Happy Birthday, Dick Grayson!

Still my favorite Boy Wonder. Brush pen inks and Photoshop colors.

Head Full Of Bees

Completely literal self-portrait!

"Morning Ritual"

That drawing of my hair in the first panel? Not at all exaggerated.

"Right On, Red" in Color

I finally finished coloring this piece! Read about the concept/inspiration here: "Right On, Red"

I'm so happy that it's done :) Please do click the image to view it in higher resolution...there's a lot of detail in there!

Creative and Accounts

Harry Crane, Ken Cosgrove, and Paul Kinsey. A fine-looking bunch!

Another Mad Man

Roger Sterling! If I was a dude, I would not mind looking as good as John Slattery does at almost 50, let me tell you.

Mad Men

Pete Campbell and Peggy Olson from Mad Men. It's funny, it kind of seems like I meant to make them looking at each other, but I didn't! Okay, maybe it's not that funny.

"Ram"

I tried to create a new "Women's Lifestyle" image for my portfolio, but this came out instead.

(Re)presenting...!

I am happy to announce that I am now represented by Lemonade Illustration Agency! Check it out! :)

Recipe Comix

Next to drawing and being obnoxious making friends, cooking is one of my number one passions! So I was delighted when the fine folks at Saveur asked me to contribute to their excellent series of Recipe Comix! Mine is all about hard-boiled eggs. Enjoy!

Tumblr

I've been posting a lot of stuff to my Tumblr, recently. I don't typically link to it from here, because I try to keep this blog and my website somewhat "professional", but what the heck! Most of the work I post there is pretty silly, some of it is mildly NSFW, but perhaps you will enjoy it all the same!

http://tickledfancy.tumblr.com

"Morning Hair"

Warmed up this morning with a sketch!

Critters

Some critters I designed! I plan on fleshing them out, drawing more angles, etc., but this is a first glimpse :)

Family Portraits

Art For Japan

Talented sisters Alice and Meg Hunt have enlisted the help of artists from around the world to raise money for Japan's relief efforts. All of the donated artwork will be (or is already) up for auction on eBay, and 100% of the profits are going to AmeriCares Foundation, Inc.

The piece I contributed, an ink drawing of San & Moro from Princess Mononoke, is now up for auction! Please take a gander and bid, if you desire, and be sure to check out the other excellent offerings available!

The piece was inked with a Pentel Pocket Brush Pen on watercolor paper and measures 9"x12". Perfect for framing, or sticking in a drawer and forgetting about forever, save for the lingering warmth that comes from knowing you contributed to a good cause. Or a combination of both!

Batgirl sketch

Batgirl sketch! I still love Barbara's original design from Batman The Animated Series. Did I ever mention how obsessed I was with that show? I used to record it every day so I could watch it as soon as I got home from school. Memories!

101 Reasons continued!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that there are a few selections from 101 Reasons To Shop on my website! Have a peek!
http://www.carlymonardo.com

101 Reasons to Shop

Remember just a few days ago when I said I was often secretly working on things I couldn't share? Well this was a big one!

101 Reasons to Shop was written by Jessica Waldorf, designed by Mary Austin Speaker, published by Harper Collins, and illustrated by yours truly!

As you may know, I'm a closet fashion geek, so spending months immersed in images of couture and runway shows was a fitting use of my time. I spent many a sleepless night working on this project. It's my first book and it was a wonderful and exciting challenge! I'm so thrilled that it is out there in the real world now! Kate Spade even tweeted about it!

You can sneak a peak at the book at the Harper Collins website! I will eventually (and with the author's permission) post some images here as well.

Thanks to everyone who supported and encouraged me throughout this process. Special thanks to Jessica Waldorf, Stephanie Meyers, Danielle Corsetto, George Baier IV, and of course my amazing husband, Christopher Hastings; I couldn't have done this without you!

Stumpy Pencil

Have I ever talked about Stumpy Pencil? My good friend Mike Foran developed this Photoshop brush that beautifully replicates the look and feel of your favorite worn-down pencil. I use it ALL the time, so if you're a regular visitor of this blog (then gosh, thank you! ♥) you've seen it before; like here, and here, and also here!

The brushes are pressure-sensitive, so you can really experiment with different textures and finishes. I highly recommend downloading the preset and playing around with it.

I will leave you with my most recent Stumpy Pencil doodle; a comic depicting what happens when my husband makes me a cup of coffee:

Denim Day 2011

My friend Min works with the Korean American Family Service Center, which is a great non-profit organization "serving in the New York Tri-State area to prevent and end domestic violence and relationship abuse". Earlier this week, Min asked if I could step in and design a flyer for KAFSC's Denim Day event, and I was happy to do it! This is a wonderful organization and an important cause, and the event promises to be a good one, so if you find yourself in NYC on April 21st, be sure to check it out and lend your support!

Finished Flyer:

Original sketch:

Credits:

Denim textures courtesy of Six Revisions

Concrete & brick textures courtesy of CG Textures

Fonts used: Futura & Bebas Neue