Graduation!

my thesis exhibition

my illustration "Margaret" at the Society of Illustrators  & in the catalogue

(Thank you Shadra for the first picture!!)

It feels very strange to be graduated, I'm not so sure when it will hit me.  Probably when September rolls around and I don't have classes to sign up for (or when the loans start rolling in... yikes!).  

My graduation week was so memorable and such a blast.  My parents met Paul and me in NYC for the Society of Illustrator's Student Competition show and awards and some relaxing.  (By relaxing I mean walking about 10 miles and eating lots of food and drinking lots of drinks! ) Then my brother met us back in Baltimore and we did some more walking and eating and drinking and laughing... then I graduated! I couldn't have asked for a nicer send off from the academic world.  I'm feeling very grateful for all the wonderful experiences and all of the unconditional support throughout my time studying. I think I'll go have a nice little cry into my pillow now.  Just kidding, I'm not that sappy... but close to it!

Bear Feet

I made these tiny shoes as part of my thesis.  You can find more new photos on my website!  There's new things added to onesies and to Festive Bears.  I'm thinking of changing "Festive Bears" to "Bear Club".

If you'll be around the Baltimore/DC area May 17-20 you should definitely come to the MICA undergrad commencement show.  Lots of amazing art will be up, and lots of it will be for sale.  (Your one stop shop for bear stationery before it's available anywhere else!)

Website Update... PART DEUX

Can you not believe your eyes?  Have you peed your pants in anticipation?  It's true friends, the moment has come.  I have updated my website AGAIINNNNNN and I am a new owner of a CUSTOM DOMAINNN UUURRRRLLL!!  Send your friends to phoebeillustrates.com !

Let's take a moment to ask ourselves, "Wurr the fireworks at, yo?".
Maybe they are happening tomorrow when the URL goes into effect.  The only logical explanation for the lack of revelry that's (not) happening all up in this piece.  

There's more exciting things to come, soon.  Everything has been printed for thesis!  I just have to wait for the finals to come in the mail.  A (truly) exciting time.
Expect : Baby Rompers, Baby Shoes, Straws, Paper Decorations, Wrapping Paper & Invitations Galore!!

 In the meantime, here's a picture of Cooey.  We've been having serious kitty withdrawals after Coo had to go back to Paul's family during winter break.  As we like to say around this apartment, "He's a great guy".  (Cougar, not Paul. Although he's great, too.)

I think he is perfectly posed for a relaxing day at the beach.  All he's missing is a beach lounger, a ticket to Cabo and the ability to hold that position without human intervention.  We all have dreams.

Little Words

I'm sticking with the bottom design.  I liked all the leaves, but to print on a onesie (which is already small) it'd be too busy.  I think I'm also going to make the labels for the onesie tag from this... like branding without all the work!  (Just kidding, kind of).  

There's only one more week of thesis class. SO SAD.  I've had such an awesome time this year... it flew by just like everyone said it would! 

Chz.

If I was a person who was smarter, I would have waited until this version was completed to print postcards of this.... I think I have to make all new ones.  I really can't stand the old version anymore.. SIIIGHHHH.  Oh well. 

The first little (besides my computer crashing... that was big not little) hiccup of thesis.  Having to reprint postcards is not so bad.  Moo.com was so kind to reprint my business cards for free after the top of one design was cropped that it all evens out!

You are the Onesie

I see myself growing every week now as an illustrator.  Which is awesome because I like each thing I make more than the next, but it's also a little bit of the pits because I am my own harshest critic when I look back at the previous weeks work.  So... I have decided to forget about the earlier weeks onesie designs and instead follow this new route.  As is life, my friends, as is life.  (... As is thesis.)

I'm much more excited and satisfied with this new one!  

I wanted to make a design that was open gendered both for the lil' bebe and for the parents, because we live in a beautiful modern world where gender stereotypes are seriously passé.  I aimz to please all kinds.  

There will be two of this illustration and two of another (for now).  Also I envision a couple of tote bags on the horizon, but I don't really know if using a tote bag as a diaper bag is something people do.  If you have a petit bebe and would like a tote bag with this print (or the next) please get ahold of me so I can save one for you when I begin selling !

Website Update

I've updated my website... this is what life has become at 4 in the morning. 

Please give it a little peek!  You'll find the website link on the upper left side of my blog.  There are more projects and images coming (very) soon! 

Just for You

Wrapping paper... done!

I'm not even a cat fanatic, although I do love a good snuggle with a particular soft Siamese named Cooey.  I love all animals equally, except those of the bug variety.  (I'm looking at you, worms.  If you want to see a whimpering fool, walk outside with me after it rains.)  Cats just seem to be working particularly sweet on kids' stuff.  Especially kitties français.  

Little Lovelies

Onesies are only digital mock-ups, not actual printed objects, yet.

More thesis.  I'm almost done!!!! I can't believe it.  I've been having obligatory panic attacks left and right (and north an south... panic attacks in every direction) but, I think I'll be okay commencement show wise.  I'll just keeping listening to Ricky Gervais' pod casts and plugging along.  Because if there is one thing in this world that inspires me..... it's Karl Pilkington.


**If you need noise to work to that's not a tv show... you might want to try the old Ricky XFM radio shows on Youtube.  So entertaining.  I've listened to them at least 4 times over now (each!) I love them so much.  They're perfect background sound.

America's Dairy Land

The cheese map, an entire week earlier than the due date!  I don't think I've ever finished anything a week early in my entire time at school.  What a relief to have all the extra hours for thesis work.  

I'm still recovering from Florida sunburn.  I like to look at these pictures I took of the beach in the morning to make myself feel better about my lobster arms.  Ocean sides don't come more beautiful than the Gulf!

le petit bébé

Maybe I should change it to say petit bébé!  I think (think think think) this illustration is finished and ready to be applied as a screen print to onesies.  If I have extra time I want to buy some diaper covers and put the ribbon with petit bébé on the lil' (petit) butt.  

Working in really simple straight-forward shapes was a challenge.  I really love lines and texture, but I think (and hope!) this will translate nicely in the screen print.

I want to try screen printing at home, but I've never tried before except for once junior year and my teacher had to spread the ink for me because I was being too "dainty" about it and there were 15 other people that didn't have patience to wait for the freaky weak girl. (Understandable.)  I think I can figure it out, though! If anyone has any screen printing suggestions, any advice you have to share would be great.  

I'm planning on selling onesies of this and a couple other designs online (not sure if on Etsy or BigCartel yet).  They should be available near the end of May/early June.  If you're interested, please let me know.  I'd be happy to set aside pre-orders! 

Heraldry

We had an assignment in Maps class to make our own coat of arms.  During class we were practicing heraldry and learning how to read and write blazonry.. I've never felt so lost in my life.  I'm pretty sure I was the only person in the class to have to get so much help. Though, I CAN confidently tell you that sable means black and a lion is referred to as a beast.  Master of Heraldry Degree, please. 

Anywho... 

I made my coat of arms as sweet as possible (is there any other way?).  That's my cat (Cooey) and my dogs in the boat (Addy and Louise).  All the color is digital, the lines I scanned in.  I wasn't sure if I should put a motto, I want to add my name so I can slap it on a postcard or something but I have to relearn how to put text on a curve. 

We just got a new assignment where we threw a dart at a map of the U.S. and have to make a statistical map for whatever state we landed on.  Through a sneaky trade I wound up with Wisconsin.  Expect a magical cheese map soon.

Survival of the Sweetest

I made the bears in the woods illustration (the one in the frame) to be on the back of the invitations.  But, after I finished printing what I have done so far and then made a new pattern (the gold triangles) to line the envelopes.. I now see that it will be much more sophisticated to just have the gold triangles on the back of everything.  (AHHHH!!!!)  Those poor bears are really lost now.  I really want them to have a function in this thesis, but right now I'm not sure what it could be.  

I'm going home to Cleveland next week after midterms.  There are few things more exciting than seeing this tiny face after months apart.  (Are you seeing that nose?!)

Danke schön Freund!

It's nice having a cousin fluent in German!  

I had tons of fun practicing hand lettering on this element of this whole "package".  We'll see what my graphic design friends have to say about it. 

For some reason, I'm hesitant to put the finished invitation on here.  I think I want to wait until after midterm critique.  If there's anything really embarrassingly awful that I'm just not noticing I can change it before it's forever on this intergalactic web net thing (I feel like this).  

P.S.  If anyone was wondering what to get me for a graduation present...

Wonder no longer, Freund! I'll take the misshapen kitty, please.  There are wonders beyond wonders at the Visionary Museum gift shop.  (I'm not being sarcastic.  I love it.)

Nesting Bears

 In process.  That first picture was just mapping out the face with paper.. but I really liked how goofy he looked.  Like a bear that ate 20 lemons.  In the second (blurry.... I miss my camera) picture, they're almost finished.  I have to figure out how to attach some tiny bear ears (and a party hat on the biggest) because right now they are just taped, refine some edges and paint the inside a nice yellow.  The little tiny guy is going to be a real pain to add ears to.  Sorry, guy.  Life's tough when you're half the size of a peanut.

Small guys.

This is for the back of all the invitations.  (Also, I think it could be cute framed by itself!)  I'm not sure yet if these little guys (they're not little in real life are they?) should have party hats on if they're just on the back of the invites.  Are they on their way to the party?  Do they get the party hats from the host?  Do they resent not having opposable thumbs to help them put hats on and therefore wait until the last minute to do so?  

Next ...  I think I need to make some thank you cards to go with the package!  Then a onesie design and finishing some nesting dolls.  The stain I got for the nesting dolls is super dark, but it'll have to work because a set of nesting dolls is not as cheap as you would think.  I think I'll try to layer a stain of watery acrylic that's more brown than black.  (If anyone has tried this or something similar please let me know your results! It's on wood.)

Mid semester is coming much too soon.  

I thought I should probably mention this on here (not just FaceBook... duh), but I won in the Society of Illustrators Student Competition! So exciting.  Look out for my piece in the catalog and if you're interested the show will be at the Society of Illustrators in NYC starting mid-May.  

Here's what won.  It's a page from my thesis of last semester.  It's a wordless book about loss and grief.  

Post Card Illustration

Getting a design together to be printed for send aways.  Exciting/Terrifying.  Did I mention that graduation is in May? (AAAAAAH!!!!) But, you know, people graduate all the time.. I've heard.. so I think there is not THAT much to be scared of (except for life or whatever ha.. ha).  I just want to make sure I'm proud of my thesis and things.  

It was relaxing to work on a finished illustration that was (kind of) just for me.  His (her?  I don't know if these lil' guys have a real gender.  I call everyone lil' guys, I blame it on you Mom!) tiny head scarf was inspired by this super silly postcard my friend sent me from Germany (Hi Emily).  It's sitting right in my sightline, and it was too beautiful (like the Mona Lisa) on this February night not to draw from.  

(I have a feeling the last part of that sentence was not proper English. )  

Let me share the magic with you... try not to cry.  Or don't.  I won't judge.  

*music*

Party Bears

The Soggy Bears found their way into a Party City.

Soggy Bears

Thesis bears dancing in my thesis tears.  

(HAHAHA SENIOR YEAR IS SO FUN.)  

I finished one whole chunk of my thesis and then I decided I really hated it, so I started over with some lanky bears in mind.  If I didn't think bears and pine trees were so fun to paint, I would have hid under a rock until this senior project finished itself.  Watercolor is a nice change of pace for me.  I'd like to move away from using lots of contour lines.  

This whole thing is going to finish into a set of products for the first year(ish) of a baby's life.  Invitations and things to decorate a nursery with.  

Also also also, I'm finally working on a real website!  That exclamation point was uncalled for.  Most times I'm glad to be living in the information age, but man oh man, making a website is like counting the hairs on a fly.. which is REALLY impossible since that's not even a saying.  

Hansel & Gretel : Witch's House Map

Starting Maps Class.  Next week I'll have the inside of the Witch's house!  I'm having (mini) anxiety attacks that I've labeled the compass wrong.  It wouldn't be a surprise... I can hardly remember how to get to the backyard of my building.  (I'm only half joking.)  I still have to label the gumdrops; I only just remembered that a gum drop is called a gum drop.. I'm not a big candy person.  Hannie and Gretie's  witch would have lured me into her house just because I think old people are so darn cute!