Cute Brownie Packaging!

Hey everyone! Just wanted to show off some packaging designs I made for a Thank You gift! I got a Brownie Maker as one of my Christmas gifts so I decided to put it to good use yesterday by making some brownies.

I had some regular party bags and decided to add some flair with my artistic skills!

Cute right?? Here are some detailed shots of the gift:

Front of the tag :D

Back of the tag

I hope that Linda likes her gift! The brownie maker works really well! It takes a little longer than my Babycakes Cupcake Maker but cranks out really amazing results. Plus you now have crust on every brownie, which to me, is one of the best parts, MMMMM!!

If you like the gift bag and interested in your own CUSTOM party bags to fill with your very own baked goodies be sure to get in contact with me by filling out a Contact form at http://www.violet-ink.com/contact

Tom and Nicole - Portrait

Hope everyone had a great Holiday! I'm going to start posting some of the great gifts I created for friends and clients now since I'm sure they've been unwrapped and gifted by now :D

First is a portrait I made of a happy couple by the names of Nicole and Tom!! I used a lot of different photo references and here is just one:

Aww aren't they cute together?! Here is my drawing below:

I added their name below for additional personalization! The light blue background really brings out the blue in her eyes so naturally a darker blue outline worked great with the white lettering. The picture was one of my more challenging ones, mostly because of the height difference and curly hair isn't always easy.

The client was super happy and I hope they are just as happy with their gift! Stayed tuned for more updates guys! And don't forget if you are interested in your own illustrated portrait feel free to hit up the Contact section of my page at violet-ink.com/contact !

Corey Eps - Drawing Contest Entry!!

Hey everyone! Just wanted to make a quick post about a hand drawing I did for a Facebook contest! Anther drawing contest that involves Tracy DiMarco of course; except this time all you had to do was draw her boyfriend, Corey Eps!

It is a hand drawing contest and there are some REALLY great entries in it. Contestants really took their time to create some true masterpieces with all sorts of mediums! Here's my entry:

I created it with Sharpie markers, the colored markers were Prismacolor and then just some regular ole Crayola crayons :)

It turned out really cute and although I doubt I will win, but you can definitely tell I brought a bit of my own style to the competition. If you want to check out all the entries check out Corey Ep's Facebook community in the "Drawing Contest" folder.

If you haven't heard of Tracy's prince charming or how they plan to live "Jersey Ever After" they now have their own website at http://www.05-15-11.com. AND be sure to look out for him on the NEW Season of Jerseylicious :)

Jersey Shore Chirstmas Gift Tags!!

Hello and hope everyone is having a good and safe Holiday this season! The posts have been few and far inbetween. I have been just so busy working on stuff for client's and friends as gifts! Some of the stuff I am just going to wait until after Christmas to post just because they ARE gifts :) don't want to ruin any surprises.

But I did finish something I want to share with everyone. My friend Ashley asked me if I could create for her Jersey Shore Gift Tags for all her Christmas presents. Of course I said yes!

Here are some samples of the tags I came up with:

First I sat down and thought of a list of phrases to put on the tags. Then I used the power of Google Images to search for "Large" size photos of cast members and Christmas themed items. I also downloaded tons of Photoshop brushes from Best Design Options. They have a post that specifically lists over 500+ Christmas Brushes all for free! Wow!

I have one for each cast member. You can download them all on two separate pages:

Page one can be found at http://www.violet-ink.com/Printables/VioletInkJerseyShoreTags1.pdf

Page two can be found at http://www.violet-ink.com/Printables/VioletInkJerseyShoreTags2.pdf

They're completely free to download. I do not claim ownership of the Jersey Shore show or any of it's characters etc etc. Hope everyone has a great Holiday!

Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire 2011

Hey everyone! I just wanted to blog about my visit to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. I went on October 1st with all my friends.

Everyone dresses in medieval costumes and you even get a discount if you dress up so I dressed up as BATMAN. Technically . . .I was actually supposed to be dressed as a girl can possibly do of Hank Venture as Batman AKA "The Bat." Because, Hank, like myself, loves Batman and if there is any reason to don a costume or fancy outfit he goes straight for the Batsuit.

Complete with umbrella (since it was raining :\)

My friend Kara dressed as a Death Eater from Harry Potter. Everyone was afraid of her costume.

We had a whole lot of fun. At first it was really weird because people like, GOOD DAY and YOU MAKE THE LORD NERVOUS! But then after awhile you just immersed in and used to it and are all like GOD SAVE THE QUEEN! The food there was wonderful and bountiful.

It rained all day though. We still got to see Human Chess and the Joust and a lot of little skits under the comfort of some large tarps. We even got to Paolo Garbanzo the juggler, who is awesome.

There was also lots of cool weapons there including the sword of time and the Hylian shield (pictured below)! There was an awesome pirate lady (pictured above) who told me about weapon for women's at how they aren't allowed any so they usually sharpened up their sewing scissors to stab people with. YAYY!

Everyone was totally cool with me being THE BAT. A knight even came up to me and was like, "Ahh, from one Dark Knight to Another!" There was also a Power Ranger there so I was in good company I suppose. Only one lady was really mad that I was dressed at Batman and gabbed to her and her friends that it wasn't "comi-con." But oh well, screw her. Overall it was a great time and I would definitely go back again :D

Jackie's Baby Shower Invites

Hey everyone!! Just wanted to post one of the lastest pieces of client's print creation!!

I was offered the opportunity to make Jackie from Jerseylicious' baby shower invites. Jackie is expecting a baby girl!! She wanted the invites to be very pink and sparkly featuring a cartoon of her and her baby bump :)

Here is the cartoon I created by itself:

For the background she wanted something swirly and matching the color scheme. I then put both the ideas together and left her plenty of space to write all the information about the shower in. Here is the final product:

Wow!! It came out so cute!! And she even posted it on her Facebook page!!

Well that is it for today everyone!! I hope everyone has a great week!

Jersey Ever After - Portrait - Tracy and Corey!!

Hey everyone!! Sorry the posts have been few and far in between. Things have been really busy for me at the design firm I work for!! I have been doing a lot of graphic design projects there!!

I have also been sketching like crazy but I did a really recent illustrated portrait for one of my favorite people; Tracy DiMarco!! Her and her boyfriend approached me looking for a cartoon to represent their new brand, Jersey Ever After!! They have a new fanpage filled with gossip, info and advice from the happy couple themselves!! You can check it out by clicking http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jersey-Ever-After/164045190343560

I worked mostly from this photograph:



I thought it was really cute and this is what I came up with:


It came out really cute!! Complete with their make-believe leopard castle!! Tracy loved it and even Briella did as well!! Here are some close ups so you can see the fine details on their facial features and the cute logo with the leopard castle:





Now is the perfect time to place an order for the Holiday season!! I just got two orders in for illustrated portraits the other day!! They make a perfect gift as a framed print! Violet Ink creates cute and one of a kind illustrations of anyone in your family!! Just head over to the contact section of our website violet-ink.com!!

Alisha's Anniversary Portrait!!

Hey everyone! I have been doing a lot of work redoing my branding and overhauling my website but I figured I would update the blog for August with a portrait I completed for a client!!

Another happy couple were ready to celebrate their Anniversary and what better gift than a cute, cartoon portrait by Violet Ink Design?? I normally post a photo with the drawing but I used a lot of different reference photos to make it unique!! Alisha pick and chose articles of clothing and even accessories to feature in the portrait!!

The details are excellent as usual. I made sure to illustrate Alisha's jewelry to the t.

The background is really elegant and she also wanted to add a personalized quote to the piece to make it even more unique. I went above and beyound and she was very pleased with the finished product. I hope they have a wonderful anniversary and a wonderful future together!!

To consult me about your own personalized digital portrait feel free to hit up the contact section of my website, violet-ink.com OR just send me an e-mail at violetinkdesign@gmail.com.

CMYK+Jakprints "Stick-It" Sticker Contest

Hey everyone! I recently entered a contest from CMYK Magazine!! They partnered with JAKPRINTS for a completely free sticker contest open to all designers!

Winners will get published in CMYK Magazine and on Jakprints.com! Here is the illustration I entered:

You can also enter as many times as you would like. The deadline when I entered was last Monday but they seemed to have re-activated the contest and extended the deadline until September 5th.

Wish me luck everyone! Since they extended the deadline I think I'll create another design for the second run :)

Cakalicious Custom Cakes Logo!

Hey everyone I got to create a really fun logo this year for a custom cake making business called Cakalicious!! What a dream come true!! I love cupcakes and I love graphic design so this was a perfect fit for me.






Cakalicious is run by Heather and located in California. The cakes she create are very beautiful here are some of my favorites I found:



Barbie of course!!




An excellent Baby Shower cake!! So unique!



A hot pink cake fit for a queen completely surrounded by cupcakes!

For more information about her business check out her official website at http://www.cakalicious.com/or just "like" her Facebook fanpage at http://www.facebook.com/cakalicious.customcakesbyheather!! And don't forget to contact me, Laura at VioletInkDesign@Gmail.com for all your Graphic Design and Illustration needs.

TEAM OJ - Olivia and Jackie from Jerseylicious Portrait

Hey everyone! I wanted to share the most recent project I delivered to a client just yesterday. It's another digital portrait for cast members of Jerseylicious! Jacquelina aka Jackie from Jerseylicious, who I've created pictures for in the past requested a cute little cartoon of herself and her roommate Olivia!

Here is the photo she sent me of her and her best friend in stylish jackets that had Italian pride written all over them:

And this is the picture I created:

It came out really cute and she loved it!! She is such a patient and kind person and her support of my artwork is always appreciate!! She really helps spread the word on her Twitter and her Facebook! Like and follow both by clicking the links!

Don't forget to catch both Olivia and Jackie or TEAM OJ as they like to be called on Jerseylicious! Sundays on the Style Network!

Alexa "A2" from "Glam Fairy" and "Jerseylicious" Portrait!

Hey everyone! Things have been really busy at Violet Ink Design lately! Cranking out lots of projects and working no redo-ing the entire website! It is really exhausting, especially juggling freelance projects for the firm I work at as well, whew!

A2 and Briella! photograph via Twitter

I wanted to feature a portrait a created for Alexa Hand aka "A2" from the Style Network's show "Glam Fairy" as well as "Jerseylicious. The nickname A2 came from, the head fairy and owner, also named Alexa deciding there could only be ONE Alexa (hence the 2). A2 has her very own unique style loves make-up AND fashion! She wanted me to re-create this photograph:

Here is what I created for her:

I really focused on the details, the chain links, individual beads for bracelets and of course that crazy pattern on her leggings :P She was really pleased with how it came out and uploaded it both on her Facebook page and Twitter!!

Remember to catch Alexa "A2" on Jerseylicious OR Glam Fairy, both air on the Style Network!!

Calling all Artists!! NEW Tracy Contest!!

Hey everyone! Just wanted to let all my fellow artist know about the newest competition going on Tracy DiMarco's Fanpage wall... a drawing competition!!

All you have to do is pick a photograph of Tracy from on the albums, get out your markers, paints, crayons, colored pencils, whatever and re-create it!! Post your masterpiece on the fanpage and tell your friends, family, fans, everyone to hit that "like" button to vote for your drawing!!

Of course I entered:

Digital entries are not being accepted for this contest, so I drew it out in pencil and colored one of two ways I knew how, with watercolor paints! Please vote for my entry by clicking "like" at : http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=224149877603510&set=a.223887467629751.64175.113948348623664&type=1&theater

50% of the contest is the amount of votes and the other 50% is determined by Tracy herself!! The contest ends on July 4th so hurry and get drawing!!

Summer Team Tracy T-shirts!

A new design has been added to the Team Tracy Gear shop on Spreadshirt!!

I created an outline of Tracy DiMarco with text to the left that reads, "Team Tracy." The design was born from an amazing photograph of Tracy herself and some inspiration from 80's Barbie illustrations!

The design comes in a pink for Women's, a white for Men's and a standard sized Pink Tye Dye T-shirt!!

To pick up your own screen printed Team Tracy T-shirt like these visit the Spreadshirt shop at TeamTracyGear.Spreadshirt.com :) Official Team Tracy Gear!!