"Here's a paper and pen - now draw"

I grew up with four other siblings in a tiny home.  My parents did not have a lot of money.  It was expensive to always buy toys for five kids, so my mom would resort to giving us pens and papers and told us to draw.  At the time, I may have wanted the newest Barbie doll, but as I look back now, I am glad my mom did what she did.  It allowed each of us to develop a creativity that we express either personally or publicly.  

Not to toot our own horn, but my family has a bunch of creative cats. 

My sister, Jessica, has a wonderful Etsy shop called Rock Paper Tekla. She created these quirky, yet beautiful paper dolls that were inspired by Mermaids. Her shop has expanded to include other original dolls, like the one below inspired by my mother.  The face is my mom at a younger age and the style is what I call "Day of the Dead" meets "Mary Poppins." Definitely one of my favorites.

Jessica also started her own blog, The Doily Duck, where she muses about a variety of topics. It's a good read so check it out (okay that was a plug, so maybe she can plug me on her blog - nepotism at it's finest). 

My brother, Oliver, is the only one in our family who has turned his drawing abilities into a career. He is a talented graphic designer who has worked for Jelly Belly, Upper Deck and now The San Diego Padres. One of my favorite drawings he did was when he was sixteen years old.  He created super heroes inspired by me, our sister Charmaine and her boyfriend (now husband) Jeff. I was called "The Rose" (not the most original name, but what super hero has an original name? Come on, the man dressed as a bat was called "The Batman"!) and Charmaine and Jeff were my gay sidekicks (way before Ace and Gary on SNL). My powers were my strong odor that could defeat the enemies with one swift sniff! (let's remember my bro was sixteen when he created this and was slowly learning the fine art of backhanded compliments).  

In a galaxy far far away, I had a graphic t-shirt business with two of my sisters, Jessica and Charmaine. The business is no longer with us (god rest it's creative soul).  But remnants of it can still be found in the safe confines of my backup hard drive. Our business was called ThreeSweetYams (our logo was pink and the "three" was for the three of us, the "sweet" because we catered to women and babies, and "yams" was a shorten version of our last name - Yambao). We each had a line that showcased our own style of design. 

(Jessica's Pisces in her Horoscope Line)

(Charmaine's Year of the Pig in her Fortune Cookie Line)

(My "May I Kiss You?" in my Vintage Ladies Line)

Maybe one day we can resurrect these designs in a different format.  I wouldn't mind creating prints out of them.  Some of the best art in my home are personal.

My other sister, Stephanie, may not have shown the inclination to draw, but I believe it is a power deep inside of her that will one day rise above! (sorry, still thinking about those super heroes). I saw a shark doodle she once did for my son and you know what? It ain't that bad!

I'm hoping our kids pick up some of our 'mad skillz.' Until then watch and learn young ones...watch and learn.

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