Showing posts with label cheryl oz designs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cheryl oz designs. Show all posts

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds Watercolor Illustration


Just in time for Spring and the arrival of the Ruby-Throated hummingbirds back from their migration journey. To me hummingbirds are one of the most amazing creatures we have on this planet. I'm always amazed at the super-sonic speed of their little wings and their intrepid force to retrieve the nectar, dive-bombing the other hummingbirds to feast. These little birds are voracious when it comes to the luscious red nectar! Oh how I love watching them, so beautiful, so tiny...
nature is brilliant!


My original piece was created in watercolor. Prints are now available in my Etsy shop.







Monday, December 08, 2014

After the Detroit Urban Craft Fair...



I had "the best time" being a vendor at the Detroit Urban Craft Fair. Around 4pm, on Saturday, I remember standing there and it was almost like everything stopped for a split second and I had this overwhelming feeling of gratitude come over me. I'm so beyond grateful for all of the hard work that Handmade Detroit puts into the show so that it was an amazing success yet again this year. I'm so grateful that all of my hard work paid off leading up to the show and that I have a husband that supports what I'm doing and a Mom who is always there by my side and is able to lend a hand whenever she can. I enjoyed chatting with all of the lovely people that attended the show and all of their amazing comments about my work. My heart is overwhelming full... and I cannot think of a better way to start the holiday season and the new year! Happy Holidays and thank you so much from the bottom of my heart to everyone! xo xo xo

Thursday, December 04, 2014

Vernor Ginger Ale Watercolor Illustration Print

Vernors Ginger Ale was originally created by James Vernor, a clerk who worked at a Detroit, Michigan drugstore. James Vernor was called off to war in 1892, so he sealed up his "secret ingredients" in an oak cask, and upon his return he found out that something "deliciously different" (also the company tagline), happened in the aging process. In 1880, sales of the Vernors Ginger Ale became public in the drugstore that James Vernor opened, soon bottling and distribution began and later he opened a soda fountain.

Archival quality prints are now available in my Etsy shop of this Detroit classic soda!


Monday, November 24, 2014

time to make the donuts....


This is a little how I feel right now about making cards & prints for the shops, galleries and craft fairs for the holiday season. Just a little fun for the day! Who remembers this cute commercial?

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Herb Watercolor Illustration Prints

All of my Herb Watercolor Illustration single prints are now available in my Etsy shop! All of the images are linked to my Etsy shop. Thanks for stopping by!











Saturday, November 15, 2014

Herbs: my work in progress...

A few years back, even before I was really selling my work publicly my Aunt had asked if I would work on some herb illustrations for her kitchen. I did start them at one point, but I never fully executed my whole idea, so I started over and I'm working on them now for a collection of herbs. Here's a sneak peek of my work in progress... (more to come soon!)




Friday, October 31, 2014

Happy Halloween... Mad Men style!

Here's a little tidbit about me... I LOVE HALLOWEEN! We used to go to parties, but now it's more about hanging out, with some pizza, snacks, our fire pit out front while we sip spiked apple cider and pass out treats to the kids. I still love to dress up too! I don't always dress up, but I usually try to get in the spirit a bit.

This year, I decided to dress up a bit more than usual. I've been watching a lot of the Mad Men series, while I work on my along MidCentury Cocktail Series Illustrations. I love the show. I cannot get enough of it! So I decided to be a male, Art Director (because well, there were no female AD's back then) in the ad agency of Sterling-Cooper!



Now I gotta get back to work! I have a big presentation with the Lucky Strike cigarette people in the morning! Joan.... get me a drink!



Sunday, October 26, 2014

Cosmopolitan MidCentury Cocktail Watercolor Illustration Series

The Cosmopolitan. Definitely a girl's night out kind of cocktail, but it's not "just for the ladies." It's a very delicious, classic cocktail that's loved by all and perfectly festive to serve for the holidays.



Friday, October 24, 2014

Gimlet + Sidecar MidCentury Cocktail Watercolor Series Illustrations

I finished up two more MidCentury cocktail illustrations today! The Gimlet & The Sidecar. The Gimlet is a vodka drink, sweetened with lime juice and served on the rocks. Yum! The Sidecar is made with cognac, triple sec, and lemon juice. Shake it up with ice and serve in a fancy cocktail glass. Cheers to the weekend!



Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Moscow Mule Midcentury Cocktail Watercolor Print

My love for all things mid-century continues...  and with that, I'm really excited about my new series of watercolor + gouache illustrations -- 60's cocktails! I started with the Moscow Mule for a few reasons. One, you gotta love a drink that's served in a copper mug. Two, a good friend of mine introduced us to the MM's this Summer and I think it's probably my favorite go-to Summer cocktail from here on out. If you haven't tried one, I would highly recommend it. So refreshing and a bit spicy!

I had a short contest yesterday on Facebook -- for voters to win the Moscow Mule print. I had two different versions of a layout with different copy and I was having a hard time deciding on which one I wanted to be the final version. The winner is below and it's now available for purchase on my Etsy shop in two sizes, 8x10 and 11x14. I'll also have single cards available very soon. I'm working on my next cocktail now, and I'll give you a hint it has to do with the color blue.




Monday, April 21, 2014

Little People Cards

I have a friend that I've met from doing indie craft shows and she makes notebooks and jewelry from vintage records and albums as well as having a cool vintage clothing shop called Reware Vintage. In her vintage hunting travels, she stumbled upon Fisher Price Little People and she purchased some for her children, so I asked her to pick up a handful for me as well. They have been sitting on the windowsill in my studio office for over a year now. I love looking at them. I've had the card ideas for awhile now and finally I've been able to execute a few of them and there will definitely be more to come!

If you follow my blog or my artwork,  you know that I'm a big fan of toys from my childhood. When I was a little kid, I played with Fisher Price toys as I'm sure most children did from my generation. They were well-made and lasted forever. I could kick myself but I just sold some of my own in a garage sale before I started my illustration business. Anyway in the summer, when we needed a break from sprinklers, Big Wheels and roller skates, my Mom would set up a blanket on the front porch filled with my Fisher Price Little People toys. My friends would bring their Little People over and we'd have a town full of fun.

The illustrations have been done digitally in Adobe Illustrator. I love their little faces, and simple shaped bodies. They make me smile and bring me back to a time when life was simple. All three are available in my Etsy shop for purchase.

Fisher Price Little People Mother's Day Card

Fisher Price Little People Father's Day Card

Fisher Price New Baby Card



Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Puppy Love


|  Puppy Love : hand-drawn digital illustration  |

When I originally created the puppy love design it was only in black and white, because it was printed on some Kraft paper and embellished for a Valentine card. As time went on I had often thought of taking that illustration and giving it some life with color, to make prints and maybe even more cards too. So that's just what I did today. What do you think?

Friday, April 26, 2013

Window Display - Dancing Eye Gallery


Girls Night Out window display at Dancing Eye Gallery!

Last weekend at Dancing Eye Gallery in Northville it was Girls Night Out downtown. They asked me if I could bring in some Barbie images for their window display - thinking that the "girls" would love the Barbie prints. Of course I said yes! Janine who works at the gallery did a great job of filling the window with tons of great gifts for the event.

Lots of other cute gifts amongst the Barbie prints!

Girls Night Out was a big success at Dancing Eye Gallery, so today I stopped in and replenished lots of Barbie prints, cards and other goodies. My Mom came along and dropped off some crochet goodies (unicorn, frogs, bumblebees, robots) too!

It's a really great shop, with Theresa (the super-fun-fantastic owner) and the gals that work there are always cheerful and ready to help you with whatever you need . I always enjoy stopping in to drop off my work -- just being there gives me a lot of inspiration. Downtown Northville makes for a great afternoon when you just want to have a day to play!

Check out that super cute Sock Monkey wine bottle bag!

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Modern Portait

Just a quick post to show you this modern portrait that I did as a custom piece. I used a loose watercolor style with a pen & ink illustration. The client wanted me to use neutral colors since this is a wedding gift and she didn't know where they would be hanging it in their home.


Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Think Spring... with a Bicycle!

We really needed a new rug for our foyer and I feel like the beginning of Spring is a great time to do it! We needed something fresh + fun around here after the long, sad winter!

Saturday, May 05, 2012

Get Your Paint On - Week 3

"candy"

So, here it is... Week 3 already! Our class is just zipping by! This week was all about color. The assignment was to use 4 colors. I struggled a bit with a subject to paint, and then I finally decided on some retro candy. There's a great candy shop near our house that is loaded with retro candies! I came home with a bagful for inspiration and finally settled on a few pieces for the painting. In case you're wondering what the white blobs are, they are the Brach's nougat candies with fruit-flavored gummies inside and the round green candies are Appleheads, even though they look like giant peas! It's been a busy week so this is a small one.



Gouache • illustration board • 5x5"

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Get Your Paint On - Week 2



Our second painting assignment this week from Get Your Paint On was to find another artist that we love and that something from that artist/painting as literally or as figuratively as we like. So my inspiration was from Anna Bond of Rifle Paper Co.

I love her gouache paintings! What I love about Anna's work for one is that she paints in gouache. But, what really intrigues me is her simple, opaque shapes. I like all of her work, but I really like her flowers, and perhaps because it's springtime I really felt compelled to paint flowers. That being said, I really struggled with making simple shapes and not a lot of detail. I feel like it's less like Anna's work and more like my own which is more detailed. I guess while I was working on it, I just felt like I couldn't go with less detail. I don't know if that even makes sense. Perhaps it's because it's just my style to be more detailed. I don't know... Since typically I paint in traditional watercolor I also struggled with what to do in the vase with the stems. While I was working I knew exactly what I would have done with translucent watercolor, but I felt with the gouache it was more of a challenge. I do like how the piece turned out overall, but I stressed a lot.

Gouache on cold press illustration board

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Get Your Paint On : Week 1



Our first assignment of Get Your Paint On is to draw inspiration from Gee's Bend quilters of Alabama.

In our class we could choose between gouache or acrylic. I painted with gouache "a little" in a college and from time to time I paint with that medium still so I decided to go with that for my first painting.

I really wanted to use a color scheme that was something that I wouldn't normally think of. I was inspired by a selection of colors in a Pantone book, called Woodland colors. I really liked the woody tone mixed with hot and bright colors too. It was really fun to do something geometric and with really no planning, which is so not me. I really enjoyed it. :)

Can't wait for our next assignment on Monday!

Saturday, April 14, 2012

get your paint on 2012



I have to tell you about something that I'm really, no REALLY EXCITED about. I'm taking an online painting class (Get Your Paint On), per a recommendation via my friend Nicole (also, another illustrator - Sloe Gin Fizz). The class isn't just any ol' painting class, it's taught by the super talented and cool illustrators Lisa Congdon and Mati McDonough. If you haven't heard of them, check 'em out! I love their work!

Okay, so some people may wonder, why are you taking a painting class? You know how to paint. Yes, I do know how to paint, but I feel like continuing education is always a good thing. I'm hoping to open myself up to new ideas and gain some artistic freedom from this course. I love the whimsical styles of both of the instructors so I'm hoping a little of that will rub off on me. :)

Yesterday I went to the art supplies store and picked up a few items that I needed for class. Our first class starts tomorrow. Each week we're given a bit of a reading assignment and inspiration then we paint and post our paintings to a private Flickr site for everyone in the class to critique. I'll post my paintings here though, so you can see them. It reminds me of art school again and I just loved being in art school.

More to come on this soon!

Wednesday, April 04, 2012

Nutty Butters

Nutty Butters

My Mom came over for dinner yesterday and while she was over we were looking at the April issue of Martha Stewart Living and we both oohed over this recipe. So we jumped up and made them!

These cookies will remind you of the ol' Nutter Butter cookies without the cream filling! You can make them with peanuts, almonds or cashews, just be sure to match up the same kind of nut butter with whatever nut you choose.

Nutty Butters - Makes 24 cookies
(from Martha Stewart)

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 c. old fashioned oats (not quick cook)
1 c. plus 2 T. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. coarse salt
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 c. nut butter
1/2 c. chopped nuts

Melt 1/2 stick butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add oats, and cook, stirring until toasted, 5 to 7 minutes or until oats are golden brown. Spread oat mixture on a parchment-lined baking sheet; let cool.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350. Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Beat together remaining stick butter and the sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add egg, and beat until combined. Add nut butter, and beat on a medium speed until well combined.

Add oat mixture and chopped nuts, and beat on low speed until combined. Add flour mixture, and beat until combined.

*Roll dough into 1 1/2-inch balls. Place cookies 1-inch apart on 2-parchment lined baking sheets. Bake until golden 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely on baking sheets. Cooking can be stored in an airtight container for 1 week.... but they won't last that long!

*Note: I didn't actually roll my dough. I used a small 1 1/2-inch scoop and then just plopped them onto the sheet. They still turned out perfect and they were all the same size. Be prepared the dough will be sticky if you do want to roll them. You could also roll the balls in some granulated sugar before baking them. :)

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