Trend-spotting At Borders

Had a little fun in the city on Saturday with Matt - hey a girl's gotta get out and enjoy the day a bit, no matter how much work there is to do! Stopped into Border's Books and as usual snapped away what they had in store...

 Cute owls. I've seen this one in Borders for at least six months. It must have been (or is still?) a hot seller. It's a design I can get behind - I liked it when I first saw it and I still like it now. (It's "got legs", as they say!)

 Tea time art -- I love tea time as a theme. I've drawn a lot of Tea Time themed art myself - I just feel it's  an inspiring theme, fun, lots of room for imagination! (Might help that I LOVE TEA and the requisite tea paraphernalia - cups, teapots... some day, I'll show you my little collection here!)

Butterflies --  I've seen a lot of butterflies around lately. I think they are on a Comeback Tour. (Would you agree?)

These are cute. You see SO much art these days which are strongly inspired by Japanese art and animation. The trend continues - and, to my eyes, it just keeps building...

 I liked this one a lot -- Drinky Umbrellas done in a design that is both retro and modern, abstract and representational, plus, the palette is both fun and light yet also a bit subtle and demure. The designer accomplished a LOT in just one design...

 Wonderful & fresh greeting card design by one of my favorite contemporary illustrators, Paula Becker, for RSVP

 Great pop-up greeting card - I will guess that this is by Up With Paper, though I am not sure on that.

Cute doggie and kitty patterns!

Look here -- Purple is on Clearance. (What does it MEAN??? LOL!!)

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Own an original for a (bird) song

If you'd like to own an original painting of mine, head on over to the Ripple blog and purchase one of the above beauties for a $10 donation.

Why am I doing this—selling originals for $10? Because if it helps draw attention to Ripple so that more visitors come more frequently and purchase more ART. If I help Ripple to succeed at that, it's worth it!!

We are doing this to help the animal victims of the Gulf Coast oil spill disaster. Being so far away from the part of the country where this tragic event is happening and feeling helpless to do anything helpful of merit is not a good feeling. THIS is something I/we can do, to not only draw attention to the issue itself, but to draw eyeballs and open some wallets to help those poor beings who are losing their homes.

When you really stop to think about what is happening, doesn't it make you nauseous? I read somewhere, someone said "Too bad it is not people dying, because at least then, something would get done." I bristled at the thought of that, and spit that thought out of my mind like a bad oyster. But you know what? After the sentence settled in my mind, I realized how effective it was in putting this in perspective. I mean, think about it. How long did it take for REACTION, for HELP? And even NOW, the situation is so horrific - it is beyond comprehension not that something like this could happen, but that in the midst of a high-level ecological disaster, beaurocracy and big oil money can block truly fixing this problem quickly when tme is of the essence! Our wildlife is suffering and dying, and besides all of the obvious things that are WRONG with that, there will also be grave consequences for our natural ecological system. This disaster could actually be a big catalyst in changing the ecosystem,  And NOT in a GOOD WAY. We MUST do what we can do to help.

I am a confirmed optimist and cannot leave this post on a sour note. You know who is impressing me these days? Kevin Costner. He invested $24 million into this water-cleaning invention over ten years ago. No one bought it for years and years. Oil companies looked the other way. Until NOW. I mean talk about cool -- THIS is cool. The guy's a modern-day hero. Thank you, Kevin.

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Just a little reminder to myself.

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Drawing in Transit: 4 Ways it can boost the quality of your creative output

I am on a train commuting somewhere, via public transportation, several days of the week. This finite amount of time that I and many other people commit to every day—spent moving and shaking and some times reading something incidental—is actually a great time to zone into some creative problem solving via sketchbook. Wait, rocking around in your seat doesn't sound to you like an ideal time for putting pencil to paper for some inspired doodling? Hold up. I can make the argument that it's a GREAT time for it.

1) White noise is golden
It's interesting that all the white-noise surrounding me on public transportation actually seems to end up helping my mind block out any outside interference. When I am stuck on my commute, my drawing has my full attention. The ideas seem to come through my brain and onto the paper cleaner and more "white noise-free" than they sometimes do when I am sitting quietly and have no distractions at all. I'm not sure how it works, but I know that it works.

2) The positive effects of a bumpy ride
While moving, I don't get as lost in the details of a drawing, because I can't. I'm jumbling and bumbling all over the place. Since I never know when the next bump is coming, I am forced to let go of certain aspects of my artwork that I otherwise might get caught up in. For my riding time, the idea is to get down the nucleus of a concept—the bread and butter of any good illustration. I will more than make up for it later when I flesh out my clear, unfettered idea on solid ground.

3 ) Short bursts can deliver solid results
Since I usually travel in shorter spurts and have no other distractions, it's easier for me to focus on a specific sketching goal during these times. This is the perfect time to get working on the first phases of an assignment. I have started many projects this way with much success.

4) Drawing against the clock
Somehow, being in a public yet fairly anonymous atmosphere with no interruptions and only a finite period of time can have a great auto-focus effect. I often end up in just the right head space to succeed at solving a specific creative task. There has been times that my sketching is going so well that, when I get off the train, I plant myself on a station bench to complete my work flow. It can be that effective for me. Maybe it can be for you, too.

If you want to try a similar experiment but you don't commute, do this: Next time you have an appointment or a date with a friend, leave an hour early. Hit a comfy coffee shop to get some drawing time in first. You won't feel the jumble of the train, but you can benefit from the other aspects of drawing in transit. Sometimes, an offbeat change-of-creative-pace with a time line attached can add up to some surprisingly valuable results. Happy drawing!


This essay was previously published in SCBWI Bulletin Jan/Feb 2010 "Art Tips" column.

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Ripple

The tragedy of the gulf coast mess has all of us feeling helpless and yes, completely horrified. Artist Kelly Light has decided to do something about it! Kelly has created a project that creates a bridge for all of us artists to help in a way that may seem small at first, but is very BIG in heart, and the movement is growing! The project is called "Ripple" and allows artists to donate artworks. Then, for a $10 donation, anyone may 'purchase' the mini-masterpiece!

> Purchase my first donation to Ripple here.
> For details on the tech specs of the piece, please check the PBJ blog.

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Cambridge River Fest 2010

Had a fun and inspiring day at the Cambridge River Festival!

Me, shaved ice, and one super-cute dress on my right

 Photo of Matt's shadow. Love this one. It was an accidental picture which I discovered much later.

 Self-playing organ. Reminded me of all the carnivals my maternal grandparents used to take my sisters and I to when we were kids. All I had to do was hear the music and it brought me back instantly.

 I love all the food communication graphics framing this booth. The woman was very vocally hawking thefood. She even said "If you don't like it, we'll take it back!" (An odd sales pitch, I thought)

 I just love these ice cream truck graphical communications. Just LOVE them. I can't seem to pass a truck without snapping a pic of them, no matter where I am!

 Matt and me!

 Brother Blue puppet. Brother Blue was a legendary Cambridge story teller who passed away in 2009.

 Ballerina performers

 Fish bike, PLUS PUG!

 Fish Car

 This group called FIGMENT took over a whole side of the river walk with performance art, kid-friendly activities and weird, cool stuff to look at!

Lastly we popped by a couple of our favorite local stores before heading home and I saw some great graphic Archie Comics cover designs. Just love these.

Now, it is time to work and I'm fully charged up from my fun, sunny day!

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