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.

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!

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!

G is for Giraffe

G is for Giraffe

G is for Giraffe is the newest addition to my collection of illustrated letters that I have created. 

For a couple of years, while doing art festivals, I have listened to people who are looking for a giraffe. They are still quite popular! 

I finally came up with one that I liked that will also read as the letter G. 

Let me know what you think.

L is for Lemur and Lark

L is for Lemur and Lark

L lends it self to many images as opposed to the letter I.

This time it is a fun image of a lemur and his lark buddy. So here is Lamar Lemur and Lucius Lark in their debut with lucky ladybugs of course! 

Review and Update: B for Birdcage

B is for Bird and Birdcage

Yep, I am at it again!

Maybe I just can't help myself.

But looking at my old design below, I just felt the need to update.

Of course on second look I thought the background needed to make a more BLUE statement.

And of course the bird needed to be more BLUE.

It needed more. Maybe more B words, so I added BLOSSOMS to the background as well as two BEETLES to add a bit more fun.

I guess this is like looking at the paint on the walls of your home. After a while you think a change of color and moving the furniture around, plus changing out the drapes gives a new look to a tired setting.

P is for Penguin

P is for Penguin

 Every time I do a show, I see a need to do another version of a letter.  In this case it is the letter P.  The other two P's were more feminine in nature. 

So for the last week or so, I have been racking my brain to come up with another P.  

I had thought penguin, but to make the P seemed problematic.  

Finally, another P word came to mind: pennant! 

A patterned pennant at that!

The Letter H for Henry the Horse

The Letter H for Henry the Horse

In my preparation for up coming shows in 2015, I figured I needed another H. Here is a lower case one featuring a horse I call Henry standing in a H shape in the country hills.

The Letter C for Cat & Canary

C is for Cat, Canary & Cup

I don't know if the C is obvious as the handle on the cup, but I was trying to avoid bending a cat into the shape of the letter C. I wonder how others will receive it. 

Each one of these is a fun exploration design. Of course there is another C word in the design. 

The word Chevron describes the pattern on the cup.

 

The Letter V for Vase of Verious Flowers

The Letter V for Vase of Various Flowers

Here is a new addition to my Alphabet Soup of Illustrated Letters

with a new Version of the Letter V. 

I kind of thought that the letter V would make a Very Vibrant Visual of a Vase.

Of course one will need Various Vibrant Flowers to fill it!

The Letter U for U Turn

U is for U Turn on Utopia Rd.

I have to say U is not an easy letter to inspire an Unusual idea. After doing Mr. U for the letter U, my mind drew a complete blank. But finally, finally, I thought of doing a road in a U shape.

So here is the new U,  unveiled.

T is for Tiger, Tea, & Toucan!

T is for Tiger, Tea & Toucan!

 

Yes, it is another T. Since I have been making alternatives to my original letters in my alphabet series, it was time to illustrate another T.

 

Meet Ted the Tiger who is giving a Tea with Tessa the Terrific Toucan.

By the way, Ted is standing on a Tile floor as he balances Two Teacups while Tessa holds a Tea bag over the Table with the steaming Teapot .

 

 

The Letter S for Swan

S is for Swan

It has become apparent that I needed to add an additional S to my alphabet collection.

So here is Sweet Sally the Swan Swimming Silently. 

The Letter K for Knitting and Knitters

K is for Knitting and Knitters!

This is dedicated to all my knitter friends. 

I use to knit as well as sew, but drawing and designing took over. I was always amazed at those that could knit a sweeter and have all their rows even. If you ever receive something knitted by a friend, treat it with care and reverence for it was made with love.

The Letter I for Ibis & Ivy

I is for Ibis & Ivy

I wanted to do another letter I, but I words were not inspiring and I was at a loss. 

There not many I words that are tangible things. 

Okay, there is iguana and iris, but that is about it after ivy and ibis. 

I had to look up what an ibis looked like. To my surprise the birds were not only white, but some are a marvelous RED! 

One was not enough. Of course once I added a second!  There had to be a little romance happening since Valentine's Day is two weeks away. 

He IDOLIZES her! 

Sigh! 

So there we are, my IDEA for the letter I.

The Letter H - H is for Hose and Hare if You Dare

H is for Hose and Hare if You Dare

Okay, it is January and we are having record freezing temperatures here. Brrrrr just doesn't describe it. So rather than bemoan the cold, I tried to think of warmer thoughts. So here is a new letter H for my illustrated alphabet series. Don't ask me how I came up with hose in this weather, but the days are getting longer and I have spring on my mind.

The Letter G Makes a Great Goose!

G is for Goose

Must be October that is inspiring this palette. 

I am back to creating more illustrated letters, as in this case the letter G to add to my Alphabet Soup collection. 

George makes a great goose with his grasshopper pal Greg.

The Letter L for Lion as Well as for Leos

L is for Lion 

I have discovered that to many letters are personal. As I have started to sell prints of my illustrated letters, I get a lot of welcome feedback as well as ideas. 

However, in this case, this one is a bit more personal for I am a Leo as well as having my last name start with an L. 

So here is another letter L for the Alphabet Soup Collection.

animals posters

alphabet posters 

The Letter "Blue" J

The Letter Blue J

During the Lakewood Arts Festival it became apparent that I needed to come up with another J for the next festival that is to be held in Berea, Ohio this September 8th. The little girl holding the jump rope in the shape of a J was not quite neutral enough.

Not an easy task. A blue jay sounds fun until you try to have him resemble a J. But here he is all ready for the fair.

birds posters