Envelope stamps

I've just finished some line art that I'm going to carve into stamps. After the stamps are carved, I'll be able to decorate the envelopes for my card sets. I'm through with using store-bought stamps for my designs.
UPDATE: Here they are carved and stamped on paper. I like how the stamp material comes through the design with rough artifacts. They also look good on colored paper. I got the carving blocks from MisterArt.

MOO stickers

Here's a collection of images that I had printed into stickers at MOO.com. They turned out great and I plan to use them as envelope seals for my cards. The cool thing about Moo is that they can print a sheet of tear out stickers with different images on each sheet. So fun!!!

Thank You card

I made these cards for my sister to give out after she receives baby shower gifts. I work in layers of paint and paper and then combine illustrative or photographic elements for a soft, textured look.

Kayla

I'm doing some cards for a friend of mine who recently rescued a beautiful Golden Retriever from Homeward Pets. Here is the first of three designs. I started with photos that I took of flowers and then with some pictures of Kayla. I printed the images out on vellum to give them a softer look. I played around with collaging the paper images on a painted background and then scanned them. I think the cards have a sweet, vibrant look that matches Kayla herself.

Opal

This lovely lady was transferred using an inkjet printed transparency that was rubbed onto a painted scrap of wood with a bone folder. I love how she came out looking like a delicate pencil sketch.

Birds like Math

It's time to dust off the primer and get the kids back to school!

Jenkins and Bessie

I made these cards for my cousin who does genealogy and has tracked our family over several generations. Her work is amazingly detailed and helps us all to understand the folks that came before us. She was also kind enough to give me lots of gorgeous vintage photos that provide a wealth of inspiration! Thanks, JF!!!!

Mixed Collage

Mixed media using gel medium transfer on a paint chip sample from Home Depot. (Finally found something to do with all of those pretty paint samples...). Next I digitally pasted the paint chip lady onto another paper collage with sheet music and a napkin poppy.

A Day for Moms

We've got a couple of mom's to be in our extended family- Blessings to them and all Mothers. Have a beautiful day.

IF- Hierarchy

This piece came together as a series of happy accidents. The khaki and red colors speak to the military theme. The background is smeary like a dirty window or one that is streaked with rain. All that we know about this soldier is his numeric label which is backwards and nearly unreadable. Despite questionable barracks, this young fellow is fresh-faced and appears in good spirits. We can only hope for the best for him.

Transparency transfer

Both the woman and butterfly were rubbed onto a painted background using a bone folder and a transparency that had been printed on my inkjet printer. My printer was out of ink and so both images printed in red only. Thank goodness for Photoshop and color correction! I noticed that it was starting to look like she had a wing on the right side so I pasted another 'wing' in on the left. I love doing transfers and can't wait to try more.

Illustration Friday - Breezy

I knew I wanted to do a dandelion for this right away... I tried out several different kinds of backgrounds before getting to this one.

Furniture Cards

One of the designs from a Victorian furniture card set that I did for a friend. I liked the idea of an antique chair in front of a more contemporary background. I got the chair outline from a Dover book.

Illustration Friday - Instinct

I worked on this long after the week for Instinct had passed. It came out differently than when I had thought of it. The text behind the birds came from an old 'Mechanics of Flight' book that is now out of print.

Illustration Friday - Time

It's time for LOVE... and wine, and chocolate and strawberries!!
On second thought, I've always got time for those. I've been doing more of what I call 'scratch paintings' where I use up scraps, paint, glue various papers and scribble in pencil. They come out kind of random but when scanned they make quick backgrounds for my illustrations.

Preschool Valentines

My nearly 4 year old daughter and I worked on her cards this week for her party at school. She wrote the word "Love" and drew the flower. I made the heart and we printed out on white label paper. We both painted the hearts with acrylic paint and stuck them on some ripped music sheets that were mounted on printed cardstock. She signed her name on the back and now they are ready for giving.

We had lots of fun and she's super excited to hand them out.

Batik Bird Cards

I wanted to make a set of note cards for my daughter's teachers for holiday gifts. I was inspired by these nice ladies and the colorful bird imagery resulted. I gave two of each design for a total of six.

I'm Back!

After a brief hiatus, Pickadoo Design is back online with a whole new look. I took some time to re-tool, re-group and play with our new puppy, Bodie. I'm looking forward to posting my latest card designs as well as IF. See you back here.