R is for Raccoon and Rake

 R is for Raccoon and Rake

Will escaping the cold of winter it was fun coming up with yet another letter R for my whimsical letter collection called Alphabet Soup.

R is not only for the raccoon and red rake but robin as well.

You can fine this illustration and many others on my Fine Art America site.

P is for Panda and Parasol

 P is for Panda and Parasol

Returning to creating more illustrated letters for my alphabet series called Alphabet Soup.

This past summer a mother confided to me how her son loves pandas and his name started with the letter P.  So here it is finally! Was fun creating it as an escape from these past gray January days.

You can also find it on Fine America

Here it is as a pillow!

J is for Jack Russell

 J is for Jack Russell

J is for Jack Russell is new addition to my collection of alphabet letter illustrations called Alphabet Soup.

 J for the Jack Russell Terrier which forms the letter J includes other elements that begin with the letter J such as the jug with the Jack Rabbit on it, Jasmine blossoms and the Blue Jay, the journal book, and finally the color background of jade green.

Have to say J is a challenge. A fun one at that!

 Makes a great pillow too for all you dog lovers out there! 

Check it on on Fine Art America!

C is for Cat on a Cup with a Canary

C is for Cat in a Cup with a Canary

Periodically I look at older pieces that I have created and get inspired to create a new version as you see above.

Below is the older version with a cat in a cup.

I liked this as well, but it is old habits to go back and create a new versions live on. Besides, I like cats and birds.

D is for Dinosaur

D is for Dinosaur and Disaster

Finally got around to illustrating another letter D.

I think my grandson had a lot to do with it and his love of dinosaurs.

Threw in a couple of dragonflies to connect with the letter D.

Hope to see if this is a hit with the kids.

Updating Older Artwork

T is for Table, Tabby and Tea Kettle

Every once in a while, I look at one of the digital pieces of art that I created with a critical eye and see room for improvements. In the past painters would repaint a composition several times, but with digital illustrations you do not have to start at the beginning. 

As you can see in the original, it was more of a simple design with only the table and table clothe connecting to the letter T.

I though to spice it up a bit with more interest as well as make the cat a tabby and add more objects that connect with the letter T such as tulips and tea kettle. When designing at American Greetings, it was not uncommon to go back into designs and change them. We use to refer to the changes as reworks. 

It seems the art of the rework is still a habit.  

O is for Ocelot

O is for Ocelot

Started to look at the letter O again, and thought it was time for a new design. Ocelot came to mind, not to mention Oriole. This quarantine is keeping me busy...lol! 

X Marks the Spot

X Marks the Spot

Just finished a new letter X to add to the collection called Alphabet Soup.

S is for Swan: New Look

S is for Swan

When I would sit in my both at art festivals, I become my worse critic. I start to pick candidates for updates and revisions.

I started to look at my original below thinking it could be better, juicier, tweaked to look better. I use to do this as a designer when I lived in greeting card world. It is an old habit. 

Better? I hope so! 

Check out the new look on pillows and tote bags!

Check them out on by clicking on this link:

https://valerie-drake-lesiak.pixels.com/featured/s-is-for-swan-valerie-drake-lesiak.html

Have a Beautiful Day!

V is for Vase of Various Flowers (update)

V is for Vase of Various Flowers

It is not uncommon to review and update a piece when it comes to digital art. I think that is why before painting digitally many artists would do several paintings of a subject before they were satisfied.

Here is the original:

I decided to redesign the main flowers and add a few more leaves while  simplifying the background suggested foliage. 

That is the beauty of working in a digital medium unlike watercolor that is cast in cement. You can keep on playing.

Revisiting and Tweaking an Illustration

C is for Cat & Cockatoo

Still go back from time to time to revisit and tweak an illustration I created. 

I went back to change the background to a more pronounced check, tweak proportions, and a touch more green, and add more contrast.  

The beauty of working digitally is I can always go back to change it up.

K is for Kangaroo and Kookaburra

K is for Kangaroo and Kookaburra

K is not easy, but here is a new one!

It is also available as a cute T-shirt on Fine Art America!

F is for Frog

F is for Frog

F is for Frog is the newest addition to my illustrated letter collection I call Alphabet Soup.

Not only is F for Frog, but Fish, Firefly, and Flowers. 

Q is for Quail and Queen Anne's Lace

Q is for Quail and Queen Anne's Lace

Here is the newest illustration for the letter Q to start the new year! 

Q is not easy to come up with ideas, but finally after several sketches, using a quail finally started to work. 

I think using Queen Anne's Lace helped to make the Q shape a reality. 

T is for Terrier and Teddy

T is for Terrier and Teddy

Here is one more for the letter T! 

One of the things I pick up from my customers is there is a lot of dog lovers out there! So in looking at my collection of the designs that I have done for the letter T, why not a terrier?

So here is the letter T for Terry the Terrier who stands on a Tile floor with his cute Toy Teddy bear holding a Trumpet in a Teal or Turquoise color scheme.

O is for Otter with an Oh so Delicious Doughnut!

O is for Otter with an Oh so Delicious Doughnut

I illustrated a Doughnut for my first letter O as scene below.

I was not thinking of tying into the letter at the time, but just using the doughnut for the shape of an O. What I discovered later is that there are many fans of doughnuts including children.

So to make it more whimsical and to tie into the letter O, an otter would make it far more fun than a simple still life with a cup of coffee. 

I even added more sprinkles to the doughnut to sweeten it up!

R is for Rose and Robin

R is for Rose and Robin

One of the things about working in greeting card world for several decades was learning to change art and repackage it for the better.

Initially the above piece was just R is for Rose, no robin, nor raspberries for that matter. 

So after staring at it over the spring and summer I thought to warm it up a bit tying into more R words. 

It gives it a new life like a new hairdo or dress. It needed a little more live interest and whimsy.

And it makes for a more interesting T-shirt you can find on my Fine Art America Link.

       R is for Rose and Robbin as monogram T-shirt.

B is for Brown Bear

B is for Brown Bear

B is for Brown Bear and more...book and bee or bumble bee...as well as beret. 

The bear reads a book on the boardwalk trying not to be bored.

As a pillow, this bear is great for a kids room! 

To check it out, click on this link below:

B is for Bear Pillow - Fine Art America

U is for Unicorn

U is for Unicorn

I have been busy doing shows now that it is spring, which means doing very little illustration.

One of the things I noticed are some people are now looking for Unicorns in my offering. As I design some of these letters, I design some of them so one may or may not see the letter especially if it is pulled out of the collection of letters. That was my intent with the unicorn above. One can see the U shape or just the unicorn.

For all that like a little whimsy in the bath, you may find this as a shower curtain on my Fine Art America link.

V is for Violets

V is for Violets

Although my name starts with a V, doing a letter V that has a tie in is not so easy. I mean who wants a V that is a Vulture. While doing a show a woman asked if I did a V for Violets because Violet is her first name. So I finally got to it and illustrated one.

Here is to all who love Violets, the letter V and perhaps are named Violet.