calligraphy || mother’s day giveaway

Since November last year, I’ve been practicing calligraphy, reading about it, doing some online courses (here and here) and I also attended a short workshop with Bay Area calligrapher Maybelle Imasa-Stukuls

It’s been an interesting journey to use other media to express myself.

I specially like Modern Calligraphy since it gives me the freedom to develop my own style. I feel that it’s like drawing, but drawing letters 🙂

This year I decided to use this technique plus some watercolors to create a free downloadable art for Mother’s Day.

Motherhood is an amazing journey. It’s a rollercoaster, it has the scariest moments and the most fun moments all-together.

Sometimes it seems that a day lasts forever; just like when you’re going up in your cart and it seems it will never end climbing and then, suddenly, it goes so fast that you still feel like it was just a moment ago when everything started.

Hemingway wrote one of my favorites quotes and, now that I think about it, it can also be used to express how kids grow up: “Gradually, then suddenly“.

Motherhood is an amazing journey. You can do it alone, but it will take part of your sanity on the journey so it’s just much better if you have other(s) around to help.

For some moms, the help comes from their partners, for other it comes from amazing parents or in-laws, for others great relatives, good friends or even a kind neighbor or from the community close to you.

Motherhood is an amazing journey. So, take this gift and send it to a mom you know because we are all in this together and feeling  that we’re not alone in this is… Oh boy, such a relief!

We’re all in this together. We’re changing our world raising the human beings of the future.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Love <3

-Andrea

Mother's Day

idea for ben & jerry

Hi Ben & Jerry!

I have the name of the next Dulce de Leche and Chocolate Chips flavor that you need to create in the next 7 days: “PMS”

It was either that name or “I’m filing for Divorce” because if B&J creates that flavor, then my husband better not even dare to touch it during my PMS days… Otherwise, he can consider himself served! 😛

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cute animals: baby elephant

Hi friends,

I’ve been absent from this blog since I was in Argentina. I went for my brother’s wedding and stayed for a few more days to visit some friends and family. It was fun but I came back totally exhausted! Now, I’m glad to be back at home and returning to my routine.

Today I want to share one illustration I made for a friend of mine who lives in Brooklyn, NY.

This baby elephant, who is now part of my cute animals collection, will be adding its cuteness to a baby girl nursery.

2015-09 Elephans Michelle Brooklyn

View available products: baby elephant

cute animals: baby fox

Today, I want to share some images of a little fox that I drew for a dear friend who is expecting a new baby.

baby fox final artprint copy

I used the illustration as an art-print but also on a onesie.

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Since I also enjoy sewing and creating things with my hands, I chose to use the same baby fox illustration as an embroidery.

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I drew this little fox thinking in this new baby that’s coming to a dear family of friends of mine and all that love made it an extra special and enjoyable project!

<3

introducing: summer deliciousness

In the last weeks, I’ve been studying a little bit about creating patterns and today I want to share with you a new product that I have for sale: scarves! (a *must* for our Northern California weather!)

The illustration is a simple line drawing inspired in the summer deliciousness: cherries & strawberries.

It’s available for sale here.

Soon, it will also be available as a fabric, wall or gift paper here.

*I’d love to have your feedback on this! Feel free to leave your comment below!

Mother’s Day Giveaway!

Friends, I am very happy to host a giveaway for Mother’s Day!

You can win this art print (my favorite one!)

8651490_8948600-prn01_lz“Mommy & Me – Whales.” 

To participate, just pick one or more of these:

You have time until May 4th, 2015 at 00.00 Pacific Time (yeah! May the force be with you all!). Valid for US residents only.

Specifications: Art print / Mini (10″ x 8″). Gallery quality giclée print on natural white, matte, ultra smooth, 100% cotton rag, acid and lignin free archival paper using Epson K3 archival inks. No exchanges. No valid for cash value.

DIY gift wrapping paper

For this DIY gift-wrapping paper, you just need some markers -I use microns from Sakura and a calligraphy pen- and plain paper.

I had to prepare two very special gifts so for the first one, I chose a Beatles song lyric.

I started writing a phrase in the center of the paper and after that, I completed the empty spaces using different hand-styles and sizes of the lettering.

IMG_4270_2“Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”

Then, I just used it as a regular gift-wrapping paper.

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Another option that I like to create a special paper from a plain white paper is to draw botanicals on it.

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Finally, I added the name of the person who was going to receive the gift using a calligraphy pen.

IMG_4281_2Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers.

Calligraphy pens and markers are always a good idea. They add a special touch to your everyday lettering even when you don’t know much about calligraphy. I encourage you to try it!

Here’s another DIY gift wrapping paper idea. 

fabric and paper for sale + promo link!

Hello friends,

I’m very happy to tell you that some of my designs are now available for sale as gift wrapping paper, wallpapers and fabric! You can buy it here.

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Some of the designs are from the “cute animals: mommy and me” collection and there’s also the “milkshakes, sundaes and floats” design.

show_imageThe cute animals collection makes me think of a nursery, sewing baby/toddler bed sheets with those fabrics and hang an art-print frame with a similar theme illustration on the wall. What do you think? In case you’re interested, I leave you this link so you can have FREE Worldwide Shipping on art-prints and more.

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The sundaes, floats and milkshakes fabric inspire me to sew a blouse or a dress (this also reminds me that I need to improve my sewing skills! lol!).

I know that these are just the very few first steps, the beginning in fabric and gift wrapping paper design but I’m enjoying it so much and I just LOVE the idea of  wearing what I draw. So, I know  that I will do some more designs.  I’ll keep you posted when I upload the new ones!

Thanks friends for the encouragement and the support. I really appreciate it <3

Love,

andreacomenta

national handwriting day

Today is National Handwriting Day.

Sakura was asking their followers to upload a picture with their favorite quote and I accepted the proposal.

But, since choosing “a favorite quote” is such a difficult task, I decided to pick one of the book that I’m currently reading (as I posted before that I would do).

These months I’ve been reading “Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World” by Haruki Murakami; the 4th novel that I read from this author.

I liked this book, specially, those long moments of solitary thoughts but I didn’t go nuts for the story (that’s the reason why it took me so long!).

The quote that I chose from this book was: “Deep rivers run quiet“. But these are also others that I highlighted:

“Humans are immortal in their thought. Though strictly speakin’, not immortal, but endlessly, asymptotically close to immortal. That’s eternal life.”

“Eternity can actually be experienced” (this quote made me remember a how a person can describe a panic attack).

“I have a thing about losers. Flaws in oneself open you op to others with flaws”

“Everyone may be ordinary, but they’re not normal (…) But there’s normal and there’s normal. I mean the kind of normal that can sit down next to you on the train and you wouldn’t even notice. We eat food, drink beer–oh, by  the way, the sandwiches were great!”

“Nobody got the keys to t’the elephant inside us. Freud and Jung and all the rest of them published their theories  but all they did was t’invent a lot of jargon t’get people talkin'”

I think I’m going to take a break from Murakami, but I still really love his writing style and crazy stories.

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*Have you read Murakami? Any favorites?

botanical sketches

This 2015, I’ve started a new sketchbook.

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve already seen some of these botanical sketches but I wanted to gather all of them in a post and tell you which one is my favorite.

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Carnations

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Daisies

Unknown

Hellebores

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African Lilies (My mom’s garden has one of these beauties).

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False Shamrocks (As a kid, I used to eat the roots of these shamrocks… I’ve always been special, ha!)

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Hidrangea (One of my favorites flowers!)

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Narcissus (I discovered the daffodils on a wintery afternoon in Brooklyn while I was wishing for the springtime to arrive!) 

*I’d love to know, do you have a favorite flower? Which one is it?

playing with acrylics

About 2 years ago,  Victor gave me a set of acrylics and brushes for my birthday. I never ever used them until yesterday. Procrastination, I guess.

Even-though my first time painting with acrylics was a great experience in my life, this new approach was by myself, with no teacher, and that was great as well.

I must admit that I felt a little lost, so I search the web and got to this tutorial for the painting that I wanted to try.

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I followed some steps from the tutorial but I didn’t use the charcoal so after the first step, I kind of followed my own path. I felt that it was more fun for me to explore and experience by my own.

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Light didn’t help in this picture, but anyway, it’s just to show you some of the process.

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Today was a foggy morning in San Bruno so I took a picture with natural light, now that the painting was finally dried.

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It was a nice practice and I’ll try more often, I thought of using the same “sketchbook” so it gets kind of an art-journaling sketchbook.

Have a great weekend, folks!

hello fall, illustration and promo

Yes, you might already know it: I love fall.

I grew up in a city where autumn lasts only one or two weeks and I believe that might be the reason why I love fall so much: scarcity.

When I lived in Buenos Aires, I enjoyed those cool fall mornings that even when the sun is there, it’s barely warm.

Then I lived in Brooklyn, New York. I don’t have to say anything more about the season and the city because that might be “the” season to appreciate the stunningly beautiful city at its best.

Everything about fall is just so pretty: the colors, the clothes, the weather, the fruits and veggies… And fall has that smell that it’s been my favorite ever since: cinnamon.

I want to tell you also that to celebrate the season, there’s a promo available now at my online shop: FREE Worldwide Shipping*! (Promotion expires November 9, 2014 at Midnight Pacific Time. *Offer excludes Framed Art Prints, Stretched Canvases and Rugs)

Access to promo here.
2014-10-02 Leaves
I’d love to know, which is your favorite season?
“hello fall” on my coffee table Continue reading “hello fall, illustration and promo”