Month: October 2012

Field Trip: Arboretum

| terriaw

What a treat to go hiking in the Arboretum on my day off this past weekend.

It was sunny but chilly.

It’s been a few weeks since I was on a hiking trail, so it was quite refreshing to be out there.

I don’t usually go hiking by myself, but it was such a great day to be out exploring.

I love the way these tall groves of pine trees smell in fall.

There was still a little moss and lichen to be found.

I noticed a few signs of fall color still lingering.

With a cooler season ahead of us, I’m hoping to get out and explore more on Fridays.

Such a great way to spend a day off.

Hope you were able to get some fresh air this last weekend too! Thank you for stopping by.

Mid-Term Reflections

| terriaw

This week marks mid-term, the middle of the Fall semester. That means we have eight weeks behind us and eight weeks left to go.

It’s thrilling to look back at the projects I’ve done so far, and tally all the great things I’ve learned, some of which I’ve shared here recently.

  • We’ve covered various techniques, from drawing, sketching, pen and ink, digital college, acrylic painting, and line drawings.
  • We’ve tried several different usages, from editorial illustrations to advertising illustrations, posters to trading cards to icons to greeting cards, to logos and labels.

I think one of the most important skills I continue to build on is developing an eye for the right design elements for the purpose and audience. We are also learning the business side of being an illustrator, which is exciting to dream about.

I’ve also designed several websites with new web skills, primarily how to use better html code for search engine optimization, how to organize information better and in more visually appealing ways, how to set up interesting photo galleries, and how to design a site to be flexible for a desktop screen, tablet and mobile device.

I’m excited about all the things still left to cover in the next eight weeks. Posters, spot illustrations, logos, packaging designs, tshirt design, self promo product, and more fun stuff!

I hope you’ll continue to stay with me on this journey. Thanks for stopping by!

Thankful Friday, No 28

| terriaw

Thank goodness it’s Friday! Another week, another day, another class, another project, more new ideas and inspiration. At the end of each week, I have been forcing myself to stop and take a moment to capture the things I’m thankful for from the past week, to appreciate the big and the small things.

Here’s my list of things I’m thankful for this past week:

1. I am thankful for my raincoat.

2. I am thankful for a hoodie sweatshirt on rainy days when I forget to bring my raincoat.

3. I am thankful for work time in my classes.

4. I am thankful my cold is almost gone.

5. I am thankful for pumpkin cookies.

6. I am thankful for Godiva truffles.

7. I am thankful for belts to hold up my jeans.

8. I am thankful for the extra acrylic paints I found in our basement… in just the colors I was running out of.

9. I am thankful for a new commission project to help a friend who is in portfolio this semester.

10. Most of all, I am thankful for my mom! Her birthday is this weekend, and we get to spend it together, along with my brother and my niece.

Inspired by this ongoing series of posts.

Hope you have a few things to be thankful for this week. Thank you for stopping by.

Thankful Friday, No. 27

| terriaw

Thank goodness it’s Friday! Another week, another day, another class, another project, more new ideas and inspiration. At the end of each week, I have been forcing myself to stop and take a moment to capture the things I’m thankful for from the past week, to appreciate the big and the small things.

Here’s my list of things I’m thankful for this past week:

1. I am thankful I get to walk on such a pretty trail (above) to get to class.

2. I am thankful to be starting new projects in class this week: greeting cards, a logo and label for a product or event, and a painterly product illustration. So fun!

3. I am thankful for the goodies I received from my friend Michelle for our exchange. That mini quilt looks great as a centerpiece on our kitchen table. And those “scraps” she shared are large pieces. She definitely did her research to pick out just the right things I like, including MnMs, cute butterfly buttons and new drawing tools.

4. I am thankful my friend Stephanie liked the goodies I sent her for our exchange. (I only took a picture of the wristlet I made for her.)

5. I am thankful for pumpkin-flavored ice cream with pieces of gingersnap cookies mixed in.

6. I am thankful for the best spicy BBQ pizza for dinner on Friday night.

7. I am thankful the leaves in our yard are raked… for now.

8. I am thankful for my dishwasher.

9. I am thankful for coupons.

10. I am thankful for sunshine on a day off.

Inspired by this ongoing series of posts.

Hope you have a few things to be thankful for this week. Thank you for stopping by.

Exploring In My Backyard

| terriaw

I was hoping we would get a chance to go hiking again last weekend, but we had too many other things to do.

So I settled for exploring in our yard.

It’s always fun to take notice of the variety of colors in Autumn while there’s still green leaves on the trees.

I noticed of a lot of red, orange and yellow, so it was fun to compose my photos with those combinations.

Our lawn was practically carpeted in leaves of all sizes, shapes, colors, and random overlaps.

I’m usually excited at the beginning of each season, but once leaf peeping is past and most of the leaves are on the ground, I feel a little sad, missing that foliage which provides cover in our backyard park. My mom pointed out to me a couple years ago that it’s nice to be able to admire the architecture of trees when the leaves start falling.

That idea really stuck with me, so once I’m tired of drawing leaves, I look forward to practicing drawing tree skeletons without leaves. Seeing something with a fresh perspective keeps me from feeling melancholy about the bareness coming with late fall / early winter.

Thank you for stopping by!

Thankful Friday, No. 26

| terriaw

Thank goodness it’s Friday! Another week, another day, another class, another project, more new ideas and inspiration. At the end of each week, I have been forcing myself to stop and take a moment to capture the things I’m thankful for from the past week, to appreciate the big and the small things.

Here’s my list of things I’m thankful for this past week:

1. I am thankful we got the chance to hike last weekend during the peak of our fall colors.

2. I am thankful for the grade I got on my first illustration project.

3. I am thankful to be learning so much in Photoshop these days. Things are really clicking in my brain on how to design and illustrate with that software.

4. I am thankful I got to hear the famous illustrator Ed Binkley speak about digital drawing and painting in Photoshop this week. (He’s also a lead teacher for our animation program.)

5. I am thankful for the friendships I have with my extended family. They never let me down when I need someone to listen.

6. I am thankful for fingerless gloves as it gets colder out.

7. I am thankful for a clean house.

8. I am thankful for fresh, handmade pillowcases.

9. I am thankful for pumpkin spice lattes, and Starbucks gift cards.

10. I am thankful for the last ripe tomato from our garden before the frost.

Inspired by this ongoing series of posts.

Hope you have a few things to be thankful for this week. Thank you for stopping by.

Nature Arts and Crafts

| terriaw

I’ve been so focused on learning how to draw and be a graphic designer and illustrator these past couple years that I haven’t done much crafting, except for making ornaments for my annual exchanges. I’ve shared many nature photographs and pages of leaf illustrations in my sketchbook.

I have been noticing more and more great nature-related art and craft projects lately, including these I found by doing a simple search on Pinterest.

(knitted pumpkin, made by me several years ago)

Here are a few projects that I’ve moved to the top of my list of things to make:

Tree Stump Coaster by A Beautiful Life

Feather Butterfly Wreath by A Beautiful Life

Feather Crown by A Beautiful Life, which would be so fun to wear as part of a costume

Fall Leaves Wreath by Alisa Burke

Altered Driftwood by Alisa Burke, which she used to fill up this large glass jar. She also used some pieces to turn into a mobile hanging in her art studio.

Fern Fabric by Alisa Burke, which she made into a striking set of patchwork placemats for their table.

A couple years ago, I took a series of online classes to make Christmas ornaments and decorations. Some of my favorite projects were using felt, like these Christmas trees.

I’ve made these projects by the Purl Bee in the past for Christmas presents and ornament exchanges. I liked them so much that I might make them again.

Little Forest Quilt

Sewn Bird Ornaments

Pine Tree Sachets

If you have a nature art or craft-related tutorial or project you would like to share, please leave the link in the comments. I would be thrilled to add them to my growing list. Thanks for stopping by!

Colorful Hiking Adventures

| terriaw

It was a beautiful Fall weekend around here, so we took advantage of the sunshine and went hiking.

We went to one of my favorite places to hike, which you’ll see why in a minute.

We were pleasantly surprised to see how far along our fall colors are.

When you drive into the parking lot, you are greeted by rows of these beautiful sweet gum trees, which glow in the sunlight, and look so beautiful against the blue September sky.

Their leaves look similar to maple leaves, but they are even more colorful.

Of course, I had to pick up few to take home and press for future inspiration. There may be some screen printed leaves in my future!

We also found some leaves that looked like they were tie-dyed.

I’m usually a little anxious until we come upon this particular tree.

Surely you’ve seen me show it before around here.

My husband thinks I’m goofy because I always have to climb inside it and pretend it’s my little hideout. I think the hollow has gotten bigger over the years because I don’t remember being able to fit so well inside it. (Or maybe I’m shrinking.) I wish I could take it home and put it in my backyard!

There are about 4-5 nature-related poems on sign posts throughout these trails. I’ve never seen this on any other hiking trail, and I think it’s such a wonderful idea.

The trail we take ends at this cool cabin in the woods. It has an outhouse next door and a great big fire pit where you could warm up during a day of cross-country skiing or snowshoeing.

Such a wonderful way to spend a Fall day! I’m already looking forward to our next hiking adventure. I hope the fall colors last a little longer. Hope you enjoyed your weekend too. Thank you for stopping by!