Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Summer Studio

I'm out of school for the summer break and have moved into my "summer studio" aka, the screened-in porch, which basically consists of a card table and the chair from my indoor desk. I love being able to work outside while observing all the birds, and the view of the yard and gardens.

The print that I'm posting is one I've been working on this week, of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird . It's a black and white print painted with watercolor. I'm hoping to get some new pieces done for the next Open Market, where Vita and I will be selling our wares, on July 24 in Portsmouth.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Monster Sketch


   Hi all.  So sorry I've been absent from my posting duties.  I'm hoping I can get myself pulled back together soon.  Here is a monster I'm working on for a birthday card concept.  I'm sort of playing with a new drawing style, though I'm not sure if it is a fluke or something I'll stick with a bit longer.  You can see a few other monsters I did in the same style over at my blog.

   I have to say, though, I am totally anxious about putting color to him.  I have a couple ideas of what I might want to do but it's that first move, that first color decision, that often holds me back.  Does anyone else deal with this?

ETSY!


This week I finally accomplished one of my goals for the year (though I've been thinking about this for a lot longer) - I have an etsy shop, lifewithsam! There are a few items up there now, with more to come. I've got gorgeous archival prints, great for babies and kids, and pretty cool letters that you can spell your child's name out with, or any phrase you please. Stop by and take a look, maybe add me to your favorites. I'm really excited about this, and of course nervous as well. Yay for summer adventures!

This concludes my shameless self-promotion for the day. Thank you.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Website Launch

I missed my turn to post on Friday because I was a bridesmaid in an out-of-state wedding. We left early Friday morning and just returned today. Everything went off without a hitch. It was a gorgeous day for our friends, and we couldn't be happier for them. But boy, am I EXHAUSTED!!! If I thought life was going to become peaceful and relaxing after I graduated from school, I had another thing coming!
I had some exciting things happen for me this week in the design world...but I'm keeping hush-hush on that for the time being. Additionally, I've been very busy getting my personal portfolio website designed and functional. I'm sure many of you have heard my rants while I was wading eyeball-deep in the world of web design. I am proud to announce that my website is complete at long last, and is up and running (smoothly too, I might add!).
If anyone would like to take a tour of it, you can visit me at: http://www.nicolehuot.com
Of course, I have included my illustrations as well as my design work. Yeay!

Sunday, June 12, 2011



Ah that super feeling when you feel like you can accomplish anything. It doesn't come around often and you can be so caught up in it that you don't realize it is happening. This is not how I am feeling right now. The end of the school year is upon us and all the craziness that comes with it. We've been busy and since I am not someone to keep a date book it all swims around in my head with all the other clutter in there. I knew I needed to post but I have not been inspired of late and need our group to meet to get those juices flowing. Looking forward to meeting ladies!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Geranium print

I finished this 7-color reduction print just in time for the Portsmouth Open Market that's coming up this Sunday, June 12th. It's been a busy month preparing my work for the event, but I'm excited to be sharing a booth with Vita, as we try out a new venture. We'll be at Strawberry Banke from 10-4, so check it out if you're in the area.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Painted Sketch


In the past I used to think of painting as "final." To map out ideas, sketch, doodle, or draw I would normally use a pencil, sometimes pen, sometimes crayon. Rarely would I use a brush. Until lately. Now I think about sketching in paint. It's quite liberating, really. I get to play around with color and line and form. Ideas happen that can be carried into "final" work.
I highly recommend this time for playing and experimenting. It usually helps me move through creative blocks. I often wonder if others do this too and how often? If not, how do you get through times when you feel stuck?

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Space Poster



A long time ago my friend Benny commissioned me to do an A-B-C space poster for a young friend of his, and we racked our brains coming up with space-related words for all the letters. (Thankfully Benny is very smart). I brought the sketches in to a Smells Like Crayons meeting awhile ago, but haven't shown you guys the final piece - here it is! I'm really happy with it, and was so inspired that I created a whole licensing collection around this theme, which you can see here. And I'm told little Miles loves his poster. Yay!