How gorgeous was Marchesa’s Resort collection? If you missed it, you can find all the looks here. I follow them on Instagram and love seeing up close garment details and inspiration behind the line! I picked my three favorite “casual sunday brunch” looks and had so much fun rendering the details… meet my Marchesa triplets!
After a short work day, I’m off to the beach to enjoy some sunshine! Hope you have a fabulous holiday weekend!!
~Joanna <3
I’m a firm believer in celebrating victories big and small when you’re working hard to pursue a dream… and this past Sunday, I reached 3,000 Instagram followers!
When I quit my full-time job back in January of this year, I had a vision of where I wanted to be, the support of my close friends and family, and about 600 sweet Instagram cheerleaders giving me that extra boost to make the leap.
Fast forward nearly 5 1/2 months later and I’m able to share my journey with some wonderful people! I love seeing the comments and making a connection through my art, it helps me to keep going, keep pushing to achieve my goals and know in my heart that if you work hard enough and believe in yourself, you can will your dreams into reality.
I hope you have a happy Wednesday and a wonderful July 1st! I’m excited to celebrate the 4th this weekend with some dear friends and hopefully plenty of watermelon! =)
~Joanna <3
Happy Friday! Hope you had a great week and have fabulous plans for the weekend! I get a lot of comments on Instagram and questions via e-mail asking what materials I use to create my drawings. So for a fun Friday post, I thought I’d share all about my favorite supplies!
First up, the most important part… Copic Sketch markers. They are definitely my favorite brand and although I have Chartpak and Prismacolor markers too, I can achieve the best blending with Copics. Unfortunately they are also the most expensive =( but I think it’s worth it. The brush side on the sketch marker almost feels like painting! If you’re going to go for the Copics, be sure to pick up a colorless blender too. It helps blend colors together and can even dilute pigment if you make a little mistake or need to soften the color. My favorite Copics for skin tones are YR000 Silk, E50 Egg Shell, E51 Milky White, E31 Brick Beige, and E35 Chamois and for the perfect pout, R29 Lipstick Red and RV29 Crimson.
The second most important… paper. I’ve tried my fair share of papers and it’s really hard to find ones that don’t bleed and feather when the markers soak in. So far the best ones I’ve found are both by Canson. My go-to paper for originals is the Canson 150lb. Illustration “FanBoy” paper. I usually work on 9 x 12 size paper and then trim it down if I need to. It’s a smooth, acid-free, heavyweight paper and is nice and substantial for original pieces. For practicing and doing rough sketches I use Canson Marker Paper. It has a special coating on it that prevents bleed-through to the other side. You can really move the ink around on this paper which can be fun for blending but can also lead to muddy looking drawings. So experiment and have fun with it!
I use colored pencils and ink to do the outlines on all my drawings. I keep going back to Prismacolor pencils because I have my favorite colors for outlining, Black, 90% Cool Grey, and 70% Cool Grey. For highlights I use a white Prismacolor pencil and if crisp white is needed, either a white gouache and tiny paint brush or even a white gel pen for details. For really dark blacks, I sometimes use black Micron pens or Copic pens on outlining but this is used very sparingly.
That’s pretty much it! I hope this helps when choosing your own art supplies. It’s fun to try new things and experiment with new techniques. Happy sketching!
~Joanna <3
Exciting shop news to report! I’ve recently partnered with Simply Framed to offer beautiful custom framing on all of my art prints! Each hand-crafted wooden frame is created right here in the USA.
When you add framing to your order, you’ll receive a carefully packaged kraft gift-wrapped piece ready for hanging. It comes complete with UV-shielding plexiglass (which protects against about 89% of UV rays and 92% of light transmission), a custom cut acid-free 4-ply white mat with beveled edges, protective paperback finishing, wall bumpers, and hanging hardware. Read more about the Simply Framed process here.
Now that framing is easy, I’m taking advantage and offering for the first time ever framed original artwork! I’ve decided to clean out my {overflowing} stash of originals and will make some of them available for sale in my online shop. These items are all one of a kind, hand illustrated on acid-free 150lb illustration board, signed and dated in ink. I’ll be adding them to the shop in waves so be sure to check back often to see when new pieces are up for sale!
And to top off the exciting news (you may have already seen on Instagram), a selection of my note cards, journals, greeting cards, and coasters are now available in my first ever retail location! The Greenpoint General Store now carries my illustrations at 87 Oak Street in Brooklyn. Be sure to stop by and see them for yourself in person =)
Hope you have a happy and productive week!!
~Joanna <3
P.S. Everything I debuted at Renegade Craft Fair is now available in the shop, so be sure to check it out!
I’m so excited because as I type this we on en route to the beach! It’s just for the day but that’s one of the best things about living on an island… the ocean isn’t too far away! I got up early this morning and started sketching a summertime beach wishlist. Loving these bright colors!
Beach Tote: The Catrinka Project
Sunglasses: Warby Parker
Sun Hat: Anthropologie
Board Shorts: J.Crew
Earrings: J.Crew
Have a great weekend!
~Joanna <3
