Educational Readers

Well, I finished all 32 or so sketches for the 2 educational readers I'm illustrating and I got them emailed off so I'm waiting for client approval. One is for Harcourt and the agent on that one called me this morning saying she liked the sketches and wants me to do another reader for 1st grade. Yea! Here are 2 sketches...one from each book.

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Illustration Friday: simple

It's a good thing this was the topic for the week...too bad I didn't post til today. Here's something simple, drawn, scanned, and filled in with photoshop. My kids are better but I'm now hurridly trying to finish sketches for 2 educational readers due Tuesday morning. one is done...one to go (about 16 illustrations).

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Illustration Friday: Chair

Here's the final illo in color and changed a bit from the sketch. I made her hair frazzled (straw included) and put other things from her day by her on the floor. So, she plopped down and says "GOODNIGHT!" (for goodness sake). And look, it has a chair. And guess what....I'M FINISHED illustrating the book! I just need to get it all scanned in and packaged up. My oldest son is recovering well from the strep throat but now my poor 2 year old has a fever. The doctors say it's not strep and not an ear infection, probably just a virus. But the poor thing has a fever of 103 and isn't too comfortable. She's napping at the moment. Maybe I should go take a nap as well. Whew!

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Work, Work, Work

Well, life is busy here. My oldest son woke up at 4am screaming about his throat hurting and burning up with fever. Yup, strep throat. We are also in the process of finishing our basement where my studio will be. AND I'm trying to finish the "Already Asleep" picture book and just accepted 3 more jobs: workbook illustrations, and 2 educational readers (16 page books). I decided to change the last page of the book to include the mom instead of just the cat and mouse. Here's the sketch...what do you think? The text reads "Goodnight!"...like she's finally getting to sleep after a long day of being a mom.

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Illustration Friday: Glamour

I've been very busy finishing the Already Asleep book...2 more illustrations left to paint. This is a spot from the interior which reads..."A day of dolls, dresses, tulips and treats. That's why Bess is already asleep."

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Hosting a winner!

I had the marvelous opportunity of hosting Caldecott Award winner, Eric Rohmann this weekend at a conference. He wrote and illustrated My Friend Rabbit, Time Flies, The Cinder-Eyed Cats, Pumpkinhead, and Clara and Asha. His work is inspiring, creative, dynamic, beautifully crafted and ever-evolving. As a person, he is very friendly, kind, charismatic and generous. He was always ready to give advice when solicited, offer insights and any help to aspiring illustrators and writers alike. Below is my little sketch of him as he answered questions in a breakout session and a picture of him and I in our writer friend's (Rick Walton's) office. I learned so much from him from the moment I picked him up from the airport, to clicking the button on his slideshow presentation, to chatting at Starbucks, to saying goodbye to him and his wonderful writer friend,Candace Flemming at the airport. Thank you, Eric. By the way, if any of you meet him, be sure have him tell you about the pussy willow incident.



I did get to meet, but didn't get to quite rub shoulders with another WONDERFUL writer you all should know...Katherine Patterson (Newbery Award winner). Her keynote speech at the conference was inspiring. She spoke of beauty being achieved through truth. She said beauty has 3 elements...Simplicity, Harmony, and Brilliance. You could just feel her wonderful spirit emanate from her as she spoke. What a wonderful lady...friendly, kind and full of life.

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