Fall in Love - Animal Patterns plus...

November 9, 2015

I recently painted these little animal patterns. I would love to license any one of them for fabric, wallpaper and/or gift wrap. I also think they would make nice prints for a child's room :)

Speaking of prints, I added 'Holiday' art print and 'Love in Venice', Gustavo Gondolier, to my etsy shop - BlipBlopShop

Both were originally painted with acrylic on gesso board. Just visit Blip Blop Shop for size and price information and see other pieces available in my shop.

**Last week, I reworked this painting a little. My 1st visit to London was when I was about 4 years old and I fell in love with those iconic red double deckers!**

Here, I was too focused on candy to fear the guard ;) — **Here, I was too focused on candy to fear the guard ;)**

Here is my Brooklyn Bloom design and a variation of it, recently added to my Society 6 shop. Browse pillows, blankets, bags and prints, plus so much more - Society6.com/AllynHoward

And alas, gum balls might be exactly what their cake needs, just as decoration, of course.

Hope your week is off to a good start. Thanks for stopping by! xo, A

Halloween is almost here

October 28, 2015

I probably love candy as much now as I did as a child! Here I am unwrapping something delicious at my Grandma Howard's house in Newport News, Va. In case you're wondering, I did grow into my feet and more importantly, I still have that kewpie doll :)

Two of my favorite people, Odille and Mirabelle posed with my painted toy store door back in 2013. I love Mirabelle's outfit, tres chic! Their mom is my good friend, artist, Melissa Zexter. About 7 years ago we did a little photo shoot in my studio (when I had an additional space upstairs) It was around the time of Halloween. I had worn this Cleopatra/Cher style costume to a neighborhood party. Here are a couple of contact sheets from our shoot.

I adore that headdress and I hope Stephanie Ferrante, best shopper I know, still has it! This was really fun, mostly silly, but I tried to be a good model.

The lighting at Frankies is perfect, especially for making funny faces and Odille is quite the model.

Onto the real world, sort of ... My friend, Will texted me these pics last week after I left my job on Power (temporarily) the TV series we're working on to do a Nike commercial. I interpreted the pics as fellow scenic artists waving goodbye, but was assured these were friendly waves to show that I'm not forgotten ;) I know it's all in fun, but it was kind of touching. More than anything, I enjoy the friendships that are formed on scenic/film jobs.

It was a fun surprise to see (another Will) Will Hunter, art coordinator on the Nike spot, using my phone case design on his iPhone. It's encouraging to know that sharing your links on Facebook and Instagram do sometimes lead to actual sales! I felt pretty thrilled to see it and "Bunny & buoys" is the one I use on my phone. Initially I assumed he'd just accidentally picked up mine.

And finally, I like to paint dance parties and this remains one of my favorite paintings made for "If I Were A Toy" store, when they were around. There are still plenty of kids' shops in the neighborhood, even one that replaced them, but I have nice memories of painting that door each month, chatting with owners, Joanna and Virginia, listening to CBS FM and seeing what the kids thought as they came in, usually for the gum-ball machine. You can see more custom painted scenes here.

Have a Happy Spooky Funky Halloween! Thanks for stopping by. xo, A

I revised this campfire scene a little bit. Can fox be trusted? I hope so! 'More S'mores' is available as a print in my Society6 shop :)

Saturday

October 10, 2015

'Bunny and buoys' (and birds, too) has been added to my Society 6 Shop, as a print, pillow, bag and phone case - Free Shipping through tomorrow night PST

You still have time to receive FREE Shipping on everything in my shop - art prints, bags, pillows, phone cases & more *Free shipping through Sunday Oct 11 Midnight PST

Visit me on Instagram for a mix of photos; day in the life, friends, art, WIPs, sketches, animals, Brooklyn neighborhoods, film related work and plenty of miscellaneous stuff that I like, that you might like, too! Below, some recent photos ...

Tiniest orange I've ever seen, tasted or held :) Love that this photo resembles a painting.

Artist, James Trotter sent me this pic. He knows what I like! Hope he's planning to mail the real toy to me :) — Artist, James Trotter sent me this pic. He knows what I like! Hope he's planning to mail the real toy to me :)

Fabulous tile in a Brooklyn house being used as a location for a TV show for which  I'm painting sets. — Fabulous tile in a Brooklyn house being used as a location for a TV show for which I'm painting sets.

Bunny bunny bunny - I enjoy the layout app for Instagram :)

Nice to see this stencil on sweet flower box 9th street.

My friend, Will shared this pic of a Basset Hound he met at lunchtime :) Great feet, huh? — My friend, Will shared this pic of a Basset Hound he met at lunchtime :) Great feet, huh?

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your Columbus 3 day weekend, if you got it! xo, A

Princeton Children's Book Festival

September 26, 2015

Last Saturday I went to the Princeton Children's Book Festival. I was super excited to go because two of my good friends, Kristine Lombardi and Melissa Iwai, were signing their books there this year! It was a pleasant surprise to see Monica Wellington and Brian Floca signing, as well.

Above, are some of the books I bought. I wanted more, but it was a delight to pick up some favorites by friends and to meet Zachariah Ohora, Ame Dyckman, Mike Curato, Brian Biggs and writer, Jennifer Berne. Some were gifts and some are jus… — Above, are some of the books I bought. I wanted more, but it was a delight to pick up some favorites by friends and to meet Zachariah Ohora, Ame Dyckman, Mike Curato, Brian Biggs and writer, Jennifer Berne. Some were gifts and some are just for me :)

In 2012, I took two Creating Picture Books classes at SVA with Monica, which gave me the confidence to give the publishing world a shot. I'm sloooooowly getting there. My 1st picture book class was with Brian back in 2003. His class was entertaining and thorough. I learned a great deal and although I've continued to make art for kids, I wasn't ready to make a real commitment to getting published. As those who make books for kids know, it's tougher than it looks! It's been fun for me to see my friends succeed and to see Monica continue to expand her career and series of books. Of course, Brian's work has gained much deserved attention and awards, including The Robert F. Sibert Honor and The Caldecott!

Dennis and Melissa pose for me with "Hush Little Monster", last copy!

"Lovey Bunny", so beloved, had one too many bunny hugs ;) — "Lovey Bunny", so beloved, had one too many bunny hugs ;)

Jamie (Dennis & Melissa's son) reading under the table — Jamie (Dennis & Melissa's son) reading under the table

Sitting with Kristine and Monica at the delightful garden after-party

Want to read more about the festival? Donna Marie wrote a terrific piece about it on her blog - Writer Side Up Lots of fun pics to see, too!

The Princeton Public Library did a wonderful job organizing the event and JaZams booksellers couldn't have been a nicer group of people.PS - If you'd like to see some interviews with authors & illustrators, visit KidLitTV — The Princeton Public Library did a wonderful job organizing the event and JaZams booksellers couldn't have been a nicer group of people.
PS - If you'd like to see some interviews with authors & illustrators, visit KidLitTV

Princeton is such a charming town. I was happy to get a little lost walking to the festival from the train. Here are a few photos... you can see more on Instagram

Congratulations again to Kristine, Melissa, Monica and Brian! my heroes :)

Have a great weekend! xo, A

a little art

September 13, 2015

I made these little paintings to participate in Victoria Johnson's a little art project, where artists are invited to share artwork 2.5" wide on social media like Instagram. I wasn't sure if just anyone could join in, bc I don't know her personally. I just love her work! My friend, Melissa Iwai has worked with her at the Surtex show at the Javits, so I was aware that she's a nice generous person. In her words, "the more, the merrier" :) These are quite loose and whimsical, more like my sketches than finished work, but I like them. Hope you do, too!

Have a great week! Thanks for stopping by. xo, A

Feeling blue? - detail from an illustration on gesso board — *Feeling blue?* - detail from an illustration on gesso board

Dang it, Antoinette!

September 7, 2015

I did not make it to the 2nd round of Lilla Rogers' Global Talent Search contest 2015. I was surprised and, of course, disappointed. The majority of designs that made the cut are, for the most part, strong and fit the criteria. The presentations were also very professional and made me wonder if I should have worked harder on that aspect. I submitted my pattern/painting without placing it into a sneaker template and I added very few additional elements. This may have made no difference, it's possible my design just didn't appeal to them, but it's something to think about. Here's a bit of detail, you can see it in it's entirety in last week's post.

I am happy for my fellow MATS bootcamp friends that did make it! It should be fun to follow their progress and see their submissions. Although, I know it will be tough not to imagine what I would have done for each assignment.

Detail from my painting, 'Holiday' - seems appropriate to share as summer winds down.

At the moment, I'm working on the 3rd season of the TV series, Power. I enjoy the walk down from the G train each morning to Steiner Studios in the old Brooklyn navy yard. There are some lovely and interesting buildings along Washington Avenue. I love these oxidized rooftops :)

Curious to see what these old buildings will become. There's so much work going on down here.

I'm also looking into other submission opportunities. The Society of Illustrators has their 58th Annual Exhibition in January. The deadline has been extended to Oct 23rd. Granted, there's a slim chance I'll get into this particular show, but I have nothing to lose! That's what Lena, the cat keeps telling me ;)

I need to find a way to gain more exposure and somehow reach out to companies I'm interested in licensing my work to. It can be tricky to find out contact information for buyers, but surely it's not impossible. Here is a portion of my Dream List (just putting it out there) - in no particular order...

I realize writing this, that many of these companies are on the judging panel for the following rounds of the GTS contest. Admittedly, I feel jealous all over again, but I suppose it's important to recognize how much I want this for my work. I did submit, rather last minute, to Marie Perkins' Print & Pattern upcoming book on 'Nature'. I saw her call for artists the day of the deadline and sent 10 jpegs. Here are some - you never know?

I've created artwork for many years, but often on the periphery. I studied commercial and fine art and I've predominantly made my living painting sets in the film business. I've been lucky to be in a union, United Scenic Artists Local 829. I've also had success painting murals and taking on private commissions. I just feel restless and ready to go to the next level. I have friends who have broken through the tough field of children's book publishing and I want that also. I'm so impressed by the hard work my friends, Kristine Lombardi, Melissa Iwai and Yuko Katakawa put into their work. I see that perseverance can really pay off. I'm trying hard to finally put myself out there, get in the game ... and be resilient when things don't go my way.

Meanwhile, I've added a few phone case designs to my Society 6 Shop -

Below, is the one I bought for myself. 'Bunny & buoys' has received lots of nice comments from people, and not just from friends :)

I would love to see my work on fabrics, wallpaper, bags, stationery, home decor and anything in the kids' market. Ok, maybe in any market ;) I might take Lilla's Home Decor MATS class starting end of Jan 2016. Some of my favorite pieces have come out of her classes. We'll see. I'm also trying to save some money, in hopes of doing a little travel. A friend took his family to Amsterdam last spring and they stayed on a houseboat. The pictures are magical! He said it's one of the most stunning places, visually, he's ever seen. I can tell from pics on Pinterest, but it's so much better to see for yourself, not to mention all the incredible art located there.

Ok, I know I'm not the 1st to decorate or frame my face with my own art, but I think I established a level of excess I haven't seen elsewhere ;)

Hope you're still enjoying this long Labor Day weekend!

Thanks for taking a look! xo, A