Summer Daze

Whew. It's been a hot minute month. Seriously, though. I'm not sure when we'll be expecting a break from this heat wave, but in the meantime I'll just illustrate hot weather essentials from the comfort of air-conditioned buildings. Stay hydrated!

Father's Day Rejects

Father's Day is this weekend. Who's got their snail mail stamped and addressed? We all know there's nothing dad loves more than something homemade. Oh, does that rule not apply to kids over the age of five? Oops.

Here's just a few Happy Father's Day messages from my sketchbook that I'm sure Hallmark would barf on.

Creative Envy

I recently created a dribbble profile and was overjoyed when I was drafted shortly after. Because I was drafted (thanks Josh Chavis!), I am now able to post shots to my page. Cue the excitement! Followed by a wave of creative envy and anxiety.

Have ya’ll browsed the shots on dribbble? If not, let me sum it up for you in a word: dayummm. This platform is bursting with talent, which has me all sorts of anxious about posting my first shot. Will it be good enough? Clever enough? Refined enough?

I know creative envy is commonplace, and at some point it’ll subside. Eventually I’ll feel confident enough to make my debut, but in the meantime, here’s a few of my dribbble faves.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

Clean Slate

After feeling a little uninspired the past few weeks, I decided it was time for some spring cleaning. I've been brushing up on my calligraphy and lettering, which is a great escape from the umpteen hours of screen time that have been consuming my days as of late. I realized I'm not creating nearly as much or as often as I'd like to. So, I trusted that gut feeling and decided to create a refreshed and, what I hope to be, a more focused and meaningful space.

Clean slates can be daunting, but equally exciting. But when it feels right, it probably is. Welcome!

Moodboard // 02

Neutral tones, hand-lettering, and a touch of nature. These are a few of my favorite things, and just looking at this moodboard makes me feel much more at ease. I'm looking forward to my weekend getaway, but we've got to make it through the rest of the week first. Those carefree summer days may be behind us, but that doesn't mean we can't embrace an easygoing mentality year-round – especially in stressful times. 

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Layers // Lettering // Lettering // Swatches // Flowers // Jar

Moodboard // 01

Back to Basics
Self-initiated work and passion projects have taken a back seat since graduation – which is sad. I wish I had more time and energy to spend on personal development and concepting.

Moodboarding is always one of the first steps in my creative process. Curating the look and feel of project helps determine the direction, but it's also a great way to get motivated and generate excitement about the task at hand. In an effort to start dedicating a bit more time on personal projects, I made this moodboard to remind me how enjoyable the process can be.

I am loving the pop of red against a simple palette of black and white. And gold, of course, is always welcome. I don't have a particular project this moodboard applies to, but perhaps it could translate to a blog template for a style blogger or an office space for a social media specialist.

That's the beauty of passion projects...the decision is mine.

Pinspired No. 1

How gorgeous are these type arrangements? Ah-mazingly gorgeous, in case you were wondering.

I love, love, love how type alone can create such clean and visually intriguing design. When properly set, typography can amplify a design on such a huge level. Using multiple typefaces that work well together, adding variation in weight and style, and including subtle design elements like rules and simple icons sounds so easy, yet it's so easy to get wrong. 

These are just a few gems I found on Pinterest that I happen to be drooling over. 

Photo Credit 1 / 2 / 3