Textures and Layers in Photoshop

One thing I always like to have on hand are textures. Most of the time I make my own using a combination of acrylics, watercolor, salt and a pallette knife. Textures come in really handy in the finishing stages of an illustration. It’s a great way to add depth to any drawing. I love layering them, recoloring them and using them as masks in Photoshop. My textures are rarely used as is. Photoshop is perfect for making all those final adjustments to the artwork. Here is a Valentine’s Day card I’m working on. I’ve been trying out different colors and textures to see what works. Also here is a screenshot of my Photoshop while I’m working. It gets pretty hairy sometimes! I like to have as much stuff open at the same time as possible though just in case I want to throw it in an illustration and see how it looks. If I close out a texture I could be losing out on something cool. I always like to experiment with random textures and see what happens! Here are color / texture studies of my cat card. I like the dark one the best.

all things paper loop

i am so excited for all things paper loop! i've just launched a brand new paper loop website with an extra fun randomizer on the home page (keep clicking refresh to see all the combinations). i also added some cards for sale on etsy. more will be added soon.

there are only 5 months until the national stationery show in may and so much to do! i want to have at least 30 new card designs ready for press by march. april and may will be all about the booth design. i'm excited and overwhelmed at the same time. drawings and paintings are scattered about my art desk waiting to be scanned. if only i could teach the cats how to scan...

Prints for Sale on Etsy

I've got lots of new prints for sale on etsy! I will be adding more too so keep checking back for new prints. Click here to see what's for sale. My favorite print... Silverlake Skyline:

new images on American Illustration site

two of my illustrations are now up on the American Illustration & Photography website: click here.