On Hand Lettering and making messy starts...

It’s funny how certain things stop me from going forward. One of those things in hand lettering. You see it everywhere in illustration, on book covers, in advertising, packaging and editorial…pretty much everywhere. So what is stopping me?

It a little thing (or big thing) called fear…

If you know me, you know my husband has a hand painted sign shop (New Bohemia Signs) in San Francisco. His work is incredible and he has had the shop for 25 years. I love watching him work and seeing all the incredible lettering he creates. He is definitely a master in what he does. And truth be told, I work in the shop part time in the admin side of things, dealing with customers, doing bids, emails and making patterns. But lettering, nope…I have been super scared to touch a letter brush or a pencil professionally.

I know that it is all really silly and things aren’t going to change over night, but I am starting to face this dumb fear and I am taking my first lettering class.

One of the mini assignments.

I started the Lettering Bootcamp with Make Art That Sells and I am trying to finally get over this fear. I know just drawing a little bit and moving forward. I know that it takes a while to get comfortable doing something but..hey. It’s time to get over this.

Here’s another mini assignment.

So…what’s next? I suppose going forward with some really messing lettering for a while. And keep going until I feel comfortable or not. But keep going regardless…

Does this happen to you? Does something keep holding you back from going forward? What steps are you taking to get over it?

Here's to the New Year...and to New Challenges!

My word inspiration for 2019 is “RISE”.

My plan for 2019 is to “rise” in my illustration career. I am ready to pursue new paths in the art/illustration world and taking on things that scare me. And when I say scare me, it might just be me taking myself seriously as a professional illustrator. Yes, it is time for that.

I am so happy to be starting 2019 off with lot of exciting new plans! I will be starting a bunch of new illustration classes that I am totally ready for. Although, I do have a BFA in illustration from Massachusetts College of Art. It is from (….gasp) 1995! So much has changed in the art/illustration world since I last took real classes. The classes I will be taking will be focus on Editorial and Childrens’ Book work as well as classes that will help build my portfolio with wonderful new work. I will also be busy creating more gallery work and trying to get into books and magazines as well as keeping my Etsy shop (and my shop here) filled with new work. It is going to be a super busy year. But, busy is a good thing…right?

As for 2018, it was a pretty amazing as far as creative growth goes. I’ve never made so much artwork! I joined my first cooperative art gallery (City Art Gallery in San Francisco) in which I took part in 4 group exhibitions and made 23 new paintings for the shows! I got my first Magazine Cover for a small Shakespeare theater in the Netherlands and an illustration in the fabulous Uppercase Magazine. I also helped co-found my first Instagram Challenge #folktaleweek . #Folktaleweek was so amazing, it made me really come out of my shell connect and discover to many incredible illustrators around the world . We will be doing #folktaleweek again next November too, and I am already search for some of my favorite folktales from around the world.

As for you, what were you the most proud of last year? What are you looking forward to doing the most in 2019?

Highgate Cemetery Portraits

In August, I was lucky enough to visit the incredible Highgate Cemetery during the London Letterheads Conference. I was so inspired by my walk around the the gorgeous graveyard, I decided to dedicate my next gallery show to it. It is truly a dream world for any Victorian Goth lover.

To me, Highgate is kind of a living city to the dead. Although, it is still a working cemetery, I loved exploring the darkest of the lost paths. Highgate was built in the 19th century as one of the London Cemeteries that were on the outskirts of town. It housed the bodies of people could no longer be buried within the churches of London. As time wore on, it now has wild vines wrapping around the graves, showcasing some, while burying others, it is filled with birds and animals as well as a spooky legend or two. I loved it.

There is something that is so wonderful about visiting old graveyards that seems to be missing these days. Victorians were surrounded by so much death everyday, that they sort of embraced death, now we seem to be are more afraid of it.

Here are some of my illustrations (and a few photos I took) inspired by my trip to this legendary cemetery in London.

I thought these portraits would be a perfect countdown to Halloween.

I hope you like them!

My October gallery wall at City Art Gallery in San Francisco

Graves rearranged by time at Highgate Cemetery.

Debra Styer, Georgina in the Sun, 2018

Debra Styer, A Sacred Magpie, 2018

In a Disused Graveyard

“The living come with grassy tread
To read the gravestones on the hill;
The graveyard draws the living still,
But never anymore the dead.
The verses in it say and say:
”The ones who living come today
To read the stones and go away
Tomorrow dead will come to stay.”
So sure of death the marbles rhyme,
Yet can’t help marking all the time
How no one dead will seem to come.
A Disused Graveyard

What is it men are shrinking from?
It would be easy to be clever
And tell the stones: Men hate to die
And have stopped dying now forever.
I think they would believe the lie.

Robert Frost”

My favorite Angel monument at Highgate

Debra Styer, Mourning Flowers, 2018 (in progress)

Circle of Baby Angels, Highgate Cemetery 2018

Debra Styer, Caught in the Web, 2018

Sacred, Highgate Cemetry 2018

Debra Styer, Watching from Above, 2018

Two Graves Bound at Highgate Cemetery

Debra Styer, The Woman in White, 2018

If you want to see these paintings in person, they are up in the Gallery until October 28th.

City Art Gallery

828 Valencia Street

San Francisco, CA

http://www.cityartgallery.org/

Prints from the show will be available mid-November in my shop!

I hope you enjoyed the show!

All images and Illustrations ©DebraStyer

New Gallery Show: My "Seasons" Portrait Series at City Art Gallery

This month, I am so excited to be participating in my first show at City Art Cooperative Gallery in San Francisco! Check out my new portraits!

I have been wanting to experiment with different time periods and seasons for a while now, and getting into City Art Gallery gave me the opportunity to play around with some new portraits! I am inspired by all the strong women that lived through out history.

First up Spring...

Debra Styer, Blossoms Awake Spring, 2018

Watercolor and Gouache

This was inspired by my love of Jane Austen and the English countryside. Here's Miss Emmeline and the buzzing (and stinging) of her springtime bees.

Debra Styer, The Wings of Summer, 2018

Watercolor and Gouache

My summer portrait was inspired by the amazing style of the Harlem Renaissance and the 1930's. I imagine Miss Georgette listening to with the music of Billie Holiday as the summer butterflies dance around her in the summer wind. 

Debra Styer, Fall of the Dead Leaves, 2018

Watercolor and Gouache

Of course, I need to have at least one dark Victorian portrait. Here's my inspiration for a 19th Century Fall portrait of the wonderful Miss Thora as she hides in the deep dark woods with her adorable (but very scary) little owl friend.

Lastly, is Winter...

Debra Styer, Red Fox in Winter, 2018

watercolor and gouache

My winter was inspired by the fashion of Queen Elizabeth and her contemporaries. I love all the crazy stiff collars of this time period. Could you imagine what it must have felt like to wear such things. 

This is my winter wonderland portrait of Miss Sybyll and her pet fox, Finn.

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If you want to see the portraits in person, they will be hanging at City Art Gallery until April 1st.

City Art Cooperative Gallery

828 Valencia St,

San Francisco, CA 94110

UPDATE: Prints now available in the Shop!

Here's to a New Year! (Goodbye 2017, Hello 2018)

Happy New Year, Everyone!

2017 was pretty interesting/fabulous/terrible year. Politically, it was a huge mess for me. I don't remember a year that seemed to wrestle with my heart strings more. I am still struggling with the decisions being made by our government. Although, I don't want to get too political, I hope 2018 will be a better year for most people and we will all reclaim our sense of fairness and justice in the world.

On a personal level, 2017 was pretty good. Of course I had a few ups and downs but in general things went well.

Here are my favorite arty things that happened in 2017:

1. My first book and largest illustration project "Happily Ever After I Do", was released in October! I am so proud to finish such a huge project. It was definitely a learning experience but I am so happy to have done it. I am looking forward to many more book projects in the future. And here's a little shout out to the amazing author Valerie Chiappone. Thank you for taking me on this book journey with you, it has been a privilege working with you.

2. The Pre-Vinylette Society Art Show in Chicago. It was such a honor to part of this awesome women in sign painting show. It was even written up in one of my favorite publications, Uppercase Magazine! (If you squint you can see my painting on the wall). Read my post about the show here.

The Pre-Vinylette Society in Uppercase Magazine (Issue 36)

3. My French Revolution portraits for the Tiny Show at Studio Gallery in San Francisco.

4. My trip to Oslo, Norway with my husband for the Oslo Letterheads Sign Painters Meetup was amazing and it reignited my love for Norwegian artist Edvard Munch.

Some of my favorite portraits from the Edvard Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway! Aren't these amazing?

5. Although not technically a art moment, I did adopt two new kittens at the SF SPCA Meet SinJin Otto and Poe in December.

Yes...they are awesome and they will inspire me to be more creative, if they are too busy distracting me from painting.

Now that 2017 is over, it is on to 2018!

I am feeling pretty optimistic and had grown so much as an artist in the last few years, this year should be another fulfilling art year.

Here are a few of my plans for the new year:

1. I became part of City Art Gallery in San Francisco. I will be working on a series of portraits for March show. I will be sure to post them as I make them.
2. Get into more gallery shows.
3. Work on getting in more publications
4. Submit to more blogs, magazine and book publishers.
5. Continue to work on my new Artist Portrait Series.
6. Add more portraits to my Literary Portrait Series.
7. Finish my Little Goth Riding Hood illustration Project.
8. Draw more animals...
9. Blog more...
10. Travel to London for the next Letterheads Meet with Damon. 
11. Delve into more historical illustration projects.
12. Read at least one book a month.

What projects are you most excited to challenge yourself with this year? What are you most scared of?