The Perfect Mother’s Day Gift!

Mother’s Day is just around the corner. Mark your calendars for May 9th!

You may be wondering what to get the mother in your life this year. Have you thought about your wife and mother of your own amazing kids? What could a loving husband possibly give her to say “thank you” for the countless hours of love and nurturing that she gives to your family, for the sleepless nights, and tender care?

This year, I would like the husbands reading this to consider a gift that will blow your wife away and likely produce the good kind of cry. A custom, timeless portrait of her children!

Every year, I get requests around this time for Mother’s Day custom portraits. They are some of my favorite projects. Get some of my recent drawings below, and keep reading to find out how you can save over $150.

The Big Giveaway!

This year, I’d like to offer $30 off and 4 free 11×14 prints of a custom drawing to one lucky person. The prints alone are valued at $125, and they make great gifts for grandparents and other family members! I will have a third party choose the winner randomly from the visitors who comment on this post by March 31.

If you prefer, you may purchase a gift certificate for the amount of your portrait to present to your wife so that you can choose the reference photo together!

If you’re still looking for more gift ideas, you can find lots of additional Mothers Day gifts at 1800Flowers to find the perfect compliment to your custom portrait.

Watch me work in this entertaining video:

I have several more speed drawing videos here if you’d like to see more.

What To Know Before Hiring a Logo Designer

A lot of the clients who come to me need a logo designed. They may have researched a little bit, put the word out on Twitter, or gotten a referral from a friend. Many times, they are confused at the wide range of pricing they’ve found, and have questions about what they need to look for or who to trust. The purpose of this post is to educate the person who is in the market for logo design. I hope you’ll find it helpful.

First, let’s start with what not to do:

• Visit a logo making website and piece one together yourself, or believe that having Microsoft Publisher makes you a designer.
• Get your neighbor, son, nephew, grandma, friend, or cousin to design it… unless he or she is a professional with a strong portfolio, of course.
• Go with the lowest price just because it’s the lowest price.
• Decide it’s not in your budget to get a logo done right now and just go with something “temporary” until you start making money.
• Hold a contest where the “winning” designer gets a nominal amount of compensation, or worse yet: mad props, a link on your website, or a glowing review… sure to bring the winner more work, of course.

Why these things are a bad idea:

• Do it yourself websites and programs will result in a homemade, unprofessional looking logo. Stick with what you do best, and leave designing to designers.
• An amateur may use Photoshop instead of Illustrator to design your logo, which will be cause for major limitations for its use!
• The lowest price (especially one $100 or less) might include a “recycled” logo, or one using clip art or stock imagery. Not only would your logo be unoriginal, but it could infringe upon copyright laws.

My Favorite Products for Women in 2009

Three products for lovely ladies caught my eye in 2009. I couldn’t keep them to myself! Enjoy, and please share your own!

Hip-T’s – $15.95+

Layering is in (and has been for awhile). But sometimes, you don’t want the bulk and extra straps from a tank top just to have some fun fabric peeking out under your top shirt. Or, you might have some low-rise jeans or the dreaded “muffin top” issue to address. The solution? Hip-T’s! They are stretchy little bottoms of shirts that hug your hips and make any outfit look better. The makers provide a slew of fabric options, including solids, funky patterns, and ones edged with lace.

Tip: Buy a couple of staples, and at least one with a little fun!

BagMate – $29.95

Question: How do you lose a set of keys, your favorite lipstick, or that receipt you simply must have today?  Answer: put it in a typical woman’s purse!  You know it’s true, and to add insult to injury, how ’bout that anger management class you’ll need to sign up for after several attempts to find something in the “abyss?”  Ever just given up and dumped the entire contents of your bag out onto the floor in a moment of frustration while your husband or boyfriend (who has his neatly organized perfect little wallet, no doubt) is laughing hysterically at you?  Well, those days are over.

I highly recommend the Bag Mate, which allows you to neatly store all of your purse staples for easy retrieval.  Your phone, lipstick, pens, sunglasses, keys, business cards, and loose change can all be easily found, because they are always in the same place!  A huge perk for me is that when you want to switch purses, you just move your Bag Mate to your next purse. Easy cheesy.  It also has retractable handles, so you can use it on its own.  It comes in a variety of colors.  Check it out here.