Monday illustrations

I would love to show you progress around the house, but it has been so dark it's almost impossible to photograph. Well yesterday we saw little glimmer of sun, but those couple of sunlight hours were spent celebrating Father's day. Instead, I've been drawing quite a lot. Here are some most recent illustrations.

Let's hope we get a little bit of sun light this week. I miss taking photographs already!

You still have today to enter the Ramsign giveaway. I will announce the winner tomorrow.

More Gifted Magazine

I'm sorry if I'm already boring you. I'm just so excited about the Gifted Magazine, that I can't help but talk about it some more. But this is the last of it, promise! It was such a new experience for me. I mean, when Ez of Creature Comforts asked if i would like to contribute to the magazine, at first I panicked a little. Like what can I come up with?? You know, I share stuff that we do around the house, and maybe somebody reading my blog likes it. But to come up with something that such big audiences like Creature Comforts readers (and more) would enjoy... yaiks! But after the initial shock, of course I had to say yes.





It was kind of exotic experience to plan the projects. Normally when I make holiday decorations, it's cold and snowy outside. But now it was early August. And mind you, we had an exceptionally hot summer. It felt quite surreal thinking about snowflakes and holiday stuff when outside it was +30 degrees (90 F degrees). I was even worried that the summery feel would show in the final pictures.

But now that it's all done and out there, I feel so happy and honored to be a part of it. I think Ez has a magic touch. Somehow everything she touches turns... well if not into gold, then into something very very pretty. So thank you again Ez, and of course all the other contributors for making it such an amazing magazine!

My new website!

In addition to the Gifted Magazine contribution - hope you liked it! - this is another project that has kept me busy. I designed my new website. Since I am a freelancer I guess it's quite important to have an online portfolio of your work. And my old website was badly outdated.

I'm especially proud of the jQuery slideshow I managed to do all by myself (well almost, Panu helped me a little :)) There must be a little nerd living inside of me, because I was so happy when I got the code working. I also decided to use webfonts instead of making all the menus into pictures. I realize this might mean some of you won't see the pretty font (Affair) I intended. But it's a development I definitely want to support, as it makes web design much better looking and websites better functioning.

I would love to hear your opinions about the new site. It would be great to know what you think, also if there's something that DOESN'T work. I can already tell the few of you who are, according to Google Analytics, still using IE6 that the site doesn't support it. Microsoft doesn't support IE6 anymore, so I decided I don't need to either. So if you are using IE6, please hurry and update your browser! :)

Click here for the new site.

Strawberry sneak peek

I've been asked what's happened to Monday Morning Coffee and Sketch and will I ever bring it back. The thing is, I've been so busy I haven't had time for it. It's bad, I know. I would love to start it again, in one form or another. Especially after the amazing response the sketchy owl got in the giveaway.

Here is, however, a little sneak peek into the future. I've been working hard on some projects that I'm about to reveal soon. Yaiks! I'm so excited! I hope you will like them too.

You still have today to enter the giveaway. I will randomly pick two lucky winners tomorrow.

Birthday giveaway: Two owls

My blog has turned 2! It's hard to believe it's already reached toddler age, it seems I just started. It's also unbelievable, all the friends and connections I've made through the blog. I never imagined it would be this much fun, let alone that I'd be still blogging two years later. I'm just immensely grateful for all your support, comments and the inpiration you give me every day.

So, to celebrate the bloggy birthday I wanted to have a giveaway. The prizes are TWO owl prints made from illustrations by me. I'm going to pick TWO winners, who will each receive one print. The prints are 20 x 20 cm (8 x 8 in) with white borders for easy framing, and printed on archival quality matte paper.





To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment on this post, stating which print you would like. Be sure to leave your contact info, so I can reach you if you win!

If you'd like a bonus entry, just blog or tweet with a link back to this post. Please leave a second comment in addition to your regular entry comment if you do.

The giveaway is open to everyone, both Finnish and international readers. It ends October 18th and I will announce the winner October 19th.

Good luck! :)

Monday Morning Coffee and Sketch + thoughts on creativity

I'm taking part in the Pikaland Artist Bootcamp by the amazing Amy and Jamie. As a freelancer you need to take care of your professional skills by yourself, there is no employer to send you to training. With that in mind I signed up for the bootcamp - and been more than happy that I did. Amy and Jamie have taken the time to give each of us individual feedback on our work. Not to mention the wonderful classmates. It has been a very supportive environment with critique and ideas flowing around.

So last week's assignment was to illustrate a chair that best represents who you are or defines your personality. What a difficult task! I chose Tapiovaara Mademoiselle in coral pink and made two versions. The first tries to portray my daydreaming side. I daydream it a lot. It's propably safe to say my feet are not always on the ground.



On the flip side of that, I feel with so much inspiration around, it's hard to concentrate on only one thing. I have dozens of ideas and get excited to do so many things. Which is good, it's part of being creative I guess. But at the same time, it's sometimes wearing me too thin. Sometimes it would be nice to concentrate on just one thing at a time.

Do you ever get that feeling? I know there are people who start something, finish it, then start something new --- but that's not me. Maybe it's something to learn though. Or would it be restricting creativity? What you think?

Monday Morning Coffee and Sketch

Remember last week's sketch? Well, I removed the face by accident and voila! I had a new and much more interesting work. I got so carried away drawing the flowy hair that I made another piece. And you know, I actually have short hair, but it seems I have a fixation with hair. Maybe this is the dream hair I wish I had? At least I love my husband's long hair.



Well anyway, now everyone can insert the face they'd like into these and imagine themselves with long hair flowing in the wind. On a meadow or a beach, or on top of a mountain maybe? :)

Tuesday Morning Coffee and Sketch

Hei taas, tuntuu että pitkästä aikaa kun oli juhannuskin välissä. Miten teillä meni juhannus? Toivottavasti rentouttavissa ja hauskoissa merkeissä. Me käytiin Panun mökillä ja illan vietimme Panun perheen kanssa. Koirat olivat ihan poikki juostuaan metsässä ja järvessä, ei seuraavanakaan päivänä paljon korva lotkahtanut. Oli ihanaa rentoutua ja olla miettimättä töitä ja loputonta to do -listaa.

Tämän viikon luonnos ei ole luonnos siinä mielessä, että se olisi käsin piirretty. Taustan olen kyllä värittänyt pastelliliiduilla ja hiukset piirsin musteella. Muuten se on ihan digitaalisessa muodossa tehty ja kasattu. Luonnos se on enemmänkin siinä mielessä, että inspiroiduin Irene Jacobsin töistä ja halusin kokeilla samaa tyyliä. Alla on rakennuspalikat joista työ koostuu. Sain jo kuulla että se näyttää aasialaiselta mieheltä, mutta julkaisen sen silti :P

Hi, how was your weekend? It feels like such a long time with the Midsummer inbetween. We had a really relaxing time at Panu's summer cottage and the evening we spent with his family. The dogs were exhausted after running in the woods and lake. They barely got up to eat the next day. I was so happy just to take time off and not think about work or my never ending to-do list.

This week's sketch isn't a sketch in the sense that it's not hand drawn. Well I colored the background with pastels and made the hair with ink. But the rest is put together digitally. It's a sketch in the sense that I got inspired by the spectacular work of Irene Jacobs and wanted to try out similar technique. Below are the building blocks for the piece. I was already told it looks like an Asian man, but I'm publishing it anyway (haha)!

Monday Morning Coffee and Sketch

via Mia Hamari

Viime viikolla kävin kavereitten kanssa Oulun taidemuseossa. Ihastuin tähän Mia Hamarin Kauriinpoika-veistokseen. (Ja vähän järkytyin myös.) Joku siinä puhui minulle ja halusin tehdä oman tulkinnan. Mia Hamarilta oli näyttelyssä kaksi työtä. Yleensä en tajua paljon veistosten päälle, olen enemmän maalausihminen. Mutta hänen veistoksensa olivat todella vaikuttavia.

Lisää Mia Hamarin töitä voi käydä katsomassa hänen nettisivuillaan.

Last week I went to the Oulu Museum of Art with my friends and saw this striking scupture Son of A Roe Deer by Mia Hamari. Something in it spoke to me, and I wanted to make my own rendering of it. I don't usually get sculptures, I'm more of a painting person. But her sculptures were really powerful.

To see more of Mia Hamari's work, visit her website. English pages are under construction, but you don't need English to understand visual language, right? :)

Monday Morning Coffee and Sketch

Jotakin vähän erilaista tälle maanantaille... Tein samasta luonnoksesta kaksi eri versiota, toisen vektoreina ja toisen musteella. Oli hauska tutkia eri fiiliksiä, joita eri välineet tuo samaan aiheeseen. Oikeastaan tein vielä kolmannenkin, se on kollaasi. Mutta sitä en näytä teille. Halusin tehdä siitä lapsenmielisen ja leikkisän. Niin siitä tulikin - sellainen jonka viisivuotias olisi voinut tehdä.

Something a little different for this Monday... I made two pieces of the same sketch, vector graphics and ink. It was fun to explore the different feelings the mediums bring to the same subject. Actually I made a third, it's a collage. But I won't show it to you! I wanted it to be childlike and playful. Which it is. It looks like a five-year-old put it together.



Oops! I did it again.



And I'll do it again. And again! And again! Buahhahhahhahhaa!

Monday Morning Coffee and Sketch

Inspired by Balenciaga Fragrance.

Ihanaa maanantaita!
Happy Monday!

Monday Morning Coffee and Sketch

Tämän aamun luonnos on vielä keskeneräinen, näytän sen uudestaan sitten kun se on valmis. Olisipa mukavaa päästä pitkästä aikaa piirtämään elävää mallia. Viimeksi olen joskus koulussa piirtänyt. Paitsi karhu-animaatiota varten kanniskelin malliksi Murua peilin edessä, mutta sitä tuskin lasketaan :)

Today's sketch is still unfinished, I will show it to you again when it's finished. I'd love to draw live model, it been ages since I last got to do it, at the university. Except for the bear animation I carried Muru in front of the mirror to get the posture right, but that hardly counts :)

Mukavaa maanantaita!
Have a happy Monday!

Karhu-animaatio / Bear animation

Karhu-animaatio, josta näytin pienen kurkistuksen on nyt valmis! Se on Lesosen suvun tarina ja perustuu heidän kirjoittamaansa runoon. Tämä tehtiin yhteistyössä Klaffi Tuotantojen kanssa, niin kuin Metsola-videokin (jos vielä muistatte sen). Minä tein kuvitukset, paitsi sen jossa karhu peitellään sänkyyn. Oli tosi mukava päästä tekemään jotain noin erilaista, vaikka aikataulu oli supertiukka.

The bear animation I showed you a sneak peek about is ready! I'm afraid it's in Finnish only, but it's a story of a family, based on a poem. It was made in cooperation with Klaffi Tuotannot, like the Metsola video (if you still remember it). The illustrations are by me, except the one where the cub is tucked in bed, the editor added that. I really liked doing something so different, although it was on a super tight schedule.

Monday Morning Sneak Peek

Viime viikko on mennyt niin kiireessä, etten ole ehtinyt juuri muuta ajatellakaan kuin töitä. Koska en ehtinyt piirtää mitään tälle aamulle, ajattelin laittaa pienen kurkistuksen projektiin, joka minulla nyt on työn alla. Se on animaatio, jonka kuvitan. Kun se saadaan purkkiin, minulla on taas aikaa pitää blogia ja vierailla teidänkin blogeissanne. Omatunto soimaa, kun on jäänyt kommentointi ja kommentteihin vastaaminen niin huonolle tolalle. Mutta ne merkkaavat minulle tosi paljon, vaikka en ehtisikään aina vastailla. Toivottavasti kukaan ei ole loukkaantunut hiljaisuudestani. Luen kaikki kommentit ja ne saavat minut aina hyvälle mielelle, vaikka aivokapasiteetti ei riittäisi vastaamiseen.

Last week was so busy I barely had time to think about anything else but work. So instead of a sketch I thought I'd show you a little sneak peek into what's keeping me busy. It's an animation that I'm illustrating. Once it's ready I will have more time to blog, and visit your blogs too. I feel bad that I don't have time to comment or reply to comments. But they mean loads to me, even if I don't have time to reply!

Mukavaa maanantaita!
Have a happy Monday!

Kiirekiire / Busybusy

Minulla on niin kiire töitten kanssa, että en ehdi kunnolla päivittää blogia. Siispä tämä herra saa pitää teille seuraa. Ja jos Color Me Katie ei ole ennestään tuttu, käykää ihmeessä katsomassa. Se on aivan mieletön hyvän mielen paikka, aina alkaa hymyilyttää kun siellä käy.

I'm too busy with my work at the moment to properly update my blog. But I leave you with this gentleman, so you won't be lonely. And in the meanwhile, if you are not already acquainted with the amazingly creative Color Me Katie, I suggest you hop over to her blog. Her photos always make me smile.

Monday Morning Coffee and Sketch

Tiedän että olen todella pahasti jälkijunassa. Kaikki muut blogimaailmassa ovat hehkuttaneet japanilaisia masking-teippejä (en tiedä mitä ne ovat suomeksi) niin kauan kuin olen blogeja lukenut. Mutta itse en ole tajunnut niiden pointtia. Ennen kuin luin tämän postauksen a creative mintin Leslieltä. Jotenkin minulle aukeni siinä kaikki mahdollisuudet, mitä teipeillä voi tehdä. Sitten tilasinkin jo useamman rullan itselleni.

Tämän maanantain kuva on siis tehty grafiittikynillä ja masking-teipeillä paperille. Normaalisti luonnostelen maanantaiaamun kuvat mallista, ne ovat minulle näkemis- ja tekniikkaharjoituksia. Yhden Elle-lehden olen tainnut jo piirtää läpi ;) Mutta tämän piirsin ihan omasta päästä, koska halusin tytön jonka mekon voin tehdä teipistä. Minusta tuntuu, että alan harrastamaan teippailua enemmänkin.

I know I'm really late to climb on the bandwagon. It seems that everybody else in the blogging world have talked about japanese masking tapes for like forever, but I just haven't understood what's the point. Until this post by Leslie of a creative mint. Somehow reading it opened my eyes to all the possibilities of masking tape.

So this Monday's sketch is made with graphite sticks and masking tape on paper. You know normally I draw my Monday morning sketches with a model. From a magazine, that it, I wish I had a real life model! I've probably already drawn one Finnish Elle through :) My sketches are a way to practice seeing and technique. But this I drew on the top of my head, because I had the idea to make the dress from masking tape. And I think I'll be doing a lot more with masking tapes in the future.

Monday Morning Coffee and Sketch

Huomenta ja kiitos ihanat kasvomaalausvinkeistä! Niitä tuli iso kasa, enkä mitenkään olisi osannut keksiä kaikkia niitä. Nyt täytyy alkaa suunnittelemaan ja harjoittelemaan, onneksi heinäkuuhun on vielä aikaa.

Hommasin viime viikolla muutaman grafiittikynän ja testailin niitä. Tässä luonnoksessa käytin kyniä 4B - 8B. Paketissa tuli pari kovempaakin, mutta jotenkin tykkään sutata pehmeämmillä.

Mukavaa maanantaita!

Good morning and thanks you lovelies for the face-painting tips! There were so many of them, I never would have thought of all myself. Now I have to start designing and practising, it's a luck that July is still far away.

Last week I got a few graphite sticks and wanted to test them out. In this sketch I used 4B to 8B sticks. There are a couple of harder ones too, but I like the softer ones, they suit my messy style better.

Happy Monday!

Tuesday Morning Coffee and Sketch

Minulla oli maanantaina yksi palaveri, joka inspiroi piirtämään pienen karhututkielman. Minusta karhut on älyttömän siistejä otuksia ja niitä on jännä piirtää. Mutta en ole ehkä ihan vielä päässyt karhun ytimeen kiinni, noin niin kuin kuvituksellisesti puhuen.

Inspired by a meeting I had on Monday, I wanted to make a little study on bears. Bears are really cool creatures and interesting to draw. Although I think I haven't quite yet grasped the bear's essence, illustratively speaking.

Monday Morning Coffee and Sketch

Tässä se on, pitemmittä puheitta. Mukavaa maanantaita!

Here it is, without further ado. Happy Monday!

Tuesday Morning Coffee and Sketch

Nyt on pääsiäisloma lomailtu ja aika palata sorvin - öö, tietokoneen - ääreen. Miten teillä meni loma? Minä yritin loman aikana minimoida nörtteilyn, että jää aikaa kaikelle muulle. Kaikenlaista pientä on saatukin aikaan. Siivottu, järkkäilty, puuhattu koirien kanssa.

Lumet ovat sulaneet ennätysvauhtia, mikä aluksi huoletti vähän. Kellarin lattialle tuli taas pari senttiä vettä, mutta taisimme löytää ongelmakohdan ja sen pitäisi olla nyt kunnossa. Panun kaverit tulivat avuksi tekemään lumitöitä ja nyt on talon ympärys lumivapaata aluetta. Ei pitäisi kellarin enää tulvia. (Peukut pystyyn!) Aivan mahtavia tyyppejä, en voi muuta sanoa. Panun sairasloma jatkuu vieläkin ja olen yksin yrittänyt lapioida lumia talon vierestä. Sitä on tullut sen verta reilusti, että varmasti vieläkin jatkuisi lumenpoisto-operaatio, jos Panun kaverit eivät olisi tulleet avuksi. Mutta nyt sanon vain, että tervetuloa kevät :)

Ok, Easter is over and it's time to get back to business. How was your holiday? I don't know how it is in other countries, but in Finland we have four days of holiday, from Friday til Monday. During my holiday I've tried to minimize the time spent on computer. And it has been quite good, we've got little things done around the house, mostly cleaning and organizing and spending time with the dogs.

A lot of the snow has melted! (Yay!!) Although at first it was a bit worrying, because it was melting so fast we got an inch of water on the basement floor. But I think we found the problem and it should be ok now. And Panu's friends came over to help us shovel the snow further away from the house. Now it shouldn't flood in the basement anymore (fingers crossed). So I say, welcome spring!