Illustration Friday: Outside (and some thoughts)

{Watercolor, Gouache and Ink, 2015}

*Click image to view larger*

This blog has been quiet because life hasn't been. (I also suspect that my blogging has been replaced by more immediate sharing platforms like Instagram and Facebook.) I update my Instagram account almost daily with sketches and illustrations. 

I still want to keep this blog going though. So here I am. 

So far this year I have created two dummy books, countless illustrations and finally took my dream trip to New York for the 2015 SCBWI Winter Conference. It was inspirational, aspirational and made me feel like I am moving in the right direction for my career. I've had a few mini-epiphanies (mipiphinies?) that I want to share:

1. Just keep working: The voice in the creative mind says things like, "What if 'it' never happens?" and I remind myself that drawing and painting is something I love, something I NEED to do. Writing and illustrating for children makes me happy. I would do it anyways, so why not try and get it out into the world.

2. Good work trumps "Style": I still don't know if I have a style, but I just keep focusing on growth and making the best work I can.

3. We all have unique voices, even me : Ask 40 people to draw a crocodile. You've got 40 distinct impressions of a crocodile. It's not creating a crocodile that is important, its how you use him to relate to others and share your point of view. For the longest time I was trying to reinvent the wheel, when I just needed to get in the car and see where it took me.

4. I get to take my work seriously: Even if I am having a really good time making it. (Trust me, its not always a cake walk.) There are tears and very real emotions. I feel so deeply for my work that I can be Over-the-Moon Giddy or Laying-in-a-Ditch Depressed. It's a roller coaster, and it has earned me the right to get serious about my work. (it also helps to have an advocate in your corner for those ditch moments… thanks Ken and Sara.)

So, go ahead, take your unique voice and get to work!

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!

Bathe with an Octopus?

{Watercolor and Gouache, 2013}

In my previous post I mentioned that I would share the illustration that I created for the Iowa SCBWI spring conference illustrator's intensive. We were given a manuscript for a children's book and we asked to choose a scene to illustrate. I chose the octopus scene. We each sent sketches to Senior Art Director at Little Brown and Co.,  Patti Ann Harris, and she responded with comments for each illustrator's piece. This is my original sketch:

{Sketch, 2013}

Patti Ann didn't have a ton of things to change, but there were a few tweaks. Can you see a few differences? At the end of the intensive, we were shown what the actual book looked like. Here is the cover for the book illustrated by Marc Brown of "Arthur" fame.

You can preview the book on Amazon. Its really adorable and fun! The book was done in a cut paper collage technique that is beyond gorgeous! If you ever get a chance to meet Patti Ann Brown, do it! She was so encouraging and more importantly, very intelligent about the industry. Her eye for composition, technique and book flow is impeccable! 

When you go on vacation, bats move in!

{Watercolor, 2012}

My husband and I left for vacation a little over a week ago (and had a great time, I might add!) We departed to Michigan for my brother-in-law's beautiful wedding and then headed up north to visit the Traverse City area. It was a peaceful week and we did quite a bit for only one week. As we were driving home to Iowa, I noticed that my neighbor had sent me a text that a bat had been dive bombing her as she was feeding our pets! I was surprised to hear that because we have never had issues with bats before. When we finally made it home, it was still light out (just barely) and we searched the house. Finally, we found a little brown bat stuck in a bucket in the basement. After a little research, I found out that bats can't fly up and out of things. They need a little loft for coasting. We brought the bucket outside and carefully lifted him onto a tree where he promptly climbed up and flew away. We thought that was the end of our adventure with bats. Wrong. (side note, little brown bats are really really cute!!!) Later that night, as we were nodding off to sleep I awoke to a very distinct sound of flapping. I nudged my husband and sure enough, we had another little brown bat visiting. This time, he was flying freely in the house. (just like my neighbor had described.) Getting this little guy (who was slightly bigger than the other) out was a little more work. My husband held out a towel and the bat would swoop around, presumably trying to find a way out. He landed a few times, hanging from the ceiling, which let us have a bit of a look at his little face and structure. After several tries, the bat crawled to the towel, my husband lowered it to the door and the bat flew away, probably really hungry and ready to eat some delicious insects. I did a little more research about bats because I worried we might have a real problem on our hands. (we haven't had any more bats) It turns out, sometimes a young bat is learning to fly, gets into a place they can't get out of, and then the parent follows them to make sure they are alright. (how sweet is that?) I think that may have been the issue here. Either way, we were glad to get both bats out safely. My husband and I are pretty big animal lovers and even if its an animal that is a little creepy, we want it to be happy, healthy and safe. I know a lot about little brown bats now, so of course, I wanted to paint my own version of one. I think the real ones are cuter! So small and innocent looking!

Work in Progress

{Watercolor in Progress, 2012}

I've been taking a watercolor class on Tuesday afternoons and it has been really enjoyable. We still have several weeks left, which is good because I have only been working on this piece during the class time. If things settle down at my home studio I will plan on working on this more at home too. I plan to work up the foreground figure completely before I decide what to do to finish the background. I have a feeling I am going to need to tone down the three red poppies, but I won't know until I finish the figure. I've really enjoyed working on this piece so far!

Little Watercolors

{watercolor, 2012}

{watercolor, 2012}

I painted the little Valentine beaver in my watercolor class this afternoon. The flowers and plants are the product of spending a little free time experimenting with a slightly different style of painting. (and I would like to continue evolving this style!) I am really enjoying playing with watercolor and also learning more about it in my class from a more traditional standpoint.

Something Different

{Watercolor, 2012}

{Watercolor, 2012}

Mr friend Sara and I signed up to take a watercolor class taught by Melinda Kabel at the Des Moines Art Center. This is a landscape exercise I completed. I did the small sepia studies first and I was supposed to choose one to do in full color but ended up deciding to do all three because I liked the way they looked arranged on the page. The finished color versions are only slightly bigger than the sepia studies. As the class progresses I plan to share any other projects!

Watercolor Class

{Watercolor on Aquaboard, 2011}

I'm in the midst of taking an experimental watercolor class taught by Kathy Glenn at the Des Moines Art Center. We've tried a lot of different types of materials so far and I hope to post more of the projects soon. This is the first thing I have finished but I have several things started that could turn out interesting. I started this painting yesterday, but woke up really wanting to get it done this morning. It's 6"x6".

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.

Figure Painting Study

{Acrylic on Canvas, 2010}

My most recent study of the figure. I painted the model from two different places in the room. I like the negative spaces that the two figures create together. I am also really enjoying using acrylics when I paint from life because they dry fast and I can stay loose as I try to record as much information as possible in the allotted studio time.

Illustration Friday - Spent

{Acrylic on Canvas, 2010}

{Detail, Acrylic on Canvas, 2010}

Today I finished this piece in the figure painting class I am taking at the Des Moines Art Center. I thought it was perfect for the topic of "Spent" because the twist of the body and the hand laying lifelessly in the foreground give the feeling of tiredness and spent energy. I know this isn't my usual Illustration Friday fodder, but in this instance it will do just perfectly!