On New Year's Day in Philadelphia....

a little more of what i've been doing this december....

A few t-shirt designs for sale on a site called Mummerabilia.com
HELP SAVE A PHILLY TRADITION by purchasing a tee. Adult and kids' sizes are available.

Happy New Year!

WHat i did in december

i didn't blog much this past month. But i kept up with a work load i am now proud to have conquered.
Every december, my advertising clients go into overdrive and my artwork and custom holiday card orders get a little out of hand. It's not fair to complain about a problem like this, but i have to bite my lip a little sometimes to keep myself from it. It's the month i most want to hang with family and friends, but also a month that will normally give me that elusive financial cushion i always dream about...(at least for a month or so before we inevitably spend it all and find ourselves cushion-less once again). This year i may have outdone myself and spent it all on the creation of a box-and-bow-filled wonderland in my living room. It was the first year my little guy "got" the concept of santa and christmas and wish lists. i couldn't help myself.
ok, ok, so all that said, if you were wondering what the heck i was doing this past month.....here's a little sampling of what's been coming out of my fingertips....and printer.
Happy Holidays!

Dessert Made Fun-ner?

i have a sweet tooth. It's pretty impressive, actually. Not a day goes by that i do not eat some sort of chocolate or dessert, and usually go back for seconds. So, i clearly do not need any encouragement to reach for my dessert plates. But i think i might make these anyway.

The images below are just some crude digital mock-ups i made of what dessert plates in my little world might look like. My art decoupages and sealed under clear glass plates.

What do you guys think? would this encourage you to eat dessert? Do you need said encouragement?

Li'l bit Bohemian

Am i getting predictable? Go figure, i've gone and done another series on wood boards with bright colors and a combo of organic undertones and fine, detailed illustration. This series was inspired by etsy seller, mandizzle, whose shop is filled with the most gorgeous floral headpieces and even prettier photos of them modeled by their creator!! i wrote and asked permission to use a few of these stunning shots as my inspiration for a few new pieces, and this is what turned out!

Prints are available in my etsy shop and the originals will be available at Hello Bluebird in West Reading.

From Humble Beginnings

This is a sketch i made last night using a .3 thick Pilot Hi-Tec C pen in black. i actually kinda like it just as it is...simple and quietly rhythmic.

But i wanted to test out some simple color variations and see what shook out. So i scanned the sketch into photoshop and messed around for a while....this is what i came out with in the end.


My art really always ends up being a self-portrait of sorts. It's interesting. Restrained lines, repeating and repeating, with only occasional variation, emanating from a happy core. Earthy undertones and bright, colorful surface. A psychologist would probably have a field day with me!

The Process of Creating a Boy

This is not a post about baby making.

This is a post showing the preliminary sketches i make before going on to ink, then finally to color. Below you can see the rough sketches i made when conceiving of 4 "Boy" words to go along with my girls' series in the same style.


I take these sketches to the lightbox and use them as a guide while i ink in some cleaner versions like this.


Once this is done (hey, that one measly sentence actually described an hour or so of work!), i scan the images and do any necessary cleanup in photoshop so that i can then add a colored background and overlay accents in white. In this case, i also ended up changing tire swing boy's verb to "soar." It just sounded more inspiring and action-y. The end results looked like this;



So tell me if seeing the process is interesting at all? Should i show you more posts like this in the future? i actually think it would be nice to occasionally "show the work" as my math-teacher mom would say.

i Wish, i Wish!

i made one more holiday card design, and i think i will use these for me. i already have lots of great wishes to fill in on cutie-pie's sign for each of my friends and family. What wishes would you make for your loved ones this holiday season?

These blank notecards with customizable fronts will be available in my etsy shop after this coming weekend. i need to print and pack them up. Should i use colored envelopes? or kraft? "i wish" for you all to share your thoughts.

Just In Time For Holiday Greetings

OK, so by "just in time" i really mean "by the skin of my teeth." But here is a series of blank notecards i designed with my two wonderful consignment shops in mind. Hello Bluebird, in West Reading and The Hodgepodgery, in Harrisburg will both be getting shipments of these cards over this coming weekend. The cards will also be available in my etsy shop. The art on the cards is a combo of hand-drawn and colored art and digital design. There will be 3 of each word per 12-pak (Peace. Hope. Happiness. Love.) and they'll be priced at $24/pk. The included envelopes will be Kraft brown to really drive home the idea of a handmade holiday! i hope the envelopes will encourage some fun addressing and doodling with gel pens, Crayolas, colored pencil and markers, because that's just about the craftiest, homemade envelope you could hope to receive in the mail this season, now isn't it?

A Day in My LIfe....as posted on HandmadeinPa.net

i was asked to document a Day in My Life for HandmadeInPa.net. The day i chose wasn't a super-typical one, but it sure was packed! Check it out!! And thank you to Michelle from Michabella Creations for recruiting me to participate in this great series!!

All Done Playing with My Blocks

Now that my charity art show is hung and i am free from it til the end of month when it comes down, i have more time to post some of the new works that were completed for it.
These 3.5" x 4" wood blocks complete a 6-piece set. i posted the first 2 a couple weeks back. it was quite freeing to do some small pieces like this because they took less time (individually) to complete than most of my work. i suppose some joy must have translated to the finished grouping, because the original has already sold and i am happy as pie about that.

The individual wood blocks were cut, sanded down using finer and finer grit sandpaper, decorated with acrylic, marker, pigment pen, gel pen and colored pencil, then waxed for a dull sheen. The sides are also painted in bright, vibrant hues. Each of the 6 pieces has a unique side "frame" color.

i hope they like their new home.

Beatles Said It First

i got this idea to do a series of Sidewalk Chalk inspired pieces on wood boards. i was gearing toward a very child-like feeling. (so unlike me, right?)...whimsical, very free-spirited. i had no real plan in mind when i started drawing. it was all very organic. i'm working on #2 now.
look for another post soon!

Playing with Blocks

i think tiny things are irresistible. Something about being able to hold a thing in the palm of your hand makes it precious. i created the above artworks on 3.5" x 4" wood blocks. So they are both Cute-as-a-Button AND affordable little bites of artwork. They are listed in my online shop.

White Lines...filled with Color

The latest piece on wood is finished. The design was freehanded on unfinished wood. The areas outside the main shape were stained. The areas within the shape were filled with color and texture and ideas. Finally, a smattering of white linework was overlaid on the stained areas.
The piece measures about 14x17 and is 1/2" thick. My fingers needed a stretch after i completed this one. But i'll be back at it tomorrow.

Halloween in My Sights

In the spirit of Halloween, an illustrated mask to color and wear. I will be designing a few of these and listing them in my shop. Add ribbons to tie and match it to your favorite dress for a masquerade party or glue it to a stick for a touch of masquerade kitsch while you're handing out candy to the neighborhood kids.

TRICK OR TREAT!

Free ARt Download Time!

Hey gang, here's a 5x7 in bright, full color. My "Slouchy Bag" original illustration in ink that i colored in Spectracolor markers and Prismacolor pencils. Just click the image to open it full size in your browser, then drag it onto your desktop so you have a file to print : )

If you enjoy these downloads, please let me know in the comments section. And if you really love them, please be so kind as to read the next post below and consider joining us for this worthwhile event to benefit children.
Thanks bunches!

Paying it Forward

It was a great movie and a great concept; Pay It Forward.
When i watch things like that, they affect me in the way they were likely intended. They motivate me to want to DO something. Make a sacrifice. Do a good deed. Volunteer. Be selfless.
I was watching an episode of Extreme Home Makeover about 5 months ago or so and the couple/family getting the house were incredible, as most of them are. They were perpetual foster parents, taking in dozens of children as the need presented itself over years and years, eventually adopting some themselves.
They did all this, gave all this, even though it meant there was not a nickel left at the end of the day!? Now, let me tell you, i cry easily. But i was absolutely bawling. i felt like such a brat, not appreciating all that i have. And when i really think about it, i have so much.
Right then and there, i fired off an email to my friend, Jamie, who owns an awesome coffee shop/live music venue in Ardmore, PA. They feature local musicians and visual artists. i told him i wanted to do an art show one month where i donated a part of my proceeds to charity. he was onboard.
i had a very specific charity in mind. In fact, the TLLCCF was where i first met Jamie about 12 years ago. The Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation has been part of my life since 1997. They are locally based but now reach all 50 states in their mission "to improve the quality of programs that care for and educate children from birth through age 5, and enlist and enlighten others to do the same." They give teacher awards and center & program grants. They really care about kids. I love the members. And causes for kids are dear to my heart.
SO, here's where i need my friends and neighbors and their friends and neighbors. PLEASE COME!!! Spread the word. Share this blog. I thank you in advance for the effort.

Click on the graphic above to see (or print) the full-size flyer for the event.
Here are the basics:
What: month-long art showing of my work - both originals & more affordable prints for sale
Where: Milkboy Coffee, Ardmore, PA
When: all of November 2009 with a special First Friday opening starting at 6pm on November 6 - featuring a musical performance for kids w/local talent, Miss Scherling, who will lead "Pajama Jam" w/ milk n cookies. Kids are encouraged to wear their pajamas. Music starts at 7pm
Details: a portion of proceeds from all sales of my work during November will be donated to the TLLCCF. Sales from my online store (www.stephaniecorfee.etsy.com) are also included

i've been blessed in my life. If you're reading this, you probably have been too. Help me pay it forward?

Princess from the Past

Oh my. i just came across this colored pencil sketch on my computer. i can't even remember when i drew it, but it must've been over 7-8 years ago. It's so strange to look back at work and see how much i've changed in style, taste, medium choices, etc. i still do a fair amount of illustrating now, but i think my style has changed a lot and my attention to detail has grown a lot. Thanks little princess. i will file you away so i can look at you again in another 10 years.

Trace Your Hand Day

i helped my son trace his hand and decorate it with markers and glitter the other day, so i made one too. Mine took longer to decorate. i finished it today and thought it would be a fun post. Nice to get back to some basics, right?

Cut Paper + Wood

So here we have a photo of a recently finished artwork on wood. I've added some shots that show all the detail and better color my camera didn't capture. The flowers are drawn in gel pen, colored pencil and glitter gel pens on kraft paper. The rest of the piece is a combo of Spectracolor markers, pigment ink pens and acrylics on untreated 3/4" wood. The untreated wood just drinks up the paintss and markers in such an unpredictable way. I love that! The piece measures 17.5" x 15.5".

i think i'll actually list this original in my etsy shop. i almost never list originals, but my house isn't big enough to hold the number of pieces i aim to complete in the next few months, so there you go. : )

Froggy Pants

This is the new logo i made for Froggy Pants, a company that makes cutie-patootie belts and other fun accessories. I will give design credit to Angela Lacey, owner of the brand. i merely executed her vision. Visit here shop and buy a totally reasonably priced woven belt! Or, visit the HodePodgery in Harrisburg and pick one up there.

Pink

Here's a portrait on stretched canvas i just completed and shipped. I sound like a broken record, but it makes me want a baby girl : )
Monochromatic portraits like this one are available in my etsy shop. But i think i may go back to oils pretty soon. The current listing is for acrylic. I miss the flexibility in drying time with the oils. Having a 3-year-old reminds me how precious it is to be able to leave the work and come back to it later!