Oh boy, now I want a warthog to drink tea with. This is either a really weird, colorful, beautiful dream I had, or the work of Dutch artist/illustrator Lieke van der Vorst. It might be both.

Ok. This is taking blind contour drawing to a whole new, dreamy level. Gorgeous… and even more gorgeous when drawn on layers of transparent vellum! This is a series by California based artist Ashleigh Ninos titled, quite appropriately, “Contour”.  You know how this works, right? One continuous line, but no peeking at your paper as you draw. Ashleigh keeps a close eye on her botanical subjects, only looking down once she’s drawn the whole thing. I’ve tried this a few times, and I can quite confidently say, they did not look anything like these! Sigh. Lovely.

{A few pieces from this series are available as prints in her shop, and I also have a few of her other pieces in my online gallery shop.}

You could seriously play the artsiest game of ‘Go Fish’ EVER with these beauties! I love this project by Philadelphia based artist Kimberly Hall {aka Nottene}… the final drawings are fantastic, but I love the story behind them just as much:

“I started designing this deck as a way to draw new things regularly. In 2013 one of my goals was to draw more every day, but it was hard to stay motivated. I was always looking for new things to draw, so when a friend mentioned she was going to learn a new card game each week for all 52 weeks of the year I realized it was the perfect number of weeks to produce a deck of cards in a way that wasn’t completely overwhelming! I have always wanted to design a deck of cards, but it felt like too big of a project. Suddenly it seemed manageable.”

Brilliant and so inspiring! She has illustrated the entire deck, and now her plan is to turn these 52 drawings into the real deal {get it? deal?}. Sorry, bad card joke. Anywho, Kimberly’s got a kickstarter project underway, so if you want to help her, ie., ensure that these get made so you can pick up a set for yourself, pop over to her project page … 25 days to go!

Oh, so elegant. I absolutely love work that is half “finished”… there is a true confidence in it, as it’s quite a skill to know “when to stop”. These perfectly half drawn ladies are the work of UK based artist Mark Demsteader. Sigh. Lovely. ps. quite sure the woman with short hair is Emma Watson. Anyone?

{Thanks to Richard Slade, @sladedesign, for sending me a link to Mark’s work.}

………………………

I spy with my little eye, so many things that are fantastic! Yep. I love this series, titled “Bowie”, by California based artist Melissa Arendt. There are so many lovely little gems in there! Hm, what do I love most? Is it the teepees, the geometric landscape, or the tiny David Bowie in full-on Ziggy Stardust attire? Hm, I think it might be the fine blend of all of these beautifully drawn/painted bits ‘n pieces living happily together… oh, and a little Breakfast at Tiffany’s reference never hurts either!

Oh my goodness. These gorgeous “reversed portrait” pencil drawings are the work of London based artist Nettie Wakefield. Braids, buns, twists… but I’m sure you know which two are my favorite {scroll up. top left corner.}  Yep. Double buns. Every time. ♥♥

{via Booooooom}

Wow. If I could do this with charcoal & graphite, I don’t think I’d do much else! These gorgeous drawings are the work of Portland based artist Ruth Shively. I wrote about her paintings in 2011, but just stumbled across these stunning portraits yesterday… I gasped, and then immediately started writing this post! That first piece? With the hair flip? Ah-mazing.

Well hellooooo, February! You know what that means…  time for #creativeUNblock project no.2! {If you missed the January project – or have no idea what I’m talking about – no worries,  you can catch up right here.} Ok, so who’s ready for the next unblocking project from Creative Block? Me too! I’ve been wanting to do this one since the moment I got the interview back from the always inspiring, super duper creative, Portland based artist Kate Bingaman-Burt. Why didn’t I? Hm. Good question. No more procrastinating… let’s do this:

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

#creativeunblock // February // by Kate Bingaman-Burt p.231

Catalog the contents of your medicine cabinet/bathroom shelf : Draw, paint, photograph, or collage everything you have, and then make a poster or small book about the objects. {constraint = creation}

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

I love this. So much. When in your life would you ever document everything on your bathroom shelf, or make a bathroom zine/lotion poster for that matter? Never! {I’m not even sure what’s in there to be totally honest!} Ok, ready? Let go, have fun, and post your work on twitter and instagram with #creativeUNblock… can’t wait to see what you’ve got in your cupboards ; )

ps. Just because Kate draws everything, doesn’t mean you have to. Paint, photograph, collage, write about… document all of those bottles, jars, and random bits in your drawer/shelf/cabinet any way that suits you!

I’m so excited to finally tell you guys about this! Last April, The Land of Nod asked me to collaborate with them on a series of “Jealous Curator” art collections for nurseries & kids rooms… um, OK! I immediately reached out to ten artists who I thought would be perfect for the Spring collection. I chose them as a curator, but I also had my mom hat firmly on! You see, when my son was a baby, I had a really hard time finding cool art for his room – art that he would like, but also something that I wanted to look at while rocking him in the middle of the night, and during diaper changes, and when we were lying on the floor pretending to be [insert any farm animal here].  That’s what this collection is all about. I chose fun, fresh, candy-hued pieces that your little ones will love, but that can also transition smoothly into the “grown-up” areas of your home… you know, art that you’d be happy to hang in the living room when your baby turns seven and decides to cover his walls in Minecraft posters. Trust me, it happens.

I’ve had to keep this collaboration top secret until the Spring 2015 collection was finally released, and at long last, it’s here! I’m beyond thrilled with this grouping, and so honored to have been able to work with these ten incredibly talented artists. Watercolors, embroidery, paintings and photographs… I love each of them on their own, but also kinda crazy love how they work together! Here’s more info on the full collection {snatched from the LoN site}:

And a closer view of each one {links at the bottom}:

Ahhh, I love them all so, so much. {ps. there are only 100 of each piece!} Thank you to The Land of Nod for bringing me into the family, and thank you to the artists… you’re all insanely talented, kind, and really fun to work with!

1. Sarah Gee  2. Stephanie K Clark  3. Trey Speegle  4. Cassia Beck  5. Aimee Bee Brooks  6. Alice Ferrow  7. Valerie Chiang  8. Joël Penkman  9. Alicia Bock  10. Melissa Ryder

Ok, this might be the longest post ever, but this show is just so gorgeous, I had to show you everything! I was thrilled when the Bedford Gallery asked me to curate a show in their lovely space… and after almost a year of planning, it finally opened on December 7th! The Bedford gave me carte blanche, so I decided to bring my book, Creative Block, to life! We have work from 20 of the 50 artists, unblocking stations set up so that people can try a few exercises from the book, and some of my most favorite pull-quotes are on the wall in vinyl lettering. Have a look, and I’ll see you at the bottom of this gigantic recap…

Ahhhh! So exciting! Six of the artists came to the opening from as far as Chicago and New York… it was an amazing night! So many friends, collectors, art enthusiasts, kids, and even a chihuahua {sorry, no photo of him!}. The days following the opening were action packed too. I did an indepth walkthrough with the 60+ docents that volunteer at the gallery {so many amazing people!}, and artist Trey Speegle was still in town so he stopped by to chat about his work, the book, etc. I also went to a sound studio and recorded the voiceover for the show! You know when you can rent the headset at a gallery to get the details on each piece… yep, I got to record that! Later that night we had Q&A event at the gallery… it was a packed house!

And finally, the badges. I designed these as section headers in the creative talk that I give, and so when Carrie Lederer, the gallery director, asked if I wanted to make anything for their gift shop I said, “YES. Actual, embroidered creative scout badges!” and she made it happen! Originally they were only available at the Bedford, but, I’ve arranged to have them in my online gallery too {$17.50 for the set}, so now anyone anywhere in the world can have them! They’re the merit badges you earn as a creative person. None of us are alone when it comes to asshole-ish inner critics, or being burnt by criticism, or the fact that we love making stuff. We’re all in one giant, supportive, amazing creative club… so put those badges on, and wear them with pride!

Well, there you have it. The show is still up until February 1, so if you find yourself in the Bay Area over the next couple of months you should totally go! Thanks again to the Bedford… Carrie, Eric, Christine… you guys are amazing, and I loved every second of my time with you! xo

ps. Thanks to WCTV for doing this interview/peek inside the show with me!