A Veritable Buffet

Tonight, I'd like to share a healthy handful of spot illustrations that I created for the clever cookbook, "Quickies for Couples", written, and currently under revision by, Katy Scott. This charming book centers around speedy recipes for two, and features a range of flavor palates and, once re-released, a hearty selection of illustrations by Yours Truly. I had a fantastic time coming up with playful pieces to suit many of the recipes, as you'll see - for example, here is one for Fish Tacos:

As well, here we have Classic Potato Salad, inspired by Grant Wood:

For the Cajun connoisseur, a surefire hit would be Meuniere Sauce:

Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese is always a delight among many species:

As well, Beer Bread is a great favorite, Oktoberfest season or not:

We can't overlook the delights of Mexican Tortilla Soup:

Perhaps a French vegetable dish is more your style:

And finally, there is Orange Pork - a happy pig with a full belly is a pleasant way to round out a great feast.

With luck, the revised edition of "Quickies for Couples" will be released in 2016 - in the meantime, have a look at the book's website, linked below. Happy Eating during this holiday season, and throughout the year!

http://www.quickiesforcouples.com/

Two Charmers

It's that time again - New Year's Eve is just around the corner, and that means just one thing - Another Poster for the Orchestra. This time around, I decided to let a sea lion play the starring role, balancing a ball upon his nose, ushering in the year 2016.

The usual parties are in attendance - linear lettering, metallic inks, plenty of shading and fun with color. It's a bold design, as confident as the traditional jazz played by the Singapore Slingers themselves.

For good measure, a nice close up of our main attraction, suitably attired in a sort-of-tux, appropriately fitted to his sinuous shape. As always, our New Year's Eve performances are a heady blend of elegance and tomfoolery - as such, this is a perfectly representative poster!

And now, allow me to introduce... Miss Luxe. She was designed for www.savoirluxe.com - a wonderful, Dallas-based consignment service that specializes in high-end designer clothing and accessories. The company's owner/director is the marvelous Mindy Loll, who is a force unto herself! She saw a small display of my prints at Vintage Martini, the Dallas vintage and designer clothing boutique, and immediately commissioned a "flapper, with touches of gold and silver". Miss Luxe will help represent SavoirLuxe, and I couldn't be happier about it.

 Miss Luxe's gold and silver elements are rendered in mica-based ink - the beading of her gown, plumage and champagne coupe are redolent with it.

Two new projects to finish off the year, with more around the corner. As you'll see in the coming days, there have been other pieces, as well - vivid, eclectic, playful and pleasing. You'll enjoy what's ahead.

To visit the fantastic shop now carrying my prints, see www.vintagemartini.com

For more information on Mindy Loll's company, please visit www.savoirluxe.com

Earthly Music

I have long been meaning to create a simple illustration centering around mermaids - yes, another tribute to my beloved ocean.  In this case, however, things are just a little less salty, and a touch more brackish... I went for a Cajun bent, and created "Zydeco Mermaids".  In a household filled with the presence of accordions, I adore this genre of music - and what better way to celebrate it than via the benevolence of mer-people?  A fiddle, accordion and spoons (played on scales, of course) constitute this aquatic performance - just enough to attain the sound.  I would imagine that there is at least one vocalist... or however mermaids express themselves so.

Any zydeco group worth its salt has an accordion in the mix.  In this case, I had to do some light research (courtesy my husband, Matt Tolentino) in order to understand the appearance and workings of the diatonic "button box" instrument, that creates the characteristic sound of zydeco.  They are smaller accordions, and have a marvelous guttural tone - they also tend to be quite colorful, their casings trimmed in gold.

And where would a Cajun band be without the fiddle?  Our lady seems lost in quite the pleasant reverie, perhaps playing a waltz.  You can see the ridged spines I gave to my mermaids - recalling bayou alligators, truly fascinating primal creatures that grace the region.

Finally, a detail to show the joyous shades and light play of the fins - enhanced with mica ink, of course.  I wanted to capture colors reminiscent of earth, as well as the deeper waters of the sea - terra cotta, celadon, teal and kelp were my goals.  and though the reptilian spines end in a point, the transition from reptile to fish is captured by the grace of the fins.  I live for drawing long, fluid lines, and these fins were downright euphoric to create.

In other news, it's worth mentioning that I now have a Facebook page for the illustration work, as well as an etsy shop.  Both are linked below - join/follow on the former, and watch the latter for additional print runs.  As always, Thank You!

https://www.facebook.com/DanielleBennignus

https://www.etsy.com/shop/LinearTomfoolery