Violet's of Saratoga

My family moved from Savannah, Georgia to Saratoga Springs, New York, just over a year ago. The move happened quickly—my husband Fred took a job offer up here—and we were excited to migrate north, but it was a huge decision. Despite being in the middle of a busy season of making art for duopress (including Chicago Baby, which I painted all throughout the move), he flew me up to Saratoga Springs to show me around, so that we could decide together whether or not to leave our long-time home of Savannah.

Saratoga Springs' bustling, historic down-town is actually a lot like Savannah, minus the heat and that special Southern je ne sais qois. (Fred blames humidity. I think the likes of Flannery O'Connor and Tennessee Williams would argue that the issue is more complex than weather, but what do I know.) The South has its charms, but this small northern town is absolutely lovely. You'll never guess the name of the first shop that caught my eye as soon as we rolled in: "Violet's of Saratoga!" I saw Violet's, and knew I was home.

I also knew that once Isabella's Shoe Studio was in print, I would see about getting it into Violet's.  Violet's is a chic, up-scale ladies' boutique with an amazing staff, featuring an array of to-die-for shoes as well as everything fashion. Between the name and the content, it seemed a match made in heaven.

Shop owner Laura Farrar couldn't have been more gracious. She embraced Isabella with open arms, and features a stack of books in a place of honor on the counter.

If you're in the area, check out Violet's and of Saratoga. The shop is right down town at 494 Broadway, and there is a parking lot adjacent to the store, right off the street. Tomorrow is SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY—a good excuse to get out support a wonderful, local small business! 

Click here to see Violet's of Saratoga's website.

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If you look closely you can see Yours Truly in the top photo, and again in this interior shot. (Yes, I am bundled up to my eyeballs in a gigantic woman-eating parka. I've been up here over a year but am still not quite used to the cold.)

SHOES: a memoir of recent days

This weekend I will have the distinct pleasure of attending Book Expo America in NYC, to sign copies of a brand-new book that I not only illustrated, but also wrote: Isabella's Shoe Studio! (To read more about how all of that went down, click here—it's a good story.)

Mauricio Velázquez de León (a.k.a Puck), leader of Team Duopress, will be there as well, with two other new books. I'll fill you in on the other books in coming weeks. They are awesome and I can't wait to share.

This post, however, is all about SHOES.


Now. A girl can spend a weekend in NYC shod in her tried-and-trues, and normally I would. However. A string of recent events forced me to shop for new shoes. I am merely a victim of circumstance.

First of all, a year and a half ago, I broke my foot again, meriting a stern talking-to from my doctor. His instruction against high heels was accompanied by a very significant look over the top of his glasses, raised eyebrow and all. He meant business. Depressed about having to wear that unsightly and all-too-familiar blue boot, I decided I had better listen, and hobbled obediently into a flats-only future. (In the spirit of honesty, dear reader, I must confess to pulling my favorite BCBG wedges out of the closet once or twice since my foot has healed, but only for occasions at which I was allowed to sit.)

Then, this past year, Isabella's Shoe Studio happened. Suddenly I had written a shoe book, and would be traveling to the Big Bad Burg to promote it. Call me crazy for paying special consideration to my feet, but the event in question hovers around a shoe book. In New York City. Perhaps my opinion had been shaped by years spent designing costumes in New York, or illustrating fashion essays for Elle. Whatever the case, it seemed to me that my shoes for this 4-day event needed to represent!

As winter melted into spring, I pulled my trusty flats out of storage and was dismayed at their various states of disrepair. (Don't be fooled: I love shoes, but don't have that many in my closet. I'm the kind of girl who finds a pair she likes and wears them for a decade. It's true. Once I even had a pair of flip-flops re-soled. They were Nikes, but still—flip flops!)

Alas, my very favorite black flats, the ones I wore everywhere and with everything, were literally falling apart at the seams. The leather was torn; there was no hope for repair.

To make matters worse, the soles of the Campers that I bought in NYC ten years ago—my sure-fire-city-stomping shoes—were crumbling, and their unusual design prohibited a re-tread. I had to let them go. Never thought I'd see the day.

So. I had to buy new shoes, and they had to be not only beautiful, but flat and comfortable, because trade shows = walking.

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Now. The main character in the book that I wrote, Isabella, is a little girl who loves all kinds of shoes, and aspires to design them. Keeping her in mind, I began the laborious task of replacing my old friends. Tough work, I know, but I'm a trooper. :o) Figured I'd need some cool sneaks, and maybe a ballet flat as well—both, styles featured heavily in the book. I began my search on-line, and have a fun Pinterest board to show for my effort.

SNEAKERS

I bought these silver sneakers by Gotta Flurt on a whim but couldn't bring myself to wear them. They'd be great for little Isabella, but not for an old lady like me. Too sparkly. My husband said they made me look like a member of a boy band—even more than usual. Ha. (He was right.)

Using a DSW promo code I ordered these vibrant blue Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars, an American classic, but they didn't fit at all: too long. 

Eventually I found this AMAZING, slightly metallic version of the CTAS on sale at a local shoe discount store, which came with multiple laces. They fit like a glove, and are comfortable. And yes, they sparkle—but not too much. I think Isabella would approve. 

FLATS

If this Mia ballet flat hadn't been so deeply discounted, I probably would never have bought it, because it is quite delicate. Yes, I snagged a pair, but needed something sturdier for the Big City.

After hours spent researching on-line I literally stumbled over my top choice in a local discount store a few weeks later: these comfortable, stylish Dr. Scholl's. Perfect!

AND A LITTLE SOMETHING IN PANTONE 196

The interior of Isabella's Shoe Studio is printed in 2-colors: black, and Pantone 196, the blushest of blush pinks. So obviously, I had to try on (and buy!) this dress which Donna Karan must have designed with Isabelle's Shoe Studio in mind...  and, these chic and adorable petal pink BCBG flats—see the close-up at the top of this post for a better look. 

(Marsha, I know, I know.... they're not the most comfortable, but I had to get them. And I'll find someplace to wear them, for sure.)

So, friends, I think I'm set. I'll be back next week with a full report, and will definitely let you know how it goes with the shoes.

best always and wish me luck,

v

A Very Frizzy Day

According to my friend Kim's mom, 'frizzy' weather is any humid, misty, or rainy day. If your hair has natural texture or body (a.k.a. is a styling nightmare), I'm sure you know what she's talking about. We had a particularly frizzy day here in Savannah recently and my hair was such a disaster, words were not adequate to describe. For fun I scribbled out the little black and white ink sketch you see here to post on facebook. Hearing comments everywhere I went that day from Savannah ladies who were equally dismayed concerning their frizzy locks, I was inspired to make my little sketch into this color piece.

http://violetlemay.com/artwork/833406_The_Frizz_Factor_Humidity_and_Your_Hair.html

First Assignment for the Globe and Mail

In the ten years I've been illustrating, somehow or other, until very recently, I had never worked for the Globe and Mail. This is a little odd because AGM (my agency) is based in Montreal, and the Globe and Mail is a Canadian paper. I've worked for plenty of other widely circulated newspapers (The New York Times, The Washington Post, etc.), but all here in the states. It's not that the Globe wasn't interested; I've had to turn down several of their offers over the years due to schedule conflicts. When a call came in late last week for me to illustrate a travel article for them, I was thrilled! I accepted the job even though we were on our way out the door for a weekend in Atlanta. Got sketches approved before we left and completed most of the final art in the car on my husband's laptop. Those of you who know me are very impressed right now, aren't you? (I get car sick at the drop of a hat; as a rule I can't look at anything in the car while we're on the road). This time I was so excited about the job that I just decided not to get car sick. I was a little wobbly when we arrived in Atlanta, but felt fine after a good night's sleep. All in all, it wan't too bad.

The article is about traveling without luggage; I posted one of the rejected ideas a few days ago. I'm extremely happy with this image: went for the concept of traveling light, of being as light as a feather.

Here is the image on my website, in case you'd like to see:

http://violetlemay.com/artwork/833421_Traveling_Light.html

Something for the Fellas

Several weeks ago I was working on a full page illustration and two spots for Fitness Magazine. I just finished this image, which was one of the rejected spot sketches. Of the batch (I sent quite a few), it had been my favorite. Because of it's decidedly masculine vibe I thought I'd go ahead and flush it out, as a challenge, and for the sake of balancing out my girly portfolio. In case you haven't noticed, my work tends to be a bit feminine (understatement).

The article was a list of tips for increasing the amount of fat burned during an average day. The tip shown here: climb stairs two at a time.

Soaring: Mastering the Art of Traveling Light

This afternoon I found myself with some unexpected time in the middle of a very hectic Monday, and decided to relax by making a new image. I drew this idea last Friday morning (I had accepted a bit of a rush job for the Globe and Mail Thursday evening) and submitted it with a few other sketches; this particular concept didn't make the cut. I like the image though and filed it as a personal project for some future rainy day. I knew it wouldn't take long to realize—just an hour or two—so I gladly sat down in front of the computer and brought up the file to make good use the extra time I'd been given today.

Funny, it's been raining buckets for the past twelve hours here in Savannah. Who knew my rainy day would come so soon!

New Christmas Image

Every year I do at least one new holiday image inspired by my love for Christmas in New York. When I lived in Manhattan, I was enthralled by the rows of Christmas trees for sale, lined up on the sidewalks. They smelled sooooo good! For last year's holiday image I drew those very trees. My technique/style has evolved a bit, however, since I created that image early last fall. It was the only remaining 'old' image on my website, and I knew it had to go. A sad realization, as I really love that illustraion. One of my all-time favorites. You can still see it on my altpick page; It's the very last illo in the portfolio:

http://altpick.com/violetlemay

This year's inspiration relied mostly on color. In my mind's eye I saw a yellow cab contrasted against a rich blue background; in the back seat, a red glove pressed up against the window. I didn't intend to use a primary palette, but that's pretty much how it ended up, isn't it? Oh well... as I tell my students, you can never go wrong with a primary palette. It always satisfies.

Storefronts never fail to bring me joy—I love to draw them—so creating the background was a pleasure. The falling snow ended up contributing quite a bit to the overall atmosphere of the piece, I think, and I'm very pleased with the whole thing. I was a bit sad, removing last year's image of the Christmas tree forest to make room for this one, but I'm quite relieved to have done it. Now my portfolio is consistent, and the new image tells a nice story. As for my beloved Christmas trees, I think I'll make a print to hang in my studio. Any of you who live in the Big Bad Burg, enjoy that evergreen scent for me!

Letter Girl

I've been working on some poster projects lately, for various organizations (more on this to come!). During the sketching phase for one of these groups, I had a foggy idea to do illustrated letters, like the kind you'd see on the first page of a children's book. The idea remained stuck in my head, however... I didn't have any luck at all trying to sketch it out.

Several weeks later, the idea popped up again. It was one of those lightning rod moments (makes me think of Roger Von Oech's book, A Whack on the Side of the Head). I was in the middle of teaching a class, and suddenly, out of the clear blue, I saw this illustrated letter in my head, clear as a bell. I don't get inspired like that very often, but I'm always grateful when it happens! Initially, anyway.

Remember Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the version that was released in 1977? In that movie, Richard Dryfuss' character has a close encounter, and subsequently becomes obsessed with creating conical shapes. He carves them out of shaving cream, mashed potatoes, any malleable 'medium' he comes in contact with. That's how it feels, I think, in the hours/days/weeks after inspiration hits. It's an obsession, sort of an internal directive given from above, and until a girl is able to realize that vision, to get the inspiration out of her system, it can be quite overwhelming (understatement). It's sort of maniacal, but in a good way. Mostly.

So anyway, I got the inspiration, and thankfully had time to do something about it. Voila! My Capital L Girl came to be.

A few days later, my wonderful agent Anna sent out a group e-mail to tell us all that Nate Williams had posted a link to AGM's Pumpkin Carving Contest on illustrationmundo.com. She included a link, which I followed... only to stumble upon Nate's new site:

http://www.letterplayground.com/

Two seconds later Anna sent another e-mail, explaining that she had sent the wrong link. But I thought, Wow, that mistake was meant just for me! Ten minutes later, my illustrated letter was posted on the letterplayground site, and I sat back in my studio chair, deeply satisfied. Directive: complete!