Good-bye 2018 & hello 2019!!

As we head into 2019 I am excited to be part of a creative community called IlloStories put together by two lovely and talented illustrators - Deborah Stein & Erica Root . For the entire year IlloStories will present themes and prompts to help us inspiring illustrators create exciting and new work for our portfolios.

If you are interested in joining the fun join the IlloStories facebook group, and keep an eye out for all the work with the tags @illostories #IlloStories on FB and instagram.

I tend to do well with challenges and prompts (it is my love for being a student :) Below are my #topnine from my instagram feed and 3 come from Creativebug’s class, Daily Painting Challenge: 31 Painted Patterns with Lisa Congdon and one of my illustrations that I did in Lilla Rogers’ Make Art That Sells Bootcamp. So it will be fun to see what will come from IlloStories .

Thank you & peace,

Virginia

this is my ‘top-nine’ from my instagram …

Journal cover for MATS' bootcamp

This year I have joined a most talented group of illustrators and artists in one of Lilla Roger's Make Art That Sells classes.  Lilla leads a number of online classes to help illustrators find their niche and improve their portfolios, two things that I need to do.  

The bootcamp is a 5 month program with one big assignment each month with a mini assignment to get the juices flowing.  This month the mini was to draw anything 'tea' related which prepped us all for the big assignment: 

“Create a journal cover around the theme of reading tea leaves. Feel free to use your art from the mini or make new art. ”

— https://makeartthatsells.com

below are some of sketches and paintings that I did working up to my final piece ...

holiday window contest

in a few hours the polls will close for this years Natick Center Cultural District's Holiday window contest and no matter where you are you can vote!!!  Here are some pictures of the holiday windows from Renew Arts & Industry which your's truly created. :)

And here is a bit of info about the contest and the link to vote ...

Natick Center Cultural District is happy to announce it's 6th annual Holiday Window Contest! This contest offers the businesses and favorite places downtown a chance to win the title of "Best Holiday Window 2017", be recognized in a special ceremony, win a NCCD 2018 membership, and have their business name engraved on the Holiday Window Contest trophy! 

It's not going to be easy to choose but vote for your favorite window beginning on Nov. 26th at 6:00 pm. (Voting will close on December 10th at 6:00 pm.) 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZJY2JPW

Help your favorite business by voting soon and keeping Natick looking merry and bright for the holidays!

#dailydressseries at Uni-T, at the Natick Mall

today I dropped off a number of 5x7 matted photographs of some of my #dailydressseries 
to add to my window installation at shop Shop Uni-T  , they have a selection of dailydress notecards as well. all the photos are from the ever growing collection of ephemeral dresses made during my everyday journey. to see more, check out my instagram feed, virginiacreates

top left: beach muse ...
top right: from the ground up
lower left: wedding dress
lower right: on thin ice

ducks in a row ....

during the course of the past years my blogs have multiplied, to the point that maintaining them has become daunting. and since one of my intentions for 2017 is to get my social media ducks in a row i am combining my many blogs and putting them here on my new website!! 

all this online 'stuff' take time, but my hope is that a year, 2017, is an adequate time to set up my new website, set-up and open my Etsy shop, or at least an online store and get back to blogging, because i truly enjoy blogging.  

during this change-over process i am aware of all these 'rules' and routines about social media and how having all this noise in my head has nearly paralyzed me, so i am trying to get back to basics, what is important ... so let's see how this goes.