Love Af-fair

I don't think this needs to be said but OBVIOUSLY the cotton candy is my dream date - the boy and the dog are together. New guest illustrator Michele Rosenthal really impressed this week with her candy-colored final piece based around Alyssa Nassner's sketch.




Michele Rosenthal is a freelance illustrator and graphic designer based out of Brooklyn. She specializes in fresh, sleek images with a healthy dose of color and charm. Her work can be seen on products, in magazines, all over the internet, and on the walls of folks with impeccable taste. When she's not dancing like Molly Ringwald or recording lo-fi electronica with her brother, she also runs the illustrated movie blog Criterion Affection. Visit Michele's portfolio here.

Midnight Beer Picnic - So Bromantic

It's hard to tell if Rachel Dougherty intended the lady or the car to be her dream date in this sketch, but one thing is for sure - they're on a midnight beer picnic! Tyler Parker did both dates justice in his awesome, and incredibly bright final piece!




Tyler Parker is an illustrator/ukulele enthusiast currently residing in and around Portland, Oregon. Having spent the greater part of his developmental years in a small town in the Adirondacks he departed in search of fame, fortune and old paperbacks. He received his BFA in illustration from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2007 before escaping to sail the usually figurative high seas. He completed his MA in Sequential Design and Illustration from the University of Brighton in October 2009. His favorite food combination is pretzels and ginger ale. Check this guy out on the web: portfolio - twitter - blog

SPEAKING OF Twilight - Rachel Dougherty is the only person I know who could turn a sketch of Glen Danzig on a hellish motor bike into Robert Pattinson whisking away a lady in a handsome red leather jacket - but when it works, it works! Rachel went to final on the sketch of new-comer Emma Maatman for an out of this world final (get it, they're in space - duh!).

Shakespeare in Love

For some people true love lies in the pages of a book instead of in real life - but those people are probably teenage girls reading twilight - just sayin'. This week Alyssa Nassner took on the sketch of guest illustrator Tyler Parker for this haunting final piece.

Dreamin' of a Date

Oh you know, this guy is just lounging in the desert dreaming about his date, drawing hearts in the sand - I guess it's a new twist on this weeks theme. Nolan Pelletier went to final on Cecilia's sandy man.




Nolan Pelletier is an illustrator from Connecticut currently living in Toronto. His work has recently appeared in the New York Times and Fantasy Camp Press. He REALLY like cats, and his other favorite things include the 1939 NY Worlds Fair, his View-Master camera, collecting old photos, Shelley Duvall, and riding his green Schwinn bicycle. Check his site out for more!

Dino Date

We had another two new artists join us this week - Emma Maatman, and Michele Rosenthal. Michele's dream date includes traveling back to prehistoric time to catch a glimpse of the dinosaurs, Emma took on Michele's sketch for this Jurassic final!




Emma Maatman was raised in central Pennsylvania, surrounded by trees, dirt, and antique stores. She studied architecture at the University of Cincinnati for two years before graduating from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2011 with a BFA in Illustration. Check her out on the web!

Caturday Night is Date Night

We had two new contributors step up to the plate for today's swap. Gabriela Nicole Gonzalez took on Nolan Pelletier's cat date sketch to create this super cute feline final! More about Gabriela below.




Gabriela Nicole Gonzalez is an illustrator originally from Mendham, New Jersey. She has a BFA in Illustration from the Maryland Institute College of Art. She enjoys traveling and is inspired by new faces and new places. As for her work, she loves creating works that are enjoyable for, but not restricted to children. Visit her website here!

Recipe for Love

This week before we get on with the actual dates we explore the elements of the "perfect" date with Jordan Sondler, and Cecilia de Corral. As you can see from this diagram the perfect date must include a handsome fellow, food, romance, atmosphere (or atmosfear, the game), a picnic maybe - and if all goes well with the date then you have found true love, obv. For this piece Cecilia de Corral went to final on Jordan's sketch. More about Cecilia below!




Cecilia is a New York based illustrator. Her work is made up primarily of textiles, embroidery, and other stitched things. You can visit Cecilia's website here.