Tree Pattern

The show, Treehouse Masters, has inspired me to push the idea of what treehouses look like...

I love incorporating "modern style" houses into my treehouse illustrations. I look forward to 

building a modern treehouse someday for our little dood, Finley...©olin

Exciting stuff!

There are so many exciting creative things happening in the future that I have to keep on the down low. It's so hard! I wanna explode!!!!! Right now you'll have to settle for this awkwardly happy girl who felt like saying hi. She looks like she might have a boyish scratchy but likable voice like Demi Moore or something. Although too bad Demi isn't that likable anymore. Didn't she get all wack with Ashton during the divorce after he was a good dad to another daddy babies kids? I'll have to consult with my hen house cashier buddy, Patty on that to get the full scoop. Anywho, have a good one.  Cause this day will never happen again :)

That baby head smell.....

We've been busy!!!!!! The past 2 months are hard to describe with actual words. But here are a few anyway. I'm so proud, happy, tired, inspired, thankful...in awe.. The list goes on. We had our sweet Finley Oliver on Friday, September 13. What a lucky day indeed contrary to some superstitious folk. We've been in a little  baby bubble and now it's time to peek our head out and see what the rest of the world is up to! As far as creative endeavors we temporarily closed our shop but we will open it back up soon and also have LOTS of new projects to share in the upcoming months :)

Wowsers.....I fell off the face of the earth.

And landed in this collage. This was the second to last MATS assignments I did. And that was a few months ago. Growing a baybay takes a lot of energy. So I had to reserve mine. But he is almost here and I really miss blogging. So I'll get back on the horse here and post my last assignment in a few days.

Maybe...unless I go into labor. :) I can't say enough about Lilla's class. I'm looking forward to Part B and hope I have a little time to dibble and dabble in the assignments but I"m not going to push it. I know taking care of a new human is intense so I'm dialing down my expectations. I really like getting to know the other students too and now we have a little online art possie if you will. So even if I can't kick total as* in the class I can hook up with my buds on the MATS FB page and show off pics of the little one :) In regards to this assignment I did very little in photoshop here. It was mostly conventional gouache, glue, pencil and paper.....and I'm proud of that. It was sooooooo therapeutic. Cutting paper and gluing stuff down is just the best.....

I highly recommend it! As far as the quote, I feel it really speaks to where I'm at mentally right now. I hope it speaks to you too!

Luchas and night lights oh my!!!!! Petit Reve and Common Rebels!

Peep these gorgeous Lucha coasters illustrated by my husband Colin Walsh and produced by CommonRebels available on Fab.com. Bright, bold and full of punch ;) Behind the scenes they also have awesome names and interesting back stories as well. Hot Dog Frank and Falcon Trout to name a few.....I dont' know where he comes up with this stuff :) But I love it. Petit Reve also has a slew of night lights available with CommonRebels that are sure to keep your little one feeling safe and boogyman free when the sun goes down :) We heart CR. They are a great company on the up and up.

Make Art That Sells-Assignment #3 Children's Picture Books

So this week was kiddo time. And I loved it. ONCE....I got over the moody snail. Lilla had us focus on the Hans Christian Andersen tale of "The Snail and the Rose". Maybe it's because I'm 6.5 months pregnant, maybe it's because the snail is a party pooper..but the story was a little depressing and I wasn't in the mood to draw a bratty snail. Maybe because I'm feeling bratty :) and don't want to admit it! Raging hormones and sugar cravings like you wouldn't believe! Anyway, Lilla said we could interpret the story anyway we liked and I was very thankful. Hopefully if we couldn't have changed it I would've gone into professional mode and done my best bratty snail ever. That said, down below is my take. And also some sketches and doodles that got me there. I liked the idea of the snail having a unique shell and a purpose. Han's snail is sad and has no purpose. He also tries to make the Rose tree feel bad about blooming gorgeous flowers year after year- jealous....:) So I thought, Why not have his purpose be to HELP the tree bloom to a lovely melody he wrote?! What I thought was extra cool about this assignment? Lilla chose a snail because it's a simple character that everyone can draw no matter what their skill level. Also, the story is laid out for us and ready to be told-with our help. Just like a real book assignment. She certainly knows what she's doing, that one. :)

Make Art that Sells-Assignment #2 Home Decor

This week it was Home Decor. The focus of the assignment zeroed in on dish ware. LOVE!!!

Lilla gave us a mini-assignmnet of doodling seed pods and unusual flowers. I had done some rough sketches of some groovy flowers awhile back and decided to revisit them. This gave me a chance to really expand on the little spark I thought might be there. I added to the array of shapes and sizes, texture....etc. I got into a zone and it was sooooo therapeutic. . It just goes to show that we should never throw ANYTHING we draw away. Well, maybe some things. I've been known to tear out a sheet of paper from my sketchbook if it brings me any sort of grief. That said, if you did something you like but don't have time to explore it at that moment, hold onto it...

We could only submit one plate but we had to do 4 designs. Lilla and her crew are so good at pushing you in the right direction. Now I have a complete collection for a future product line :) I also tried some different color combos and got lost in the color matrix for a bit and the folks on the MATS1 FB page  along with my keen eyed hubs, really helped push the color out to the level it should be. This process does not take place in a bubble and we need supportive talent around us sometimes!!!

I also included the color experiments. The one directly below is what I submitted to the class.