So, a little while ago, during the latter half of last year, I got a message inquiring if I took commissions. I do, but I had not been advertising that fact at the time since I had been so busy with work.

Long story short, I ended up being commissions by a talented artist/photographer, Lauren Quinn Ward. She had very specific ideas about what she wanted in a portrait of her and her husband, and I was happy to be chosen to fulfill that need. I struggled a bit with getting certain details and the likenesses just right, but, overall, it was a great experience and Lauren was quite patient in working with me. :)

The final result is something we’re all happy with.

I also found out that Lauren has a business making the most adorable stamps. Check out Doodle Design on etsy.

See? Adorable. :)

Several weeks ago, I was eating out with my sister. It was at Macaroni Grill where the have write paper covering the tables along with a supply of crayons. While I was sketching, the waitress (Steph) commented on it, saying she was really into art but was never really good or something like that. Long story shortened, I decided to leave her the sketch along with the tip.

Like I said, that was a while ago since in an effort to save money I don’t eat out as much. Today, however, my sis and I made what was my first outing to dine at Mellow Mushroom. Crystal observed that our waitresses move like a dancer. When she came to take our order she asked her about it, and she said that she used to. I took the opportunity to incorporate this info into the sketch I would leave with our tip.

While I was drawing, Crystal was ready with the unsolicited critique. Anatomy issues abound without a reference. It was a good exercise though. I’ll continue to post these as I do them.

Posted from my iPhone. The updated WordPress app works pretty well.

My portfolio site (artgyrl.com) was in desperate need of a redesign. I mean, my profile page had my age two years younger than I actually am. I figured the top of the year would be an ideal time to get the new site up.

Galleries are updated and rearranged. I’ve tried to simply the selection, featuring illustration, sketches, and design. I will eventually add a gallery of my photography, but that’s a beast to be tamed another day.

I’m available for art commissions. It’s something I should definitely advertise more. If you’re interested, you can just email me at sharon@argyrl.com.

Just something I’m working on.

Apparently half the state is frozen (people in the South can’t function with icy roads), so it’s a pretty slow day.

Another year has begun. I’m starting out with a lot of goals and aspirations. With the help of my big sis, I hope to have most of these accomplished. The main thing will be moving towards being a full-time illustrator. With that in mine, my main portfolio website (artgyrl.com) is in need of a major redesign. The galleries need to be updated and rearranged, primarily. I plan to launch the new site in at the end of this month.

I created a facebook fan page a while ago, but I’ve only recently begun to utilize it. Today, I uploaded 18 newer pieces to the photo albums there. Take a gander at what I created in 2010. I’ve added a link to the sidebar on the blog, also.

Today is the third of a four-day break from work for the second time in as many weeks. It’s a little disconcerting to be off for this long. There’s so much work to do, but with the muggy, winter weather, it’s easy to just succumb to the laziness and bum around the house. However, being a full-time artist means that I’ll have to be drawing even more and complete tasks in a timely manner.

So. I guess I’ll get on that.

—Regards.