Daisy Hill

Architectural illustration is not a field I expected myself to be in one day, but after I created an image for my alma mater’s Christmas card last year, it seems to be something I have a knack for. I have done a bit of work for other universities (and if you’d like me to paint something for yours, get in touch!), but this painting was a little something different.

A friend of mine commissioned this painting of her boyfriend’s grandmother’s home as a birthday gift. It is a house with a name – and who doesn’t want to live in a house with a name? Meet Daisy Hill. I’m told her boyfriend loves it.

This painting provided me an excellent opportunity to make the piece EXACTLY as I wanted it with no digital manipulation since the original painting was being framed and given as the gift. I often tweak colors or saturation levels digitally because I can be a bit timid with those things when I’m painting but there was no room for that this time!

Below are some of my sketches and color studies that I sent to my friend before beginning the final painting.

Adrift – New Editorial Illustration

Last week I started a new class through the Tutor Mill. I am taking a class on Visual Metaphor with Chris Buzelli and Yuko Shimizu, two very talented and well-known illustrators. This piece is the final from my first assignment on the problems that are created when the sea ice that polar bears use for hunting melts too early.

Prints of this painting are available in my Society6 shop and the original painting is available here. For a limited time, prices on all the paintings in my shop have been reduced by up to $25!

iBaby

During my first full day at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts as an artist-in-residence, I finished up this personal illustration. The shadows and contrast were inspired by the Poltergeist movie poster. How you feel about babies on devices so early will likely make a huge difference in how you see this illustration. It’s a difficult balance – even more difficult for those who actually have children.

I originally did two versions of this painting. The first seemed a bit too dark:

Fortunately, I had scanned the inks for the painting before I put any paint down, so I used that to retrace the drawing and give it another shot. I wanted the gradient to fade a little more slowly and wanted there to be some traces of my mark-making in the black/dark areas. The second one was definitely successful in that respect, but it was missing some of the drama from the first.

Ultimately, the solution was to combine the two and I was able to get the best of both worlds!

Prints of this illustration are available here and the original paintings are available in my Shop.

When one tugs at a single thing in nature he finds it attached to the rest of the world…

“When one tugs at a single thing in nature he finds it attached to the rest of the world…”

~ John Muir

Self-explanatory, yes?

This is available as a print here and the original watercolor painting is available here.

The Mighty Pencil Book Volume 2

Yesterday I received my copy of Volume 2 of The Mighty Pencil Book. I’ve got a spread of my illustration in the book, along with 26 other incredibly talented illustrators. The book is beautifully designed and I’m so excited to be a part of it.

So much great illustration in one place. Only a limited number of these books are available for sale and there may only be a handful left at this point, but head over to The Mighty Pencil store to grab yourself a copy before they’re gone!

DaVinci Wine Storyteller: Cannoli and Zio

So, I couldn’t wait to share the rest of what I created for DaVinci Wine’s Storyteller Experience. Above is a painting of some delicious cannoli we enjoyed before dinner in Livorno.

By choosing to click and read this blog post, you confirm you are of legal drinking age in the country where this site is accessed.

DaVinci Wine Storyteller: Brunello di Montalcino

Many of you have been waiting very patiently for me to reveal the work that I did in response to my Davinci Wine Storyteller Experience. Well, I’m going to be a bit of a tease – here is the first of three watercolor paintings. Although, you don’t have to be too much of a detective to discover the other two.

By choosing to click and read this blog post, you confirm you are of legal drinking age in the country where this site is accessed.

Do-It-Yourself Illustrations for Workforce Management Magazine

Last week I completed a series of illustrations for Workforce Management Magazine. They wanted illustrations with a do-it-yourself, instruction manual feel. Below are all of the illustrations in context and you can read the article here. The article is about employee healthcare and how some employers are creating their own solutions to that very specific problem.

“Craving Chianti” Illustration for Tonique Magazine

Last week I completed a last minute illustration for the online alcohol & spirits magazine Tonique. This was an editorial illustration to accompany a series of articles from a writer currently abstaining from alcohol. I am also fortunate to be sharing space in this issue with the wonderfully talented Ben O’Brien.

The original painting is available for sale and will be up in my Shop later today (if you don’t see it and are interested, just get in touch). Prints are available here.

Last night I finished the last in a series of paintings that I have been working on for DaVinci Wine which will be revealed in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

Oh, and I am also available for personal watercolor commissions.

Unused Advertising Illustration

A few weeks ago I worked on a last minute advertising illustration. They ended up going in a completely different direction, but I thought I would share the illustrations that weren’t used. Below are two versions of the piece. It was intended to be a diptych, as you can see, featuring the South African President Zuma and the skeleton is that of a lion cub.