Melinda Stanley - Illustrator

I’m a new member at Sugar Frosted Goodness! Here is my introductory post!

I’ve been a frequent visitor at SFG for a few years now. SFG—for those of you who aren’t familiar—is a collective community of illustrators. SFG is an amazing portal of creativity. The work is diverse and I’m happy to be a part of it!

Tags: creativity, illustration, illustrators, SFG, Sugar Frosted Goodness

Here is my tribute to Bea Arthur. Long live Dorothy Zbornak!

Tags: Arthur, Bea, Bea Arthur, Dorothy, Dorothy Zbornak, Golden Girls, illustration, Maude, RIP, Thrice, Who the hell says thrice, Zbornak

Does anyone else sometimes feel completely overwhelmed by the internet? When I say that, I mean the size of it. It’s huge! If the internet had a physical container for all that is within it, how big would that be?

Try to remember back 10 years ago. We did not have all of the social media and social bookmarking tools. There was no Twitter, Flickr, facebook, Stumbleupon or Digg. How did we ever survive without the all-knowing Wikipedia? How did we connect with people? Letters? Pfft! That’ll take months! Well, I predict this is a talk many parents will be having with their children in years to come. “Well, Billy. Before the internet came along, we chopped wood, walked to school uphill in molasses and played cards by firelight.”

Of course, the Before the Internet Talk won’t be that severe, but it will be hard for children to even imagine a world without it. It will be hard for you to remember what life was like without it.

Tags: big, bookmarking, digg, facebook, flickr, giant, Internet, social, socialmedia, stumbleupon, Twitter, wikipedia

It’s 8:30 am. Do you know where your paper carrier is?

I was 7 years old when I had my first paper route. It was passed down to me from my older sister. Both my parents and I thought it was a good idea.

Well, what can I say? I was 7 and never on time. However, that was 22 years ago and since then, I’ve become neurotically punctual. I’m always 10 - 15 minutes early and I always meet my deadlines.

Tags: carrier, deadlines, first, girl, graphic design, illustration, job, melinda, newspaper, paper, performance, punctuality, tardy

I’d say this cat has fleeting hope. Wouldn’t you?

Although, I wouldn’t suggest that anyone does this, I still laugh every time I look at it. Silly cat.

Tags: actors, Buggy, cat, Character design, children, dangerous, girl, helmet, illustration, pets, stunt

It’s Easter time again and I thought I would do an illustration to celebrate this 4-day long weekend.

Last week my niece was in town for a visit and we went to the mall. As we were coming down the escalators we noticed that the Easter Bunny was down below visiting with children.

We didn’t go see the Easter Bunny, of course because my niece is 18 years old and is probably too cool for that scene.

Anyway, I hope you all have a fantastic weekend. My weekend will be a good one. I plan to take it easy, drink some adult beverages, help some friends paint their new house and eat some good food.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Tags: bunny, drink, Easter, food, holiday, illustration, mall, niece

Those of you who know me, know that my taste in music is all over the map. The only kinds of music I don’t like is rap and new country. I don’t like rap because I’m just not that hip. And new country, well… it’s just not what I prefer.

The Beatles, Kinks, Beck, Cake, Elton John, Jethro Tull, Jon Brion, Neil Young, Stevie Wonder, Velvet Underground, Wilco, Wolfmother, The Black Keys, Captain Beefheart, Can, Fleet Foxes, Bill Fay, Love, The Band, Bobby Charles, Dave Brubeck, Django Reinhardt, Herb Alpert are just a few of my favorites and I keep discovering new music. I love music. I even love the bad music—the it’s-so-bad-it’s-good music.

Recently, I discovered Mrs. Miller, a pop singing sensation from the 1960’s. She covered such hits as Downtown, Let’s Hang On, and Monday Monday. Her first album Mrs. Miller’s greatest hits sold 250,000 copies within the first three weeks and her rendition of Downtown peaked at #82 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1966. With her fluttery vibrado voice, wobbly whistling and off-key singing she must have been doing something right.

My best friend thinks I’m out of my mind, but I think that if you can’t appreciate the not-so-good music, can you really appreciate the great music?

Check out these links to some Mrs. Miller hits on youtube.

DowntownMonday Monday

Let’s Hang On (awesome video)

Tags: Bad-Music, Beatles, Bill Fay, Downtown, Herb Alpert, illustration, Mrs. Miller, Music, Neil Young, Rock, The Kinks, Wilco

Here’s an odd little illustration I did. This is my husband, hating parades.

He doesn’t hate them this much, of course, but I thought it would be funny in an absurd over-the-top kind of way.

Tags: circus, clown, elephant, fun, humor, illustration, majorette, monkey, parade, poodle, shriner, stilts

Good Friday to all!

I’ve been really slack lately—both in my work and social media but here is a quick cartoon I did up this morning. All you Tweeters out there will relate.

Have a great weekend!

Tags: avatar, bullies, humor, illustration, masks, social media, Twitter

Ok, I haven’t posted since March 11th.

The reason why it has been so long since posted is because I was up for a graphic designer position here in Halifax.

I was contacted by the company in early March to see if I would come in for an interview. I did and it was great. I had a great feeling about it. It was something I really wanted and I knew I was the person for the job. The next week, I was called back for a second interview. Still feeling fantastic about the job and my capabilities to do it well. I was sure I had it. I didn’t get the job.

I was basically told by the owner of the company that I came in 2nd but he really appreciated my willingness and enthusiasm and if anything else came up, he’d be in touch to see if I’m still available.

And, as much as I was frustrated with myself and the company, I knew I couldn’t let it get me down. I stewed for about an hour and then said, “Enough of that!” I had to get working on other things. So I continued to work on existing projects and brushed off some old ideas.

So, when life seems like an uphill battle, keep charging forward!

Tags: battle, company, enthusiasm, graphic designer, Halifax, ideas, illustration, job, uphill, willingness

These are my parents, Bill and Sharon. This illustration was taken from their engagement photo in 1973.

I have so much to thank these guys for. They’ve always been supportive of my decisions and I’ve always had their trust.

Early on in my childhood—when they noticed that I had a budding talent, they wholeheartedly encouraged it and enrolled me in art classes. And, even as a teenager, when I was steering away from art, they directed me back to what I loved.

Things have been crazy lately with job interviews and what-have-yous, but I noticed that I hadn’t updated my blog in a few days, so I thought I’d pay homage to my parents.

Tags: art, dad, encouragement, homage, illustration, love, Mom, parents, thanks

The next time you go to an interview, don’t forget your confidence. Having your confidence with you at an interview is just as important as everything else you bring along. It’s important to show the potential employer that you believe in yourself and that they should do the same.

Now—there is a real difference between being confident about what you do and being cocky. There is such a thing as overconfidence and it’s not a shining quality.

Tags: confidence, confident, employer, employment, illustration, Interviews, jobs, qualities, tips

This week I was invited to test Blellow Beta.

Several weeks ago, Mandi Leman started following me on Twitter—and as I normally do—I started following her, but not before clicking her link to see what she was all about. “Blellow” you say, what’s that all about?



Blellow is kind of like Twitter, Google Groups and Linkedin all in one. It provides a collaborative community for freelancers.

I think I’m on nearly every social network on the web. Facebook, Twitter, digg, delicious, Linkedin, and now the newest kid on the block, Blellow.

Facebook is a given. Everyone and their dog is on it (seriously—there are some dogs on there). It’s just a good way to keep contact with people. Before Facebook, I wondered about a lot of people I had lost contact with, and when Facebook appeared, there they were!

Twitter was my most recent favorite, as it was a way for me to connect with people in my field, post my content and basically advertise what I do.

I found Twitter a great resource for networking. I started following a lot of artists that I admire and I also discovered a lot of other great artists. I found Twitter to be a great way to show people what I was all about, as well as see what they were working on.



Then along came Blellow. I can only compare Blellow to the warmth and comfort of a soft blanket. The user interface is beautiful and the people are friendly and supportive. Although aspects are similar to Twitter—you have a limit of 300 characters to let your network know what you are working on—Blellow offers more.

When signing up, you have more fields to fill out; more to say about yourself. In addition to your name, location, website and bio, Blellow enables you to list your blog, resume, skills and whether you’re currently employed, seeking employment or strictly freelancing.

Blellow promotes collaborative efforts between freelancers. You can join various groups, such as, photography, illustration, etc. There are job listings, project postings, and a section for meetups—everything a freelancer needs to feel at home inside a social network.

So, there you have it. Blellow is the newest social networking tool for freelancers and I quite like it. And, seeing as I can’t stop saying “Blellow,” I’m kind of like a walking advertisement.

Tags: Blellow, freelancing, illustration, professionals, social networking, startups, Twitter, Web Development

I don’t know about you guys, but when my mind is in overdrive, I can’t turn it off.

These days, I’ve been really busy about here; job hunting, website building, portfolio making, drupal learning, illustrating and blogging. When I go to bed at night, it doesn’t stop there. I continue to do these tasks in my dreams and this results in me waking up very unrested. And—on top of that—I feel very uneasy due to the fact that it has all just been a dream and I didn’t actually get anything done.

Does anyone have any advice on how to relax your mind after a busy day?

Tags: development, dreaming, dreams, drupal, graphic design, illustration, imagination, mental health, stalking, web

Tags: air, breezy, float, heavy, illustration, illustration friday, lady, light, umbrella

This is me in 1986. I was 6 years old.

I was part nerd, part tomboy but that didn’t stop my mother from putting barretts in my hair. I was a little girl who liked to play in the dirt and ride my bike but the world was just a big pastel ball of sick.

God, I’m glad the 80s are over.

Tags: 1986, 80s, acceptable, eighties, illustration, kid, me

Monsieur Baguette is just another delightful member of the bread family. He looks snooty but he is in fact very tasty.

Tags: baguette, bread, eiffel, france, french, illustration, paris, sunset, tower

Tags: bones, children, don't talk to strangers, humorous, illustration, skulls, strangers

A few months ago, a friend of mine, who works as a travel agent in Toronto was confronted by a city worker. Apparently she was in violation of a city bylaw. The bylaw states that shops and business should have a permit for their street signage. She laughed when he told her this, and with a serious look he responded, “People die. A kid died once”.

What would a permit do? Prevent deaths or pay for the funeral costs?

Tags: children, illustration, killer, monsters, placards, signage, street, Toronto, travel agency, walking

An unlikely pair. Emo and Emu: Takin’ back the streets.

Tags: cool, emo, emu, humor, illustration, kid, team, unlikely pair

I love bread!

People today are trying to reduce their intake of bread but not me. I bake a couple of loaves a week. Whether it’s store-bought frozen loaves or No Knead Bread, I’m never without it.

Remember to celebrate Valentine’s Day (and every other day) with those you love.

Tags: , bread, food, humor, illustration, love, No-Knead, Valentine's