Beachy Dreams

Oh, it is summer, and what a good summer it is! Except for my recent bout of pneumonia, of course! But thank goodness for antibiotics, because it means I was able to take a wonderful and inspiring trip to the Florida Keys. I even went snorkeling on a coral reef for the first time. Now, I know that according to my clients I should be painting Christmas designs right now, but I just couldn't bear to wait to paint all the beachy goodness. Hooray for the beach!

What is on your drawing table this week?

Bears

The weather was beautiful, so my daughter and I decided to do some wildlife watching. We drove to Keenesburg, CO where there is a wildlife rehabilitation center. What a wonderful trip. I was especially fascinated by all the bears they have on the 400 acre property. Since the weather was mild, the bears were feeling very playful. It was wonderful to see them engaging in this behavior in a natural setting.

 

 

Of course, I had to do some sketching.

 

 

I got the wonderful chunky mechanical pencil from Aaron Bros. Art and Framing. I really like it, it is great for loose sketches. The sharpener is in the bottom of the pencil.

 

 I decided to do a watercolor study as well. Perhaps it is time for me to do another lodge series, featuring our friends, the Bears!

 

 

Giveaway

Looks like most people signed up for the giveaway over on my Facebook page. And we have a winner! Hooray for Debi Matlack! Stay tuned, more exciting things will be happening soon.

A Giveaway!

Okay, it has stopped snowing, the kids are healthy, and life has settled down again. That means it is time for a giveaway! I have put together a box with 2 notepads, a magnet, a boxed set of cards, three flags of assorted sizes, and a jigsaw puzzle. Fun stuff, right? And all you have to do to be entered to win is to leave a comment on this page, or one my facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/JaneMadayStudio. Extra entries by liking my facebook studio page, or this blog.

 Here is a closeup of the puzzle. There will be more giveways to come! Good luck!

Creative Lettering

 

One thing I will admit is that I am not very good at hand-lettering. I do want to improve though, because I love the casual lettering that is so popular right now. I would also like my journal pages to look better. And, I must also admit, it bugs me when there is something I can't do, and that makes me want to practise it!

 

So I purchased this book by Jenny Doh, and I am very glad I did. The designs in the book are inspiring to look at, and the artists give tips on how they work.

 

 

This is a page from my sketchbook where I did one of the projects in the book, from the Flora Chang chapter. I love her work, so I was happy to see she was included in the book. As you can see, I still have a long way to go before I am proficient, but I am having a good time playing with it.

 

Meow

Here is what I am working on today. Just because it seems like a long time since I have painted a kitten! Meow!

Busy Days

Things are busy here at the studio, as usual! It seems to be sample time, too. I love seeing how my products turn out.

 

 

 

I got two big boxes of sample goodness from my agent the other day, and she says two more are on their way. Lots of puzzles, of course, and flags, and some nice stationery products.

 

 

Here are some pretty new journals from Enchante. They are available at Ross stores.

 

I love this group of four puzzles from Holdson. 

Unfortunately, I think they are only available in New Zealand and parts of Europe.

 

 

Here is a close up.

 

In other news, the Surtex show in New York is fast approaching, and like all my artist chums, I am painting away so I have lots of exciting new art to show. I am just bursting with new ideas and I don't know what to paint first!