Justine Siegal's TedX talk!!

Major league batting practice pitcher Justine Siegal used the sketch I did of her at the end of her fantastic TedX talk on following your dreams. :D !!

Illustration Friday: TALENT

This week's illustration was inspired by my nephew, Rhain, who is able to squish himself between the sofa and the ottoman and was demonstrating his skills with toe bending. My family's got talent!!

Elizabeth Dulemba, Illustrator!

I just heard a great interview with illustrator Elizabeth Dulemba on an Escape from Illustration Island podcast. Her website is FULL of great stuff -- images, books, coloring pages, apps, ideas, advice -- her work is great and her marketing efforts are fantastic.

I especially like her new book, Lula's Brew, about a witch who wants to make great food instead of evil potions!

Illustration Friday: WHISPER

"Stay still! They almost never think to look up here!"

Illustration Friday: WOOL!

Did this week's early for once! This one was a fun one, though taking clothes from a Goodwill box for a snowman could be seen as a bit controversial.

Illustration Friday: STORM

I'm guessing a lot of entries this week will be snow related! Mine is inspired by my comfortable cat, who always sees the opportunities in something soft and sleep-worthy. Also, the feeling of being snug and safe inside while the outdoors is transforming into an arctic landscape.

Character Mentor: a good read!

Here's a good book about character illustration that I've been reading lately, Character Mentor. It's been a great help as I try to make my illustration characters seem more alive. Things like tilting the head, twisting the body, ways to make characters look less stiff. I am still absorbing it, and there's lots I haven't quite gotten to yet (which way do clothes fall?) but it's been a real help! It's a nice companion to Walt Stanchfield's Drawn to Life.

Illustration Friday - WHEEL!

This one was finished under the wire! The boy has kind of a giant head, the whole unicycle is a little awkward, but I had fun drawing it!

Leaning side to side to keep his balance was part of staying upright, and Alowishus finally made it all the way up and down the driveway without stopping once. Ta daaa!

Illustration Friday -- MYTH

Very rushed and struggled with it this week -- hope I got it in under the wire!

Illustration Friday -- Ocean

This week's Illustration Friday challenge OCEAN coincided with my big brother's birthday. He and I used to rock together in the living room rocking chair and yell out, "Ship, Ships Ahoy!!!"-- pretending we were on the ocean. I have no idea if that comes across in the image, but it was such a great memory I wanted to try to portray it. Happy Birthday, Matt! Ships Ahoy!

Norman Rockwell Museum

We took a trip to the Berkshires that included a stop at the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst, and the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge. Both museums were full of interesting and inspiring images and stories. At the Eric Carle, an exhibit of Garth Williams' process work and final illustrations for Charlotte's Web was my favorite, at Norman Rockwell, a chance to sketch from his large original paintings was a great way to appreciate the compositions.

Below is a sketch I did of Norman Rockwell's "Football Hero" and photos (not taken by me) of the museum.

Illustration Friday: NEW!

Simon delighted in the feel and shine of his new skin, why had it taken him so long to shed the old one? He couldn't wait to show everyone.

Illustration Friday: SNOW!

Hooray for snow! After you fall off the sled, it's so great to just lie there in a pile, snow slowly sinking into your clothes, watching and listening to the snow...

(Maybe I gotta stop working right at the deadline!!! I got this IF post done in time, but wish I had more time to correct some things -- the girl's face needs some work, and the snow scene needs a bit of adjusting so it really looks like the boy's head is in the snow and there's an up-close pile.)

Tomie dePaola Illustration Competition

Here is my entry into the SCBWI Tomie dePaola illustration competition, illustrating a passage from the book, The Yearling, a beautiful and sad story written in the 1930s about a boy and a deer in rural Florida. 

I've been wanting to submit to this competition for a while, and I'm excited to have finished the piece!

Illustration Friday: Stretch

Illustration Friday: WHISKERS

WHISKERS SUPPORT GROUP (WSG)

I look at my cat, who seems to have whiskers EVERYWHERE: nose, ear, eye; so many fine little whiskers, it's very funny to focus on them. So many animals use them to feel their way through the underbrush, underwater, under the sofa. Maybe they meet every month or so for a Whiskers Support Group, to discuss the ins and outs of whiskers: getting them caught in things, losing them, narrowly escaping danger because of them....

Illustration Friday: Zoom

Kind of rushed this one to have it ready this week, but had fun doing it! The moment was inspired by a time a few years ago at a birthday party when my brother was blowing up balloons, letting them go and watching them fly all over the dining room. It was astonishingly hysterically funny!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

First holiday cookies of the season

This small 5x5 painting was inspired by a painting I saw at an art opening on Saturday, and by holiday cookies I bought for Thanksgiving. I used gouache, which I haven't used since art school, and found it to be a lot more fun that it had seemed back then!

Illustration Friday - TREE

This week's topic, TREE, made me think of the moment before you let go when you are climbing back down a tree -- you're looking down, your brain is calculating the amount of pain it might be to jump from this far -- and you're stretching as long as you can to shorten the distance. Is it worth it?

Illustration Friday -- SHY

This week's Illustration Friday was a challenge! My interpretation of shy is the feeling of joy at the election's outcome while also feeling a sort of shyness about expressing my political views. I'm not sure if it works, but I am so glad to have completed three IF's in a row! Thanks to IF friends and Joe for their encouragement :)