Ceskin’s doodles are as inviting and playful as an amusement park. I want to spend a day inside them to wander amongst the happy faces and savor the eye candy.

Maybe it's sheer nostalgia for Tootsie Pop's wise Mr. Owl, but there's something so endearing and friendly about an illustrated owl. The real bird of prey, with its exorcist-head-swivel action, is admittedly kind of creepy; but for some reason, its drawn incarnations seem utterly playful and downright cordial. The above is courtesy of Kendra K.

Scroll though the extras for some more fun images, including my mom's vintage owl oven mitt, which I've lovingly confiscated.

Dorset, England's Heidi M is quite gracious. She's eager to share her process and what makes her "tingle and buzz with creativity." Take her up on the offer: peek into her sketchbook where she's developing characters for a new story, and take a gander at her hand-painted greeting cards, including one of Frida Kahlo. You’ll fancy Heidi’s
pencil-sketched watercolor portraits. They’re pretty and polite.

Israel is inspiring: the history and culture, the sand and sea, the light and grace. Bezalel, the Jerusalem-based Academy of Art & Design, has cultivated a bounty of talented and progressive artists across the disciplines. Because I’m aware of Bezalel’s reputation, I expect a certain caliber of work from its students. But I was, admittedly, sucker punched. Gabriella Barouch’s sketchbook is mature and elegant—the composition, the colors, the delicate patterns. There’s innate talent, and there’s training. Clearly Gabriella was blessed with both. Hard to believe she still has a year left of school.

Maybe it's just the wide eyes and ubiquitous instruments, but mcbess's drawings remind me of the melodic and precocious characters of the golden age of animation– the Steamboat Willie-ish vintage black-and-white cartoons of the late twenties and thirties. They're fun and flirty. Love them.