Summer Update

June 12, 2023 Emily Rosenthal

Greetings all! It’s been a while…

I’m pleased to share that I went part-time at my day job so I can spend more time with art freelancing! This year is going so well: I wrapped up a logo design, made scientific illustrations of sheep for a research study, had a booth at the 2023 Madison Print & Resist Zine Fest, launched my online store, and am currently working on several watercolor commissions. Some of my goals are to keep building my online shop, finish a mural project, make more zines, make more commission work, and find more festivals/markets to participate in.

Stay tuned for more adventures!

Fall Update

November 15, 2019 Emily Rosenthal

Hello friends,

Lots has happened since February. I got to be in a couple of art shows, and finished another Inktober! Here are some art updates, newest to oldest:

Inktober - a great 31-day drawing challenge where artists draw a prompt per day in the month of October. I followed the official Jake Parker prompts for 2019. Last year I learned that working small is less intimidating and saves time, so I created the drawings in a little Stillman & Birn sketchbook. I love the weight, texture, and tint of the paper. Here’s what I made:

Some other projects before Inktober: working on a children’s book for fun, made a logo of a blackbird, and a few portrait commissions.

Luck of the Draw - a group show at Madison Public Library Central from April-June. The twist was a raffle where every artist who participated went home with someone else’s artwork. I got to take home a neat piece by artist Austin Moule.

Library Portraits - a solo show I had up at Alicia Ashman Public Library from March-April. I digitally illustrated portraits of librarians with their favorite authors. Feel free to ask about portrait pricing in my contact page!

Website Tinkering

February 12, 2019 Emily Rosenthal

Hey everybody!

Trying to update the ol’ website, and I wanted to write a post about some art projects.

August was pretty wild - we had record-breaking floods in Wisconsin, and my poor car got water-logged. Here’s what I created during my August art challenge:

I was disappointed I didn’t make 30 drawings like I set out to do, but it was an excellent learning experience! A month later, I tackled another drawing challenge I’ve always wanted to participate in… Inktober! I managed to make a little ink doodle in my little sketchbook every day for the month of October! My proud accomplishments:

Lastly, I’m working on a portrait project at my local library. I’m doing colorful portraits of librarians and their favorite authors, using my favorite iPad app Procreate. The portraits will be on display at Alicia Ashman public library starting in March.

Thanks for tuning in,

August Update

August 9, 2018 Emily Rosenthal

Dear Friends,

I have been working on some fun projects lately. This summer I had a small art show up at a friend's church; postcards I've illustrated from 2015 and on. I've added them to my Portfolio page, but here are some of the pieces I had up:

The Glacier National Park postcards are part of a larger project, stay tuned!

Right now I'm working on a 30-day Procreate/Instagram challenge: draw something every day for the month of August using the iPad app Procreate (swoon). I'm trying to draw a bird per day, with an added twist that they play musical instruments. Inspired by other artists I follow @stephizercoleman and @birdstrips, here are the illustrations I've made so far:

Wish me luck on the drawing challenge!

Condo Sweet Condo

August 1, 2017 Emily Rosenthal

Long time no blog!

Last winter, I decided that I was going to buy a condo. Mortgage payments and rent are quite comparable, and equity is basically another kind of savings account. Much learning about applying for loans and writing offers ensued. Since the market is so competitive, I had to quickly imagine myself living in and loving the condo space... but not get too crushed when my offers got rejected.

Finally I got an offer accepted, and I have been a proud condo-owner for about a month. In these first few weeks, I have: ripped up carpet, hauled 900 square feet of laminate flooring up two flights of stairs, bought my first power tools, repaired drywall cracks and holes, painted everything, scraped the uneven parts off the subfloor, repaired concrete, and uninstalled a dishwasher. Needless to say, this has been a non-stop push to get ready for moving in. All my days off from work, and most of my evenings after work, are spent sweating in my condo.

I'm so grateful to have the help of my family, neighbors, and friends. I am filled with DIY spirit, and excited to try new things. Soon my daydreams of having designated studio space will be realized.

My floor plan, created on my iPad Pro using the app Graphic.

A concept-sketch of my living room, before I could actually measure things properly. Created on my iPad Pro using the app Adobe Photoshop Sketch.

A concept-sketch of my studio, before I could actually measure things properly. Created on my iPad Pro using the app Adobe Photoshop Sketch.

Owl Always Love You

February 24, 2017 Emily Rosenthal

Hi friends,

I meant to post this owl doodle closer to Valentine's Day, but I got caught up in all the little feathers/leaves. This was a revisit to a postcard I drew back in 2015 of a northern saw-whet owl. Aegolius acadicus is one of the smallest owls native to North America, about the size of a robin. The common name comes from their vocalizations.

Take care,

Ferns

February 4, 2017 Emily Rosenthal

Hello there!

After two weeks of little down-time I spent one of my precious days off with food poisoning. It was spreadable cheese, and I'm heartbroken. Maybe with therapy I can learn to love spreadable cheese again, but it will never be the same. Anyway, I'm off the cheese and back on the horse, so here are two comics about ferns and GORP.

There are 62 species of ferns and fern allies at Glacier National Park. These plants do not reproduce with seeds/flowers, rather with spores. Ferns have vascular tissue, which gives them an advantage conducting water/sugar/etc. through their bodies that moss lack. Speaking of moss, Club Moss is not actually moss. Nor is it a fern, exactly. It falls under a 'fern ally' category, lycopods, which also produce with spores but don't flaunt true leaves like ferns do.

GORP (a.k.a. trail mix, good ol' raisins and peanuts) is lots of fun to prepare yourself, because you can improvise pretty much any bite-sized protein, sugar, or carb. Before going off on my many college outdoor program adventures, we would make a week's worth of GORP for 12-16 hungry college students. Nuts and dried fruit start to add up quickly, but we were given an excellent budget for groceries. The best way to mix up these pounds of scrumptious morsels? We would dump everything into an unused trash bag and churn it up. GO NUTS. I like storing my GORP in an extra water bottle; it makes for easy, hands-free munching.

That's all for today, but I'm working on some pun-laden valentines. Stay tuned ❤️

Bears

January 21, 2017 Emily Rosenthal

Hello feminists,

This weekend I went over some sketches I made at our local zoo before the grizzly bears went into hibernation. In August, my bestie and I will be sharing Glacier National Park with over 300 grizzly bears and 600 black bears. Probably wise to do some research before going. Today I confirmed that one of the safest ways to interact with bears is don't; leave them their personal space. Typical practices when staying safe around bears include:

make noise while hiking (never surprise a bear)
hike in groups
secure food, garbage, and other scented items such as toiletries
- i.e. hang bear bags 100-300' away from campsite
keep a clean campsite
carry bear spray
stay at least 100 yards away from bears
read more at Glacier National Park's site on Bear Safety

Black bears (Ursus americanus) are small and common as far as bears go in North America. They are omnivores, and hibernate in winter. They have no shoulder hump, a flat dog-like muzzle, larger pointy ears, and dark claws around 1.5" long. Grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) are also omnivorous and hibernate. However, they tote a shoulder hump, a scooped profile, smaller rounded ears, and light-colored claws around 2-4" long. Read more at Glacier National Park's site on Bears.

That's all on bears for now, but I will definitely be making more panels on Glacier's resident fauna.

Drawn after referencing Glacier National Park's website, lots of good bear facts there. Both grizzlies and black bears are omnivorous, and hibernate in the winter months.

Long line of doodles from a trip to our local zoo. Pro tip, draw large when using rastor-based drawing programs. Otherwise you might risk fuzzy grizzlies and polar bears after resizing the original sketch.

Chili Monster

January 13, 2017 Emily Rosenthal

Happy Friday!

Lately I've been using the app Momento to make time-lapse gifs in my kitchen. They've inspired this week's doodle, along with my mom's recipe and Lucy Knisley's graphic novel Relish.

More to come!

Trip Planning & More

January 11, 2017 Emily Rosenthal

Mid-week post, ahoy!

My best running/hiking buddy and I are planning an epic 2-week road trip to Glacier National Park. The adventure begins late this summer, and I am already awash with daydreams. Digging through gear lists and menus from my college outdoor program days, I'm feeling nostalgic and inspired...

This trip will involve planning, gear, food, friendship, natural history, travel, science and conservation... all perfect fodder for a graphic novel.

Part of me whispers "I have no idea what I'm doing" ...but then the feisty scientist on my shoulder proclaims "dammit, this just might work!" I am going to carpe diem the crap out of this year, and work to achieve what I've admired for so many years. (Nerd alert: I love slice-of-life comic artists like Kate Beaton, Samantha "Boum" Leriche-Gionet, Danielle Corsetto, Erika Moen, Lucy Bellwood, and Lucy Knisley.)

More to come,

Sketching out the start of a gear list in Procreate.

Weekly Comic

January 6, 2017 Emily Rosenthal

One of my goals for 2017 is to keep up a weekly comic. Since I got an iPad Pro last year, it's been much easier to make quick digital sketches. Sometimes when emojis escape me, I'll respond to a text message with one of these 15-minute doodles.

Things that have been inspiring me lately include mixed drinks (I'll post others from the series I'm making) and a recent break-up. Ways I stay positive include drawing my adventures.

Brought in the new year with this delicious drink. I want to add color, and a border with directions.

The first night was inebriated and messy. Damn it felt good that way, though.

Day two I had lots of positive adventures.

Day three had even more positive adventures. Thinking that "Feeling Blue? Here's What to DO" could be the title of a comic series on optimism and health. There's a lot of other subjects I would like to explore, though, like science and nature.

My crush on Lucy Knisley

August 8, 2016 Emily Rosenthal

Hello internet, long time no ramble.

I have been on a major Lucy Knisley kick this summer. Her recently released book Something New has led me to binge reading most of her other graphic novels, and her Instagram doodles about her newborn are adorably hilarious. All her joy and humor make me glow when reading her books and drawings.

Social media seems to point to her being tightly knit with some of my other favorite comic book women, and that also warms my heart. Kate Beaton, Danielle Corsetto, Erika Moen... They make me want to be a part of the comic writing party. Recently I took a class about writing and illustrating children's books... maybe I should look into what it takes to publish a graphic novel.

Thoughts. Now go check out a Lucy Knisley graphic novel, or follow her Instagram: http://www.lucyknisley.com

Two Sketches This Week

January 26, 2015 Emily Rosenthal

Dear internet friends,

This week was too difficult for me to complete four postcards, so I just did two and added a couple sketches from my 2012/2013 red moleskin sketchbook. Now I can get cracking on next week's postcards! Also, my updates will come on Mondays instead of Sundays, now, because I have more consistent access to a scanner.

Holiday Weekend

January 18, 2015 Emily Rosenthal

Dear inter-webs,

Due to the holiday weekend, I will not have access to a proper scanner until Tuesday, so the postcards will not be uploaded until then. Patience, this is a good and nerdy batch!

Second Batch of Postcards

January 11, 2015 Emily Rosenthal

Hello friends,

I figured out how to attach descriptions to my postcards! And I added better-quality scans from the first batch. Enjoy the owl, avatar, pitcher plants, and Mr. Banjo Bones.

First Batch of Postcards

January 4, 2015 Emily Rosenthal

Dear web denizens,

I am proud to present my first round of postcards! I chose to paint a cardinal, a close-up of poinsettia flowers, and a late Christmas pun in watercolor. The pen and ink piece is of the entrance to Ouray Ice Park in Colorado, where I made many fond memories with my fellow Iowa State ice climbers.

Today I had some difficulties finding a decent scanner, and I plan on adding higher quality images once I have access to a better machine. I would like to include some close-ups of details within the pieces, and you all may notice some changes in the layout of the gallery later on.

In other news, a book project I am involved in just published its first chapters online! Check out Salt Marsh Secrets at http://trnerr.org/SaltMarshSecrets/

Time to start brainstorming more postcard ideas!

Postcards of 2015

December 25, 2014 Emily Rosenthal

Hello again, internet friends!

I made this website back in August with high hopes that I would be updating it regularly. While I have added some pieces to my gallery (particularly under the Sketch Book and Postcard sections), I have not been consistent with my posts. Even creating art has moved to the back-burner as I juggle multiple part-time jobs and botany classes.

Hence, my big New Year's resolution comes into play. My goal is to create four "postcards" per week for a year. These pieces will not be sent out in the mail; the idea is to build up a substantial body of sellable artwork. In the process I will be doing something creative every day, and be spurred to keep updating my website.

I was inspired by a Laughing Squid post back in September about artist Lorraine Loots. She did a great project called 365 Paintings for Ants, painting a tiny postcard every day of 2013.

The four weekly postcards will be approximately 5 by 7 inches, and composed of a variety of media. I'm thinking mostly watercolor, pen & ink, and colored pencil with minor adjustments made in Photoshop (though who knows, I might do a completely digital week or two). The subject matter will be as follows: 1 plant, 1 animal, 1 landscape or object, and 1 joke or pop-culture reference.

Every Sunday of 2015 will have an update of postcards, starting January 4th. In-progress posts may pop up occasionally, as well.

I am really looking forward to this project!