Just wanted to shout out a quick Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to everyone here on DA! I hope that 2009 will be as wonderful as this year has been.

Hope all of you and your families have a wonderful holiday season!

Yes, I am still alive! I have been working mostly on digital illustration in the form of commercial work so nothing much to post here.

As far as painting - I have been working with a more mixed media style like I talked about in my last post but I haven't been 100% successful yet as to what direction I want to take. Mixing media is a TON of trial and error.

I am in the final phase of working on a technique that combines paper collage on canvas that is abstract patterns then layered with acrylics and then drawing with wax pastels and charcoal. The final phase is finding a varnish that will protect the work so the charcoal/wax pastel wont be rubbed off by the touch.

The other issue I am having is subject matter/style. My current illustration work focuses on children illustration & character design and I really enjoy working in more of a naive style than how I normally paint.

Anyway, I do have a show coming up next summer. I am trying to schedule one show a year to make sure I keep painting so I darn well better have something to show for my time by next June!

That seems like such a long time away but really time has been passing like the wind.

Time seriously flies when you are working Full-time. My father-in-law has also been struggling with cancer which has been gradually getting worse so we spend a lot of time helping him.

Life doesn't seem to leave much time for painting. I am wanting to explore more options with my painting - including showing more of the actual drawing in my work along with possibly adding some mixed media elements such as fabric and vintage papers.

We will see where that leads me. It is all just for fun so I figure if I don't like it - I can always move on to something else.

Wondering if any of you are experimenting with anything new? I am wanting to find some kind of pencil/pen that shows on Acrylics but doesn't smudge off like charcoal. Another artist I know mentioned she uses a pen that was originally created for metal but I cant seem to find it. I need to get more specifics on that!

Anyway, I am still alive, just limited on time lately it seems.

Graduation was last weekend so I am pleased to say I have now earned my BA in Graphic Design. I am currently working as a graphic design intern at a small firm where I am learning so much.

Between school and my new job - there doesnt leave much time for funainting time. I am working on a couple new pieces that are more in the cubist style like the piece I did "Lost in the Woods." I find it really interesting breaking things down to basic shapes.

Hopefully the paintings will turn out as interesting as the sketches so I can post some new work soon. I know it has been a while!

Just wanted to say a quick Happy Valentines Day to everyone! My husband got me this huge stuffed dog that is as tall as me - he is so cute! Hope everyone was able to spend time with their loved one today. I am getting ready to go spend more time with mine now!

Sorry that I am still not here and updating as much as I once did. This semester is my last semester in college and I am preparing for graduation and job hunting.

With graphic design - the whole "getting a job" process is so much more difficult. You cant just send out a resume and call it a day. Oh no! You have to send out a resume, cover letter, cd of your work, business card and a self promotion piece and all of the pieces have to fit perfectly together somehow and be designed so that they all match and printed on fancy papers. Then once you get to the interview you have to have samples of your work mounted for your actual portfolio that you bring with and along with the boards you have to have printed functional samples of your work too. It is a little bit crazy. Oh, and an online portfolio/website that also matches all of your other pieces.

So this semester I am working on all of the elements of what is called your "self promotion" ensemble. It has been really hard but I sure hope all of this work will actually land me a job in graphic design. I am ready for a generic day job that actually has consistent pay!