Illustrating Crayolas and my colorful ottoman fabric

I love this book! 

The Day the Crayons Quit. Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers and written by Drew Daywalt.

The pre kinder kids get a BIG chuckle when they read the last page of the peach crayon who doesn't have any paper wrapped around him and feels naked. Hilarious!

A clever and funny story.

I added a picture of the new fabric I will upholster my ottoman and eventually all my DR chairs. Can you see the Crayola colors on the fabric?

Cleveland greeting card featured in The Paper Chronicles Blog!

Sarah Schwartz, editor of Stationery Trends magazine started a letter writing campaign and she has received beautiful cards from various designers... Some give her samples so she can send out too. (I gave her several cards of my Cleveland - Let it snow card).
I have a saying now (it's in my website's Home page): "Let's keep the card designer and postal office working!"
http://thepaperchronicles.com/letter-writing-campaign-new-responses-and-sponsors/

Invitations... the beginning

It has been a while since I started doing invitations! These were my first 2 that I designed: 

a birthday and a holiday party.

I began drawing little stick figures which eventually evolved into more normal looking kids.

Personalized calling cards were my specialty because it was very popular with moms to use for giving away birthday gifts. They use them instead of buying greeting cards.

Musical group and artist from Ohio

I just discovered this musical group called Hey Mavis, an Appalachian Americana music. Their album Honey Man is great with the sounds of the fiddle, banjo and harmonica.

Who knew! From our state of OHIO---Just lovely!

www.heymavis.com

The artist who made the illustrations is Leandra Drumm, from the Akron area. She works mainly in pewter. 

www.leandradrummdesigns.com

Illustration, sketching & re-energizing NOIS for 2014

Recently, I took the role of treasurer for the NOIS* organization here in Cleveland. We came up with new ideas on how to enliven the organization. 

On March 19th, we will have Lindsay Ward, a local illustrator that has several children's books published. When Blue Met Egg is a lovely book using paper and drawing techniques.

We also started to post any sketches we would like to share in the NOIS Facebook page; many have started sharing them. We hope more members check it out and contribute to it.

I posted these two: the flowers were given to me by a very nice clerk at Trader Joe's seeing that I was in crutches.

The other one is a little mole that my dog Skipper almost killed! I called him away just in time. I hope the little fellow survived... 

*Northern Ohio Illustrators Society

Invitations & cards inspired by my son found in ets

It doesn't seem that long when I started designing birth announcements and christening invitations for this little guy who is now slowly or too rapidly becoming a teenager! 

This is the invitation I made for my baby's christening. Available in my etsy shop.

www.etsy.com/shop/piccolinodesigns

Cleveland Postcards are in!!!

Cleveland postcards features an illustration of the city's skyscrapers, the old bridges and smokestacks from the Flats and the baseball field, The Progressive Field.

Small details such as a jet flying over the city towards Cleveland Hopkins airport, a barge navigating Lake Erie and the Hard Rock Café guitar.

The postcards are made of semi-glossy front and matte backside on 110 pound paper stock with the postcard address section to address them. Cle Clothing store will be selling it, possibly other locations I am currently approaching.