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!

"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!!

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!!

Another Happy Couple! Annette's Illustrated Portrait!

Hey everyone just wanted to update teh blog with another illustrated portrait I created for another happy couple this year. This one was for a girl named Annette who contacted me after seeing some of my work and sent me a lovely photo to work from. I think it is so cute that they are both wearing green!

And here is what I came up with:

Another masterpiece!! I made sure to capture subtle details like her makeup and patterned shirt. What a cute couple!! I had a copy printed and sent to her and she assured me it is hanging up and efinitly gets a lot of compliments!!

I hope everyone is having a great week! Everyone keeps talking snow around where I live. We shall see!! And remember if you would like an illustrated portrait of your own be sure to check out the contact section of my website, Violet-Ink.com!!

Anne & Steve - Illustrated Portrait

Hey everyone just wanted to update the blog over the weekend with another illustrated portrait I created for a happy couple. A woman by the name of Anne had contacted me when seeing one of my portraits looking for something to commemorate her engagement. She sent me a lot of great photos including some really detailed shots of her engagement ring. My favorite photo of the couple was this one:

And this is the artwork I created for her:

 It really came out great. I got a lot of the details like her ring. They definitly look like one happy couple!! She was super happy with it and I was excited to hear she also will be using them in her "Thank You" cards for her wedding.

I love creating special artwork for couples if you are interested in a portrait of your own, be sure to check out the contact page on my website: http://www.violet-ink.com/ And hope everyone has a great weekend!

Lora Warnick's Illustrated Portrait!!

Hey everyone!! Today is a dark, dreary and rainy day, the perfect time to stay inside and update my blog!! Just wanted to feature a portrait I created for an awesome photographer named Lauren Warnick!!!

Photo via Facebook Page

We crossed paths on Facebook where she contacted me about my famous illustrated portraits. Her idea was to feature both her and her boyfriend, Michal, with their favorite things in the portrait. Hers obviously being photography and his being golf. Here is a collage she created with both the photo and my portrait:

It came out super cute!! It was a fun concept and I appreciated getting creative!! It was definitely something different.

As a photographer, Lauren has worked with many different celebrities as well as clients I have worked with too like Jackie, Tracy and Brittany from Jerseylicious!! We crossed paths on Facebook and she was interested in having her own special portrait made of her and her boyfriend, Michael!

Jackie from Jerseylicious via Lora Warnick's Portfolio

If you want to check out more of Lauren's Photography visit her website at http://www.lorawarnick.com or "like" her Facebook page www.facebook.com/pages/Lora-Warnick-Photography/114375205268276!! Both are full with tons of high quality, professional pieces photographed by her. There's also information to contact her on both pages. Hope everyone has a great day!!

Tracy DiMarco and Corey Eps Engagement Portrait!!

Hey everyone! Just wanted to upload the blog with a really glamorous portrait I created. As you may or may not know, Tracy DiMarco from Jerseylicious recently got engaged!!

image via MyStyle

Tracy is someone I always admired from the Style Network show, and as strange as it may seem for a small town girl from Pennsylvania, we have gotten to be great friends!! She has a real appreciation for art!! So when I heard that I got to make a portrait for her engagement I was super psyched!! Tracy was thinking of having a cartoon of her and Corey wearing matching baby blue outfits for their engagement party!

The portrait came out really great!! I made sure to pack it with lots of details. Sparkly, bling-ed out jewels and everything!!

Tracy and Corey are the cutest couple and I am so glad I have gotten to meet them!! I hope I get invited to their wedding!! Jerseylicious is wrapping up here in the states. Who knows what will happen next season??

"Patty's Closet" Illustrated Portrait

Hey everyone! Just wanted to update the blog with a portrait I did in the beginning of the year. One of my awesome clients Teray, (who I originally drew a wedding portrait for) requested a portrait for one of her favorite stores, "Patty's Closet"!!

Patty's closet is a fashion boutique turned franchise phenomenon with stores popping up all over the USA! The portrait I created was of the owner, Patty Barbara, in front of a cute pink city scape with the "Patty's Closet" logo popping up on a billboard!!

Teray, also her own blog with her husband reviewing Las Vegas restaurants where she ALSO features an outfit from Patty's Closet each week. You can visit Teray's blog at http://thenewlywedsguidetovegasrestaurants.blogspot.com No Patty's Closet in your area?? They also sell clothes and accesories online at http://www.ilovepattyscloset.com/

Hope everyone has a fun and safe weekend!!

Lauren & John - Portrait

Hey everyone! Hope you all had a happy and safe NEW YEAR!! Wow 2012 already!! Got to catch up on these entries so here's another portrait I created a Christmas gift!! Another cute couple, meet Lauren and John!

Here is the portrait I created for them:

I think it turned out really great! The grey background matches perfectly with John's shirt and remained neutral; not too girly not too masculine! The client was really pleased and I hope they enjoy their gift!!

You might recognize Lauren if you watch GlamFairy!! She was on one of the episodes where A2 had a fashion shoot with puppy dogs. It was a really cute episode!! Here is a photo of Lauren, A2 and Tracy DiMarco at her Birthday party!

Photo from ChanceTv

I hope everyone has a great day!!

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 :)

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.

Teray and Brett Wedding Portrait!!

Hey everyone just wanted to update the blog with another illustration I created this year!! I got in contact with a really great client named Teray!! She was engaged and wanted a portrait created from one of her engagement photos for her wedding!

There were a ton of photos to choose from! I wanted to incorporate her wedding colors as well, so I made sure to ask for those. Here is what I came up with:

She was really happy with how it turned out and so was I!!

They are both now happily married, congratulations to them!! And I wish them much luck in their future!!

Another Portrait for Jacquelina!

About a month ago I got a chance to create another portrait of Jacquelina from Jerseylicious. She requested I do a different portrait of her and her husband!! Different from her wedding picture, she just wanted a simple portrait of them together.

Here is the photo she gave me to work with:

The biggest challenge of this portrait was making sure that tattoo on his arm was a PERFECT match to the photo. I drew inspiration for the background from the colors in the tattoo as well. Talk about fine detail!!

Here is how the finished product turned out:

She was really happy with it, and so was I!! She is such a fun person to work with and I hope to do more business with her again sometime!!

Don't forget to look out for Jacquelina in the new season of Jerseylicious Sundays starting on May 15th!!

Jacquelina from Jerseylicious Wedding Portrait!

Hey everyone! I just wanted to feature one of the most recent pictures I did. I was approached by another Jerseylicious cast member to create a digital portrait. Her name is Jacquelina!

When Season 2 wrapped up she was working at Anthony's Salon! You have probably spotted her frequently in the last few episodes, especially at New Jersey Fashion Week with Anthony and Olivia.

She asked me to draw her a wedding portrait. This would be the second one in the history of my illustration career. Jacquelina and her husband together make such a happy couple. The photos they sent me were stunning. I knew right away I wanted to recreate this one:

She also showed me a lot of reference photos everything from the ring to the bouquet and even the veil. I really pride myself on capturing the fine details that bring out the personalities of individuals and what makes them unique. Cartoony and cute but still remaining really accurate in fine details.

I added an olive background and some elegant swirls and here is the finished product:

She was really pleased with it and I even added it to my portfolio on Violet-Ink.com. It is now one of my favorite pieces!! I was also requested to work on a SECOND illustration for her that I am currently working on right now!!

I hope everyone has a good day!

Karen's Wedding Portrait

Hey everyone! Things have been really busy right now. I am only getting a chance to eat my first meal of the day (mac and cheese) and update my blog :)

The latest portrait I got to do was for Karen! She wanted a cute cartoon version of some of her wedding photos. Here is what I created for her:

Is it not adorable?? It was the first wedding portrait I have ever gotten to do and I think it came out fantastically! She really enjoyed it and I cannot wait until she receives the printed copy in her mailbox!! Remember if you are interested in purchasing your own digital portrait drawn by me, Laura, head over to my etsy shop, and click on this listing:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/60011013/full-color-vector-portrait-from-your

I am also busy working on updating my site. The shop page is really coming together. It longer directly takes you to my etsy shop. I added this graphic as an example of the portaits that I do:

This weekend is also Halloween! Me and my friends from college are getting together hopefully :) cannot wait. Will keep the updates coming!! Have a good day everyone!