1st post in 2013 :)

Hello everyone!

I'm so sorry I haven't had the time to do a proper post earlier but most of you who follow my work on FB already know the reasons. I hope you all had a very lovely time with your families & friends for Christmas and New Year and that you all had a good start of the year!

I have had such a busy time for these hols working on 2 illustrations for postcards for American Greetings Interactive and then just as I was finished with those I was contacted by a Croatian Publishing house called Profil International to work with them on a project called Eduitainment, an educational book with multiple tasks for kids age 6-7yrs in Croatian language. After some negotiations I've decided to be a part of the project and the adventure began. However, I was on a rather tight deadline (30days) and had to do 19 full page/colour illustrations, 7 half page/colour illustrations, 2 b/w full page illo's, 1 connect the dots & find the animal illo and 7 full pages of 8 or more 5x5cm vignettas, some in colour & some b/w...

I must say I enjoyed working on this project very much, and the whole team was awesome and full of understanding. But towards the end I was feeling very exhausted and tired working 13hrs a day, cos my belly was expanding at the same time, my little munchkin growing inside-as you already know I'm pregnant and expecting very soon :) But I've managed to finish everything in time and all the team including the head directors were very happy with my work. So pleased that I was instantly offered another project, another educational book but this time it's a mandatory book for school-for 1st graders issued by our government. I had to decline the offer cos I no longer can work since my maternity leave starts this following Tue. but they asked to contact them after my maternity leave cos they'll have many more projects and they would really want me to work with them again :) So that made me very, very happy and pleased :)

Soo...looking back at this 2012 and how it began (working with American Greetings Interactive) and then entering Epicase competition randomly(a friend notified me of the competition) and winning 3rd place amongst thousands of entrants from all over the world only to finish the year by signing with a new client( Profil Publishing house) is more than I could've hoped or dream of! I'm feeling very blessed and thankful and I really hope this 2013 brings us all new projects and clients and above all it brings us joy and excitement about the future, rather than anxiety and worries.

I'm looking forward to being officially published this year and to be a Mom for the 2nd time :) I will try and post here and on my Fb page as often as I can but foremost I'm gonna enjoy being mommy to my 2 gorgeous girls :)


For the end, here's a little preview of one of the illustrations I did for Profil International you haven't seen yet.

xoxoxox
Ant

Antoana Oreški 2013 ©Profil International

Christmas freebies-ready for download :D

I think I'm gonna have to wrap up my posts for this 2012 with these free Christmas tags I wanna share with all of you. I'm sorry I didn't have time to do something more creative as I planned, but it seems this season is always somehow the busiest time of the year for me. And 3 days ago I just got thru a really cool illustrating offer, the one you def. don't turn down...so all great things but I just can't find time then for all the stuff I'd like to do...so I went for something It doesn't take much time to design but will still bless you all in a way, I hope. I hope you won't hold it against me :) And mind you, I do keep forgeting I'm prego so I really should slow down and take care of my little bump :) So...all the exciting news I'll share with you in the New Year- I have to have something to write about next year :) And I'm gonna wish you all Merry Christmas & and an awesome New Year! May your cup overflow!

Kisses 'n hugs from me :*
Ant

Click to DOWNLOAD

Postcards for American Greetings Interactive :D

Season greetings to you all!
Hope you're all enjoying this time of year as much as I am. I love it! I have been busy little elf myself working on 2 images for Postcards for American Greetings Interactive. Plus I was working on Christmas decorations for our home and for my daughter's kindergarten. Just received a personal comission as well, so busy advent for me :D In case I don't post anything here till Christmas & New Year I would like to wish you all a great time for this holidays and countless blessings! Be merry and share the joy with others :D

Love you all!
Antoana




Here are my 2 illustrations for AGI! You're welcome ti leave a comment here or even on their site beneath the Postcard! xxx

Antoana Oreški ©2012 AGI

Antoana Oreški ©2012 AGI

Christmas Illustration :)

Hello all,

I really enjoyed working on this piece, maybe because I love this time of year and Christmas :) It's called 'All creation rejoices' cos on that special day all creation did rejoice! My little festive racoon in that Xmas ball decoration like 'air ballon' has decided to spread joy to all the critters in the forest, what a nice thing to do :)

Well I'm sharing these 2 pieces with you and I'm wishing you all a great weekend!

xox

Ant

Antoana Oreški ©2012

Antoana Oreški ©2012

FINAL EPICASE RESULTS!!!

Hello all my wonderful friends and bloggers!

I'm so happy to announce that my Hansel & Gretel illustration came 3rd in the 3rd Epicase Competition! My heartfelt congrats to the winner from Russia, indeed an amazing and complicated work-well done! I would be lying if I said I wasn't hoping to win (I believe we all did who entered top 10) which is natural and good, but I'm not dissapointed at all. Very, very happy 'cos my illustration has now become a part of their retail art collection and you'll be able to purchase their products with my illo on it! How awesome and cool is that?! :)
When I reflect on how I've entered and expected really nothing out of it, and then to enter top 10 out of 1,214 works from all over the world, and now my work came 3rd-yeyieeee!!! Is all I can say and shout :)
Thank you all again for your precious votes and cheereing me on-truly means the world to me!

I'm sending you all warm hugs and kisses!

xoxox

Ant

Epicase competition results! :)

I have received such uplifting and amazing news today. I have entered a competition by Epicase a couple of months back with one of my illo's, after my dear friend Ni suggested I should try and enter. Today I got an email saying that amongst 1,214 works from all over the world mine entered the top 10-WOW!!!! :) Woooooohooooooooo! Can you tell how excited I am?! So the facebook fan poll starts today and I will shamefully ask for all of you my dear friends to help me out and vote for my illustration on their fan poll wall. The voting starts from 5pm and will last for a couple of days I think, till the 28th. Multiple choices are allowed as well. I'm not sure yet how many times you get to vote, I asked them this question so will let you know. 

I would love to at least enter the top 5 since my work would enter their collection then and would sell in their stores! :) Pls don't forget to pop over to their fb page HERE and vote!!!!

Thank you all and wish me good luck! :)

 xoxo

Ant

Something tad different :)

Hello to all my blog friends and followers, it's been ages I know :)
Well for those of you who don't know yet I have had a very good reason for 'hiding' away :) Lol
I'm so proud and joyful to announce that in April 2013 I'll be a mommy for the 2nd time! Wooohoo! :)
And normally that alone wouldn't be a reason for not posting or working on my illustrations lately, but unfortunately my 1st trimester wasn't a glorious one, since I had early pergnancy complications and was bedbound for a month, wasn't allowed to to anything, and I really do mean anything! I'm still on some sort of therapy and still have to take plenty of rest but I don't have to lay in bed anymore and boy were those news awesome for me!

My sweet peanut is doing very well the Doc said so I'm just grateful and thankful to Him who's looking after both of us :) And to celebrate my recovery and the fact I'm able to sit and walk more I was working on a new personal illustration yesterday and am sharing it with you here today. It is inspired by my very brave and amazing friend Victoria and her funny story about a lizzard who's living in her guitar :) We might turn this one into a real proper story for kids, I think it would be swell :)

Hope you're all doing fine and I'm sending you all warm hugs!

xxx

Ant

Antoana Oreški ©2012