A Wish

Luna Pernox is a regular presence in my sketchbook since my school days. She appears when I'm approaching the dreaded "low tide" of creativity we all experience every now and then. Therefore, she's never really welcome. Her name means "full moon" in latin and it's a nickname someone gave me a long time ago, due to my well-known moodiness. This is the first time I attempt to give her a little colour... She has a wish and I have one too.

On a more interesting note, this week I'm starting to work on a new editorial project. I'm very happy about this. I know it is something I'll greatly enjoy, it also has a nice layout. The graphic designer I'm working with is very helpful, friendly and willing to go over the many language barriers between us (huge plus!) I'll share more when I'll be allowed to.

Little red fox

A quick illo for this week's theme on Illustration Friday: wilderness.
I grew up in Sicily, where my parents moved when I was very little. Bright sunlight, colorful flowers and olive trees everywhere. And the sea, of course... As soon as I turned 16 I had permission to spend the summer holidays by myself and where I wanted. Ironically, the only place I wanted to be was the mountains, the woods and quiet landscapes of the Dolomites.
This week's "lucky fluke" is this incredible 4-texture combo I found for the background. I know I'll use this again. Sleepy Hollow comes to my mind. Staying up late sometimes leads to positive results!

My Beloved Monster and Me

Well, Happy New Year!! About time too. Sorry for the lack of updates, christmas cards and silly little christmas stories. I wasn't in a very cheerful mood this year. Thank you for all the beautiful cards, wishes and emails. I know I still have to answer to most of them, you know how bad I am with replies, I apologize... The new year will be quite busy. I'm working on a couple of projects I'm enjoying and hopefully share soon. I have the usual load of things I have to do and don't enjoy at all, but that's how it goes! I'm also working on three new Kokeshi Dolls, will share pictures very soon.

I might be in London again in early March. I'll keep an eye on the boards, meanwhile if there will be a Sketch Crawl London around that time, keep me informed. I should be able to join the fun!

I was talking with a friend about Shrek's soundtrack not too long ago. This is the result, I'm sure most of you will get the music reference (if not, here is one of my fav versions, the one on the soundtrack was a bit more rocky). I guess I'm ready for Valentine's Day (...humph...)
I'm very happy with Mr Monster, he looks great, my kind of monster in every way! I'm not too happy with Lady Monster, she looks a bit like those hyperactive girls that are a pain to deal with. I'm finishing off another illustration with a similar theme and if nothing gets in the way, I will do another update in a couple of days. Hopefully this will pay off for the lack of activity in the last few months. Until then, take care and draw! :)

Entangled

I've been slacking on the blog more than ever before. I'm almost afraid of opening my Google Reader and find out I'll never be able to catch up with everyone... I'm working on some "wintery" illustrations, hopefully I'll finish before Christmas. Here is a quick thing for IF. Very autobiographical, as I'm trying to make myself a pair of "mermaid mittens" I found on Ravelry and I often feel more "entangled" than I should be!

Fall colors

October came and went so fast, I'm still trying to get in full autumn mood!

This illo sat there for a while and like every other piece that I drag around for too long, I can't quite decide if I'm pleased with it or not. I'll know in a couple of weeks... If you have any suggestions, as usual I'd be happy to hear them. (Click to enlarge, I can't figure how to upload a wider preview...)
This morning I used some of the elements to create patterns. Not sure what for, but it was fun and relaxing. I'd like to upload the birdies to Spoonflower and maybe use the fabric to cover journals, what do you say? Hope you're all having a great week!

Fairytales on the phone

Among other things, this week I worked on a submission for a contest. There's still plenty of time to join in if you're interested, it's called the Grammar of Figures and it celebrates the work of a very popular italian author, Gianni Rodari. Details and rules of entry are here.
One of Rodari's books is titled "Fairytales on the phone". In the introduction he tells the story of Mr. Bianchi, a salesman often on the road and away from home, who calls his little daughter every night for a goodnight storytime. The flower pattern on the blanket is a rather lame excuse to play with Illustration Friday!

Where the Wild Things Are

Here's my little contribution to Terrible Yellow Eyes (click it! Some amazing illustrations there!), a collection of works inspired by Maurice Sendak's classic and organized by the very talented Cory Godbey (check out his blog, Light Night Rains) Hope you're all having a great week start, mine seems hectic as usual!