This Month's Theme is . . . COLOR

Nicole Sturk February 5, 2018

This year, I want to really dive into my personal artwork. Lately, I've been doing a lot of brainstorming, planning, writing, and, of course, drawing. I think this could be a great journey, and I hope you'll come along with me. There will be a lot of exploring, learning, and discovering along the way.

I've chosen themes for each month for the rest of the year, and with each of those themes, a project to get me sketching, creating, and building my portfolio. The theme I've chosen for this month is...

Monthly Project - February 2018

February is the time of year when the weather can get a bit bleak and the world outside is anything but colorful, so what better time to fill your world with beautiful, vibrant blooms? That's why for this month's project, I've chosen to sketch out FLORAL PATTERNS each day. You can follow along on my Instagram (@nicolejonessturk) and hashtag #sturkartchallenge2018. If you want to contribute your own sketches, please do! I'll also post on my progress occasionally here on this blog.

Towards the end of the month, I'll move on from sketching and take my favorites to create final pieces for a collection. I can't wait to see what comes out of this!

Sincerely, Nicole

About Me - January 2018

Nicole Sturk January 24, 2018

New year, new introductions.

This year I want to really focus on the type of work I want to be doing for the rest of my life—the work you see here on this website. Since I started working on my own, I've really put a lot of effort in building up a body of work that I can be proud of, and that I'm passionate about.

In 2017, there was a lot of progressing, learning new things, and exploring different outlets to express my creativity. This year will be no different.

With this, I've been reevaluating what I've been doing, where I stand now, and where I want to go. As always, it helps to write things down.

So here it is... If we've never met before, this is pretty much what you need to know about me and my work. (Also found on my newly-updated About Me page!)

Designer and Illustrator

DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION / SURFACE PATTERNS / TYPOGRAPHY and HAND LETTERING / ADULT COLORING / INDESIGN BOOK LAYOUT

Hello, and welcome to my website. I hope you enjoy browsing my portfolios. I put my heart and soul into my work. It is my passion!

I am a mother, wife, designer, blogger, and artist. Since I started freelancing, I have been living the dream of staying home to take care of my family, while also doing the work that I love!

As you can see, I have a strong background in art and design. I graduated with honors from BYU-Idaho in 2005 with a BA in art. My illustration style is fun, whimsical, and colorful. I love to work with florals, seasonal and holiday themes, typography and hand lettering, and intricate designs. My work is especially suitable for things like...

surface patterns
greeting cards
arts and crafts products
home decor
children's illustration
adult coloring pages

I also have over ten years of experience in book design and typesetting. I formerly worked as an in-house book compositor at Jouve North America (formerly NK Graphics) doing page layout for both trade and text books. In that time, I had the opportunity to work on projects from a variety of publishers, including Scholastic, Penguin, and Bedford/St. Martin's. I especially love to work on children's and YA books. Since I've started freelancing, I've also been able to help others on more personal projects, such as photo and picture books for gifts and works for self-publishing.

Snow at Night

Nicole Sturk November 2, 2017

Here's a new pattern I made for the latest Spoonflower design challenge. It's one of my favorite pieces I've done in a while, so I was very happy when it placed in the top 10!