want, how I want.

Who could ask for more!"

– Frank Armitage

The work of Frank Armitage makes up the second half of the "Zip-a-dee-duo" show that opened last Friday (in the Showroom Gallery) sponsored by the Paso Robles Art Association.

First a bit of background: Originally from Australia, Frank was inspired by the work of Mexican muralists and moved to Mexico in 1949 to pursue painting. He worked with David Alfaro Siquieros and Diego Rivera, among others. Frank still produces astounding murals today for Disney and private homes. You can see his current work, and his wife Karen's work, on their website.

After moving to Los Angeles, Frank worked at Walt Disney Studios on the animation and backgrounds of feature films such as Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book. He was also a part of Disney Imagineering and went on to later become a noted medical illustrator. What an amazing career!

When he retired in 1989, he completed a course in Oriental Medicine and pursued post-graduate work in China. He volunteers in rural Mexico with the Flying Doctors.

Frank's paintings and drawings vibrate with energy! Some of the themes that his work explores in this show are the West, exotic animals, Mexican peasants and paintings inspired by the novel "Water for Elephants".

"I began painting murals in Mexico in the late forties

when the mural movement was strong.

The paintings were large and full of energy.

So, that's my influence."

"Market Woman"

"Turkey Vendor"

These two paintings, "Market Woman" and "Turkey Vendor", show a definite influence from the time Frank spent in Mexico. His work is very bold and eye-catching from across a room.

"Indian Woman"

This piece entitled "Indian Woman" was one of the many loose pieces of art that was for sale and was by far my favorite. Every time I look at it I see something new. I am in love with the way Frank plays the cool shadows against the hot tones of the light source. The texture is mesmerizing.

"I want the viewer to be aware of the paint.

I love to create energy, even in a portion,

if not the whole painting."

The following two drawings are a couple more of my personal favorites from his many works that are Western in theme.

Again, I have to say I did my best to capture these works of art with my iPhone. They are all even more astounding in person!

Frank is also a working artist at Studios on the Park and is currently working at a very large scale with irregular shaped pieces of muslin that he works on and then pieces together. He says the method is a result of losing range of motion in his right arm.

One of the most interesting quotes to me from Frank is this:

"I don't preplan a painting – if I do, then it becomes an illustration.

I try to put it down as fast as possible, then fine tune it at my leisure."

As an illustrator with a tight style, I know I sometimes over think things when I'm in the planning stages of a painting and that frustrates me. My best work comes when I just start working and strive to keep things loose, then the creative process takes over and the painting creates itself.

Another thing a lot of artists contemplate when painting is creating a consistent style, yet in the work Frank displays in this show, it looks like he has a couple different styles. Here's what he had to say about that:

"Over the years, I have had to adopt many styles to make a living

in the entertainment industry. So now, I don't fight it.

If the painting wants to go in a certain direction, I let it go."

The most valuable idea I took away from my experience of Frank Armitage's work is not to worry so much about styles and planning when it comes to my fine art. Just create and enjoy!

*A big thank you to Janice Pluma from the Paso Robles Art Association for the photo of Frank!

ideal home june

2011-06-27T15:06:00.000-07:00

As June winds down, the weather is getting hotter, the drinks colder and my vacation creeps closer! Does anyone have recommendations on things to do in Denmark other than the typical tourist stops? I'm all ears...

Here are a couple of the illos I did for the June issue of Ideal Home, Britain's best selling homes magazine!

zip-a-dee-duo: part I

2011-06-24T11:35:00.000-07:00

"Zip-a-dee-duo" is the name of the exhibit featuring the fine art of legendary artists Frank Armitage and Walt Peregoy that opened yesterday here in Paso Robles. The show (in the Showroom Gallery) is sponsored by the Paso Robles Art Association.

What a great show! Even though Frank and Walt are good friends and have similar backgrounds, they both worked at Disney Studios and they both studied with Mexican muralists, their styles are very different.

Today I'm going to focus on the work of Walt Peregoy. Walt was not present at the artists talk before the opening due to health concerns. He lives in Encino, California and celebrated his 85th birthday last fall.

He is most noted for his career in animation with Walt Disney Productions. The backgrounds he created for "101 Dalmations" in particular have stayed with me ever since I first saw the movie as a child.

"The Rooster"

One of the first pieces you see when you walk into the gallery is "The Rooster", mixed media on paper. Walt was the lead background artist on Sleeping Beauty and I think this piece is reminiscent of that history. The patterns and the fabrics remind me of the regal banners in the film. A fellow guest summed it up by saying "How could you be sad when you look at this rooster!? He just makes you happy!"

detail of "The Rooster"

"Japanese Halloween"

Another piece that stood out to me was this one named "Japanese Halloween", mixed media on paper. I like the movement in this. One of the many things I admire in Walt's work is his use of color. The palettes are clean and bright, no muddy color anywhere.

"Horse's Ass"

His sense of humor is evident in much of his work. This one, "Horse's Ass", mixed media on paper features energetic line work that's enhanced by the vibration of the blue and gold against each other. Masterful!

"Black Conscious"

It was really hard to get good photos of the artwork with my phone. But I did my best because I really wanted to share this experience with you! (The photos were taken with permission by the way.)

This was the best shot I could get of the show stopper "Black Conscious". This is a jaw dropping awesome piece. The way the bird figure is spreading it's glorious color drenched wings over the scene below is just gorgeous. It was hard to tear myself away from this one. I love studying all of the beautiful detail Walt incorporates into his work. Even with all of the detail, the scenes are always dramatic and not bogged down with minutia.

You can read more about this show and the artists on the Studios on the Park website.

Click here to listen to a fabulous interview on the Animation Guild's website with Walt Peregoy about his amazing career (foul language included!). Part II of the interview is here (even more foul language!). Walt really tells it like it is!

roasted peppers? yes please!

2011-06-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder how to make perfect smokey-delicious roasted peppers? Hop on over to Danielle Michaan's Fig-Mint blog and read up on her simple technique! I had an "ah-ha!" moment when I read the part about steaming the charred skin off.

While you're there, take another look at my tasty pepper illustrations! :)

launch

2011-06-21T09:37:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my man and I had the pleasure of attending his cousin Karen's wedding at the Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort in San Luis Obispo. Karen and her new husband Mike have the kind of relationship that most people envy. They have a great sense of humor about life and themselves and they laugh a lot. They also pay attention to each other, making sure the other is taken care of, which I think is key in a successful relationship.

Of course when I was thinking about what to do for this week's Illustration Friday topic of "launch", I thought their recent launch into married life together was the perfect subject!

Karen LOVES the color purple so purple was incorporated in all aspects of their wedding. They also love country music so there were also western touches here and there, like the bride lassoing the groom figurine on top of their cake! She also had the most fabulous high heeled lace boots that gave her lace overlay strapless dress a bit of funky country western flair. Mike wore a black suit with long coat, purple dress shirt with a black western tie and of course black cowboy boots!

The newly wed couple was absolutely glowing all evening long and to be in the presence of such a profound love was truly inspiring!

graduation cards

2011-06-20T13:49:00.000-07:00

Have a graduating goddaughter or godson? Stop by your local Hallmark store and pick up one of my cards! Yep, these are a couple of my latest illos for Hallmark!

swept

2011-06-14T15:13:00.000-07:00

Here's my illo for this week's Illustration Friday topic of "swept"...

This idea popped into my head immediately when I read what the new topic was. It was one of those ideas that wouldn't leave me alone and nagged me everyday until I sat down and drew it.

Must have been quite a party for the maid to go on strike the next day!

office happenings

2011-06-09T11:42:00.000-07:00

So I walk into my office after getting a coffee refill from the kitchen and this is the scene. Ladybug's station during the day is behind my chair on a mound of heart shaped pillows tucked in the folds of the wooden screens along the wall. For some reason that only a pug could know she found the wall of wood beside her irresistibly delicious! She licked it for a good couple of minutes before going back to her rhythmic snoring.

Check out that tongue! Usually it's hanging out of the side of her mouth because she has no teeth left to hold it in. Crazy pug!

(for those without the Flash plug-in)

shadows

2011-06-08T16:35:00.000-07:00

For this week's Illustration Friday topic of "shadows"...

a parfait murder out today!

2011-06-07T10:31:00.000-07:00

This is the latest of my illustrated book covers and believe me, I was craving ice cream in a BIG way the whole time I was working on this cover!

Released today, A Parfait Murder is the newest cozy mystery in Wendy Lyn Watson's Mystery À La Mode series. Besides offering up a great who-dun-it plot, this book even includes ice cream recipes! The other titles I've illustrated for this series include I Scream, You Scream and Scoop to Kill.

I am thrilled to be a part of bringing this series to life!

national doughnut day

2011-06-03T10:18:00.000-07:00

It's the first Friday of June so you know what that means?! It's National Doughnut Day!

Oh how I enjoy a good doughnut every now and then! Dolly's Donuts here in town makes one that's chocolate iced with mini chocolate chips on top. As if that isn't enough, it's also stuffed inside with more mini chocolate chips! (You can see my illustration of it on my map of Paso Robles.)

This is the safest kind of doughnut there is, a knitted one! I made this for fun from a pattern I found online, then crocheted the icing and sewed on the sprinkles. A great way to use up odds and ends of yarn!

june!

2011-06-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

June means SUMMER! The favorite season of all "Popsicle-istas"!

If I were to design the perfect popsicles they would be in a range of classic patterns from the fashion world flavored with exotic ingredients. I imagine this houndstooth popsicle would taste like lychee fruit!

asleep

2011-05-27T09:47:00.000-07:00

For this week's Illustration Friday topic of "asleep"...

soaked

2011-05-26T09:41:00.000-07:00

I just had to post this for this week's Illustration Friday topic of "soaked". I illustrate a monthly magazine column where teens share their most embarrassing and grossest moments. This was one of the gross moments!!!

safari

2011-05-17T15:36:00.000-07:00

For this week's Illustration Friday topic of "safari"...

roasted barley ice cream

2011-05-16T15:04:00.000-07:00

Another wonder by The Penny Ice Creamery in Santa Cruz!

It's been awhile since I had a chance to swing by and see what interesting flavors the minds behind the Penny have been dreaming up. Finally this past weekend my man and I stopped in. Looking in the case, I couldn't wait to try the Rose Petal, Rocky Lane (chocolate with marshmallows), Wild Fennel and Roasted Barley flavors.

I thought at first glance I'd end up with the Rose Petal or Wild Fennel. Then I tried the Rocky Lane and it's rich chocolate flavor was just the type of thing I would normally order. (Usually I lean toward chocolate when choosing an ice cream flavor.) But the great thing about the Penny, for me, is that I can try something totally different and know that I will still be satisfied. When all was said and tasted, we both couldn't resist the complex deliciousness of the Roasted Barley!

My taste buds told me that the toasty, light almost caramel flavor was accented by rich vanilla and hints of coffee in the background. I tried to confirm my flavor analysis with my man but all he could do was nod his head in agreement and continue eating. I can't think of a better testimonial than that!

mmmmm... roasted garlic

2011-05-06T09:20:00.000-07:00

I had never roasted a head of garlic before I illustrated Danielle Michaan's technique for her A Fig-Mint of My Imagination blog. With a bag of garlic from Costco I was armed and ready to try it out!

The only thing more fun than drawing it was eating it! Thanks Danielle! (Read her post here.)

paso robles, california map

2011-05-02T10:28:00.000-07:00

This is my latest illustrated map! My beautiful town of Paso Robles, California. It was difficult to narrow down what to show because there's always something going on here! There's something for everyone: wine festivals, Farmer's Market, air and car shows, the Lavender Festival, Olive Festival, Paderewski Festival, an extensive list of wineries to visit, marvelous places to eat and more, more, more!

If you have a favorite place or thing to do in Paso Robles, I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

This map is now featured on TheyDrawandTravel.com, along with my map of Solvang, California and others from artists all over the world. Go check it out and get inspired to illustrate your own map or find a new destination to visit!

alison rhodes new release!

2011-04-29T10:41:00.000-07:00

Alison Rhodes is a renowned child safety expert known as the "Safety Mom". Her new book Honey, I Lost the Baby in the Produce Aisle!: The Safety Mom's Guide to Childproofing Your Life was just released and features my illo of her on the cover!

This book is a great resource for new and expecting parents who are looking for guidance on how to baby-proof their house and lives. From the pregnancy to parents' first night out without the baby, this book covers it all!

When creating this illo of Alison, I wanted to make sure I captured her beautiful eyes and approachable personality!

soul surfer - the movie

2011-04-27T11:42:00.000-07:00

Have you seen this movie yet? In theaters right now, it's the story of Bethany Hamilton a teenage surfer girl who loses an arm to a shark attack yet summons the courage to continue surfing and inspire people everywhere.

I had the honor of illustrating a series of Bethany's inspirational books a few years ago. A couple titles I worked on are Rise Above: A 90-Day Devotional, Ask Bethany: FAQs: Surfing, Faith and Friends and Soul Surfer Bible: With Bethany Hamilton, along with the designs on the covers of her novels which include Burned, Storm, Crunch and Clash.

It was a very inspiring project to be a part of!

Here are a few more illos from the collection I did of Bethany. She has such a contagious smile!

roasted asparagus

2011-04-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

Oh yum! Head over to Danielle Michaan's blog, A Fig-Mint of My Imagination, to get her recipe for roasted asparagus (and see my illo again!) Her technique is so simple but yields delicious results! The perfect side for a delightful Easter weekend!

april - how humiliating

2011-04-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

Slipping in the school cafeteria in front of boys! How humiliating!

This is one of the April illos I did for a monthly column I illustrate for a young teen magazine. Kids share their embarrassing and gross moments and the editors select a couple for me to bring to life. Vomit, boogers, messy sneezes, farts and diarrhea, I've drawn it all! Very fun!

journey

2011-04-20T17:51:00.000-07:00

For this week's Illustration Friday topic of "journey"...

bottled

2011-04-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

This week's Illustration Friday topic is "bottled". I chose to illustrate the holy grail of the beauty industry, youth in a bottle!

my favorite things in Solvang, California

2011-04-13T20:18:00.000-07:00

When Nate & Salli of TheyDrawandCook.com told me they were starting a new site called TheyDrawandTravel.com that featured illustrated maps I couldn't wait to contribute! My first map is of Solvang, a little piece of Denmark in California.

It isn't your typical street map but more of a collection of my favorite things that are found in Solvang. My mom is from Denmark so Solvang has a special place in my heart.

When my grandparents (her parents) would visit, we would make the hour and forty five minute drive to Solvang. Olsen's Bakery was always our first stop. The "Seven Sisters Butter Ring" from Olsen's is the first thing I drew in this illo. It's divine with it's individually iced tops and creamy filling! Growing up (and even now) my goal was to get the middle piece!

Solvang used to be the only place in California that you could get the salty licorice that my mom craved from her homeland. Now there are plenty of online sources, but nothing beats a trip to Ingeborg's Danish Chocolates to buy it by the pound. I used to hate that double salted licorice but now I love it. It took me many, many years to acquire a taste for it!

Another place worth noting is The Little Mermaid Restaurant. Their coffee tastes exactly like my grandfather made. It's shocking and almost disturbing. I don't know how they do it because I can't recreate it at home. (Don't get me wrong it's good coffee!) My grandfather passed away a few years ago and drinking coffee at The Little Mermaid brings me great memories of him. I like to imagine that he's back in their kitchen looking through the door at me and smiling. As far as the menu goes, their leverpostej (liver paste) tastes like my grandmother's made-from-scratch-recipe. Absolutely delicious. Even if you don't like liver (and I hate it) I recommend that you try their leverpostej open face sandwich. So now when I tell you that going to The Little Mermaid Restaurant is like going to visit my grandparents, you know why!

About the illustration: My inspiration for this artwork was the traditional folk art of Scandinavia along with the bold graphics found on Danish tourism posters from the '50s and '60s that I love so much. I wanted to combine the two influences and create a new, contemporary look. Instead of the traditional flowers usually seen in Danish folk art I used wildflowers, poppies and lupin local to the Solvang area. I also chose a fresh, bright color palette. The original illustration had fuschia pinks instead of reds. I changed it because my mom thought the Danish flag absolutely had to be accurate. "The Danish flag isn't PINK!", she said.

Here are both versions, which do you prefer? (Click to enlarge.)

my illos in Family Circle magazine

2011-04-11T11:27:00.000-07:00

The May issue of Family Circle has hit the stands and my illos can be seen on page 124! I illustrated how to cheer up your makeup routine with spring pinks in the Beauty Basics section. Take a look next time you're at the store!

duet

2011-04-06T20:57:00.000-07:00

This week's Illustration Friday topic of 'duet' gives me the chance to pay tribute to my beautiful friend Michelle who just had twins! Now that's a duet! Congratulations Michelle, Scott and big brother Benson!

scholastic candy apple book series

2011-04-05T10:58:00.000-07:00

Here are three new books I did the cover illos for! These are part of Scholastic's Candy Apple Book series. Written for girls ages 9-12, these books are about the summer vacation adventures of 3 friends. They exchange postcards from their destinations so I designed a cute Candy Apple cancellation mark to stamp the covers with.

Samantha at the beach...

Mina in New York City...

and Liza on a cross-country road trip!

Thanks to my friends at Scholastic!

map of madrid

2011-04-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

Maps are a lot of fun to illustrate once you get over the fact that to make them look good and fit into a certain space most can't possibly be drawn to scale. This is a map of Madrid I illustrated awhile ago. It's one of my favorite maps I've done so far.

I'm posting this particular illo today to celebrate the launch of Lena Corwin's book Maps. I became aware of Lena's illustrated maps when I saw them regularly in an interior design magazine. They are clean and colorful, reminiscent of Scandinavian design which I'm a sucker for because I'm Danish! It's a real treat that she's put them all together in a book! Congratulations Lena!

toy

2011-03-31T12:10:00.000-07:00

This week's Illustration Friday topic is "toy". It was hard to narrow down my ideas for this but this one won out!

fig-licious brownies

2011-03-28T12:04:00.000-07:00

The California Fig Advisory Board sponsored a Fig Recipe Contest over at TheyDrawandCook.com. I jumped at the chance to illustrate another recipe for this great site but this time I decided to take on the challenge of developing my own recipe!

For my recipe I wanted something unusual. I also had to use dried figs since fresh figs are out of season. Figs go wonderfully with honey, are delicious in jam or matched with cheese, bacon or prosciutto but what would be really different? Then it came to me out of the blue. I would make homemade fig SODA POP! "It's gonna be great! Fizzy Figgy Soda Pop!" I told my friends and family. They were doubtful.

How do you make homemade soda pop? It starts with a flavored simple syrup made from cooking down sugar, water and an extract or fruit juice. The cooled syrup is added to club soda or other neutral carbonated water.

But I didn't have fresh figs to juice. Hmmm... this would not stop me. I would soften the dried figs up in hot water and put those into my food processor, pulverizing them until I had a semblance of a liquid. At this point I was still optimistic. "This is WORKING!!!", I thought.

I cooked the pureed figs with the sugar water. It was delicious but the consistency wasn't exactly simple syrup-ish. It more like a loose jam or sauce. "This might NOT be working!!!", I thought, but spooned some into a glass anyway and mixed it with club soda.

Immediately the fig seeds floated to the top. Not appetizing. Then the fig sauce refused to mix convincingly with the soda because no matter how long you puree figs, they are not going to be liquified. At least not by my food processor! So that left tiny lumps of fruit lurking in the bottom of the glass. It was ugly and not at all appetizing. "I can make this work. This is still fine!", I thought. But no, it wasn't fine and there're no way I was going to pretend it was fine even if I had the perfect, award-winning illustration for it already worked out in my mind.

Oh that illustration was beautiful I tell you. It would've had EVERYONE around the world making yucky-weird fig soda — and then coming after me with pitchforks and lighted torches!

So now I had 2 cups of a yummy fig creation staring at me from the kitchen counter. It would be a great sauce to top ice cream with but I wanted it to do more. That's when I decided that the next day I would try swirling it into a brownie mix.

And that WORKED!!! It worked!!! The fig sauce bakes into the brownies and really enhances the deep, dark chocolately flavor while adding a sweet, subtle fig taste. It's complex, it's luscious, it's fig-licious! Here's the recipe if you'd like to try it too!

Fig-licious Brownies

Ingredients:

1 18.4 oz box of brownie mix (or your favorite brownie recipe)

1 recipe of fig sauce (follows)

Directions:

1. Make brownie mix (or your recipe) according to directions.

2. Before it goes into the oven, spoon 1 cup of fig sauce into 4 thick rows over brownie mix.

3. Drag a toothpick through the lines of sauce swirling it into the brownie batter or making a chevron design.

4. Bake brownies according to package directions.

5. To serve, drizzle or put a spoonful of remaining sauce on a plate and top with a brownie and some ice cream if you’re feeling extra decadent!

Fig Sauce

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

20 dried Black Mission Figs (stems removed)

1 3/4 cups water (divided)

1 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

1. Put 3/4 cup water in microwave for 1 minute. Add figs to water. Let steep for 5 minutes or until figs are soft.

2. Pour the entire steeped mixture into a food processor and whirl until smooth.

3. Combine pureed figs, remaining 1 cup of water and 1 cup sugar in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and let simmer until the mixture is reduced by half, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes.

4. Put the finished sauce to the side and let cool.

See more fig recipes and the contest winners at TheyDrawandCook.com!

new illos for a new look!

2011-03-25T07:06:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to finally be able to share this project with you! I've been working with Danielle Michaan on the new look for her blog and it launched this week! Her blog is called A Fig-Mint Of My Imagination.

Danielle is a Natural Gourmet graduate, world traveler and a pilates and yoga instructor living in NYC. Her blog is brimming with creative recipes along with health and fitness tips. She posted a recipe yesterday for Carrot Cake Oatmeal that I think sums up her unique approach to food. It's "indulgent AND virtuous"! Seriously, carrot cake oatmeal?! Wow!!!

I illustrated the new blog header that features Danielle cooking, the background pattern of kitchen utensils and a cute little whisk icon. I really enjoyed capturing her likeness in the header. She has a fun, energetic personality and is passionate about everything she does. I like to think that comes through in my illo!

If you are looking for fresh ideas about healthy eating, sign up to follow Danielle's blog. She's got so many new recipes and tips to share you'll be doing your body and spirit a favor!

(You can also "Like" her on Facebook to stay updated!)

a different kind of ladybug

2011-03-24T17:21:00.000-07:00

Not talking about my pug! Here is my entry for the design contest hosted by People Towels. I was inspired by the artful scarf designs of the '60s and '70s. Love those splashy Vera scarves!

memories of elizabeth taylor

2011-03-23T19:01:00.000-07:00

I am so sad to be posting this today. Rest in peace Elizabeth Taylor.

My first memory of Elizabeth Taylor comes from my grandmother. My grandmother LOVED Elizabeth Taylor. Not for her acting ability or her charitable works. No, my Grandma-dear (she loved when I called her that) was an avid reader when it came to Elizabeth Taylor's personal life in the tabloids! I think part of her wanted to have the colorful, wild life of Liz Taylor, whether it was accurately portrayed in Star magazine or not.

When I heard that Elizabeth Taylor passed away this morning my first thought was how fabulous it will be for her spirit to be reunited with the two great loves of her life, Mike Todd and Richard Burton. My second thought was that when Elizabeth got to the pearly gates of heaven, my grandmother would run those two guys over trying to get to her first!

In 1991 Ms. Taylor launched her fragrance, White Diamonds. Oh how I drooled over that bottle design when the ads first appeared in my fashion magazines! I HAD to have that bottle with it's crystal encrusted gold bow stopper. I thought about it all the time. After saving up my money I cut school one afternoon (sorry Mom!) and drove to the nearest mall, which was more than an hour away from my small town, and bought the biggest bottle I could afford. It happened to be the smallest bottle they could sell, but I loved it. It was the subject of many pen and ink drawings for awhile. Today that very bottle stands on a shelf in my mom's bathroom amidst the other small perfume bottles she's collected over the years.

As my love of classic films grew over time I became a big fan of Ms. Taylor. When she's on the screen I can't take my eyes off her. Her presence, her wardrobe, her grooming, her talent as an actress. She may have partied like the starlets of today off camera, but the difference was that she still went to work and she BROUGHT it! Some of my favorite films of hers are Giant, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, although the latter is so gritty and so real, I couldn't even finish it the first time I watched it. Now THAT'S acting!

In 2002 Simon & Schuster published Elizabeth Taylor's book "My Love Affair With Jewelry". If you are fan, I highly recommend it. The photos are stunning and besides the jewelry it's full of her personal photos. Who besides royalty in today's world has such a jaw-dropping personal collection of real jewels? Who could pull off actually wearing them?

Only Elizabeth Taylor.

She will be missed.

cultivate

2011-03-23T14:21:00.000-07:00

Since moving into the White House, Michelle Obama has worked hard to cultivate an interest in healthy eating. She started by planting the first vegetable garden at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt's WWII victory garden. Last week she helped students from a Washington, D.C. elementary school replant it for spring.

Has she inspired you to eat healthier? I know she's inspired a lot of women to tone up their arms!

Her book about the garden will be published by Crown in April 2012 and all proceeds will go to charity! Bravo!

meyer lemon coffee cake

2011-03-21T13:06:00.000-07:00

Rain. Clouds. Grey. Dreary.

That was this weekend in a nutshell. However, the rain couldn't stop the sunshine in my kitchen created by a bag of Meyer lemons from a generous friend's tree! Hmmm... how to use them?

Looking online, I was disappointed by the number recipes that claimed to be lemony but didn't really require much of the fruit at all. The Best Damn Lemon Cake from Saveur only called for the zest and juice of 2 lemons and used lemon extract to boot. Pass. I was looking for a recipe that would pack at least 5 or 6 lemons into it.

Then I came across the Meyer Lemon Coffee Cake recipe that appeared in last month's Martha Stewart Living Magazine. It calls for 5 whole lemons sliced paper-thin and 3 tablespoons of lemon zest and 4 tablespoons of lemon juice. BINGO!

I have a love hate relationship with Martha Stewart's recipes. More often than not I find them incredibly labor intensive and sometimes the blood, sweat and tears poured into her recipes yields an outcome that is only "meh". But when her recipes hit, they knock it out of the park! I still use one of her macaroni and cheese recipes I found 10 years ago when I really want to wow people.

So I made this cake. The only problem I ran into was making the streusel topping. Ugh. I have a streusel phobia. For some reason my streusel attempts always fail! It's one of those things that I haven't even come close to mastering, like cooking rice. I can't cook rice either. One of these days I'm going to get serious about streusel and confront it head on. For now, I just puzzle over how the folks at MSL expect the streusel part of this recipe to work. It's a mystery, people.

It took a long time to make this cake. More time than usual because I was playing around with taking photos of the process. My man is a photographer and I have been dying for him to teach me how to take decent food photos. See some of my beginning photos below!

As soon as this cake was tucked into the oven it filled the house with a beautiful lemony warmness as it baked. Everything is right in the world when something is baking in the oven! The glaze made from confectioner's sugar and fresh lemon juice was simple but absolutely delicious and added the sweetness that I think this cake lacks. I would like it to be a touch sweeter, but maybe if I had made a successful streusel that would have solved the problem!

Will I make this recipe again? Probably not, I wasn't wowed by it, but it did use up almost all of my lemons and judging by how much cake is left on the cake plate (a couple of slices after friends and family claimed their shares) I still consider it a success and the perfect antidote for a rainy weekend!

This recipe uses the Blogger Secret Ingredient of lemons, hosted this week by Girlichef!

stir

2011-03-17T10:25:00.000-07:00

...little darlin', stir it up! Another inspiring Illustration Friday topic!