Color in 2014

The older I get, the more I appreciate color. And texture. And how you can create something from very little and it can be amazing. Lately, my "tv show craft" and my "car craft" (I simply cannot sit for that long without creating at the same time) has been creating collages. I have been creating them out of old magazines and newspapers. I find super colorful pages or images, cut them out, and adhere them to a 12 by 12 sheet of paper. Then, I scan them in (300 dpi, of course) and use them in many of my illustrations. I am completely in love with the array of colors that shines through.

Here are just a few examples of the lovely illustrations you can create. I hand draw everything I do. I typically start by drawing things with a pencil in my sketchbook. Then I scan it in, redraw it on my computer using my Bamboo Tablet, and then digitally color in my drawings. For those of you familiar with graphic design programs, I use a lot of "clipping masks" leaving my magazine/newspaper image as the center point. The possibilities are truly ENDLESS. 

Oh, and on a more personal note, here is our 2013 holiday card. Of course, I didn't get the cards sent out until January 12th, so I made it a Happy 2014 card. ;-) I have created our family's holiday cards since Lily was born, and I almost always include several pictures from the year. 

And just for fun...here are some of our past holiday cards:

2012

2011

2010

2009
This was one of my first attempts at putting together a collage of pictures in Photoshop. I had so much learning ahead of me at this point.