I got some Spoonflower samples today!  Always exciting.  When I discovered they now offered cotton lawn I had to come up with some designs to test it out. (Lawn was the first thing I requested back when I first signed up with them.)  The samples you see above are all printed on lawn.  The colors came out mostly as expected which is nice.  Can you see the old-timey circus/Alice influence?

The fabric itself is a looser weave than I was expecting; maybe it will shrink up a bit in the wash.  My idea was to construct a wee 1930s dress for myself from Spoonflower lawn.  And, I suppose, some dolly dresses too.  What do you think?

I printed the strongman design on canvas.  I really like the canvas. (I wasn’t expecting to as I haven’t had much use for it; perhaps that will change!)  There were other strongman versions on quilt-weight fabric but I don’t like them as much.  Somehow the details didn’t show up as well. (Plus the scale was smaller so the little guys just seem sort of lost.)  I think this design would need something a little more if it were ever to be printed, some kind of design element in the background.

The diamond/star design is printed on their standard quilt-weight fabric in a slightly different colorway from the same design above it.  I like the softer, more greenish version in the lawn. (Although the bright red, blue and white is appropriate for our holiday weekend!)

Have you printed up anything at Spoonflower lately?

Anyhow, I wish all my fellow U.S. residents, citizens and ex-pats a Happy July 4th weekend!   Actually, a lovely weekend to everyone!

Birdly Bunting Silhouette 8×10 Print (Pretty Colors)

I’m very excited to be adding new prints to le shop!  I’ve just been itching to get these posted…

House Guest Silhouette 8×10 Print

Housebound 8×10 Print

Housebound (Detail)

Birdly Bunting Silhouette 8×10 Print

You may also find these prints in my Etsy shop.  Thank you for looking and Happy Tuesday!

For Illustration Friday.

This drawing was an exercise, an exercise in working through a creative block that I hit this week.  Everything seemed to be going smoothly earlier this week and then for some reason, probably all the life-things not art-related, I really wasn’t feeling creative.  At all.  But I wanted to be.  It’s crap, that feeling.

I find it difficult to not over-think and analyze things that I do, including drawing.  I mean, my day job is, at times, very cerebral which fits my personality quite well but so much thinking — to clarify again: OVER-thinking — can be bad for the imagination.

So I told myself to just draw and stop editing myself.  I remember drawing as a kid, for HOURS, and not being too concerned with the outcome. Oh! I just remembered, I used to love to draw Betty Boop, hee hee!  I would create all kinds of outfits and scenarios for her.  Silly things.  And it was really fun.  So, there was a time when I would draw for the sheer pleasure of it.  Do you remember that feeling?