REMOTE: Illustration Friday

This is a late addition to the Illustration Friday. I decided to start participating as a means to keep my blog active as well as my creative mind. (Mainly it was prompting from Guy Francis which got me to do it). So this last week's topic was "remote." I'm working on a picture book called "Already Asleep" as I've mentioned before. Skteches are due on Tuesday (no, I'm not done yet) and this one with the dad "already asleep" lended itself perfectly to add something in at the prompting of Illustration Friday....a REMOTE control. Anyway, hopefully I'll contribute a more finished piece next time.

Thumbnail to Final

Here's the final sketch for one of the thumbnail sketches you see below. I don't put value in my final sketches because I scan those in and then print them out onto watercolor paper and then paint them. I'll post the two subsequent pages that go along with this spread soon. I just don't have time today. I'm in the middle of moving boxes in my basement to make way for the framer to come and the Heating guy to put in the heating ducts before the freezing weather sets in. Right now my feet and fingers just get a bit chilled as I'm working. Come Spring, we'll finish off the whole thing. I can't wait!

Magazine Illustration Job

Just so you know, I won't be posting again until next week. I'm going to visit my sister. But here's a sketch I turned in today for a magazine spot illustration. Quick and easy job. Not the most creative freedom always, but it helps pay the bills. From here I'll print it out onto watercolor paper and start painting. Have a great weekend!

"Inspired" by Lunch

Well, I was repremanded today at an Author/Illustrator lunch for not posting to my blog more often. Guy Francis (www.guyfrancis.com) said I had to post more often and he'd be checking up. So here is a post for Guy who likes to see an illustrator's process.

These are just a FEW thumbnails from the picture book I've begun working on called "Already Asleep," by Angelique Tarbox to be published by Moo Press, of Keene Publishing. They are about 3.75" inches long by 1.25" inches high...just so you know how small I start out. I just grabbed a few out of one column of sketches b/c you can't really tell what they are completely anyway unless you are me. I do a bunch of these and then I go straight to full size from there. Oh, I also print out my thumbnail boxes to draw in from my computer so I don't waste time drawing the boxes.

So, now Guy...any critiques? I'm expecting them since you asked to see more.

Feast or Famine

So it's been 3 months since my last post and here's why. On June 29, 2005 our house in Michigan sold and we had only 2 weeks to pack up and move across country to Utah. We found a house there and moved in on July 28th. Then the unpacking began. A few weeks later, most of the boxes were empty and the dust started to settle...JUST IN TIME FOR MORE ILLUSTRATION JOBS.

It's amazing. I was blessed to have no deadlines or projects during the months of the selling and moving, but as soon as my feet were propped up to relax, I got calls for 3 illustration jobs. The timing on all worked out great. One was black and white line drawings for a workbook due in 1 week, the 2nd was 7 full color illustrations for a 3rd-4th grade reader due in a total of 4 weeks, (the cover is to the right) and the 3rd was a more drawn out project...a picture book. It's final due date is January 4th. So, I decided to take a minute and post to my forgotten blog before I get into the full swing of the picture book (that is...beyond thumbnail sketches). I'll try and keep up to date with posts on the picture book's progress from now till completion. So stay tuned!

In addition, the box and book set I illustrated called "The Fairy Princess" will be sold at your local elementary school's bookfairs beginning this fall. It comes with a tutu and wand and a book about a little girl who imagines herself in a Fairyland. I'm trying to get extra copies to make available from my website as well. I'll let you know if that happens. Here's a picture of what the box looks like...