Happy Mermaid Monday!

Happy Mermaid Monday!

Limited Edition Print Here:

http://www.sarabillustration.com/#!product/prd4/3686976451/red

My biggest inspiration ever was Ariel from Disney's The Little Mermaid. She sparked my interest in fairytales, challenged me in drawing, and has always made me swoon to the endless possibilities through dreaming. I created this piece a while back thinking of her, she is timeless to me.

Which mermaid has inspired you throughout the years?
★ Comment below and I'll enter you into a drawing to win a handmade bookmark of this piece! ★

12 Days of Christmas Giveaway

This season I am giving away 12 gifts to 12 winners for Christmas!

Winners will be announced here and on Facebook December 8th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Prizes!

Keep checking back to see what prize the day brings.

1st  Day of Christmas:

A beautifully hand painted "Spring" resin figurine who measures approx. 6 inches high and hand signed on the bottom. 

On top of that, there's an 8x10 inch art print she was base upon included!

Value $35

WINNER: Debbie Grothe

2nd  Day of Christmas:

Custom designed iPhone case with image of choice. I've had Midnight Warrior on mine for months now and it has survived like no other. I constantly drop my phone and this case hasn't even chipped! 

Printed and delivered from DecalGirl.com

Value $20

WINNER: Lissa

3rd  Day of Christmas:

MAGNETS! Whoo! I don't know about you, but in my family the fridge IS the family album! I also have magnets from artists I admire and gain inspiration from on mine. These are huge measuring 3 inches in diameter.

Printed and delivered from Zazzle

Value $8

WINNER: Jenny Faith Mansell

4th  Day of Christmas:

Limited Edition art print of "Red", number 10/150. Double matted in a leather tan with an accenting silver. All set and ready to be framed in an 11x14 frame. She's printed on Ilford Pearl archival paper with some of the best inks on the market. 

Printed in my studio so you can be sure she matches the original.

Value $50

WINNER: Patty O'Brien

5th  Day of Christmas:

Bicycle Playing Cards featuring the art "Quiet Time", my number one best seller! These feel just like your good ol' poker cards, and the color is beautiful! Tempting to keep these for myself I like them so much.

Printed and delivered from Zazzle

Value $20

WINNER: Natalia Brodofsky

6th  Day of Christmas:

An original drawing measuring 5.5 x 7.5 inches. Created using indigo prismacolor pencil (my favorite sketching pencil), prismacolored pencil colors, graphite, and white gel pen. She's a princess of the forest, and is inviting you to share in her love for the world.

Sprayed with a fixative to preserve and prevent the the graphite from smudging. She is drawn on a lovely earth toned cardstock.

Value $80

WINNER: Kimberlee Patton 

7th  Day of Christmas:

One sheet of United States Postal Service approved stamps featuring the painting "A Winter Blessing". There are 20 stamps all together. A great holiday or seasonal stamp for anytime during the winter months! 

Printed and delivered from Zazzle

Value $20

WINNER: Sindy Murray

8th  Day of Christmas:

"Beauty comes from Within" 8oz ceramic mug featuring the art of "Spring". I'm sure she looks familiar! I designed this mug in the studio. Her colors are right and vibrant. Who needs some hot cocoa?

Printed and delivered from Pacific Trading Company

Value $12

WINNER: Heather Wone

9th  Day of Christmas:

An amazing coffee table book featuring 16 talented fantasy artists, including me. Get an inside look at these artists and why they paint what they paint. Great mini biographies and tons of art! A stunning book for any lover of fantasy art.

Some artists included are: Jasmine Becket-Griffith, Jody Bergsma, Kinuko Y. Craft, Linda Ravenscroft, Josephine Wall, Sheila Wolk, and many others.

Published by LightStream Publishing, LLC.

Value $30

WINNER: Hanneke Cole

10th Day of Christmas:

A goodie package filled with fairies! All of these items were created by me in the studio. No outside manufacturers. What you'll receive is:

5x7 print of "Blues of Winter"

5 pack of 4x6 Twilight Fairy postcards

"Shiitake" bookmark

Ornament of "Hope"

Pack of 45 stickers featuring "Lady of the Forest", "Midnight Warrior", "Into the Word", "Twilight Lilies", and "Perched at Dawn".

Value $50

WINNER: Mis Vadovsky

11th Day of Christmas:

A goodie package filled with mermaids this time. 
What you'll receive is:

5x7 print of "My Treasure"

5 pack of 4x6 mermaid postcards

"Red" bookmark

Pill box tin featuring "The Talisman"

Pack of 45 stickers featuring "Quiet Time", "Lusigna", "Roseilee", "Rest on the Horizon", and "The Talisman".

Value $50

WINNER: Constanza Ehrenhaus

12th Day of Christmas:

Original watercolor painting "Sienna" measuring 4x6 inches, matted and ready for an 8x10 frame.

Painted with the finest watercolors on hot press Arches watercolor paper. 

She's a warrior of the seas, searching for the magical treasures hidden within.

Value $160

WINNER: Audrey McGee Griffis

The Untitled Mermaid

She emerges...

There's something emerging in my work lately, something very raw and real to me. When I place together "Midnight Warrior" and this piece, I see sister souls, or female figures demonstrating the same heart.

And there's something else too. How I'm beginning to portray them. What I add, the attention to portrait, bolder colors. I am taken back to my past when I used to draw tattooed mermaids and fairies painted in dark colors.

Yet this time it's different. This time they are strong, confident, and filled with a breath that when exhaled speaks "Warrior."

These small yet powerful paintings are reflecting the amazing Spirit within me, to share the empowerment the King wishes to bestow upon His daughters, the empowerment and strength we hold as princesses and heirs to His Kingdom.

These images are portraying the Warrior Princess. Aye, we are.

Want to help me title her? Visit HERE and read how you can join in the giveaway!
- Print and Original painting will be listed on Etsy November 1st.

Watercolor 6x4 inches  -  Title TBA on November 1st.

 PS: If you look closely to the detail image you'll see sparkling around the eyes. That is for you Natalie, my dear friend and sister in Christ. Luv ya!

The Vault

There has been some talk about opening the vault.
It's scary.
It's old.
It's saturated.
It's outlined.
It's purple.

What's in the vault?
{ Right Image: "Lady of the Lake" }
 
The vault means surfacing work from 2007 and back. There may be a piece here and there from those years still floating about on my etsy page or website, but those are rare. I've had several requests/comments to bring the old work back.

Why open the vault now?
 
In 2007/2008 I began to change my way of painting, which has been in constant change till about now. That's natural, I believe, but my past work personally doesn't do it for me. 

I have adored the concepts, compositions, colors, etc. always, but relying on black lines is not something I teach. It was a way to make sure my lines showed up, and to clean up the pencil from sketching. The black lines were used as default, without any real purpose. I thank one of my college professors for pointing that out. And I took him seriously.

I moved onto sepia pens, but that still...in my opinion, restricted my work. 
Placed up against my work today, there is a drastic difference in style. Tho you can tell it's still my work, I have moved away from the anime/Disney look to a more realistic. Maybe it's the challenge that I'm after, or that I want my work to be more high end fantasy. Not sure yet as to why the switch. 

Where's the vault's work?
{ Left Image: "Truth" Limited Edition }

So I have started to list the old work up on Etsy. You'll see it clearly up against my current work. It's saturated, deep in rich color, and the lines are heavy. For those of you who have followed my work for many years may remember some pieces, and wonder why some are listed and some are not. Please remember that not only did my style change, but my faith did also. This will affect my choices of what to list.

{ View All Prints for Sale }

"Lady of the Forest"

"Lady of the Forest"

watercolor & colored pencil

((( print on Etsy )))

Forest Lady UPDATE

A peek into her progress thus far. 

Totally lovin' the Daniel Smith sample sheet. She is pretty much

painted with colors from the sheet. I already know my favorite

Daniel Smith colors. AND I purchased the 238 color sheet.

MUAHahahahaha!

OOooo iridescent watercolors. Click the image to 

see the sparkle! Curious to know how it will scan.

Remember, it's still BOGO over at my Etsy shop!!! I goes till the end of January! Hurry!

((( GO TO BOGO SALE )))

Autumn Rain

"Autumn Rain"

watercolor & colored pencil

It hasn't been too difficult to stay in the mood for this piece.  The rain just won't stop coming down here in Iowa.  Although, there aren't too many poppies out and about...pounding rain can destroy delicate flowers.  

Yet with rain, unless you're fighting the flooding, it can be romantic, charming, and just down right beautiful.

Painting available on Etsy:

5x7 Open Edition Print  $8

8x10 Open Edition Print  $15

5x7 Original Painting  $50