Illustration Friday - Suzy and Sam's "Beginning"

Good morning everyone!! As promised to you and myself, I am attempting to keep up with "Illustration Friday," before the deadline sneaks up on me!! This week's topic was, "Beginning." I've been really dying to create a "Moonrise Kingdom," themed piece so I created this illustration:

"Moonrise Kingdom," was such an enjoyable movie. Keeping with the theme of "beginning," I decided to create a pop-art type piece that represented the two main characters, Suzy and Sam's, first encounter. After sneaking into the girl's makeshift dressing room during a play Sam points to Suzy and asks, "What kind of bird are you?" In her elegant black costume, wide eyed, she replies with, "I'm a Raven."

I hope everyone is having a good week so far and I hope you enjoyed my Illustration. Oh, and go see that movie if you haven't!! 

Back to Blogging - Illustration Friday "Time"

Hey everyone!! If you haven't noticed, I have really neglected my blog for the past couple months. Art will ALWAYS remain one of my biggest passions. These past few months have brought a whirlwind of change into my life. Here and there I've created some hand rendered pieces I'm pretty proud of but I've really missed creating digital pieces and sharing them online.

I made the illustration for an "Illustration Friday," theme from a few weeks back. The word chosen was "Time."

A pink gummy bear being consumed by ants. Ants are extremely clever creatures. If you leave any form of food out they will find it and they will eat it no matter how long it takes them. And unfortunately for this little gummy guy time was not on his side!! Hope everyone has a great week and be sure to stay tuned for more illustrations!

One Sweet Mistake!! Octo-cake Illustration!!

Hey everyone!! Just wanted to update the blog with a quick doodle I did. I haven't done an "Illustration Friday" topic in a while but still work on lots of sketches and plenty of doodles. I decided to share a simple piece I made for fun this week.

 Oops look like there was a mix up at the bakery!! Mr. Octopus just wanted to join in on the fun of cupcake baking. Everyone makes little mistakes at their job. Try not to sweat the small stuff today and have a SWEET time doing whatever you do!!

Illustration Friday - Space "Travel" PRINT!

Hey everyone!! Man is it super hot here in Pennsylvania. I hope everyone is staying cool where they live. I have some exciting news to reveal in this post. My Etsy shop, VioletInk, has been re-opened and I am ready to sell some art prints of my illustrations!! The first illustration I added for your purchasing pleasure is "Space Fish," which also happens to work swimmingly with this week's Illustration Friday theme, "travel."

The first Goldfish to ever TRAVEL to outerspace!! Space can't be that different from life underwater. Our little guy glides his fins effortlessly through the stars. I will admit, I did cheat a little. This was an original piece I created back in 2010 but this is first time I am releasing it as a 8x10 print!! If you are interested in checking out my shop or purchasing this particular piece of artwork, just go to http://www.etsy.com/shop/violetink. Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Illustration Friday: Unicorn "Protest"

Hey everyone!! Hope your week is starting out well. If not, it's almost over, no worries!! I am trying to stay consistent about my "Illustration Friday," posts and created a piece for this week's theme which was "Protest." The past few topics have been challenging for me since they're less fun and more serious but I still managed to come up with this:

A propaganda poster advertising "Unicorn Rights." Did you know some people do not even BELIEVE that unicorns EXIST?! What a slap in the face!! I am positive if all the unicorns banded together they could form an excellent protest. I wanted to create a powerful and marketable piece to aid in raising awareness of their existence. Fight the power!!

Illustration Friday: "Equality" Wedding Cake

Hey everyone!! Hope everyone had a good week last week!! I had a fun idea for this week's "Illustration Friday." The chosen topic was "Equality." I thought long and hard about what to illustrate that showed my support for marriage equality and came up with a super cute idea below:

An adorable Groom & Groom teddy bear wedding cake! Although I like to have a lot of fun on my blog I always try to emphasize the point of being yourself!! And I'm a strong believer in treating those how you wish to be treated.

This illustration is still cute and I wanted it to symbolize my support for same-sex marriages. I'm thinking about making a Bride & Bride themed illustration as well. We'll see!! Have a great day everyone!

Illustration Friday: "Tension" Elephant & Mouse

Hey everyone!! As difficult as it may be to keep up with my blog posts while working 2 new jobs I am staying committed because I love to illustrate AND blog!! And that includes participating in "Illustration Friday!" This week's word was "Tension," and this is what I came up with:

A little cheddar-colored mouse just wanted to make friends with this baby elephant but got more than he bargained for!! As our elephant tries to escape the little mouse hangs on to his new friend's tail just as frightened. I know elephants really aren't THAT afraid of mice but I couldn't help myself!! Hope you enjoyed the illustration and have a super day!!

Illustration Friday - "Tribute" to "Bun"

Hey everyone!! Hope last week was a good one. I'm still getting pulled in a lot of different directions in life but I DIDN'T forget about "Illustration Friday." This week's topic was "Tribute." I thought long and hard about this one and decided to create an illustrative tribute to my favorite childhood stuffed animal, a pink bunny named "Bun."

"Bun" was my favorite toy as a baby and I took him everywhere I went. He had pink fur, purple ears, blue eyes and a pink nose I distinctly remember I thought was a jellybean (yes, I chewed on it). "Bun" taught me to be imaginative and I always made sure to include him in all my silly adventures. "Bun" took your typical battlescars; went through the dryer, lost a lot of his pink fur and his stuffing. In my book, he deserves a tribute! 

Artistic Fitness: English Cocker Spaniel

Hey everyone!! I'm nearing the end of the animal studies in my "Artistic Fitness" book. The last exercise I completed was the Cocker Spaniel. I don't know much about dogs or dog breeds so I headed to Google and the first thing I found out about our furry friend was that ORIGINALLY they were bred as hunting dogs in jolly old England. I present to you the English Cocker Spaniel:

I really went crazy with the lines on this one but they're just so fuzzy I couldn't help myself!! I decked him out in an overly simplified version of the "Queen's Guard" uniform. Sorry it's the first thing that comes to mind when I think of England. And he's just too cute in that hat. Hope everyone has a happy Monday!

Inspiration Post: Ice Cream Cones!

Hey everyone! February is always one of those months that completely passes me by. Here it is already the last day of February!! Which means it's time for another "Inspiration Post," a once a month themed post filled with all sorts of stuff that keeps me inspired. February's theme is, "Ice Cream Cones!" showing off all sorts of creative interpretations of everyone's favorite frozen treat piled high in a crunchy sugar cones!

Ice cream cones are the easiest way to eat ice cream on the go; no spoon or bowl involved for this treat! I'm no stranger to embracing the cold confection in my artwork. Joy Cups are my favorite brand of cone and are made right here in my home state of Pennsylvania. Cones even have their own Holiday that celebrates the day it was patented back in 1903! I'm a big fan of desserts and just food in general so it was REALLY tough narrowing my choices down to a top 5 for this post. Scroll down to check them all out!!

Ice Cream Skateboard sold by Raskulls

I first caught a glimpse of this skateboard at Toys R Us and I'm pretty jealous that I didn't think of it! The concept is extremely clever. 3 scoops of adorable ice cream are about the same shape as the deck of a skateboard so why not just make them INTO a skateboard?? I have no idea how to skateboard but I would buy this in a heartbeat. I like Raskullz choices in eye catching sports equipment and I even doodled up an  illustration just for fun featuring their helmets once. You can purchase this board for yourself off their website: http://raskullz.com.

Ice Cream Social Logo by The Mahoney Design Team

This logo makes it's way around Pinterest quite often. It's a great example of typography as well as logo design AND is an actual ice cream cone so I had to include it. The design is so simple yet so brilliant!! The logo itself was designed by "The Mahoney," am online design portfolio for Patrick Mahoney. The other designs included on "The Mahoney" website are just as impressive as the logo so I urge all you design nerds to check it out at http://themahoney.com.

Unicone Print by Dea Vectorink on Etsy

Ice cream cones, unicorns and rainbow sprinkles all in one print?? An ode to the waffle cone and to one of my most favorite animals of all, this print has it all! I love the artistic style, the strawberry soft serve mane and the little details such as the teeny tiny little hairs on the unicorn's muzzle. Created by Dea, a tattoo artist from Germany, it is currently available on Etsy for purchase in the Dea Vectorink shop! If you like this print the shop also carries a few other pieces featuring cupcakes, cookies and other sweets!

"scary ice cream boy" by Annette Ellis on Flickr

I have no idea what the origins of this sculpture / statue is but you can photos of it all over Flickr by searching "Ice Cream Boy." And while many contributors and commenters describe the little guy as scary, terrifying and even disturbing I like him!! If you think about it the statue did it's job, it got people's attention!! It's just too bizarre to pass up for my "Ice Cream Cone" themed inspiration post.

Michael Miller LLC Ice Cream Fabric sold by JeanMariesFabric on Etsy

And finally we have a patterned piece textile from Michael Miller LLC and sold by the yard by JeanMariesFabrics on Etsy. The print is just an entire repeating pattern of ice cream cones. The vintage looking illustrative quality of the cones with a retro geometric pattern really appeals to me. Not only that it features different types of cones like strawberry and chocolate soft-serve, scoops of vanilla with sprinkles and even mint chocolate chip!

Are those gears in your brain turning now?? I hope this post inspired you to go out and create something wonderful. . . . or maybe it just made you want to eat ice cream!! Either way I hope you enjoyed this month's "Inspiration" post!! Hungry for more? I have a Pinterest board dedicated to "Inspiration" which always features pieces that I love but didn't make the cut. Just head over to http://pinterest.com/nerdycupcakes/inspirations/ to check it out!! Hope everyone has a great week!

Artistic Fitness: Easter Guinea Pig

Hey everyone!! First of all our NerdyCupcakes Giveaway officially closed this past Tuesday. The #3 was drawn and I already contacted our winner and started designing their CUSTOM print! In the meantime I managed to squeeze in another "Artistic Fitness" exercise. Exercise #10 was the Guinea Pig. With feedback from friends and family I decided our little guy would ready for another big Holiday, EASTER!

I am one of those people who can appreciate the commercial aspects of any holiday; especially if it involves lots of candy! Our little Guinea Pig plays Easter Bunny with a festive set of bunny ears and is surrounded by sugary jelly beans and some decorated eggs. This year Easter is March 31st so mark it on your calendar and try not to forget to celebrate!!

Artistic Fitness: Mr. Turtle!

Hey everyone!! Today is Friday in Pennsylvania and man I haven't done an "Artistic Fitness" post in what seems like ages!! "Artistic Fitness" is a little book I picked up ages ago filled with drawing exercises for the busy individual! I almost forgot I used Exercise #8 as my coverphoto on Facebook which left me at Exercise #9, the turtle.

Even though a little ice cream cone dropped from the sky and landed on his shell, Mr. Turtle here keeps his head held high and looks on the bright side!! A helpful reminder to stay positive and try not to sweat the little things in life. This exercise, with it's soft beachy pastels, is a BIG hint to what the next "Inspiration Post" will be. Can you guess this month's theme??

Also don't forget only 2 more days to enter our Giveaway for custom NerdyCupcakes print!! Check out this post for all the details: http://lauradoodleshere.blogspot.com/2013/02/200th-post-nerdycupcakes-print-giveaway.html

Inspiration Post: Crazy for CAROUSELS!

Greetings friends and welcome to the FIRST inspiration post of 2013!! Those of you who followed us last year know the inspiration post is my monthly chance to share with you themed things that help spark my imagination (and hopefully yours)! I've never outgrown my fascination with carousels. This month's theme, "Crazy for Carousels," showcases my love for the elegant and spinning amusement rides found all over the world!

Like most little girls I was OBSESSED and even own my own mini musical carousel that I received as a gift years ago from the San Fransciso Music Box Catalog! I still find myself fascinated when I come across one at a fair or amusement park and given the chance I would totally take a spin on one to this day. I could get lose all day showcasing the different types of crazy animal seats but I went with your classic pretty horse galloping on it's post for this set.

Carousel Cupcakes by We Want Cake on Flickr

I figured I would start things off with one of my not-so-guilty pleasures; CUPCAKES! Not just any cupcakes, Carousel Cupcakes . . . mmmmm! These elegant and joyful cupcakes were baked up by Flickr user We Want Cake. In her description she mentions they were for a little girl's birthday party but I wouldn't mind them at my own!! I love the muted color pallet and the details on each sugary horse is incredible!!

Carousel Illustration from Tumblr

I couldn't bring myself to NOT include it in my post because there is so much in it that inspires me! It's sparkly, full of bows, roses, jewels and stars without feeling too overwhelming. My favorite part is the use of varied types of patterns in a clever manner with a cheerful splash of purple and pink!! This illustration caught my eye when I saw it on Tumblr and unfortunately I have no clue who the original artist is. Being an artist myself, I try to be a stickler about that kinda stuff so if you know anything about this illustration please let me know in the comment section and I will include it in the post!!

Manish Aurora Carousel Dress on Katy Perry 

I had to add this outfit to my carousel post because it is so incredibly unique. This carnival inspired couture was created by Indian fashion designer, Manish Aurora for a collection he premiered for the Spring / Summer of 2009. Each piece has an imaginative circus flair and is a great demonstration of how inspiration can birth a unique and memorable work of art! I highly recommend you check out the full collection on his website at http://www.manisharora.ws/spring-summer-09.html

Carousel Dreams by MoogleGurl on DeviantArt

Another great example of an illustrated carousel horse titled, "Carousel Dreams," by DeviantArt user "MoogleGirl." The drawing features the traditional idea of a carousel horse with pretty pastels and subtle girly accessories. I love it's swirly, curly mane. This is exactly what I picture in my head when someone says "Carousel," so you better believe I find it inspirational!! If you like this style of illustration be sure to head over to her official website http://www.tastypeachstudios.com/ complete with it's own shop filled with goodies!!

Carousel Necklace by AnnMichTreasureBox on Etsy

And last but not least, a handcrafted necklace with a unique looking Carousel pendant. I like how this jewelry strays away from the norm. Although a more simple representation of a carousel horse, I find this black stallion with it's cotton candy colored hair really pops on the orange colored cameo background!! It's currently listed on Etsy in a shop called AnnMichTreasureBox!

Hope you enjoyed this month's "Crazy for CAROUSELS" post!! To check out some BONUS items I that didn't feature but still love I have a Pinterest board dedicated to JUST things of all shapes and sizes that inspire my artwork. Just head over to http://pinterest.com/nerdycupcakes/inspirations/ and you'll even find a few pieces from my previous posts in 2012. Hope everyone has a great week!!

2012 Facebook Cover-Illustrations!!

Hello everyone!! It is almost the weekend, yay! I wanted to update the blog with another one of my 2012 projects. Ever since Facebook made me make the official switch to timeline I challenged myself to create a different illustrated cover photo with my name and title. I am an artist afterall and wish to show off my skills and remind all my friends what I do, graphic design and illustration!!

The first month I created for was August. I started out with my favorite thing, cupcakes!! The cupcakes are an original illustration against a stock background.

Next was September. This was an official premier of my NerdyCupcakes characters. We have strawberry on the left and cherry chocolate chip on the right both original illustrations of my creation on a stock swirly vector background.

October was next and I am such a huge fan of Halloween!! The little NerdyCupcakes were such a cute concept I couldn't resist dressing some up for the season! Pumpkin spice is on the left with a spooky little black cat cupcake on a stock background.

Even though it's plenty cold out in November I couldn't keep the idea of a sweet little couple of Ice Cream cone kids in love!! The illustration is based off of a sketch I created on some notebook paper on some downtown at my job at the time. The background is a stock photo of a chocolate swirl mmmm!

And last but not least my cover photo for December!! This little kitten character was inspired by a pair of pajamas I saw while Christmas shopping. This entire illustration is original with no stock elements this time.

I had such a fun time creating my different cover photos and already have a new one up for the month of January on my personal Facebook page!! If Facebook keeps timeline for the year 2013 I will make sure to make a review post of all the ones I create this year!!  Hope everyone has a great day and a safe weekend!!

Artistic Fitness - Beautiful Cockatiel

Hey everyone!! Yawn, just another Monday morning here in Pennsylvania. I have been drawing my brains out lately. One of my New Year's resolutions is drawing every single weekday to help me improve my artistic skills and stay created in 2013!! That being below is my take on Exercise #7 in the Artistic Fitness book.

 

Still in the "Animals" category I got to work on sketching out a Cockatiel. I love their little mohawks and I don't know if they actually talk but I imagine my Cockatiel to be somewhat of a motivational speaker. He is here to remind you that you are beautiful!! Hope everyone's week goes well!!

"Thor Walrus" Acrylic Painting

Hey everyone! Time to play catch up and post some of the projects I worked on in 2012 that were made especially for the Holidays! A great perk of being artistically talented is that you can give gifts that you can BE SURE no one else got, because you made them yourself!!

One of my friends, if I haven't mentioned before, is a big fan of both the aquatic animal the "Walrus" and of the Marvel hero "Thor." In my head the only option for a gift was creating a Thor-Walrus. I found some source images of Walruses on the computer as well as of Thor's helmet used in the Avenger's film and combined them for something truly unique!

I created the painting with just white, black, brown and red acrylic paints. The paints weren't any special brand, just the craft paint you can pick up at Michael's Arts and Crafts. She really loved it!! Hope everyone has a wonderful and safe weekend!!

Hedgehog Waffle Cone Illustration

Hey everyone just wanted to update the blog with a silly little doodle I created yesterday. I drew a picture of a hedgehog long ago and put it in my portfolio. The drawing I created is probably over 2 years old. I figured it was time to update it with a new hedgehog.

Hedgehogs are such cute little balls of spikes! I wanted to combine a hedgehog and an ice cream cone because well, they have the same shape as a scoop of ice cream. I put the little guy in a waffle cone covered with sprinkles, my ice cream cone of choice. And I couldn't forget a cherry on top!!

It won't stop snowing here in Pennsylvania so I am stuck indoors again so expect more drawings coming! I also picked my topic for the inspiration post, just need to narrow it down to 5 pieces of art! I hope this little guy brightens up your weekend and be sure to stay safe everyone!

Artistic Fitness: Athletic Seahorse!

Hey everyone!! Hope everyone is having a great weekend. I have currently caught a cold somehow so all my visions of gingerbread house making, baking, and Holiday cooking have been shattered. But that doesn't stop me from passing the time by doodling.

I made it to Exercise #6 in the Artistic Fitness book. In this exercise we practiced drawing Seahorses. I've been stuck in the house for what seems to be ions and miss being able to go outside for a nice and healthy walk so I channeled my urge to exercise into my drawing. My seahorse is ready to hit the gym in his work out clothes to burn off all the Holiday goodies he's consumed.

Artistic Fitness: My cat Samus!

Hey everyone!! I have been so busy with my Holiday projects I haven't been keeping up with my "Artistic Fitness." Which means I am getting rusty at drawing which is NEVER good! Today's Exercise, #5 to be precise was all about drawing a simple housecat.

I have a housecat and his name is Samus Aran, (yes after the Metroid character). My family found him outside one day and rescued him and brought him into our home. He is definitely a big part of my life and I have been raising him since I was a teenager, he's like my son!! So I just drew a little cartoon "Sammy" instead closely guarding a red velvet cupcake, mmmm!

Hope everyone is having a great week!! Stay tuned for more Artistic Fitness this month!!

Inspiration Post: Retro Holiday Cards!

Hey everyone!! Well, it is time for my FIRST Holiday related post of 2012. If you celebrate Christmas or love gift giving, decorating, baking, etc I want to get you into the Holiday spirit!! And what better a time for artists to get some exposure then sending around their own custom cards for the Holidays!! So that's why this month's inspiration post is all about "Retro Holiday Cards!!"

 

Who doesn't love getting a card in the mail?? I have always love commercial art since I was a young child. Christmas cards like these are the kind that I grew up being mesmerized and inspired by. In fact when I was little I loved picking out what cards to give to people in our family but hated seeing them go in the post; I wanted to keep them all!! Keep scrolling for some of my favorite Holiday imagery on cards of yesterday!

"A Pair of Warm Wishes" Greeting Card sold by poshtottydesignz on Etsy

Cats love getting into decorations and these two kittens are just too cute!! Their giant heads and teeny tiny eyes and noses are just darling. If I tried to stick my own cat into a stocking and photograph him I'm sure the result wouldn't come out nearly as pleasant. But that's the beauty of this illustration, it is the perfect picture of curious kittens ready for the holidays!! Although I am unsure of the original artist's name it is dated 1950 according to it's Esty listing.

I stumbled across this card on Pinterest looking for inspiration for the Holiday Helper magazine cover. It immediately became one of my favorites with it's sweeping style of illustration. The bright pink sparkling figure skating dress is so glamorous!! And you got to love the scared little bunny sliding across the ice. The added glitter as an embellishment really makes it shimmer and shine!! I especially like the fact that it's more of a winter wonderland with no glaring reference to CHRISTMAS. If I received this card from my mother I would treasure it for ages!! No idea who the original artist is though :(

Strawberry Shortcake Holiday Card sold by PinkCarnivale on Etsy

This card is from 1983 and if you are an 80s kid then you should recognize that pint sized little ginger girl on the front; it's Strawberry Shortcake!! Not only am a fan of this card because I grew up with Strawberry Shortcake but because it involves baked goods!! Looks like Strawberry and Custard, her pet cat have stopped on their stroll to eye up some cakes, cookies and cupcakes through the shop's window!! The attention to detail on this illustration is impeccable!! Even the border is filled with Holiday sweets like candy canes and gingerbread!! 

 

Vintage Christmas Card photographed by Neato Coolville on Flickr

This cute little snowman is in touch with his feminine side sporting a striped pink scarf as he lets his little birdy friend perch on his top hat! What I like most about this card is it's simplicity; the simple stylized pupils, the little tree with simple ornament balls and the small sprinkling of snow surrounding the outside of his portrait.It shows you do not have to go all crazy with details to execute a card design.

Rainbow Brite Holiday Card by PinkCarnivale on Etsy

And the best for last!! Since I featured Strawberry Shortcake, I can't forget my absolute FAVORITE 80s girl, Rainbow Brite on her Holiday card!! These cards were printed as one single sheet and can be split apart by tearing along the perforated edge. I always wanted to be Rainbow Brite when I was little, riding around on Rainbow Horse spreading cheer and color to everyone with magical star sprinkles!! Here Rainbow Brite and her friends are getting ready for the Holidays, wrapping gifts, trimming the tree and just throwing and candy around for no reason.

That's all for this month everyone!! I hope these images inspired you to get a jump-start on the holidays. If you have never tried making your own cards before, why not give it a shot?? They don't have to be perfect remember this Holiday season, it is the THOUGHT that counts!! Hope everyone has a super weekend and stay tuned for next month's inspiration post!