I have been making some good progress on my drawings for the children’s book app (for iPad and iPhone) I am working on. It is called “Sailing the Seven Sheets”. The only problem with posting artwork at this stage in the process is that my drawings are on multiple layers of tissue paper. It wouldn’t be too interesting for you to see one of the layers. There would be a random head, a dislocated arm, a floating lamp… you get the idea. I did want to upload the title page for the book app, though. I am really excited about this app. It has been a lot of fun to work on so far. In case anyone is curious, the website listed on the picture is not live. You can type it into your browser, but it doesn’t exist, so you won’t find anything.

Keep checking back because I will have finished artwork to post in the future!

Just to let you know what is going on in my little art world right now -

I spent the entire month of November writing books.  I participated in the insane National Novel Writing Month challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in a month.  I finished my novel at 60,002 words, and then wrote a second book for young readers that was 5,010 words.   December has been filled with lots of craft shows, chocolate making, and Christmas shopping.

Now that my Christmas shopping is mostly taken care of, I have started working on a project that I am super excited about.  I am creating illustrations for an author of a children’s book app for the iPhone and iPad.  It is going to be so much fun!  I will post some of my drawings as I go along.

Merry Christmas!

http://www.theydrawandcook.com/

As a major Google fan, there was no way I could pass up the chance to say happy birthday to my favorite search engine today! Of course, there is much more to Google than just a search engine, but that is what they are best known for.

Here’s to a fabulous 13 years!

When my shift ended, I ran over to my boyfriend’s apartment to watch the footage.  I will never forget the horrific scene that unfolded on the television.  There were no bombs, but what we saw was so much worse.  The sight of the planes crashing into the towers is something that will be burned into my mind forever.  Words cannot describe my feelings when I saw the towers fall.

This year marks the 10th year anniversary of the event that changed our nation.  My husband and I saw the footage again on the news.  It was like seeing it for the first time all over again.

So many people.  So many lives.  Let’s not forget those we lost.

For a royalty free copy of this file (eps, jpg), please CLICK HERE to visit my iStockphoto page.

Here is my latest stock illustration.  I had the idea of doing a cloud computing illustration that was a little more fun than just computers plugged into the cloud.  Cloud computing is huge right now, and a lot of people are making (or think they can make) a lot of money with it.  So I drew up this business man standing with his arms raised up in a shower of dollar signs.

Of course, this illustration is not just for cloud computing.  It could represent any lucrative or successful business practice.

These are my latest greeting card designs. They are for Mother’s Day, obviously.  I must admit that while I’ve always been more of a dog person, I enjoy the card with the cats a little bit more.  It is just so sweet.  There is nothing better than hugs from mom, and Mother’s Day is the perfect time to return the hug and let her know just how much you appreciate them.

People always ask me how I get my inspiration.  The card with the dog and the slippers is actually almost a true story.  Back in the days when we had a dog (we had to give him away when we moved), he loved to chew on things.  My slippers were one of his many victims.  He chewed them into little tiny bits of foam and fluff then ate them.  My idea for this card came from that incident.  I thought how considerate it would be for a dog to avoid peeing (or chewing) on your slippers on your special day.  It could work for a birthday card too.

Inspiration for the cats was a little more lighting bolt like.  I just started thinking about how awesome moms are and the image of two cats with long necks snuggling came into my mind.  Maybe it is because cats are so snugly, or maybe there is some sweet memory involving the cats we had when I was growing up.  Whatever it is, I love the simple design and the simple message that it sends.

We just got back from vacation in Newport Beach, California. My husband’s parents own a timeshare there and so we joined them for a week. We went to Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, and of course, the beach. Crystal Cove was absolutely beautiful. I could have stayed there for months!