Perfection almost killed our newsletter. Yuppers. The Plum Nelly Productions newsletter almost stopped before it even got started. For those few who are receiving it, at the writing of this post, you haven’t heard from me since July!

Cirque du Jubilee, the Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital 20th Annual Gala. I worked with Mike Easely of Vital Excess Photography and Design on design concept for the Gala Sponsorship Packet and collateral pieces. I provided illustrations and Mike shot an amazing series of photos for this years gala.

I’ve had quite a few people ask me if there’s a story behind the name, Plum Nelly. There is.

When you rely on your creative ability for a living, you must find ways to engage your mind in play that disengages the thinking mind so that it can relax and be creative.

  Not. Right. But perfect for early April (wink wink), and it took me to the Scope site. I don’t WANT to imagine bacon with a minty finish, but my taste buds keep trying. Well, maybe … eh … nope. Bad mouthwash. Good marketing.

What do you do if you’re a surgeon and want to explain an innovative technique for suturing a corneal or limbal incision? Well, that’s a common question with an easy answer: you hire an illustrator, such as myself, to help you do that. Then, when you publish, it looks real good and other surgeons can do the cool knot too.

This card made me pick it up. It shouted at me from the middle of the crowded table and made me turn it over. It didn’t have anything interesting to say but I’d call it a successful business card.

The Loma Linda University Cancer Center is creating a beautifully landscaped garden area and needed something more than this rough sketch that the landscape designer had provided to them. So, I took this and set it back in perspective, took a look at the plant life that was included: camellia, ferns, azalea, annual color, and Japanese maples and created an illustration they can use in posters, flyers and other collateral materials for the Cancer Center.