Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!!! I hope you all get to enjoy this time with your friends and loved ones! I got to celebrate with my husband and our American friend here in France this year! We had such a nice time and a yummy spread; the illustration below shows just a handful of our creations. I was so excited to make my very first pie & vegan gravy, and both were a hit! 

Brush Rabbit!

This little bunny completes my Oregon Wildlife trio! This is a Brush Rabbit, a species that I would commonly see at home in Oregon. Drawing him truly has satisfied a bit of my longing for the west-coast, for now!

This drawing was created in Photoshop on my Cintiq, mimicking pencil. Additionally, if you would like a print for yourself or a friend, you can pick him up on my online shop! 

Sea-Dragon Mermaid

:) Here's my last mermaid of "MerMay" 2019! I wanted to create a seahorse mermaid, so this lady is inspired by the leafy sea-dragon. Created in Photoshop with a Cintiq tablet.

My Favorite Childhood Mermaid

In honor of #Mermay & my favorite mermaid of my childhood, here's my own little mermaid! This painting-doodle is inspired by the "Under the Sea" musical scene in Disney's "The Little Mermaid" (which I was addicted to as a kid!). Created in Photoshop.*

*This is fan-art! As such, I do not lay claim to "The Little Mermaid" as depicted in Disney's film. :)

Thanks as always for stopping by! See you again soon!

"(Friendly) Bull in a China Shop"

Watch out bull!
This cartoon is an original take on the "bull in a china shop" idiom. Unlike the traditional meaning, this bull is kindly and concerned at his predicament (even as we all know his situation spells disaster!).

Pictured left:  My "Bull in a China Shop" on screen! Audiences at the Karen Gail Miller Conference Center (Sandy, Utah) got to view this artwork as talking point during a presentation by guest speaker Dave Feldman.
April 17-18th, 2019.

Though I did not attend, the thought of my artwork being shown to an auditorium of people is always exciting!


Thanks for reading, and see you next week!

Beauty & Beastly Mer-Mays

These #MerMay sketches were done in pen & marker in my tiny travel sketchbook. I created these ladies a day apart; I like how they contrast with each other. (...and they're such great fun to draw; look for more mermaid for MerMay soon!)

It's Mer-May!

It’s Mer-May!!! 🐚 Kicking off the month with a little clownfish mermaid :) If you haven't heard of Mermay before, it's a fun art-challenge to create mermaids all of May! Let's see how many I can contribute this year!

Stormy day on the Cape

On a very grey day, sitting on the rocks of Cap de Nice watching the stormy weather & waves roll by....

I managed to fight the wind and do this small sketch of one section of the coastline...

Sketchbook, ink & Copic Markers for color: 

 

Infographics for National Geographic!

I am so very happy to announce that my artwork for National Geographic has been published!

At the end of last year, I was invited to work alongside a team of artists and writers to create infographics for National Geographic's Educational Resource Library. This online database can be used by teachers and students alike for class, and covers a wide variety of topics!

To view the infographic artwork I created for the resource library, please hop on over to my portfolio website, www.briannaleahyart.com! You can also click the link in the artwork descriptions to jump to the artwork on NationalGeographic.org. Happy exploring (and learning!).

You may also notice that I gave my portfolio a new look! I am always looking to improve it, and still have much more to do! :)

Along a Footpath in Falicon

While exploring Falicon, France, I found that this little entrance was one of my favorite scenes. The community behind this archway was equally as charming, with its winding paths, unique buildings jutting against their neighbors, and small squares filled with a multitude of potted plants :) I definitely want to go back for another visit & hike!

Below:  Small, ink & marker sketch on paper. Footpath & archway in Falicon.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwCkOPmheXA/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

^Above:  Original ink thumbnail in sketchbook.

Princess Pigeon

Today a friend shared with me a comic by @ChuckDrawsThings titled "self-worth", and it inspired me to draw this princess pigeon! Of all the "wildlife" of Nice, France, I must say I have seen more pigeons here in a month than I have ever seen before! They have been my constant companions out on the street :)

I also encourage you to go see the comic that inspired this lady-bird! You can see it on ChuckDrawsThings' Facebook page by clicking: here 

Learning on the Tram

Kiddos on the tram have been unknowingly helping me learn French, and to train my ears for correct pronunciation :) Yesterday a little one, staring out the window repeated “monsieur, madame, monsieur, madame....” until his mom told him to shhh! 😌

This is the first time in a good while that I have just let myself doodle with ink....oh how I didn't realize how much I've missed the feeling! We hope to be settled into our new home soon so I can really turn my focus back to my personal work (& this blog!)  :)   Take care & see you back here again soon!

We're in Nice, France!

I know you are here for artwork, but this is just too big of news not to share!

The 2019 New Year brought me the exciting and daunting task of moving internationally! For the next two years, my husband and I will be living in Nice, France!

I am excited to soak in the local and historical artwork here, to grow as an artist, and to accomplish many of my long-standing art-goals while I am here! New artwork will be trickling back onto this blog as we reestablish our home and get back to "normal" daily life :)

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🛬We made it to Nice! 🏫🌳Walked to the top of Castle Hill, or Park Colline du Château, for this view :) #nicefrance #adventures #artinspiration #travel #france #castlehill #park #walk #collineduchateau #collineduchâteau #prettyview #nice #newhome #sunset #water #beach #city #hillside

A post shared by Brianna Elizabeth Leahy (@briannaleahyart) on Feb 8, 2019 at 1:52pm PST