I love my friends at SW Basics! They're cute, they're funny, and they make seriously amazing, all-natural skincare (to which I'm kind of addicted). We just wrapped up this fun, little promo piece talking about what they do. Big thank you to my co-creative on the project, Chris Bruffee, animator extraordinaire. And thank you, Adina Grigore, for being a super-awesome human being.
This Weekend! Phoenicia Flea at Stone Ridge Orchard
Hey friends! I'll be upstate all weekend long with Dusty Rose Vintage for the Phoenicia Flea at Stone Ridge Orchard. Come on by and say hi if you're lucky enough to have escaped the city. I'll be selling maps and other prints. And bring some sunblock! I think it's going to be an amazing, sunshine-y weekend.
Konbini Instaweek!
Big thanks to Justina Bakutyte at Konbini for sharing my work today for their Instaweek! They asked me to describe my creative process in a gif, so here I am falling down a rabbit hole.
Read all about it here:
http://www.konbini.com/us/inspiration/instaweek-libby-vanderploeg-illustration/
She Makes Nice
About a year and a half ago, I met designer Ngaio Parr through the magic of Instagram. Since then she's been keeping busy building Make Nice, a 3-day "un-conference for women" happening this June in Sydney, AU. While I won't be able to make it to Sydney for this year's inaugural event, I had a chance to chat with the ladies of Make Nice about my work. Have a read here!
Flo and Frank in the Studio
Thank you to the amazing ladies of Flo & Frank who put together this little video of me in my studio, talking about process, being positive, lady-lifting, and becoming an illustrator. A very fun day!
NYC Five Boro Bike Tour
It's the most wonderful time of the year! Bike New York's Five Boro Bike Tour is this weekend and my favorite brewers at Greenpoint Beer created a mango-infused, Radler-inspired wild ale for the occasion. It's only natural that I draw a mango riding his bike for the occasion! They'll be tapping it tonight...weeeee!
Bloomy
Enjoying the blossoms in McCarren Park...and noticing that I can't stop adorning everything with flowers, like this RSVP for a wedding invite I'm working on. I love this time of year!
Get Smart
Last week, my studio was taken over by Moleskine notebooks, as I found myself personalizing a formidable stack of them (upwards of 60) with names and corresponding doodles (here's a little sample). Once completed, they all made their way to Neue House in Manhattan for a Moleskine event announcing their new Smart Writing Set (which is pretty rad).
The breakfast event opened with an intro from Maria Sebregondi, co-founder of Moleskine, followed by a panel discussion on the Art of Productivity with Manoush Zomorodi, Matthew Brimer, Farryn Weiner, and Phoebe Lovatt. I was really inspired by the conversation, and it actually got me rethinking the way I work this week. I made more time for myself and my thoughts, making a point to get outside and more often, and unplug a little more (so far so good) which gave me a little time to play around with my new Smart Writing Set! It looks pretty much like a regular notebook and pen, but it connects to an app on your phone that collects the pen strokes and allows you to edit text weights, change pen color, and add highlights. The idea is that we remember things in a different way when we notate with pen and paper, rather than with keyboard typing. Makes sense to me! When I was in college, my notebooks and all of their crazy scribbles were really fun to read back over and helped my navigate what the most important topics were.
Here are some notable excerpts that I illustrated from the Art of Productivity discussion, spoken by Ms. Sebregondi and the other panelists.
Thanks to Moleskine for keeping me inspired and productive!
Happy 100th birthday to Beverly Cleary!
Dear Beverly Cleary,
Happy birthday! Thank you for Ramona Quimby. She made me love books. She made me love owl paper crafts. She made me love squeezing toothpaste all over the place like frosting. She made me love being a little sister.
Drawing tips with Shinola
Thanks to Shinola for letting me share some of my favorite sketchbook exercises on The Journal today! Read all about it here: drawing tips
And just a reminder to join me at the Shinola Tribeca Store this Wednesday, April 6 for Sip + Sketch! Tickets available on Eventbrite.
WHAT: Explore the art of sketching with a glass of wine at your side, and be one of the first people to test our Shinola's new sketch books. Cost includes a Shinola Sketch Book and art supplies.
WHEN: Wednesday, April 6, 2016 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
WHERE: Shinola Tribeca Store - 177 Franklin Street, New York, NY 10013
Bread!
Sourdough update: My starter, Matilda, is strong and here is the bubbly bread to prove it. In case anyone wants to take on a fun, new hobby that's also delicious, here are some resource links:
For the starter I used:
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/.../sourdough-starter-recipe
And I didn't feed her twice a day until day 7 or so (not day 3) like the recipe advises
For the bread I used:
http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016277-tartines-country-bread
Happy baking!
Upcoming event: Shinola Sip + Sketch
Hey friends! I'm happy to invite you to join me at Shinola Tribeca in April for an evening of drawing, creative exercising, and wine sipping as they launch their new line of sketchbooks. I'm pretty psyched. We'll be drawing burritos, and puppies, and dragons, and two-headed burritos, and seven-layer puppies, and well you get the drift. Anything goes. I'll be there to help you obliterate your fear of THE BLANK PAGE.
The details//
WHEN: Wednesday, April 6, 7-9 pm
WHERE: Shinola Tribeca, 177 Franklin Street, New York, NY 10013
TICKETS: Get 'em here
Hello Dolly
Thanks to Miss Moss for sharing my Revival series yesterday! For anyone asking about Dolly prints, they're now up in my shop. Happy rainbows!
Prints available here.
New Windows at Eastern District and other miscellany
New season, new windows! If you happen to be in the neighborhood, then stop by Eastern District for some bloomy cheese, tasty beers, and to check out the spring scene while you're there. Cheers!
Also want to say that my dad is an awesome human being. I told him this morning how excited I was that Cyndi Lauper shared my International Women's Day gif. And he said "...that is very cool...I have a great appreciation for her as an artist. See this youtube of her singing Money Changes Everything ...she is so angry..." And then he went on a bit more about what the song might have meant to her. So I watched it. I got a little misty eyed. For a lot of reasons. But maybe mostly because my dad is awesome and always challenges me to think about the power of music. And wow. Yes, she's so angry, but also full of life and energy, and exhuberance. She's everything. Cyndi Lauper, thank you for being a hero!
Let me lead you down this rabbithole:
Time After Time
All Through the Night
and of course...
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
Happy Friday, ladies!
After a string of intense drawing days, my current book project is shaping up quite nicely and I am ready to chill this weekend! I been drawing a lot of ladies this week, and hearing from a lot of wonderful women too, who shared my "Lift Each Other Up" gif. It's been truly uplifting to see so many people spread the message of kindness and generosity. So THANK YOU all you ladies for making me feel purposeful! It's, like, pretty damned awesome. PRO TIP: you can create your own army of lifting ladies to fill up your browser window (desktop only) on giphy: http://giphy.com/gifs/cute-feminist-girlpower-3o7abBphHJngINCHio/tile
Weeeee! xo
Sour power!
Thinking a lot about fermentation lately after watching the Michael Pollan "Cooked" series on Netflix. It got me thinking about bread and more specifically how I ought to try making some. So this week I started a sourdough culture and I'm trying to get it to grow. A whole new challenge for me. So far I think I've pretty much screwed it up, but I'm not ready to toss it out yet. I think I can revive her! Maybe if I give her a name. Some kind of wild, spirited woman....Matilda. I looked it up and it means "Mighty in Battle." She will flourish against all odds. And sadly with me leading the charge, she will be challenged. Godspeed, Matilda. I will keep you posted on her progress.
Saturday at Shinola! Journal personalization
Hello hello! What a week of fun events. And here's one more for you! This Saturday I'll be at the Shinola Shop in Tribeca from noon til 5 pm, personalizing journals for you and your sweeties. It's gonna be so fun! I hope to see you there :)
What: Love Notes / Journal personalization at Shinola Tribeca
When: Saturday, February 13, noon-5 pm
Where: Shinola, 177 Franklin Street, NY, NY
This Wednesday: Art opening and wine tasting at Dandelion
Hello friends I hope you can stop by Dandelion Wine this Wednesday evening, February 10, to see some of my new works on paper and enjoy a wine tasting. It will be fun!
Details:
What: Wine and Paintings!
When: Wednesday, February 10, 6-8 pm
Where: Dandelion Wine, Franklin St., Greenpoint, Brooklyn, 11222
Come visit me at the Greenpointer's Valentine's Market
Hey folks! I'll be selling Valentines, cards, prints, and maps this Sunday at the Grewenpointers' Valentine's Day Market! Here are the details:
Where: 67 West St., Brooklyn, NY 11222
When: Sunday, Feb.7, 1 pm - 7 pm
Print Shop love from The Shopkeepers
Thank you to Paula Flynn for featuring my work on her sight, The Shopkeepers! She put together this write-up of my Etsy shop, which incidentally is the perfect place to pick up a Valentine's Day gift for your beloved. Cheers!