Sponsor Love - Studio M.M.E.

And here we go again, it’s Monday again! Hope you all had a fantastic long weekend (and by long, I mean the extra hour we gained)! It was a pretty chill one for me, I did get some etsy orders sent out, got some more photos uploaded for upcoming blog posts and caught up on much needed sleep in that extra hour so that is a definite bonus.

Today’s Sponsor Love post gives me a chance to share with you some AMAZING pen and ink drawings drawn by Megan Eckman, the artist behind…

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I was never good at drawing, pretty much I can draw stick figures, and even those are like a preschoolers, no joke. So when I first stumbled across her work, I was immediately blown away! I just can’t imagine sitting down with a pen and being able to think up and create such amazing works as Megan does. Her cross-hatching detail and the imaginative pieces she comes up with are a true talent, read on and you’ll see what I mean! Besides running Studio M.M.E., Megan is also an illustrator and writer of children’s stories, in my mind, she pretty much has the award for coolest job ever!

{MEET THE ARTIST}

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m a pen and ink illustrator who illustrates quirky thoughts and daydreams. I’m continually inspired by the Victorian and Edwardian era in England and love adding splashes of color to my otherwise black and white pieces. I enjoy playing with antique cameras and filling in crossword puzzles. I’m also a huge fan of breakfast cereal.

2) How did you get into pen and ink drawings?

I started using pen and ink in high school and pretty much taught myself. Well, I did pick up a few tips and tricks in college but I was a bit of an odd student for my professors because no one had seen style like mine in a very long time. Apparently I’m a very finicky, particular, and patient artist when it comes to ink work. I also tend to think only in simple lines or dots and black and white.

3) Where do you draw your inspiration from?

I get most of my inspiration from my long bike rides and walks in the morning. Certain fantasy books and fairy tale anthologies are also great starting points for me but usually my quirky ideas come from daydreaming and wondering things that normal people never think about, such as where does a girl with antlers run away to?

4) Each of your drawings is soo beautiful and detailed, how long does it take you draw one?

My ‘larger’ drawings, generally 7″ x 9″, take around 36 hours to finish. Smaller works can take anywhere from 20 to 25 hours depending on how dark each piece is. A very dark area can take as many as eight layers of crosshatching lines to get to that darkness. It’s a long time and a lot of work, for sure, but I find it oddly soothing and sometimes a bit meditative. I’ve been known to sit for four hours at a time with podcasts playing in the background while I ink my drawing.

5) What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

Ooh, hard question. Right now I have peanut butter fudge in my freezer and I’m having a hard time making it last a week.

One of her pieces that really hits home for me is the Time Traveling Tourists II. Reason being is that I’ve actually been on a camel ride at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt AND of course I had my camera with me too just like the portrayal of Megan in this drawing. Two things that I love right here, cameras and traveling! 🙂

Not only is her work in black and white, but she also dabbles with watercolors too. And I must say, I think many of her drawings really reflect my life because whenever my husband and I travel together to another city, we ALWAYS, and I mean ALWAYS get lost! And this Lost Couple happens to be in San Francisco, one of the many cities my husband and I really have been lost in before while driving! There’s so many side streets in that city that the GPS always gets confused! Those of you who have been there, am I right?

I love this Very Victorian Tea Party of three Victorian ladies with big wigs and fancy dresses having a good time and gossiping away. In college, I used to live in an all-girls dorm where we had tea parties on Friday afternoons. We served all sorts of punches, tea, biscuits, cookies and crumpets, oh it was grand! 🙂

OK, isn’t this amazing!? I love that she’s able to just look at a picture or view and recreate it with pen and ink, holy talented! She even does custom pet portraits!

And it doesn’t stop there! Not only does she have prints in her shop but also carries bookmarks, holiday ornaments, and locket sets by Polarity jewelry too! Shopping for the holidays?? Look no more! If you love the work of Studio M.M.E., make sure to read Megan’s blog, check her shop often for new pieces of art, and follow her daily on twitter! Thanks Megan for being soooo talented! 🙂