Love is in the Air...version 2.0!

At the request of my sweet friend Joshua (who I've known since childhood), I re-created one of my most popular illustrations to feature him with his fiancé and their golden retrievers! The couple loves Paris and their dogs, so this fits them perfectly! This is one of the first times I've really re-done a piece of artwork, and it was a fun challenge to recreate the original as closely as possible while making specific changes. Here's wishing Joshua and Christopher many years of happiness!

Happy holidays, all!

Charla Pettingill Illustration is now on Tumblr!

I've started a Tumblr page for my illustrations!

Also, I rarely share my fine art, but I thought I'd showcase it via Tumblr as well! Please have a look at my traditional paintings and drawings on my fine art Tumblr page!

Skreened - free shipping through the end of September!

Through the end of this month, you'll receive free shipping on orders over $50 in my Skreened shop! Check out my shop for some fun wearable art!

Happy Fall, everyone!

Fall sketches

Well, it seems that Autumn is officially in the air...goodbye, summer! It's been a great one. Here's what I've been sketching...

Illustration for CofC Magazine - Perfect Strangers

Here's one of my latest illustrations, which was created for College of Charleston Magazine to accompany a story in the magazine's Point of View section. This was an interesting challenge for me, as there were many ways that I could have approached the assignment. Still, it was a lot of fun to create. Be sure to check out College of Charleston Magazine (available online and in Charleston). It's a great read!

"Hairstyling by Jennie"

Here's one of my latest illustrations, created for an ad in Hello! Morristown magazine.

La voiture des fleurs...inspiration courtesy of Nick!!

A few days ago, my sweet friend and fellow illustrator Nick from college posted a picture online that he snapped on the streets of New York City . I was smitten with the image, and just had to draw my interpretation of this adorably quirky little car. I can't help but wonder who drives it...

Happy August!! It's been sooo hot in Georgia, but I'm still enjoying summer. I've spent lots of time working on some new projects, so stay tuned to my blog and website to see new work!

Don't forget...Half the Sky Art-A-Thon!

Hi everyone! Please don't forget about the Half the Sky Art-A-Thon! You can donate here for a chance to win one of my watercolor/mixed media pieces (pictured below) that Melanie and I are raffling among those who donate. You could easily be the lucky winner!!

Half the Sky Art-A-Thon

Hi, everyone! Exciting news! My friend Melanie and I are partnering to raise money for The Half the Sky Foundation, which benefits children living in welfare institutions across China. Melanie and her husband adopted their sweet daughter Lucy from China last Fall. Half the Sky is an organization that's close to their hearts because of how the organization benefits children such as Lucy in the first years of the childrens' lives. I've created two works of art to contribute to Half the Sky’s second annual art-a-thon, "Art from the Heart." You can make a donation here and visit the Art-A-Thon's website here.

Fellow artists and illustrators, please consider participating! This is a great way to get some exposure while supporting a fantastic cause for children. To everyone else, please consider donating to this wonderful cause...you'll have a chance to win my artwork, pictured below!!

And here's me in action, creating my two pieces of art to benefit Half the Sky! One piece will go to Half the Sky to be displayed in the Art-A-Thon show in California. The other will be raffled...by donating to Half the Sky on the donation page set up by Melanie, you will have a chance to win the second piece of artwork! This year's theme is "Red Thread," which references a Chinese proverb that states that “An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet regardless of time, place or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break.” I chose to take a more conceptual approach to this idea, using actual red thread to embroider sections of each watercolor, showing that to adopted children, home is truly "where the heart is," a place they're destined to be with their families.





Sketch phase...



Inking with a Micron pen...



My medium of choice...





Painting (my favorite step)!



This was a first for me...I wanted to use actual red thread for both pieces to emphasize the theme of the show and concept of the artwork. I brought out my trusty sewing machine, a spool of bright red thread....and....



Voilà! Both pieces, finished and matted. Each piece measures about 5" x 7" (8" x 10" matted).

Again, don't forget to visit the Half the Sky Art-A-Thon website to contribute! You can visit Melanie's blog and learn more about Lucy's inspiring story here.

Behance

I'm now on Behance! Check out my Behance profile here. http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Cats, cats, cats

...so I've been doodling lots of cats these days in preparation for my first foray into drawing comics, which will be a collaboration with my mom. We're both excited about the possibilities of the concept, and I can't wait to reveal it in its entirety. Still, it has quite a bit further to go. More to come!

Beach Weather

...is almost here, and I can hardly wait! Now to find the perfect swimsuit...

A little Roman Holiday

For a while, I've been planning on doing some illustrations of famous actresses from classic films. Here's Audrey Hepburn:



Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!!

More Zazzle fun

See more here!

May in bloom

I always love the first day of a new month. It's like a fresh start...and what better day to kick off one of my favorite months than a perfectly beautiful Spring day such as today? Also, today is my sweet grandmother's 88th birthday! I sketched these little blossoms while on the phone with her earlier. Happy birthday, Grandma!

Sweet Thoughts

Lazy Sunday doodles

I spent a little time this afternoon enjoying the sunshine and doodling in my sketchbook:

More from Zazzle

I've been busy adding lots of items to my Zazzle shop. Here are three shoe designs that I'm very excited about:

Charla Pettingill Illustration now on Zazzle!

Exciting news...I've opened a Zazzle shop! See for yourself here!

Printemps, j'taime!

Sunflower

A cold snap this weekend has left me longing for the warmer weather Atlanta had been graced with for the last few weeks. Despite the chilly temperature and the harsh wind, my husband and I spent some time potting a few plants and flowers this afternoon. I'm hoping to plant some sunflowers once the weather is more forgiving!! For now, I can have all the two-dimensional flowers that I want!

Cookies

Oh Girl Scout cookies, why do you tempt me so?

A sunny afternoon + Dr. Ph. Martin's inks =

I wish I had this dress!

Lazy Sunday

Just a little sketch...I've been playing around with colored pencils (a medium I haven't touched in years).

Oldies

I rarely like to show old work, but while organizing my studio this morning I stumbled upon the back-up CDs which contained the children's book I created for my book illustration class in college. I feel like this book was the turning point for my illustration style, so despite how different it is from my current work, it's special to me. I dedicated it to my high school French teacher, and she owns the only printed, bound copy of it. I thought I'd share a few pages of this project (which I plan on re-writing and re-illustrating in the future) before going outside to paint and relish the beautiful, Spring-like weather we're having in the South this weekend. I hope you enjoy these!