The homeschool group that meets at my church is putting on a play. My friend is the talented and brave director. Coordinating 30+ kids k-12 and getting them all to sing and smile and put on a play is no mean feat. Anyway, I made this poster. It’s a one night performance and it should be mighty entertaining. 🙂
Here are some of my favorite details. 🙂
A friend of mine just had her first boy. I am so happy for her. I made this little painting for her. I also wrote the little poem to go around it. I don’t think my poetry is anything to write home about, but I like that it gives context to the illustrative theme I chose. It was all inspired by a story someone told me about a boy who collected pill bugs in his pockets and his poor mamma who washed his jeans without checking the pockets.
I’d never been to Colorado. The husband took me on a road trip for our anniversary. We attended The Weekend To Remember, which was great. I had a little time to paint, which was a real blessing. Colorado was just beautiful.
A card I made for a little buddy who turned 5 this month. Forgot to scan it, so I snapped a photo on the way to the party.
I’ve decided I like having an iPhone.
I’ve been learning a new skill, and I find it rather exciting. Oh how I love youtube and those wonderful generous tutorial video contributors. When I was a kid I learned a little about pen calligraphy, with the flat nib, held at an angle, but it was so strict I never completely dedicated myself to it. Brush calligraphy appeals to me much more keenly. I still need loads of practice, but here is one of my first (presentable) attempts. It’s a card for a friend who graduated this year. 🙂 
A friend of a friend asked me to design their wedding invitations. The theme was “Bilbo’s Party”. After discussing it with the Bride and looking at some examples of things she and the Groom liked, we came up with the idea of having the illustrations be monochrome navy blue. I’m really pleased with the outcome. I did it in watercolor, my current medium of choice. I especially like the effect the masked out moon and lanterns have on the main image. I did use some white paint (like a cheater) for the details, but I think the art police will forgive me.
This is the front and back of the RSVP Card. Which read “Will you make the journey?” “Cordially Accept / Regretfully Decline”
Too cute, right?!
I’m just posting the illustrations and not the final designs because the wedding is this summer and I don’t want any of you crazy people crashing this sweet couple’s wedding. 😉
The home school group that meets at my Church is putting on a musical production. This is the poster I made for them. It was fun getting to do the illustration of the kids I know from Church. My favorite part is “Patch the Pirate” who is played by a gal who is just so cute and is planning on wearing her glasses over the patch. 🙂
This last week I pulled out my inner geek and painted this little illustration for a friend’s birthday.
I recently finished the illustrations for Mercy & Melons by Lisa Nichols Hickman; published by Abingdon Press 2014 (to be released in September). All of the interior illustrations were done in watercolor. Working with one color is a fantastic challenge. I loved it. 
Originally we were going to go with a deep yellow ochre, so that’s the color I worked in. Halfway through the project the client decided a brown would be better. 
I have to say, as much as I love yellow, I agree, brown is a better choice here. I continued to work in the ochre for the heck of it and then cleaned them up and colored them digitally. Here are a few of my favorites. Enjoy!
Yesterday was the 10 year anniversary of my brother Justin’s death.
I never quite know how to deal with anniversaries of this sort. I miss him a lot. He was my closest sibling. He was a year older, and we went through a lot together before he was taken home to be with Jesus at 20. He was amazing, funny and talented and I think he secretly thought the same of me. Like the time he showed his best friend a few of my paintings without my knowing. It felt good to know my big brother was proud of me.
It’s weird, after 10 years his name is still on the tip of my tongue. I don’t know what to do with that. We were close, but I’ve known siblings who were closer. There are days and weeks when I don’t think of him. There are days when I look at my kids and feel like crying because he didn’t get to see me be a mom. I didn’t get to see him be a dad. I used to just barge into his room and talk about whatever I was thinking about. If something was bothering me, or whatever. He’d meander around his room listening to me. Sometimes he’d respond. Sometimes he’d just shrug. Sometimes I felt annoyed, sometimes reassured.
I draw owls for him because that was the animal he picked for himself. I was a hen. That always made me laugh.
Celia Marie Baker 