Practicing Picture Books With A Pro

I recently attended a regional SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators) conference and learned some new things about what makes a great picture book. Of course the pictures have to be beautiful and visually compelling and have an entertaining story told in simple language, but creating a wonderful book is so much more complex than just the combination of those two things. A magic mixture of elements has to come together to create a really good picture book.

I also participated in a workshop lead by Martha Rago Associate Creative Director at HarperCollins Publishers. It was a challenging project focused on picture book character development, putting the characters in a setting in their world and creating a jacket image for the cover. Martha provided a synopsis of a story under development entitled "Princess Cupcake" for us to work with. She reviewed in-progress sketches, made comments and then critiqued the finished work. Here is the cover and two finished spreads that I created for the project. I couldn't resist giving the princess a cat friend and also threw in some of my hand-lettering.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tuesday Tea Time

Tea for two? Or, maybe it's coffee for you? Isn't it nice to take time for a chat with a friend over a hot cup of your favorite something. I did just that the other day and felt renewed when I got to the studio. When was the last time you did that?
Today's cup is a continuation of my geometric cup series and will be in my shop soon.
"Two Cups", digital illustration

Music for the Soul

This coming Sunday afternoon my husband Mikel and I are going to the first NOVA Chamber Music concert of the season. I love going to these concerts because I am almost always introduced to something new. Often I find that while I might not enjoy listening to certain contemporary chamber music as a recording I thoroughly enjoy hearing it played in concert. All music is better heard live while watching the musicians play their instruments, don't you think? Good music, like all good art feeds the soul. T. S. Eliot said, "You are the music while the music lasts." I look forward to that this weekend.
Above is my painting, "Violinist", acrylic on wood, 18 x 24 inches

Tuesday Tea Time

My shop is now open on Etsy with a selection of sixteen limited edition signed prints. Included currently are food related illustrations and lots of tea cup prints—or coffee, if you prefer. The photo above shows how great they would look in a simple frame. And more of my work is coming to the shop soon!

Opening Soon!

Ever wanted to purchase a print of my art or illustration? In a few days you will be able to! I have been busily working behind the scenes preparing the images and information to open my shop on Etsy (a retail site for artists and craftspeople). For starters, my shop will offer beautiful limited edition prints that are numbered and signed by me. They are printed with archival inks on luxurious 100% cotton fine art paper. In the future I might also add small original paintings and other creations to my shop. This week there will certainly be lots of food oriented art prints for your kitchen or dining area. So get ready to shop! I'll supply the print. You provide the frame. And voila! Your spirits and your room get a colorful lift!

Tuesday Tea Time

I just discovered the iPad app called Paper by 53 which is simple and pretty great. This was the first thing I drew using my finger. Since it happened to be a cup and saucer (surprise!) I decided to share it with you. In the app you use the accordion fold paper notebooks to sketch, draw, write down ideas, or blend watercolor with your finger.

You can add new notebooks, add pages and even customize each of your notebook covers with one of your images. The accordion fold book appeals to me because I like to paint handmade artist books that fold this way. So now I have a new digital sketchbook to work in. I can't wait to get my stylus so I can draw with it...but my finger seems to work pretty well for a rough, quick sketch. See more about the app here.