The images on this page are the property of Pam Holland

Travel sparks the imagination. The creative ideas flow when you have time sitting in the car or the plane. I actually wrote and illustrated an entire book on the plane and its still a favorite of mine !

You can purchase it in my store.  Its a whimsical story for children and adults and in fact a quilt design book.

The world speeds past you in a fusion of color as you travel and I try to capture  as much as I can with photo images, however, the design images stay in the brain and don’t escape until I put pen to paper.

This past year the world of illustration  changed for me when I was introduced to the iPad Pro.  Now I have paints, inks, pencils with me all in one package and the soothing music in the ipad of Nora Jones added to my relaxation as I worked yesterday.

I had an idea to blend cultures in a design.

I love the blue and white pottery of Asia, and I also was reminded of my first view of a cactus in New Mexico. I made my friends stop the car so I could get out and photograph the puny little plant on the side of the road.

Even now almost 20 years later I’m fascinated by the cactus shape and actual plant, it’s beautiful, regal and yet very prickly. Like some people I’ve met.!

I began by drawing my pot (in blue) on the Ipad in Adobe sketch.

I used the pen icon for the basic pot and pencil icon for the shading. Of course both of these were achieved by using the Ipencil in Adobe sketch.

Once the pot was finished I was able to save it to use in other drawings. Unlike using pen and ink I have it saved right there in the computer.

Next was to add the cactus in digital pencil and play with the shape.

I then closed Adobe and used paper53 for the next stage. Coloring the cactus with water color.

And finally adding the prickles and the flowers… almost done.

I saved each stage in the computer so I can go back and use them in different genres. I could print them on fabric. I’m a ‘scarfologist’ my word for a person who wears a scarf each day and has a huge collection… I think they would look super on a scarf too.

I have plans for this image to become part of a quilt.