K.K. Hoffman Illustration

Doing it all for Baby...

2009-09-11T08:08:00.003-04:00

Didn't quite want this sketchbook entry to look so dramatic, but hey, what's done is done. After sitting for 3 plus hours at the Quest Diagnostics Lab after giving blood 4 times with no food for 12 hours I guess "dramatic" is what you get. I never imagined I would be so poked, prodded and challenged throughout this amazing journey. But it is all so worth it. Five weeks to go...

Pictures from Opening at Cafe Estelle

2009-09-10T10:08:00.002-04:00

A great opening at a great cafe! I am so grateful to have such supportive friends...

Art Opening tonight at Cafe Estelle!

2009-09-04T11:13:00.004-04:00

Exhibit in Philly

2009-08-15T11:48:00.006-04:00

For those of you in the Philadelphia area in September, I will be showing four of my Food Politics illustrations from my graduate show at Cafe Estelle. The opening reception will be Friday, Sept. 4th from 6-9 PM and Geremiah Giampa, from the Parsnip Revolt, will be playing some music for us too. So stop in if you are around!

Still Sewing...

2009-04-14T19:59:00.003-04:00

I went home for a lovely Easter weekend in Kittanning and it felt good to see family, get away and just relax. I stopped at the Goodwill on the way home and found some amazing vintage pillow cases that I already have a project idea for. Within the last couple of weekends I have created some more little gifts and goodies. The bibs and booties I have yet to perfect, but the spork holder is just about ready to go...

Nesting...

2009-04-05T08:36:00.008-04:00

In February I had this overwhelming feeling to start canning, cooking, cleaning, baking, sewing...you name it. Then sure enough, come Valentine's Day I found out I was about 6 weeks pregnant. We are thrilled!! So I took advantage of the nesting feeling and started crafting and sewing again and making little things for friends and friend's babies. One project that I really wanted to try was this Fleur Playmat from one of my favorite designers, One Girl Designwrks . I ordered the pattern from her through Etsy and some amazing fabric from Denver Fabric and I was ready to get sewing. I decided to make the first playmat for Miss Julia Grace, my best girlfriend's little one that is about 6 months now. This project was a lot of work but so much fun to do and I can't wait to start another one. I was so pleased with the way it turned out. Now, onto my next craft...watch this space...

Moly_x_56

2009-01-19T21:40:00.002-05:00

I was so pleased when I was asked to join the international Moleskine Exchange group moly_x_56. This is an adventure from artists around the world filling their Japanese Moleskines and exchanging them. The group also has all of their sketches on Flickr where you can see all of the wonderful sketchbook pages from around the world. In our first round we are creating images that reflect Monsters and Spirit Guides. It has been great fun and I am looking forward to seeing the next Moleskine in my mailbox.

Photos AND Drawings

2009-01-14T12:11:00.007-05:00

On a recent trip I brought along the old Canon and the sketchbook. I did this quick sketch of my brother relaxing in our hotel room in Spain. On this particular day we had been stuck in Barcelona for two days since all trains were sold out heading north to France. We were behind schedule but we made the best of it and relaxed, ate chorizo and drank some good wine...there could be worse places to be "stuck".

Sorghum

2008-12-01T22:54:00.002-05:00

I came across this sorghum at Whole Foods on Wednesday evening as I was rushing through the aisles trying to get some last minute thanksgiving ingredients. It is such an interesting flower (grain) and when it was paired with the green eucalyptus it made for a beautiful centerpiece on the thanksgiving table.

100 Flowers

2008-11-23T11:26:00.002-05:00

I have been rediscovering a lot of the books I had acquired while I was researching for my thesis Botanical Illustration: The Challenge of Combining Science and Art. One particular book I love from my collection is the book 100 Flowers and How They Got Their Names by Diana Wells and Ippy Patterson. The book is wonderful for discovering the origins of a certain flower and for visual reference as well. I have started a sketchbook of flowers and in this I use a lot of the information I read about in 100 Flowers.

I am thankful..

2008-11-22T19:25:00.006-05:00

At this time of year I always like to take a minute and make a list for myself of all the things I am so thankful for. A roof over my head, food on my table and all of the wonderful people that make up my group of friends and family. As I was going through my old sketchbooks I had worked on while I was in graduate school I came upon a group of sketches I had done from a day I spent in Philadelphia in the fall of 2006. One particular drawing that always stood out for me from the series was this quick one I did of a woman and her son standing on the street. I don't know anything about this pair. All I could tell from quickly looking at them and sketching them was that they were so thankful to have each other. I love how a drawing can speak to you in that way and while it may read different to someone else, it always reminds me to be thankful.

6 Million Dollar Man

2008-08-03T17:26:00.003-04:00

I have been playing around with some old family photographs to do some new drawings. I am creating three pieces for my mom and I had an idea of a couple of different techniques I wanted to try. This is a piece with my big brother Justin on his first day of school with his 6 Million Dollar Man lunch box. Classic!

Our Egyptian Art

2008-08-02T14:12:00.003-04:00

The first project we did at the Chautauqua Institute the week I taught was the mixed media Hieroglyph design. This was the art that we created on our first stop, Egypt, during our creative journey. Just like the other four projects done during the week, these pieces turned out to be very expressive and bold in color. My students enjoyed the use of the oil pastels along with the watercolors and they experimented with different textures and effects. I was so pleased with the way these turned out.

Rangoli Art from Chautauqua

2008-08-02T14:00:00.007-04:00

I returned from Chautauqua with so many new ideas and an even greater appreciation for all art teachers. Having taught full time four years ago, I forgot how rewarding and enjoyable this can be. I had eight amazing students who each brought so much to the class. Every day I was there they taught me something new. I left Chautauqua truly inspired by all of their creative ideas.

The Rangoli art the students created were all so unique and colorful. Each individual came up with their own patterns and designs which in the end made for a colorful and vibrant display of work.

teaching again...

2008-07-18T18:40:00.003-04:00

Starting this Monday, July 21st, I will teach a drawing workshop to fifteen children ages 6-12 at the Chautauqau Institute Art School in western NY. I am so very excited for this! Having gone to Chautauqua as a child, I have been wanting to re-visit the area for many years. This spring I decided to submit a proposal to teach a children's drawing class. When I found out the workshop was accepted I became nervous and excited at the same time. The workshop is entitled "Art Around the World: A Journey through Egypt, India, Africa and Tibet". I had taught these lessons as a full curriculum when I was an art teacher in Philadelphia and the students were so enthused by it. I think it is such an important thing to introduce our children to all the great art from different cultures. So, for the past two weeks I have been experimenting and making samples to bring to Chautauqua with me. This is one of my favorites; Hieroglyphs using your initials translated and adding color with oil pastels and a watercolor wash. I felt like a kid again creating this. I hope my students have as much fun as I did! I will report back...wish me luck!

A Toast!

2008-06-15T12:43:00.007-04:00

Here is a toast to all the artists/illustrators who continue to create the art that truly inspires and speaks from within. Thank you Danny Gregory, Dan Price, Tommy Kane and many others (you know who you are) for proving that what some may consider to be "comp" art is anything but mundane. Your unique art,your sketchbooks and journals, continue to inspire me everyday.

A toast to my wonderful professors at FIT that I was so lucky to have worked with for two years, for teaching us to do what we really want to be doing whether or not it pleases the art director that will eventually throw it back in our faces.

A toast to the artist/illustrator who continues to just create something whether it be to spread awareness on an important issue or for the mere pleasure of creating a simple picture. I respect that it is such a privilege to have the power to decide when a personal visual statement is "finished".

And finally, a toast to my amazing classmates who taught me so much about being a good person, colleague and illustrator in such a short amount of time. I wish you all success in your future endeavors. You are so kind and amazing at what you do.

I think Danny Gregory states it quite beautifully when he says:

" Life changes and you have to remain vigilant. The good thing is that when you fall off the wagon it'll still be there waiting for you to clamber aboard again. I can always find a pen and a piece of paper."

So, today I will get back on the wagon and I will begin to sketch again. But first, I will put on my janitor's hat because it is about time to thoroughly clean my studio and organize all of the stuff I have collected in the last two years: the piles and piles of sketches, photographs, postcards, magazines, catalogs, books and inspirational things....quite a big job for a "messy" illustrator.

Did you know??

2008-06-08T22:08:00.006-04:00

Do you know if the coffee you are consuming is Fair Trade? When I was researching the topic of Fair Trade coffee for my exhibition I discovered many facts that I was not aware of before I became so interested in these issues. I use to not think twice about walking into Starbucks and having the server hand me a cup of coffee. Now, I think about it all so differently. The one type of coffee that Starbucks serves that is Fair Trade is the Cafe Estima Blend variety. But, you have to request it, and I noticed that it is usually not brewed and ready. Something to think about. In one year, a two-cup-a-day coffee drinker will have consumed the annual harvest of 18 coffee trees. Just by linking directly with markets, farmers in Fair Trade cooperatives are able to earn 3-5 times more than they would selling their coffee through conventional mechanisms. So....Is the coffee you are currently drinking Fair Trade? Definitely something worth finding out.

No Excuses...

2008-06-02T23:24:00.008-04:00

No excuses for not blogging or posting any sketches for almost a month-gasp. Other than I was frantically tying up all the loose ends on my exhibition, 9 Point Perspective, that will open this Thursday in NY along with 8 other very talented illustrators. If you are in the city, do check it out. More sketches to come, I promise........watch this space! In the meantime, have a look at the article published in our local paper regarding the art and the show. Hope to see you there!

La Colombe!!

2008-05-07T22:58:00.003-04:00

I found it. Walking down Lispenard Street on my way back from the printer I stumbled upon a La Colombe coffee shop. I was too excited. I lived on this coffee while living in Philadelphia and I have not had it since I moved from there in 2005. What a treat. A big ice coffee on a very hot day. Thank you La Colombe!!

Bananas

2008-05-05T22:28:00.003-04:00

I am now trying to get over the clementine addiction and I am moving on to bananas. The only bad thing about them is that they don't transport well. By the time I get into the city they become quite bruised and flattened by the commute. This makes for an interesting picture though. I think I will have to stick to the more travel friendly fruits for now and save the bananas for my weekend banana pancakes.

Babycakes Birthday

2008-05-03T09:10:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was the big birth DAY. At work on Thursday the girls ordered treats from Babycakes in New York. We indulged on Macaroons and I had my very own GF chocolate cupcake. Wow. Almost tasted like the "real thing". But really, what is the "real thing" anyway? This cupcake had the creamiest most buttery icing. I will be re-visiting Babycakes (often)!

I made the brownies.

2008-04-28T22:00:00.005-04:00

I finally took a minute to stop all and make the gorgeous brownie mix Regine gave me (3 weeks late). I will say they turned out to be quite wonderful. They lean more towards the fudge side rather than the cake side. I like them a lot. Although it seems all that I sketch and write about I am liking these days. I will have to eat and sketch something that I am not too fond of and see how that turns out. May be interesting...

Oh Clementine!!

2008-04-26T20:03:00.003-04:00

Addiction of the week: Clementines.

Yep, pretty crazy huh? Not really. But lately I just think these little things are the best thing since (not sliced bread) oranges. I have been buying them by the bag at Whole Foods and they have been so sweet and delicious. They are small and easy to carry on the train in your pocket book or in your coat pocket. A perfect snack and a great name to go with it.

Friday is here...

2008-04-25T22:58:00.005-04:00

Friday is here -finally-and I am home with some good GF pasta and roasted garlic sauce and I am just so exhausted. Very long week (again). I will wake up with a hearty breakfast and colorful sketch. Until then...

Treats from Down Under

2008-04-23T22:31:00.005-04:00

Carob! I have met carob and we like each other!! My soul mate-sister-friend Emily sent these wonderful treats to me from Australia. In the special care package was this carob covered rice cake, another carob covered rice wafer and a ginger nut bar. All were very good and it was nice to try some different things. In fact I liked the carob rice cake so much that emailed the company, Naturally Good (they are based in Australia), to ask them what the availability was in the States. No response yet. We better order a case Em!