allie illustrates

Allie is a 2012 graduate of the Hartford Art School with a BFA in illustration and an art history minor. She loves to create fun, colorful, and whimsical work! Her blog is a place to give you a peek at her life as an artist, full of caricatures,...

[alliewanda]

This week’s prompt from @carsonellis! Mr. Pip the pixie flies to work with his personalized leather briefcase with a golden clasp and handle #beardedandwingedinglasses #transmundanetuesdays #illustration #illustrator #characterdesign #pixie #butterfly https://www.instagram.com/p/CDjMgx6pUY8/?igshid=1p48k9l1ppsjr

[alliewanda]

Another fun #transmundanetuesdays drawing prompt from @carsonellis! I envisioned a socialite walking down the streets of the city running errands before a dinner party she would spend all day getting ready for. She needed to zhoosh up her apartment with some new decor from “Home Stuff”...which included a trendy bundle of sticks to place in a vase in the empty corner of her dining room. The glowing bit is her bright neon shoes and curlers in her hair. #glowinginfurwithsticks (at Ludlow, Massachusetts) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCYpriSpMtg/?igshid=44hf9axhmftu

[alliewanda]

I was certainly a strange child. Here are some drawings I did in first grade of different men I could date 😂 Introducing Mr. Weird, Pom-Pom Man, and Mucus Man 👹 (at Ludlow, Massachusetts) https://www.instagram.com/p/CB5lCPgplCk/?igshid=10iiq7bjlqlia

[alliewanda]

“Moon Flower” fade-away illustration is now available as a print in my INPRNT shop! https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/alliewanda_art/moon-flower/

[alliewanda]

I finally finished coloring this piece in photoshop yesterday! I’ve had this on my mind for a while and am glad I finally cranked it out. Here are some of my favorite things! ❤️ (at Ludlow, Massachusetts) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBvs4Kop3HX/?igshid=1g8nwmbgo1sbb

[alliewanda]

Favorite Artist Friday: Angie Crabtree

I believe I came across Angie’s work on Instagram within the past year or so and I’m happy I did....I fell in love with her paintings. They’re like real, larger-than-life diamonds hanging right on your wall -- super bold and incredibly eye-catching. They are so stunning. I admire her ability to capture every facet and bend of light. I enjoy the rich decadence of each painting...they make you feel wealthy just looking at them!

https://angiecrabtree.com/

[alliewanda]

Favorite Artist Friday: Mary Blair

Mary Blair served as an artist for Disney and helped create concept work for films such as Cinderella and Peter Pan, as well as develop concepts for the It’s A Small World ride, among many other things!

I admire her whimsical style and bright colors, especially the sparkles and unique touches she uses to set a mood.

[alliewanda]

I Redrew My Childhood Art And Here's What Happened

I clearly peaked at six.

These are amazing! I should totally try this.

[alliewanda]

I found this quote today and it has resonated with me so much 💪🏻 #mantra #handletteredtype

[alliewanda]

Favorite Artist Friday: Patricia Polacco

This one goes out to my mom, who has introduced me to many, many fabulous children’s books in my life. I know Patricia Polacco is one of her personal favorite author/illustrators, too. Patrica Polacco’s illustrations are incredible. Her combination of folksy, pencil-drawn characters accented with bright spots of color are such a joy to look at. You can tell Polacco pulls elements from her own life and ethnic background into her work, and it shows. When I see her work, it reminds me of rich Polish/Jewish/Ukrainian/Russian roots and culture, which interests me immensely...from the cultural costumes to the details of Ukrainian eggs.

Polacco majored in Fine Art and earned her Ph.D. in Art History and did not start to write and illustrate children’s books until she was 41 years old (which is pretty encouraging to me!). Being dyslexic, art and creative expression have always been a personal aid to her.

Some of my favorite illustrations by Polacco (pictured) are from her books Thunder Cake, Rechenka's Eggs, The Keeping Quilt, and Babushka’s Doll (not pictured).

“You see, when one is a writer, actor, dancer, musician; a creator of any kind, he or she does these things because they listen to that "voice" inside of them. All of us have that "voice". It is where all inspired thoughts come from....but when you have electronic screens in front, of you, speaking that voice for you... it DROWNS OUT THE VOICE! When I talk to children and aspiring writers, I always ask them to listen to the voice, turn off the T.V. and LISTEN...LISTEN...LISTEN.”

[alliewanda]

Image via Megan Nicole Dong Artist Megan Nicole Dong, who currently does storyboarding and directing for Nickolodeon, got her hands on a...

One of my favorite things about being an artist is being able to admire and appreciate other artists’ work. A lot of times I catch myself wishing I had a certain style, or could illustrate what’s “trendy,” but all in all, I do what I am capable of doing and am happy to have my own style. Sometimes I don’t think much of it, but the fact that I can illustrate something that will look unlike anything else I’ve ever seen is a real gift. And on top of that, I LOVE to collect art and surround myself with beautiful things.

For Christmas, my boyfriend got me an amazing book called Complete This Drawing, where each page only has parts of an image or line-work, and you have to fill in the rest with your own imaginative drawings!

A lot of the images look obvious, like a partial guitar or what looks like the outlines of a hand, but it takes a lot of thinking to imagine something that is beyond the ordinary and expected. That frustrates me as an artist sometimes. A lot of artists do the expected, but you have to really stretch your brain to think outside of the norm. It makes my brain hurt!

While Googling about Complete This Drawing, I came across this amazing artist’s take on this book, and love the results! The artist is Megan Nicole Dong, who is a storyboard/directing artist at Nickelodeon. Take a look at her awesome interpretations of this book at the posted link!

[alliewanda]

a sketch i did from freshman year of high school. if either one walks away, the heart is bound to rip....

[alliewanda]

Favorite Artist Friday: Eugenia Loli

I came across Eugenia Loli’s work on Society6 months ago, and I went nuts! Not only do I love surreal work, but I absolutely love collage as well. This art is totally me!

Her colorful combinations of vintage/kitschy photos and imagery and provoking subjects and compositions are stunning. Plus her work consists of lots of my favorite things : the cosmos, galaxies, gems, bubbles, amusement park rides, passionate kisses, the female form, seashells, nature, and more!

I really love the piece Symbiosis, which combines a ballerina with a dancing man in a suit. I love the contrast and how she is emerging from the suit jacket, and it sits together so nicely and is so satisfying to look at. I also love the idea behind pieces like Discothèque and Gold Digging, where a woman is kissing or cuddling a man not with a head, but with glitter or a disco ball or some other form of sparkly matter within the silhouette. I love how it relates to women loving vanity and beauty, and yet the man in the piece lacks individuality and expression because to her he may be just an object or a fantasy. 

I do hope to eventually own some of Eugenia’s work! It is just lovely!!

You can check out her work here on tumblr at: http://eugenialoli.tumblr.com/ or find her work for sale at https://society6.com/eugenialoli/prints!!!

[alliewanda]

Very neat!

[alliewanda]

On @masslive today! #baypathconf #illustrator #massachusetts #news #graphicrecording #mural #muralartist #dryerase #masslive #baypath #baypathcollege #art #illustration #drawing #cartoon #cartoons #bestjobever

[alliewanda]

FAVORITE ARTIST FRIDAY: Garth Williams

[alliewanda]

From Raw Clay to Beautiful Mosaics

This video really makes you appreciate how labor intensive the work is to create each one of these interesting mosaics.

So inspiring! Love this :)