11 Years of Paint Party Friday!

(A piece from the archives.)

This week's celebration at the PPF blog is bittersweet...

As we celebrate the 11th birthday of our paint party, we also prepare to say farewell to the weekly meet-ups. When EVA first approached me about starting the blog, I never could have imagined the community that would be created. What started out as a fun way to paint more with accountability and encourage others to do the same soon turned into so much more. Through Paint Party Friday, we have made lifelong friendships with artists from all over the world. We have shared moments that extend far beyond the canvas... we've celebrated joys and supported each other through sorrows. It has been an honor to be the co-host of a party that has helped people connect more deeply through their art. 

(A collage of some of my favorite PPF pieces from over the years.)

I would like to offer a great BIG thanks to all of the artists that have shared their art with us over the years. In addition to admiring all of your fabulous work, I have learned so much about bravery, authenticity, and vulnerability from all of you... It takes courage to put yourself out there, and our goal at PPF has always been to provide a safe space for you to share the art of your heart. My wish is that you continue to share your art and let others see all of the things that make you so special. Saying good-bye is hard, so let's not...

Please come say 'hi' on Instagram so we can keep in touch!

(A piece made many moons ago that still holds true today!)

Before I end my final Paint Party Friday post, I want to give a HUGE shout out to my amazing friend and PPF co-host, the incredible EVA!

Thank you so much for trusting me to be your partner in what turned out to be an unbelievable journey... none of it would have been possible without you.

xoxoxo

20 Years Ago Today

I am sharing this post as a reminder to myself (and anyone else that might need to hear it) that dreaming big and not being afraid to go for it can lead to some pretty amazing adventures.

Today marks the 20 year anniversary of that time this mural (and my friend & business partner, Zoë, and I) were on the Oprah show after a whirlwind trip to Racine Wisconsin (and Chicago!) to paint a surprise mural for one of Oprah’s angels, Julia Burney (now Witherspoon).

In April 2001, our mural and decorative painting business was still just a fledgling company... I was a young, wide-eyed dreamer who was only a few months away from getting married. When Zoë and I saw Julia’s inspiring (and close to our hearts) story, I had no doubts about what I wanted to to. I wanted to volunteer to paint a mural for her new reading center, so I immediately emailed Oprah... No second guessing, no hesitation, no questioning whether or not it was a crazy idea.

Looking back, there is a lot that I can learn from my younger self. So, to celebrate this special day, I thought it would be fun to share some of the things that I knew then (without even realizing it!!), but need a reminder of now:

1. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. So, you might as well PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE.

2. POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS, if you...

3. DREAM BIG, WORK HARD, and GO FOR IT!

4. It’s okay to be nervous... Feel the fear, but DO IT ANYWAY! And, finally...

5. FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD.

If you’re interested in reading more about my time on Oprah, you can find the whole story on my website HERE.

I would love to hear about what big dreams YOU are dreaming today!

(Please share them with me in the comments!)

The 100 Day Project: Days 61 - 100 (Highlights)

Finishing up 2020 with the last of #The100DayProject2020...

(To see previous posts about the project, please click HERE.)

62/100: High on a hill were three party goats, weird.

Layee odl layee hee hoo!

(This is the colored version of the last image of my last post.)

62/100: You never know where you're going to see a party animal...

66/100: What does a well-mannered duck bring to a potluck?

Cheese and quackers, of course!

67/100: Did someone say garden party?!?

72/100: Close En-COW-nters

73/100: The party was great until...

The balloon drop.

81/100: A squirrel in a king costume.

85/100: A parrot in a cowboy costume.

87/100: Hang in there!

88/100: #100DaysofPartyAnimals Election Edition

89/100: Festive or a moosetake?

91/100: Hanging around...

94/100: Woo-hoo! 2020 AFC East Champions! Go Bills!

95/100: Holy mackerel... It's SANTA CLAWS!!

96-99/100: It all started with a question...

What is the squid emoji doing?!?

Is he... A French Impressionist Painter? A disco dancer?

Or maybe a football player?

100/100: Happy Moose Year! (I know, I know, it's a stretch...)

For my final image in the series, I thought it would be fun

to come full circle by re-interpreting day one’s character

in the looser style I’ve been playing with lately.

Having a moose in his underwear also seemed like an appropriate image

to finish off 2020 since one of the surprising (and recurring) themes of the year

has been a general lack of pants... (It’s definitely been a year like no other.)

Wishing you all the best in 2021 (with or without pants)!

The 100 Day Project: Days 21 - 60 (Highlights)

It's time for a blog update about my #100DayProject2020

(before it's 2021!)...

21/100

By the time Wendell finally arrived, the party was over.

24/100

A purrmaid for Mermay.

25/100

May the 4th be with you.

#StarWarsDay + #Mermay + #100DaysofPartyAnimals 

= An out of this world #FurMayParty!

30/100

A (mer)Bear Hug (in honor of Mother's Day 2020).

36/100

A peek into my process.

41/100

A furmaid merpup.

45/100

Rainbows and unicorns and mermaids, oh my!

46/100

Monkeying around...

49/100

Lion fish? Sea lion? Furmaid?

51/100

An extra special party animal for the start of the second half of #The100DayProject.

52/100

Celebrating my friend, Dee Romito's, release of the first book in her

Fort Builders chapter book series.

54/100

After a full day of celebrating, this birthday bunny is all tuckered out.

60/100

High on a hill were three party goats, weird.

(Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo!)

If you'd like to see more from this project,

please visit me on Instagram.

The 100 Day Project: Days 1 - 10

I've joined #The100DayChallenge! If you're on Instagram and would like daily updates, you can follow my progress @kristindudish. I also thought it would be fun to share the project in groups of 10 here on the blog. The theme I've chosen is #100DaysofPartyAnimals. 

1/100: Well, there is certainly no moosetaking that Clark is the life of the party!

2/100: Coco's pre-party preparations may have led to some overly enthusiastic color choices... The (possibly) good news? Her normal skunky aroma (off putting to some) has been overshadowed by the distinct smell of hair dye.

3/100: Laverne never shows up to a party empty handed, and her blue ribbon square pie is always a crowd pleaser.

4/100: Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water... This is the start of my next party animal. (Pool party, anyone?)

5/100: Pete was so excited to have actually been invited to a pool party, he may have gone a bit overboard in his preparations.

6/100: As an expert in a different holiday, Jerry was excited to be invited to a Halloween party. Unfortunately, his costume making skills were not nearly as advanced as his egg decorating talents.

7/100: A scribbly sketchy start of an idea.

8/100: Binkwee loves book birthday parties, and he is extra excited about ANTI/HERO written by the fabulous Kate Karyus Quinn and Demitria Lunetta with amazing art by Maca Gil! Happy Pub Day!

9/100: "Masquerade", acrylic on fabric (attached to an old cabinet door), 2011. One of the things I've been doing during quarantine is cleaning (and trying to organize) my studio. While going through a closet, I discovered this "party animal" that I painted in 2011... I'm thinking I may need to create an updated version for The 100 Day Challenge.

10/100: Playing with an idea inspired by yesterday's post...


Please be sure to let me know if you're doing the challenge too - I'd love to see what you've been creating for it!

Illustration Friday: Chef

Illustration Friday - Chef

When I first started the blog, I used to participate in the Illustration Friday challenge.  It was always a lot of fun to try and interpret the theme for the week and to see how other artists interpreted it too.

I've been wanting to get back to the blog, so when I saw that the theme for this week's Illustration Friday was "Chef" I knew that I had to participate!  If I'm being totally honest, I already had this illustration spread completed, but I thought it would be the perfect way for me to ease back into 

Illustration Friday AND blogging.

(If you're interested in seeing some Illustration Friday entries 

from many moons ago, you can click here.)

2018: 125-131/365

In my last post I mentioned that I took part in the Illustrator Challenge at the New England SCBWI Conference.  The theme of the challenge was Fairy Tale Mash-up, so I created "Swinederella": a combination of Cinderella, The Three Little Pigs, and a dash of Little Red Riding Hood.  It was created using pencil, watercolor, and Photoshop.

Since I love seeing how other artists create their art, I thought it would be fun to share images of my process from start to finish...

1. Thumbnail Sketch

2. Character Design

3. Clean Sketch

4. Watercolor Washes

5. Black & White Underpainting

6. Starting to Add Color

7. Final Image (after many, many layers!)

I'm still figuring things out in Photoshop, but I have a feeling that I'm really going to enjoy this way of working!