A New Illustrative Selfie

{Oil on Paper, 2014}

I spent the last few nights doing a new self portrait for my blog, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages. Let me know what you think!

Small Painting

{Oil on Board, 2012}

I decided to do a mini painting of part of the drawing from my previous post. I liked the connection between the little girl and the cat. I changed the facial features of the little girl; something a little sweeter and less cartoon-like. This little painting, that measures about 3"x5.5", is going to be used for my new business card. I ordered them from Got Print (my first time using them) and I will share them when they arrive!

Chicken Licken for Competition

{Oil on Board, 2011}
*Click on image to view larger*

Chicken Licken excerpt by P.C. Asbjörnsen

So they went along and went along until they met Turkey Lurkey
“Good morning, Goosey Loosey, Ducky Daddles, Cocky Locky, Henny Penny,
and Chicken Licken,” said Turkey Lurkey, “where are you going?”
“Oh, Turkey Lurkey, the sky is falling and we are going to tell the King!”
“How do you know the sky is falling?” asked Turkey Lurkey.
“Ducky Daddles told me,” said Goosey Loosey.
“Cocky Locky told me,” said Ducky Daddles.
“Henny Penny told me,” said Cocky Locky.
“Chicken Licken told me,” said Henny Penny
“I saw it with my own eyes, I heard it with my own ears,
and a piece of it fell on my tail!” said Chicken Licken.
“Then I will go with you,” said Turkey Lurkey, “and we will tell the King!”

I decided to try my hand at the SCBWI illustration challenge that was initiated by illustrator Tomie dePaola. Regardless of the results, I am really glad I participated because I think I ended up with a nice new portfolio piece. The above text is the excerpt that participants were given to inspire an image. Best of luck to all of my fellow participants! It will be fun to see who Tomie picks!

Illustration Friday - Scattered

{Oil on Board, 2011}

This is a small part of a larger illustration that I have been working on. I started it quite a while ago and am now chipping away at finishing it. I thought it worked well for scattered, since thats what animals tend to do when startled. I still have quite a bit of work to do, but I don't think it will be done by the time the week is up, so I figured I would post what I have.

Preview "Santa's Secret Story"

{Screenshot of Preview, 2011}

Click to view larger.

My second children's book is available for preview here on Issue.com. The release date is September 1st and it will be available from Amazon and Pauline Books and Media.

Look Inside "The Twelve Days of Christmas--In Texas, That Is"!

{Title Page, "The Twelve Days of Christmas-- In Texas, That Is", 2011}

You can now opt to "Look Inside" my new book on Amazon. I like being able to look at a few sample pages of a book so I can get a better feel for what the world inside that story will look like. What are you waiting for? Go check it out!

SCBWI Wisconsin Illustrator's Intensive

{Oil on Board, 2011}

This past weekend I headed up to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for an illustrator's intensive with Simon & Schuster art director Laurent Linn. When I signed up for the program, it came with an assignment. Participants were given two stories to choose from and each person had to choose a scene to illustrate. We sent sketches to Laurent a few months prior to the event and he responded with comments to make it better. This is the sketch I initially sent to him:{Sketch on Cardstock, 2011}

Some of his comments for improvement were that that characters were too crowded and that the point of view seemed too high. This is how I fixed that:

{Sketch on Paper, 2011}

Laurent didn't get to see our revised sketches but he was pleasantly surprised to see the final had changed so much. (it's often hard to break away for your initial vision and I think it can be hard to admit that something isn't working and that you need to rethink a composition.) Overall, it was very affirming to hear that Laurent liked the solution I had arrived at. He also liked the period details and color choices I had made (yay!). Overall, the intensive was really interesting. We got to see how different each artist's style was and their interpretations of different scenes. I took a lot of notes as Laurent critiqued each piece. He has so many nuggets of wisdom and was so nice! He has a really genuine respect and passion for the art of children's books and I think everyone in attendance got something out of his visit.

You Can Pre-Order "The Twelve Days of Christmas- In Texas, That Is" Now

{Cover, Pelican Publishing, 2011}

My first book, written by David Davis is now available for pre-order through Amazon or you can fill out the publisher form to get a reminder about the September 30th release date!

Illustration Friday - Asleep

{Detail, "Santa's Secret Story" for Pauline Books and Media, Oil,2011}

It has been ages since I participated in an Illustration Friday prompt. Fortunately, the illustration I was working on yesterday had the main character sleeping! This is part of an illustration for a book I am working on. Shhhh!!! This is just a little sneak peek!

Oliver Makes a Cameo Appearance

{Oil on Gessoed Paper, 2011}

I'm hard at work on illustrations for my second book. In one of the illustrations, the main character is sitting on her bed and the art director suggested that she have a little pal to comfort her. I decided to draw a cat in. As I was painting I decided to make the markings like Oliver (one of my beloved and naughty tabbies). Voila! Oliver makes a cameo appearance in the story. Of course, in order to get Oliver to sign the release papers and consent to the use of his likeness, my husband and I stretched the truth and told him the entire story was about him. Little white lies folks, little white lies!

{Oliver, 2011}

Book Work

{Section of Cover for "Santa's Secret Story", 2011}

This is just a small piece of the cover for "Santa's Secret Story". I'll share more details and show the full cover once the publisher has finished laying it out.

The Sneakiest of Peeks

{Detail of Illustration for "The Twelve Days of Christmas - In Texas, That Is"}

{Detail of Illustration for "The Twelve Days of Christmas - In Texas, That Is"}

I thought I would show a few very small pieces from two illustrations for "The Twelve Days of Christmas - In Texas, That Is". Its due out in Fall of 2011 from Pelican Publishing. I am still painting like a madwoman, but my poor little blog has been suffering because of it! Hope you enjoy these!

Windsor Heights 4th of July Poster

{Oil on Board, 2010}

This is a commissioned illustration/poster design for the City of Windsor Heights, Iowa. They have a lot of exciting things going on right now, including a brand new community center building. They wanted a poster that reflected community, fun and family. If you are in the area on the 4th of July, you might want to consider spending your day at Colby Park. Windsor Heights has a ton of wonderful activities going on!

Work in Progress: Parade

{Oil on Board, 2010}

I've been MIA lately because I am trying to finish up a couple of large projects. This is a snippet of a larger poster that should be finished by next week. This is just a photo, but once it is scanned, I will post the whole illustration.

Honey Bear

{Oil on Board, 2010}

I finally finished this yesterday. It had been sitting untouched on my art desk for a week. The simple shapes and heavier acrylic underpainting made this a quicker piece than most. Painting in oil has been a journey since college and I am always trying to find ways to make it more efficient... because, hey, time is money. My favorite part of this piece is the fur on the bees' bodies.

First Day of Painting the Bear

{Oil on Board Detail, 2010}

{Oil on Board, 2010}

I started my first layer of oil paint on this today, so I thought I would take some pictures. My initial sketch can be seen Here. I have been working to find a more efficient way to paint illustrations with oil. This time, I spent a little more time doing some flat acrylic colors underneath so that if I miss an area with the oil, it won't be as obvious. I am also finding that I am partial to being able to see a little bit of the brushwork. It gives the illustration life! I hope to get some more painting time in tomorrow too, but we'll see. I have several projects going right now.

Illustration Friday - Expired

{Oil on Board, 2010}

Do pickles expire? I have about six odds and ends pickle jars in my fridge right now... and each one only has a pickle or two in it. One of the jars has a fuzzy pickle and I am willing to bet that particular jar has expired. You know its bad when even the flies won't touch it!

New Blog Header

{Oil on Board, 2010}

If you visit my blog regularly, you might notice that I changed my banner. I was tired of the old one and wanted something that better reflects my work. I painted the illustration with oil on illustration board and then added text using Adobe Illustrator. I think this new header is more cheerful and who doesn't love a playful kitten?! I thought I would post the banner without the text on it.

Special Delivery Bird

{Oil on Board, 2010}

This is the painted version of the sketch in my previous post. It was challenging painting an animal with a mostly black body because you have to use highlights and lowlights to describe the form. My favorite part of this illustration is the little fuzz on the bird's chest! I love red winged black birds and I thought that might be a unique species of bird to portray.

Barbershop Quartet Illustration

{Oil on Board and Digital, 2010}

{Oil on Board, 2010}

I just finished this piece last night and added some details to the background today. I decided to post both pieces so that it is easier to see what parts are digital. Certain elements are just simpler to add digitally. The rays in the background are straight lines that would have taken a long time to paint. The sheet music would have been a nightmare to add in with oil. Instead, I used a piece of antique sheet music that I got at a garage sale for 10 cents last summer! Now, onto the next piece of unfinished art from November and December of 2009!