It’s been about 4 months since I’d last posted anything on this ‘ere blog. With back to back deadlines and prepping for the arrival of our first newborn, the end of 2014 throughout the beginning of 2015 has been at the least to say chaotic and life changing..

If you follow me in any of my social media accounts you’ll notice an exorbitant amount of pictures {I apologize by the way..new mom syndrome you know..} of this little peapod,

Meet the new little addition to our growing family, Aria {yes we’re Game of Thrones fans} Rose. Born March 25th 2015 at 3:15 in the morning. It’s been a whole month since her arrival and aside from being sleep deprived, the late night feedings, milk vomits and spit ups, and her constant need to shriek at the top of her lungs..like ALL THE TIME…she hasn’t stopped putting a smile on our face since then.

she finds this all too amusing..

Now to top all that off I’m officially back to work! Hopefully the transition from old schedule to new schedule won’t be too bad

…who am I kidding!?..

..Ah well..wish me luck!

In the meantime here’s the artwork I did for Highlights this past month!

Happy Monday!

Yay! I finally received my copies of the January spread I did for Highlights Magazine! Love love LOVE how the colors came out on this one.

I hope you guys get to pick up a copy! 

So for those that don’t know yet, we’re expecting our first baby!! Yipee!!! I’m nearing my final trimester, there are two books in the pipeline with very tight back to back deadlines so I’m trying my best to beat the 3rd trimester fatigue and getting as much done as I can while I CAN!

I’ve been so wrapped up with work lately it’s been challenging to find the time to indulge in any holiday fun. But this weekend I put my foot on the breaks and was finally able to let myself indulge in some seasonal goodies. It was a nice and much needed break!

All the while I was working over the weekend on sketches for them, I received this little fun card from the team at ABDO. Thanks ABDO!

We finally found time to actually buy a tree (his name is “Monty”) and make some christmas cookies for the postman and a few of our dearest and nearest…I wrapped them fast this year, or else they’d all end up in my belly..hee hee. I tell yah, there’s nothing like taking in some holiday music and the smell of cookies and pine to get you caught right up in all this season cheer!!

Happy Holidays!!

It’s been quite a busy weekend full of baptisms and weddings and creative events. So exhausted, but it was all worth it.

This past Saturday we attended the Carousel for Kids event at Dixon Place (NYC) which was hosted by R. Sikoryak and Neil Numberman. It’s a yearly event where these wonderful writers and illustrators read their zany comics and other creations to kids of all ages! It was pretty entertaining!

The best part was when they picked some kids in the audience to help them read their comics. And most of the kids were so gung-ho about volunteering.

This past Sunday I attended my first ever CBIG portfolio review where we were all given the opportunity to speak with 2 editors or art directors of our choice and share our work with them one on one. What a great experience!

An editor from Penguin Group suggested I venture into drawing for older kids and experiment more with lettering. It’s actually something I’d been meaning to explore a bit more so you might be seeing more tweens  and tween themed illustrations in the coming months.

My favorite part of the afternoon was seeing other peoples work and book dummies. It was all so inspiring. Here’s hoping I get inspired enough to write a story myself soon!

Oh and don’t forget to check out the December issue of Highlights for Children to find this little dittie I did over the summer!

Wishing you all a Happy &  Creative Week!!

Worked on some fun sketches all week and I can’t wait to share the finals with you!

The hubby and I took a quick trip to Vegas last week. Although it was mostly a business trip rather than a pleasure trip, we managed to squeeze in a little bit of fun in between our chaotic schedules.
I’ve never been to Vegas in the fall..I hadn’t realized how enchanting this place can be. If you get a chance to go this fall I highly recommend it. The weather seems great this time of the year.

This is pretty much what I saw all of last week..I’m not complaining!!

HAPPY MONDAY!

This year’s fall promo piece features this little baker and her rather skeptic kitty cat.

I can’t believe it’s already the end of october and Halloween is just days away. We’ve been so busy lately that we’ve hardly had any time to carve our yearly pumpkin. But last night we made a point to sit down and get it done before we leave for our trip to Vegas..(yes, we’re spending our Halloween in Vegas! Woop woop..now if only I wasn’t 18 weeks preggers..boo) 

Here’s the final result. It’s quite a cheery jack o lantern..here’s hoping no one steals it!

(I’ve heard it happens..)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FOLKS!!!

It’s been a great year so far. I can’t believe it’s fall already. So much has been happening in my camp lately it’s a bit too much to take it all in sometimes.

Highlights Illustrator Workshop

Last week I was invited to spend the weekend at the Highlights Foundation in Honesdale, PA for the Highlights Illustrator’s Workshop specifically for new for New Highlights Illustrators! From the moment we arrived till the weekend ended it was such a memorable and amazing experience.

I  had the privilege of staying in the founders original home which was so beautiful, everything remained intact and well-preserved including the family library which had their collection of child psychology books from 1900′s.  Pretty darn neat!

Most of the weekend activities were spent at The Barn, an open space specifically for workshop activities and dining…Oh! speaking of dining..the food was an absolute treat! There was something for everyone’s palette and most of the food was locally grown and organic. It was one of the most refreshing dining experiences I’ve ever experienced.

Now I’m to going to go into detail about the workshop itself just incase you are one of the newer artists that happen to stumble onto this blog looking for insights on what to expect at a Highlights Workshop. I’d like to keep you guessing and excited for whats waiting for you! But…if you are a bit more curious about the details of our weekend check out Rich Powell’s blog post about our weekend here. Just know that it’s an amazing time with a great group of people who share the same passion for children’s art as you do. The camaraderie you build in such a short amount of time is just outstanding and leaves such an impression.

I can’t say this enough, I had the most amazing time that a week later I’m still riding the Highlights high! 

Hi there! boo on me for lack of updates! Summer’s been busy for me.

Working on a few things I can’t wait to share, but it probably won’t be for a while. In the meantime here’s a spread I did last November for National Geographic I believe it was published last March so I’m assuming its ok to share. More to come for this year and next! Can’t wait! I hope you guys are having a great a summer as I am! Cheers!

“The Sun Song”
© National Geographic – Learning Cengage 2013.

This makes for quite an interesting voyage!

Working on fun things this week. Starting with a fun little spread about a family of birds. I love that I get to flex some background work in this one..I always loved working on buildings and such.

 More work talk of work to come.

Until then Happy Week!

Just finished up these Ocean themed critters! My fave is the whale. 

They’re available now in the Etsy Store!

get them now at:
Etsy    or     TpT

I’ve been busy working on my digital shop over at Etsy lately. It’s so addicting coming up with new items, themes and sets..who knew I’d have such a fun time making these little ditties! Check them out at the new digital download store on Etsy!

get them now at:
Etsy    or     TpT

I’m super excited to be apart of this years Children’s Book Art Silent Auctions at the BEA this May, 28th! This years auction has a special showcase tribute on everyones beloved storyteller Dr. Seuss.

This 8×8 print which is printed on Premium Giclee Paper is on its way to the ABFFE offices and ready for its new home! If you’re interested in participating in this years auction which supports the fight against book censorship please visit the ABFFE website more information about attending this years showcase. {www.abffe.org}

Excited to see you at the show!

New addition to the blog!

FREEBIE FRIDAY!

I’ve been obsessing over creating cute little clip arts lately. Mostly ’cause I never have any handy when someone asks me to make invitations, birthday cards, etc. In doing so I thought I’d share a free downloadable file to you every friday. Here’s this weeks download:

click here to download

Enjoy!

I thought this would also be the perfect time to announce
I have a new store on Etsy!

Beautifique Digital is where you can find all sorts of digital downloadable goodies.
It’s a little bare right now, but come visit me often. More updates on the way!

HAPPY FIRDAY! ..er FRIDAY!

Earlier this year I’d gotten the heads up {YAY!} that I’d been given the opportunity to contribute to On Deck 9 an annual art auction by the good people of the Missoula Skatepark Association {MSA} to raise money to upkeep their beloved MOBASH skatepark. I love being able to be part of a community that promotes outdoor activities and I get to paint on a skateboard once again, which is always pretty pluckin’ rad! 

So just finished this piece and is on its way to Montana to be displayed at the Brink Gallery from April 18th through the month of May.

If your interested in bidding on this piece or ANY of the wonderful work in the gallery the bidding starts on April 18th and ends on May 1st.  For additional info visit our friends at MSA: www.montanaskatepark.org/ondeck .

 Happy Bidding folks!!!

xoxo,
Ninz

Working on a quite a few things this month. Including this nautical themed illustration. And what started off at a day in the beach for these kids..

ended up a day in the backyard..

 then a flight on a magical bath tub and a bird stealing their lunch..

I don’t know what sparks these ideas in my head..they just demand to be created sometimes. hehe. Can’t wait to see them finished though.

Until next time!

HAPPY TUESSY KIDS!

Rrrrrawr..! I’m a pink dinosaur (?)

I love pjs especially onesies!

I have a pair of ninja turtle onesies I have yet to wear myself….

(yes, I’m over 30 and I’m awesome)

HAPPY WEEEKEND!!!

Playing with light and color all week in the middle of this ice storm. Seriously, someone turn off this snow machine…A bit of a work in progress here. A rough coloring of one of the illustrations I’m working on this week. She looks quite menacing..and I like it!  Her friends don’t seem to mind it either.

smelly yet so tasty!

I’ve been thinking a lot about the Philippines lately and thought I would continue my Filipino Series on Etsy. {Here’s a link to the store: www.etsy.com/shop/beautifique }

Tuyo is a type of salted dried herring widely known amongst Filipinos. I grew up on this stuff…I didn’t like it much {but just try telling Grandma that..I dare you!} I think its strong pungent smell just turned me off…but once you get past that its actually quite tasty!

Tuyo would usually be served for breakfast in grandmas house with rice, tomatoes, and black coffee and some fresh pandisal (filipino bread rolls).  Which in and of itself is a bit exotic in these parts of the woods!

Geez..I just made my self hungry.

HAPPY MONDAY!

 While the cats away..or rather stuck..this mouse with Waltz!

I absolutely love, playing with textured brushes. Finding or creating a new textured brush that works well with an illustration is like finding a shoe sale.. for just your size feet!

(sorry was that too girly?)

So, I’ve been playing around with integrating all of my social media outlets and because I have a bazillion accounts that all connect in on way or another it may look like I’ve posted the same stuff twice or thrice or nowhere at all …bare with me!

I’m also thinking of scheduling my bi-weekly blog post between 2-5pm between Mondays and Wednesdays…(starting next week!)

until then..

Happy Creating!

Been obsessed with gypsy #caravans lately and #Legos and #cats! #illo52weeks #illustrator #beautifique #happythursday

I wish I could have as much fun in the snow as these kids…but it’s just too darn cold in NY. I tried building a snowman but it ended up being a very large ant hill..

Been a busy few days in 2014. Been meaning to do minor updates to the website and I’m psyched I finally have some time! ..and Yay! I’ve finally had the chance to put up some work on the Directory of Illustrators website check it out when you get a chance.

Hope everyone’s having a great start to the new year. A lot of great things to come this year!! I can’t wait to share it with you, but until then HAPPY creating!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 I hope your holiday is filled with gratitude, love, stretchy pants, and all that good stuff!

I’ve been wanting to do this for a while. Since creating Filipino breakfast a few years ago, which featured my ever so favorite SPAM slices (yum),  I’ve gotten a few request to make another print with longganisa (filipino sweet sausage links).

Mmmmm… seriously hungered right now. NOW AVAILABLE on my Etsy page here! I kept it looking fairly similar to the original Filipino Breakfast for anyone interested in ordering both. And because of the tragic events that have been happening in where my roots are, from now until 2/28/2014 PROFITS OF THIS PRINT WILL BE DONATED TO UNICEF & REDCROSS FOR CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR THOSE AFFECTED BY HURRICANE HAIYAN.

Thank you <3

Love & Peace Fam, until next time!

My husband and I decided to start a blog together….fun! Check out our latest hunt for the perfect udon and other stuff at foodilishush.com …I had a bit too much wine when I chose that name…don’t judge me.

Happy Monday!

Oh the rewards of working together.

An illustration I never got around to finishing, but will soon!

Happy Creating!

Another fun family portrait commissioned by a beautiful family. I loved that they had a vision for this portrait. This scene is inspired by their beautiful 2 year old daughters love for duckies. I love duckies too! Which made this such a fun project to work on.

This baby’s ready to be shipped off to its permanent home in Ohio!

Hope you like your new print Tobias Family!

Hugs & Kisses, Nina