Cake Bake Penny - Logo Design + Frosting Brushes!!

Hey everyone! Recently I’ve been challenging myself to break out of my artistic comfort zones to better round out my portfolio. Adobe Illustrator is still remains my go-to program to transform my ideas into works of art! With the latest version of "CC" booted up, I decided to work up a logo design just for fun. I'm still obsessed with everything baking so yes, it's a bakery logo!!

For the logo I created my own set of bakery brushes. Creating brushes has intimidated me in the past but I KNEW it would  speed up my design process by like a billiondy. So I buckled down and created my first set of original brushes!!

The new fangled Illustrator updates make stuff like brush creation, so much easier!! I left the logo as a circle design and I'm eager to throw it on some bakery product mock ups to show off the tasty little emblem in action!

And I'm STILL interested in sharing my most polished ideas, thoughts and projects for you guys!! I can't make many promises as to how often I will be posting in the future though, so hang in there and keep checking back!! I hope you enjoy your weekend!!

Illustration Friday - Zelda's "Disguise" Cupcake

Hey everyone!! Hope everyone had a good week. I really am cutting it close with this week's "Illustration Friday," piece. The topic chosen was "disguise." I thought pretty long and hard about disguises and settled on my favorite alternative personality:

Sheik from the Legend of Zelda. If you've never played the Zelda games, spoiler warning, that guy who helps you out along the way named Sheik? Yeah that's Princess Zelda. . . in disguise. Dun dun DUN! I decided to keep on imagining and create a Sheik-cupcake. And now I'm half tempted to create other characters in the Zelda universe as cupcakes! Have a great weekend everyone!

USA 4th of July 2013 - Wrap Up

Hey everyone!! Just wanted to create a post about one of the Holiday's I celebrated here in the states, Independence Day also known as the "4th of July!" It's all about celebrating America and it's freedoms. I saw a lot of really fun ads on my Facebook feed and wanted to share with you guys some of my favorites. Check them out below:

These two gems were pulled off the "Venture Bros Blog" fanpage on Facebook. The Venture Bros is one of the only things I watch on television and it's highly underated. I couldn't resist sharing these star spangled tributes to America.

The Kraft branding is fairly easy to recognize; unnatural yellowy-orangey color on a royal blue background. They incorporate their product, mac and cheese, cleverly in two patriotic ads. 

These ads featured on the "Kraft Macaroni and Cheese" fanpage, were silly and targeted towards those who already like Kraft Mac and cheese with bold captions such as "You know you love it. Evidently so does Uncle Sam." As an illustrator I also appreciate the fact that these two ads were completely illustrated and still very modern, eye-catching and tantalizing! 

Here's an ad I came across on the "Crayola" fan page!! Crayola crayons are another thing that are pretty easily recognized. What a smart idea to lay their actual product out to create an American flag!! It was accompanied by the caption,"Give a big thumbs up for our forefathers, who made it possible for us to have the freedom to create, imagine and inspire!" The white crayons look a little green to me but I still love  Crayola crayons and this sweet ad.

Here were see the same concept presented with a different product. Cheezit's released this ad on their fanpage to celebrate America!! While I find Crayola's take on the idea sweet I find Cheezit's ad visually more appealing. In fact, it makes me pretty hungry. But if we're going for accuracy points, the stars as well as stripes are misrepresented while Crayola made sure to duplicate the flag to a T!

And last but not least, Hello Kitty added this lady liberty to their fanpage. I love the simplistic art style that is Sanrio. I draw a lot of inspiration from their brand and am a self proclaimed, Hello-Kitty-a-holic! Having the brand's mascot drawn up as a little Statue of Liberty is too cute and very visually striking!! Bravo Sanrio!!

As for me?? I spent Independence relaxing with family and friends at a picnic. I made sure to bring a very patriotic cake along (pictured above) with that was a HUGE hit!! Hope everyone else had a great Holiday and a great weekend!!

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!

KaraKreative's Birthday 2013!

Hey everyone one of my best friends Kara just so happens to also be a blogger and I wanted to write a post of how we celebrated her birthday this year. This was back in March when it was still super cold outside, and rainy . . . and just dreary. We still wanted something fun to do to celebrate so we picked Bowling!!

 It was no surprise that Kara slaughtered us all look at that form!!

Much like any other sport, I really stink at bowling. It's pretty bad when the owner suggests using bumpers after looking at your scores. But we all still had a really fun time and believe it or not, I was the first person to get a strike! That victory was quickly overshadowed since it was Kara's birthday we let her win. That's not true at all, Kara won both games we played out of pure skill.

 

But if you haven't gone bowling in a while and need something to do on a day where you can't do outside activities I highly recommend it. After our thrilling games we headed back to the house for some cake and presents. I got Kara an extendable jewelry holder and a cute elephant antibacterial holder for her purse. The awesome thing about the jewelry holder was that it held all her OTHER presents she received!!<

The party's theme was "Owls" and I was lucky enough to find a "Cute Owl Cake" tutorial from Leave Room for Desserts at http://leaveroomfordessert.com/2011/01/cute-owl-cake/. The recipe I used was a super fudgy chocolate cake that I let cool and then followed the step by step photos from the post. With a little modification and a dash of imagination the owl cake came together:

Kara loved how it turned out and it was delicious! We had such a fun time celebrating Kara's birthday and are planning more creative parties and DIY projects for the summer time. Be sure to check out Kara's blog where she posts about Graphic Design, Movies, Books and more at http://karakreative.blogspot.com/ Hope everyone has a Happy Friday and a great weekend!!

Illustration Friday - Yummy Candy "Train"

Hey everyone!! My blogging hasn't been few and far between due to some personal struggles I've recently been put through. But fear not, I am still drawing, baking and just being the creative crazy girl that I am!! In fact, I just finished up my SECOND "Illustration Friday," post. This week's theme was "Train," and my contribution is this illustration:

A sweet and delicious candy train! Choo choo!! This cakey locomotive chugs along covered in orange frosting on some sweet candy, cookie and donut wheels. Ready to deliverying a fresh batch of GIANT cupcakes to the nearest town. I cranked this out super early and can't wait to see what they pick for next week. Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

200th Post Giveaway WINNER!

Hey everyone!! Just wanted to write a quick post for the weekend regarding my "200th Post NerdyCupcakes Giveaway" I had last month. I pulled lucky number 3 from the drawing and got in contact with our winner so she could design her own custom NerdyCupcake!!

The NerdyCupcake she designed was so cute and very sophisticated!! He's Vanilla bean with Vanilla Frosting and a top hat and a black colored wrapper. Our winner has all this swag to look forward to in her mailbox now:

In addition to the 8.5" x 11" print I threw in another 5"x7" print and some cute cartoon stickers!! I had a lot of fun with this giveaway and I hope all who entered did too. Maybe I should do some more?? I am definitely thinking about it!! Have a fun and safe weekend everyone!!

Cakalicious in California is OPEN!!

Hey everyone!! I just wanted to take some time out to update you all on one of my client's exciting ventures that took my art to new territories!! As you may or may not know, I created the one-of-a-kind logo for "Cakalicious," a custom cake company back in 2011. Last year it went through some slight revisions and I got some exciting news!!

The owner informed me that business was booming so much she got the opportunity to open her FIRST bakery!! In fact, just last month they did a soft opening but on the 9th they are having their GRAND OPENING. In the meantime, Cakalicious is cranking out flavored baked goods of all kinds.

I am so excited for Heather and her business!! I cannot describe to you guys how great it makes me feel to transform a client's big idea to a reality. The coolest part?? My art work is now a permanent fixture of her business, it's on her sign!! Check it out:

My art has taken me to great places and given me the opportunity to meet bright and creative individuals whose passion for their craft is equal to mine!! I cannot imagine doing any other career!! So if you or someone you know has a business or a vision for an illustration or visual design, be sure to check out my website and hit up the contact section!!

"We are the PERFECT Pear" Illustration

Hey everyone!! Valentine's day is right around the corner; another one of my favorite Holidays!! As I'm busy working on my Valentine's cards for all my friends and fans I nearly forgot about an illustration I created as a gift recently! Some people like puppies, some people like rainbows and then there are just some people who like pears. Yep, pears. Don't think I'm being serious?

 
Exihibit A, the pear cake, made especially for my friend's birthday last year. She's not obsessed with pears but she DOES have a pear themed kitchen so I couldn't resist creating and framing a pear-themed illustration as a gift. One of my brain storms from last year was a valentine card that said, "You're the perfect pear!" I recycled the idea to create this illustration:

A cute little girl pear and a handsome boy pear falling in love. She loved it and it hangs in her kitchen to this day! I also announced on the Facebook page that our 200 post will be a "give away!" Something this blog hasn't seen in probably 2 years or so haha! So stay tuned for all the details, this is post #194; 200 will be here before we know it!!

Hyde's Sweet Treats - Illustration

Hey everyone! Just wanted to update the blog with a freelance illustration I created for another bakery!! This time it was "Hyde's Sweet Treats," a bakery based in Norwalk, CA right here in the states. Heidie the owner approached me with an idea for an illustration to use for her branding. I'm always inspired by cupcakes, cake pops, cookies, so of course I said to count me in!!

She incorporated the illustration into her banner, logo and even some graphics such as a "Custom Item" listing.

"Hyde's Sweet Treats" has it's own etsy shop where sweet and cute decorated baked goods are shipped all over the world thanks to the power of the internet!! Here are some examples of the products she sells:

Yummmyyy!! Be sure to check out her business at her official Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/HydesSweetTreats or just "like" her Facebook fanpage at http://www.facebook.com/cakalicious.customcakesbyheather!! OR if you are just looking to drool over her sweet treats follow her Instagram at http://instagram.com/hydessweettreats/ And don't forget to contact me, Laura at VioletInkDesign@Gmail.com for all your Graphic Design and Illustration needs. I love working on projects for bakers!!

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!!

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!

Inspiration Post: Sugary Sweet Wigs!

It's about that time again! Yep it's the end of the month which means another installment of "What Inspires Laura." A post dedicated to things that inspire me which I can only HOPE bring you, the reader some inspiration as well!!

This month's theme is "Sugary Sweet Wigs." I am a big fan of wigs and sweets so I was sure I could find some inspiration merging both themes together! And sure enough I did! Tons of beautiful yet delicious looking candy-coated wigs all OVER the internet! It was tough to narrow it down to only a top 5 but I managed!

Marie Antoinette Pink Cupcake Print

This is a print available on Etsy by shop owner LeilaniJoyArt. I am a big fan of the Marie Antoinette inspired hair. I mean, I've only illustrated my very own Marie Antoinette inspired party invitations before! Our girl is a bit of a rebel as she samples some sweets baring a lot of skin and showing off her "Sweet" tattoo in a perfectly pink bakery!! I love the added touch of texture by adding a real ribbon. This print is available for sale so if it speaks to you as much as it speaks to me be sure to purchase only on Etsy!

Bolli Darling - Cupcake Delight!

The higher the hair the closer you are to heaven so this girl must be straight up angelic! The photo is a costume by "Bolli Darling," an 18 year old company specializing in unique entertainment and fabulous costumes to add to delight to your next party! The site describes her costume to be "Inspired by Willy Wonka and traditional sweet shops." The wig itself reminds me a lot of an ice cream cone. Check out their website at http://www.bollidarling.com

Let Them Eat Cupcakes, Apples and Lychees - Rhondda Scott Photography Photoshoot

This wig isn't exactly stuffed with desserts much like the others on this post but it definitely fires up my imagination. The light pink tightly curled whisps look like cotton candy and I love the pastel lavender and white mixed in. Another Marie Antoinette stylized photo except more traditional with the long sleeves and the model is holding a cupcake so that has to count for something!! The full shoot can be viewed on the RScottPhotographyWeddings Blog here: http://rscottphotographyweddings.blogspot.com.au/2011/03/let-them-eat-cupcakes-apples-and.html

Will Cotton - Candy Curls Portrait

This is a long time favorite of mine, a portrait created by Will Cotton. He is the man behind Katy Perry's beautifully painted candy-candy portrait on the cover of her album, "Teenage Dream!" Even though it's not covered in cupcakes it's tangled with ribbon candy, sugar cones and tons of other candy-coated delights that sure look sweet! Get lost in a sugary paradise by visiting his website at http://www.willcotton.com/

Candyland Courtesan's Cupcake Wig

And now the holy grail of all sugary sweet wigs, a wig by Candyland Courtesan FILLED with cupcakes! A towering, elegant hair piece stuffed with feathers and cupcakes on top of ringlets of pink curls. Anyone would feel like a character straight out of the Candyland game wearing this!! The photo ads to the fantasy with a matching cupcake corset and sweet treats spread out on the floor. You can view lots more of their beautiful wigs on their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/CandylandCourtesanWigs

That's it for this month!! Hope you all enjoyed the crazy candy-coated hairpieces. Halloween is just around the corner maybe you'll construct a sugar sweet wig of your own! Hope everyone has a great week and stay tuned for next month's inspiration post!

Sidewalk Chalk Art Festival!

One fun event my town has from time to time is a Sidewalk Chalk competition. Artists of all ages can pay a small fee to reserve one (or more) blocks of sidewalk and create a masterpiece! Pieces are then judged and prizes given to winner's in each age group.

I decided to participate this year. My drawing was a combination of two things that I love; baking and robots!

My little baker robot was busy at work making lots of yummy frosted cupcakes in all sorts of colors and tasty sprinkled donuts. MMMMM!

I didn't win any prizes but I still had a blast!! It was great checking out other people's pieces!! Almost enchanting strolling around the environment being surrounded by vivid works of art on every step you make.

And honestly, I don't think I did TOO bad for a girl who spends majority of her time at a computer all day! I'm really excited to participate next year. I even told a few of my friends about it. Who knows, maybe I will win!