Time for a Giveaway!

August 19, 2016

It's been a while since I've had a giveaway and I think it's long overdue!

This past week I had a open poll, asking what would you choose to win as a free gift?

1. Mini custom paper doll

2. Mini coloring book

3. Original illustrations

4. Pair of earrings or a pin

The votes were calculated and the winner is....

Well, there's a tie!

Mini custom paper doll or a pair of earrings or pin!!

yay! Whoot-whoot!!

Ok so how do you win?

CONTEST:

1. Like my Page on Facebook: Keghaznavi Illustration http://www.facebook.com/keghazillus

2. Sign up for my Newsletter: Curls & Markers

http://keghaznavi.us13.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c6a11c2bf4b803ed2144e3d1b&id=9b8b3d466f

3. Share my page with your Facebook friends.

Thats it!!!

Once I reach 750 likes on my Facebook page, the contest will be over, I will randomly select a winner! The winner will be announced on my Facebook page and then contacted by email to begin the custom doll process or to select a pin or a pair of earrings!!

GOOD LUCK!!!

Head over to Facebook now & get started!

-Kierston

Mothers of Our Nations: In Progress

August 4, 2016

If you read this blog, you know that I am partnering with Pearls for Teen Girls in Milwaukee for my community art project in the From Here to Her 2016 show, Mothers of Our Nations. The team at PEARLS is dedicated to empowering young girls in all aspects of their life, and preparing them with the tools they’ll need to be successful in the future. It’s not just about preparing for college, but really building character and mentoring relationships that last beyond college.

I will be creating work to honor the staff at PEARLS and I am also currently volunteering this summer to help the girls create paper dolls of their own.

We are in the second half of the summer program, and this has been fun and challenging for myself and the girls. This has challenged me to think of the process in my doll making and try to express that in a manageable, step by step way, so that the girls can comfortably work at their own skill levels. There are some girls who dived right in, already love to draw and are moving along pretty quickly. And some girls aren’t too confident in their drawing skills. So I have been working a little more closely with them, trying to reassure them that they are better at drawing than they think they are. All of the dolls that the girls are working on are as unique as each girl and full of imagination.

I hope that after this, the girls find a new hobby, maybe start drawing more often and are proud that they challenged themselves to do something outside of their comfort zone.

PEARLS summer group. Girls busy drawing their dolls.

Some dolls are already pretty close to done.

I'll continue to post updates before the shows this fall. Sign up for my newsletter for VIP access:

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My Favorite Mediums: Let’s Talk About Markers.

July 27, 2016

I have spent a lot of time drawing my characters in pen, scanning them and coloring them in Adobe Illustrator. I started using markers this past winter to color my illustrations, and I fell in love. It took some time to get used to the technique. Learning how to blend and build up color, depth and texture; this took a lot of practice. Currently, I use Prismacolor markers, and I really like the quality of the Blick store brand markers. These markers have a fine tip and a broad tip which make it easy to fill in any odd shapes and curve that I may draw.

I use markers for my illustrations. But also, I use them for my earrings and pins.

What I love the most about using markers: creating variations in skin tone and color. I'm pretty good at blending markers now. I can't wait to have a 300+ color collection of professional grade markers.

Collection of some of my favorite marker illustrations of 2016

How do you feel about drawing with markers? Have you tried it? Share in the comments!!

Sign up now for my newsletter, Curls & Markers! Coming in August. Be the first to receive news, discounts, and sneak peaks at work in progress!

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So you make Paper Dolls?

July 13, 2016

I was an imaginative kid. I played with dolls, of course, as a little girl growing up in the 80s. I loved my Cabbage Patch Kids and my Strawberry Shortcake. But honestly, I could have a thoroughly good time playing with anything. I would gather up flowers & give them each a name and sit in the grass for hours playing 'house'. As I got older, I spent more time drawing to illustrate these imaginary stories I thought up. Then came the paper doll making. I loved fashion, but I was always an overweight kid/teen & back then there was nothing fashionable about those clothes. So I drew what I wished I could wear and I made beautiful modelesque paper dolls out of what I had available. Ruled notebooks. I would cut out my dolls from the sturdy backs of the notebooks and draw clothing on the rules pages I'd pose them and draw friends, boyfriends, settings. My homework and notes might have ended up on crumpled paper, but hey!

As i got older, I still kept my love for play and dolls, but more as a play-time assistant to my younger siblings, nieces and nephews. I never stopped drawing though, but I did stop making dolls.

So, last year- I went back. My illustrated characters have so much personality and individuality on the page. Making paper doll versions of these characters was a way for me to bring them to life, and revisit that time in my life when I was an imaginative kid, full of ideas and fully devoted to play.

My dolls are not tall, thin model types, exclusively. My dolls represent and accept all body types. My dolls represent characters who are happy, beautiful, confident and unapologetic about it! My dolls give representation to girls and women who may have been told they are not worthy because of their uniqueness. My dolls are beautiful BECAUSE of their uniqueness. So yeah, I make paper dolls.