Drawing myself can be challenging but when I draw myself in my illustration style I have fun because I think of all the little things that I could add to make it uniquely me. I had to have my cats up in my business, trying to walk over my artwork or get my attention in some way. I added my art materials haphazardly strewn about the table to capture my process when I paint. I added small pinned up versions of my completed works, some that you might recognize.. I made sure to add an artist stereotype of a black beret in my hair. And I made my expression a friendly and laughing one because I love to laugh.

When I draw portraits of people I like to know as much as I can about their personality and unique traits so I can capture the perfect mix of all those things that make that person stand out to others. I love when people look at an illustration and point out everything they notice that is "So that person!". My illustrations are not about making the portrait look just like someone, it is more about getting to the heart of what makes that person special and recognizable as uniquely them. 

After a brief pause in my Alphabet Food series I am back at it again with T is for Taco. It took me awhile to come up with this illustration because there are so many different type of tacos to choose from. You can have all types of shells and all types of fillings. One of my favorite tacos is the AvoMango tacos my friend Michelle came up with. They are filled with avocados, mangos, shallots, tomatoes and goat cheese. I never thought I would like those but after the first time I tried them they were a hit in my household from then on. For my illustration I decide to go with the typical taco, the one you probably think of when someone first mentions the word taco. The typical taco to me is a hard shell filled with ground beef, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes so that is what I painted. What is your favorite type of taco? To see products and prints with my taco illustration visit my Society6 store.

Starting in January I am creating a new series of original watercolor paintings that you can purchase through my Etsy.com store. Constellation Zodiac Sign paintings are the perfect way to add a unique piece of artwork to your home or a great gift to give to that special someone.
I really enjoy making their paintings because no two are a like. Each time I put down the watercolor and it mixes on the page I come up with a totally different galaxy background. I also love researching the constellations and playing connect the dots to create the final artwork. The paintings are customized with the Zodiac sign name and the name of the person it represents. The paintings come in three different sizes and are ready to be framed when they arrive at your door. What is your sign? Do you think it is accurate?

Custom portraits are the perfect gift. I have done a few for holiday gifts this season and a couple for birthday gifts. They really are a way to show your family or friends how much you care for them. I love learning about the person that I am illustrating and what makes them unique. I like to look at a few different photos to get ideas and I love when the person requestion the portrait has special details they would love for me to include. I have always loved drawing characters in my imagination and it is even more fun to create characters from real life. Do you have a special person in mind for a custom portrait? Head over to my etsy shop to request one yourself.

This post is out of order for my alphabet food series. I should be on T but since Christmas is right around the corner and I knew I would be creating X is for Xmas Cookies I bumped it up a little. This holiday season I made a ton of xmas cookies with my sister. Growing up I made cookies with my sister. Years had passed since I had made cookies with her so this year I planed a cookie making day and we made so many it looked like a bakery in her house. I think my favorite xmas cookie is the peanut butter blossom, but I switch out the peanut butter with Cashew butter. What is your favorite cookie? Happy Holidays!

S is for Sandwich is the next in the alphabet food series. I am pretty sure sandwiches are becoming my new favorite food. I used to love Pizza but now I am discovering that I really would choose a good sandwich over a pizza slice. There are so many types of sandwiches, especially now with all the little artisan shops cropping up. I chose to do the typical turkey sandwich for this series. What is your favorite type of sandwich. Same any good recipes so I can try them. Find a print of this sandwich on my Society6 page.

I love Italian cuisine. I love pasta. I love cheese filled pasta. I love raviolis. So naturally I chose R is for Ravioli. A good ravioli is like good comfort food. It is rarely a bad choice for a good warm meal. It is savory and rich ad goes great with red sauce. The name comes from an old Italian word that translates into "to wrap". I think its a yummy little wrapped up package of goodness. What is your favorite type of pasta?

I chose the quiche for my letter Q because it is the perfect brunch item. They can be tiny or large. They are rich and buttery but you can throw veggies into them and you can feel a little bit healthy. They are basically a whole meal in one pan. What is your favorite type of quiche? 

This year, during the month of April, I went to an event that changed my outlook on starting my own art business. Before I went I was so scared to do anything to get a business started. I had so many questions and felt so out of the loop with the art community. When I went to the Craftcation conference I gained the confidence to finally set out on my journey to start my own art business. I was featured on the Craftcation website with my story:

My Craftcation experience by Heather Norris:
I heard about Craftcation by chance when I reached out to an Instagram friend I had recently started chatting with. I had so many questions about how to start an art business she directed me to look into going to Craftcation because she thought it would give me all the answers I needed. READ MORE

P is for pie, pumpkin pie to be exact. It is that time of year and pumpkin is my favorite type of pie so why not illustrate it. it was hard to find inspiration for my illustration without running out and getting a pie The one time I tried to make a pumpkin pie with my sister I put in the eggs too fast into the hot liquid and the eggs scrambled. I didn't know until I cut into the baked pie and saw scrambled eggs inside, UUHHGGGG, Thankfully I recovered and can still enjoy a properly baked pumpkin pie. You can find my original painting for sale in my etsy shop.