#sarah bloom

[mikelogan]

WISH I WAS HERE (2014) dir. Zach Braff

requested by anonymous

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Challenge 144: 10 Years, Looking Forward: Open for Business

I tend to have a hard time living in the moment. I’m a virgo, very type A, so I’m always trying to plan and think ahead. When I think about the next 10 years, it’s hard not to look back on the past 10. While I haven’t been a part of Square Carousel for the last 10 years, I have certainly been growing and learning as an artist during that time. It was almost 10 years ago that I started my time at SCAD, and it’s strange to think how differently I thought these past 10 years would have gone.

Keeping that in mind, I’m sure my vision for 10 years from now will no doubt change and morph into something different, but I’d be crazy not to acknowledge how much of a better sense of direction I have now than I did when I was just a scared little freshman illustration student.

I’ve spent the past several years more deliberately trying to find my place in the art world. Square Carousel has been a huge catalyst in helping me discover my style and learn how to push myself and have discipline with passion projects. When I started as a Square Carousel member, I was living in an apartment I couldn’t afford, working a job I couldn’t seem to get out of, feeling like I was wasting my potential. Now, I’m newly self employed and pursuing my absolute dream of running my own letterpress stationery shop.

My dream for 10 years from now is to have continued to grow and flourish in my creative endeavors. While the planner in me tries to keep goals realistic, I do have a tendency to dream big, and my big big dream for the next 10 years is to open my own stationery store front. It would be amazing to couple a studio workspace with a retail space, and I hope I can make that happen some day.

This illustration is a sort of gallery wall of hopes and dreams. Some things are more abstract, such as the representation of growth or being able to savor more time with friends and family. Some, on the other hand, are more concrete, like the hopes to starts a family and open a storefront.

I owe this time with Square Carousel so much with regards to my growth and understanding of my place in this creative world. It’s been tough at times, but I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything.

-SCAD class of 2016 -I am a self employed graphic designer and letterpress stationer -I hope to open my own studio/storefront and further establish my creative endeavors with a solid home base and a growing family!

-Sarah Bloom

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Challenge 143: Lucky Charms: Hamsa

I’m not really big on luck of superstition, but I’ve grown up seeing the Hamsa used as a symbol for luck and protection. The orientation of the hand (facing up vs. facing down) is significant. Facing up signifies the warding off of evil and bad luck; a sign of protection. The 18 petals of the flowers also are meant to represent to the number 18 (chai) which translates to “life” and typically signifies good luck!

-Sarah

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Challenge 135: YA Book Jacket: The Disappearance

This was a fun one for me! I’ve always wanted to work on a hypothetical book cover, so this was a welcome challenge. I chose to focus on the mysterious elements of the plot (at least I imagined it to be quite mysterious). The cover alludes to the adventure the characters will embark on, as well as their efforts to “shed light” on the secrets of the boarding school. I kept the colors pretty limited with a subtle charcoal and a warm off-white to give the feeling of a chalkboard.

Probably my favorite part to work on was the text. I’ve loved seeing the trend of YA book covers featuring hand lettered titles, and I was able to execute exactly what I had in mind for this one.

All I can say is I wish I could read this book!

-Sarah Bloom

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Challenge 141: Story Time Through Patterns: Travel Day Dream

Having been stuck at home for almost a full year now, and having sadly canceled a lot of travel plans that were supposed to happen in the spring and summer, I’ve found myself daydreaming about one day being able to travel again. My boyfriend and I had been toying with the idea of going on a trip to the southwest before Covid hit, so I felt very drawn to the Spanish pueblo style architecture when developing these patterns. The main one is quite obviously a very literal architectural pattern, and the two secondary patterns implement some more subtle architectural elements like bricks and a more abstract take on mosaic tiles.

I’m crossing my fingers that maybe by this time next year I can finally plan a trip with these patterns in hand!

-Sarah

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Challenge 139: Illustrated Info: How To Have A Cozy Night In

Now that we are getting closer to the winter months, I foresee many more cozy nights in for me, especially with COVID cases rising yet again. I’ve been trying to prioritize self care during these past several months of uncertainty and stress, so I thought I would share my tips on how to have the perfect cozy night in!

-Sarah

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Challenge 140: They Draw and Travel: Coffee Shops of Logan Square

I was so excited to introduce this challenge! I had a project back in undergrad that we submitted to the sister site, They Draw and Cook, and I had such a fun time with it that I thought this would be a great challenge for Square Carousel!

For my map, I wanted to highlight my favorite coffee shops in my neighborhood in Chicago. I love trying new places to get my favorite drink, and something that really brought me joy during the worst days of quarantine was to walk down the street to try a new cafe. The cafe closest to me even has a walk-up window, which has been quite convenient during these socially distant times.

-Sarah

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Challenge 136: Fairy Tale Swap: The Fox Sister

Elizabeth gave me a beautiful sketch from a very fascinating Korean story about a family who has to navigate the struggles of having a sister who is also a fox (read it here). This story was surprisingly dark, as I suppose many original fairy tales are. It was also quite a fascinating origin story! This image captures the climax of the story, where the fox sister sets out on a chase of her eldest brother, who is equipped with some potion bottles to help keep her away.

I had such a fun time taking this sketch, which I feel really emulates Elizabeth’s style and really shows her skills for detailed figure sketches, and translating into my somewhat more blocky and simplified style!

-Sarah