Friday, October 27, 2017

My latest patterns!

  
I've been bad about updating my blog. but that doesn't mean I haven't been keeping myself busy! Here are some patterns I recently completed, all up for sale on Society6.



Tuesday, June 20, 2017

"Risky Business" for the Alberta Diabetes Foundation

 Here's something I did for the Alberta Diabetes Foundation's magazine POKE. I liked the idea of using Snakes and Ladders for this because the snakes have those pokey-pokey teeth!

 I drew the girl with the die under her arm, like she's about to step on a soccer pitch. Game on!

The art director didn't want the snakes to be too scary. I think they're kinda cute :P.

I put the lovely Rocky mountains in the background. Alberta's got some gorgeous scenery.

This is my second Snakes and Ladders illustration. Here's the first.  I have very fond memories of the game.

Sketch, before inking:
 Super rough sketch:
-- Julia

Monday, June 19, 2017

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day! Here's a backyard scene featuring some favourites. 

-- Julia

Sunday, March 26, 2017

Mass Cat Card Post

Wow, it's been a while since I've blogged anything. These cat cards are piling up. This first one is a tribute to my Halifax trip. Georges (no apostrophe, I checked) Island and its lighthouse, the ferry that runs between Halifax and Dartmouth, a couple drinks the bf and I had at The Middle Spoon (mine had a sprig of rosemary that was charred slightly and smoking when it was served to me!)... And DidoCat is holding the chilled seafood platter we enjoyed at Salty's. 


And here are the three cards I made for my aunts, who were visiting from Japan!


  
I don't think this one was posted before -- The bf likes Lucio in Overwatch so I cosplayed DidoCat!

And here is this year's Valentine's card. The little hearts are gold leaf, which doesn't really show up here. 

 Dad's birthday card, featuring his new favourite La-z-Body. And little Candy Crush candies! I think he's 300+ levels in both Candy Crush Classic and Candy Crush Soda :P.

Mom's birthday card with three birds of her choice. Featuring her delicious Swiss roll cake.  

Whew! I must get better at posting.

-- Julia

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Trinidad Trip

Last summer, the bf and I were lucky enough to travel to Trinidad for one of his med school electives. One of our Trini friends and his wife hosted us at their house! 

We were blown away by their hospitality and the hospitality of their families. 

Here are some sketches and photos of our trip. 

That first photo up top shows a couple Trini staples -- Blue Waters bottled water and Odomos mosquito repellent. On the left is my trusty watercolour palette!

I painted the exterior of their house. I later got it printed on a plaque and mailed it to our hosts as a gift. My realistic watercolour skills are a bit rusty but I'm okay with how this turned out!

Sketch:

And here's an interior sketch of their living room. Fans are a common sight!

Before going to Trinidad I had no idea these electric anti-mosquito racquets existed. Now that I know to look for them, I've even seen them in Canadian Tire! They are a fantastic way to murderize mosquitoes and will provide many an evening's worth of entertainment. 

Here is a close-up of the Blue Waters and Odomos. I like how the bottle has palm trees imprinted on it. 

We saw a Trinbago Knight Riders cricket match! It was the shorter version of cricket, not the multiple-day kind.

Nighttime doubles from a street vendor. Delicious curried chickpeas in flatbread.

 Palm tree in our host's parents' yard. And guava from their tree!

 Two Trini snacks: Zoomers and Chennet.

 View from Mount St. Benedict.

A house by the beach in Mayaro.

Beautiful Mayaro beach.

Overall I think it was our best trip ever. We didn't make it over to Tobago -- Maybe next time?

-- Julia


Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Latest for Macleans

Latest for Macleans! Flight is definitely a theme for this one. 

The sketches for these tend to crowd into the centre so I'll often trace each element digitally so I can resize and shuffle stuff about until it all works. Usually it ends up looking pretty close to the original sketch!

Sketch:


-- Julia
Portfolio site

Monday, November 7, 2016

Latest Macleans

 Latest for Macleans! I love drawing the great outdoors.

I finished this one digitally with no intermediate inking step. I still like doing the preliminary sketch by hand, though!

Sketch:

-- Julia