Sara Cumings Illustration

This blog has moved!

2009-02-10T22:14:00.000-08:00

I've moved my blog. Please visit my blog here. Thanks!

Trip to the Atlanta Mart

2009-01-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

We just got back from Atlanta to visit the Daniel Richards showroom in the America’s Mart and meet some of our new reps. It was an amazing experience to see our cards in the Mart and meet all the new people we’ll be working with. Everyone we met was so nice, smart and hard working. We look forward to this year, growing our company and making new cards. Our songbirds card was a definite crowd pleaser. I’m looking forward to making more cards with graphic messages inside.

Atlanta was really nice. A little cold, but lots of great restaurants to try. We are so happy we could stay with our friends Mark and Angie. We had a great time with them exploring the city.

New Images, Updated Site

2008-12-30T17:57:00.001-08:00

It’s almost 2009 and I’m ringing in the new year with new images on my website. Check it out at graphicdessert.com

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-06T11:27:00.001-08:00

To shop for holiday cards click here:

Holiday Card Sale at Cardstore.com!

2008-11-21T11:41:00.000-08:00

If you are interested in purchasing custom holiday cards with Paper Loop designs, please visit our collection at Cardstore.com. Enter discount code NEWCS to receive 20% off your order! Offer is valid through 1/15/09.

Paper Airplanes

2008-11-19T17:29:00.001-08:00

New Illustration for Ted & Debbie

2008-11-18T11:17:00.000-08:00

Here’s a banner illustration I did for Ted & Debbie’s blog. They are great photographers and they have a really interesting blog so definitely check it out.

Chihuahua Birthday

2008-11-17T22:31:00.000-08:00

Here’s an illustration I’ve been working on today for a naughty little chihuahua eating a birthday cake. This little doggie has been caught red-handed.

In other exciting news, Rob and I decided to cash in our win for a free lotto scratcher. (Last week we won a free scratcher ticket playing the Diamond Double). So we cashed it in and got our free lotto ticket... and we won another free lotto ticket! Wohoo. So maybe third time’s the charm?

In the Studio

2008-11-17T13:30:00.001-08:00

This month I've been hard at work adding new cards to the Paper Loop collection. The cats of course find it very interesting. In fact, Mr. Mint has a new game he likes to play called 'Attack of My Wacom Pen'. Despite the feline obstacles, I've managed to create some new cards for birthday, blanks, thank yous, baby, valentine’s day, pet sympathy and a new line of 100% recycled cards called the Eco Minis in a super small size featuring super tiny creatures.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-30T19:07:00.000-07:00

Drawing of the Day: Flying Squirrels

2008-10-08T10:30:00.001-07:00

New Cards on the Horizon

2008-10-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been really intense for me. Lots of demands from my clients and my card company. Not much time to sleep, eat or do anything else. In between the madness, I've been sketching ideas for new card designs. Expect to see new cards for Halloween, Valentine’s Day, pregnancy and pet sympathy coming soon...

Website Update

2008-09-23T12:12:00.000-07:00

I have updated my website with new images. Visit graphicdessert.com

What's New for me + Paper Loop in September

2008-09-22T14:35:00.000-07:00

It's been a crazy busy summer! Here is a list of projects I've completed this summer:

-Wine label illustration for Marquis Phillips (image coming soon!)
-Baby Announcement card design for Lennon
-Website updates for Ted and Debbie (Photographers)
-Website updates for Mark Haskell Smith
-New illustrations for Paper Loop greeting cards: holiday, thank yous, birthday & blanks
-Cd Packaging and merch for Darker My Love
-Website launch for fine artist Hadley Williams
-Editorial illustration for Cincinatti Magazine
-Dvd Packaging for The Fabulous Stains
-Cd Packaging for Bette Midler, Jackpot The Best Bette

New Paper Loop news:

-We now have reps for the following areas: WA, CA, CO & NJ!
-We are up to 77 cards in the collection
-We are already planning on the National Stationery Show for May 2009
-We are in 26 stores.
-We are now international! Look for our cards soon at Paperchase in London

Stay tuned for more good stuff!!!

New Site, New Stuff for Sale!

2008-09-05T10:55:00.000-07:00

Check out the latest at astronautcat.com. I've updated the look of the site and added all the new holiday cards, birthday, thank you and blank cards for August 2008. Go here to shop for fun greeting cards.

Back in LA with New Illustrations

2008-09-05T10:01:00.000-07:00

This summer has been super busy. In July we packed up and moved back from Albuquerque to Los Angeles. I really enjoyed the scenic drive through the states. New Mexico and Arizona have some beautiful mountains and rock formations. We stopped at the local tee pees and picked up some souvenirs to remember our whirlwind journey.
Finally we've made it back to LA with a new apartment and a fresh start. In between packing, moving, apartment hunting and unpackaging, I've managed to squeeze in several new holiday card designs, along with birthday, thanks and blank cards. Check out some of the new stuff:

Oh yeah, and we also picked up 3 news reps in the past month for Paper Loop. You can now find our cards in stores across western Washington including Seattle and Colorado. Yay!

Season’s Summer Greetings

2008-07-15T11:15:00.000-07:00

This summer has been super busy fulfilling orders from the National Stationery Show and working on new holiday card designs for December. Here's a sneak peek of some of the new designs:

I love making type by hand. All of the type here was drawn with my Wacom Tablet in Photoshop. In fact, I just got the latest tablet yesterday after realizing how old my previous tablet was (going on 8 years... I guess they’re built to last). The new one is fantastic and will be inspiring lots more hand drawn type and imagery.

I spent July making paper cut snowflakes, spray painting them and scanning them in. Mixed with snowflakes drawn with my pen brush, and others drawn with my archival pen tips, the ‘Let it Snow’ illustration is a more like a snow storm of all my image techniques put together.

This illustration was greatly improved once I added in all my swirly lines (one of my favorite Photoshop brushes) and textures. I think I have texture addiction.

This is just a small peek of the holiday card collection to come for Winter 2008. Stay tuned for the entire collection debut coming soon. These cards should be for sale in about 2 or 3 weeks! I will have them up on astronautcat.com as soon as they are ready to ship.

Back from the National Stationery Show

2008-06-05T19:35:00.000-07:00

We are back from the National Stationery Show. We had a ton of fun, met lots of interesting people, learned more in 4 days than ever before, took some orders and made new friends. All in all it was a total success! We are looking forward to another year of making new cards and finding new retailers. We now have a rep for New Jersey and Staton Island. Look for our cards coming soon to many new retail locations across the US. Yippeee!

Drawing of the Month: Astronaut Cat

2008-05-08T09:08:00.000-07:00

Here is my newest print for sale on astronautcat.com:

Paper Loop cards featured in the New Product Display!

2008-05-05T16:47:00.000-07:00

Great news! We’ve just heard that Paper Loop’s ‘Garden Set’ will be featured at the National Stationery Show in their New Product Display. Our set will be judged among others for the Best New Product Award. We are really excited for the show and look forward to seeing what other people are up to. We can’t wait to meet potential new buyers and other greeting card professionals. We’re honored to be selected for this display. We can’t believe there are only 11 days until the show! We’re almost there. Yippee!

Also, check out the new Paper Loop website. I’ve updated it for a super simple look with everything very easy to navigate. You can check out all the new cards we will be displaying at the show!

Super Fun Illustration Assignment for Cincinnati Magazine

2008-05-05T09:48:00.001-07:00

Here is an illustration I recently did for Cincinnati Magazine. I had a ton of fun working on this one. It's a portrait of Nikki Giovanni, an influential poet currently teaching at Virginia Tech. Nikki spoke out after the Virginia Tech tragedy and has touched many lives with her simple yet bold & firety poetry. I wanted to capture her bold, poetic style in this illustration with strong colors and bold lettering. This illustration recently appeared in April's issue of Cincinnati Magazine.

My first year of self employment

2008-04-28T10:21:00.000-07:00

My one year of self employment anniversary is here! It has been a difficult journey going from fully employed complete with paychecks and benefits to fully self employed without any of those reassuring things. I have probably learned more this year than any other. Learning how to manage my clients, marketing and workflow has been fun and interesting. Managing my anxiety and stressful nature has been another. Self employment is a great thing but included with that package is the stress of no work and the stress of too much work. Handling that has been so challenging but I feel like I have finally learned to let go, stop worrying and just go with it. I have probably worked more hours this year than I can remember with sometimes only a handful of those hours billable.

No one ever said starting a business would be easy. Of course, I had to make it extra hard on myself and start two businesses at the same time. Fortunately, I've had amazing support from everyone around me to keep me sane when I can't see clearly. Now, one year later, I am just a few weeks away from the true launch of our greeting card company Paper Loop. Rob and I are really excited to go to the National Stationery Show and see what it's all about. There have been countless hours put into sorting out the details of having a booth, something I was not at all prepared for, not to mention the actual products. Going to a trade show is the most unfamiliar thing I've ever done. At times I wanted to rip my hair out screaming, dealing with one unknown after another. At least now we've narrowed it down to getting our final materials ready to ship out to New York.

I am looking forward to another year filled with new adventures, new clients and new inspirations. Making it through my first year reassures me that I can do it again for another year. Although it was hard, things tend to get easier the second time around. The things I love most about being self-employed are setting my own schedule, working from where ever I want, worrying only about myself and what I want, having the freedom to try new things and make new art, and of course time off whenever I want it!

Goals for my second year:

1. Expand Paper Loop to a national level.
2. Get new illustration jobs in editorial, advertising, fashion, publishing, licensing etc...
3. Create a body of fine art based on shapes, textures and colors.
4. Continue getting consistent client based work.
5. Generate interest + sales of my custom pet portraits.
6. Create a custom products for Paper Loop.

Other things I'd like to do:

1. Read more books.
2. Take a vacation! Grand Canyon maybe? Hawaii?
3. Continue my quest for the best mexican food in New Mexico.

Paper Loop Site Update

2008-04-23T09:23:00.000-07:00

Check out the new Paper Loop site! There are lots of new cards added for our debut Spring/Summer Collection 2008. The National Stationery Show is only 3 weeks away and we are almost ready to go. Just a few more details to sort out. Check back soon for our new card line available for purchase on Astronaut Cat.

My favorites are Crocodile Gift, Tree Set & Snail Birthday. Who could resist that happy little snail?

Drawing of the Month: Bonsai

2008-03-21T08:51:00.000-07:00

I just added a new illustration to my website: Bonsai. This is one of my favorite illustrations that I've made so far! I have always admired bonsais yet never owned one in fear that I might not be the best care taker. So, instead of owning a bonsai, I will illustration them! You can also look for this illustration soon at Paper Loop greeting cards. I will be selling blanks and blank sets of this design.

10 % off custom pet portraits, greeting cards, fine art prints and more!

2008-03-19T10:54:00.000-07:00

Introducing Custom Pet Portraits!

2008-03-17T10:12:00.000-07:00

This month I am so excited to announce one of my long awaited ideas that has finally come to fruition: custom pet portraits! Is your cat a cupcake connoisseur? Is your dog a sunset gazer or butterfly chaser? Whatever your pet's personality, I've got a background that will warm your heart and tickle your little pal's fancy. The idea here is stylish pet art that takes the guesswork out of the final art. Unlike traditional oil paintings or commissioned pet portraits, you will know exactly what you're getting right when you order. Log onto astronautcat.com and go to custom pet portraits, choose your background, choose your pet color scheme, send me a picture of your pet, and voile!–Fluffy will be instantly transformed into the art of your choice. You will receive one fine art archival print for framing. Perfect to surprise a loved one, frame for your desk or hang on the mantel!

Tell your friends!

Enter TENCATS to receive 10% off your first order! Offer expires 6.11.08.

What makes the perfect greeting card?

2008-03-13T09:30:00.000-07:00

Since I've moved to New Mexico, the one thing I really miss is the plethora of boutique card shops I would browse in LA. The selection there was endless, with everything from silkscreened cards, handmade cards, letterpressed, and many other charming designs using trusty cymk. Although the selection here is slimmer, I've still been able to find a few good stores. That being said, I now find myself going to Hallmark to find the perfect greeting card. This brings me to my question:

What makes the perfect greeting card?

Greeting cards are a very personal thing, for the sender and receiver. The card must deliver it's message in an interesting and unique way. it must fulfill what the sender wants to say and also warm the heart of the receiver. When you are browsing a card shop, the first thing a card should do is lure you in with it's graphics. The person should want to pick it up immediately to see what it says. The message should complete the thought of the graphic.

Why do people buy cards?

If people knew what they wanted to say, they'd just say it. Buying a card for someone indicates thoughtfulness. It makes the person receiving it feel special and acknowledges the occasion in an individual way. Cards are great because they can be given with a gift, a gift card or they can stand alone. Cards are the basis of the gift giving process and with or without a gift, are a cheap yet thoughtful way to celebrate an occasion. Also, everyone loves getting cards in the mail!

Do people like cards without messages?

This is a controversial point in the greeting card world. Some say that a card should always have a message, so the buyer can simply sign their name. On the other side, some buyers prefer a blank card so that they can write their own message. The buyer may not like any of the messages on any of the cards. When that happens, the buyer will resort to the blank card section.

With that in mind, I have been working on a variety of birthday cards, some blanks that say 'Happy Birthday' on the outside, and some with birthday messages on the inside. I am really curious to see which designs will be our best sellers. This is something I will have more insight on in 6 months or so.

Here is one of my latest birthday cards that is blank on the inside.

New Membership Gift

2008-02-11T12:34:00.000-08:00

Anyone who signs up for my email newsletter will receive 1 free print! To sign up go here.

Textures and Layers in Photoshop

2008-01-15T14:35:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-11T09:28:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-09T08:31:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-07T17:04:00.000-08:00

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

Illustration West 46

2007-11-15T10:00:00.000-08:00

I Just found out that these illustrations have been accepted into the Illustration West 46 online gallery. Yippee! Also, to see my gallery image from West 45 click here and look for the red tree image.

check out those cats!

2007-11-15T09:43:00.000-08:00

here are a collection of cat illustrations i've done in the past month. i especially love cat dancer. my cat really dances like this when presented with the appropriate toy! if you would like to buy a print i have some available on etsy, click here.

Print Magazine

2007-11-15T08:26:00.000-08:00

Look for Peter Walker Young Gravity art this month in the Print Design Annual!

2007-10-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

The Pasadena Museum of California Art holds their
California Design Biennial 2007 show. Check out Silversun Pickups!

astronaut cat is up!

2007-09-28T19:59:00.000-07:00

Astronautcat.com is finally up and running!
Shop for my prints, paintings, greeting cards and more...

Eulogies released

2007-09-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

Eulogies is in stores today! Designed by me, with original art by Aaron Burch. Check out eulogiesmusic.com

lookers and bird divers

2007-07-17T14:53:00.000-07:00

the type directors club

2007-05-05T19:40:00.000-07:00

The Type Directors Club features my Silversun Pickups Carnavas logo
in their annual show. Yay for type design!

Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles

2007-03-31T19:46:00.000-07:00

Billy Shire Fine Arts Gallery features my illustration 'red tree' for
the Society of Illustrators annual competition, Illustration West 45. Yippee! This was an illustration I did for a cd packaging.