Welcome to my studio/master bedroom! You’ll see my inspiration board, my project plans, my tools, the rad sewing machine Matt gave me and various trinkets.

Here’s my tools up close. Many pens are housed in vintage tin canisters. My sad broken ceramic owl is bound by a rubber band until I fix her. This is just a small portion of my gadgetry.

I am way inspired by vintage jewelry. Here you see my bracelet and ring collection along with my newish painting “Blow me a Kiss” next to my vintage lucite purse.

Here you see the majority of my jewelry. All necklaces! On the top of my bookshelf is a couple of vintage wicker purses, there’s a Mary Poppins plate, some Julie West toys gifted to me by the artist herself!, some creepy wax hands, a flapper doll I made in Paul Frank’s character design class I took ages ago, some silkscreening screens and file boxes…

My bed has a cute canopy I created from vintage fabric and IKEA curtains! A relative made the top crocheted blanket. You’ll see my ultra-vain 6 foot mirror that everyone hates moving!

I spend a lot of time here! My iMac is my work station as well as my TV. : ) You’ll see my screen printed fabric, my new project I am working on, lots of rocks and stones, a tiny Warhammer figure that Matt painted for me next to the vintage picture frame, and I would go crazy without my handy Wacom tablet for drawing on the computer.

Thanks for taking a peek! I love my vintage treasures mixed in with my art and inspiration. No wonder I spend so much time indoors!

Sorry it has taken me a while to tell you about my piece “blow me a kiss” for The Hive Gallery’s group show earlier this month! There were 75+ artists shown! Amazing. Of course, the place was packed! Here’s a couple of pictures.

Here’s a bit of what I did this semester in Illustration class:

“Hansel & Gretel Squirrels Visit the Nuthouse” by Aileen Holmes

“Falling” by Aileen Holmes

“House” by Aileen Holmes

It’s been a challenging semester, for sure! I had less time to commit to my clients.

I am happy to be getting back to providing creative services over the summer as a break. I am ready for more work!

My painting for “Celebrating Motherhood” at IGUANA in Long Beach, CA is about 50% complete!  My deadline is Monday but I’ve got it covered. : )

I am very exited for this show curated by Diane Utley-Aguilar. Way back when we used to work together at a baby bedding company, the place where I learned how to do textile design and got my first chance to work on designs for infants. It’s fitting that my first art show curated by Diane has a motherhood theme!

Please come to the opening on April 9th 2:00pm to 6:00pm. The show runs through May 14th, 2011.

You might remember this artwork originally created for Homegrown Art Show’s special Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School session a year ago.

You can see how my artwork translates into painted form. I am open to taking commissions for painted versions of my original illustrations found on my Etsy site: http://tangyfruitgirl.etsy.com

Also, a selection of illustrations on this website in the “illustrations” section of my portfolio are available. Some of the work is owned by the companies who commissioned me (designated by their logos in the bottom right corner). Please feel free to inquire! aileen@aileenholmes.com or (714)425-4779

Check out my first illustration for The Los Angeles Times!

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-0320-story-20110320,0,1125588.story

Also, I was quoted in the Orange County Business Journal regarding the cotton pricing issue:

http://www.ocbj.com/news/2011/mar/20/surging-cotton-prices-forcing-clothing-makers-pric/

Also, I was quoted in The Daily Titan regarding my work in “Unseamingly OC: Fashion and Art Collide” (art exhibit is up until March 26th!

http://www.dailytitan.com/2011/03/15/fashion-and-art-collide-at-the-promenade-gallery/

I’ll be selling screened paper dolls for $20. Quite a bargain for a screen print! I wanted to make affordable art for everyone to enjoy. A portion of the proceeds will benefit OC Fashion Association to help fund OC Fashion Week coming up May 18th through May 22nd, 2011 in Downtown Santa Ana’s Artist Village. I will also have paintings from my new “Chicks with Glasses” series!

The Los Angeles Times Illustration

Please be on the lookout for my illustration appearing in The Los Angeles Time’s Kid’s Reading Room section on March 20th, 2011! It’s my first illustration for a famous newspaper!

Grrl Fair Speaking Engagement

I will be speaking about Self-Promotion for Artists at the 10th Annual Grrl Fair in Santa Ana on March 12th, 2011 from 4pm to 5pm. It’s free! Stick around to listen to live music, attend workshops, and buy arts and crafts and swing by “Unseamingly OC: Fashion and Art Collide” in Anaheim between 6pm and 10pm.

It’s been a wonderful year and I am truly grateful for all of your support. It’s not easy being an artist–it’s hard work! But it’s my passion and I love it : )

I have wonderful news to share. Starting Spring 2011 I will be officially pursuing my BFA in Illustration at California State University, Fullerton! Even though I have consistently been taking classes over the years, I wanted to take my studies a step further. It may take me a while to finish but I’m eager to advance my skills and keep learning.

I will be continuing my freelance creative services, of course, and I’m even open to full-time work in Orange County if the right opportunity comes along! I also would like to create a new series of paintings and license my artwork in 2011. I know I’m very ambitious but art is my life. I can’t imagine doing anything else!

Lastly, I want to thank all my clients this year who have given me the opportunity to collaborate on wonderful projects: Artisan de Luxe, Colette & Blue, Rothick Art Haus, Tracey Taylor of The ARTery Gallery, Food Riders of OCC, Como Fred David, I heart your house,  J3 Productions, Liberto Law, Love Propagation, Mila by Apparel West Enterprises, LLC., Orange County Fashion Association, Omni Cheer, Poppyspins, V Confessions, and Torrid.

Also, thank you to the art galleries and craft fairs who let me showcase my work this year: The ARTery, Rothick Art Haus, Patchwork Indie Arts & Crafts Festival, Piecemakers, Handmade Brigade’s Block Party, Salon Bleu, Glass House Records, and TrendsDesign Gallery.

Of course, I want to thank every single one of you who has ever bought one of my pieces, attended one of my shows, signed up for my mailing list or just gave me a shout out in support. You are the best!

Let’s make 2011 our best year ever!

Also, don’t forget to come out to Patchwork Indie Arts & Crafts Festival in Santa Ana on Sunday, November 28th from 11am to 5pmat Main Street and Buffalo. There will be a TON of other vendors selling great arts, crafts and food! I will be showcasing art, t-shirts, greeting cards, and I’ll have a fine selection of vintage clothing and accessories this time! This is something new for me but I’m excited to share these one-of-a-kind goodies.

I will also will have my portfolio and display of my creative design services at Patchwork.

Need extra style for your marketing campaign, fresh fashion lifestyle artwork or even a birthday card for your little one? I can do it all! Mention this email and you can get 10% off your purchase or a free design consultation!

Hope to see you all soon!

Last weekend Teo “SpiderTeo” Teodoro and I went to Society of Illustrators Los Angeles‘ Art in the Park. It was a lovely grey day at Griffith Park, super early in the morning (OK it was only 9am but it was a Saturday!). A bunch of illustrators met up to draw, paint, and/or gossip. We met some really great artists. Everyone’s style was completely different and it was cool to see all the different interpretations of our Spanish-inspired model.

That’s Teo up above. Very serious art goin’ on!

Here’s another illustration, the first one I did this session.

Here’s a couple of links to other posts about the event!

SpiderTeo

Society of Illustrators LA

Vivian Nguyen

I’ve been accepted into Patchwork Indie Arts and Crafts Festival! I’m very excited. I’ll be showing at the Santa Ana show on Sunday, November 28th from 11am to 5pm at Main Street and Buffalo. There will be a TON of other vendors selling great arts, crafts and food! I will be showcasing art, t-shirts, greeting cards, and I’ll have a fine selection of vintage clothing and accessories this time! This is something new for me but I’m excited to share these one-of-a-kind goodies.

Have any special requests? Is there something special you’d like to see?

If you are unfamiliar with what I sell, please visit my Etsy shop:

http://tangyfruitgirl.etsy.com

If you’d like to keep up-to-date on all the exciting happenings, connect with Patchwork:

Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Patchwork-Indie-Arts-Craft-Festival/113173605387992

RSVP on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=141218945924709&index=1

RSVP on Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/events/santa-ana-patchwork-indie-arts-and-crafts-festvial-santa-ana-fall-2010

Patchwork Twitter: http://twitter.com/patchworkshow