Julie Olson Books - Author/Illustrator: 2012

Winter Wonderland

Oh the weather outside is frightful (actually today it's okay...yesterday was the snow storm). And I wish I had a fire that was delightful (but my home has no fireplace). And since I have no place I want to go...Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow! And here's a little piggie building a snowman, since I don't want to go out and freeze doing it myself. (am I lazy or what...probably just getting old) Sorry...

My Ukiyoe Heroes Print Arrived

A while back I posted about my friend, Jed Henry. I should've waited a few weeks and done a post about him and his awesome Kickstarter Campaign as well. But alas, I didn't. Anyway, Jed had this great idea to design/illustrate iconic video game characters in a traditional Japanese Ukioye style and have those designs translated into traditional woodblock prints. It took off like wildfire. Here's the site about the project...http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1499165518/ukiyo-e-heroes?ref=live Anyway,...

So mark your calendars! You don't want to miss this conference. Seriously!!! Ask any editor of children's lit, this conference is amazing and they all talk about it back in NYC. They ask themselves, why is it Utah produces so many amazing children's lit writers and illustrators? Then they come here to this conference and they see why....We have amazing talent and amazing instructors at an amazing...

Today even though the sun is shining, I'm a bit chilly. I find myself longing for summer already. I sit in my office uploading this post in sweats and with a scarf wrapped around my neck. I don't think my blood has thickened for the chill and cold yet. Ahhh, to be on a beach, in the warm sun sipping a cool lemonade. Summer....

Here's day 3 of the white space posts. Obviously this one is called, Spring. Ideally, I personally would prefer about 2 months of winter, December and January and go right into a long spring. But maybe I wouldn't be as grateful as I am for spring if winter was short. Ahhh, life in the Rockies. Hey, let me know if any of you would like me to make theses available as inexpensive prints via an online...

Winter is just around the corner. We got a taste of it this week here in Utah. Brrrrr! Snow and lows in the mid 20's at night. NOT FALL WEATHER. But Fall is supposed to return. I love Fall. But I do appreciate the softness and coziness winter brings...when the snow muffles all the noise of the world around and you can watch the snow slowly fall....

Graphic designers are masters at white space and I think recently it has caught on even more. Personally, I think it's a reflection of our need to clear our minds...de-clutter our lives. It gives us time to rest and time to focus. I, too, have fallen in love with white space. Some picture books work well with a lot of white space. However, none that I have illustrated seemed to work that way. So...

I'll have to make a big post later as to why I've been more M.I.A. this month but for now... See how to use this free printable HERE Here is October's free printable 4x6 calendar card for you. Enjoy!...

So I recently sent off a completed dummy book to my agent for him to submit to publishers. Have any of you done that? Maybe not through your agent, but directly to a publisher. I've done both...with and without my agent. Here's the full color finish included in the book dummy. copyright 2012 Julie Olson Either way it's a waiting game. Once it's out there you are soooooo anxious to hear back....

...

See how to use this free printable HERE Here is September's free printable 4x6 calendar card for you. Enjoy! for personal use onl...

Now that summer is over and my kids are back in school (except for my busy toddler), I need to spend more time in the studio. I always think I'll get so much done during the summer, but seem to get too involved in family time and life. It's not bad, just a bit non-productive for my career. But I really think we all need to remember how important leading a well-rounded life is. So remember, take time...

Another form of art I love to do for my kids (and for other people if I had time) is cake baking/decorating. I've posted about the xbox cake I made a while back and last summer I made a movie themed cake. Earlier this year my daughter wanted a Jungle Themed cake and party and my son had "popcorn" cupcakes. This summer I made my toddler a "Digger Cake" complete with "dirt and rocks" (cookies and fondant...

So being an artist isn't always about illustrating books for me. As a mom and a homeowner, I LOVE decorating and designing rooms. I have many grand plans for rooms in my house and I have to keep telling myself, "One at a time." Well, this summer I didn't listen to myself so well. I did FOUR at a time. It all stemmed from the fact that my teenage son wanted his own room. He was still sharing with...

Hello everyone. I've landed. My kids went back to school today and my whirlwind summer of work, trips, vacations, family time, and craziness has come to an end. Let me catch you up a bit. I attended my first ALA (American Library Association) conference in June of this year. It came right at the end of the WIFYR conference I was involved with. So after a very busy month of work, I kind of took...

Sorry I forgot to publish the August printable calendar. If you're collecting them, here it is. If not, here it is anyway. Hey, there's still a week and a half left. ;-) I apologize. Know that September's is already scheduled to go out on August 30th so come back and print it. No more forgetting! And this is how you can print it out and use it...HERE ...

I promised to post about the 2012 Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers Conference held in Sandy, Utah at the Waterford School Campus. I have helped at this conference multiple times over the years and this year was asked to be the illustrator faculty member teaching morning workshops and a few afternoon sessions. Every year I am amazed at the vast amount of knowledge, expertise,...

With my rush to prepare for ALA and the WIFYR conference (and all my kids end of school stuff) I forgot to post June's Calendar Card Printout. I'm so sorry. For those of you who don't know, it was my goal to publish a free 4x6 printable calendar for you each month. Here is the calendar for July. click to open the larger image then right click to save to your desktop And here are some images of...

I also promised my WIFYR class that I would post a tutorial on how to create a digital dummy book. Some editors prefer to receive submissions only through email, so this version of the dummy is important. You need Adobe Acrobat Standard or Pro (not just the reader) to complete this tutorial and create your digital pdf. Open Adobe Acrobat and Click FILE, CREATE PDF, FROM MULTIPLE FILES Click...

Winter Wonderland

My Ukiyoe Heroes Print Arrived

Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers Conference 2013

White Space: Summer

White Space: Spring

White Space - Winter

White Space

A Little Gift for you...Free Printable Calendar- October 2012

Submitted a Dummy: The Waiting Game

A little Gift for you- September Free Printable Calendar

Back to Work

More Non-Illustration Art: Cakes

Summer Projects

ALA June 2012 in Los Angeles, CA: Brian Selznick, Lane Smith and more!

August Calendar Too Late

Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers 2012

Free Printable Calendar Card- July 2012

How to Create a Digital PDF Dummy Book

Blog Archive