greenbeanbaby art

etsy restocking date moved...

with the date approaching rapidly, i had thought my paypal issues would have been resolved by now... as i've  stated in a previous post, my paypal was hacked into and tampered with... items were purchased from this thief, causing several tiresome issues to deal with... i've been on the phone with my bank and paypal in hopes that all this would be resolved on time... and it hasn't so i've had to push the date back a week... instead of having the etsy date for the 11th, it is now moved  to july 18th
and while i regret to do this, it's not to say the week won't be a waste... it will leave me more time to make extra goodies for the shop that all of you can enjoy... between prints, notebooks and a few new items, i hope to have something worthwhile for all who are interested... i'm even working on TRYING to get some framed original illustrations in the shop, that will resemble retro greeting cards...

on the topic concerning the previous post, thank you all again for the encouragement... i am sure some of you are tired of reading about my emotions in this same area... like a yo-yo, i have my days only lately, they seem to be recurring more frequently... i think there is just so much on my plate... and so much of it is the sort of thing where you don't see instant results... my patience wears thin but perhaps it is patience that i am to learn....

i have a ton of ideas and a ton of dreams [but not a ton of time]... concerning my art, i have two ways to take it and both require a 100%... i can work on sending my portfolio out and find work in the publishing area... or i can continue making artwork for the etsy shop and work on getting more prints available... both are good choices and i REALLY wanna do both but i can't... some days, i can't even handle being a mom AND an artist... [and of course, motherhood takes precedence....] either way, this topic requires a whole new post so i better just end it off with saying, right now, the etsy shop is going to be nice and full for the 18th... i hope you all will enjoy it :)

in the meantime, check this link out for more peaks of what will be in the shop

on a personal note...

thank you all for the wonderful birthday wishes... my birthday turned out wonderful despite the rough start... [and this post is about that rough start]... i've briefly mentioned that i've been on an emotional rollercoaster... perhaps it is just the realization that life goes a different path than what you planned... not that it turns out worse but you dream of getting so much done and wake up to find out your still so far away from your destination... instead of heading south, you had to head east because of road construction... [pertaining to life].... you plan on spending x amount of hours on a project only to have to sacrifice this time on a valid reason... you set goals only to have to put them on the backburner for a season... but this season seems to be taking longer than you hoped...

i have my family... and i am quite grateful for that... i have a husband who loves me and who helps me in so many ways... i have a husband who is willing to change the stinky diapers and bathe the dirty kids... i have two happy kids who get along with each other and aren't picky with toys or clothes... they are each unique and both strong willed... i am grateful to have chosen the route of being a stay at home mom although not every day am i smiling about it... the truth of the matter is, a mom can wonder if she is doing enough... cleaning enough... teaching her kids enough... a mom can wonder if she is feeding her kids enough... she can wonder if she is utilizing her time AND talents properly or if she is focusing on one thing too much... being a mom is alot of work...

and in my case, being an illustrator is alot of work... art never came EASY to me... i loved it but often it tested my emotions... my esteem... there were always people to root me on but i've had to fight doubts for years... i had hoped by this age, i'd have grown out of this thinking but apparently the thought of getting older made these thoughts more transparent... i guess its all a matter of perspective... i have ranted with frustration over my lack of skill in drawing the way i WANT to draw... i should be able to have more environments in my illustrations, right? i should be able to MOVE them more in the drawings instead of each character posing nearly the same way... i shouldn't be stuck on color anymore right?! it's the same stuff i struggled with for YEARS! it was the same stuff that made me wonder if i was even MEANT to illustrate... it's nice to have family and blogging friends to keep me encouraged and inspired... if i illustrated purely for myself, i'd have quit long ago...

we can all nitpick at our creations... we can evaluate them and compare them to other people's work... the flaws we find prevent us from getting to another level or experimenting... the frustrations that we dwell in often leave us too exhausted to work on something that we once had a joy for but allowed our own thoughts to kill that excitement... some days its hard to NOT listen to the doubts and worries... you hear yourself saying "it's not good enough" or "you'll never do more than this" or sometimes worse... you feel guilty for allowing yourself to believe the lies and you crawl into a cave, put on a hat, and throw yourself a pity party... and all the time, other people are still cheering you on and giving you compliments on your work...

and after awhile you have to make a choice... how long will you stay in the cave, crying at your pity party? how long will you use excuses of lack of time or energy before you had enough? how long will you say no one cares when you already have an audience? is it selfish to give up?! you make a quick wish of getting that "it's a wonderful life" experience but then wonder if it will be as extreme as jimmy stewart's... so how long will you mope like eyeore and get NOTHING accomplished when the whole reason you are moping is because you felt you haven't accomplished enough?! so in the end, you have to dry your tears, unwrinkle those sketches, grab the tools from the garbage pail [where you threw them in during your bette davis moment] and grasp onto all the wonderful comments and wishes and encouragement people have given you....

after all, we don't create soley for ourselves... it would be selfish to quit when others enjoy our work even if we aren't always pleased with our outcome... and although i've said this before, i am truly grateful for all the support my family and blogging friends have given me... if i didn't have an audience, i wouldn't create... it's like a pastry chef cooking tasty dairy desserts but having no one to eat them [and the chef cannot eat them due to lactose intolerance].... we all need support and encouragement as it is often the fuel for creativity... and it helps us get out of that pity mode.... it helps us WANT to get better instead of giving up... yes, i am truly grateful for you all.... i can only hope that i can give the same encouragement to you all that you have given me... thank you all from the bottom of my heart :)

ps. yes, these are more goodies for the july 18th etsy restocking...

re-stockin' the etsy shop plus 5

well, there is finally a new date set for the re-stocking of my esty shop... july 18th is the date and there will be tons of sneak peeks up until that point... there will be paper goods and some other goodies in the shop so be ready! i hope this one wll have enough goodies for everyone :)... and there will be limited edition prints available too!!!!! yes, indeed i'm trying to mass produce without losing the essence of my greenbean baby art...

and mr. juan manuel [who does amazing paper art illustrations!!] tagged me for a 5 favorites meme...  this meme is about your 5 favorites of something so i chose modern television shows...

1. the office- this show is hilarious!!!!! any bad day can be lightened up with a bit of steve carell
2. x-files- can't NOT love this classic sci-fi show... mulder is really a hoot!
3. lost- hmmm, what else can i say except it's deep and intriguing?!
4. heroes- my new addiction.... i love how it has a x-men feel to it...
5. smallville- although lana STILL gets under my skin, i love how evil lex luthor is getting [his true nature]

and i'll tag miss kiwi, miss nyx, miss heather, miss simone, and mr. ramel...

the love triangle

meet zelda... she's a princess from the nintendo world who happens to be dating a fellow named link... but she's been having an affair on the down-low with another guy... and she isn't too happy to find out that he's cheating on her too!

here is the two- timer... his name is gaara and he is from the naruto world... once a bad guy, and later turned good, his evil ways still haunt him... on occasion he falls into his old habits of harming all who are on his path... he's dating two girls at once and loves that zelda is so angry... he likes when girls are angry...

but then you have luring cortana... she's from the halo trilogy of the microrsoft world... she knows that if she offers sweet treats to gaara, like chocolate covered strawberries, he will date her instead of zelda... it's quite the competition...a princess elf vs. a fictional artificial intelligence with female programming....

it's not like gaara is all that worth it... but here you have the love triangle made in cut paper and still to be asembled into one illustration with a unified background... it's for "the big three" contest, in case you want to participate too!

lastly, i am sorry that i've been slack with blogging... typepad seems to go slower these days and blogging takes much longer to upload pictures and overall post.... i do have a few kid videos on my flickr though... still, i'll try to post more, especially as i get ready for a new etsy shop re-stock... the date to be announced soon!!!!

no surgery please

well.... diego is going to have surgery in late july... a week before he turns 4, in fact...  it's a simple surgery and a common one at that... but still, my little son will be under the knife of a stranger getting his tonsils and adenoids ripped out... in fifteen minutes his body will be missing unnecessary tissue that has caused him issues for quite some time now... 

let me backtrack though... diego talks nasally... he has for awhile and i just assumed it was because we live in wisconsin and it runs in the family... he snores too, which i thought was perhaps normal for a boy [yes call me stereotyped]... he rubs his nose ALL the time claiming he has "itchies" so i figured it was the cats giving him allergies... but then he would eat making these crazy noises... snorting and scarfing his food, which i assumed was him acquiring bad habits... so being the understanding mom that i am, ended up hollering at him to cut it out until one day, ramel exclaimed "have you ever thought that maybe he can't BREATHE when he eats?!" 

nope, didn't think of that at all... we took him to the doctor and found out he had a wee infection plus inflamed tonsils... the doctor had to pin him down JUST to take a look at his throat and he cried so much, isabella cried too!! keep in mind, this is the kid who can RAM HIS HEAD INTO THE WALL and come out with an egg-sized lump and not cry much... but here, the doctor used a tongue depressor and he was bawling... made me feel like crying right along with him and baby girl... 

 we were given a referral to go to the children's hospital where they confirmed that he has issues with his tonsils and adenoids... and he required surgery... i have briefly talked about it with him that the doctor will be making his "coughing noise" better... he doesn't really wanna hear it... and while i know its a simple surgery, i still can't help but feel my stomach churn as the days get closer to this day... 

but a week later, he will be 4 yrs old and we will be throwing him a big GREEN colored birthday party... it's going to be quite the eventful summer for sure... 

interested in prints?

this isn't gonna be a long post... for some time, people have suggested makign prints of my artwork as an option, and while i've agreed, i've never seriously looked into it... but now i am... i plan on making new art for limited prints but also having a bit of my old ones available... if so, which illustrations would some of you be interested in seeing?

you can see my cut paper work at this link... some of these illustrations won't be available as a few were custom orders... but once i  finish the major revisions for the children's book, prints will be on order... so many ideas, not enough minutes in the day, eh?!

on a side note: this above illustration is called "i lost my friend" or "what happened to oscar the fish, the day after his 7th birthday"

happy weekend!

inspired by mary blair...

remember this project? it was began when i was still pregnant with isabella... there were six of us ladies who each had to illustrate 5 books, not including our own... [ you can see my contributions here]... well, after 16+ months, we are finally wrapping it up... i finished theresa's book last night, and boy it was fat... i barely had room to put my illustrations in it, so i improvised by making wall hangings instead... and to fill in the last spread, i put a print of mary blair's illustrations, and a cut paper version of my own...

now just a short history of theresa [and my reasoning for these illustrations], she loves mary blair...  the above image is an example of mary's work... and theresa has a handsome young boy who has several food allergies... he is allergic to milk and dairy and red meat... because this situation has caused her family to live carefully concerning food, i thought to make illustrations for them that were uplifting... guess it's hard to put into words...

so here is one of the wall hangings i did for theresa's book... it's in cut paper [of course] and it has a quote on the back that says

"dreams do come true. Without that possibility, nature would not incite us to have them" by john updike

theresa gets to cook all sorts of unique and family friendly foods for her household... i THINK they live a vegan lifestyle and i can imagine that this is NOT the easiest to follow... i am sure a person becomes a pro at it though, right?! this illustration is left blank on the back so that one day her son could put his own quote on it... the lady is to be theresa, by the way.... 

here is another illustration of theresa and her son... sorry, husband/ dad!! this one is  to resemble mary blair's south american illustration... it was actually the first piece i tried to do in her style... on the back of this wall hanging, it says:

"other things may change us, but we start and end with family" by anthony brandt

the background paper has peter pan quotes on it :)

and this is the last one... it is a bit longer than the other three... on the back it says:

"being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. it means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections"

all these quotes were meant for hope... perhaps her son will grow out of the allergies... one day he won't have to live in worry that if he eats a piece of cheese, it will be life threatening... and even if he happens to grow out of them, he may stick with a vegan diet but it will be his choice... either way, his mom goes to GREAT lengths to keep him healthy and happy and to give him a wonderful life...

note: like my giant copyright?! i'm being a bit exaggerative today just to clarify that my images are owned by yours truly... you can see them WITHOUT the giant ©GBB over at my flickr page... hehe!!

just plain dirty...

today i was informed that my illustration was being used on another site... i am LIVID!!! it's a shame that someone would take my artwork WITHOUT permission and CUT OFF MY INFORMATION ON THE BOTTOM... yes, you read that right... i had ©2005 greenbeanbaby on the bottom of that piece and whadda know, its GONE!!! i've emailed them, left comments, and left feedback... i am hoping they remove it soon but if not, i ask a favor from you all... could you please leave comments on my behalf stating how this illustration does not belong to them?!

i am really upset... i don't charge much for the hard work that i do.... i spend hours and try to make my artwork available for people with all price ranges... i spend days setting up my etsy shop, frazzling my curls, and working hard at organizing my papers.... i set free time to create so that someone ELSE can benefit FREELY?!  i am turned off and disheartened at this situation... it's sad that the internet is such a palce where people think EVERYTHING IS PART OF THE CREATIVE COMMONS COPYRIGHT... and if no one know, my stuff is not under such a copyright... i claim all rights unless someone is putting THOUSANDS of dollars in my pocket...

it makes me contemplate on changing my blog... i pay for typepad and found out wordpress is free... i''ve thought about moving it for awhile but worried about losing my fellow readers and supporters.... i've played with the notion of getting a new blog site and now, i just may.... if i go, will you come with?!

so in case no one knows [or pretends not to know], ALL MY ARTWORK IS COPYRIGHTED UNDER ELLIA ANA HILL, ELLIA HILL, GREENBEANBABY, AND GREENBEAN ART. NO ONE MAY TAKE MY PHOTOS FOR PERSONAL OR NON-PERSONAL USE. PERMISSION MUST BE GRANTED IF YOU WANT TO POST PARTS OR PHOTOS OF MY BLOG ONTO YOUR SITE. YOU MAY NOT POST, COPY, REPRODUCE, REPRINT, OR SELL MY ARTWORK AND PHOTOS FOR ANY FORM OF USE. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN LEGAL ACTION.

LASTLY, to those of you who respect my art and photos, THANK  YOU... thank you for supporting me and promoting me and looking out for me... if it wasn't for you all, i wouldn't have even known on such an issue... and if i move, i welcome you all to come with!!!

nariko and the red ring of death

thanks to ramel and his new gamers site and blog, i've been inspired and motivated to create some game related artwork... in fact, he is requesting submissions from all sorts of artists and i'm joining in on the fun.... it began with my kratos holding his teddy bear and now, here is nariko from PS3's heavenly sword. She is, apparently, stronger than kratos and can fight up a storm.... while i never played the game, i do find the images of her intriguing and fascinating... the gal has alotta hair and it's a wonder she can fight without it getting in the way... still she is female warrior who [thankfully] doesn't look like she could be in a playboy magazine [as most games tend to make the women quite top heavy

my nariko is giving herself a haircut... she is tired of playing on the swings and getting her red strands stuck around the pole.... she has scrapes on her knees from tripping over it... she gets migraines at such a young age from the weight and she goes through shampoo bottles daily.... even her mother complains of finding LONG pieces of hair all over the house... often her vacuum cleaner gets clogged from this issue... so nariko decides to chop a few inches with the scissors [although her sword could have done just fine]

but as i like to work on art when the kids are asleep, i enjoy playing a few games on the xbox 360.... yesterday, ramel and i sat down to play some halo, when  all of a sudden, our game FROZE.... we shut the system down and restarted it... it froze again... one more time.... frozen...  finally, we turn it on again only to see the RED RING OF DEATH... the dreaded red ring that blinked where there once was green.... i couldn't believe it... GOSH DARN IT!! our first night to play halo together [ramel's been busy] and i just got my level back up to an 18 when we get this dilemma?! NO FAIR!!!

yes, i'm whining... and yes, we  will get the xbox repaired... but i have to wait, perhaps up to two weeks... phooey.... well, at least i can catch up emails and projects without any excuses.... :p

kratos- god of war

meet kratos... he is the god of war... well, in my version, he isn't the god of war yet... he's merely a boy, angry that his mother insists on him cleaning his room again.... he's upset that he is blamed for the mess in his room as there are little creatures that are the cause... his mother cannot see them though so this is where he begins his training on combating ugly demons... it is at this age, where he finds he is destined to be the god of war....

and here is ramel's version of god of war... he's a bit more humbled compared to the "real" character but nonetheless, powerful... he is ready to fight any demon that crosses his path but he strategizes his path... and this is much like the look ramel gives the television when we play xbox 360... ramel's illustration is awesome and will be seen soon elsewhere...

and here is the REAL character... or at least a photo of the statue version of him... to be honest, i never played the game... i seen ramel play it on ps2 and it LOOKED good but i never sat down to play it... apparently kratos goes after all the greek gods...

all this began because ramel showed me his sketch and i thought, "wouldn't it be funny if i made a de-emasculated version of this fellow?!"