My First Fondant Cake

I had the privilege of making a cake for my friend Amber's baby shower last week. It was the first one I've ever done, and to be honest, it was really difficult. I don't think fondant is my friend... However, Wilton's recipe for Marshmallow fondant is amazing and super easy to make! If you make cakes, you should totally check it out. Oh, and I found a tip on fondant that I'm sure you will appreciate: after adding the first amount of powdered sugar, when it comes time to knead it, throw it in your KitchenAid and let the dough hook knead it for you. For a girl with messed up wrists, this was a lifesaver!

Aside from laying the fondant on the cake, the hardest part for me was the little animals, since I made my own modeling chocolate. I have the feeling that next time will be much easier though, since I know what to expect. The funnest part, surprisingly, was piping in the letters. I absolutely loved doing that! Must be the graphic designer in me... All in all, I had a blast making it and am very happy with how it turned out. And now that I know I can do it, making Levi's birthday cakes will be so much fun!

Tawny Owl

I painted this two Christmases ago for my mom as a gift. It was my first painting after finishing up my degree, and it was so much fun to just be able to paint it and not have to do it as part of a school project. I loved being able to pick my own subject and paint it how I wanted to. I hope that feeling never fades. =)

"Tawny Owl"  9 x 12  Acrylic on Canvas

Detail of "Tawny Owl"

Another Sleepless Night

Well, I'm starting to feel like restless nights are actually good for me, since it gives me the opportunity to paint. Whatever works, right?

"Pink Sunrise"   5 x 7   Acrylic on Canvas Board

Baby Thalia

I am so excited to get some of these up! This little one is so precious, and I just love her squishy cheeks! Her name is Thalia, and she is one of the cutest babies ever. Plus, she's only like 4 mos. old now (these were taken when she was only 3 mos.) and she weighs almost as much as my other friend's one year old. Gotta love the chunky babies! She's just so cute. But I'm sure you can see that for yourself.  =)

 

 

The Factory

So I tried out the masonite I bought and even though it took two tries, I ended up really liking it. The first attempt was such a fail that I actually washed the first painting off and repainted on it, but I am rather happy with my second attempt. It's the view out my studio window, though it's not exact. I'm trying to teach myself that it's okay not to depict things exactly as they are, which has been really hard for me because I always felt like that was cheating.

"The Factory"  8 x 10  Acrylic on Masonite

My Very First Commission

Yay! I just finished my very first commissioned piece! If anyone is interested in ordering a custom painting, just contact me and we'll talk. =)

 "Ginger"  8 x 10  Acrylic on Canvas

In the style of Turner

I just wanted to try something a little different, and so I did this sketch last night at one in the morning (I clearly couldn't sleep) that is strongly inspired by the works of J.M.W. Turner. I'm not a big fan of canvas board because of how cheaply made it is, and so I'm thinking of making the switch to masonite soon. In fact, I just bought my first piece about a week or so ago - I'll let you know what I think about it after some experiments. =)

"Like Turner"  5 x 7  Acrylic on Canvas Board