Roz Draws

Click here for the link to the raffle!

I've been really lucky to get a few sign commissions recently - Especially this killer little sign for my friend Cindy's kitchen! She wanted a sign with a color scheme to match her Fiestaware. She loves dragonflies, and works with me over at the goats. Painting is incredibly relaxing to me lately, so getting fun projects to work on while I chill out for a bit has been SO good for my mental health. I also really love making signs for friends because I feel like a little extra love goes into it. Thanks again for commissioning me, Cindy!

Sign painting is still one of my favorite things to do, but especially when it's for friends! The idea for this was originally a joke from my friend Mo over at @kentonantiques but it became something kind of delightful. This commission was several months late because of Reasons™ but that turned out okay because it was more like a fun surprise when I finally got to bring it by. I've painted a few other things recently which I should probably share, and I've just picked up some more bases in hopes of making some more. P.S.: I actually kind of love the smell of patchouli, so this just had me cackling for a while.

The “End of the Year” posts have not quite been the same since last year, have they? So, I’m glad #letterpdx is having us do words for next year instead! I had a lot of great (and not so great) experiences this year, but I actually genuinely feel like I grew a lot. More than any other year in my 30’s so far, I’d say. Possibly more than any in my adult life in other ways. I decided that I wanted to become more curious again next year. I want to investigate new things: new ideas, new crafts, new relationships, new places. There’s still a lot I haven’t done, and I want to see what’s out there. Want to come with me? #letterpdx #letterpdx2021 #wordoftheyear https://www.instagram.com/p/CXnd2ovrm7g/?utm_medium=tumblr

Yes, Hi, Hello, I do in fact still make art occasionally. I have not done basically any lettering for fun in... over a year now (save for a few cards here and there). It's like a global pandemic is depressing and all of my creativity goes to work or dissipates before it gets anywhere. Anyway - Songbird is one of my favorites by Fleetwood Mac. It's one of my favorite songs to sing at karaoke (Bless you, Christine McVie for having songs in my range). This song came on shuffle this morning while I was just coming out of a bad brain fog, and I heard it differently. I've always known it as a love song to someone else, but in that particular head space, it was like hearing it from inside, talking to myself. This particular line stuck with me for the rest of the day, and I felt compelled to make something with it. It's simple, but it's all of my favorite colors and made me feel good to make it. It felt good after all of it to hear myself showing myself some love, even if it was in a roundabout way. I hope this means some of that creativity is coming back. I've been missing the part of me that would spontaneously letter things for fun. Here's to hoping. #lettering #fleetwoodmac #songbird #christinemcvie #digitalart #artistsofinstagram #handlettering https://www.instagram.com/p/CW9_7f1rPGe/?utm_medium=tumblr

Super jazzed about this lettering I got to paint onto the door of @truenorthpdx 🥰 This is one of the spaces in Portland I hold very dear to my heart! I am really glad to have been able to see it continue to thrive throughout everything that's happened recently, and to have had some great opportunities to share with them and be a part of what they're doing! Thanks, friends!! 🥰 #lettering #Portland #truenorthpdx #wip #paintedsigns https://www.instagram.com/p/CTYdLH0FpNi/?utm_medium=tumblr

Finished this lovely Alice in Wonderland commission the other day. I could really stand to do watercolors more often 🥰🌼🌺🏵️🌷 #lettering #watercolor #aliceinwonderland #artistsoninstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CND11GkB18l/?igshid=1jdpg62vk6rdf

Only two Bite Me patches left in stock!

Sometimes I get texts asking if I can draw a school crest for a riff on Handsome Boy Modeling School “where pig is headmaster and bok choy is the star!”.. and when it’s my sister, I’m happy to oblige. This was actually pretty fun and I like how it turned out. 

Reduce, Re-Use, Renegotiate my bargain with the fae who made this bottle? This is one of my favorite pieces yet! I had a pretty big lump of scrap clay on my desk for a while and came across some fun videos of faerie houses being made with plaster and bottles. I also happened across some lovely bath salt bottles in my local Buy Nothing group (if you're not in one, go find yours!). About six hours of careful sculpting, two hours of painting/texturing, and three very patient roommates who let me commandeer the stove to cool this properly to prevent cracking. I'm also thrilled to have been able to use two of my favorite Culture Hustle paints (Lit and Gold) for this project. There's also Lit pigment in the cabochon, too!

I found this piece of wood in a free pile and it sat in my car for a while. My roommate coaxed me out of my quarantine slump with the promise of making a mess and letting loose and broke out the wood stain (which mostly went to staining and sealing our new duck coop). The finish on the coop also involved this stuff called Unicorn Spit and we're likely to have it on everything in the house by the end of quarantine 😄🌈 it's a gel stain that comes with glitter and sparkles up really nicely with a clear coat. The words are the first sentence of the poem "Summer Morning" by Mary Oliver. The poem crossed one of my social feeds recently and it stuck with me.

I finished this lettering I started in April today. I painted it with espresso powder. The song is "Bilgewater" by the band Brown Bird and I've listened to this song probably a hundred times or more while in quarantine. I think I may have misspelled a word or two, but I made something and that's more important. Gonna hang it up on my wall as a reminder to keep going. "When everyday’s like a war between the will to go on And a wish that the world would spiral into the sun Turn your head toward the storm that’s surely coming along If the sun was always shining and our load always light We’d be shaking like a leaf with every God-given night And we’d break under the weight of any pressure That was ever applied. In spite of all the wherewithal To fight it all I will face it all In spite of all the wherewithal To fight it all I’ll embrace it all"

Right now seemed to be a good time to bring this piece back (since I don't think I ever posted the finished version - just the Inktober original). This is one of the go-to songs by The Mountain Goats that comes up during times of trouble and I once found it in me to letter it nicely. Lyrics by John Darnielle. Once again, I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me.

Good people aren't hard to find: They're right around the corner, At the end of the line, it's true! Good people got peace of mind, And I'd like to spend my time with you!