Studio Notes: Mermaids & Mailers

Hi friends 💌

It’s been a busy little art week over here. I just finished designing new business cards, fresh, bright, and reimagined, and there is something wildly satisfying about seeing them printed at last. 

From sketchbook to shipping box ✨

One of my favorite drawings has officially taken on a new life. It has been transformed into a digital illustration and is now used for custom shipping boxes. This piece is especially dear to me, inspired by life in Venice and starring two very important muses: my mom and her dog Violet, lovingly reimagined as mermaids.

What started as a mural concept for my mom’s gate has now become something playful and unexpected, whimsical illustrated mailers that will soon hold gift bundles she curated for her friends.

There is something beautifully full-circle about helping my parents bring their creative visions to life, especially since they are the same people who once funded my childhood sketchbooks, paintbrushes, and endless art store wanderings.

Venice, my forever muse 🎨

Venice feels like a living canvas. Creativity here does not stay neatly within frames. It spills across gates, fences, garage doors, and flower pots. Every corner feels like a soft declaration of individuality, with mosaics, ocean waves, hand-tiled sunsets, and countless reinterpretations of the iconic Venice sign.

What I adore most is how this creativity becomes community. You can almost sense people’s personalities through their color choices, coral doors, painted surfboards leaning casually against fences, and tiny artworks tucked between succulents. It feels as if the entire neighborhood is co-creating one ever-evolving masterpiece.

That sense of playfulness, of art feeling both intentional and alive, continues to fuel my own experiments and reminds me why I create.

Looking ahead 🌙

I hope to add my own permanent mark to this visual landscape soon, starting with a mural on my gate.

With love and color,

Rosalie

 🎨www.instagram.com/rosaliearttt/

Studio Notes: Stickers & Serendipity

Hello again, friends 🌼

The past couple of weeks have been full of color, tiny surprises, and one very secret project. I just wrapped up a new painting commission, a surprise gift heading somewhere very special. I’ll share where it lands once it arrives ✈️✨

At the same time, I’ve been revisiting one of my oldest designs. It’s something I sketched back in 2021 while living in Shanghai. I originally drew it in the Sketchbook app (cute, spontaneous, but not exactly print-ready). This month, I brought it into Illustrator and gave it a full digital glow-up: crisp lines, refined colors, and all the details finally exactly where they should be.

The design was inspired by the Chinese food delivery app “饿了么？” (“Are you hungry?”). Imagine Uber Eats, but faster, warmer, and wonderfully chaotic. The little monsters in the artwork are characters I’ve been doodling for years — hungry, joyful, and a little unhinged in the sweetest way.

Soon, the updated design (with QR codes!) will be turned into stickers and sprinkled all over LA. I’m starting in Venice and letting my whimsy take me wherever it wants. If you spot one, tag me @rosaliegrubbart. I love watching where my creatures wander 🌀

A small moment of serendipity

Last weekend at the Venice Farmers Market, I wore one of my hand-drawn tote bags… and a vendor stopped me to ask where it was from. When I told him it was my own artwork, he asked if I’d illustrate tote bags for his company. We’re currently talking through details.

Moments like this make me love being an artist — these unexpected intersections of people, places, and imagination. My work is shaped by all the worlds I’ve lived in (Shanghai, Tel Aviv, North Carolina, LA), and getting to connect with people here in Venice feels like weaving another layer into those stories.

Little details in the new artwork

The sticker design carries tiny echoes of Shanghai: Chinese food, playful characters, and the cuteness culture.

The monsters themselves come from years of sketching. Late-night doodles, half-formed ideas, little friends who’ve waited patiently to be remade. And of course, Mooncake makes a cameo. She always finds her way in

I’ve also been spending more time in the digital realm lately — daydreaming, sketching, refining — so expect more colorful, chaotic characters to show up soon.

With love and color,

 Rosalie

 🎨 @Rosaliearttt

Doodles, Dinners, and Delicious Memories

Hello again, friends 🌼

This past month, I’ve been pouring my time (and a lot of love) into a new piece that I’ll be submitting to Blick’s Fall Pen & Ink Challenge. I wanted to create something that felt like a scrapbook, a tender little archive of my year — so I drew all of my favorite meals from 2024 and 2025.

On a long 9.5 x 24.5 inch sheet of white paper, I arranged everything in a grid and used Sharpies, Micron pens, and Prismacolor markers to build my own illustrated version of a cookbook page. It’s meticulous, colorful, a little chaotic, and full of memory. 

It took many hours and a lot of patience… but the process felt like reliving each meal. I found myself smiling remembering setting off the smoke detector multiple times, the laughter, and the little inventions along the way.

Some of the dishes included:banana cinnamon rolls · pesto pasta · lamb shakshuka · poke bowl · chicken noodle soup (with extra orange things when I was sick) · caprese · bibimbap · ratatouille · fondue · goat cheese alfredo with pear salad · salmon sashimi & avocado “cupcakes” · lox on sourdough · stir-fried chicken · banana crepes with bacon and peaches · black bean burgers with purple sweet potatoes · black bean tacos

It felt like honoring the year and who I shared it with through flavor. 💛

A favorite moment

My favorite dish of the year was easily the Salmon Sashimi & Avocado Sushi Cups.

Chandler and I buy sushi-grade salmon from the Venice Farmers Market, cook sushi rice, and shape seaweed into perfect little rounds that fit inside a cupcake tin. After a quick bake, we top them with salmon, avocado, furikake, and spicy mayo.

They are messy.They are delicious.They make you feel like life is good.

Little details in the artwork ✨

The top right corner of the piece is stamped with a tiny cat, a stamp Chandler gifted me which is a nod to Mooncake (月饼, Yue Bing), my constant studio companion and ever-present co-creator.

The bottom left corner holds a stamp carved in Chengdu, where I had my Chinese name seal made: 明丽 (Ming Li) — meaning “super bright.” I watched the seal being carved while eating hotpot and planning a visit to the pandas. It felt meaningful to include that memory here too.

I’m hoping to turn this drawing into a repeating wallpaper print soon. It will be something warm and whimsical to brighten any kitchen or dining nook. I’ll share updates when it’s ready 🌿

Recipe

Spicy Salmon & Avocado Sushi Cups 🍣🥑

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1/3 lb sushi-grade salmon, cubed

• 1 1/2 sheets sushi nori

• 1/2 cup sushi rice

• 2 tbsp Kewpie mayo

• 2 tsp sriracha (more or less to taste)

• 1 avocado, cubed

• Furikake (optional but recommended)

• Avocado oil spray

Instructions

1. Cook the rice: Rinse and cook rice as usual. Let it rest 15 minutes to get sticky.

2. Shape the nori: Cut nori into 6 circles. Spray a cupcake tin and press a circle into each well.

3. Fill: Spoon warm rice on top and gently press to form little “cups.” Sprinkle furikake.

4. Bake: Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes to crisp.

5. Mix toppings: Cube salmon & avocado. Stir mayo + sriracha to make spicy mayo.

6. Assemble: Top each rice cup with avocado, salmon, and a drizzle of spicy mayo. Add more furikake if you’re feeling fancy ✨

These are best eaten joyfully and a little messily.

With love and color, 

Rosalie 🎨

Website@rosaliegrubbart