WonderINK

R.I.P.

2011-01-13T12:32:00.000-05:00

My mom's old sewing machine that she passed down to me has died. I was told that it would cost more to repair than to replace. So long old friend. Your ability to sew through jean material like it was soft butter will be missed.

P.S. Mom, I'm holding it's old table hostage in hopes that at some point, another machine might sit there.

Nothing new but ...

2010-08-14T15:27:00.000-04:00

I do have a little something old. When I was originally hired to work at the bookstore where I am currently employed, I was sweet talked into doing some murals for both of the stores. These are the four murals at the store I work in. My employer surprised me with some professionally taken photographs of my work!

I thought that they might be worthy of sharing.

Here and There and Back Again

2010-07-17T11:02:00.000-04:00

JAFAX is over -- the event was a great success! Once again our attendee numbers crossed over the threshold of three thousand people! The biggest fear of the JAFAX staff now is that in a few years, we will be much too large for Grand Valley State University campus!!

With that done and over with and life returning back to normal-ish (as normal as my life ever gets), free time has been restored to me ... which means art time!

And I have bad news and good news. I'll start with the bad news first because I much rather end this little post on an up swing.

Bad News. I have no promised tee shirts from JAFAX with the mascot design that I drew to do a give-away with on my blog. Sadness.

Good News. I have no promised tee shirts from JAFAX because my design SOLD OUT! I believe we ordered some where around 260 (which is the most we have ordered before) and they are ALL GONE! I am the second ever JAFAX tee shirt artist to sell out. The only other is our guest Doug Smith who is a fairly well known and popular artist in the anime con circle. Who would have thought! My art is marketable!

JAFAX 15 Art Sneak Peek!

2010-06-14T10:45:00.001-04:00

Late Night Crafting

2010-05-26T23:30:00.000-04:00

For some reason, I seem to be at my best creatively leaning toward those later hours when most decent folk are in bed. Lately I've been feeling very overwhelmed by just how cluttered my life is with stuff. I've developed this theory that if I uncluttered my environment that it will help me to organize other aspects of my life. Slowly I've been tossing things out, including those that just sit in boxes forgotten and unloved. If they were special to me, I'd be proud to show them off. Right?

I know I'm not the only woman out there that has boxes of tangled jewelry that I just refuse to get rid of but have not worn in the longest time and likely never will. And I've been seeing these pictures in magazines and on etsy of these beautifully decorated frames displaying jewelry. Well heck, I figured I could make one myself! I have an old frame laying around unused. Some fabric. So guess what. I made one!

All the pieces that I wear and love the most on display! And now that I can see them, it will be a whole lot easier to coordinate them with my outfits and never again say, "Oh yeah! I forgot that I owned this beauty!".

P.S. Dear readers, that spiral necklace and earring set you see on that board? I made. The jewelry instructor at school attempted to steal me from the illustration department for herself.

P.P.S. I am sorry for the huge gap in an update, for emails that should have been sent out but have not. It has been a hugely busy month for me and June shall only be worse! JAFAX is just around the corner and I have so much work to do for that! I shall try to throw tidbits but I can not make a promise until July. Well. Maybe I can squeeze in a certain tee shirt design once completed.

The Rise of a Mascot!

2010-05-06T21:14:00.000-04:00

Just in need of some color and then Ringo shall be ready for her website debut! I'm giving myself a weekend deadline -- Monday at the very very latest.

And the winner is ...

2010-05-02T20:23:00.002-04:00

My good friend Ross! I know, I know. A very long over due announcement for the drawing for the goldfish wood block print! I apologize!! I have a print here with your name on it, Ross! I have it on white and on cream paper so you pick! A big thank you for everyone that participated!! Lots of love to you all!

I haven't been posting here very regularly but I haven't been idle either. I've actually been pretty productive considering that allergies have actually managed to lay me down low a couple of times this year! Usually I don't feel them until the fall when the right pollen hits the air.

Chisels have been placed to wood. The photo might be a work in progress shot but the block is actually fully carved now. However, I'm not happy enough with it to even bother printing it. It ended up being a huge slab of practice for me and it wasn't until the end that I was happy with my marks I was leaving behind. Honestly though, I'm more than happy to do the giraffe again! I'm just going to flip the board over, sketch him out and away I'll go!

There has also been some sketching going on, long over do mascot artwork for the anime convention JAFAX. The first sketch I did of Ringo is on the left -- cute but not quite there. Boring. The second one, on the right, I think will look smashing on a tee-shirt. Tonight there will be more sketching to see if any better ideas pop up and tomorrow the final versions will begin so that once those are done ... it will be back to the giraffe for me.

And knitting. There has been a whole lot of knitting going on lately as well. In a few days about two feet worth of shawl has been cranked out. Taught myself two whole new decrease stitches and everything for it too!

Time for tea. And sketching. But tea first.

The Happy Toe Compells You...

2010-04-22T15:50:00.000-04:00

To enter into my blog drawing! There would have been more reminders but, well. My computer had 'xploded. It is limping along but well in need for an overhaul the poor dear.

That said! Today is the LAST day to pass out links to my blog via your own blog, facebook, livejournal, or any other forum you like! Just leave me a comment with a link or email the proof to me! Midnight is the deadline and the prize is pretty goldfish art! Original Drawing Post: http://lizseelye.blogspot.com/2010/04/blog-contest.html

Happy Toe says you must join in the fun!

Sunday Happiness is ...

2010-04-11T10:54:00.000-04:00

...getting to spend a couple hours in the morning with the man in my life.

He really does make an
excellent foot warmer.

<3

1st Blog Drawing!

2010-04-08T13:29:00.003-04:00

I have some old artwork. Piles of it. And I am running out of room. I'd also like to scoop up more followers for this blog because Illustrators enjoy performing for an audience. Proven fact! And who doesn't like free art?! And so a contest is the perfect solution!

The rules are simple! Merely mention my blog with a link in your own blog, on livejournal, on facebook, or any forum that delights your hearts out there! Then leave me a comment here, linking back to your postings or you could even email me a screen capture of where you posted to elizabeth.seelye@gmail.com

For each link you post up somewhere on the internet, I shall enter you into the pot for this:

A woodblock print of a swarm of happy, chubby goldfish! This is not a digital print but an image created with hand mixed and rolled out ink, ran through a real press on pretty Japanese paper. Want a copy for your very own? Show me those links!

The deadline is: April 22

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T08:11:00.005-04:00

Yum!

2010-04-03T21:01:00.003-04:00

Book Obsessed with a Side of Art

2010-04-03T10:34:00.000-04:00

I am an avid reader and I do fully blame my mother in only the best of ways for my love of books! The latest book obsession has been Carrie Ryan's young adult series. About zombies. For girls. Trust me, it is delish! There is much more to the plot than OMG run from the zombies. There is a story you can ... ready for this? ... sink you teeth into. Ba-da-dum!

Random House Publishing has put out some fantastic trailers for the Forest of Hands and Teeth along with the sequel novel Dead-Tossed Waves.

Yes, Liz, but what about the art? Glad you asked! I am working on actually opening an Etsy shop. I will be digging out past prints -- and I'm talking hand prints here. Screen print. Wood block prints. Then I'm off to hunt for the tools I'm missing to get back into the wood blocks again. Zen may be reached while chipping away little slips of wood. OoooOommm.

Other than that, wedding invitations have been finished and it's off to finish up mascot art for JAFAX (see previous post) -- website art and this year's tee-shirt. Yeehaw!

The Geek-ness Continues!

2010-03-25T10:34:00.000-04:00

Every year I help to make this event happen! We have grown so much since I have joined oh ... more than ten years ago? Good golly, has it been that long?!

The event is JAFAX! And we are celebrating our 15th year running! Curious? Here is a video created by some friends of mine that will explain what JAFAX is all about! Watch while I return to putting the finishing touches on some wedding graphics!

Just because it's quiet here --

2010-03-17T23:17:00.000-04:00

-- does not mean that hands have been idle at home!

There has been some watercolor action. Lovely flowers for a lovely girl and her specialized wedding invitations! A few touch ups and these babies will be done and I shall be left squinting at a computer screen to arrange and add text. Mmm. Time to hunt for the perfect fonts!

And there has been some sketching on the go -- this was done while watching a live underground wrestling show from the front row. The geekness knows of no end!

My first attempt at eyelet lace (in the blue) has been completed! Well, mostly. Save for weaving in the ends and adding some fringe to the bottom. On to delish orange and a new pattern. I think I'm in love with Brown Sheep yarn. The colors are yum yum!

And last but not least ... Shenanigans have been had! Shenanigans with children, no less. Having a bad day? Find yourself a little disguise kit and borrow a child. Take a wander through a small local shop and prepare for giggles. Lots of giggles.

Oh ... and a Happy Saint Patrick's Day to all of you out there!

The Inner Fan-Girl Released

2010-02-28T17:55:00.001-05:00

Today I got to meet Kim Harrison in person, one of my two favorite Urban Fantasy authors (the other being Jim Butcher). I got to stand in a line with other fans and along side a good friend of mine who came along to keep my company. I bounced and jittered with excitement, and with the help of the three prior cokes gulped down in the first half of the day.

I had planned to be poetic, expressing my love of Kim's books and how much they mean to me. That something of this genre may be produced with a -very- good story line and (gasp!) character development! That I related to the main character Rachael. That I adore Jenks. The moment I got my butt into that chair my mind went blank. I became so shy and so nervous but at least I managed to stammer out a very quiet, 'I love your books. I share them with as many people as I possibly can'.

I got my book signed and left floating on cloud nine. Thank goodness I asked me friend along, else I might have walked right into a few book shelves on my way out the door!

Bunny at Play -- Part Two!

2010-02-17T21:57:00.001-05:00

I took the time tonight to rig up some make-shift lights down in the bunny proof room to grab a better looking video. It is still on the dark side but you can still see him a good bunch better and more than just a glint off what he's rolling around on the floor!

Guess what I was listening to while recording? Here's your hint: Nobody puts Boo in a corner.

Bunny At Play

2010-02-17T16:34:00.001-05:00

So while my scanner is dead and I am awaiting the arrival of tax return money to replace the now new paper weight, have a bunny video!

It is a touch on the dark side (okay, more than a touch) ... but I think still worth sharing! Boo's favorite thing in the world is to roll things across the floor. And you get to hear my little girl voice, for those who have not heard it before! Go Boo, Go!

An up close look of our video star.

Daily Sketch

2010-02-06T16:32:00.000-05:00

With my scanner pretending to be a giant paperweight, sketches might be a little few and far between. Just until a friend of mine finds her spare to loan, or until tax returns so that I can purchase one with less of an attitude problem than my current one is suffering from.

Bad scanner, bad!

Life Explodes -- and then you make art.

2010-01-29T12:52:00.000-05:00

The bit about posting more regularly? It seems it is a great big fib but no one told on purpose, I swear! The mother person has been prodding me with continual and loving reminders and I promise that I have not forgotten! Life has exploded and I have found myself with less spare time on my hands, though I know that loved ones do greatly appreciate the time that I have turned over to them. It is all quite worth it as Aunt Lizzy gets to spend extra time with her nieces when not at work for ten hours a day.

There has also been a new fuzzy love in my life which I have enjoyed pampering and snuggling -- Boo the Dutch Rabbit. It's a zoo but it is a very happy zoo that does manage to all get along!

There has been art. Which I present to you now! Done for work, at work, where it was a quiet and child free environment. So here I present to you sharing puppies, in steps.

Step 1: Sketch the idea! I'll admit. I need to work on multiple concept sketches but I have found that my first one tends to end up being the strongest one in the end. I like to sketch in ink -- it keeps me from over thinking and over working something that is just a quick concept doodling.

Step 2: Crack out the pencils and get going on the final piece!

Step 3: Time to ink! Bristol paper has such a lovely smooth surface for ink. With the beauty of photoshop, any inking mistakes I had made vanished like magic!

Step 4: Fun with photoshop!

Monster Dolls

2009-12-20T20:51:00.002-05:00

For the past three years, I have been hand crafting the Christmas gifts for all the children in our family -- a number that just keeps on growing! The kids love them. I have fun designing and putting them together ... and it saves me from having to brave the Christmas crowd!

So here they are, year four of soft squeezy creations: Monster dolls + one ninja.

It has been decided!

2009-12-14T17:17:00.001-05:00

My New Year Resolution, that is. To take better care of my neglected blog -- the poor pet. This includes weekly updates, more art work -- maybe even some book reviews since I am quite the devourer of books.

For inspiration, a few books about blogging have been snatched up and read. My favorite so far has been Tara Frey's Blogging for Bliss which is geared towards those of the artistic talents and whimsy minds. Highly recommended!

For now I have a Christmas deadline to meet with a swarm of plush pillow dolls to finish sewing for all the children in the family - a tradition that started a few years ago with the first animal pillows, including one of my mother's dream dog. After that, a few lovely freelance jobs have fallen into my lap. One of elegant beauty and celebration, the other involving my secret obsession. Pro-Wrestling. I do not joke!

Good luck to all of you with the last of your own Christmas rushing!

Twitter

2009-11-06T08:33:00.000-05:00

I can now be followed on twitter @wonderINK ! I've even added a widget to the blog to make it easy to join in on the conversation. And I promise, it shall only be used for the power of good -- mostly blog and artwork updates.

Baby Lucas

2009-10-08T17:21:00.001-04:00

Not all that long ago, my youngest nephew was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis. A Genetic disorder that causes tumors of the nerves and skin. As my sister has said, the more people, prayers, and support -- the better. And so, I am sharing his own special website page with all of you! Visit Baby Lucas!

Sketchbook Explosion!

2009-09-23T08:24:00.000-04:00

Animated Logo!

2009-05-29T20:35:00.000-04:00

How cool is this? I created this logo for the business of a friend of mine: http://www.barnyardtags.com and another friend of mine animated it up for her! Check it out!

Sammie's Scarf

2009-05-27T22:37:00.001-04:00

This was created for my sister Sam, for her birthday. I found this wonderfully soft baby yarn with two of her favorite colors mixed into it -- pink and brown. With the white, it makes me think of ice cream. Mmm...

Itchy Witch

2009-05-25T00:27:00.001-04:00

Something that has been sitting around too long waiting for some color ... quick, flat colors for a work in progress. On to the fun part!

Mascot Concept -- Round 2!

2009-05-24T10:59:00.000-04:00

Second idea -- used the Sleeping Bear Dunes as inspiration, of sorts ...

Summer Art Fun

2009-05-22T21:24:00.001-04:00

Is there a better way to pass a warm spring day with my favorite nieces?

JAFAX Mascot Concepts -- Round One!

2009-05-18T00:54:00.001-04:00

The idea of using a squirrel in the mix was brought up from old, old emails that Ariah used to write for OnA once upon a time. I loved the idea so much, I hit the ground running with it. This is the first set of sketches thus far. I like the idea of using the name Apple for her and using the fruit on her clothing as a Michigan tie-in since that's the location of the event.

2009-05-05T12:13:00.000-04:00

I know it has been much too long since I have posted anything. It does not help when the computer seems to dislike working properly or when I've been sick for going on near three weeks!

However!

I have been busy with art. I am working on an identity package for a friend of mine who is starting her own business. Go check it out! http://www.barnyardtags.com - personal engraved pet tags!

I am also working on several designs for the JAFAX mascot! I'm thrilled and honored that this bunch of people are turning me loose creatively to design something that people can visually identify with JAFAX!

Other than that, there has been lots of knitting which I feel I have been enjoying way too much!

Two other new loves have also entered my life. Someone has thrown away two beautiful and sweet female domestic rats in the trash of the local library! Bleeding heart that I am, I have scooped them up and took them home. Aster and Stella shall soon be joining Harley and Ivy in the large cage in another week after their iso period is over. And that gets this caught up with my busy and unexciting life. Hopefully within the next week, there will be a spewing of images coming!

2009-02-19T21:54:00.000-05:00

It's hot chocolate. It's pink. I'm in love.

After much fist shaking ...

2009-02-19T12:13:00.001-05:00

I have managed to get playlist.com to work through my blog!

I am full of win.

Daily Sketch

2009-02-13T21:52:00.001-05:00

Studio

2009-02-13T11:59:00.000-05:00

I've always liked looking into the studio spaces of other artists so I thought that I might share mine as well. In this corner, we have all of my illustration goodies. Well, not all. There are more supplies tucked into two large plastic tower drawers.

Then there is the opposite corner where I keep all my textile supplies used for costuming and plushie creating. I adore that old sewing machine, it's an absolute beast!

Cute food! We love it!

2009-02-12T22:29:00.000-05:00

I am obsessed with cute food. It makes me giggle and dash for my camera. I could not resist a whole pack of these tiny, tiny mini fairy cakes at the market! To give you an idea of the size, that little Hello Kitty is about the size of a quarter.

Brand Spankin' New Blog

2009-02-12T14:40:00.000-05:00

My name is Liz Seelye and I am a Michigan based illustrator. This is where I’m going to be posting a lot of my thoughts and artwork, so watch OUT! Time to learn the blogger and flickr ropes!