Favorite Artist: Janine Tondu

Janine Tondu is my favorite illustrator, and if you follow me on my DSK Jewelry blog, you may be familiar with her artwork.

Janine: I'm inspired by children's illustrations and animations. Due to my schooling at the Fashion Institute of Technology, I have learned to and love fashion and design. I one day hope to be able to find myself doing sketch work in a fashion related field, then again finding my art hanging in some child's room would be heartwarming too. ;)

 

I want to share her artwork with you and tell you a little bit about the process of getting the painting created. I sent Janine a few photos of my loved ones on their wedding day in their traditional Vietnamese outfits as well as photos of Timmy & Wally's cousin Ty! She e-mailed me some draft sketches to give me a sense of her ideas. She offered to sketch me more options and welcomed any changes too.  [Not that I needed any!]

I was so happy with the sketches that it got really hard to pick one because they were all my favorites!

I love how Ty is involved and playful in this picture. : )

 This family portrait melts my heart!! Ty was very involved in his mommy & daddy's wedding day!

  The new happy little family!

 

It was a really hard decision, but I went with this sketch because it reminded me the most of my cheerful friends. :D

I was so blown away when I saw the piece for the first time. Everyone who knew about the painting before Christmas was in awe. The colors are so beautiful and her Vietnamese dress, "ao dai" is so detailed! The actual painting is much bigger (7 1/2" x 11"), this is a photo she snapped of the picture for me. The painting is now framed and on display in my friends' new home. I will take a picture of it for you the next time I'm at their place. They're still in the decorating phase since they recently purchased their new home together. This painting is one of my favorite and probably the best gift I've ever given them. It reflects our Vietnamese culture in a beautiful way too! It made everyone smile a little bit brighter this past Christmas. Thank you Janine!

 Ty looks exactly like Ty too! : )

 I commissioned Janine to paint a caricature piece for my favorite newlyweds. Pricing would vary upon request, contact her if you're interested in wedding caricatures or any custom, personalized painting by Janine.  ; )

 Visit Janine's Sketchbook to see more of her beautiful artwork!

 Follow Janine on Twitter! She's wearing a DSK Snowflake Necklace in the photo above. : )
Janine has supported my craft since day one. I'll be forever grateful to have met her through my jewelry line. Thank you so much for your love and encouragement Janine!

Did I mention she's model tall and completely gorgeous? : )

Find her on Instagram to see all her fun photos: JanineTondu

She has a Lab Mix doggie named Motto too! He's so handsome and just look at those puppy dog eyes. I love all dog people a little extra. : )