Happy 2018!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2018!

Love to You All!

Joy to the World!

Joy to the World!

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

Sweet Dreams: A Whimsical Hourglass

Sweet Dreams: A Whimsical Hourglass

I have been working on this idea for a while. Finally, after several sketches, I managed to steal away and finish it.

Sweet dreams are always welcome!

Of course one would need a Sweet Dreams pillow to rest one's tired head! 

Click on the pillow to link you to my shop.

From the Garden - Adaptation of Autumn in the Air

From the Garden

 During my time as a greeting card designer, I learned to take seasonal art and make it more versatile.

As you can see below, the original illustration I created was more limiting with the pumpkin in a piece I call Autumn in the Air.

It was a challenge to think what would look good in place of the pumpkin, but then I am a fan of birds. That design element also comes from greeting card design 101; adding live interest to warm up the design. 

Old habits die hard...Lol...

F is for Flamingo

F is for Flamingo

Years ago, somewhere in the early seventies, I found out that it was common place to see fake pink flamingos decorating lawns in places like Parma, Ohio.  

It was a common butt of Cleveland humor along with the chrome balls that decorated the lawns of many Cleveland suburbs. This was an odd sense of Cleveland humor that a girl from New Jersey found somewhat baffling. 

When my soon to be boss in the creative department at American Greetings turned 42, plastic pink flamingos appeared in his office and I soon started looking at the pink flamingo in a different light other than a tropical bird one might see in Florida. 

Naturally after all these years, when thinking of illustrating another letter F, a pink flamingo came to mind, even though one would not likely see a plastic one as a lawn decoration today. 

However, with tropical looks becoming hot, now is surely the time to revive the PINK FLAMINGO.

Autumn in the Air

Autumn in the Air

Autumn brings its beauty with its colors and its excitement with the upcoming holidays. 

It's easy to get inspired at this time of year to create a piece reflective of Fall, especially with the company of my oldest grandson who loves pumpkins! 

And what would be fall without a little home decor? 

Here it is on a pillow from my Fine Art America site.

You can also find the flowers on a mug!

Again check out this link: Fine Art America Mug

It won't be long before the leaves add that beautiful color drama to our surroundings!

B is for Beagle

B is for Beagle

Coming up with ideas for the letter B is a tough one. What works to make that shape?

I also get many requests for dog illustrations. 

So I stepped up to the plate to give it a try. 

Here is B is for Beagle, Balloon, Ball, and of course Bird too!

Below are other letters I have done that feature dogs.

A is for Airedale

D is for Dalmatian

Who knows? Maybe I am on to something!

Bird Song

Bird Song

Sometimes I get inspired by a quote or verse that I like as opposed to coming up with another illustrated letter. 

This time I got inspired with a spiritual verse.  

I must confess, I like it as a pillow too!

You can find this on Fine Art America.

H is for Hummingbird

H is for Hummingbird

Wahoo! A new letter H!

H is for Hummingbird and Hyacinth too!

Have to say, I had to strain my brain on this one!

The newly created design is available as a pillow and more on Fine Art America.

N is for Neptune - Update

N is for Neptune

Yep, I am at it again.

I looked at a design I did a while ago, as shown below, and it did not look quite finished. 

It did not quite pull together for me.

I guess that what happens when you gaze at one's creations while sitting in a tent while doing an art festival. We become our own critic. So I set about to add a bit more drama as well as pull the color story together a bit more.

It will be interesting to see if this one will get a better response with it's new update.

M is for Monkeys

M is for Monkeys

Here is my new creation that I added to my letter M collection and for all letter M fans.

M is for Monkeys and Melon too! 

Inspired by the fun of Summer and monkeying around.

Below are some Letter M's I have created in the past.

M is for Mountains, Moose, and Moon

M is for Mermaids

M is for Mustache

Have a MARVELOUS day!

Restyle! The Letter S

S is for Seal and Starfish

Part of my job in my career as a greeting card designer was to give fresh looks to older designs that still had good bones. It was to give new life or a second wind as well as increase sales. Not unlike rearranging the furniture and painting the walls of one's living room to give it a new spirit.

So while looking at my art on the walls of my tent during art festival season, the older design below became a candidate for a restyle.

While I still carry this version on Fine Art America, I thought to produce another with a different color look.

Now I also offer this cute seal as a cute summer T-shirt.

You can find this cute T-shirt here: https://fineartamerica.com/products/s-is-for-seal-and-starfish-valerie-drake-lesiak-adult-tshirt.html 

Whether a seal fan or the letter S fan, or just love the sea, this seal is a real cutie for all that need a little fun in life. 

Review and Redesign: Flowers in a Teapot

Flowers from the Garden:

Flowers in Teapot with Bird

Yes, I am at it again.

When staring at my artwork on the walls of my tent in summer art festivals, I start to think this one or that design look better. I start redesigning them in my head. 

Below is the original.

Originally, I wanted to add a bird, but I never did. I just was not quite happy with it as it felt not quite finished. Although I have sold one, I am not sure many are wowed by it.

So the structure was there, it just needed tweaks and come color change. 

T is for Train and Train Trestle

T is for Train and Train Trestle

I listen to potential clients. 

TRAINS. I heard it more than once.

So here is a new letter T that features a Train that hopefully appeals to those who have sons and grandsons that love trains and whose name begins with the letter T. 

Evolving Design

P is for Pretty Poppy

When sitting in a tent at an art festival selling my art, my art falls under my ever critical eye. This design has now gone under a second change. It was like I had not finished the first revision.

As you can see below I had changed color of the back ground and revised the poppy, 

but it stopped there. 

The butterfly and the background pattern stayed pretty much the same from the original.

The middle piece was only a transitional piece. It still needed to finish evolving to its new look as I stared at it in the tent. I hope for now that it is done. But who knows. Maybe a year from now, you will see yet another new version. 

I is for Ice Cream Cone

I is for Ice Cream Cone

A while ago, I was talking with a friend whose son's name began with the letter I. Most of my letter I designs are not exactly designed with kids in mind. So finally I got going on the project, and here it is... especially for all the hot whether we have been having this June!

Z is for Zeppelin

Z is for Zeppelin

The letter Z is not easy.  

Not to many images come to mind. 

I already illustrated a Z for Zebra. 

Zipper did not seem to have much "zip" for me, and then I finally thought of Zeppelin!

Of course the Zeppelins have to have names...Zig and Zag, because when you think of it, the letter Z is one big zig zag!

And it makes a great pillow!

Check it out on my Fine Art America page!

P is for Peacock

P is for Peacock

I just did a show where someone asked if I had a P for Peacock. Sadly I did not.  

So here it is upon request! 

April Showers

April Showers

Well you know what they say...and it is still April!

Tea for Two Revisited

Tea for Two

Artists do spring cleaning to their artwork sometimes.

Maybe it is that need to re-arrange the furniture, but some illustrations, I feel, need a bit of sprucing up or a bit of an update.

Below is the original.

This was from my days of mix media and collage techniques.

Again, any thoughts, please add to comments below.

The new version is available as prints or even as pillows as shown above on Fine Art America.

Flower Love

The Good News

The sun is out after a late spring snow. Fortunately the snow did not stick. The spring flowers are working their way out to the promise of warmer weather today.

The older I get the more I love flowers. They are the sunshine for the soul. 

I thought to revisit an early concept of flowers popping out of an envelope. This time I while designing this illustration I gave it the color pop of spring's glory. 

I miss the days of when people actually sent letters and cards bearing good news. Today, where most mail is junk and bills, those bright spots of cheer that old fashion correspondence brought are truly missed. 

Below you can find this illustration not only in framable prints, but on other items as well on my Fine Art America site.

The pillow and more items are available on https://fineartamerica.com/products/good-news-valerie-drake-lesiak-throw-pillow.html

Or click on any of the product pictures above to take you to the site.

Review and Fix

Life is a Bowl of Cherries

I have noticed  when looking at my work at an art festival that I'm doing, I start to pick apart my artwork. I start to think...could I have done this better...would changing a color make it better...and so on.

Believe it or not, the green stems on the original kept bothering me. They seemed out of place.

But then of course I started changing and spiffing up a few other things.

Let me know what you think.

Review and Update: G is for Goose and Grasshopper

G is for Goose and Grasshopper

It must be the spring cleaning urge...the urge to not only to clean, but re-arrange the furniture, paint a room, change and shake up the decor a bit...only I have been doing this to my artwork as well. 

Home decor has been featuring many hues of gray. When reviewing the original below, I though gray would be good for an update. By adding some more flowers as well as adding soft pastels, it gives my illustration a whole new look. 

I am always curious as to how these changes will be received. 

Your comments are welcome!

Update and Improve

A is for Airedale

Years ago, A is for Airedale was my first illustration for the letter A as it is seen below.

It has been a good seller, but I thought to spice it up with another A word adding an argyle pattern to the background which I thought would give it a little bit of freshness.