Day of the Dead

Dia De Los Muertos is a holiday celebrated on the 1rst of November by people of Mexican heritage. It coincides with the Catholic holiday, All Saints Day. It is a day to honor the dead. The flowered skull is a common image for this holiday. Here is my interpretation:

Etsy treasury

Come check out my latest treasury: Jen's endless love BNR

BNR stands for buy and replace. I pick 12 etsy shops to feature. If a viewer buys something from one of the featured shops, I will put their shop into the treasury. It's a great way to showcase other sellers and also promote my own shop. I try to do as many BNR treasuries as I can!

Holiday style Matryoshkas

I decided to design some holiday gift tags. Now I never have to worry about running out of gift tags at the last minute (something I'm notorious for doing!). These little ladies look sweet in their festive attire and they're cute enough for a child's gift but sophisticated enough for an adult as well.

If you want this design for yourself, swing on over to my etsy store (JenniferTodd) where you can purchase a gift tag template for only $5.

Out of the archives

I dug these images out of my archives and thought I would share. This was one of my very first projects using Adobe Illustrator. I traced this jpeg of a plant and did all of the coloring and shading by hand to make it as realistic as possible. I was really proud of this illustration!

This little guy's name is Ezra

Owls seem to be everywhere. I don't know if it's just that time of the year or perhaps they are the new, hot "thing". Here is my digital version of an owl. I can't decide if he looks annoyed or pensive. You decide!

Ode to the Columbine

The columbine is the state flower of Colorado. It's a mangy looking shrub but it produces exotic looking blooms. I traced the images below in Illustrator. This is a great example of how the gradient mesh tool can add a realistic nature to a vector image.

Happiness is...

... a smiling little girl! Enjoy.

Shameless Self-Promotion

Last week, I opened up a store on Etsy. For those of you who don't know, Etsy is a website where regular folks like me can sell handmade items. If you've never been there, you must check it out now (I'll wait): http://www.etsy.com . My store will feature digital designs (web banners, logos, business promotional items, etc.) and my own line of stationery.

Be sure to mark my store in your favorites! http://www.jennifertodd.etsy.com

Love,
Jen

Matryoshka Madness

Matryoshka dolls have been around for a long time but they seem to be enjoying new interest recently. I had a set of these dolls as a youngster myself and this graphic brings back fond memories. I drew these dolls myself in Illustrator and my 6 year old just loves them. With various color schemes and apron illustrations, there is an infinite variety of these girls. Enjoy!