Writers' Rumpus Guest Post

I had the opportunity to write a guest post for the awesome Writers' Rumpus, a blog dedicated to children's literature writers and illustrators. I am posting the link to my post here, but check out the rest of the site while you are there, too! Lots of helpful tips, stories and posts to inspire and inform.

I decided to write my post about Illustration Friday, since it's been such a great tool for me in developing a children's illustration portfolio.

http://writersrumpus.com/2014/03/28/illustration-friday-a-portfolio-building-tool/

Illustration Friday: RED!!

This week's Illustration Friday topic is RED! Fresh from a trip last weekend to Farm Friends in Newbury, MA to scratch some piglets.
Red's first day in the pen with the all-pink pigs was both exciting and scary. Would any of them like her?

Illustration Friday: GONE FISHING

This week's Illustration Friday theme is "GONE FISHING." Why haul all your gear down to the lake when you've got water right there in your house??!!

Illustration Friday: SPARK

This week's Illustration Friday topic is SPARK! I'll come back and add some more thoughts later, but wanted to get the post in this morning.

Illustration Friday: VOICE

This week's Illustration Friday topic is VOICE. One of the things discussed in the illustrator's panel at the recent SCBWI NY conference was reaction -- that how the supporting characters react to the main character really helps tell the story. So I'm trying it out here! What if you're the first wolf pup among your friends to finally take the plunge and start a-howling?

I've also been wanting to do a wolf image since going to Wolf Hollow in Ipswich, MA many months ago. The alpha wolf there had recently passed away and since the alpha leads the pack in howling, there hadn't been any wolf howls for a while. I recently received a FB update that there was finally a new alpha and the howling is back.