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As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I am also a Cricut Affiliate, and a few of my online shops provide additional payout for referring to their sites.
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I’ve added a new section to my website to make it easier to shop for the various products I have for sale in various online shops. There are links to go to my specific shops—such as Spoonflower, Society6, Shutterstock, and Amazon—as well as direct links to featured products. Take a look by going to the SHOP link in the navigation menu or click HERE!
Sincerely, Nicole
Recently, I have been enjoying getting my kids excited to make their own art. They just LOVE to color and paint. I’m sure just about every child does, but of course, I hope making art continues to be something they enjoy doing throughout their life. Who knows what will ultimately end up being their “thing,” but I will certainly do my best to at least instill an appreciation for the arts as they grow up.
Below are some of images of them hard at work on their masterpieces! :)
I also thought it would be fun to share some artwork I made when I was younger. Most of the images I still have are from around the late 1990s to early 2000s, which would be around the time I was a teenager. It’s funny to see what I enjoyed drawing back then vs. now.
My mother used to collect lighthouses, so I ended up drawing those A LOT.
I used to love landscapes and other buildings (not so much now, haha). There are a variety of media used in these, from oils, acrylics, colored pencils, charcoal, and pastels. I loved experimenting!
I hope you enjoyed this little blast from the past!
Sincerely, Nicole
I'm VERY excited to announce the official release date for my book Everything is Made Out of Magic: A Seasonal Creativity Journal, which will be... SEPTEMBER 25th! This is a personal project that began as an adult coloring book idea that I've been wanting to self-publish for a while now. The concept for it was a collection of designs featuring literary quotes inspired by nature. Later, it morphed into something a little different. I decided to include not just coloring pages, but also full-color illustrations and space to journal and sketch. I went a little further with the "nature" theme and divided it into four parts—one for each of the seasons.
The cover was originally a design competition entry for the Lilla Rogers Global Talent Search, the assignment for which was a garden journal cover. After I made it, I realized it would fit perfectly with this project, and the rest of the design fell into place from there.
Here's the official description and some sample images:
In this book, author and illustrator Nicole Jones Sturk encourages you to take time to reflect on the ways in which nature and the changing seasons inspire your creativity. Everything is Made Out of Magic is part journal, part sketchbook, and part visual inspiration. It is divided into four parts—Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn. In these pages, you will find full color illustrations, journal prompts, hand-drawn coloring pages, inspirational quotes, fun seasonal “bucket list” suggestions, and space to sketch and paste in photos. Let this book be your creative guide throughout the year!
In addition, I've created a companion calendar, soon to be sold as a tea towel in my Spoonflower shop (I'll announce when that's finalized and ready to go), and available as an art print from Society6 NOW.
I look forward to sharing the book with you!
Sincerely, Nicole
I am super excited that it is now September, mostly because it marks the beginning of the autumn months (my favorite time of the year). September also marks the beginning of school. My kids are still too young, but my husband is a college student, so we have seen a change of routine around my home. There will be more time alone with my kids during the day as my husband attends classes and study groups.
This year, I've been focusing on incorporating regular practices into my routine to improve my artwork. I created monthly themes and projects for myself to give me some direction. I've explored color, aspects of business, painting, books, and more. I used this blog to share information that I've gathered over the years. I've gotten some fun collections of sketches and mini projects done, too.
While it has been a fun experiment, I've decided that moving forward, I want to keep things more fluid, not tied to a set theme. I believe this idea has served its purpose, getting me in the habit of creating for myself on a regular basis.
Part of this is also coming from my desire to make this blog more personal and meaningful. I love sharing what knowledge and insights I have with you, but I don't want my blog to become too academic, which I feel it has a little bit. And I just want to have more fun with it!
So these are just my thoughts as I enter into September.
I'm still dedicated to pursuing personal projects, growing my portfolio, and sketching every day! In that aspect, nothing has changed. And I'm still going to hop into a themed monthly challenge every now and again. (Inktober IS coming up, after all...)
As always, the best way to follow along with my daily work is via my Instagram (@nicolejonessturk).
Welcome to September, everyone!
Nicole