Look at the newest entry in the "Digital" section of the portfolio page, and you will see my tribute to the birthday of my splendid sister. She recently got back from a term abroad in Africa, and despite seeing many of her great photos, this is how the whole scenario played out in my head.

I wish I had taken a little more time with the drawing, but overall a fun exploration with the tablet and using my own painted textures to make it less flat and more fun.

I realize that the market for avian-themed, Etsy-appropriate paintings has been just about saturated, but my dear mother has always genuinely liked bird watching. I meant to do some paintings for the kitchen for her birthday, but I ended up pushing it back until term was over -- Happy Mother's Day! The results have been posted in the portfolio section.

In other news, I've picked up a summer course in Editorial and Publication Design. I'm hoping to learn some interesting stuff, but also concerned about committing some sort of design faux-pas amongst what is likely to be a class dominated by graphic design majors .. !

Term is over! (Pending a few end-of-year critiques and a final exam in "Graphic Design History in the Twentieth Century"). I've posted my final illustration project, which was designing a label for a specific wine bottle packaging. It has been one of the most satisfying results of the term, in that the painting ended up looking (for the most part) how I envisioned it in the rougher stages ... ! Tricky working with detailed lettering from a template as well. For the summer I'll be doing some personal work, especially if I decide not to take any summer classes. Do check back soon ...

The end of second year is fast approaching, unbelievably, bringing with it the delights of end-of-term project crush and summer job hunting (not my forte). Nevertheless! Despite the stress I've done some particularly cheerful new projects, which can be seen on the Portfolio page under "Illustrative". The first is a hypothetical ad series, done by hand, and the second a tourist map of Moscow, done digitally in a new technique I'm experimenting with.

There is also a new medical diagram uploaded to the "Digital" section. I'm realizing that my categories are becoming increasingly confusing and mixed, especially since I'm letting my portfolio page be a repository of many things I'm doing, not just my most discerning selections (there will be plenty of time for that in the future). For now they will suffice.

I also have an interesting collaboration in the works that I am quite excited about. But in order to hear about it, you must check back later ... oh the suspense!

Thanks in part to the purchase of a printer / scanner at long last, I've been able to upload a couple of new school projects! My first illustration assignment of the term was painting the mythical beast that is the Minotaur. The next was an illustration which would theoretically accompany a book review of Margaret Atwood's apocalyptic novel, "The Year of the Flood". Incorporating portraiture was a bit of a challenge indeed. You can find both of these under the "Illustrative" section of the portfolio page ...

I have updated the links section on my "About" page, adding the portfolio sites of a few friends. You should check them out! In other news, school has started up at quite a brisk pace, so expect to see some new pieces up on the site quite soon.