Illustration Friday: SURVEILLANCE

This week's topic is SURVEILLANCE. The image was inspired by a creepy new surveillance camera at work that is fun to think about subverting in some way, and, I am sure, Maurice Sendak's Max, growling with the beasts in Where the Wild Things Are.

Sketching process for "WORN"

Here is the sketch progression for this week's Illustration Friday: WORN image. 

Illustration Friday: WORN

This week's topic was WORN. The image was inspired by watching my niece and nephew this weekend and seeing how close kids sit to each other. Also, by how we tend to share common issues -- here's my worn out knee; oh, don't feel bad, look at my elbow hole! -- to try and lift each other up.

Illustration Friday: CHILDREN

This week's Illustration Friday theme is "Children," and though it felt rushed and not quite finished, I had fun coming up with some kid/play scenarios and remembering how unbelievably fun it was to cover someone's eyes with your hands!! I've been trying to focus a bit on sidekicks, so I tried to pair the kids up.

I was reading an article this week on the importance of physical play and how through play, kids are constantly trying out ways of interacting with the world and each other that will inform their adult lives. It's not just goofing off! (though perhaps a little of it is!)

Book Review: Tim's Big Move

Tim's Big Move, by Anke Wagner and Eva Eriksson, is about the fears of starting something new, as seen through the eyes of Tim's stuffed animal dog, Pico. When Tim's family gets ready to move to a new town, Pico is afraid that he will be left behind. As he watches Tim pack, Pico's anxiety grows. The clouds finally clear when Pico is able to find his place in their new home.

The story brilliantly projects a child's fears onto a stuffed animal, abstracting them to make them easier to relate to and feel. 

The illustrations are drawn in lovely, soft colored pencil, a comforting presence to help with Pico's difficult feelings. Pico's facial expressions, from worry to dejection to joy, are beautifully and simply rendered. The color palette is a quiet but positive palette, with lots of yellows and greens, the colors of both discomfort and growth. 

Illustration Friday: SWEET

This week's Illustration Friday theme is SWEET. The image is inspired by lots of chocolate chip cookie baking when I was younger, and the amazing goldmine of sweetness of the electric mixer beaters.