New Pattern

©Kathleen Rietz
This new pattern I created makes me think of spring clothes! Check out more designs on my website.

Illustration Friday - "Multiple"

©Kathleen Rietz
"Green Squirmers", one of my newest patterns available for licensing. See more at my website!

Thinking Spring

Longing for carefree days dappled in sunlight and warm breezes...
©Kathleen Rietz
Just a little sketchbook drawing I thought I would share.

Illustration Friday - "Theory"

I actually drew this as a Valentine for my dog Sunshine, but it fits the theme "Theory", and I am not sure I will find time to complete another drawing this week. So I wanted to share it with you all.
Scientific studies have shown the benefits of keeping a pet. They lower your blood pressure, raise your sense of well being, and caring for an animal can give a person a sense of purpose and love. Dogs and cats are used for all kinds of therapy, and there are programs which bring animals into retirement homes for visits.
My dog and I are inseparable. She really does make me laugh everyday...I'd say she has been very good for my sense of well being!
©Kathleen Rietz
For all of you who have pets to hug today.
Happy Valentine's Day. (my original message from the original posting on Valentine's Day)

Happy Valentine's Day!!

©Kathleen Rietz
I save too much "stuff"....such as this pencil doodle I sketched on a Post-It over 13 years ago....and colored in Photoshop today just to say "Happy Valentine's Day"! xxoo -kate :)

Valentine's Day

©Kathleen Rietz
Here is a gift wrap collection I designed for Valentine's Day. Check out more of my "Surface Designs" on my website. I just added this catagory, and already I am negotiating an assignment!
I also added a page called "My Process", where you can see how I worked on my latest mermaid illustration.

My Little Mermaid - spot illo

©Kathleen Rietz
Here is a spot illustration I painted to accompany the mermaid illustration (BELOW) which I painted yesterday. I have been working on trying to create portfolio pieces that tell a story. These illustrations were based on the Illustration Friday theme "Tales & Legends" from 2 weeks ago. You can see the preliminary sketch for the main illustration if you scroll down the page a bit.

My Little Mermaid

©Kathleen Rietz
A new illustration inspired by the Illustration Friday prompt "Tales & Legends" (scroll down to see the preliminary sketch).

Illustration Friday - "Blanket"

©Kathleen Rietz
Just a boy, his dog, the moonlight and a blanket...
Hey, click the link to my website in the right hand column of this page to see the latest additions to my site, including "sketchbook" art and my latest catagory "surface design".

Let Them Eat Cake!

My daily visits to Diana Evans' blog and her "Yummy Sketch of the Day" daily food postings have brought back fond memories of the home based cake business my friend Melissa and I used to run from her kitchen. The biggest challenge was the wedding cakes because everything had to be made and decorated the night before, and of course wedding cakes call for many tiers and a flawless application of fondant or icing or both. So we are talking about many all-nighters and carefully transporting our cakes to finish decorating on-location the next morning. Our specialty was fresh floral cakes, but the characters were lots of fun, too, such as this lady bug cake with black sour ball eyes and licorice whip legs. I wish I had a better picture of this cake. I also like the way the yellow bridal shower cake turned out, since I had to make this one alone, and it was my first attempt at handling rolled fondant.