We’ve been sitting on this longer than we meant to. Today, in the quiet just after lunch, we finally pressed publish. Our first illustrated family portrait.
It’s tender in a way photographs sometimes miss—lines that feel like a steady hand, colors that hold warmth without shouting. Two of us, close the way we are in real life, and a certain dog who insists on being part of every frame. There’s a playful wink tucked inside, a nod to the worlds we grew up loving, the kind that still make us light up.
Our favorite Pokémon of Glaceon, Snorlax, Mewtwo, Chandelure, Galarian Articuno and of course Bulbasaur. We always thought Dyson had the energy of a Bulbasaur so he looks right at home.
Finally posting our first illustrated family portrait: all the best Zach & Angel
A quiet frame in black and white, the world simplified to light and shade. I hold the day at arm’s length and let it answer back with a face, a breath, proof that I was here. No big story—just the ordinary, shown as it is.
It’s just on an October afternoon. The air has that early-fall hush; even the pixels seem to exhale. When color steps aside, lines get honest. Grain gathers where chatter would be, and the small things have room to speak.
I think about how often we wait for the right moment and miss the real one. Today I take the real one. A small wave from the edge of a week, a pause long enough to listen, a reminder that presence can be enough.
Hello, from me to you. Be well. Be kind. Stand as you are. ️ ✌️
Spooky season tiptoed in today, quiet as a breeze, and suddenly there are three new faces on the lawn—white and weightless, caught between play and hush. My dad made each ghost standee by hand and I helped finish them off with a coat of paint and my sketched. This is a good way to use some leftover wood from projects that would be discarded or turned into firewood. We may add more thought out the year to have more seasonal touches.
There’s a kind of homemade magic in a simple decoration, the way it turns a familiar corner into a tiny stage. By dusk they will glow a little brighter with the help of a solar spot light.
Here are the sketches we made before we stated building the standees.
Six years is a long walk that somehow still feels like the first turn out of the door. Thought we have moved as many years as we’ve been married, the one thing that hasn’t changed is waking up to my best friend every day. My adventures keep becoming more exciting, detailed and creative and sharing them with Angel and our fur-babies is a blast! Here’s to another adventure right around the corner!
From A to Z, it’s the whole alphabet of a life: arrivals, allergies, afternoons; zeal, zero days, and the zinnias planted this spring! A to Z illustrations
We drove through the rolling hills to a neighboring latke. Keuka’s elbows of shoreline bent around us, green rising into tidy rows, sky rinsed clean after a week of heat.
At the tasting bar, glass met glass, a quiet bell. The clean design and attention to detail caused us look deeply at the room and again the wine.
On the ride back, the sun laid itself flat across the water, gold finding every ripple. As we drove back thought the hills the water faded and the fields reached out towards home.
Side quests like this are why maps never feel finished.
✈️ ☀️ This morning I sent the drone up over our property, just high enough for the familiar what I know to soften. The roof turns into a simple shape, the yard into a patch of green brushed with long shadows. From up there, the road is only a dusty ribbon and the day hasn’t hurried itself yet.
I watched the sun find edges—fence posts, a bit of garden, the corner of the porch where we set our boots. The cabin looks smaller from above, but somehow more itself, stitched into the larger pattern that holds us all. A bird cuts across the frame and the drone steadies, the whole morning breathing in and out.
When I bring it back down, the hum returns, the coffee cools a little, and the list for the day slides back into view. Still, the picture lingers: our home, quiet in the light, part of something wider.
Late July and the light feels unhurried. The kitchen is still, just the soft hiss from the pot and a slow breath of summer air through the screen. I wanted a light meal for lunch—something easy to carry the afternoon forward—and it came together without thinking: warm rice, a spoon of stewed vegetables, a few sharp coins of pickles.
The rice lifts steam like a small weather system. The stew settles into its own calm, tender and a little sweet. The pickles are bright, a quick green spark that wakes the tongue. Bite by bite, the plate becomes a rhythm—tang, comfort, warmth—simple notes that add up to enough.
Outside, the day lingers. 18:35 and the sun is still deciding what to do with the evening. I eat standing for a moment, then sit, and the room gets quieter. Funny how a small lunch can make space in a day, how a little bowl of rice steadies the hands.
Nothing fancy. Just a light meal that tastes like exactly now.
️ Holding the sleek new Nintendo Switch 2, I’m feeling that familiar rush of nostalgia mixed with excitement—it’s like greeting an old friend who’s had an amazing glow-up. Unlike those cozy winter days of my childhood spent gaming indoors while snow blanketed everything outside, summer’s warmth now invites new adventures and portable fun.
The Nintendo Switch 2 feels like a natural evolution of everything I loved about my first Switch. Memories of cozy winter afternoons gaming inside contrast pleasantly with my current vision of breezy summer evenings, playing games on the patio or at the beach. Nintendo has perfected the art of creating worlds that effortlessly pull you in, making any setting—hot or cold—the perfect escape.
With enhanced graphics and features, the Switch 2 promises immersive experiences that are brighter, more vibrant, and refreshingly lifelike. As the summer sun warms up my gaming sessions, this new console reminds me just how far we’ve come—and how exciting it is to imagine the many adventures awaiting.
Here’s to sunny days, cool nights, and endless gaming possibilities!
With years of experience working with illustrators at all levels, I wasn’t approaching this with uncertainty—I was curious. Could Fiverr provide a partner who’s not only affordable, but also a great match for my zamartz brand aesthetic and workflow? I decided to run a simple test: commission the same brief across four artists at different price points and see which one hit the mark.
Deliverables: One full-color illustration per artist, including sketches and feedback.
Formats Required: Procreate sketches, original Adobe Illustrator (.AI) files, and final .PNG images (1500w x 1000h pixels).
Delivery Method: Google Drive
Concept: Visual metaphor—multiple water slides converging into a single pool labeled “mSEO,” representing multi-channel SEO efforts.
Selecting the Artists:
I must have browsed over a hundred Fiverr profiles before narrowing it down to just four illustrators. My goal wasn’t just to find “good” artists—it was to discover ones whose portfolio styles could potentially align with the clean, modern, and strategic visual tone of my company.
To narrow it down, I looked for:
Previous illustration work that felt adaptable to branding, tech, or editorial themes
Average Rating and Number of Ratings, to ensure consistent delivery
Member Since date and Last Delivery, to gauge experience and recent activity
Average Response Time, which is crucial for collaboration
Fiverr also uses a seller level system, and some creators carry a Fiverr Pro badge—indicating they’ve been vetted by Fiverr’s internal team. While I didn’t exclusively choose Pro creators, I used these indicators to balance budget and reliability.
The final four represented a range of pricing tiers and artistic styles, from entry-level freelancers to established professionals. This allowed me to evaluate not just the final product—but the creative process, responsiveness, and brand alignment at each level.
The Illustrative Journey:
Each artist provided uniquely styled illustrations that showcased varying degrees of interpretation, execution, and brand alignment:
Level 1 delivered a clear and simple illustration suitable for a basic visual.
Level 2 provided more thoughtful detail and visual engagement.
Level 3 offered an artistically creative interpretation that captured more nuance and imagination.
Level 4, Agus Barriola, produced a highly detailed and professional illustration perfectly aligned with my creative vision and brand aesthetic, clearly surpassing expectations.
Agus Barriola’s work not only captured my vision but elevated it, confirming that the right artistic partnership can significantly enhance brand communication and visual storytelling.
LEVEL 1LEEVEL 2LEVEL 4
Insights and Takeaways:
Testing multiple illustrators was invaluable in clearly identifying who best matched my brand’s visual language.
Higher-priced artists offered superior communication, deeper understanding of brand nuances, and elevated creative results.
Investing in a premium artist like Agus Barriola ultimately proved worthwhile, providing visuals that truly resonated with my creative and brand vision.
This experiment reinforced the importance of exploring artistic options, clarifying brand aesthetics, and recognizing that great illustration is about more than just visuals—it’s about finding an artist who truly speaks your brand’s language.
Featured Illustrator:
Check out Agus Barriola’s Fiverr Profile—an exceptional talent delivering an Illustration that matched existing design direction and added their own creative flare.
Want to test Fiverr or Higher an Illustrator
Whether you’re building a brand, publishing content, or just need standout visuals, finding the right illustrator can make all the difference. I tested multiple artists on Fiverr at different price points—and learned a lot along the way. If you’re considering doing the same, here are a few quick answers to help you get started.
Q: What’s the best way to test illustrators from Fiverr?
A: Provide a clear brief and commission the same project across several artists at different price points. Compare based on alignment with your brand, communication, and creativity.
Q: Does price on Fiverr correlate to quality?
n my experiment, higher-priced artists tended to deliver more refined, brand-aligned results—but testing proved essential to finding the right fit.
Q: Who was the best illustrator in this test?
A: Agus Barriola stood out at the $150 price point, delivering a polished, highly brand-consistent final product.
☕️ As I sat with a steaming cup of freshly brewed tea, the day unfolded in a way that only a quiet moment with nature and local delights could inspire. The rich aroma of the tea leaf danced in the air, a soothing melody calming the afternoon’s whispers. With each sip, I was drawn closer to the essence of the earth, feeling a profound connection to the very roots this drink originated from. [Seneca Breakfast Blend]
This particular afternoon, I savored not just the tea itself but a symphony of textures and flavors that told a story beyond the cup. The hint of honey, harvested from the hives nestled nearby, added a golden touch, a sweet nod to the industrious bees that worked tirelessly to create this liquid sunbeam. There’s something humbling and wonderfully simple about using honey that’s procured just miles from where I sat. It makes the experience feel more intimate, more authentic, a reminder of the delicate yet robust tapestries that thread through our local ecosystems.
Reflecting on this peaceful interlude, I found myself smiling—not just from the tea but from the comforting knowledge that these small joys root us more securely to our surroundings. The afternoon light seemed to agree, casting its warm hues over this harmonious tapestry of flavors. Satisfying and sophisticated, this
The soothing hum of bees and the golden sheen of honey – there’s something magical about these tiny artisans of nature. Today, I stumbled upon an almost poetic moment, much like an elegant dance of nature’s finest collaborators. I can’t help but reminisce about childhood days when finding a hidden beehive was like discovering a treasure trove. The sweetness of freshly harvested honey is a symphony that only nature can compose, notes of sun-kissed flowers and gentle buzzing wrapped into a golden drizzle.
Can you bee-lieve the divine taste of this local honey? It’s like a reminder that simple pleasures are often the sweetest. The bees work hard, all through sunlit days, crafting every drop with care. In their tiny world, nothing is hurried, and each moment feels intentionally crafted. I hold this jar as if it were a piece of art, each spoonful a masterpiece.
As I indulge in this honeyed delight, memories flood back, bringing warmth and comfort akin to visiting a cherished place. The bees, those industrious little artists, remind me of the intricate balance and harmony found in the natural world.
In the hustle of modern life, these moments – captured by nature’s brilliance and encased in amber sweetness – offer a
❄️
The heart of winter casts a blue-tinted glow over the landscape. This image, with its cool, frosty allure, brings forth a palette of icy blues and whites, capturing the serene yet chilling essence of the season. As we embrace the cold, we find ourselves entranced by the simple beauty that surrounds us—the kind only winter can compose.
The air is crisp, each breath visible like the fog rolling over a frozen pond. There’s a peace in the stillness, a silence so deep it punctuates the busy rush of daily life. The ice, though cold, offers a gentle reminder of nature’s artistry, crafting unique patterns only it can create. It’s as if winter has lovingly painted the earth with its own brand of ephemeral magic.
Standing here, one can’t help but feel the connection to the world in its most quiet form. This winter, despite its chill, has been a reminder of the undeniable charm that the frozen season can hold. The ice was indeed nice—an exquisite showcase of wintry wonders, telling a story of resilience and quiet beauty.
But beneath the cold exterior, the seasonal chill carries a warmth of its own—a moment of pause to reflect and appreciate that which often goes unnoticed. In the embrace of winter’s
