3x3 nuts & bolts conference

from my experience the first annual 3x3 nuts & bolts conference this past weekend was a huge success! getting to see/hear each illustrators progression from student to working professional was truly awesome and inspirational. each speaker had a specific topic to elaborate on ranging from children books, to self publishing, to protecting you work... it was overwhelming to hear one person after another but in a good way. 

Charles Hively (who is photographed here taking a picture of the whole group) opened the conference by saying even if you take just one thing away from this, it was successful/worthwhile. that stuck with me.

home from the woods...

.. and on our way to the city.
it's been a busy, jam packed week.
matt & i just got home from a short trip to westmoreland virginia where we made these delicious bald eagle marshmallows (that were dipped in white chocolate, rolled in coconut, and stuck on an oreo cookie. yum.)



and painted these rocks & shells found on one of our walks. that big blue one i'm going to turn into a whale by drawing on it with a handy dandy pen/marker that works on crazy surfaces!



we are heading up to NY tomorrow for the nuts & bolts conference hosted by 3x3 magazine. it should be pretty excellent because 
1. it's being held at the society of illustrators
2. we are going on a studio tour
3. we get to meet amazing illustrators working in the industry doing what they love day in and day out
4. well, do i need any more reasons? it's going to be a fantastic experience.


also this weekend is the drawgasmic show in st. louis where (former classmates/current illustrators) matt, amanda, joe & myself have pieces on display/for sale!! i wish i could attend, i'm sure the show will be spectacular.

Art Out Loud

wow, it's been a week since the weekend trip to New York!

It was an unbelievably amazing time filled with art, walking, food, and people. Seriously one could spend a whole week there and still not see everything on their to-do list.

I took about 250 pictures and oddly enough I felt like I should've taken more... I feel like I missed a lot of what we saw!

Anyways, here is a miniscule selection of photos from the Art Out Loud event at the Society of Illustrators. Simply stated, it was mind blowing. 5 major illustrators just worked at their easels/drawing tables and painted away like they were in their own studio (with 100 guests walking around them, touching their paint supplies, asking them a zillion questions). It was truly incredible to watch them work away so effortlessly... I felt like was back in my studio painting classes.

Here is a pile of Gregory Manchess' work just sitting on a table... it eventually got spread out to the floor!

awesome find + NYC

I'm quite excited about this awesome find today- ultra fine point Bic colored markers!! I've been on the hunt for some colored pens... I have some microns, they seem to work well but I have very limited color options. I only own the typical black,  blue and red. A week or so ago I picked up some Prismacolor pens- the colors were fantastic (a fun seafoam green and a lovely tangerine-ish orange)!! but when I got home, the pens felt like they were already dried up. Needless to say I was pretty disappointed and ended up returning them.

But finally (!!!) an awesome set of beautiful Bic markers. I'm anxious to use them. Look at the wonderful array of  colors!

In other news I gave my website a little update. I took out the new handwritten section and replaced it was a pattern page! Right now there are only 4 patterns but I promise to update is again soon with more. I love making these patterns and feel that it's definitely something I want to pursue/keep on creating.

And more BIG news this weekend September 12th and 13th I'll be spending in New York. I am beyond excited to be there! Its going to be an art-filled weekend. First on Saturday we will be attending the sold out Art Out Loud event at the society of illustrators where top illustrators will be demonstrating their skills and techniques. Then Sunday is the long awaited trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art !!! It's going to be a fantastic time. Stay tuned for some pictures!