greenbeanbaby art

revising, editing, rebuilding....

hello strangers! this blog has been sadly abandoned and neglected like used coffee grinds on a sunday morning... and for that, i apologize... this blog used to keep me in tune with internet world and over time, sharing family updates as well as illustration accomplishments... however, the blogworld has been replaced with facebook... facebook isn't so bad but even that loses a sense of creativity...  perfect for quickly updating curious greenbeanbaby followers and sharing instant moments with the family... but posts  are merely a sentence or a photo... short and sweet? or short and unimaginative? and so with saying this, it is time to set goals, revise and edit, revamp old goals, and set some plans in motion to make 2011 a bit more creative with both writing and illustrating... even if no one reads [as i dare assume], i'm looking forward to working out my writing muscles... i hope to keep this blog up to date even if its only a brief post and to get back in tune with flickr and etsy as well...

so many things i miss... it's been a wonderful 2011 thus far but i've been extra tired... at times frustrated but mostly just tired.. i'm still trying to get a grasp of this freelancing at home business... it's lovely but incredibly challenging... every morning begins with getting the kids awake and ready for school.... breakfast, ironing clothes, telling them to eat and get dressed, cleaning up the litter, taking the dog out for a quick bathroom break, getting lunch for diego, coats on, and then bus stop... after the kids are gone it's time to make coffee, do dishes, vacuum, fix beds, clean cat hair off all the chairs with that tape thing, take a shower, fix my hair, dust the house, put laundry away, and take the dog out again... by the time i sit down to do art, i'm ready for a nap... but most times i try to just catch up on the internet for a moment while i FINALLY get my coffee... there are illustrations to do, emails to write, facebook to catch up [in the fan page], and reasearch... i haven't been lazy but financially, i had hoped to have been able to see the fruit of my rewards...

there are the days of volunteering at diego or isabella's school... or forgetting to go their first big event... and those days, i still come home to do the usual routine as stated before... then the dog needs to go out again and it's time to get diego from the bus stop...once diego is home, it's homework time and then cleaning again... i'll do dinner at times but thankfully, ramel has been helping out a ton... there is reading to do to both kids, more cleaning, relaxing or going back to art, spending a wee bit of time with the husband and presto, its 11:30pm and i'm dog tired... and this is the sort of day where there isn't an after-school event... i don't want to wake up at 7am to do the routine over again but this is what a mom who freelances does, right?... we can't even think about summer because then it will be back to late nights of illustrating and mornings of getting the kids ready for the day, finding something for us to do, cleaning the house, cleaning some more, and followed by cleaning... i'm not complaining, merely stating the facts of my life and the duties that require energy... illustrating requires a certain amount of energy to remain inspired and motivated... cleaning takes a ton of energy... kids take a ton of energy... so the question is, how can a mother juggle this all?! it's possible- definitely possible... but i'm wondering how long it will take for motherhood, illustrating, and freelancing to be in sync?!

so stay tuned... i hope to revise my behance portfolio, the official website, flickr, etsy, twitter, and blog... maybe a new design? or maybe different icons... either way, march is the month of "editing!" :)

note: the last image is one of the latest greenbeanbaby rubber stamps made possible by stamping bella...

looking back...

am i the only one that has lost the desire to blog? the only one that has run out of time in the day to sit down and record the millions of thoughts and countless events that take up such time? am i the only one that hasn't time to read other people's blog, and if a blog is stumbled upon, the pictures are soaked up, the posts are briefed over like a student studying a james joyce novel?

time has flown by and my hopes of posting at least once a month seems feasible but lacking the greenbeanbaby enthusiasm that kept this blog glittery... not to mention, the illustration jobs are keeping me busier which one cannot complain, eh?!

so here is diego.... five years old and reading.... doing math, drawing, and talking your ear off... and missing a baby tooth, already!!! he's happy, full of inquiry, and quick to make his sister happy... he's at the age where he says he doesn't want to be married because it's disgusting... and if you ask him why, he'll say "because being married means you have to kiss"... hehe

when i began this blog, he was 18 months and not talking as much as i had hoped... since then, he's made up for that... he was still taking naps and carrying around mario party game cases and watching justice league... it was me and him all day and all night while ramel worked 2 shifts... 

and what about isabella? a lively and loud 2.5yr old fulla spunk... she has a enough hair for two kids her age and enough energy to pass around... she's eager to be artistic and  just as eager to be heard... if you can't hear her, your ears must need checking...

but since that time, i had announced my pregnancy to the blogworld... isabella was born in early 2007, screaming loudly from the second her lungs took in oxygen...  this blog has recorded her first moments of sitting up, of crawling, walking, and her continued love for her brother...

can you believe that in 4 years all that has happened? artwise? where do i begin??? i never thought so much could get done with two kids and if you ask me how, i still couldn't tell ya... with being married and maintaining a healthy relationship, cooking, the massive amounts of cleaning, emailing, networking, school meetings, homework, kids refusing to sleep, a bit of gaming, and the other jobs that are included with being on this planet, i don't know how i've managed to illustrate... and with illustrating comes an etsy shop, advertising, more networking, blogging, tweeting, updating the fan page on facebook, taking pictures, shipping, contacting people, updating my portfolio, and  i can't even think what else... it's no wonder i'm tired these days- HA!

so may you all have a wonderful and successful new year... i know i will :) if i could get this much done in in a couple years, what will this new year hold?!

hugs!!!

what's on your plate, greenbean?

wow, my blog has been neglected just a tad... we all know that it isn't because i'm taking a vacation, sipping on ice cold coffee drinks and lounging at the beach with my two kids and husband... while that seems ideal, the closest we get to this picture is the coffee part... sipping on coffee... HAHA...

main course- family:  over the weekend, we had diego's birthday party... i think we celebrated diego's birthday for a month... presents the week before, staying up late and playing games, toys, more toys, more games, sleepover at the cousin's [despite him falling ill yet again], then the party... this kid is not lacking in the love, affection, and toy department! his birthday party was simple, relaxed, peaceful, AND fun... yes, it's possible to have a peaceful 5yr old birthday party that includes fun, candy, and melting ice cream cake.... him and isabella seem to be growing so fast; their personalities sprouting like a well watered plant... with all the work that it takes to raise a family, i'm grateful that so many people agree that my kids are well behaved and loving :)

pasta side- freelance: within the past week or so, i've been working on the rest of my imagezoo illustrations and revising the rubber stamp illustrations... i've only a few more illustrations to complete for the holiday set, which i'm excited about... the rubber stamps seem to be coming along, with revisions being made so that they will be sellable... i've also been putting my portfolio online on several spots including behance, jacketflap, and coroflot... my theory is that the more my artwork is shown online, the less people will steal it since the more people will see that it is greenbeanbaby art... [whoa, that was a mouthful!]

vegetable side- master's degree: yes, i've been looking into getting my master's degree in creative writing recently... i've only a couple of months to get my graduate application in, along with my english requirements in... recommendation letters, 30 pages of fiction, a TEST, analytical writing, and my personal statement...  there is a chance that i could get a full ride since i'm a "qualified student who is a member of a group underrepresented in graduate study"... i'm a first generation college graduate and i'm puerto rican so that qualifies... the thing is, i'm nervous of getting accepted... i've kept up with my blog but other than that, my writing has been sparse and perhaps not enough to get into the master's program?! however, i'm confident enough to try!!!!

dessert dish- etsy love: i don't have a date but i will be having an event in my etsy shop... it will include discounted original illustrations [although to forewarn, they will be higher than my usual prices but lower than i plan on selling them in the future...]... there will also be some NEW items that i cannot tell you about right now... why?! because surprises are fun and because i want to make sure i have the time to do it before i say it out loud... i will say it will allow people to USE my art :)

beverage- more freelance: lastly, i'm still considering sending my stuff out to publishers... i am getting my portfolio underway and trying to figure out how to describe in my resume what i've been doing for the past several years... i have ideas for MY OWN children's book since the one i talked so much about fell flat... another story, another time... however, it's not to say those illustrations won't be discarded but rather revamped to suit the greenbeanbaby world :)... since i'm rusty on writing, i also hope that going for my master's would mean more opportunities in the children's book writing and illustrating world... i don't know how many publishing jobs i can take during the year 2010, while i [hopefully] get my master's degree but i'd like to still send out my work beforehand!

well, that is all folks! quite the read, eh?! i just want to thank everyone who's been supporting my blog over the years, as well as all the encouragement, feedback, and support you all give on here, flickr, facebook, and twitter!

after thoughts...

thank you all for supporting me through yet another situation of being ripped off...  the situation was resolved and the image was taken down [after over 3,350 downloads]... there is nothing else that i can do... it's been a roller coaster of emotions and trying to make the best decision i can for myself, my art, and my career... i don't think some people understand the feelings an artist has when this happens and might consider me as over reacting... but hey, no one likes to be robbed- it is a violation...

as for the watermarking, i have been doing this for quite some time... most of my images have a copyright symbol of some sort... some of my older pieces might be missing it and there is so much on my plate now that i cannot re-edit my images... BUT i have been adding text to my latest works and most of my art is riddled with copyright symbols... regardless, if people really want an image, they will find a way to get it... so again, despite that fact, i'm trying to make the best decisions without losing my network of friends and supporters...

my theory is that the more i put my artwork out there, the more chances to get seen by clients willing to pay... and the more sites that carry my work, the more people will know that it is, indeed, my work... is that a good theory to have? i hope so... i've uploaded my illustrations on a few portfolio sites which has been work but fun... i've dived into getting the greenbeanbaby/ellia hill name out there... will anyone grow tired of this cut paper illustrator?! hehe, hopefully not!

thank you all for the personal emails, the comments, suggestions, and links... my goal now is to remain focused on my portfolio, my freelance, and start writing again... yes, once upon a time i was a creative nonfiction writer... perhaps a few of my quirky motherhood moments along as well as life with super diego and miss isabella can become a children's book masterpiece :P

here are pictures of the kids in case you are interested.. diego's post might be postponed longer than expected but you can always enjoy the flickr page! have a wonderful week everyone!!

dear ramel...

 

it's been six years already! since that time, we got a cat, had a son, was a victim of a hit and run thus getting a another car, got another cat, moved into the house we bought, had a daughter, put our son into pre-school, got rid of the house that we bought, and moved into another place that is bigger but a smelly basement... you've moved up on the job ladder 3x going from academic coordinator to transportation coordinator.... i went from being an academic coordinator to a full time mom to a full time mom/artist with an etsy shop... our kids have had swine flu, a few ear infections between them both, had one set of tonsils and adenoids out, several colds, one scary high fever, chipped a tooth, jumped off a bunk bed, and have not a single broken bone...

even on the minute of our 6th anniversary, we spent getting our daughter ready to go the the e.r. for an ear that's in pain, after caring for our son who had pink eye, an ear infection [and swine flu]... i spent 2 hours at the hospital, watching spongebob, and being informed of all the fluid in our daughter's ears...

our days are filled with caring for our kids... a kiss is often interrupted by a child who wants affection as well... our cuddly moments are bombarded by two children seeing the opportunity to wrestle us, jumping on us as if we are bean bags that give massively warm hugs... our dinners are usually filled with doing dishes while telling one kid to either eat, or the other to stop playing with their food, as we clean the kitchen... a moment's rest means some child has the need to empty their bowels or bladder... our beverages are never our own... our video games are no longer purchased with only one person in mind, but with the family...

it may be exhausting at times, frustrating, or exhilarating... but we are proud parents who love our kids dearly... who'd have thought that one saturday night date would lead to all of this... who'd have thought that when you asked for my number,  it would be the same number you call to this day, sometimes being answered by an excited daughter or an eager son?! who'd have thought that two college lovers would end up here... now...

i'm glad i'm with you... you are my sweetie... and i wouldn't have life any other way [although, i wouldn't mind a few more dates with you every now and then:D]... i love you ramel!!!

feeling loved...

i think i'm rested up now... still behind on emails and there is MUCH to do artwise, but it felt good to relax for a wee bit... as stated in the [lengthy] previous post, i received some wonderful gifts... this is my favorite, a watercolor illustration by my sweet ramel... it's a character from an xbox arcade game called castle crashers... ramel stayed up all night making it for me- it is now framed and on my studio wall...

ramel also got me call of duty: world at war... i think its the 4th one... we went through the campaign together but now we both are trying to do solo on veteran level [the hardest mode]... i won't share my frustrations about that but i can say the co-op campaign mode is fun!! the xbox live points are always great to have... and the starbucks card is mighty handy.... ramel sure knows his wife, eh?!

my friend ali, gave me her mac laptop... yes, i have a WORKING laptop with more recent versions of adobe illustrator and photoshop, along with a million other applications... i feel so darn cool!!!!!! [and of course, so grateful]... so with the starbucks card, i can get 2hrs free wi-fi and can be like everyone else... sipping on coffee while playing mafia wars working... ali sure hooked me up!!!

my friend esther bought me a ton of tim burton goodness... she knows how big of a fan i am... [anyone else geeked about "9"????? and anyone in new york anticipating tim burton's exhibit at the MoMA???] i don't think i'll take them out of the box and assemble the statues... .i don't THINK... the awesome coffee cup is used daily... and the magnets are just dreamy!!!!! esther is a sweetie...

and ms. andrea!!! while it wasn't for my birthday, she had a gift for me that must be shared!!!! a beautiful GREEN handmade sweater from ecuador!! no doubt, it will be worn sometime this month, as wisconsin weather cannot be trusted... she also gave me some freshly wonderful ecuadorian coffee, straight from the country!!! makes ya wanna get your caffeine on, eh?! thank you sweet andrea!!

then matt, a cut paper artist, made me a beautfiul piece of art!! he also lives in new york and i was able to meet him when i was there... he is also an xbox fan so it was nice to meet the guy i play with, in person.... his beautiful illustration hangs in my studio as well... thanks so much matt!!!!

now, i'm off to work on imagezoo illustrations, sketches, and some monkey art... andrea is due any second now... her son, jonathan seems to be taking his time so i MIGHT have time to finish one of his gifts before he's born... but we both are cutting it pretty close!

happy monday all!! and happy birthday to all the july bloggers out there!

new york city love

as stated in the previous post, a friend purchased a plane ticket for both of our birthdays... it was the first time i was away from my family since i gave birth to diego... even when i had isabella, diego was near me within 24hrs... and when i went to chicago, we saw eachother within 24hrs as well... so can we say it was a long awaited [and much needed] vacation?!

so i'm going to give a briefing of my trip as we did A LOT!! and i was able to meet a ton of wonderful people that i've known online but never saw in person... it was definitely a good time

wednesday:

• ramel dropped me off at the airport... we said our goodbyes without tears... thought we had plenty of time but apparently, i was late and had to RUN for plane...
• made it to new york and my friend ali picked me up... unpacked, laughed, and relaxed
• went to a famous indian diner... jackson heights diner where i tasted indian food for the first time with a wonderful experience [the other two times, were not so swell]
• went for coffee

• walked to nelson and andrea's place where we got to meet in PERSON! they are a swell couple for sure [nelson is the one who did ramel's site, btw]
• took the train to times square
• went back to ali's house to relax

thursday [ali's birthday]

• we took the train to the upper east side to shop a wee bit
• went to a vegan resteraunt, candle cafe, and tried a seitan sandwich for the first time ever
• tried to visit the society of illustrators but it was closed for a special event

• walked to f.a.o. schwarz, the cutest toy shop ever
• took the bus to union square park and walked through there
• walked to forbidden planet, a wonderful comic store
• walked to east village/ st. mark's place
• walked to tokoyo toys

• rested at washington square park
• went for pizza at aurturo's [in the village]
• had dessert at bruno's bakery
• saw the movie" house" [check out the link!!!!]
• took the train back home

friday

• took the train to rockefeller center
• visited the nintendo world
• visited the nbc store
• walked back to times square

• checked out the sanrio store and hershey's store
• took subway to the village
• tried some falafel at mamaun's then ate it at washington square park
• walked through SoHo
• stopped in at bloomingdale's store
• walked to chinatown and shopped there
• took the train to visit MoMa's
• went back ali's home to relax

saturday

• woke up and played a bit of call of duty: world at war
• nelson and andrea drove me to long island and astoria to shop and hang out
• went back to nelson's and andrea's place to play halo 3

• ali's party began and met matt hill in person as well as rudi [whom i met online by playing xbox]
• we played charades
• played apples to apples
• had a halo 3 tournament [which ali and i won :D]

• played a bit of wii boxing with matt [and won]
• played more boxing [and lost to willie, the kung fu master]
• rested up since it was 2am

sunday [last day in nyc]

 

• took the train to brooklyn
• walked the brooklyn bridge to manhattan
• walked through south seaport
• took the staten island ferry [there was a bit of running involved to get a good spot]
• walked to union square to visit some paper stores
• relaxed at madison square park while we ate food from the shake shack [met up with rudi]
• drove to murray hill to the movie theatre to watch transformers 2

• walked to koreatown and tried korean food
• walked past macy's and herald square
• went to the empire state building and went almost all the way to the top!!!!!
• celebrated my first minutes of my birthday in the empire state building
• walked to the grand central station
• took the train home
• woke up 3hrs later to take the plane back to milwaukee

whew!!!!!!!! my birthday presents and birthday adventures in milwaukee will be another post... i want to thank ali and phil, matt and rudi, nelson and andrea, and even willie and the people i met in nyc for giving me the greatest new york city birthday trip ever!!!!! many hugs to you all!!!!

in the meantime, you can check out:
matt hill's photostream of ali's party
a few more of my photo's here

working hard or hardly working?

okay, so greenbeanbaby really has been busy... if you are looking at my twitter, you can see it's been mostly about sketching, sketching, and more sketching... i have had to sketch out 25 different holidays, including cinco de mayo, st. patty's day, and several jewish holidays... it's wonderful learning about various holidays and expanding your knowledge in such areas... however, one must make sure that when it comes time to sketch them out, they are not in the least, stereotypical or offensive...

i'm not showing too much of my work in progress on my blog anymore... there is still a fear that someone will steal my artwork and make money on it before i get a chance too... heck, i'm just worried about someone stealing my artwork period!! a friend, who has been through such a situation, once stated that it felt like they were trying to be erased... and it DOES feel that way... you work so hard to create your style and work out your technique but haven't quite made it BIG yet... and someone beats you to it, using your work!!!! so when people see your work they think of THEM not YOU... you fall victim, while someone else fills their pocket... so my luster for blogging remains tainted by the past issues and current concerns...

on the other hand, i am still sellling my art AND creating!!! i am having a small sale at my shop right now, so if you are interested, all ORIGINAL illustrations have been marked down and there is free shipping!! all proceeds go to getting my dad and my husband father's day gifts :D it's definitely going to a wonderful cause!!

lastly, i AM on facebook now [as ellia hill, not ellia domena]... i am not that great at keeping up but i might end up slowing down on my blog even more and updating my flickr and my facebook more often... if you are on facebook, and wanna be friends, just holler! please make a note of who you are though- some of us only know each other by our blog names ;) again, i'm still working on keeping up on my wall [as well as everyone else's]...

well, i'm off to finish a few more sketches and get ready to have date night with my honey!

tuesday- friendly visits

last week a good friend who lives in new york came to milwaukee to visit us... its rare that anyone from new york would want to even step into any other city but thank goodness, friendships supersede the limits.. we've never met in person beforehand but diego and isabella were quite comfortable  with her [as was ramel and i]... the first thing we did was get some food and coffee, of course :)

on wednesday we drove over to chicago, leaving ramel to care for the kids overnight... it was the very first time i've ever been away from them like this... normally, a mother would feel sad, nervous, or bad, right? but not this mama! i mean, my kids were in good hands and it was nice to be out of the house long enough for someone to notice i wasn't around... yes, i missed them dearly but i enjoyed my time [searching for something to bring home to them] with my friend...

anyhow, chicago was beautiful... more beautiful than i remember during my previous trips... my friend and i went to lunch at a swanky club, visited the SMART museum, and had oodles of coffee in between... we walked around alot and enjoyed each other's company... while she rested, i got lost and couldn't find our hotel for a good half hour...  how could you miss a 40 story hotel [unless it is surrounded by other VERY tall buildings!] i did find the hershey's chocolate store and the american girl store... i also stumbled across a mall that had a papyrus store inside [oh yes, their cards are to swoon for]... that night, she even ordered hotel service and treated me to a late night dinner in our room [which was way up on the 36th floor!!!!!!]...

the following day we went to the art institute of chicago... most of the photos here were taken on this day [don't mind that flying curl- hehe]... we tried walking towards the lakefront but there was a freeway blocking us... nonetheless, we enjoyed all the beautiful scenery in chicago and headed back towards milwaukee, stopping by at the gurnee mills outlet mall... i had hoped to find a few things for the kids but couldn't but ended up stopping by a toy store here in town and getting them some goodies...

anyhow, the week was wonderul... it felt great to have a friend come and visit, and it felt swell to get to go out of town with her... sadly, i didn't get a chance to show her our museums nor send her home with our famous wisconsin cheese... she didn't get to try our frozen custard either but there is always another season, right?!  she is a very gentle and warmhearted person in which i was glad to hang out with for a whole week....

now, to set up my trip to go to new york :)

a major work in progress

hello all! well, on saturday we moved... and on sunday, we moved some more... monday meant cleaning and some unboxing... and tuesday meant mopping the floors over a dozen times... i've broken [literally] two brand new mops and have blisters on the palm of my hands from trying to mop the floors.... wednesday will bring about another dozen rounds of mopping and hopefully our floors will be cleaned

during all of this, the kids were sick... diego was sick last week and remained home from school all 5 days... then on the night before the move, isabella became ill... it's now tuesday, and she is healthy minus a bit of congestion... it's hard enough to move, and even harder to move with small kids IN THE WINTER, but it's VERY hard to move with SICK kids in the winter... still, we all managed and came out tired but happy in a new place....

this blog is short... there are emails to catch up on, floors to mop, boxes to unpack, floors to mop, kids to chase, kids to feed, floors to mop, cats to cuddle, toys to organize, linen to find a spot for, floors to mop, and did i say, floors to mop?! things should be back to normal within the week [hopefully]... thanks everyone for the swell emails and see you all soon!!!!

oh!! and you can see day one and day two [after the move] pictures here...