December

Happy Holidays!  I hope that you are surrounded by family and friends, and all things healing and cheerful.  I'm going to take a break from the internet for a little while, so I'll see you sometime in January.  And, in the meantime, I'm raising my mug of hot tea to you and wishing you love and peace and a new year full of good things.  Cheers! :)

Wednesday

I think I've decided to go to the SCBWI Winter Conference and have been working on updating my portfolio.  Here's the latest addition.   I'm really excited that Shaun Tan and Mo Willems will be speaking at the conference.  Julie Andrews is going to be there too, and well, that just put it over the top for me.  How about you?  Are you going to the conference?

In other news, it's finally snowing in Colorado.  Hooray!  Let the festivities begin!!

Wishing for...

"Nothing carries more potential for change than individual acts of human kindness."    - Jamie Winship

Sketching Raccoons

Feeling painty

When I had my portfolio critiqued at this year's SCBWI conference in L.A. the main lesson that I came away with is that I need to loosen up.  So, that's what I've been trying to do... let the paint be more... painty.  I've reconciled with my old nemesis, masking fluid, and am experimenting with big, wet washes and splattering paint... and I'm having more fun painting than I have in a very long time. 

What lessons have you learned this year about your artwork?  What are you experimenting with in order to evolve the way you work?  I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Inking...

Peter and the Deer

What I'm working on today...

After I read this interview with Peter Brown (particularly the bit where he talks about his childhood memory) I had the idea for this illustration.

It feels a little funny... er... maybe a little overly personal, to illustrate something that happened to a real life person whom I've never met.  But, I was really struck by the image that Peter Brown's memory conjured up.  And there's something about the idea of illustrating childhood memories that I find really interesting.  I'll post the finished version soon.

In the meantime, the lack of snow and the near 70 degree weather we're having is making it difficult to get into the holiday spirit.  But, hot chocolate and Christmas music are helping just a tiny bit.  I hope things are festive wherever you are!  Happy Wednesday-ing to you!

Twelve Tales: Snow White and Rose Red

Phew!  I think I started this one at the end of October and I just finished it today.  If you're not familiar with the story of Snow White and Rose Red, you can read it here.  (It involves an evil dwarf and a bear that turns into a handsome prince!)

Today I realized that instead of the twelve fairytale illustrations that I was hoping to finish this year, I've completed seven.  Sigh.  Hm....  I still have ideas for more fairytale images, but I'm not going to be able to finish them by the end of the year (and things are going to start getting busy busy in January).  So, I'm not sure exactly what to do.  I hate to leave a project unfinished.  I'll think of something.  And in the meantime, if you'd like to see how the other fairytales turned out, you can click on each of the names below.

Three Billy Goats Gruff
Snow White
Thumbelina
Beauty and the Beast
The Snow Queen
Baba Yaga