Shedding Some Light on the New Year

2010 was a rough year for many of us and I for one am really looking forward to 2011 and the chance to start fresh!

The New Year brings with it for me opportunities to design new products and work with new partners.

I’m working hard finishing up my next two books and my Bedding modules for Studio.

I plan to spend more quality time with my kids and my terrific husband.

I resolve to get more exercise, keep up my healthy eating and try to age gracefully for another year.

I plan to really try to enjoy every day to its fullest and not dwell on negativity.

I hope you all find your key to happiness and joy in 2011! CHEERS `:)’

* Lampshade slipcover images from The Design Directory of Slipcovers (available Spring 2012)

copyright 2010 Jackie Von Tobel

Read More

Book Giveaway ~ And The Winners Are..................

Paris Hotel Boutique

Thanks to everyone who enter the giveaway - I wish I had enough free books for everyone!

The three winners are:

#11 ~ Tonya Strong
#20 ~ Donna Cash
#56 ~ Shelia

Congratulations winners ~ Please email me at: jackie_vontobel@msn.com with your mailing address and I will send your new copy of The Design Directory of Bedding to you .

numbers generated on www.random.org

Read More

Unsung Heros - Thanks a Zillion

When I travel and meet with people who have my books it is such a thrill for me to hear how much they have enjoyed them and how they are making their jobs a bit easier. I always think about all of the work that goes into writing a book and what it takes to bring it to market.

My Fabulous Editor - Madge Baird

When you first decide to write a book, especially one that is going to end up being almost 600 pages with thousands of illustrations, charts, graphs, etc, you really have no idea how much work it is going to require. You also don't know that it would be an impossible goal to achieve without the help of a very talented and hard working team of people who actually know what they are doing to help you along the way. My main miracle worker at Gibbs Smith Publisher is my editor Madge Baird.
Yes, her name is Madge - isn't that perfect?!! If you looked up the word editor in an encyclopedia I think you would find her picture. I love telling people that my editors' name is Madge - it sounds so literary! She is an amazing women who has put together my two books so beautifully from the raw (sometimes very raw) materials that I have given her. I am so excited for you to see what she has done with the Bedding book - it's fabulous. Anyway, thank you Madge from the bottom of my heart for making my dreams come true. I hope we can create more beautiful books together soon.

The Adorable Melissa Dymock

My next hero is Melissa Dymock, she's the one holding the "We Work for Books" bag! She has the unpleasant task of keeping all of my illustrations and other content for the book in order. This is no small task. For each book there are about 2600 drawings, half in color, half in black and white. They have to be number separately for the manuscript and then re-numbered for the CD-Rom. She is the poor soul that has to hound me to find or re-draw missing images that I swear I had included but of course I have not! I don't envy her task because it drives me crazy doing it on my end and I think I know where everything is. For her it must be like putting together a giant jigsaw puzzle. Thanks Melissa! I'll be mailing that surprise I promised you soon...

I also appreciate the support and encouragement I have received from Suzanne Taylor and Christopher Robbins, two of the big wigs at GS. I think they took quite a chance on me in the beginning as my book was definitely not the norm for them. It had no beautiful glossy photographs or fancy prose. Just hundreds of drawings of window treatments. I am so thankful that they had the vision to see that there just might be something there.

There are many others at Gibbs Smith whom I have never met that contribute to putting my books together and I would like them all to know how grateful I am.

Writing and illustrating my books has been such a fabulous experience for me and it has opened so many doors and allowed me to meet so many wonderful people that I would never have encountered without it.

If you have a dream - don't be afraid to follow it - it could just lead you into a whole new world full of fun.........

Read More

Creating Covers

I've been working day & night on two new book covers. First, my new book, The Design Directory of Bedding. Above is the fabric that won the cover contest featured here. I think it will be a good backdrop to my illustrations.

Designing book covers is much harder than it looks especially for someone like me who has no clue what they are doing. I have a book designer that I work with that is provided for me by my publisher. She does all of the fine tuning and interior layout etc. But I still have to draw the color illustration and find the cover fabric. So here is the process.

First, I decide what design I think would be appropriate for the cover. I try to find one that is not too traditional but also not too modern. It needs to appeal to the most common denominator. Enter the design shown above..


Then I add fabric and texture and color the illustration.



Then I decide I don't like it and that it needs brighter color and a table with a lamp...so I redraw it.



Then I try it out on a mock up of the cover.


Then I decide that I hate it and I start over.

I redraw it again with more traditional fabrics and more texture so I can use more color.



Then I find color inspiration from Designers Guild - gorgeous!

Then I do a messy color test to see which colors will go where and if I like it.


Then I color the final drawing.



I think I like it, so I try it out on another mock up of the cover.

Now it goes off to my editor for approval or another re-do.



Cover number two is for the new book I am writing with Minutes Matter. It's a marketing book for the interior design industry which will be released early next year ( more to come on this later) . Luckily one of my partners at MM, Casey Green is a super talented graphic artist and an extraordinary business women. She is doing all of the designing I just give her my input.


Cover # 1 fit their current branded image.




Cover #2 Added more color



Cover #7 is the winner.

You'd never know how much work goes into creative efforts that is never seen. I have hundreds of drawings and mock covers that will never see the light of day (probably for the best). It makes me wonder how many really great artists threw away masterpieces because they didn't like the finished product. I'd love to see go dumpster diving over at Picaso's or Monet's place.

Read More

Which Blue Will Do?

Ok my bloggers, I need help!!! I'm trying to decide which Robert Allen fabric to use as the background on the cover of my new book. I've narrowed it down to eight choices all in various shades of blue. ( Yes, I know they are sort of boring but the idea is to be classic and timeless and to not detract from the illustrations and look similar to the first book - Ugh) The illustrations and graphics on these mock ups will be changed so this is not the final cover design. I will draw a main image that will coordinate and contrast with the background once it is selected.

Please, please, please, comment and give me your opinions, which one do you like?

Choice #1

Choice #2

Choice #3

Choice #4

Choice #5

Choice #6

Choice #7

Choice #8

Here is a side by side comparison.

Thanks for your help................

Read More

Test Your Color IQ

My husband is on a roll and sent me this fun site that tests your color IQ. It's harder than it looks! ( I posted a perfect score - Yes!!!!)

In honor of color here are a few of the more vivid illustrations from the new book. Enjoy!

Read More

Bedding - A Meaningful Perspective

After spending a full year designing and drawing luxury bedding I was taken aback by the pictures of this unbelievable bedding that my handsome husband emailed to me. It certainly puts the subject of bedding in a new light. While we look for beautiful ways to adorn our bed chambers there are many in the world with no place to sleep at all.


This duvet cover and pillow cases are designed to look like flattened cardboard boxes. A staple design element for those living on the street. It is part of Le Clochard Quilt Cover Project by SZN. The project hopes to assist young homeless people in The Netherlands by providing temporary housing and continuing education. Duvet Cover - $73 - $117, Pillow Cases - $22

Read More

Pop the Cork - I'm Done !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hallelujah and Hazah! After an entire year of drawing and coloring illustrations 24/7 for the new book I have just finished coloring the last picture! I can't tell you what a momentous occasion this is for me. These books are so time consuming that each project literally takes over every waking hour of my life. Now don't get me wrong - I enjoy doing it and I am passionate about the subject matter but anything can get old when you're doing it every day!

All that's left to do now is to pack up my original illustrations and ship them off to the publisher tomorrow to be scanned. This is the really scary part because if "god forbid", "knock on wood", etc. something should happen to them in transit there is no back-up! So please send out your kind thoughts and prayers to the mail god''s for their safe journey.



If you've ever wondered what it takes to put together a massive 585 page illustrated book, here is a glimpse. The camera does not do these binders justice as they are 5 inches wide and weigh about 10 pounds each!

There is one binder that contains all of my original, black and white line drawings. A second binder contains all of my original color illustrations and a third that holds the printed manuscript which is essentially a rough layout of the book with text and illustrations combined.



In all it's about thirty pounds of book! This will eventually condense down to the six pound, hard cover, finished product. I still have six months ahead of me working with my wonderful editor Madge (yes, that is her real name) and the book designer to finalize the layout and text so I'm not truly "finished" but the hard part is behind me.

I can't wait to be able to show all of you the finished book when it rolls of the presses next fall. I think it is better than the first one!

I was planning on slugging back a few champagne cocktails in celebration when I finished but my handsome husband is out of town, my darling daughter is off at college and my sweet sister just left for the beach. So it's just me and the dogs. Maybe I'll just get them drunk!

Read More

Bedding Book - Sneek Peak

I'm working like a dog on my new bedding book and it's finally coming together. Writing and illustrating books like this is a herculean task to say the least with thousands of images and thousands more hours of research and drawing. I constantly wonder what I am trying to prove while I am coloring renderings of bed skirts at 2:00 in the morning! The drawings in this book are much more detailed and complicated than my window treatments book and they each take quite a bit more time to complete. Here is a sneak peak of some of the finished renderings. Hope you like them!





Have a Great Weekend.............................................

Read More

Sneak Peak - Bedding

I've been working 16 hours a day on my bedding book and it is starting to take shape. It's due to be submitted to my publisher, Gibbs Smith in September. Here are a few sample drawings in black and white.







The next step is to color all 1500 illustrations!!!!!! So far, my hands are still functioning and my wrist tendonitus in my left arm is okay. I hope I can stay in working order until I finish. Drawing this many illustrations really takes a toll on you!

************************************************************************************

My beautiful daughter Angelica is graduating from high school tomorrow so I will not be posting until next week. Have a great weekend.



Geli with her BFF's before a school dance.


At her 18th birthday dinner in New York in October.

Love you Geli

Read More