Siblings and Sandcastles

Perhaps it's not always the best idea to build sandcastles with your siblings! I made this illustration for a workshop in Oakland and I had a lot of fun creating the story line.

For the workshop, I also created a model sheet of the two characters to figure out their anatomy:

You might recognize the girl from my "Sisters" series. I've really enjoyed exploring the many facets of her personality and have honed the look of her features over time :).

If you want to try your hand at adding some color to this sad sandcastle scene, here's a free coloring page as well!

Results: Arbor Day Coloring Contest

Hi all,

Sorry for the long hiatus. I've been writing and illustrating up a storm :) I thought I'd share the results of the Arbor Day Coloring Contest:

First Place: Mahdy Muratov, 2nd Grade

2nd Place: Megan Tian, 2nd Grade

3rd Place: Memphis Gray, 3rd Place

I love how everyone took a unique approach to coloring the scene. I also enjoyed the creative details (sunglasses, stars, shading). As promised, I sent each winner some goodies:

The first place winner got an original drawing:

Congratulations again to all the winners and I hope everyone had a great Arbor Day :) Once again, if you'd like to try your hand at coloring your own version, here's a blank version of the coloring page:

GIVEAWAY + Lake Oswego Arbor Day Coloring Contest

Lake Oswego is celebrating their 25th year as a Tree City USA. In celebration of Arbor Day, they commissioned me to design a coloring page for their annual art contest.

I'd also like to leave this contest open to my readers. Print out the coloring page above, color it any way you'd like, and share your work of art in the comments below. At the end of April, I'll select a winner and send an envelope full of goodies to you :).

For inspiration, here were last year's winners:

Aren't they amazing? Here's a close up of some their wonderful coloring skills:

So get to it! Celebrate Arbor Day with some coloring and we'll see who gets the prize at the end of the month!

wild + jungle

Only wild men can tackle wild animals. . crikey, that jaguar's close!

In case you want to place this battle in a different setting, here's a free coloring page:

In other news, I made a little coloring page for the Lake Oswego Arbor Day art contest, so if you're in the Portland area, your kids could be famous!  Click on the image below for the entry form.

Lastly, I made a little illustration for my friend Melissa's wedding last year.  It was such a personal and touching ceremony.  She was featured in Style Me Pretty.  Click on the image below to learn about her story!

swim

This gal uses brute force when it comes to converting a reluctant swimmer. The boy character actually popped into my sketchbook during jury duty last week as well.  It's amazing how much creative work gets done when you're forced to sit and wait for two solid days lol.

As usual, this illustration comes with a free coloring page!

And speaking of coloring pages. . are you looking for coloring pages for the Easter holiday?  Well, I've got plenty of Hipster Bunny coloring pages right here.  Happy Easter everyone!

eye glasses

Each pair of hipster bunny's eye glasses comes with a different personality.  Hence, he looks different in the mirror every day.  You see, that's how hipster bunny stays ahead of the trend!

I ended up creating this illustration during four days of jury duty lol.  It was my first time as a juror and I'm glad I went through the experience!  I just wish I got a sticker at the end of the process, much like we do after voting.  I think that would encourage more people to participate because I'm a firm believer of positive reinforcement ;).

And in case you want to try your hand at coloring the different personalities of hipster bunny, here's a free coloring page:

I included the textured background because I think it really adds to the vintage mirror look.  Enjoy!

Yesterday

The word "yesterday" has me thinking back to my Ireland trip in 2011.  To the people there, "yesterday" and 200 years ago are one and the same.  Their roots and culture are still skin deep. . their stories are rich with history. 

For instance, as I was sketching this 400 year old cottage, the people from the pub across the street were able to detail each and every one of its past residents.  One enthusiast even began reciting poetry from a well-known writer who lived there in the 1600s!

Also, I thought I'd share this coloring page, just in time for St. Patrick's Day!  I wonder if those glasses are available somewhere. . I think I'd look pretty hip wearing a pair this weekend ;).

You can see the original illustration here.

whisper + GIVEAWAY!

The sisters are back again!  And although they're older, it looks like the eldest is still up to no good. . .whispering scandalous secrets in her little sister's ear.

What could the secret be?  Here's your chance to let your imagination run wild:

Also, I'm announcing my first GIVEAWAY!!  Would you like to have your very own Hipster Bunny magnet?

If you do, just leave a comment describing what youthink Hipster Bunny will be doing for Easter this year.  The deadline is Monday, March 11th, 12pm PST.  I'll reveal the winner in my next entry.  Good luck folks :)

wool

I got inspiration from Shaun the Sheep for this illustration.  He's a wooly character that has garnered much admiration from children around the world.

I actually made this drawing for a friend's personal project.  She created an app to play the card game Sheep's Head and needed some artwork.  Here's the final card:

In case you would like to color your own little sheep, here's a free coloring page:

I decided to include the textured paper since it will add dimension to the background that you create.  Use your imagination!  Where else could this sheep be hanging out?  With a flock of farm animals?  In a city?  In space?  Feel free to email me with your creations :).

storm

Here are two sisters with very different reactions to an oncoming storm.  You might recall this pair from a previous illustration.  I have at least another scenario for the duo to play out which, of course, involves food lol.

Here's a coloring page. . .feel free to use your imagination and draw what the sisters could be staring at through the window:

Also, Happy Valentine's Day :).  Here are two coloring pages that fit the holiday quite nicely as well:

Hope you have fun with friends and loved ones today!

wheel

When he's not riding a narwhal, hipster bunny's choice of transportation is on the sweet sweet wheels of his vintage penny-farthing.  This pairs well with his ironic Monopoly outfit.

Where else would hipster bunny ride his penny-farthing?  Here's a coloring page so you can explore a few other settings :).

wings

I ended up drawings a cupid with wings. . .who oddly looks like one of the Rugrat twins lol.

If you'd like to take a shot at drawing wings on your very own cupid, here's another coloring page:

Just promise to share your finished masterpiece with me please :)

myth

Hipster Bunny is on a hunt for the mythical unicorn. . while riding what I consider to be the most mythical creatures we have on Earth right now: a narwhal.

In case you want to color your own narwhal riding bunny, here's a coloring page!

Happy unicorn hunting everyone :)

explore

This big sister refuses to explore the possible benefits of acquiring a new baby sister. . .instead, she chooses to ignore said baby.  We'll see how long that tactic lasts ;)

The big sister character randomly showed up in my sketchbook a few weeks back so I decided to build a story around her.  I was also playing around with a more on point "explore" sketch involving hipster bunny riding a narwhal, but we'll just have to save that for another day lol.

My Moment in Time book talk went well so thanks to everyone that came!  Now that I've got a talk under my belt, I'm thinking of visiting some schools so let me know if you guys have any suggestions in the SF bay area.

Until next time, here's a free coloring page.  Might be good for any frustrated big sisters out there hehe:

freeze

You might freeze while belly sliding through snow, but racing penguins looove it. . .especially because they get to fart snowflakes! 

I designed this logo for my boyfriend's 24 Hours of Lemons team, since their theme is "arctic explorers."  I'll also be painting a belly sliding penguin on the side of their car. . .woo hoo :)

In case you want to color your own snowflake farting, belly sliding, racing penguin, here's a free coloring page:

Sorry for the long absence from blogland.  I'm about to wrap up my last week of workshops at Sacred Heart Atherton before going on a few personal trips to LA and then Burning Man (yikes).  I'll try to put in another post somewhere in there but no promises!

carry

I just spent a wonderful weekend playing board games at a friend's family cabin and there was a charming gnome chilling outside the entrance.  I decided to reinterpret him for Illustration Friday's "carry." I figured blueberries would be the perfect thing to carry for the summer season :)

I went for a less saturated look and I think I may have gone too far. . but hey, that's part of the exploration process right?  And here's another free coloring page, so you can try out your own color combinations!

I'm not sure when my next entry will be.  I'm in the middle of teaching cartoon workshops again to some very bright and talented kids.  You may remember the results from last year here.

Also, I'm excited to announce that I'll be giving a talk about my picture book A Moment in Time at Book Passage on Saturday, December 8, 11am.  I'll be talking about turning moments into memories and memories into universal stories (through pictures and words).  I hope to see you there!