NEW DRAWING AVAILABLE!!

hazel
8x10, graphite and colored pencil on 80b cold press cream drawing paper
©the enchanted easel 2017

With this being the last day of November (YAY DECEMBER!!), I thought it was a good time to post this drawing of a little autumn themed girl I named Hazel (because I need to name EVERYTHING). She is done in graphite and colored pencil made by my FAVORITE pencil maker, the fabulous Derwent Company. Seriously, these people make the best pencils ever-no matter what type you're looking for. I own them all. Really. Obsessed with Derwent. Those Brits make some really handsome looking pencils. I digress...this drawing was done with the Coloursoft line of colored pencils and their graphite pencils as well. Love me some Derwent.

Hazel has a summer sister by the name of Mirasol found here. Both are available FOR SALE as original drawings. NO prints will be offered.

ONE MORE DAY OF FREE SHIPPING ON EVERYTHING IN MY SHOP!! SALE ENDS 12/1 AT 11:59 PM (EST).

2016's final commission....

was a pleasure to create.

avery's painting-commission
11x14, acrylic on canvas

the sweetest lady came to me requesting a custom painting based on one of my drawings (pic below). it was to be for her ginger haired, december born baby girl. they were redoing her room based on a few prints of my drawings that she purchased (yeah, that happened-a room redo based on MY drawings-huh?!)

so-ginger, december, winter...three of my favorite things. triple win for me. :)

glacia
6x8, graphite/tinted graphite on bristol

BAD BLOGGER!!

{hangs head in shame:( }

crazy last couple of weeks....between a commission, matting and framing prints for some friends who are always kind enough to buy my work for their littles and a pretty intense flare up in my right arm from all the osteoarthritis, radiculopathy, nerve damage and chronic inflammation in my cervical spine (something i know i rarely talk about in this blog) after three neck surgeries. i guess i've always been one to try and not dwell on the not so positive stuff but perhaps it helps others who deal with pain just to follow their biggest and most loved passion. there is (and always will be) a FERAL need in me to create. maybe you have to be an artist to really get it. you just can't live without out. really. so, apologies for the lack of posts but if you know me personally, you know my drive far outweighs my tiny stature. in the words of my favorite Pixar film, Meet the Robinsons, "KEEP MOVING FORWARD!!"

now to what i've been up to (besides the pain)...a sweet commission from one of my drawings (FOR SALE HERE) which i turned into a painting for a sweet little ginger. i will be posting the finished painting as well as offering prints of her very soon! you'll have to check back and see...;)

here are some WIP pics as well as a cute little blue penguin i sketched...just because.

throwback Thursday to one of my favorite drawings....

glacia
6x8 graphite on bristol

and my current WIP/commission.

let me start by saying i always consider any/every commission a blessing but when they are back to back really kind wonderful clients, well that just makes the "blessing" so much sweeter.

a couple of weeks ago the sweetest lady came to me wanting to completely redo her daughter's bedroom based on a few of my drawings (really?! this is really my life?! hashtag-blessed) and wanted this particular drawing turned into a painting because it looks smooch like her adorable little girl who happens to be a "budding artist" herself. i wound up selling her some prints and taking on this commission...painting her ginger haired, december born baby girl (ginger...winter...december...three of my favorite things....destiny, indeed). 

this is and always has been (and always will be) my philosophy...treat your customers like friends, make personal connections with them and they will come back to you time and time again. always staying true to myself...

"Nicole has been absolutely fantastic to work with! She is extremely responsive and has really worked with us to accommodate our special requests. The prints we ordered are absolutely beautiful! She shipped them out quickly and were packaged with great care. Nicole is an amazing artist! When you work with her you don't only get a quality product, you get great customer service. We look forward to working with her again!"

thank you, sara...for your kind words, becoming a "friend" and giving me a really good *excuse* to paint a ginger, winter loving little girl.

*LIMITED EDITION PRINTS OF THESE DRAWINGS AVAILABLE HERE...ONLY THROUGH THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER!!

SNOW, multitasking...and SUPER BOWL BOUND!!!

crazy couple of weeks (hence the lack of blogging-*hangs head in shame*) but i've been busy and that's a very good thing!

another good thing? i FINALLY got my SNOW!!! over 30"....not too shabby! 

and what's the greatest thing that's happened to me in the last 2 weeks? wait for it, wait for it....PEYTON MANNING IS SUPER BOWL BOUND!!! (should have just done a whole separate post for this one....LOVE THIS MAN) i cried like a baby. EVERYONE who knows me personally knows how much respect and love i have for this man...and have (loyally) for almost TWO DECADES. never wavered once. knowing this may be his last rodeo, well i want him to go out BIG! no one is more deserving. prayers and fingers crossed for a SB WIN on 2/7/16....although this man will ALWAYS be a WINNER to me! love you, Peyton Manning.

2016's first week....

so sometime this winter, i'd really love to see some snow...until then, i'll have to paint myself a beautiful winter muse. and that's exactly what i've been working on....

  

DECEMBER DISCOUNT DAYS...DAY 22!

so, today is officially WINTER!!! well, i am ecstatic about that as it is and always will be my favorite season. however, i may have a bone or two to pick with Mr. December. this month has been more like spring than any December i can remember....and that bums me out. hopefully, at some point. Jack Frost will decide to pay me a visit. i miss him.

on a happier note....today is officially the first day of WINTER!!! and this beauty is today's FEATURED DRAWING! the lovely and pristine, Crystal.

{on a side note, i'm wearing RAIN boots to the post office today instead of SNOW boots. can i just say how wrong that is?! :( }

***last year on this day, i was snapping pics with Jack Frost....my forever love.***

those who know me personally....

know that this little sketch needs NO explanation! 

{and for those who don't, well i think it's pretty self explanatory.}

football is BACK....but more importantly than that, PEYTON IS BACK...and that makes for a very happy girl, right here!!!

i have followed this man from his rookie days with the Colts (their loss) to his days with the Broncos (thank you, John Elway for the most wonderful addition your team). classy. humble. respectable. incredibly talented and just an all around awesome guy...and quarterback.

ironically we turned out to to have some unfortunate circumstances in common....like multiple neck surgeries/fusions which if you know anything about the cervical spine, well it certainly affects the use of your arm(s)/hand(s). to still be able to grasp a football and play as eloquently as he does, well that is nothing short of miraculous to me. i feel his pain everyday (literally) as holding a pencil/paintbrush has become somewhat of a challenge on some days...but as peyton says, "these nerves have a mind of their own." they surely do. however, i use that pain to fuel my passion even more. so...take THAT nerve pain! ;)

wishing peyton (and the broncos) a great season and may today be the first day on the journey to the Super Bowl...WIN! 

peyton, you are my hero!

busy week ahead....

painting petals and tresses...

putting the finishing touches on a couple of  things as well as starting a new triptych of cute little woodland animals for a new mommy to be.

floral flourishes....

 {a very productive August, i might say....}

heads-up, little guy...

tuesday's tools....

a weekly peek at some of my "tools" of the trade. from my happily overly worked paintbrushes to my beloved derwent graphitint pencils...they all play a part in my creative bliss. :)

meet blossom....

blossom~original drawing
graphite/tinted graphite on bristol 7x9
©the enchanted easel 2015

second in a series of three summer/flower girls.

the ORIGINAL DRAWING is FOR SALE here. also, sweet little Flora can be found in shop as well...and then for the winter lover like myself, well there are three pristine ice princesses in my shop FOR SALE also. 

with Blossom and Flora complete, there is only lovely Camillia left in the series...COMING SOON! :)

meet Flora....

flora~original drawing
7x9 graphite on bristol
©the enchanted easel 2015

the first in a series of three summer/flower girls i will be releasing FOR SALE this summer.

*NOTE~this is an ORIGINAL DRAWING not a print. i will not be selling prints until the original drawing is sold. you can find here FOR SALE here.

also, in my etsy shop, i have three winter girls (ORIGINAL DRAWINGS) available. try not to be biased but they are my favorite. well of course they are, they represent WINTER...one of my obsessions (because God knows i have a few of those...;) )

ok, back to business.....i have also added share buttons to the images here in my blog. i have been trying to add pinterest buttons to the gallery images on my site but due to the format (carousel) i have the images displayed in, well that's the only format in which the pinterest buttons do not want to play nice. kind of stuck on the carousel format so i apologize for the lack of ease in sharing any images you may love on my site onto your pinterest pages. please feel free to share from my blog here though...if the mood strikes you. always remember, ALL of my images belong solely to ME. NONE of them are to be reproduced by anyone but myself. i see lots of artists have their hard work taken by others unknowingly and popping up all over the internet without consent/permission. so wrong but don't get me started....

so now that Flora has made her little debut this first full week of summer (thank you God for the gift of air conditioning....) her lovely little friends, Camillia and Blossom will be following...soon! :)

last, but certainly not least...

icelyn~orignal drawing
graphite on bristol
©the enchanted easel 2015

sweet, little Icelyn. 

this is the third (and final) drawing in my series of three whimsical winter girls. i know, i know....it's almost spring (ugh!) but custom work always comes first and i've had a few of those *jobs*the last couple of weeks (no complaints-love custom work) so little Icleyn here had to take a back seat. but....

she's DONE (yay me!) and FOR SALE here along with her two lovely companions...little miss Crystal and my personal favorite, little miss Glacia (love the happy little twisted pout on her...).

although i shall bid my love, mr. winter, adieu in a few days, it will eternally be winter in my heart...(hey look, someone has to show some love for that season...and well, i have MAJ love for it!)

{up next on the easel (and between other drawings)...custom nursery art...featuring an owl and some sweet little birds.}

Sunday afternoon sketching....

working on a little custom drawing for a very special girlfriend from school...she's going through some tough times and needs a little "pick me up".

sweetness to the rescue! :)

warm winter wishes (drawing #2)....

glacia~graphite on bristol
©the enchanted easel 2015

love, glacia

xxx

ORIGNAL DRAWING FOR SALE IN MY SHOP!

also, glacia has little friend by the name of crystal who is also FOR SALE here.

2 sweet little winter girl drawings down...1 more to go. :)

warm winter wishes...

crystal~graphite on bristol
©the enchanted easel 2015

love, crystal

xxx

ORIGINAL DRAWING FOR SALE, IN MY SHOP, NOW!

{little crystal is 2015's first drawing....and she has two friends to join her....COMING SOON! :)}

illustration friday~jungle

how could anyone resist this cute little baby cheetah (and his dragonfly friend)...?!
nothing scary here :)

ORIGINAL DRAWING~SOLD but there are PRINTS available here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/96990268/baby-cheetah-on-branch-with-dragonfly

~HaPpY HeArTs DaY~

Love, Pippa...and her *bear*y special Valentine :)

xxx

ok...so apparently i have a *thing* now....

for drawing CUTE baby animals :)

as i stated earlier in the week, i'm trying to work on selling (or shall i say "parting with") some ORIGINAL artwork. and i thought i great way to do that would be to "part with" some sketches/drawings right out of one of my sketchbooks. and, i have many of those...;)

here we have a cute little baby cheetah...with his dragonfly friend (because i couldn't bear for him to be out there in the jungle all by his little lonesome self, of course). he is FOR SALE HERE:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/96990268/baby-cheetah-on-branch-with-dragonfly

along with a sweet little Easter bunny who is waiting for a new home as well....:)
http://www.etsy.com/listing/96758366/baby-bunny-with-easter-egg-original

an ORIGINAL touch of CUTENESS :)

so, after much *debating* with myself, i have decided to start selling some ORIGINAL pencil drawings. that way, i get to draw almost every day and you get ORIGINAL art at an AFFORDABLE price. "win win" right....?:)

let's start with this ADORABLE little baby bunny, who obviously has a little *something* behind his back....

FOR SALE HERE:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/96758366/baby-bunny-with-easter-egg-original

~HoPpY EasTeR~