a study in pink {illustration}

Both of these illustrations were done for the Home and Garden section of UT San Diego. The first illustration was on Cosmos - pretty flowers that bloom in the summer and can handle low-water conditions. They are also great as cut flowers. Not very conceptual, but lovely to look at.

The second one was about senior gardening - specifically tips on how to stay safe gardening as you get older. The flowers, vines and thorns in the foreground represent the hidden dangers lurking in your garden.

Have a safe, but lovely weekend!

2011 Garden Round-Up {illustration}

Here are the twelve Water-wise garden illustrations I did last year. I thought I would put them all together and in order in one place to see how they evolved. One major change I noticed was the use of black in the first two. I guess once I went without black in the March illustration, it never really came back. I also feel like the illustrations got more complex as time when on - I started layering the colors on top of each other and rendering the plants in more detail. If I had to choose, my two favorites are March and April.  If you have a moment, tell me which one is your favorite.


Below, I've added the first two Garden illustration for this year. Can't wait to see where this new series leads me...

Water-wise Garden illustration for January 2012 - Strawberry

Water-wise Garden illustration for February 2012 - Kiwi

Good plants for good bugs {illustration}

I did this illustraton for a story on the plants that attract beneficial insects to your garden. It is in today's Union-Tribune on the cover of the Home & Garden section. The flower on the left is a Cornflower or Bachelor's Button (Centaurea cyanus) and the flower at the bottom is a Borage (Borago officinalis). Gorgeous little blooms for our little creatures. Happy weekend!

Flowers for Mother's Day {illustration}

So, this illustration wasn't actually done for Mother's Day - it ran last month on April 2nd. But I thought it was perfectly pretty to put up here in honor of Mother's Day. The featured plant is a Phlomis or Jerusalem Sage. I've never seen one in person, but the pictures I worked from were just beautiful. Nan Sterman writes the Water Wise features for the Home and Garden section of the Union-Tribune. She often supplies me with her own stunning photos to use as reference - thanks, Nan! See her blog Plant Soup for some great info on changing your gardens to be more "water-wise."

My husband and I have been doing just that. It's been a slow process, but we have added a dessert garden to our front yard and are adding a huge bed of succulents to the back yard as well. Ninety-five percent of our potted plants are succulents now too. I love how easy they are to keep alive and propagate into new plants as well.

And that brings me back around to Mother's Day. Children aren't as easy to raise as succulents, but the joy they bring is something I never could quite imagine until I experienced it myself. If I brought my own mother half of what I feel for my own son, I know she was the happiest mother on earth. I certainly know I was the happiest daughter while I had her around. Happy Mother's Day.