Picture that!

Gustavo gondolier and his pal, Mick.

The past few months have been busy for me, painting sets on a TV show

and finishing up March on a big La-Z-Boy commercial. 

and YES, their spokesperson, Brook Shields 

still looks gorgeous!

vintage doll head, part of set decoration - The Following

This was a nice quiet weekend. I caught up on some of my own work,

tidied up my apt and got back to a CKO class. 

I did get out and enjoy the sunshine a little, too :)

I'm so happy spring is here (is that too hopeful?) The temps look

like they will stay on the mild side. I really hope so. 

This was a tough winter, although some say it was no worse than last year. 

Somehow it just seemed to go on & on & on.

Last Easter weekend, Kristine was here reading Lovey Bunny at Book Court.  

It was the 1st time I've heard Lovey read aloud :)

I have no idea why there was such a large podium 

with decorative fabric for a reading to mostly children.

For a minute I thought she was about to give a commencement speech.

Afterwards, a few of us went for lunch and did some browsing at Yesterday's News down near me.

I almost bought these little cats! but sometimes a picture is enough. I guess.

Yuko liked this Holland sign. It's pretty great, walks a thin line between cute and creepy ;D

Love this car.

I always enjoy eating at Frankies, especially with Kristine, Yuko & Melissa Zexter 

who met us later, thus taking the place of Melissa Iwai who had to go home.

 As I always say, there must be at least one Melissa in the group ;) 

Thom left us for another dinner date. 

Unfortunately, no Tom, Dick or Harry to take his spot.

I never remember the name of this Sangiovese blend, but it's a current favorite.

Sunday, we all met up for the 1st day of Smorgasburg down at Brooklyn Bridge Park.

I also learned that Melissa Iwai lives on this charming street with one of my favorite houses (above).

M. Zexter, me, M. Iwai and Yuko - photo by Kristine

Just a great doorway in Brooklyn Heights :)

I made it to MOMA this week to meet up with my college friend, Wendy 

who brought her 15 year old daughter, Lucy for her 1st visit to NYC. 

Wendy's lovely mom, Rhetta (I haven't seen in about 20 years) came, too!

This shot is about as much as we saw of the Bjork show.

The museum was packed and I don't think any of us had the patience to get through it.

Instead, we hit the Design, Photography and Painting floors.

This Gauguin is a sentimental fave! I always love seeing it.

Wendy, me & Rhetta - in front of Rock Ctr Anthro window - photo by Lucy

I think Lucy was just as happy to visit Anthropologie and Free People, despite

having the same stores down in Richmond. It's hard to understand, 

but they are terrific shops and it's fun when everything looks great on you :)

:::

The topic of stealing ideas came up in my MATS Bootcamp class this week, 

in our private Facebook group. Each month we receive an assignment and most

of us share sketches and initial ideas with each other for feedback and sometimes for

encouragement. It's a great group, but this is something to think about. I doubt anyone is intentionally, "stealing" concepts, but it opened up a conversation. 

I love renowned ad man, Paul Arden's book -

"It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want to Be" great pieces of advice and philosophy.

and finally ... more Artwork by Allyn ...

and Lena

If you enjoy my work and have an interest in seeing sketches, progress shots and a variety 

of photos I take for inspiration and plain old fun, visit me on Instagram.

Have a great week!

xo, A

S'mores aren't everything

What's better than roasting marshmallows over a campfire with friends?

Making S'mores and more :) 

Still, they can't solve all your problems, it's just a start!

"It's time to rehearse. Who's the new guy?"

Practice is very important.

Lately, I've been practicing a slightly different way of painting background

scenes by muting the colors or simply keeping that part monochrome. 

I think it's helping the characters to stand out and compete less with the backgrounds.

It's something I'll continue working on.

Bear was trying out his new costume in Central Park when he heard a tiny voice from below.

"Help, my friend needs a hand!"

Gee, I sure hope Bear knows what to do.

:::

Rush Hour, below, is an example of characters getting lost in the mix. 

It's a shame because each animal has personality. I tried to make some pop more

using Photoshop and I think it helped somewhat. 

Subway Series is one of my favorite groups of illustrations. If only things could stay 

as simple as initial sketches. 

Anyway, I decided to pluck certain characters from Rush Hour, give them some space 

and consider which to use in a story.

I shared Capybara and pals and others taken from this

crowded train in last week's post.

I liked these guys enough to have some postcards printed. 

I used Moo for the 1st time and they look great!

I had some printed using "Classic" paper stock. I was surprised Moo uses the shiny side for the 

backside. I don't mind, just unusual I think. I also had some printed using "Luxe"stock. 

I couldn't be more happy with the quality of both sets. I could be hooked!

I also have some coming from Zazzle who I've depended on for years.

I'll have to see what people think. I've only heard good things about Moo, so had to try them.

May these guys, at least, make it onto the bulletin board of a brilliant art director, 

editor and/or agent out there! for safe keeping and maybe more. 

Kitty reading about birds is also new, although cats reading books, 

shows up in  a couple of my paintings. 

I was charmed by this simple quote from Garrison Keillor.

In other news, I bought a Karlstad love seat from Ikea that I put together myself.

The price was right, but I can still smell the particle board from which it's built. Oh well.

I styled this photo with my lovely pillows.

Yes, they are available in my Society6 shop - Allyn Howard :)

Lena the cat loves it!

View from Ikea showroom

And now for some random neighborhood pics. 

I've always liked this old building on Clinton Street, looks like it's getting a make-over.

I passed by it on my way to the public library. That's right, the library - been a long time!

I love this summery window display at One Girl Cookies in Cobble Hill.

These cool wood paneled houses are across the street. You may have noticed them in the reflection.

 Cute Italjet in Greenpoint. 

My favorite outfit of the summer, so far, worn by the one and only Michael Taranov.

He's a fellow local 829 scenic painter and I was happy to see that he changed into

paint clothes before we got started. 

This is the giant house we were working in that day. 

Ditmas Park is a fantastic neighborhood in Brooklyn. Mansions abound in a suburban 

setting with city streets within walking distance, kind of a perfect mix.

Back to my neighborhood, I like the way St Mary's Star of the Sea looks

at sunset. It's very close to my home, so I'm always happy to pass by and take notice.

The Gowanus canal is less lovely in summer.

I have to say, G.H. Cretors is my latest addiction (besides ice cream :)

It is sooooooooo tasty! like 2 bags a day, tasty. forget dinner, tasty.

The end. 

xo, Lena and me

Birds, Acorns & Fluffy Tails

Some days don't start out so well, but who knows how they'll end up.

This is a little study of a bird who appears in my work again and again.

 Little yellow birds play the part of best friends in my series,

Animals at Work and Play!

More in bird news....

and sketching. 

I love sketching, whether in pencil, pen or charcoal.

It's tough to create a finished piece with that same energy, looseness

and humor that a sketch may have. 

woof

Below are sketches I made for a CBIG event, Illustrator Day, which was held yesterday.

The assignment was to pick a time tested story and recreate a spread from the book.

I chose the classic "Miss Suzy" written by Miriam Young in 1964, 

illustrated beautifully by the great, Arnold Lobel. 

It's about a sweet grey squirrel who is chased out of her lovely house atop an oak tree. 

She finds a place to live and makes new friends, but longs to return home. 

With some help, she does just that!

I chose Semadar Megged, art director at Philomel, Penguin Group 

to critique my piece. 

I received constructive feedback from her about my sketches and she suggested I

work up the one below for my final.

Unfortunately, I did not complete my final piece, but for some reason I wanted to share.

I'm disappointed that I've let Miss Suzy and myself down.

My jobs in the film business, on commercials, can be unpredictable, 

sometimes hectic, sometimes long hours. Last week was a busy one for me. 

That's not an excuse, because had I simply started sooner I would have had work to share.

I will continue to work on Miss Suzy.

She's one of the kindest characters, down on her luck and in need of a hand,

one that she deservedly gets :)

Everyone can relate to that.

:::

Hope your week is off to a strong start!

xo, A