THE INK SPOT 🖊 In today’s 60-second art lesson, I’ll show you my very un-mathematical trick for capturing perspective. No rulers were involved! 🎨 If you would like to practice the steps I teach, swipe left and use my Neighbourhood Trampoline drawing as a tracing tool. Or, go crazy and colour the houses! Featured here: the marker magic […]
The Ink Spot: learn perspective
Originally published in May 2020 in Blog, Illustration, Pen Jar Productions, The Ink Spot, Toronto Illustrators
Coloring during Covid-19
Originally published in April 2020 in Blog, Illustration, Pen Jar Productions, Toronto Illustrators
Thoughts on the Supply Chain
Originally published in April 2020 in Blog, Pen Jar Productions, Surface Design
This is the Squill Pillow I designed and began selling last year from my Toronto Studio, PenJarProductions. 🎨 It’s squill season in Ontario and the ravines in Toronto are carpets of purple. The arrival of Spring flowers and beer on patios 🍺 are two phenomena that make grown Cannadians squeal like children in line at an […]
Coming soon
Originally published in October 2019 in Blog, Gift Ideas, Pen Jar Productions, Toronto Illustrators
Meeting my customers
Originally published in August 2019 in Blog, Custom Portraits, Enamel Pins, Jane Jacobs Enamel Pin, Pen Jar Productions, Profile,, Toronto Illustrators
The best part of owning and operating Pen Jar Productions, my online store, is creating the product and meeting my customers. Here is my interview with Fernanda van der Laan, proud owner of my Jane Jacobs enamel pin. This summer my Jane Jacobs pin (circled in blue) entered a special collection of over 300 pins, […]
A cure for homesickness
Originally published in July 2019 in Blog, Illustration, Pen Jar Productions, Toronto Illustrators
Sakura in High Park
Originally published in May 2019 in Blog, Pen Jar Productions, Toronto Illustrators
This weekend Toronto is heading to High Park to take in the cherry blossom trees (“Sakura” in Japanese) at their peak. I painted this delicate pattern last spring while I was sitting on a streetcar in downtown traffic. The design is available in my Shopify store, PenJarProductions.com. Just search the term “cherry” and you’ll see […]
Jane’s Walk Toronto
Originally published in April 2019 in Blog, Illustration, Jane Jacobs Enamel Pin, Pen Jar Productions, Toronto Illustrators
7 things my customers taught me in 2018
Originally published in December 2018 in Blog, Gift Ideas, Illustration, Pen Jar Productions, Toronto Illustrators
Last summer, the initial delight I felt in seeing my sketchbook drawings on a digital pillow template inspired a new design business in 2018 called Pen Jar Productions. Now my quirky line drawings are on totes, tees, scarves, and, coming next month, enamel pins! (In these politically-charged times, more of us are wearing our values […]
