The Premier Jewelry Lady

The Premier Jewelry Lady is an illustration that I made because my Fiance sells Premier Designs Jewelry. It's funny the way it came up: I went to a get-together that the girls have once a month and of course, I was one of the only guys there. They started doing introductions and it came around to me. Not expecting to be introduced, I just kind of sat there and didn't know what to say. That's when Clarice, the speaker for the evening, started talking about me for me. She told everyone that I was a painter and suggested that I painted a picture about Premier. I thought she was joking at first but then I thought about it and you know... that's not a bad idea. Sometimes I go with Nicole to these functions and jewelry parties to be supportive and it's really interesting to see these women get together: they play games, they have fashion tips, they show jewelry and it really is fun. It kind of makes me wish guys had sports parties or somthing where we sold sports gear and memorabilia and played games like hot dog eating contests while watching football highlights.

I did the picture because I'm glad Nicole joined this group. For one, it brings in a little extra money but also she enjoys it and the people that are involved are good people. I like seeing how excited the girls get at their once a month get-togethers and it's really interesting watching a group of women together looking at jewelry. It's a different world than what we see as guys and I thought that this picture should embody the joy that a girl has with this group along with the beauty that the addition of jewelry can add.

I completed this piece using Adobe Illustrator instead of painting. As a graphic designer, I always have this program open and the thing I like about it is that it's instant satisfaction. When I paint, I use layer on top of layer and it takes hours before the painting starts looking good. With Illustrator, I go piece by piece but instantly I start seeing it come together. There is no clean up time (which I do NOT enjoy with painting) and as a vector graphic, the look is very clean.

To see this step by step, check out the tips and tricks section of my blog.