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Welcome to
Visual Design Associates
www.lettersource.com
Artwork
and Calligraphy Designs
by Eileen Slifer
Sunstrom and Friends
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Greetings! My name is
Eileen Slifer Sunstrom and I thank you
for your interest in my work and
that of my associates.
We offer a wide variety of
professional artwork products
and services, with something
unique and interesting for every
occasion!
Most of the work on this site is
done by myself, however, I do
feature some work by others whom
I am in close artistic
association with. You can
be certain that commissioned
work, services at events and
products ordered will be top
quality and our interaction with
you will be professional.
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(Above)
Title:
Nicole Feeding Chestnut Horse
18 x
24 inch Watercolor Portrait |
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How to
Navigate My Site
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| To the left is a main link list of
what we offer, to the right are
my related product links
(these change depending on the
page you are on because they are
related in some way to what
initially interested you) and below is my
personal artist's blog which I
periodically update with my
recent activities or various
reflections.
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| Happy Browsing! |
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March 25, 2013
| Over the past couple weeks I've been working on a
five-person family portrait in watercolor!
I took my time and thoroughly enjoyed working on it, posting
progress of it in stages on my
Facebook Page. I am always learning new
techniques with each new commission. To
see the larger view of this work please
Click Here
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March 8, 2013
To the right is a custom
designed wedding invitation I recently completed with the
them of love birds and an empty cage.
Please visit my
new page showing other examples of custom designed
invitations and general pricing.
Custom Designed Invitations |
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January 7, 2013
New Year's Greetings!
2012 held a lot of changes with my relocation to Alabama, I
am looking forward to a new year more settled!
We had a wonderful two week visit at Christmas in Delaware
with family and friends.
To the right is a Five
Generation Family Portrait I did for a Christmas gift to my
father-in-law. Below that is a recent portrait
of a Japanese couple...he is one of my husband's co-workers
who has been assigned in Alabama for a year. He
will return to Japan and his wife this week! It
is a going away gift. |
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November 20, 2012
| To the right is a
calligraphy project recently finished for Corpus Christi
Catholic Church in Bonita, CA. The pieces
are 22 x 30 inches and feature gold ink/illuminated
lettering and accents. They are two songs
in Latin by Thomas Aquinas. Click to see larger
view. |
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November 13, 2012
To the right is a dog
portrait I recently finished of Bella. The
client was very pleased with the way I captured her sad,
Beagle eyes of the soul!
Click Here to See More
Pet Portraits |
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September 29, 2012
| Had a wonderful day at the Grease Festival
in Athens, Alabama! Here are some of the caricatures
that were drawn. The festival celebrates the
southern tradition of deep fried foods, this was their first
year. There were great bands on stage all
day long and into the evening. Looking forward
to this event again, great people...great atmosphere...good
food! |
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September 15, 2012
On Saturday I did the Depot Days
Festival in Hartselle, Alabama. Lots of fun
caricature drawing and face painting! Here are
some of the kids and adults that came by!
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September 1, 2012
| Joe and I got to spend
several days in Delaware over Labor Weekend, it was nice to
visit his family and my kids! Here we are
at Woody's in North East, Maryland. |
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August 28, 2012
On Saturday I did the Crape Myrtle Festival in Ardmore,
TN. It was a nice day with caricature and face
painting fun for the kids! Here are some
of the kids (and one adult!) which I drew at the festival.
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August 3, 2012
| This past week, after
over 53 hours into this, I finally completed my "Alabama
Jubilee" painting! The original is for sale at
Kathleen's Frame Shop in Decatur, AL, and prints are
available
here. |
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July 3, 2012
This past week one of my
projects was to custom design a wedding invitation for a set
of twins getting married on the beach. I
hand-painted the beach background and the calligraphy title,
and then finished the other calligraphy by computer to allow
for alterations. This beach background is
now available for use in other computerized pieces.
If you have an idea in my for custom calligraphy please
email me at
eileensunstrom@lettersource.com
I'd love to talk
with you more about your project! |
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June 21, 2012
With thanks to one of my customers who
suggested the content and some of the design for this new
personalized artwork "Five C's with Christ in the Middle"!
Click Here to See Up Close |
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May 16, 2012
May 4, 2012
This past week I hand calligraphied Joe and
I's wedding vows. The theme of our wedding was
Hope and we used a lot of rainbows on our accessories such
as programs, invitations, placecards, etc. so
this hand artwork was in keeping with that theme!
Here is a link you can zoom in close to read the vows. |
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April 18, 2012
| I can't believe it's been four months since
I've updated this blog! So much has been
happening which has taken my attention away....I got
re-married in a little chapel down here on February 1 and
fully relocated to Alabama in early March! Now
we are headed to DE this weekend for our offical "church
wedding" and reception---looking forward to seeing all our
friends and family. This past weekend I
did my first festival here, the Alabama Chicken and Egg
Festival in Moulton, AL. Below are lots of
photos I took of the kids I face painted and drew
caricatures for! Enjoy! |
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December 12, 2011
Here is a piece I just
finished which features the "28 Rules of Ranging" from Major
Robert Rogers, 1757. It was commissioned by a
client who has served in Afghanistan, and he wanted his
current weapon and a Towner Brown Bess Rifle leaning against
the oak tree with the 75th Ranger shield carved into the
tree. There is also a falling leaf to symbolize
the fallen.
Click Here to
Read Rules Using Your Zoom Tool |
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November 14, 2011
This past weekend I did
a Live Event Painting
of the first dance at a wedding reception held at the Ware
Center of Millersville College in Lancaster.
You can see the end result on the right!
I am
available to do live event paintings at weddings and other
occasions and will travel to accomodate your needs. |
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November 7, 2011
To the right is a house
portrait recently finished! Painting the water
and reflections in the lake was quite a challenge.
This house is in Colorado.
For more on house
portraits |
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October 24, 2011
To the right is a custom
calligraphy poem with an illustration which I did this past
week. The poem was written by my client
for her mother, telling about her memories of her mom
knitting her sweaters.
If you have a special poem you
have written, please contact me for an estimate to have it
calligraphed!
This past Saturday I also had two
caricature jobs at the University of Delaware:
Art Under the Stars (festivities for students) and another
student event at Studio Green Apartments.
It was a nice brisk day, still warm enough to work outside
but signs of autumn in the air! |
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October 10, 2011
Cranking out more artwork this
week! To the right is another Live Event Painting, and
below is a sepia portrait done from an old photo.
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October 3, 2011
To the right are two
wedding invitations which I painted flowers on and framed
for a client this past week.
Painting flowers on
wedding invitations, or other designs and pictures, makes a
beautiful wedding keepsake gift for the bride and groom.
Please contact for more information and pricing! |
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September 26, 2011
This past week I did a
painting based on a photograph of a young boy after a
hunting trip with his grandfather, showing his first deer!
The young man is now in his late 20's and his
grandfather has passed, so this is a special painting that
was commissioned by his wife. It will hang between two
deerheads, one from a recent hunt and the one from the trip
with the grandfather.
I always feel priveleged to be
a part of creating artwork which will be cherished and which
evokes special memories. |
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September 19, 2011
New!!! This
past Saturday evening I did my first "Wedding Reception
Event Painting" at the Deerfield Country Club in Newark,
Delaware. This is something I hope to do more of
in the future.
The 18 x 24 inch painting was done
with acrylic on canvas and took 4 hours to complete.
Please Read for more
details! |
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September 12, 2011
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Here are two caricatures I
finished recently for a retirement and for a tenure gift for
two University of Delaware professors. On the left is
Dr. James A. Hawk, Ph.D.,
Professor Department of Plant and Soil Sciences;
and below is Dr. Janine Sherrier, Ph.D., Professor
Department of Plant and Soil Sciences.
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September 5, 2011
On Saturday Sept. 3 I was set up at
the 104th annual Arden Fair....business was great and it was
a beautiful day with rain that held off! As
always it was a fun family event. Here are some
of the caricatures done!
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August 29, 2011
August 22, 2011
One of my projects this
past week was a custom designed wedding program with
caricatures of the bride, groom and entire wedding party.
Back in June, I came to the the bride's home for a
caricature party, in which I drew all the people who would
be included in the program.
Later, I
scanned and set up the program for printing. I
am providing quality printing and folding services on this
project as well.
Click Here to See the Inside of Program |
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August 15, 2011
| This past week I completed a HUGE
36" x 48" Family Tree Project! The piece was
designed with chart-style geneology, and the family crest,
family banner/tartan were added in, along with fall oak
leaves and acorns. The project was done
partially by hand and all the elements were brought together
on the computer. The artwork will be printed a a
large poster for framing. Please click image to
enlarge, or read more about
Custom
Family Trees. |
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August 8, 2011
It was a hot, hot day at this year's Peach
Festival in Wyoming, DE on this past Saturday August 6.
Drew about 10 caricatures and painted LOTS of faces!!
This week finds me very busy, with a large Family Tree
project, a possible portrait needed by next week, placecards
for a wedding, and a studio gift caricature!
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August 1, 2011
To the right is a pencil
portrait I did today of my two cats snuggling together on
the rug!
It's been quite awhile since
I've worked in pencil and wanted to give it a try.
It was relaxing in some respects!
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July 25, 2011
Got a request this past
week for some decorative painting of roses on a trash can!
Continuing to keep busy with calligraphy and bridal
bouquet preservation during this wedding season. |
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July 18, 2011
This past week I did a
studio caricature for a retirement party.
Known for
his messy desk, his work colleagues gave me suggestions!
See more on
studio caricatures |
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July 11, 2011
This past week I added a new service to my
website....painting portraits on Christmas balls.
Check it out!
Portrait balls are down toward the bottom of the linked
page.
These make great gifts for baby's first
Christmas, and commemoration of weddings and graduations.
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July 4, 2011
Happy 4th of July!
This week I worked on a
sepia watercolor portrait of a baby and proud parents!
Everyone was pleased with the result, which was beautifully
framed and ready for gift-giving. Click hyperlink to
view more of my children's portraits.
If you have the
perfect photo to paint from, please email me for a custom
quotation....I would be happy to discuss your project with
you:) |
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June 27, 2011
| I recently completed a
unique calligraphy baby gift (shown on right, click to
enlarge). The baby's grandmother compiled
a series of pieces of email prayers and well wishes for the
baby, and I arranged these to print out and be used as the
matting around the photograph of the child. |
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June 20, 2011
Been working on a
variety of projects this week....I continue to stay busy
with Bridal Bouquet Preservation! (see right)
I
love flowers and it is exciting to me to see how each piece
uniquely comes together by the end of the process.
I think my favorite colors of dried flowers are bright
yellows, purple and magenta... |
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June 13, 2011
It's been a busy several
weeks with new projects getting added to my list almost
daily!
Recently I completed a watercolor portrait of
a boy walking his yellow lab dog through the woods.
This was a graduation gift commissioned by the family of
Thomas Mahoney, who is our minister's son. He
graduated high school this June from Towle Institute, a
homeschooling institute in Delaware.
Thomas plans to join the Air Force. See painting on
top right.
I also completed a caricature for Carol
Houck, a realtor with Patterson Schwartz in Newark,
Delaware. She plans to put it on her business
card, flyers and website. That will certainly add some
fun to her promotions!
This week I have a portrait to
work on, a wedding bouquet preservation, a three hour
caricature job, a sign post to paint, web design work and
some calligraphy. I am so thankful for the variety my
job presents me with each week! |
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June 6, 2011
On Saturday afternoon I face painted at an Anti-Violence
Rally held in Brown Burton Winchester Park in Wilmington,
Delaware. The park is located on 26th Street
between Locust and Pine Streets. The event is
sponsored by The Navagation Program, a group dedicated to
positive youth development and education mentoring for
students and athletes. The event is held
annually on the first weekend in June.
There were
speakers throughout the afternoon, dance and other
performances by local youth, a moon bounce and free hot dogs
and hamburgers. I would estimate about 300 people
showed up. A fun time was had by all and the weather
also cooperated!
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May 30, 2011
| Enjoying a relaxing Memorial Day today with
my family. Called to thank my Uncle Bill for his
service to our country. In 2006 I illustrated a
story about my Uncle Bill in the book
"The Model Maker: A World
War II Veteran's Story." It is
a children's history book which tells about my Uncle's hobby
of making WWII model airplanes out of clothespins and
popsicle sticks, and about his experience in the Battle of
the Bulge. My Uncle turns 90 years old this
June. |
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May 23, 2011
On Saturday I
was at Kent Island Days 2011 Festival in
Stevensville, Maryland. As usual the
event had a nice family-oriented and relaxed feel, a
perfect way to spend a day....and perfect weather
too! I was set up in the park next to
the stage where I could also enjoy the ballet
dancers and band entertainment, with a good view on
the parade as well.
I kept busy all day
drawing caricatures, mostly of kids but a couple of
teens got in on the fun too (see right)! Below
are four other pictures from throughout the day. |
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May 16, 2011
| Well today is my birthday:)
Had a good day....slept late, worked...then Joe took me to
The Cheesecake Factory and had a delicious dinner sure to
shorten my life:) Shrimp and veggies over pasta and Wild
blueberry cheesecake with white chocolate mouse. Ha
ha...calories...cholesterol...all that makes living and eating worthwhile! |
May 9, 2011
This past week I've been
working on a customized Family Tree for a 50th Anniversary
Gift, the second one of these in the past month!
Being married for fifty years is quite a milestone in a
couple's life and family. What a joyous time of
celebration in bringing together children, grandchildren and
even the fourth generation! I hope this special
couple will be delighted with the personalized artwork their
family has commissioned.
I offer the Family Tree
Design shown to the right as well as another Celtic Tree of
Life Version.
For more details on ordering this
Click Here |
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May 2, 2011
This past Saturday,
April 30, 2011, I once again had a spot at the Annual Bug
and Bud Festival in Milford, Delaware. This
family-friendly event celebrates the Delaware State Bug (the
Lady Bug) and the State Flower (the Peach Blossom).
It was a chilly and windy day this year. I was down
along the river walk...I enjoyed watching people go down the
river on Ladybug Paddleboats throughout the day!
I did a lot of face painting and some caricatures. I
also had my artwork prints and other items on display and
sold a handful of things:)
After the festival was
over, we went into Rehoboth Beach for the evening.
Walking along the beach and boardwalk and eating a Nicoboli
was a fun way to end the day! We were quite
"tuckered out" by the time we returned home, since we had
left at 6:15 Saturday morning!!
I really enjoy the
community atmosphere of the Bug and Bud Festival.
People are relaxed and out to celebrate spring! |
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April 25, 2011
Recently I completed a
project for our church (Newark Church of Christ, Newark,
Delaware) in preparations for our Jubilee 50th Anniversary
Celebration coming up in June. Many in our
congregation have been working hard to make various
long-overdue improvements in the asthetics of our building.
The smell of paint is in the air!! :)
The mural is called "The Lost Sheep" and depicts a
heavenly-lit sheep pasture with the flock grazing by a
stream. In the far left distance (hard to see in
3rd picture because of the lighting in the corner, is Jesus,
the Shepherd, returning carrying a lost lamb on His
shoulders.
I was inspired by the verse which says
"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one
of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on
the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off."
Matthew 18:12
I was also inspired by this verse
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down
his life for the sheep." John 10:11 |
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April 18, 2011
This past week I had the pleasure of creating my first
bridal bouquet preservation of this year! This
one was also the first cascading bouquet I have done and I
framed it in a proportionally longer frame, so it is a
little different from my previous orders.
I love
wedding season, which is from about March through October.
I get to meet wonderful young couples (and sometimes older
too!) planning weddings and starting the journey of married
life. They often find that I have multiple items of interest for their wedding.
Last year the number of bouquet preservations I did seemed to increase,
however the number of calligraphy invitation addressing
orders seemed to decrease. I strongly believe the
decrease in that is due to our very difficult economy.
However, brides are still choosing to preserve their flowers
as a remembrance for their once-in-a-lifetime event.
So I am thankful that seems to be recession proof:)
I am hoping to see some positive changes in this year, I
know all of us as a nation are feeling the effects of our
economy. It is times like this we need to make
an extra effort to be thankful for all we do have and the
little blessings and joys of life! |
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