Illustration Friday - One Sweet "Melt!"

Good afternoon everyone and Happy Friday!! I couldn't resist doodling something up for this week's "Illustration Friday," topic as soon as I saw it! The theme for this week is "Melt." Of course, immediately my mind goes to food. There are so many food centric items that melt it was hard picking just one! But I decided on this summer favorite:

S'Moreeeesssss! Now that's one melty dessert! Whether toasting a marshmallow by a warm fire or nuking it for about 10 seconds, s'mores are an excellent treat with double the meltiness. You get melted chocolate AND a big messy marshmallow in one cracker sandwich. Hope you enjoyed my "Illustration Friday," contribution for the week and a happy and safe holiday weekend.

Illustration Friday - "Nefarious" City Girl

Good morning everyone!! Just wanted to throw a quick "Illustration Friday," post up before the theme flips over for tomorrow. This week's theme was "Nefarious." Nefarious is another word for "criminal," or even "wicked" which is quite the opposite of work I typically post. I was going for shady but still feminine when I created this piece:

A tough looking, no nonsense city girl. Even my color palette was darker and more muted than what I would normally choose. She's one tough cookie with her sharp business wardrobe complete with the  viciously-cliche toothpick jutting out of her crimson lips. A quick doodle but a great exercise in expanding my horizons creatively!! Hope you enjoyed my "Illustration Friday," contribution for the week and a happy weekend.

Illustration Friday: Tina Belcher Meets the "Sea"

Hey everyone!! Just popping with a doodle for this week's "Illustration Friday," theme.  This week's theme was "Sea" which was too fun to pass up. I've been dying to create my own undersea illustration ever since my Mermaid "Inspiration Post." Disney's "Little Mermaid," is great but I found inspiration from another lady heroine:

Little Mer-Tina Belcher!! Bob's Burgers is on of my favorite shows. And although Lynda, Bob's wife, is my TRUE favorite character, Tina comes in a close second. A girl so chock full of imagination she writes her own "friend-fiction," I can only guess that imagination has taken her under the "sea." She probably met a cute mer-dude but I added a sea-horse to the silly doodle to keep her company. She loves land-horses so why not! Hope you enjoyed the doodle and have a super creative week!!

Seasonal Snowman "Light"

Good afternoon everyone! Hope the Holiday season is treating you well! I haven’t participated in an “Illustration Friday,” challenge in a while. This week’s theme was “Light.” I wasn’t struck with an idea until I noticed one reoccurring Christmas decoration I spied around everyone’s block.

The shining “light” of those bizarre plastic Snowmen! In driveways, on porches, on roofs and outside businesses, these jolly, vintage, hard plastic Snowmen are a classic sign of the Holiday season where I’m from. It doesn’t stop at just Snowmen either, I’ve spotted giant plastic characters ranging from jolly lighted Santa Claus’ to entire Na displays!! It makes me wonder what other king of wacky and tacky decorations are staples of neighborhoods around the USA. I’d love if you’d share some in the comments section!! Have a super weekend everyone!!

Inspiration Post: EYE Spy!

Hey everyone!! October is the perfect time to think kooky and spooky projects so in the spirit of Halloween, I figured it was a good time to crank out a creatively creepy “Inspiration Post." The "Inspiration Post," is a monthly themed collection of pieces I dig up for you from around to web to inspire your creativity!! I started this blog segment back in August of 2012 making it officially 2 years old!! My first chosen theme was simply "Cats." This month's theme is "EYE Spy!"

How thankful I am for my set of eyes! They let me see so many different things each and everyday. Whether it be a beautiful rainbow stretching across the sky or a stinky, overflowing garbage can sitting on someone's curb. Not only that, but they turn everyday objects into an instant pal. Boring still life? Add some eyes and they'll take that bowl of fruit from average to the friendliest bowl of produce you'll ever encounter! So scroll down to see what EYE Spy as inspiration!

Cat Got Your Eyeballs T-shirt - DarkMattersClothing Etsy Shop

First up we have just a couple of cute kittens playing with some . . . uh are those real eyeballs? This disturbing hand-painted t-shirt design features two curious kittens batting around a bunch of blue eyes freshly harvested from their sockets. Painted on a sparkling pink background this is one eye-catching piece of apparel. The contrast between cute and creepy is what makes me appreciate this fun concept! It’s amazing how switching out even ONE element to something MORE out of the ordinary can bring a piece to an entirely new level of creativity.

Raquel Reed Photoshoot - MISKA NYC 

If my numerous Marie Antoinette related post haven't quite tipped you off, I'm always inspired by an over-the-top hairdos. And this towering trio of eyeballs is no exception!! Raquel Reed is styled up to her eyes in well. . .eyes in this photoshoot for  “МИШКА,” a NYC clothing company. Their mission statement is to “destroy everything boring and the mundane!” The use of contrasting colors and consistency in graphic eyeball imagery is anything but boring! The creeping red tendrils securing the eyes into the wig is super spooky. Mission accomplished! 

Alice in Wonderland Eyeball Necklace - Rui Nishioka tumblr

This necklace was the original inspiration for my "Eye Spy,” October theme. It reminded me a lot of myself if I were a giant floating eyeball!! With a little research, I found out it’s a piece in a collection of “Alice in Wonderland,” inspired jewelry created by Rui Nishioka. This artist uniquely utilizes insects and artificial eyes to create one striking line of jewelry. This particular necklace is obviously Alice, with her signature black ribbon and blond hair. Being that she’s only an eyeball I imagine she’s ever alert for all the dangers Wonderland throws her way!

Kreepsville 666 Eyeball Handbag - Dolls Kill Boutique

So we have a necklace, a shirt, why not grab an eye-mazing bag to go with? There are plenty of round purses and bags in the world but this one is a literal eyeful! Not overly complicated and relying on the iconic eyeball to do all the talking, I had to add the Kreepsville 666 Eyeball Handbag to this post!! The bright colors of the design (both the red and the green versions) really pop against the clear material! Vector illustrations always remind me of plastic so I can see the clear PVC being the best material to create this real eye-opening accessory!!

Look Before You Speak Poster - Sab Sesay

Last is a poster print of a logo design by "Sab Sesay" or Sab Rena. This artist has more than a few more eerie eye pieces in her portfolio I found inspiring! It was almost hard to narrow it down to just one. I like the muddy, saturated colors for this straight forward design. The logo featured is composed of really simple shapes; a burst, hearts, circles, etc. while still making a statement! And the repeating color-changing eyeball and lips icon is quite Warhol-esque. On a sidenote, one of her early inspirations to create art was the “Sailor Moon,” series which I also adore!!

(image via SAB Sesay Behance)

Care to spy some more inspiration?? Check out my Pinterest board titled "Inspiration" for all the pieces that didn't quite make the post and any extra things I store away for future inspiration. Follow http://www.pinterest.com/nerdycupcakes/inspirations/ to digest a healthy dose of creative inspiration.  Have a super week and a safe Halloween!!

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!!

Inspiration Post: Mouthwatering Mac & Cheese!!

Hey everyone!! I've missed way more "Inspiration Post," than I'm proud of but I'm going to pretend I didn't and moved onto July 2014's post. The "Inspiration Post," is the reader's chance to check out at what peaks MY artistic interest and motivates me to create such crazy imaginative illustrations!! There are so many things that inspire me it's always difficult to pick just one theme. After much deliberation I decided to choose "Mouthwatering Mac & Cheese!!"

Nothing beats a hot bowl of super cheesy and savory Mac and Cheese. I love Mac and Cheese like nobody's business. If I could I would make and eat it everyday of my life. In fact, I've featured a classic as well as more wacky recipe for mac and cheese on my blog before. Digging further back into my history you will even discover an early illustration I created as an ode to my love for the comforting noodle dish. So grab a piping hot bowl, sit back and let me be your guide through "Mouthwatering Mac & Cheese," heaven!!

Mac Loves Cheese Graphic - Meghan Draws Weird tumblr

Since this is an illustration blog, I decided to start things off with an adorable Mac & Cheese illustration. A little elbow noodle embraces his best pal CHEESE! Talk about comforting comfort food!! The simplistic use of color and shapes make this illustration a winner in my book!! Designed by Meghan Murphy this piece even made it's way to Shirt WOOT! in their comfort foods derby. No lie, I'd rock this apparel design in a heartbeat!

Macaroni & Cheese Soap - SoapsationalFavors Etsy Shop

It's amazing what you can find on Etsy with just one simple keyword. I dug up this super creative handcrafted soap in the SoapsationalFavors etsy shop on my quest for Mac & Cheese goodness! I applaud the creativity that went into even fathoming this comfort-food cleanser. And it looks so realistic I'm half tempted to eat it. Thankfully the artisan labels the final packaging with "glycerine soap" on the back to avoid and incidental digestions! because I would more than likely just dig in. SoapsationalFavors offers all kinds of unique soaps so check them out on Etsy!!

Timeless Treasures Fabric Mac & Cheese Fabric sold at greatfabricfinds Etsy Shop

I love me a good textile print!! Check out this delicious fabric by the "Timeless Treasures" company! The print features different little individual dishes of Mac & Cheese crafted with a variety of noodles. The photographically realistic casseroles stand out on a contrasting black background. Just think of the possibilities you could sew with this beauty!! Although I find it highly unlikely I would ever be able to craft anything with this WITHOUT drooling all over my project.

Robot Flying Saucer Mac N Cheese Abduction Card -  RicksRobots Etsy Shop

I LOVE the creative concept of this print of a young girl balancing a pink tea cup effortlessly a top her head. A task I'm sure I'd never be able to accomplish with the ADDED challenge of a ship sailing carelessly around the tea. The print is created by the husband and wife artist team, "Marisol Spoon." The scalloped edge and gold details of the tea cup and microscopic components of the ship are amazing!! And her extremely long neck and haunting eyes keep this piece unique and memorable. Purchase it on Etsy or see more of Marisol Spoon's pieces at http://marisolspoon.com/

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese "Super Heroes" Shapes - Bat Blog

Holy Macaroni Batman! Last but not least is an ad featuring my favorite caped crusader, Batman! But not just any ad, a Kraft Mac and cheese ad that dates back to the late 90s. This ad combines 2 of my most favorite things; Mac and Cheese AND Batman. I can't say that I taste tested this back in the day but I'm sure it was delicious. The signature Kraft Dinner boxes tower over gotham city like skyscrapers. How clever! I also dig the tagline. "Big Cheese," get it?! Oh puns!

Drooling for more?? Check out my Pinterest board titled "Inspiration" for bonus pieces that didn't quite make my 5 piece limit per post. And who knows, maybe NEXT month's theme might already be in mixed in there! Follow http://www.pinterest.com/nerdycupcakes/inspirations/ and stay inspired every month with lots of goodies to keep you from creative constipation! Have a super week everyone!!

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!

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!

Illustration Friday - Crazy "Lush" VMA Incident

Good afternoon everyone!! I felt like creating another "Illustration Friday," post. This week's word was "lush" and I immediately thought of one individual who created an incident that caught the media's eye for the week. So I created this cartoon portrait:

The infamous VMA Miley Cyrus as a cartoon. I used to love Hannah Montana!! I don't completely agree with what Miley is doing with her career at this very moment but at the same time I don't condemn her. The artistic direction of her last video was pretty fun with the bears, twerk soup and McDonalds french fries skull. I say, let her do what she wants to. Hope everyone had a great weekend!!

Illustration Friday - Pink "Power" Ranger Kimberly!!

Hey everyone!! The week has just started but I couldn't resist working on another piece for "Illustration Friday," when I found out the theme was "Power." The first thing that comes to my head when I think power?? Power Rangers of course so I decided to create this little cartoon:

That's right the Pink Ranger, Kimberly!! As girly as I am, believe it or not she wasn't my favorite but my second favorite. In my mind, the Yellow Ranger came in first!! I liked her weapon and dinosaur far more than Kimberly's. But I'm sure I would have given my right arm to be EITHER of them!! Hope everyone is having a great week so far!!

Illustration Friday: "Fresh" & Ready for Class!

Hey everyone!! Hope your week is going really well so far. Can you believe we're already halfway through August?! I decided to participate in this week's "Illustration Friday," theme which was "Fresh." At first I was drawing a complete blank. But thanks to a suggestion of one of my friends I came up with this little doodle:

 
A "fresh" piece of fruit with a super fresh mind ready to get back in school!! Ready to hit the books, he's got his glasses on, and his ruler out ready to learn! The background is the scanned texture of a composition book to match the school theme. I'm contemplating releasing this as a blank card in my shop for educators and students. I hope everyone who goes to school enjoys their last bits of summer freedom. Have a creative day everyone!!

Happy Kool-Aid Days!!

Hey everyone!! This weekend is time for celebration!! Yesterday, today AND tomorrow (Aug 9th - 11th) is "Kool-Aid Days!" If you're unfamilliar with "Kool-Aid," it's a powdered drink mix that comes in all sorts of crazy flavors and colors. It even has it's own mascot appropriately named, the Kool-Aid man. I decided to create an illustration dedicated to that crazy pitcher of sugar himself:

I grew up on Kool-Aid. My parents would make me some as a kid and boy was it a treat! To this day, I will admit though, I don't know how to make my own Kool-Aid. The first time I ever made it I forgot to add the sugar, d'oh!! I also loved the Kool-Aid adverts. Check out this one from the 90s posted on Youtube:

 

RADICAL! Hope everyone has a great weekend and a fun time celebrating!!

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!!

Inspiration Post - Retro Robot Records!!

Hey everyone!! Hope all of you are having a fantastic summer so far. July is already ending which means it's time for our "Inspiration Post!" My blog's chance to choose a theme and 5 accompanying visuals that really jump-start my imagination. It's a great way to get a look into my head as well as encourage your own creative adventures. A nod to BakerBot from my previous post, I chose "Retro Robot Records!!"

Before the age of machines cranking out Dubstep music, robots held profitable careers in OTHER areas of the music industry. Such as posing for album covers for all sorts of artists all over the world. Yes, some of our technologically advanced friends are a bit vain. Why not make a career out of it?? Scroll down to check out the 12 inch by 12 inch canvas that is the vinyl record sleeve possessing tons of robots setting their phasers to "inspire" just for you!!

The Alan Parsons Project - I Robot Album 

image via http://vinyleye.com.au/

Let's start off with the I Robot Album by the Alan Parsons Project. Leave it up to a prog rock band to feature an out of this world cover concept. The sleeve depicts the colorful complicated inner-workings of a gargantuan steel giant. True to it's form, the actual album is set in an age where machines rule over man. I love the bizarre scifi elements such as the transportation tubes. The mix of illustration and nearly photographic artwork gives us a bleak look at our possible future. All hail the robot overlords!

Munich Machine - Get on the Funk Train

image via WaxPoetics site

A robot record in it's purest form, the Munich Machine album lets it's artwork do all the talking. The sleeve features two machines shooting lasers out of their eyes as they rocket into the sky for one funky night! I'm under the impression the robot on the left is a female and the one on the right is her male dance partner. The design of the robots is fantastic. The knobby joints, bright colors and clear accents to display circuitry are phenomenal. Both possess rocket launchers in their bell bottom shaped boots. The yellow robot even has a set of wheels attached to it's soles!!

Bionic Boogie

image via http://www.flickr.com/photos/christianmontone/

Incredibly provocative this fem-bot models for the "BionicBoogie" album cover. If you haven't guessed yet by the satin curtains and groovy font, this is a disco album. And, I admit, she's less of a fem-bot and more of a model. Who seems to be modeling some kind of futuristic listening device complete with headphones and volume control?! Steam rises out of robotic fashionista as the gauge's needle tips dangerously towards the edge. This album cover was TOO bizarre to pass up for the list.

Music Machine - Ktel 

image via Neato Coolville blog

The POSTER CHILD of retro robots stars on this album titled, "Music Machine," by K-Tel. And just as advertised on the front, it even had it's own commercial. Robbie the Robot is the celebrity robot from television series "Lost in Space." The photograph of Robbie rocking out in a deserted field behind a ridiculous stereo system is classic. All the design elements come together in a cheesy way for a winning combo!! The sleeve looks like more of an ad than actual artwork, cramming tons of text as well as bubbles featuring some of the artist you can listen to on this record. I wouldn't have it any other way!

DANCE, DANCE, DANCE - Matthew Laznicka Illustration

Woah check out those robots breaking it down!! I was surprised to find while on my search for retro records that this was not ACTUALLY a record. Nope. Upon closer examination, it's a print by Matthew Laznicka, made to look like a record. With the distressed look and old school fonts I have to admit even I was intially fooled. The art was too fun not to add to this month's post. The color scheme is great, the robots are dynamically illustrated as they dance they dance until the sun comes up!!
 

image via "Junk Shop Juke Box" blog

If you are unfamiliar with the any of the music on the record's from today's post I urge you check them out!! They're all a lot of fun and a refreshing change up from any artists of today. Oh!! And don't forget I keep extra bonus pieces for each "Inspiration Post" on my Pinterest board I dedicated to "Inspiration."  Follow http://pinterest.com/nerdycupcakes/inspirations/ for sneak peak at what's coming for next month's post.  Have a great weekend everyone!!

Illustration Friday - BakerBot Version 2.0

Good morning everyone!! Just wanted to squeeze in my "Illustration Friday," post before the deadline hit!! This week I was pretty excited to create a piece since the topic was "Robots." I love drawing robots. I have drawn so many different kinds during the span of this blog. A concept I frequently play with is a BakerBot:

This latest model of the BakerBot has no time to for fun at the moment. He has to delivery a freshly baked blueberry muffin to a VERY hungry customer!! Maybe in the future we will have bakeries run all by "BakerBots." I can dream!!

To improve on my skills I challenged myself to work on a more dynamic pose for this character. I hope everyone has a super weekend!! 

Laura Cooks: Cooking with Pumpkin (w/ illustrations)

Hey everyone just wanted to update my blog with a pumpkin-themed fun cooking adventure I had. And since this is my illustration blog, I also created a cute little pumpkin character to guide us through each dish!

I LOVE all things pumpkin. I'm a pumpkin addict!! And fall just happens to be my favorite season. Unforunately everyone is still focused on summer and it's just a TAD too early for stores to be carrying their "pumpkin spice" seasonal eats. I decided I'm not waiting until fall. Armed with a can of pumpkin and Pinterest recipes I had all day pumpkin feast!

 

First came breakfast. Even though it's been about a billiondy degrees outside almost daily I decided to start my morning with the "Clean Eating Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal" recipe from "The Gracious Pantry." The recipe only required simple ingredients I already had at home. The oatmeal serves 4 but I'm only one person so I adjusted it back to 1 serving.

Drizzled with maple syrup and topped with chopped pecans, this was such a filling breakfast!! And yes, it looks as good as it tastes!! Next up came my lunch. What could you possibly make for lunch with canned pumpkin?? Two words: grilled cheese.

Mmmm cheese on carbs!! Not the healthiest thing to be stuffing my face with but the ingredients weren't too terrible for you. For instance, the recipe calls for a laughing cow cheese wedge which are very low in calories (and super yummy). And instead of a deli cheese slice I used some vegan cheese made from rice and it tasted just as good.

Bizarre sounding but totally savory!! The pumpkin "filling" was enough for 2 separate sandwiches but I piled it all on one anyway. YOLO my friends. I ate my sandwich with some wheat thins and some applesauce. Mmmm!! Check out the full recipe by user asally04 on the "KeyIngredient" website. And last but not least dinner.

All I needed was one more pumpkin recipe and my pumpkin feast would be complete!! And I definitely had one up my sleeve. "Pumpkin Mac and Cheese" by "Eat. Drink. Love." I can't say no to Mac and Cheese. It took me two attempts to make this. The first attempt I burned myself on the pot of boiling water and spilled the entire pound of curly noodles all over the floor. Yikes!! It just goes to show you accidents happen. We all need to be careful when we cook!!

I'm glad I picked myself up and tried again because this recipe was a unique filling dish!! It calls for not only cheddar cheese but also Gruyere. If you don't feel like buying Gruyere you can use Swiss but I wanted the full Pumpkin Mac and Cheese experience!! It was a great way to end my day. I hope you enjoyed the illustrations. If you're a true pumpkin addict like me, go try out some of the recipes!!

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!!

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!!