The Seven Year Pen Challenge

The other night I was leaving Indigo with a friend, and I stumbled across this pen. You see, I can't walk into Staples to get a photocopy without buying a pack of pens. I can't go into Shoppers Drug Mart to buy shampoo without stocking up on Crayola. If they had highlighters at the gas station, I would probably have fifteen versions of that electrifying yellow that you never see in my work because it doesn't scan well. I hastily made the purchase.

It also gave me an excuse to buy one of the best special edition Moleskines I've seen. After declaring that I would take a break from buying Moleskines... I bought a Moleskine. Oops.

This afternoon, The Seven Year Pen Challenge begins.

How quickly can a Kayla use up a pen designed to write 1.7 meters a day for 7 years? Stay tuned.

About a month ago, I started a collaborative journal with my work-acquaintance-turned-confidante-and-sister Chantelle. Apparently when you set a goal or dream and share it with others, chances of it coming to fruition are more likely when you externalize and share it with others who believe in you and your dreams. I started getting collage-y with it the other night after tearing through some old magazines, here's one of the pages that I've set opposite a beautiful Paolo Coelho quotation that Chantelle shared with me.

Globe & Mail

Last Tuesday I had the pleasure of creating an illustration to accompany an essay by Leslie Beckman in the Globe & Mail. It was an amazing piece of writing discussing the power of opening the doorway to conversation with a simple "hello", and the incredible stories that others have to share.

A little something different for me, playing around with composition and cropping without falling back on type.

Back from The Big Apple

So the conference has come and gone; so has my week of amazing food, hot sun, and late nights.
This is one of the pieces I made while attending Katherine Streeter's collage workshop. The other two can be seen on my website.

For Tim.

obligatory summer update

Here's a page out of the collaborative sketchbook I have been working on; this one is all me.

I have recently signed up for the 2012 Sketchbook Project under the subject "I Remember You" - stay tuned for progress shots! I'm so excited to be a part of this.

In two weeks I'll be in the big apple for 3x3's Nuts & Bolts Conference. I am beyond excited.. 2 days of illustration saturation, and then finishing off the week with good food and tired feet in one of the craziest cities in the world.

ALSO! My book is now available for purchase through Blurb - it's a 160-page collection of my sketchbook pages from 2008-2010, and was featured at my grad show back in April.




Until next time...