Stinkerpants

Rachael & Brian: Illustrated Save the Dates

January 9, 2011 in Blog • Weddings-Blog • Custom Weddings • Save The Dates

Every once in awhile, a client sends me a photo of their pet that makes me laugh out loud.  Diva the Pit Bull was one such pet.  This dog has LOADS of personality, and she is so totally spoiled by her parents that I immediately loved her too.  

This drawing was fun because a) I got to draw Diva, b) this pose?! OMG it's totally fun - not your typical wine country Save the Date, is it?  Love.

Stats:

What they asked for:
Wine Country Wedding with their dog, Diva

The OMG this is gonna be so cute!! Moment:
Diva's belly, Rachael's shoes

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Save the Dates

October 8, 2010 in Blog • Weddings-Blog • Custom Weddings • Save The Dates

Although I work with clients all over the world, I get a lot of local clients, as well!  A common theme in my drawings is the Golden Gate Bridge.  S & S wanted a custom drawing of themselves in front of the bridge, as seen from beautiful Baker Beach.  In addition to Save the Dates, S & S also ordered this illustration on thank you notes and as wall art. Talk about making your budget work for you!

The back side of their Save the Date is a faded version of the front - a perfect way to provide all the information you need, but not crowd your main drawing. :)

Kamil & Jake: Illustrated Roadtrip Save the Date

September 20, 2010 in Blog • Weddings-Blog • Custom Weddings • Save The Dates

Kamil and Jake have logged a LOT of miles in their time together!  The couple met in Washington DC and now live together in New York City, but they've spent most of their relationship long distance, traveling Interstate 95 between the two cities.  They decided to tie the knot in Kamil's home town of Philadelphia, which is right in between, and wanted to showcase these three important cities.  Instead of drawing a wedding map (which doesn't fit the Stinkerpants style very well), we featured a few important landmarks from each city along the I-95.  In the middle panel, Kamil and Jake welcome their guests to their party.

Details

This is a horizontally aligned A6 tri-fold invitation.
Drawings include two backgrounds (that's a lot of buildings!) and two people.

Will it Look Like Me? Getting Your Custom Drawing Just Right

August 1, 2010 in Blog • Weddings-Blog • Custom Weddings • Running A Business • Running Stinkerpants

Every once in awhile, I’m reminded that I need to write a post on this subject - and now I’m finally doing it!

I’ve been asked these two questions more than a few times:

“why don’t you have any photos of your clients on your website, so we can see what they look like compared to your drawing?”

and

“do your characters really look like the people you’re drawing?”  

The answer to the first question definitely comes down to personal preference.  I just don’t like the way websites look when they have those “before and after” photos.  I think it cheapens the look of the website, so I made a conscious decision not to do it.  But in a way, it kind of sucks for my potential clients, who are left wondering, well..."do your characters really look like the people you’re drawing?”  And the answer is definitely yes, but with one caveat: I have to have good photos of the person first.  If I have good photos (more on that in a minute), I think I do a pretty good job  - and so do my clients!  Take this quote from a recent client, Jess:

“"WOW!  I always thought your stuff was cute, but I didn't really realize how much it would actually LOOK like me until I saw myself drawn.  So cool!"

When Jess asked me why I don’t post photos of my clients alongside their drawings, I asked her if she’d be willing to let me use a few of her photos for the blog, so I could do just that!  Lucky for me, she's a good sport.  :) 

So without further ado, here’s an example of a couple, and their Save the Date:

Jess and Mike provided me with great photos, so it was easy to make them look just right.  

And what makes for a great photo, you might ask?

In order to draw a character that looks like you, I need to be able to see the shape of your face.  That means I need photos that are taken straight-on, and are unobscured by things like sunglasses or hats.  

Here’s an example of a couple of photos:

In the first one, see how her face is tilted away from the camera?  If you like taking self-portraits, a lot of your photos probably look like this (I know mine do!).  

Sometimes clients have a hard time finding good photos of themselves, and they’ll send me a bunch that are just okay.  Sometimes I’m able to make a character look right using those images, but it takes me a lot more time, and I’ll often feel less than 100% confident about them.  In those cases, I email the client the initial proof and ask them, “do you think this looks like you?  If not, send me a few more photos!”  After the second round of things, the character ends up looking just right.  That’s why it’s good to have great photos from the outset.

One thing to keep in mind that your pictures don’t have to be super high-quality.  If you want to send me a photo from your camera phone, I’m not picky!  It’s mostly the angle that matters. ;)  So feel free to take a quick picture just for me - I’ll definitely appreciate it!
 

Christie & Kyle’s Illustrated Dallas Wedding Invitation

April 20, 2010 in Blog • Weddings-Blog • Custom Weddings • Wedding Invitations

Christie and Kyle had a super sweet idea for their wedding: to have it in the same location as they had their first date!  For their wedding invitations, the wording begins on the front of the card with a drawing of the lake, and continues to the inside with a drawing of the building where their wedding was held.  And of course they had to incorporate their kitties too!

Details

This is an A7 Greeting Card invitation.
Drawings include two backgrounds, two people and two pets.