I love the beach. It’s usually around March that I start to get antsy to get back to the smell of the fresh ocean air and the sand between my toes.

It’s been too long. I guess that’s where all of the ocean themed inspiration came from while I was working on this “Vitamin Sea” Collection. I’ve always been a little disappointed with the options for bedding for kids. There’s always the sharks, the dinosaurs, the flowers and the unicorns. But what about all the other cool stuff that kids like? Like Octopus!!

We recently watched a documentary about Octopi ?? (Is that what you call more than one?) It was amazing. They are quite simply, one of the most intelligent and transformative creatures on earth. And we still know very little about them.

Although they aren’t the most beautiful per se, they are strangely mystical and mysterious. I had so much fun sketching out the many arms and details on this little guy. I wanted to create a softer edge for all those moving parts, so I used a series of dots instead of lines to create a bit more flowy appearance. I love how he turned out.

 

 

So often I’ll have a rough idea of what to do with an illustration like this and the most fun thing is seeing it come together into a usable product. This Collection has a few coordinates that are more basic, but also super user friendly.

 

 

 

 

 

“Starfish” is another playful pattern that works well as Wallpaper too. These colors could work for a boys or girls room. What kid wouldn’t love to fall asleep next to so many happy stars?

 

 

The inspiration for these simple shapes came straight from the “Exquisite Creatures” Exhibit featured at Omsi last month. I actually had a whole separate blog post about this exhibit- it was that cool.

I just love how scale and texture draws you into this framed artwork. Nature is the master craftsman. God’s amazing creativity is nothing less than Wonder-Full. I really wanted to recreate that sense of dancing that you get when you see a collection of sea stars together like this. There’s just something about simple shapes organized in a beautiful way that can ignite a little spark of that childlike wonder.

 

Speaking of Wonder….

I came across some gorgeous orchid photos online the other day and sat down to see if I could paint a few.

These quick color studies were so fun. I love how watercolor creates that natural gradation unlike any other painting medium. The blend of dark to light is what I love the most about flowers like these. I did put them into a repeating pattern, although translating watercolor into digital vectors isn’t always the most satisfying. What do you think?

 

 

 

It definitely gets me excited for Spring Flowers. The Daffodils are starting to pop up outside and the Cherry blossoms are blooming. Spring is very much on it’s way. And I’m so ready for it!

Can’t wait to get digging and planting in the garden again. Till next time!