"Bordie & Sadie" - Commission Portrait Piece

As we all may already know, people love animals, and not just any animals, their animals. My Barber Ed recently asked if I could possibly sketch a portrait of his boxer puppies for his wife. Now I've been recently working more animals into my portfolio so the job couldn't have come at a better time. I really enjoyed working on this because both dogs seemed to have had such adorable personalities that really came through in the photo reference he provided. He was thrilled with the finalized sketch and couldn't wait for his wife to see it.

-Stay Creative

Pastry Divas Logo - Commission Piece

I recently reconnected with a childhood friend by the name of Tiffany that contacted me about designing a logo for her after she came across my work online. It just so happens that she runs her own pastry company by the name of "Pastry Divas", which worked perfectly with a lot of the sweet inspired work I've been doing recently. When she explained what she wanted I instantly had an idea of where I wanted to go with this piece. Above is one of three logos that I completed for her, the other two being a full color and black and white version. Tell me what you think.

-Stay Creative

"Little Miss Foo Foo" - Personal Piece

For the closing event for "Rocket To Venus" I really wanted to present a new piece. Not only for those that have already seen the show, but also as a way to celebrate the occasion and keep up the productivity. The idea was to go for something playful yet unsettling, with a light touch of couture design. I've been really inspired by 80's fashion editorials lately, I guess that would explain the big hair.

-Stay Creative

I'm Not Dead... I Promise.

I know, I know. It's been far too long since my last post, but it's with good reason. I was fortunate enough to land my first solo art exhibition with Naked Chocolate Cafe. So yes ladies and gentlemen, I was not off somewhere eating potato chips and watching classic reruns of The Golden Girls, even though that actually sounds pretty nice right now.

Maleka "Lady M" Diggs was sweet enough to offer me such a great opportunity, so I decided to mix together some of my new ideas along with some of the recent work I've been posting on here. More then anything else, I wanted this show to be fun and feminine of course.

Entitled "Rocket To Venus", the exhibit ran from July 19th to August 31st. Simple put, this was such a blessing. I honestly could not have asked for a better experience. Everyone was so wonderful, and I was even given both an opening and closing date. Because I wanted the show to have a fresh quality, I decided to wait until after the closing to post all of the new pieces. So here they are and please make sure to tell me what you guys think.

"Any Excuse For A Party"
"Doggie Style"
"Libre"
"On Wednesday We Wear Pink"
"Artificial Sweetener"
"Rocket To Venus"
"There's No "I" In Team"
"Make It All Better"
"She's Got The Look"
Thanks to everyone who supported, inspired, encouraged, listened, modeled, and celebrated such an amazing moment in my life. I will forever be grateful.

-Stay Creative

"Lions, Tigers, and Bears" - Fabric Pattern

I know this isn't my usually brightly colored work, but I thought I would switch things up and have someone else pick the color palette for this one. I've been thinking about ways of expanding my portfolio so I decided to take a less feminine route. My friend Mary did a wonderful job at choosing a palette that was neutral yet bright. This time around there's no candies, no legs, and no eyelashes.

-Stay Creative

"Who's The Boss?" - Personal Piece

I'm sorry. I have a way of beating a dead horse when it comes to my art, but I always tend to wrap myself up in interest. This time around it's legs. Don't ask me what it is but it's got me by a tight grip. I blame my personality. With music I'll listen to an album until I've felt like I've heard every sound there is to hear. So to keep up with tradition I present to you the piece above. I think I'll let this one speak for itself.

-Stay Creative

Lady Gaga & Young Lloyd Art Swap with Nazahah Yasin

Hey everyone! I know it's been quite some time since my last update but I've been pretty busy lately. Since the computer labs at UArts were closed for the winter break, I decided to put down my micron pen and work on some sketching. I was so wrapped up in getting pieces completed for my professional portfolio that I didn't pay much attention to my pencils. I figured for my own artistic benefit I would only sketch during the holidays.

Last Sunday my good friend Nazahah Yasin and I decided to do an art swap. Being as though she is in love with Young Lloyd and Lady Gaga is the queen of my heart, we decided to exchange portraits of our celebrity obsessions. The only rule was that we each had to make sure our half of the swap would be in a mailbox and our it's journey by Wednesday (yesterday). Earlier today I felt someone at my front door and sure enough there was an orange envelope waiting for me. Before my fingers were able to open it I already knew that I was gonna adore what was inside. I pulled out the hidden treasure and my eyes were welcomed by an amazing portrait of the Fame Monster herself! The sketch is everything I was hoping for and more. I can only hope she will love my sketch as much as I love hers. Below are both pieces of our art swap.

Lady Gaga Sketch by Nazahah Yasin
Make sure to check out her art blog here!
Young Lloyd Sketch by me
I would advise every artist to do an art swap at least once. It's was such a great experience. We should all celebrate our artistic expression with one another. If anyone is interested in doing an art swap please feel free to contact me.

-Stay Creative