Sarah Montes Illustration

Pretty Little Paintings

2011-07-11T21:33:00.000-07:00

Every time a birthday or holiday comes around, I love to make my gifts and cards (when time permits!). This spring I made cards for Mother's Day and my sister's college graduation. I was heavily inspired by the work of the amazing Katie Daisy. I adore her whimsical paintings, so I put brush and paint to paper for these two cards. I really enjoyed creating these, it was very "stream of consciousness" painting for me. These are just for personal use, but thanks to Katie for the inspiration!

I heart paper!

2011-07-11T21:21:00.000-07:00

So, last fall and winter I was on a crafting spree. Seriously. We couldn't use our kitchen table for months, it was so covered in fabric, beads, ribbon, paper, glue, paint.....I was a woman on a mission. There were a couple of craft fairs in our area that I participated in, and I couldn't stop coming up with ideas! I still haven't gotten around to posting all the leftovers on Etsy, but you can find these earrings in my shop.

The paper beads were made by gluing together 1 inch circles punched out of a vintage french textbook. It was tedious work, and they are very delicate (they have been sprayed with copious amounts of a shellac to protect them from tearing), but they are quite stunning statement earrings.

These cards aren't in my shop yet, and honestly, I love them so much, I may just use them myself! I saw this place card DIY from Design*Sponge, and thought they would be just as adorable as notecards. These were super cheap to make because I already had all the scrap-booking paper on hand, and I only had to buy some cardstock and envelopes. A few hours with an x-acto knife and my sewing machine, and voila!

2011 Update

2011-07-11T20:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I really didn't mean to let a year go by without posting anything....but here we are! So much has happened since I posted last, in my creative process and my career goals, and I'm so excited for any new ventures that lie ahead. I don't know my exact plans at this point, but I rediscovered printmaking last December, and that kind of blossomed into something I didn't expect.

This stationary set was a gift for my mom last Christmas. She loves writing letters, and getting handmade gifts, so I got out all my supplies from printmaking class and got to work. She loved it, and it was an eye opening project for me.

Throughout making this gift, I realized that I loved the delicate and beautiful art of carving print blocks. So, from here on out, I am going to explore this rediscovered medium. I really enjoyed my printmaking class in college, and I'm hoping I can take some more classes one of these days.

Besides that, one of the biggest things I've been involved with lately is doing a regular DIY post over at Glamour and Grace, the most unique and inspiring wedding blog, run by the talented and lovely Megan Acosta. If you are planning a wedding (or just love wedding stuff!) definitely check it out! For this month's DIY, a jeweled cake stand, click the photo below:

Freelance ahoy!

2010-08-11T21:21:00.000-07:00

So, it's been two months since I've had a full time job, and I'm finally starting to get around to doing some art again. I'm hoping to start working with some print vendors, and I thought I'd get an arsenal of prints started. I was inspired by the yummy Tupelo honey I put in my tea the other night, and ran with it. I think it would be great for some big soft pajama pants :)

That's all for now. Just wanted to put a little update and share the latest!

Suwanee Day 2010

2010-07-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

Greetings readers, and happy July! It has been a sweltering summer so far, down here in suburban Atlanta, and all it makes me want to do is live at the pool. Not having to be at work everyday sure does make it easier to slack off!

I do have a couple of illustrations to share today though (yay! finally!). Beginning of June, I submitted some poster designs to the Suwanee Day poster contest, and since the winner has been chosen (not me, better luck next year!) I can finally put them up!

I did the illustration for this about 2 years ago, and went ahead and finished the text for it for this year's contest. I used a train because Suwanee used to be a little railroad depot, and you can drive through the very small main street and see an old fashioned rail car that has been set up as a kind of landmark in the old town area. I wanted to bring some of that vintage charm to my poster, when people road the train and women wore long dresses and big hats.

My second submission is a little more whimsical, with some Carter's influence. When you spend 40 hours a week drawing cute baby animals, it tends to come out in your personal work. I had a ton of fun drawing this one. All of the type (in both posters) was hand drawn in illustrator as well.

Well, you win some, you lose some, right? It just gives me 365 more days of practice until next years festival. And speaking of winning....

Please take one minute and go vote for my dear friend Megan's blog, Glamour and Grace! She is a finalist in the Wedding Channel Best Style Blog awards, and she needs some love! Just one click is all it takes, no signing up, no surveys, just click a button! Easy, and you can count it as your good deed for the day! Go here and make your vote! Thanks everyone!

And the nominees are....

2010-06-16T19:48:00.000-07:00

My wonderful friend Megan and her AMAZING wedding blog, Glamour and Grace, is getting great exposure and is the newest source for all brides to be (and even those of us who already tied the knot, but still swoon over all things wedding) to find unique inspiration and style ideas! Her fabulous blog is so beautifully done, I think each and every one of you needs to hop on over to Wedding Channel RIGHT NOW! and nominate her for their "Best Wedding Style Blog" award. It's so quick and easy! Just click the link below, and make her day!

Best Wedding Style Blog

PS. I am a terrible blogger. I know it has been AGES since I have put anything remotely artistic up, and I feel like a schmoe. I recently finished my internship with Carters, and I'll be able to devote more time to freelance and personal work in the near future. First things first though-my inner Monica is going through a cleaning/organizing/ocd frenzy, getting this apartment back up to speed (a full time job out of the home a messy house makes)! If it isn't clean and glistening, I can't make pretty art. Stayed tuned, my (hopefully) loyal readers....I WILL be back. Promise!

How does your garden grow?

2010-03-20T22:43:00.000-07:00

Spring is here! I'm so excited! Finally, things can start growing again, and I can wear shorts and flip flops, and the sun doesn't go to bed before I even get home from work!

Dave and I celebrated the coming of Spring by taking a walk up to the nursery to get some stuff for planting, and came home with a strawberry plant, some assorted seeds, some soil, and a new window box for our teeny balcony all the way up here on the third floor. I spent a very happy (and sunny) evening planting all my new seeds and turning our little space into a potted garden.

Since I have so many things growing from seeds (and because you know I can never resist a new art project!), I just HAD to make some markers for each pot. I love the ones being sold on Etsy, by shops like MonkeysAlwaysLook, but I just can't afford that right now. I mean, the cat's gotta eat, ya know? So, crafty me, I decided that vintage forks from a thrift store would make great holders for my little laminated labels, created on my trusty Mac! Here's a sampling of what I came up with:

I've been obsessed with my new/vintage Spirograph lately (my amazing husband found one for me for Christmas!!) so I took it digital, and voila! Unique, creative, and personalized garden markers at a fraction of the price. It felt good to do something fun and artsy, and useful. I can't wait until my little plants start sprouting and we have some yummy veggies of our very own!

I'll leave you with this picture of our friend Totoro, who is helping Mei and Satsuki grow their own little seedlings. Here's hoping our neighborhood Totoro pays us a visit too :)

Friends in far places

2010-03-10T17:01:00.000-08:00

Wow. Today was a really long day. Good to be home, getting ready for date night with Dave (Whole Foods picnic!).

Yesterday I was contacted on Etsy by Jen from SimplyInvitingCards. She has some adorable handmade cards, scrapbooks, papers; basically anything you could want for your correspondence needs. She featured one of my headbands on her blog, and it's getting my Etsy shop some great exposure! Thanks Jen! You can see her blog here, with a picture of my headband! (Click here for the Etsy Treasury page it's featured on).

I have to say that I have been so impressed and wowed by the amount of artists out there who cross-promote each other, and the whole idea of discovering the undiscovered, and sharing it with the world! We shouldn't be in competition with each other...as artists, we should be inspiring each other, helping each other become successful, and achieve our individual goals and dreams together! I know I have felt it from other artists, and I want to give back and help my fellow creatives as well.

So that's my inspiring thought for the day :) Off to get some yummy food!

P.S. Started a new illustration tonight...realized that the whole Sarah Montes Illustration and Design moniker only makes sense if I have actual illustrations to show for it. Hopefully I can share it with you all soon!

Adorable Adornments!

2010-03-08T20:05:00.000-08:00

New Etsy items up! I started making headbands and hair clips/brooches after I made some for my sister for Christmas. Each one is different, as I make them with odds and ends I find in my jewelry making supplies, or pieces of jewelry that break...upcyling the useless into something beautiful!

Check them out here!

The Clockwork Assassin

2010-03-02T10:48:00.000-08:00

My amazing, talented husband, Dave Montes, has a new toy design up on Patch Together! It's an adorable red panda, who you just want to cuddle.....until you find out his mission is to annihilate you. This was entered as part of the Patch Together design challenge "Cute Animal Warriors," and Dave needs your votes!!

You can vote here for his design, which would get made into a toy if he wins. I don't know about you, but I need a cute little assassin for my desk, to protect my pens and post its :)

As for me, I have been working on some new stuff for my Etsy, and finishing up some old projects so that I can get started on some new ones! And my lunch break is over, so gotta go! Don't forget to vote!

Glamour and Grace Wedding Blog

2010-02-25T20:29:00.000-08:00

My very dear friend Megan, who is probably the most glamorous and sophisticated lady I know, has just started her very inspirational wedding blog, Glamour and Grace. Megan is a very talented photographer and designer, and her own wedding was an incredibly beautiful vision in black, white and turquoise, with a touch of vintage charm. I was honored to be one of her bridesmaids, and got to watch her through the whole planning process, and this girl has it together! Her blog is full of beautiful, inspiring images and mood boards, and is a great link for any bride to put on her list of wedding resources.

My name in the NY Times?

2010-02-20T20:19:00.000-08:00

Ever Google yourself? These past couple of days I've Googled myself a few times...ok, more than a few....but how often do you get your art published in multiple newspapers around the country? It's exciting!

I'm overwhelmed by the exposure my Working Class Studio pillows are getting, and by the amount of publications that picked up the article written about them by the Associated Press. Myself and Cassie Hart, another WCS/SCAD alum, both have our pillows featured in this article, and you can check it out in the Savannah Morning News, the NY Times, or any number of newspapers online (just type in Sarah Montes pillows on Google!).

If you are interested in purchasing my pillows, go by Working Class Studio's website for more information. Happy Googling!

Rawr! Zap! Vote!

2010-02-08T20:30:00.000-08:00

My incredibly talented husband, the amazing Dave Montes has impressed me yet again. This man is just bursting with the most creative ideas, and he's just posted two character designs on the site Patch Together. Anyone can post drawings and designs that people then vote on, and if they get enough votes, this company will make them into toys. Dave's got two designs up there right now. Click the picture to see the whole design, and then vote!
If they get enough votes, they will be ready for pre-order, and then you can own a custom designed toy by Dave!

Repeats!

2010-02-01T21:15:00.000-08:00

So, started the new job today at Carter's and was so inspired, I came home and pulled up a really old drawing I did back in one of my first illustration classes. The illustration as a whole is pretty much a disaster, except for the birds. Now, this was just a practice piece, trying to solidify the whole repeat pattern process in my mind, so please excuse the live traced quality of the birds. Just wanted to get my feet wet, and see what I could come up with on the fly. Enjoy!

Weekend Update

2010-01-23T20:35:00.001-08:00

In the spirit of new years resolutions and being more productive, this is my third post so far this year! Let's hope I can keep this up, because things have just gotten a lot busier. I landed a job!

Last February I was able to meet with Carter's about doing an internship after graduation, via the SCAD Career Fair. I didn't get it, and was sure that an amazing opportunity had passed me by forever (melodramatic, I know. Bear with me). But back in November, I found out that they were hiring interns again, and I took a chance and sent in my resume. I was called for an interview a few weeks later, and this past Thursday I got the job offer! I start in one week (have to kick this bronchitis first), and I couldn't be more excited!

And if that wasn't enough to make my week, SCAD contacted me about doing an interview with The Associated Press about my pillows for Working Class Studio, and I just found a blog that featured my pillows and some other WCS product on their Friday post! Check out the blog here.

Things are happening!

The Sarah Collection Pillows-Working Class Studio

2010-01-12T09:57:00.000-08:00

They're here! My pillows, created when I was an intern with SCAD's Working Class Studio in Spring 2009, are finally here!

These pillow designs were inspired by the architecture and jewelry designs of the Mediterranean. They were originally created with a brush and india ink, making loose, flowing lines, and then colored in Illustrator using the Working Class Studio color palate.

It was so much fun to work with WCS, and to create these pillows, and I'm so thrilled that mine were chosen to be included in their collection. Check them out at the Working Class Studio website, and see the press release on SCAD's news page. Purchase information can be found at www.workingclassstudio.com.

New Etsy Items Available!

2010-01-12T09:49:00.000-08:00

Yay! New embroideries up on Etsy!

I've been working on these for a while now, and they are finally up on Etsy. There are three total, Flowers, Leaves, and Trees, and are part of a series, though they can be purchased separately. I will be starting some new ones soon, with a different theme, but for now I'll leave it a mystery. Can't go giving away all my secrets you know!

Check out my Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/sarahannmontes, or just click on the widget in the sidebar.

I love paper!

2009-11-30T17:27:00.000-08:00

Happy post Thanksgiving everyone! Hope you are all making good use of those yummy leftovers....I was afraid we wouldn't have any sweet potato casserole leftover, but I made enough for a few nights extra :)

Over the past few weeks I have been busy working on some new stuff for my Etsy shop, mostly some embroidery, and I did the illustration below. This was a concept for a woman who is writing a book about her adopted daughter. I won't be doing the book, but it was a lot of fun to open up my digital scrap paper drawer, and get some practice in. It's been awhile since I've done some digital stuff, and I really love how the piece came out.

I'm working on getting permission to post my pillows for Working Class Studio that I did last spring, so hopefully those will be up soon too. I still don't have Dreamweaver, so I unfortunately won't be able to update my site anytime soon. Keep checking here for new stuff!

Etsy shop up!

2009-11-18T17:56:00.000-08:00

I just posted my first item for sale on my new Etsy shop, sarahannmontes! So far, it's just the one item, I didn't have time to take all the pictures I needed to for the other items before work today. I will be posting more tomorrow. Here's a peek at what I've got up so far:

Besides these ornaments, I'm working on some paintings for some notecards I want to put up, though I probably won't be able to get to those until after Christmas. I've got so many ideas for handmade gifts this year, and with some freelance starting to pick up, I just don't think I'll have the time for a while to work on my own stuff.

Anyways, check out the Etsy shop! More items will be up soon!

A dash of Illustrator, a pinch of pretty

2009-09-18T21:21:00.000-07:00

Since starting my job in early August, I haven't had much time for illustration, but I've been learning a lot about graphic design from the projects at work. I put together this design for recipe cards a few nights ago, and I've been picking out favorite recipes to print on them. I'll be printing them myself on some heavy cardstock and "laminating" them with contact paper to keep them dry and clean in the kitchen.

This recipe for chocolate ricotta mousse is amazing. I love it with fresh raspberries :)

Up and Running

2009-09-12T21:57:00.000-07:00

So, I've been sitting here trying to think of some clever opening line to break that "first post" awkwardness, but alas....this is all I've got.

Let's see. It's been about 4 months since graduation and 3 and half since I married this guy, the love of my life! I was lucky enough to get a semi-full time job at a t-shirt printing company, and I've been playing housewife in the down time. I've just started working on a new series, (still sketching), and a portrait of my Grandmother that my Grandpa requested. I'm super excited to get started working on both, and am hoping for something substantial enough to post soon.

That's that, then.