Candace Illustration

Summer Camping

noreply@blogger.com (Candace Trew Camling) — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:16:00 +0000

{Graphite on Watercolor Paper, 2012}
Click image to view larger.

This is the full illustration that surrounds the characters that I shared in my previous post. When I was a kid, I really looked forward to camping. Actually, if I get a chance, I still look forward to it! It is one of my favorite things about growing up in Michigan; the lake, the dunes, the campgrounds and the state parks. I am going to finish this in watercolor, and then I will share the final illustration!

Bears Sketch

noreply@blogger.com (Candace Trew Camling) — Thu, 10 May 2012 22:54:00 +0000

{Sketch, 2012}

These bears are the main characters of a larger piece I am working on. Once I get it all drawn up, I plan to use watercolor as the coloring method. I love the life in the original sketch, so I thought I would share it. I love drawing bears!

Love Birds

noreply@blogger.com (Candace Trew Camling) — Wed, 02 May 2012 20:16:00 +0000

{Watercolor, 2012}

My brother-in-law is getting married this summer and all the new sister-in-laws are planning on throwing his fiancee a bridal shower. I was asked to do two love birds for the invitation and I tried to use some of the colors she has planned for her wedding. I love weddings and I can't wait to go to theirs in August!

Loving Oliver

noreply@blogger.com (Candace Trew Camling) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 19:41:00 +0000

{Watercolor, 2012}

{iPhone Photography, Instagram, 2012}

I haven't been around the blog world lately because it has been a rough couple of weeks. We lost Oliver, our beloved tabby, on April 13th. He was suffering from several congenital defects that finally caught up with him at the young age of 4. (we were unaware of them until a few days before his death.) We still have our other lovely cat, Amelia, but Oliver was always the life of the party. Naughty would be an understatement, loving would be too mild a term. I guess maybe he knew he was unhealthy and lived life to the very fullest with what he had been given. He was a beautiful cat, a wonderful friend to my husband and I and we miss him so very much.

Workshop Sketch

noreply@blogger.com (Candace Trew Camling) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 21:00:00 +0000

{Sketch, 2012}

This is a sketch for an upcoming illustrator workshop that will be part of the Iowa SCBWI conference later this month. I'm looking forward to painting this and adding all the little details. I'm also looking forward to the conference in a few weeks! It'll be nice to see fellow children's book people!

Small Drawings

noreply@blogger.com (Candace Trew Camling) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 14:06:00 +0000

{Marker and Colored Pencil ATC, 2012}

{Marker and Pen in Sketchbook, 2012}

As I mentioned a few posts ago, I am currently working on a personal project so I haven't had as much time as usual to do doodles, experiment, and just play in my studio. I did decide to play around last night while I was watching a movie and these are what I came up with. I drew the horse trading card as a surprise for someone and the chick drawing was done in my sketchbook. It must be all the peeps at the grocery store! (I also love all the promise of spring.)

Work in Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Candace Trew Camling) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 23:30:00 +0000

{Watercolor in Progress, 2012}

I've been taking a watercolor class on Tuesday afternoons and it has been really enjoyable. We still have several weeks left, which is good because I have only been working on this piece during the class time. If things settle down at my home studio I will plan on working on this more at home too. I plan to work up the foreground figure completely before I decide what to do to finish the background. I have a feeling I am going to need to tone down the three red poppies, but I won't know until I finish the figure. I've really enjoyed working on this piece so far!

Illustration Friday - Intention

noreply@blogger.com (Candace Trew Camling) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:57:00 +0000

{Sketch, 2012}

The intention of planting a seed is to help it grow! This is part of a personal project I'm working on, but I'm still not completely satisfied with the composition. I figured I would still share it for this week's IF theme. It fit so perfectly!

Illustration Friday - Fluid

noreply@blogger.com (Candace Trew Camling) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:35:00 +0000

{Colored Pencil in Sketchbook, 2012}

On top of having freelance last week, I also had the flu. Last week was a bit miserable and this week I am still trying to get over it! I feel okay, but still not 100%. Thats probably why I came up with drinking for the word this week. When your sick everyone always says, "drink plenty of fluids!"

Skip!

noreply@blogger.com (Candace Trew Camling) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:15:00 +0000

{Colored Pencil in Sketchbook, 2012}

I've been super busy with freelance this past week. Yesterday I finished my project so I sat down and relaxed with my sketchbook and drew this sassy little girl!

Thinking About Spring

noreply@blogger.com (Candace Trew Camling) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:20:00 +0000

{graphite, 2012}

This is the drawing for the next piece I am going to work on in my Tuesday watercolor class. I'm still considering the background. I assume I will probably add something, but I still have to think about that. I feel like this drawing sort of morphed into the personification of Spring, so maybe I will add something that has to do with that. (Perhaps a little research is in order!) It is nice to be doing something a little more serious for my personal work. I have been doing a lot of freelance work lately, which I LOVE, but sometimes it's nice to switch things up!

Little Watercolors

noreply@blogger.com (Candace Trew Camling) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 04:22:00 +0000

{watercolor, 2012}

I painted the little Valentine beaver in my watercolor class this afternoon. The flowers and plants are the product of spending a little free time experimenting with a slightly different style of painting. (and I would like to continue evolving this style!) I am really enjoying playing with watercolor and also learning more about it in my class from a more traditional standpoint.

Something Different

noreply@blogger.com (Candace Trew Camling) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:36:00 +0000

{Watercolor, 2012}

Mr friend Sara and I signed up to take a watercolor class taught by Melinda Kabel at the Des Moines Art Center. This is a landscape exercise I completed. I did the small sepia studies first and I was supposed to choose one to do in full color but ended up deciding to do all three because I liked the way they looked arranged on the page. The finished color versions are only slightly bigger than the sepia studies. As the class progresses I plan to share any other projects!

Illustration Friday - Forward

noreply@blogger.com (Candace Trew Camling) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:18:00 +0000

{Watercolor, 2012}

This little remote control car is happy to be moving forward! I had a remote control car when I was younger, and I thought it was pretty awesome to be able to drive something. I think that might be part of the allure for children. Very rarely do they get a chance to be in control and a remote control toy gives them all the power!

Valentine Animal Babies

noreply@blogger.com (Candace Trew Camling) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:01:00 +0000

{Watercolor, 2012}

I couldn't sleep-in this morning, even though it's Saturday. I got up, made some coffee, and decided to play with my watercolors. All the stores have Valentine's Day stuff out, so it makes sense that when I sat down to draw and paint, I decided to make everything pink, purple and red. Anyways, these two illustrations are what I came up with. I wish pink fawns with heart markings really existed. I also wish bears wore suspenders in the wild.

Giraffe Plush

noreply@blogger.com (Candace Trew Camling) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 04:20:00 +0000

{Sewing Project, 2012}

I made this giraffe for my friend's baby for Christmas (but only just gave it to her today. oops!) I really enjoy making my own patterns for toys and designing how their faces, limbs, and other add-ons will look. I used a giraffe patterned cotton for the body and felt for the details. I think it turned out pretty cute and I am definitely getting better at using my sewing machine! If you read this blog, I hope you don't mind because I love the satisfaction of creating things out of fabric with my own hands and it is fun to share the results with you!

Illustration Friday - Twirl

noreply@blogger.com (Candace Trew Camling) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 00:30:00 +0000

{Watercolor, 2012}

We didn't have baton twirlers in our high school when I was there, but I always thought it would be neat if there would have been. I remember looking through yearbooks in the library from the 1960's and 1970's and at one point there had been. The costumes looked so glamorous and the job of baton twirler appeared to require a lot of skill!

Bear Family

noreply@blogger.com (Candace Trew Camling) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:56:00 +0000

{Watercolor, 2012}

This is a watercolor illustration I did as a gift for some friends that will be having a baby boy very soon! I'm going to put his name on the bunting above them, but I'm posting it without because the name is a secret until he's born. I hope they like it!

New Business Cards

noreply@blogger.com (Candace Trew Camling) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 03:33:00 +0000

{Business Cards, 2012}

My new business cards arrived today. They are nice and glossy and I liked the idea of having a small teaser image to show what my style looks like. Sometimes it's easier to show someone how you paint rather than trying to explain it. Last time I ordered business cards I ordered 1000. This time I only ordered 500 because I enjoyed doing the mini painting so much! When I run out of these I will probably do another small painting and go with a similar layout.

Illustration Friday - Prepare

noreply@blogger.com (Candace Trew Camling) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:52:00 +0000

{Watercolor, 2012}

Shortly after Christmas I started to get seed catalogs in the mail. In the winter, it's always nice to prepare for the gardening season. I am itching to get my hands dirty again! I'll probably plant tomatoes, peas, lettuce and radishes like always. I am considering planting a few soy beans too so that we can enjoy some edamame at home! Oh, and maybe some eggplants, onions and potatoes too! I also love to add a few new flowers to my beds every year too! My husband built raised beds for us a few years ago and we made some PVC frames that can either hold netting (to keep deer and company out!) or plastic for cold frames. I'm definitely going to be prepared for spring either way!

Cat Plush Toy

noreply@blogger.com (Candace Trew Camling) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:14:00 +0000

{Wool, Cotton and Plastic Eyes, 2012}

I had a vintage 100% wool Lacoste sweater that my mom gave to me (probably from the late 70's) and it was a beautiful dark pink color but over the years some holes formed in the front. I couldn't get rid of it so it has been sitting around in my closet for years. I finally decided that I would felt it by washing it in hot water and tumble drying it. It made a really nice felt and I used part of it to make this little cat plush. I used the sweater for the back and the face. I used a pretty Amy Butler fabric for the front. It is so fun to make squishy little plush toys! I think I might make a bear for my mom out of some of the rest of the sweater. She collects bears and it would be neat to make it out of a familiar sweater. I also have plans to make a few other similar projects. The problem is, when I start sewing, I just don't want to stop! I love it! I have a healthy load of freelance right now too so I try to fit the sewing in when I can.

Illustration Friday - Grounded

noreply@blogger.com (Candace Trew Camling) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:42:00 +0000

{Graphite with Digital Color, 2012}

{Graphite in Sketchbook, 2012}

It seems a little morbid, but a grave seemed like the most extreme example of being grounded. I did a graphite drawing in my sketchbook and scanned it into Photoshop to color it digitally.

Small Painting

noreply@blogger.com (Candace Trew Camling) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:13:00 +0000

{Oil on Board, 2012}

I decided to do a mini painting of part of the drawing from my previous post. I liked the connection between the little girl and the cat. I changed the facial features of the little girl; something a little sweeter and less cartoon-like. This little painting, that measures about 3"x5.5", is going to be used for my new business card. I ordered them from Got Print (my first time using them) and I will share them when they arrive!

Illustration Friday - Highlight

noreply@blogger.com (Candace Trew Camling) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:22:00 +0000

{Graphite in Sketchbook, 2012}

"They were each the highlight of the other's day."

The love of my sweet kitties is one of the biggest highlights of my life. I adore their little furry bodies and their soft purrs. I even delight in their naughty behavior. (Shhh! don't tell them that!) I think a lot of people count on the unconditional love of their pets in such a conditional world! I am planning on trying to do illustration Friday a little more frequently this year. I would like to try and do it every week with a few exceptions of holiday times and vacations. ( I believe rest is important too!) Last year it didn't work out very well, as I was working on two children's books simultaneously! I would love to have to juggle such a workload again, but for now I don't have any long-term contracts. In the meantime, and in this wonderful new year I have made a short list of things that I would like to try to accomplish:

Create my own dummy book for the Iowa SCBWI April conference
Re-design my business cards
Do at least 3 promotional mailers (4 would be ideal)
Go on at least one sketch "field-trip" per month
Participate in Illustration Friday more frequently
Craft, Sew and Experiment More!

What are you planning for 2012? What are your goals? Dream big!

A Very Merry Christmas To You

noreply@blogger.com (Candace Trew Camling) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:22:00 +0000

{Watercolor and Colored Pencil, 2011}

I want to wish all of my blog friends a Merry Christmas. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and that you get to spend your break with family, friends, laughter and lots of love. I'll be back to blogging after the Christmas holiday. Best Wishes!

XOXO,
Candace