New Moleskin

Note: Great little diddy - Illustrators unite against cheap clients in the recession!

"La La Laura" 2009

I often enjoy sketching more than I do painting. There is so much freedom present in the sketch process.

* Still painting for the book "Fix-It Garage"... will show you work from it as soon as I am able.

Crystal goes on holidays

Me at Stanley Park, originally uploaded by crystal driedger.

Spent a wonderful four nights in beautiful British Columbia with my mom visiting relatives last week. Couldn't believe the luck with weather - it felt like summer compared to the snow storm we left in Alberta!

Back to the grind... and only 6 more weeks to go until the due date!

Sleep Over (Growing Up Show 6)

This is another finished piece for the growing up show. I'm hoping it's quite obviously a scene from a girls sleepover, an event that many girls experience while on their path growing up.

Growing Up Show Painting Links 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5 (#5 is still a progress picture - will upload the final soon!)

On another news worthy note, a book I started illustrating for Tony Potter Publishing late last summer that was put on hold is now back in full force. Apparently there was some interest shown when they took the mock-up to the Bologna Book Fair this year. This will most likely be the last project I can fit into my schedule before I take maternity leave (unless something little and lovely comes into the picture). I'm hoping to finish all client work by May 15th so I don't end up with deadlines and a newborn at the same time. I hope this leaves me with some time to complete a series of paintings for the baby's room!

Growing Up Art Show - New Ideas

Here are a few sketches I'm developing for the Growing Up Show coming this fall. Somehow I'm losing a bit of my confidence in regards to the show probably because I'm so absolutely humbled by the other artists participating (Amanda & Davey) and I'm also feeling like I should have completed many more paintings by now (5 done, 11 more to go)! I find I've been fighting with myself to create more pieces that have potential to sell but continue to create work that instead is a more personal reflection of my own growing up experiences.

Lina Medina

Lina Medina - the worlds youngest mother (5 years & 8 months old).
I think I'm finished the piece although I'm going to put off varnishing it until I'm quite sure I'm 100% happy with the results.


Inspired by my husband who mentioned that I rough up my plywood painting surface with carving tools, I spent a good chunk of one day carving out and manipulating the "canvas" until it was a bit of a relief project. I loved the results and think I'm going to try doing this technique on some pieces for my future baby's room.

Lina Medina - In Progress

This piece is a work in progress for the Grant MacEwan Design Faculty Show entitled "True Stories". I thought that since pregnancy has grown to be such an engrossing theme in my life this year that I would research fascinating "true stories" about pregnancy for my submission. I may do one more piece for the show if I can spare the time to complete it about another very rare and amazing pregnancy story.

My piece is about Lina Medina who became the world's youngest mother on mothers day in 1939 at the age of 5 years (and 8 months) old. This story is both disturbing and amazing for what I hope are obvious reasons. Please feel free to read more about this interesting "true story" here.

Doctors & Derrieres 4

I'm pleased to announce that I'll be participating in the 4th annual Doctors and Derrieres charity auction and art show. Here, here, and here are some posts from the 2007 show, in which I was a participant.

The following are jpgs of paintings I've completed for this year's show.





From Amanda Woodward's illustration friday post on the 2nd show:

"The 2nd Annual Doctors and Derrieres event brings the appreciation of the human body to a whole new level! A group of highly talented Alberta artists have partnered in a unique way with University of Alberta International Health Initiatives by Medical students to support international projects important to them. Medical students, health professionals and doctors from Edmonton hospitals will take off their scrubs to raise money for two health related projects. The beautiful nude portraits that will result from this celebration of the human body will be auctioned off and the some of the proceeds will go towards Change for Children’s Community Health Project in El Salvador."

Mural Musings

Mural in the Children's Library, Left Side, originally uploaded by SELCO.

I've been asked to do some concept art for a mural in my local community which is thrilling! I've been researching different muralists and have come across a few very interesting pieces to be inspired by. Easily my favorite children's mural would have to be the one pictured here. I have not been able to find out the artists name but I can only hope to produce something as amazing in composition, colour, lighting and intrigue... If any of you know of amazing muralist artists links please forward them to me.

I also just completed a puzzles & fun illustration for Chickadee's 30th anniversary issue which comes out this June. Chickadee is a Canadian children's magazine that I actually subscribed to as a child which made the project even that much more exciting to work on.

Progress of Painting 5 (Growing Up Show)

I've done some progress on the 5th painting for the Growing Up Show. I'll admit that while this canvas is not large in comparison to many paintings that frequent art shows, this canvas has been daunting to me... looks like I might finish tomorrow though. Horrah!

Starting a painting (Growing Up Show 5)

Here's a photo of myself working on painting #5 for the Growing Up show. It features my grandfather after his stroke and heart surgery. While my family gathered to support his efforts to recover, his heart was not in it and he died within a month. This scene was initially created to depict death as a part of growing up but I decided instead to focus on the aspects of family support, frustration and love. The scene depicted is truly appropriate for the gallery space, being in a hospital, where patients can take the time to wander in with their families.

I started this painting with many thumbnail sketches and searched for appropriate references, including searching my own diaries and sketchbooks from the time. I'll continue to photograph the painting in many stages and share the progress here.

Here is a photograph of the finished sketch with a figure started.

I attended a lecture series about creativity & brainstorming yesterday and as soon as I got home I made a brand new spider chart for more ideas for the Growing Up Show. I'll try to share some of the techniques I learned about in the next few blog posts.



See more posts on the Growing Up Show here, here, here, here, here, here & here.

Forensics Project

This is a grade 6 forensics project I worked on with the Royal Alberta Museum in early 2009. The goal is to find the "bad guy" responsible for harming the forest based on witnesses and suspect statements. It's one of the activities you can do during your school visit at the museum.

Cover Image:


Suspects (Tent caterpillar is the "bad guy" - second from the left)
Suspects (Pine beetle is the "bad guy" - far left)
A selection of witnesses:
Wendy Willow

Tom Trembling Aspen

Wilma Woodpecker

Martha Mosquito

Police Car Moth (forget her name - sorry!)

There was also an activity guide for finding and answering questions about animals in the dioramas in the museum. Here are some of the accompanying illustrations:

Sherlock Owl

Museum Trail Map

Here's a map I did last month for the Royal Alberta Museum in it's final version.

This was the first version, with more details (I miss those little lines in the mountains).
The exhibit is called the Wild Alberta Gallery and it's beautiful. I'm so blessed to have been the chosen illustrator for this project. Below is shown the initial sketch with all of the dioramas in their proper place.

Sprinkler Dash (Growing Up Show 4)

I've finished Sprinkler Dash for the Growing Up Show. I will share this show with illustrators Amanda Woodward and Davey Thompson. See progress on the painting by scrolling below and find links to the other 3 paintings there too.

Sprinkler Dash (Growing Up Show)

An earlier look:

Just before posting I snapped a picture - notice my desk with paint brushes, palette and a scrapbook I made in my youth - featuring photos of family pets.

Here's a sneak peak at a painting I'm working on currently called "Sprinkler Dash" (pictured at three different stages). It is the forth painting I'll complete for the Growing Up Show at the McMullen Art Gallery in fall. Featuring my younger sister, myself and family dog Sammy running through a sprinkler together.

I wanted to feature paintings in the Growing Up Show that included blissful childhood moments that not only were never forgotten but were tales lovingly remembered by all who experienced them. Many of the happier moments of my own childhood are because of my loving sister, Michelle.

See more posts on the Growing Up Show here, here, here, here & here.

Forgotten drawings

Here are a few sketches for a math book I worked on over a year ago that I just found today. The client didn't end up finishing the project but may do so at a later date... hope to see these in colour someday!

A New Life (Growing Up Show)

"A New Life" - 2009

I spend my childhood nestled safely in a beautiful log home in the Canadian wilderness on a farm where my family raised cattle. This painting features myself, moving to "the city" to learn illustration. Although I was surrounded by more people and buildings than ever before in my life, I felt alone and like I didn't belong to this new culture. The unnatural buildings were beautiful, cold and flat but also produced this grand allure of a new life and fresh start. While I was excited for the change, there was a fear in me of this new place so great that I could hardly figure out how to take the correct bus home from college my first day.

To see this paintings progress, please visit this link.

Paint Palette Pal

I found this rather friendly creature inhabiting my paint palette yesterday. He was born rather by accident, as many wonderful things are.

Still working on projects for the Royal Alberta Museum (an educational book about Peru, a trail map for their Wild Alberta Gallery and possible talks of a mural) as well as for the Grow Up Show. Finished the city scene but must wait until light to photograph it. I'm really not looking forward to scanning the sucker then tiling it (what work!).

Bra Store Happy (Growing Up Show)

This painting is part of the Growing Up Art Show this September in Edmonton. Being a very personal collection of my own "growing up experiences", this is a stylized version of myself trying on my first bra. I was one of those pre-teen girls who wanted to wear bras, shave my legs and wear make up before my parents deemed it appropriate (they were most likely right). So when the time finally came to purchase my first bra I cherished the experience through my embarrassment.

See more posts on the Growing Up Show here, here & here.

Happy Belated New Years!

A few animals for a trail map I'm currently working on:
* all of these animals are native to where I'm from: Alberta, Canada.

2009 is the first year since I was too young to be able to keep and write in a journal that I did not make any New Years resolutions. I love the zeal of a fresh start and the chance to improve my habits and feel a bit off balance not having made a single one. In my post-college life I usually resolve to up my running routine, to eat extra carefully or to concentrate more on marketing my business or creating more personal artwork. With a baby on the way I wasn't sure I could make a promise to myself for an entire year with so many big unknowns in my future... However, I can't stand not making a couple so even though I'm 20 days late here is a list of some new directions I'd like my life to take this year:

• Enjoy each moment
• Embrace calm instead of stress
• Make my marriage & family my top priority

The list is simple, ridiculously hard to follow and yet is the best list I've ever decided to follow. Good Luck to everyone out there trying their best to keep their resolutions!

Holidays are Bliss!

I spent an entire two weeks during the holiday season without working on a single piece of art and so the only new piece of evidence that I'm still around, creating, is a little photo I'd like to share. (18 weeks along - our little baby who's sex I will keep a secret from the blogging world in case my mom gets the chance to read this post)