Create.

Simple as that :~)

Wedding Cake Toppers!

Congrats Heather & Bill in Denver :~)

Here's a recent custom request from Etsy....
I was asked to sculpt wedding cake toppers based off of these US Postal Service 'Love' stamps:


Fun! Here's the king & queen I came up with:




.......details, details.



.....and a photo from the wedding! ©ericbakken.com

Figure Drawing at the Essex

Another figure drawing session tonight. Same gal as last time.
I feel like I'm getting the hang of it!

Figure Drawing Night!

My first time bringing a darker paper & white pencil! I enjoyed that combo.
Her head looks really small now that I am stepping back from this....

I'm Still Here!/Figure Drawing

Hey, people!
I'm sorry it's been quiet on here for soooooo long! I've been swamped with all kinds of NON-creative things, moved back up to Ohio (temporarily, to be with family) and working a *ton* of hours in addition to my freelance. I've been getting so many comments about my blog--as in, when are you going to start posting again??! We're sick of looking at cupcakes! :~o

So, here we go :~)


Tonight I went to a new figure drawing group for the first time! It was so good!
It was at Manifest in Cincinnati. Manifest Gallery
This model had a very interesting, weathered face.

More posts to come soon..... I have Etsy orders I'm finishing up, and new illustrations that I can share very soon!

Garden Cupcakes!

I know this isn't really illustration related...but it was so artsy & creative I had to share with you. My sisters and I put on a Cupcake Decoration Day for the kids...it was a blast!
Here's a million pics....

Freshly baked Devil's Food cupcakes...


Mixing the frosting.


Paper cones of frosting all ready to go!


Starting a piped-frosting flower. Step 1: Put a dot of frosting on your decorating nail.


Step 2: Put a square of parchment on your nail. (secured with that frosting.)


Step 3: Pipe a petal.


Step 4: Pipe more petals.


Step 5: Embellish.


Step 6: Embellish more if you like :~)


Here's a view of some of my roses.


I've got a whole bunch of flowers finished...and some heads of cabbage & carrots, too. Off to the freezer to harden up nicely.


Everyone working away on their cupcakes... Those cupcakes peel right off their paper backing when frozen, and only take a minute or two to thaw out.


They're looking good! (Oreo crumbles for dirt...chocolate-covered sunflower seeds for extra detail.)


Little Max gets help from Daddy. What are you two designing???


A few of our finished gardens... they didn't last too long :~)

We got this idea from this book: Hello, Cupcake! It's full of really unique ideas.... check it out!

Winged Creatures

Here's a close-up look on a new piece I made for Kulture Klash this weekend. I'll post more of my work from the show soon...lots of photos to go through!


My butterflies all framed & ready to go!


Here is the first step: bug bodies on a baking sheet. (Gross thought, eh?)




Waiting for the glue to dry...


I used some handmade copper headpins I purchased on Etsy as antennae. I've been saving them for jewelry, but they fit in so perfectly with my bugs! Those wings were cut out from a vellum print.