Krista Hamrick Illustration

Illustration Friday-- Grounded

2012-01-07T06:29:00.002-05:00

Always one to look on the bright side, Eugene was thrilled that his mom bought the souvenir photo at the ski resort. It really helped to cheer him through the long days of his recovery...

Name Above All Names

2011-12-26T11:52:00.003-05:00

I'm very happy to share a new product line with you! Click here.

Illustration Friday-- Messenger

2011-12-23T08:35:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas!

Illustration Friday-- Sink

2011-12-17T09:01:00.003-05:00

Behind every great accomplishment is a sink full of dirty dishes.

Illustration Friday-- Separated

2011-12-11T05:06:00.001-05:00

Those of you who have more than one boy in your family will know that brothers cannot stop touching each other. Pushing, poking, kicking, tripping, wrestling, tousling each other's hair, you get the idea, right? It's always something. The neverending chaos is enough to drive this peace-seeking soul out of her ever-lovin' mind.

Once, when my little guy was just shy of three, we were baking something together that required us to separate the eggs. Patting myself on the back for making this an educational experience, and distracting myself from the inevitable cringe that comes with tiny hands slamming the egg into the side of the bowl, I explained, "We have to separate the eggs. Do you know what separate means?" To which he replied, "Don't fight?"...

And another thought for "separated":

You can take the tree out of Christmas, but you can't take the Christmas out of the tree.

Just sayin'

Illustration Friday-- Round

2011-11-27T10:24:00.001-05:00

This was a snow globe that was sold at Stein-Mart two years ago.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-22T14:59:00.000-05:00

Illustration Friday-- Vanity

2011-11-18T08:39:00.000-05:00

Illustration Friday-- Silent

2011-11-11T09:02:00.000-05:00

There are some things about which I just cannot be silent!

Illustration Friday-- Stripes

2011-11-04T09:04:00.000-04:00

This fall, all the fashion-forward cats are wearing stripes.

Illustration Friday-- Scary

2011-10-28T08:29:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday to my Mummy

2011-10-23T12:43:00.003-04:00

Illustration Friday-- Fuel (the Imagination)

2011-10-21T10:39:00.001-04:00

Illustration Friday-- Scattered

2011-10-19T19:57:00.003-04:00

This is how we live...

meticulously manicured lawn...

recently painted white picket fence...

evenly spaced apples with no pesticides and no worms,

perfectly poufy clouds that mirror our bushes...

(insert record scratch here)... NOT!

Gee whiz, and we haven't even gotten to talk about the inside! No, we are a little more scattered in real life. I could elaborate, but just suffice it to say that I sent my husband to the school planetarium twice yesterday, when it turned out that my son's class was actually scheduled to go today.

Anyway, this one is true...

We actually do have hearts floating out our windows.

Illustration Friday-- Contraption

2011-10-07T21:36:00.001-04:00

Of all the contraptions kids think they need today...

...think of all the potential just waiting in a brand new pencil!

Illustration Friday-- Hibernate

2011-09-30T09:04:00.000-04:00

Don't hibernate just yet-- you'll miss all the fun!

Illustration Friday-- Mysterious

2011-09-02T10:20:00.000-04:00

Here's a mystery for you to figure out! Today is a big day for me... hmmm, wonder what it is...

(halfway to 90...yowza)

IF-- Disguise 2

2011-08-31T07:32:00.000-04:00

My baby got on the bus today disguised as a middle schooler.

Illustration Friday-- Disguise

2011-08-27T11:07:00.000-04:00

Illustration Friday-- Swell

2011-08-12T08:38:00.000-04:00

Well, ain't life swell!

Illustration Friday-- Obsession

2011-07-29T08:51:00.003-04:00

I'm not obsessed, I can stop anytime I want...

Illustration Friday-- Gesture

2011-07-15T16:02:00.003-04:00

For noteworthy gestures of valor, click here.

Illustration Friday-- Launch

2011-06-20T20:51:00.016-04:00

Welcome to the good stuff...

My bloggy friend, Ces, talks about launching her children into lives of their own, and that concept is the starting point for this week's Illustration Friday submission. We have been on vacation for four days now, and I am keenly aware that our family is dwelling in a pocket of time that is truly unique and may very well be short-lived. Our kids are now 10 and 12, ages where they are easy to please and take care of (I'm remembering packing the car with huge canvas bags full of plastic gizmos and floaty toys, potty stops every 50 miles, and always providing a side dish of macaroni and cheese to whatever culinary concoction was being planned for vacation decadence) but yet they still like us and still want to be seen with us, have us chaperone school field trips, coach their teams and volunteer at school parties. We don't know yet what parenting teenagers is like, but we've seen a few of them and we were once teenagers ourselves, so we have some idea. We may very well have to brace ourselves. We're up for it, we're paying attention and we are doing our best to provide a suitable and stable launch pad.

In the meantime, the only launching I'm doing this week is out of my beach chair to jump waves with two certain boys who are really only mine for a little while longer.

Prepare for launch...

Update: Check this out, I'm infringing on my brother's copyright here, but it is oh so cool, and also so appropriate for launch, I'll make him a pie or a cheesecake or something later, and maybe he'll forgive me. My brother is a real rocket scientist, and is currently in Baikonur doing his thing. Among other things, he posted this photograph of a Soyuz launch on our family blog.

Illustration Friday-- Swept

2011-06-11T07:37:00.002-04:00

Living a solitary life on the windswept plains, Judson Miller often swept into the town of Scorpion Gulch to sweep out the riffraff. Soon, very soon, he planned to propose to Miss Lily Frymoyer, who no doubt would be swept off her feet.

Illustration Friday-- Asleep

2011-05-27T09:21:00.001-04:00

Just lying around the house...

Illustration Friday-- Safari

2011-05-13T13:23:00.001-04:00

It's a jungle out there... Go forth and shop!

Illustration Friday-- Beginner (and Bicycle)

2011-05-07T12:23:00.004-04:00

There's a first time for everything!

And for IF's Bicycle prompt from April 22:

Illustration Friday-- Lesson

2011-04-29T14:56:00.000-04:00

Sage advice from my husband's step-grandmother, aka Nana-New.

2011-04-24T06:44:00.001-04:00

IF-- Journey

2011-04-16T08:41:00.002-04:00

Where does the journey take us?

Wishing you a blessed Easter Week. Enjoy the journey!

IF-- Bottled

2011-04-08T19:24:00.002-04:00

All dressed up with no place to go...

IF-- Duet

2011-04-05T08:55:00.003-04:00

IF-- Toy

2011-03-26T07:11:00.011-04:00

A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys,

Painted wings and giants' rings make way for other toys,

One gray night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more,

And Puff that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar...

Puff the Magic Dragon by Leonard Lipton and Peter Yarrow

Here's another one from waaaaay back in my college days. I'd love to repaint it someday, but like Jackie Paper, I've got lots of other things to do now.

IF-- Cultivate (Character)

2011-03-19T08:32:00.005-04:00

With apologies, Mr. Rockwell, I hope you won't mind if I share this wavelength for just a moment...

A Scout is:
Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful,

Friendly, Courteous, Kind,

Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty,

Brave, Clean, Reverent.
Boy Scouts of America

IF-- Stir

2011-03-11T08:34:00.001-05:00

You just might create a stir...

Illustration Friday-- Warning

2011-03-04T11:39:00.008-05:00

Warning: contains dairy

Warning: contains gluten, may contain tree nuts

Warning: may contain high fructose corn syrup

Warning: may cause giddyness

Warning: may contain salmonella and E.coli

Mmmmmmm....

Illustration Friday-- Swarm

2011-02-25T13:47:00.006-05:00

A few strategically placed mosquito nets prevented the swarm of paparazzi from spoiling the Royal Wedding.

Those entangled eventually found themselves to be a delectable complement to the hors d'oeuvres.

Highlights at eleven.

Illustration Friday-- Layer

2011-02-21T18:11:00.004-05:00

More Snow?? Bring it on!

Ooooo... oh yes, please, don't mind if I do... or in other words, Bring it on!

Illustration Friday-- Sweater

2011-02-11T15:03:00.000-05:00

Illustration Friday-- Reverse

2011-02-04T19:41:00.000-05:00

Illustration Friday-- Surrender

2011-01-28T09:44:00.007-05:00

I used to attend a Bible study on Thursday mornings, where I held a position with the illustrious title of Snack Fairy, which basically meant that I passed around a sign-up sheet (always decorated with cakes and coffee cups, of course!) for volunteers to bring the snacks. This year, my attendance has waned, mostly because construction has increased the rush hour traffic and my travel time to over an hour. So, with heavy heart, I decided to surrender my Snack Fairy wand, and drew this little ditty earlier this week to cushion the blow. :)

Oh, and by the way, the Sewing Alphabet below is now available here and here.

Illustration Friday-- Dusty

2011-01-21T09:19:00.001-05:00

On a snowy day like today, maybe I'll dust off the old sewing machine! Nah, I'll probably paint instead!

New Chicken

2011-01-17T14:53:00.000-05:00

Another chicken using Painter. I'm not sure why I chose oils, since I haven't painted in real life oils since college, but I do like the limited control I seem to have over them.

Illustration Friday-- Chicken

2011-01-14T14:07:00.003-05:00

My first attempt with Painter 11.

Asher's chicken contribution, drawn on his ipod.

Illustration Friday-- Deja vu

2011-01-07T17:55:00.000-05:00

Every time she wore her favorite hat, Louise inexplicably felt like she was experiencing her senior prom all over again...

Bye, Girls!

2011-01-03T08:23:00.002-05:00

My girls are off to Atlanta. Oh wait, you thought I had boys. I do. But I'm a girly-girl myself. So I've created a collection of girls that are sweet, confident, and not a hair out of place. They're bold, smart and know where they stand! Want to meet them? They will appear here sooner or later, but for now, they will be appearing at AmericasMart January 14-16, so stop by the Two Town Studios booth and ask Ronnie and Jim about them!

Oh no, someone left a shoe behind! I suppose my real-life boys and my imaginary girls have something in common after all! If I've told them once, I've told them a thousand times...

Illustration Friday-- Resolutions

2010-12-31T12:05:00.000-05:00

I will not cut my bangs, I will not cut my bangs, I will not cut my bangs...

Illustration Friday-- Winter

2010-12-24T10:12:00.000-05:00

O Holy Night, the stars are brightly shining...

2010-12-21T04:38:00.004-05:00

Illustration Friday-- Mail

2010-12-17T09:53:00.005-05:00

Are YOUR cards in the mail?

Being photographs, I don't think these technically qualify for IF, so I'm not linking them up, but do check out Illustration Friday for some other fabulous interpretations. Maybe I'll have some time later this week to come up with something else! ;) HA!

Merry Christmas, my bloggy friends!

Illustration Friday-- Phenomenon

2010-12-10T15:31:00.002-05:00

Illustration Friday-- Prehistoric

2010-12-03T16:16:00.006-05:00

Yep, I know... a real stretch for IF's prehistoric. I'm having one of those days in the creative cycle where ideas are supposed to be formulating and licensable art is supposed to be flowing out of me in preparation for a big trade show in January, but instead I'm pacing around, scratching with pencils like I've never drawn before, being distracted by plans for, oh, only a major holiday coming up, and scrounging through the kids' Halloween candy in hopes of finding something that will snap me out of it. (I even found a box of prehistoric register marks and made a snowflake out of them before I decided that was just too ridiculous to post.)

So I'm going with the idea that the concept of PEACE was the ideal long before we started keeping track of our shenanigans by painting them on cave walls and inscribing them into clay tablets. Mostly I'm posting this to get my blog looking all Christmassy again. (And, this guy was once very good to me in retail sales-- he attended a bunch of holiday parties as paper goods, and made the rounds on Christmas letters as stationery, so he deserves a little attention. He's nowhere to be found now, which makes him old, if not prehistoric.)

Illustration Friday-- Savour

2010-11-29T08:05:00.001-05:00

Illustration Friday-- Sneaky

2010-11-19T11:07:00.000-05:00

Illustration Friday-- Burning

2010-11-12T18:46:00.002-05:00

I'd like to say this isn't autobiographical...

...but I can't.

Illustration Friday-- Afterwards

2010-11-06T21:06:00.003-04:00

Once, after being out most of the day, we came home to find that our dog, Maya, had pulled an 8 inch run out of our berber carpet that spanned the width of the family room. Had we been gone longer, I wonder if THIS might have happened afterwards...

Illustration Friday-- Spent

2010-10-29T13:21:00.006-04:00

Did you ever feel like you wanted to clean the house rather than draw? Nah, me either. But it is time well spent. Don't you just feel more on top of things when your house is clean?? More productive, creative, even better looking?

So here's my thought process today as I mopped the kitchen floor and cleaned the bathrooms (because it does have to be done eventually, right? By somebody...) I thought, I could render a beautiful family moment for Illustration Friday's prompt Spent-- and believe me when I say I got all choked up and teary-eyed over it-- or I could do a quick sketch of a mop and bucket. That, and a really big bag of fun-size treats on the counter, led me to remember just about the best Halloween costume that ever appeared on our doorstep, which was this:

Yes, it was a 12-year-old-ish boy dressed as a janitor with a leash threaded through a wrapping paper tube and a shaggy dog as a mop! I will never forget that kid.

So there you go, a post that is a bit of a stretch for IF, but timely for Halloween, and my house smells like lemons. Nyah, nyah, na, na, na!

How I Work in Photoshop

2010-10-23T06:36:00.139-04:00

Teri asked in my last post if I created my Wedding Alphabet in Photoshop. While I usually paint my art traditionally to start out, I always use Photoshop at some point, even if it is only to adjust the colors and clean up brush hairs, leftover pencil marks and unintentional spots (you know, where the paint isn't completely dissolved, I dropped my brush, spilled my coffee, whatever.)

However, I also use Photoshop a great deal to create new art out of already existing art. This works especially well for making coordinating patterns for fabric designs, or reformatting a design into a line of party goods. Or, in the case above, creating a new design altogether.

My husband says I have a "deep portfolio", and in this case, I started out with this:

This purple background is probably my most handy piece of art. It turns up everywhere! All it needs is a little color adjustment. In Photoshop, it's the IMAGE-- ADJUSTMENTS-- HUE/SATURATION menu. Play around with those sliders and you can get almost any color. So above it became a yummy muted brown.

Next I needed some bread. The main image came from my Name Above All Names Alphabet, and all that was necessary was a little cropping and sizing:

For the large background bread I used a section of my Gourmet Alphabet. There are many ways to separate an icon from its background, but I find it easiest to use the eraser tool. Crop closely, zoom waaaay in, and use a small size. (Of course, use the largest size possible until you get close to the edge, silly!)

Since I always scan and save my art at at least 600 dpi, enlarging this tiny bread for the large central image was no problem. I used EDIT-- TRANSFORM-- ROTATE to change it to horizontal, and then adjusted its opacity over in the upper right corner of the layers menu. I didn't want that big bread stealing the show, just hanging out quietly and unobtrusively in the background. (Kind of like me at a party!)

Next came the wheat flourishes along the edge. They came from this one:

But, as you can see, they aren't painted in the top design! HA! I found a sneaky little tool called the graphic pen. It's on the Filter menu. FILTER-- SKETCH-- GRAPHIC PEN. You'll want to select a color on the tool bar first, and experiment a little with the contrast (IMAGE-- ADJUSTMENTS-- LEVELS or IMAGE-- ADJUSTMENTS-- BRIGHTNESS/ CONTRAST) to get the detail you want.

You will need to flatten it, select an area of white with the magic wand tool, then SELECT-- SIMILAR to select all the white, then SELECT-- INVERSE to move only the graphic pen area over to your main image. You'll notice I used the rotate command above here also.

The little white wine glass was created the same way and once moved over, changed to white by using IMAGE-- ADJUSTMENTS-- HUE/ SATURATION and moving the slider to the end of LIGHTNESS. I'm sure there are many other ways to do that, this worked well in this case. Same goes for the white diamond border, which originally came from here:

(OK, maybe just disregard all I've said up until now, because I just deleted the actual painting that I took this crop from-- from the Maxtor, which is our main storage. Hmmmm... I believe it may still be on my old computer, or in another folder, or at least I can re-scan the actual art, because this one was painted straight-up traditionally! Save your files MULTIPLE TIMES, folks!)

Now that I've regained my composure, the last step was adding type using the type tool, and some opacity adjustment. Save it all in layers, for revisions later!

(Just in case you were wondering, I don't really memorize keyboard shortcuts. Lots of times I have a cat on my lap, which means one-handed clicking is easier. And I switch back and forth between the wacom tablet and the mouse, because each one makes the tools work slightly differently.)

After all that, I didn't really answer Teri's question, did I? The answer is, No, the Wedding Alphabet was only minimally processed.

Illustration Friday-- Racing

2010-10-22T09:07:00.000-04:00

Let's go! The future awaits!

Illustration Friday-- Spooky

2010-10-15T09:01:00.002-04:00

OK, not so spooky, really, but very befitting of the season that the word spooky conjures up. I don't get much spookier than this-- I'd keep myself up at night, and we ran out of monster-spray years ago. In the meantime, bring on the goodies!

Illustration Friday-- Transportation

2010-10-08T09:12:00.001-04:00

Illustration Friday-- Beneath

2010-10-01T11:21:00.004-04:00

Before looking, place your hands securely over your ears and repeat after me: "LALALALALALALALALA!", or YOU might end up beneath the sea!

Here's the rest of the alphabet:

And the final result as cross-stitch:

So long, Summer-- catch ya on the flip side!

You Little Stinker

2010-09-28T16:32:00.005-04:00

Autumn

2010-09-27T08:21:00.004-04:00

Illustration Friday-- Old-fashioned

2010-09-24T14:51:00.003-04:00

Illustration Friday-- Acrobat

2010-09-17T21:50:00.003-04:00

Illustration Friday-- Proverb

2010-09-11T14:22:00.001-04:00

Illustration Friday-- Dessert

2010-09-03T09:28:00.003-04:00

Well, well, well, just about my favorite word of all time!! Remember the triple dip snow cone? He evolved into a series. These are a few of his friends:

And he got a little bit of a makeover himself:

Now, go make yourself a sundae! (None for me, thanks, I had a big day yesterday, and I'm giving it up! For a while...)

Illustration Friday-- Immovable

2010-08-27T11:47:00.002-04:00

Illustration Friday-- Atmosphere

2010-08-21T08:51:00.001-04:00

It only takes a few colorful friends to create a party atmosphere.

(or, a big star on the calendar marked "back-to-school"-- I'm just sayin')

Illustration Friday-- Stargazing

2010-08-13T13:18:00.001-04:00

Illustration Friday-- Caged

2010-08-06T17:15:00.003-04:00

Ugh. Lousy prompt. Depressing. But!

Definition #10 on dictionary.com for "cage" is: a loose, sheer, or lacy overdress worn with a slip or close-fitting dress. HA!!

Illustration Friday-- Artificial

2010-07-31T14:52:00.001-04:00

After the incident with the plastic mushrooms,
Chef Shiitake decided never to use artificial ingredients in his signature soups again.

Illustration Friday-- Double (as in Trouble!)

2010-07-23T13:18:00.003-04:00

When the man-of my -dreams and I got married, we decided to wait a while to have children, but we immediately adopted two Samoyeds (seemingly moments after the wedding). It wasn't long before we realized what we were in for. According to breed characteristics, Samoyeds are prone to run (they are sled dogs, after all) bark a lot, have separation anxiety and are-- get this-- destructive.

Cody and Malachi proved themselves to be true Samoyeds in every way, especially the destructive part. They got into the kitchen cabinets, so we put baby locks on them. They broke the baby locks and chewed up cans. Malachi finally got crated after we sold our house and he tore up the dishwasher.

Cody and Mal have both gone on to romp in the daisies, but not until after 16 years of good times. We miss them dreadfully.

Summer Balancing Act

2010-07-21T18:27:00.003-04:00

Narcissurfing

2010-07-18T10:25:00.005-04:00

Every once in a while I go narcissurfing to check up on my designs-- whether or not they came out yet, or if they are still on the market. Here's a new one I hadn't seen yet that I found yesterday! You may recognize it from the link on my last post-- so carry on with the breakfast theme!! (Although I'd really like to do a repeat pattern of bacon, eggs and pancakes-- how cute that could be!)

I still have a case of hermititis. (Although now I have one son home, queue up the Harry Potter movies!) I really am almost finished-- it's another alphabet for a cross-stitch kit-- I just love Design Works!

Illustration Friday-- Breakfast

2010-07-16T12:30:00.011-04:00

Ooooo.... I love this prompt! I could have heaps of fun with it, but I am in the midst of something a client is expecting, and my family has gone on a "guys expedition" leaving me to finish it in peace. (My default is set at "hermit", so I love that!)

Soooo... I thought I'd share with you a series of breakfast patterns.

These coordinate with a design I have previously posted (and my blog-- it's called illustrative recycling, no? ;) And here's one more, which actually belongs to another series, but doesn't look half bad with this one:

Back to work for me! Queue up the Law and Order reruns!

Illustration Friday-- Diary

2010-07-09T10:13:00.003-04:00

Dear Diary,
The Islands are AMAZING! Who would have ever dreamed a vacation like this could even be possible? I'm so out of my element! With all this relaxation, I just might melt!

Illustration Friday-- Giant

2010-07-06T17:49:00.001-04:00

As the youngest of nine children, Irwin never really minded the hand-me-downs. He always had a sneaking suspicion that he was Mom's favorite.

Happy Independence Day!

2010-07-04T10:46:00.000-04:00

Summer

2010-06-12T07:31:00.001-04:00

Illustration Friday-- Trail

2010-06-05T07:15:00.002-04:00

Santa and his dogs take a break from the trail to have a portrait taken for Alaskan Adventure magazine.

Back to work, Santa! (You too, Krista)

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T06:45:00.000-04:00

With humble gratitude to those who serve and sacrifice for justice, freedom and peace.

Snake on a Cake for IF-- Slither

2010-05-29T06:48:00.000-04:00

Whasssssssup?

Illustration Friday-- Slither

2010-05-28T16:00:00.002-04:00

When Grayson was a baby, I painted his name on a toy box. When Asher was a baby, I bought a toy box, with every intention of painting his name on it.

Asher just turned nine.

Poor Ash.

Illustration Friday-- Early

2010-05-21T11:52:00.004-04:00

Oh, wait... it's before noon... is it really too early?

(Apparently not! A bit of research reveals that "the sun is over the yardarm" at 11:00am!)

The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

2010-05-15T21:27:00.041-04:00

I had an interesting little job recently. A client of my husband's asked me to illustrate her wedding guests as party favors. (Lucky for me, it was a relatively small wedding-- only 40!)

The directions were pretty minimal, such as, "so-and-so has black hair and is very elegant, so-and-so is a triathlete with a prosthetic leg". Well, I agonized (because I always do) but in the end the bride loved them! I hope the guests liked them-- I'll never really know if any of them resembled anyone, since the wedding was in Texas.

I think the wedding was today. I wonder how many of these will be on the floor of the car tomorrow! :)

Out of all of them, this one was my favorite, she wanted a portrait of her wedding dress.

Illustration Friday-- Equipment

2010-05-14T11:21:00.003-04:00

There's no shortage of equipment in our house-- but why does it always end up on the couch?!

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T09:13:00.003-04:00

I love you a bushel and a peck,

A bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck,

A hug around the neck and a barrel and a heap,

A barrel and a heap and I'm talking in my sleep,

About you, about you...

(From the musical Guys and Dolls, but most importantly, from my memory of what my mother used to sing...)

Illustration Friday-- Fearless

2010-05-07T15:14:00.000-04:00

Straight-From-the-Sketchbook for Illustration Friday-- Cocoon

2010-04-30T13:27:00.002-04:00

waitin' on a friend...

Illustration Friday-- Ahead

2010-04-23T10:59:00.001-04:00

As wonderful as Spring is, it's tough not to keep looking ahead!

Happy Earth Day!

2010-04-22T10:16:00.000-04:00

Illustration Friday-- Detective

2010-04-16T10:16:00.007-04:00

While any dog can be trained to do detective work, (my rescue-guy knows of a chihuahua currently being trained!) German Shepherds are pretty typical because of their intimidating appearance.

You guessed it, this is the "G" to a dog alphabet! I love creating alphabets because it gives me a framework to start from, I get to do a lot of research--- ahem, detective work, filling in all the letters for a particular subject, and believe it or not, it is really fun for me to arrange all those squares so that they fit into an 8X10" rectangle. (And manufacturers seem to like them! Hallelujah!)

One day I'll re-do the "Husky" block to look more like our new dog, Maya, who is red and white, and I'll even add the word "Siberian" on the side because we found out that owners prefer to call them "Siberians" to differentiate them from the larger and stronger (but not faster!) original Alaskan sled dogs that were nicknamed "huskies". What did I know? I'm smarter now. Our dog at the time, "S" for Samoyed, was Malachi, who went to romp in the daisies last summer at the ripe old age of 3-days-short-of-16.

Illustration Friday-- Linked

2010-04-09T11:55:00.010-04:00

"Linked" is really too delicate of a word

Juneteenth is the celebration of the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas on June 19, 1865. Officially, the chains of slavery were broken, but word sometimes travels slowly, especially if the news does not benefit the messenger, and many slaves did not hear about their emancipation until later. The name "Juneteenth" alludes to this.

This is the "J" section of an alphabet of holidays and celebrations. Some are official, and some not-so-much.

In keeping with the spirit of "linked", here's a link to the manufactured art. And, interestingly, June 19th is also the day that the man-of-my-dreams and I got inextricably "linked"!

Hooray!

2010-04-06T14:30:00.022-04:00

The weather is gorgeous, so I'll be out on the lacrosse fields with my sketchbook! No, not drawing sweaty boys hitting each other with sticks, more likely snowmen and other out-of-season characters. Christmas, Halloween and Easter come around every year, and I have been neglecting them.

Be assured, I'll be sitting in my comfy folding chair soaking up the sun, occasionally looking up and marveling in the fact that my kids did not inherit my own klutzy, lack-of-athleticism, and doing exactly what I love. Ain't life grand!

The same yesterday, today and forever

2010-04-04T08:57:00.001-04:00

Straight-From-the-Sketchbook for Illustration Friday-- Dip

2010-04-03T14:12:00.001-04:00

A triple dip snow cone!

Spoonflower!

2010-04-01T17:43:00.003-04:00

I'm loving Spoonflower, and I can't resist entering the contests once in a while. This weeks theme is Garden, and if you go to the blog, you can vote for as many designs as you like.

I won't post here which one is mine, try to guess! (You'll recognize what my husband calls the "Krista Hamrick Font"!)

There's some great work over there. Happy Gardening!

Families are Forever

2010-03-30T15:32:00.007-04:00

(click for larger view-- I know, I've posted pieces of this before! Here's the whole A-Z.)

If I do say so myself, I have a very cool family. We are an introverted bunch. Half of us live on the East Coast, and half live on the West Coast. In addition to my parents, I have two brothers and one sister, with 17 years between the first and the last. We are terrible about calling, only a little better about e-mailing. You would think that we wouldn't be that close. But we are.

Last Christmas, my younger brother and I started a family blog. It's our own little spot where we can all get together and be "just us". We post distorted portraits of ourselves, pictures of the kids' school projects, intrepid explorations and crazy hairdos. We crack each other up.

All that to say, I'm awarding my family, and our blog, Be True to Your Roots, the Renee Award that was so generously awarded to me by my buddy, Susan. (Back at ya, Babe!)

For the history of the Renee Award, dreamed up by Ces and Bella to honor their friend, click here. The Renee Award is all about friendship, nurturing and supporting each other. It's what my family means to me. (What a lovely legacy, Renee! I'll see ya when I get there!)