Bower Bird

Light Grey Art Lab's Bower Bird show opens today! The show features artwork from 90 artists creating pieces about the things that we collect. For my piece, I illustrated all of the houseplants that fill my apartment.

My mother has always loved plants and gardening and tried to instill a love for the botanical world in me and my sister from a young age when we would accompany her to nurseries on weekends and be absolutely bored (unless it was the one with the golf carts). I didn't begin to love plants until I started working at a garden center with her during my summers off in college and now I can't imagine any space that isn't improved by a little greenery....or a lot of greenery.

I illustrated all of the plants that I currently have in my apartment from the small plant cuttings on my work table to plants handed down to me by friends who have moved away to my pothos vine that I am trying to train to grow around a doorway. There is a good chance that I will have acquired one or two more before this show is over...

I originally planned to have the plants arranged like a specimen chart so I drew them all individually without paying any attention to composition since I planned to arrange them all separately later. As I was drawing, though, I began to like the overlap that was happening that made it feel more jungley. So, I proceeded to spend an extra three days trying to figure out how to tetris all of the plants together. Many thanks to Anna for her suggestion to try it on a black ground—something that I never would have thought to do myself. 

The show opens tonight at 7 if you're in the Minneapolis area! My home jungle print is available as a limited edition postcard or as a print from the Light Grey shop. And definitely be sure to check out all of the pieces from the other incredible artists in the show. I just spent ten minutes poring over the Light Grey shop and am so happy to have my work included alongside such amazing work. 

#100DaysofBuildings: Process

I'm 1/4 of the way through my 100 Days Project (insert self-five here) and thought it would be fun to write a bit about the process since I've gotten a few questions since I've started. One of my main goals of this project was to get myself away from the computer (she said as she typed on the computer) and it really has been a great reminder that putting Photoshop away and making time to play with more traditional media is a really important creative habit. 

Texture (usually watercolour) is such an important part of my illustrations and I wanted to experiment with new textures for my 100 Days Project. My mom gave me a Gelli Arts printing plate for Christmas that I used to create a stock pile of printed cardstock to use for collage. I had a lot of fun experimenting with unexpected colour combinations. It's such an easy, fast way to stretch my palette because if you don't like the way a layer turns out, you can just let it dry and then print right over it. (If you watch the video you'll be treated to some sweet, sweet background tunes).

It's been a really good challenge playing with different shapes and especially colour combinations. There is something really satisfying about being able to pick up all of the pieces and continue to rearrange them until I'm happy with the combination. It's an immediacy and a tactility that is missing when I work in Photoshop and I too often forget how fulfilling working in this way can be. 

They're not that large! Just 5x5. The small scale really helps me not to labour over them. One of the challenges/questions that I keep thinking about as I make these is what exactly makes a building look building-y? Is it windows and doors? Is it when you add a little triangle roof? I've been drawing inspiration from different architectural styles (sometimes intentionally, sometimes it just evolves as I play around with the pieces on the page) and don't have an answer to this question at this point. A few days after I started the project, I ran across this great post by Supertrooper Studio that so perfectly illustrates this question. 

Here's hoping that I can keep the momentum up for 75 more!

#100DaysofBuildings

I finally got around to starting my 100 Days project after being inspired all summer by wonderful projects popping up on my instagram from the illustration community. I wasn't sure exactly what spurred this onset of projects and then I finally ran across this post from The Great Discontent who seem to be the champions of this summer's 100 Days enthusiasm. 

It took me a little while to figure out exactly what I wanted to do but I had a few criteria that I set for myself while trying to formulate my plan:

• I wanted to work with a subject-matter that I enjoy so that it would be sure to keep my interest for the span of the project but also give me an opportunity to explore it in new ways.
• I wanted it to be something that would not use a computer. I spend way too much time on the computer as it is without setting a new project for myself for 100 days that would also have me sitting in front of my screen. This would also give me a chance to experiment more since my illustrations are so digitally dependent.
• I wanted it to be something that wouldn't be too time consuming. If I laboured over it, I knew that I probably wouldn't see it through to the end.

With that in mind, I came up with 100 Days of Buildings! For the next 100 days (well, 99 now) I am going to create a small building collage out of printed paper that I've made. I'm really looking forward to playing with shape and colour in a traditional media and seeing what comes out of this. You can follow #100DaysofBuildings on instagram!

Lately / 2

Hi friends, it's been a while since the last Lately post. Here are a few of the things that have been inspiring me recently. 

Les Desmoiselles de Rochefort // I'm ashamed to say that this Netflix dvd had been sitting unwatched on my media shelf for over a year. I finally watched it last weekend and it was amazing. Great fashion and dance, such a visual feast. And, of course, Gene Kelly. 

Pyrgi, Greece // While scrolling through my instagram feed a few days ago, the photo on the right made me pause and stare. How is this incredible town covered in beautiful pattern and colour real? The buildings are adorned in patterns created by painting and carving plaster called graffito. Definitely added to my Things-to-Draw list. If I ever travel here, I'm going to have to go solo because whoever I travel with will likely grow tired of me stopping every few feet to draw everything.

Photo credit: left / right

10 Murals: One Day // This mural project spearheaded by Mike Perry (the amazing artist behind the Broad City opening credit animation among other things) brightened Brooklyn and my instagram feed yesterday. 

Photo credit: left / right

The Hills are Alive

A couple of weeks ago, the cool folks at Light Grey Art Lab hosted an incredible retreat in the mountains of Utah. Spent the weekend hiking, staring at the night sky, admiring the unbelievable rock formations, and having great discussions with other artists. We shared this cabin in Brian Head, UT. Two words: chainsaw bears. 

I grew up with mountains but the mountains of Utah were just so entirely different. It was hard not to trip over my own feet because I was too preoccupied looking up at them. We spent the weekend hiking around Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park. Cannot thank the incredible Light Grey team enough for putting together such an amazing trip!

I Love You and I Like You

As a love letter to one of my favourite television series, I thought it would be fun to make some Parks and Rec themed Valentines to say farewell for its final season. I had so much fun with the Arrested Development ones a few years ago and have been wanting to make another set so this was the perfect excuse. You can download and print 'em to give to your galentine or someone that you love and like. I also have some nifty square ones that you can share on instagram available to download on my tumblr if that's your (Jeremy) jam. Thank you to all of my cool friends that helped me think of the perfect phrases to pair with each character!

Click here to download the complete set!

I made you say that........you are my Valentine.

Home for the Holidays 2014 Recap

Happy new year! I hope that 2015 is treatin' you right. I wanted to share a few of the homes that I illustrated last year for Home for the Holidays. It was my busiest year yet thanks to Mallory. There were some really special stories that people shared with me about the homes they asked me to draw. I illustrated childhood homes, homes of parents and grandparents, summer homes, and even a barn! Without a doubt one of my favourite projects I do every year. Already looking forward to next year!

Home for the Holidays is something that I've been doing for the past three years. If you are interested in being emailed when sales begin for 2015 I set up a mailing list that you can sign up for right here.

If you would like to have me draw a home for you outside of the holiday season, I take commissions year-round. Feel free to email me and we can chat!

Lately / 1

Lately, I've been missing the ability to share a bit of what I've found interesting or been inspired by that blogging regularly allowed me to do. So I thought I'd start semi-regularly posting what non-art happenings I've been up to and some things that have caught my eye.

Home for the Holidays // My free time has mostly been consumed by house illustrations for the past few weeks. I always love doing this every year and hearing the stories that go with the homes that people share. All of the illustrations are wrapped up now and I'm just waiting to pick up the last batch from my printer so I'll share a bit more after the holidays but here are a few of my favourite bits. I set up a mailing list for anyone interested in being notified when sales begin next year!

Over the Garden Wall / I recently (well, recently when I started the draft for this post a month and a half ago) devoured this entire series. The best kind of weird, dark folklore but with lighthearted characters and bizarre surprises to keep it from being too depressing. And gorgeous, gorgeous backgrounds and great music. You can get the entire series for just $10 on iTunes!

Land/marks // A few months ago, two of my favourite people broke my heart and also reaffirmed why I love and admire them so much when they quit their jobs, put all of their belongings into storage, sold one of their cars and left to travel around South America for half a year. My friend Jessica has been documenting their travels through gorgeous photographs as well as beautiful patterns inspired by each of the places they visit and sharing them on her travel blog. I have avidly/jealously been following along.

Home for the Holidays 2014

2018 UPDATE: If you are visiting from my linktree, welcome! All of the info in the Q&A below is the same for this year except dates. I just didn’t want to make an entirely new post for this year since it will be a smaller run. Please feel free to email, comment on this post, or comment on the instagram post if you have any questions, thanks! Additionally, if you signed up for my Mailchimp list to be notified when they go on sale again, I am so sorry that I wasn’t able to email. Mailchimp deactivated my account and I have been going back and forth with them all week to get access to this list again.

2014 UPDATE: Unfortunately they are all sold out for this year due to the popularity generated by the Buzzfeed article. I am so overwhelmed and grateful for the support. Thank you, everyone! It's something that I do annually every holiday season so if you are interested in being notified next year when sales begin I have set up a mailing list that you can sign up for right here.  You won't receive any additional mail or junk, just one email next year when sales begin.

I'm excited to be bringing Home for the Holidays back for the third year! Every year I love hearing the stories of time spent at summer cabins, old homes that have been sold, new homes that have been bought, first apartments, and the many other reasons that the buildings I am illustrating are special.

For those new to Home for the Holidays, it is my custom illustration project offering the opportunity to give some affordable, personalized art for the holidays. I love drawing buildings and would love to illustrate one that is meaningful to you or someone you know. Whether it be a home, a summer cottage, winter cabin, historical landmark, travel destination, garden shed, or whatever other structure your heart desires. Submit a photo and you will have an 10x12 or 10x10 illustration on your doorstep by Christmas!

This year there are 30 spaces available SOLD OUT. Here are the details:

What do I get?

You will receive a 10"x10" or 10"x12" (illustrations measure 8"x8" or 8"x10" with a 1" border) print that has been reproduced digitally on archival quality watercolour paper. 

Where do I email my photo to?
Please email your photo(s) to seguin.marisa[at]gmail.com with "Home for the Holidays" as the subject. Multiple angles are welcome.

What buildings will you draw?
House, condo, cabin, cottage, castle, Versailles.....as long as it has some semblance of a dwelling (i.e. I will not draw the Great Wall of China, Eiffel Tower, etc) then I would like to illustrate it for you!

When will I get my print?
I will be sending them out as I finish in the order that they are received. International orders will be mailed no later than Friday December 5. US orders will be mailed no later than Friday December  12. If you need your print sooner than this please include a note in your email. I will do whatever possible to accommodate requests for prints to be mailed by a certain date but make no guarantees that they will be mailed earlier than the previously specified dates.

Can I see my illustration before you ship it?
Unfortunately not. The elimination of the usual back and forth makes it possible for me to offer these at a flat rate.

Can I request certain colours?
Unfortunately not. Again, for the same reason as above, the elimination of the usual back and forth allows me to offer these illustrations at a flat rate.

Can you ship it to someone else for me?
Yes I can! I'll even include a note if you'd like.

How much does it cost?
$100 + shipping. Shipping costs can be found in the shop. 

Do you offer refunds?
Once you have sent me your photo your sale will be considered final.

When is the last day to place an order?
Please note these dates have changed for 2018. The current dates can be found on the etsy listing. I will be taking international orders until Sunday November 23 and US orders until Sunday November 30.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions! You can place orders through my shop right here.

"We love illustration because you can lie to people."

This was one of my favourite quotes from ICON a few weeks ago (said by Sam Arthur during his talk about the fantastic Nobrow). It is something that is bouncing around my brain even weeks after the conference ended and I had a very similar sentiment in mind when creating my submission for the Work+Play show at Land Gallery.

When I heard the prompt "work and play" (the theme for the entire conference) it made me think about how my favourite thing about being an illustrator is that we have the ability to bring anything to life. I love that researching and learning new things for illustrations is a part of my job and it really doesn't feel like work at all. I get to bring together the things that I learn and elements of my imagination to create something new which was the inspiration for this made-up cityscape.

Thanks to the cool folks at Land for putting together this great show!  You can see all of the work from the show and purchase prints in their online shop or if you're in the Portland area you can check out the show until August 24.

Letterpress for days

If you follow me on instagram, you’ll likely have seen a few of these images kickin’ around. I worked on a super fun personal project over the weekend that turned out better than I could have ever imagined.

One of my coworkers owns a beautiful old printing press and was kind enough to let our team invade his garage last Friday to get our letterpress on. It was my first time letterpressing and I could not be more pleased with the results.

After a quick arm workout cranking the wheel on the old Chandler and Price it became almost zen just churning out print after print. All of the linework was letterpressed. I then hunkered down with a beer and my paints later that evening to add some colour. Because the ink we printed with is rubber based, it repelled the watercolour paint like I had hoped and I got to do a crafty Mr. Burns laugh as my plan unfolded perfectly. 

I am now 90% obessed with letterpressing everything and 10% afraid that this was a ridiculous bout of beginners luck.