Sketchbook Sunday - Wedding Illustrations

Last autumn Evie emailed me asking for artwork for her wedding. She wanted it in my mori girl style, and I had so much fun making these illustrations to celebrate her wedding. These drawings are based on the photos that Evie sent to me.


I made these illustrations in ink and then cleaned it up and colorized it using Photoshop. I think the colors look so nice, and I really like how her dress looks, too.


Here is the artwork for her thank yous. I really like how her dress pattern came out, and his plaid shirt!


Here are some of the ink drawings that I made, some are not ones that got chosen in the end. I like how they look, though, and it is neat to see the drawings without the colors that the final illustrations have.




I really like drawing in my mori girl style. I am so happy with how these drawings turned out!

Sketchbook Sunday - Spoonflower Fabric Patterns

For all the sewers out there, and crafty peeps in general, I present to you - my Spoonflower fabric shop! Did you know I was making my own fabric designs using Spoonflower? Now you can also purchase some of my designs through Spoonflower for making your own crafty projects! Isn't that great? I really love Spoonflower.










You can see my Spoonflower fabric shop right here! So far I have sewn some wallets, drawstring bags, and a top with my very own patterns!

Sketchbook Sunday - What Nilla Would Wear

Do you ever dream about dressing your pets? Sometimes I do, and I know you can dress your pets, but I really don't think mine would allow for that. If I could dress Nilla, I always imagined her in a great red track suit like I drew right here. I think she would really look cute in this!

Sketchbook Sunday - Fierce and Nerdy

Each month I draw a new comic called Dork Lifestyle for my friend Ernessa T. Cater's awesome and funny website, Fierce and Nerdy. This month I drew my Dork Lifestyle about some hot peppers. First I started with a pencil sketch that out lined what I wanted to draw and write in my panels to the cartoon.


Next I ink in my pencil drawings. Usually I draw in all the characters and then add the details with pens that are all different thicknesses. Sometimes I draw something to the side that I swap later - in this drawing it is the knife. I drew a new one on the side to replace in the final comic.






Then I scan in my inked artwork. I clean it up using Photoshop. I scan it in as a color image, then make it to grayscale to make sure my inked line work is crisp. I color it in and convert to RGB at this point. I keep a color palette saved that includes my favorite colors for my hair and skin tones for my comics, so they are always consistent.


I love naming my layers! Oh my, I am really a nerd. This is really important to me. You can search your files and find them by layers! I love this.


This is my almost completed Dork Lifestyle comic! You can see the final version right here!

Sketchbook Sunday - Let's Make a Button Design

I love making buttons! I make them all the time. Want to see my process from start to finish? Okay, so here goes... I start with my original sketch that I draw in pencil. I usually draw in my sketch book. It looks like this.


Then I ink in my pencil sketch. I like to use different pens for this - so sometimes I draw with a fine tip, sometimes I like to use a heavier tip. For this I think I used a 07 tip.


Next I did some hand lettering. I am making a button to use for my Etsy shop, so I wrote the URL for it Shoppe Sugar Cookie!


Then I scan in my artwork. I like to clean it up in Photoshop. I scan at 600 dpi, and in color. I change to grayscale and fine tune the contrast using Levels, Exposure, and Brightness and Contrast. I convert to RGB next and color in my illustration. I also move the type around to fit my button template, making sure not to place the text too close to the edge of my button design. Once I have this finalized, I put it on another template to print my button design out on nice paper.


This is how they look when I print them out all on one page. I can cut it out to make a button!


And here is the final button badge design to pop in my Shoppe Sugar Cookie Etsy orders!

Sketchbook Sunday: Two Family Portraits

I was commissioned by my friend Jeremy to draw a portrait of his super cute family as a gift for his wife for a Mother's Day gift. In this photo you will find Jeremy, his daughter Sophie, and his wife Juliet. Jeremy said make them listening to records in a living room, but I just ma de a textured color background cos I am not a fan of drawing backgrounds, really. I did incorporate his idea of listening to music by adding the cute close and play record player, miniature music notes, and a guitar. This is a very musical family, as Jeremy and Juliet play in the fabulous indie pop band called Gold-Bears.


The other portrait I drew recently is of my pal Courtney and her boyfriend, Bob. This was an anniversary gift to them. Courtney, long time zine queen and pen pal, asked that I added their two pet chinchillas, Bambi and Belle. She said usually the chinnies are very fast and do not sit still for holding, but I made them holding Bambi and Belle anyway. I added the hay at their feet, as any good small pet owner knows, hay is all the time all over the house.

I hope you both enjoy your portraits! I had a fun time making these for Jeremy and Courtney.

Sketchbook Sunday - Acorns and Cute Girls

I have been drawing some cute girls lately! Some are mori girl inspired and some are just doodles.




Here are some acorn heads. I enjoy making new characters and illustrating their clothes and friends.


This is another mori inspired sketch - a girl holding a baby acorn! I love her hair and her bow.


We had a good bit of rain last weekend, so this illustration was made during the rain and hail storms we had last week.


Here is my fawn baby, too. I love drawing animals, especially deer and fawns.

Sketchbook Sunday - Thrift Stores and Self Portraits

I started to draw some things I found at thrift stores and a few self portraits. I like to draw clothes, so I focused on that. I also love to draw bunnies, so I added that, too! Only I am not good at picking up our pet rabbits at all. They are much too wiggly!


Here is a mug, a ceramic planter, and a dress I found at thrift shops. I might put them into a zine some day.


These are some drawings of clothing I got in vintage shops. The first one is me in the 1990's wearing a shirt dress from a friend and some Doc Martens shoes that I bought a few sizes too big. Why did I do that? The other pencil sketch is a top I got downtown - it makes me look like a waitress!


I found this plush squirrel at a thrift sale - and this squirrel is wearing a pink floral pattern dress!

Sketchbook Sunday - Me and the Mori Girls

I have been drawing some self-portraits and Mori Girls lately. Here are some of my drawings that are in progress that are happening in my sketchbook.










And of course, I love to draw animals.

Sketchbook Sunday - Animal Friends

Time to check out some of my drawings that I have been making lately. I love to draw.


I like to practice drawing some animals, so here are some that I drew in my sketchbook. I love this sloth! They are really neat to watch, if you get to see one in real life. I saw one once at a zoo on vacation when I was a teenager.


There are some squirrels in our 'hood. They like to come and visit Nilla at the window in our craft room. They are adorable and playful. They are fun to watch.


Here are some more squirrels and some of their woodland friends. I love woodland and forest themes, cos I really am a mori girl!


Trying to do more yoga, like this yoga kitty!


I started to draw some more birds, so here is an owl in flight. Now that I look closer, it really looks like this little guy is going to play the xylophone!


Of course I am always thinking about bunnies! This is a happy bunny with a happy carrot.


And last, but not least, here is a bean-shaped bunny. Sort of a jelly bean! Yum!