Year of the Snake Print Exchange

Well hello there! How was your Christmas? Hectic? Fun? Relaxing? I hope you're ready for the new year because I can see it's around the corner. 

For the past few years now I have contributed to an annual print exchange through PROOF Gallery and this year we'll be creating images to celebrate the Year of the Snake.   Below is my submission which is a drypoint created on a plastic plate and then hand-colored with watercolors. Below that is the artist proof in straight black and white and I think I prefer that version. What do you think? Which do you prefer?

Do you ever create a drawing and then regret coloring it?

You can view all the snake print submissions from around the world at the Year of the Snake blog

Illustration Friday: Snow

Why hello there! Christmas is almost here and there is still so much to do! Here's much submission for today's Illustration Friday subject: Snow. I created this little guy as a Christmas card and as a silkscreened ornament. He's cute don't you think?

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and I will see online soon. : )

It's Christmas cookie time.

Sorry it's been so quiet over here but I've picked up a second job and the blog has gotten demoted for things needing my attention. I've been made kitchen manager of a fledging bakery and cafe so I'm going to be able to make wonderful tasty treats this Christmas. I've toyed with the idea of having my own bakery but I'm not prepared for the immense amount of capital and hours that would be needed. With my current situation I'll be able to dip my toe into that dream and get a wee taste of what it could be like.

Source: JustB

I'm pretty excited about it and I've been working on developing recipes. As we're into the Christmas cookie season I'm trying to think of what treats we can offer. One of the items at the top of my list is a mini-gingerbread house that can be customized with someone's name. I have plans to make them hangable for the Christmas tree but that requires testing. 

In my research today I found some gingerbread sources for you. So many great designs. I love how creative Christmas can be. Check out Cute Food for Kids and JustB for some great ideas.

I'll be sure to take a picture of whatever house I create and post it. What about you? What Christmas cookies are part of your tradition?