Category: Illustration

John Hanson Project album art

Back to Art in the New Year

John Hanson Project album art
©2018 Carolyn A Pappas, Wilderness River. Pen and ink with watercolor, 8 x 8 inches. Album art for John Hanson Project.

I had so many plans for my art in 2018 but things did not work as planned. I sorely underestimated the mental and physical energy that working full time as a new nurse would require. I was working more hours than a normal 40 hour workweek with odd shifts and a very irregular sleep schedule. For the last three months of the year, I didn’t pick up a pencil or a paint brush even one time and I felt so out of sorts. I’ve since taken some steps to remedy that situation and I’m looking forward to having more time for artwork in the coming months.

I have no formal goals for this year, but I just want to have fun and concentrate on making art daily or as close to daily as possible. I also want to focus on sending out my newsletter every month–I neglected to send that out for the last few months of the year and I regretted it. My January edition will be going out within the next few days (click here to sign up).

I’m looking forward to what 2019 will hold for me and I hope that everyone reading this has a prosperous and fulfilling year ahead.


Above is an illustration I completed for the cover art for the self-released album by John Hanson Project. I’ve known John for several years and he is an extremely dedicated musician who has been working tirelessly for years to realize his musical dreams. I highly recommend that you check out his new album Go On.

tulips sketch

New Illustrations for Inspire! Art Watercolor Brush Pens

I haven’t been this excited in awhile.

A few months ago I got an illustration job that was perfect for me. I was commissioned to make some artwork with a new line of watercolor brush pens by the Inspire! Art company. The purpose of the illustrations were to demonstrate the kind of work the pens could produce and to show examples alongside the product photos online.

I had so much fun because I had free choice to draw whatever I wanted and I even got to work in my own sketchbook!

I really had a lot of fun with these pens. There are a huge range of line weights possible with these brush tips. I think the clearest example of finer lines is in the outlining in the butterflies wings. I also liked the painterly way I could work, as seen in the Johnny Jump Ups piece and the tulip petals. The colors are very tropical but coordinate well with each other within a color family. The set also comes with two water brushes in a fine and broader size.

You can check out these pens on their Amazon sales page (click through all the photos to see my work).

tulips sketch
Tulips by Carolyn A Pappas. Illustration for Inspire! Art Watercolor Brush Pens.

To see some more examples of my work with these pens, follow Inspire! Art on Instagram as I made some additional drawings that haven’t been published yet.

swallowtail butterfly
Swallowtail Butterfly on Zinnia by Carolyn A Pappas. Illustration for Inspire! Art Watercolor Brush Pens.

johnny jump ups sketch
Johnny Jump Ups by Carolyn A Pappas. Illustration for Inspire! Art Watercolor Brush Pens.