Illustration Friday "Focused"

Explored a few ideas for Illustration Friday's theme, "focused," and finally choose this one for the finished piece. There is a science lab classroom across from my art room at school, so I incorporated a bit of the familiar decor.

Doodles

Just doodling around in my sketchbook while watching TV. Thinking about ideas for Illustration Friday.

Clumsy

Illustration Friday---"Clumsy" Haven't we all had this experience? Oh, the little tragedies of childhood!

Illustration Friday "Wilderness"

This week's IF theme "Wilderness" brought me back to the little mouse character who keeps popping up in various adventures. I know he's got another story to tell someday.

Enjoying watching the falling snow and drinking a nice hot cup of tea on this wintery MLK holiday morning.

Flashback Friday    Thinking about the upcoming year and my goals for 2010. This piece from the 2009 NESCBWI conference theme, "Many Voices", reminds me of my goals to complete a book dummy by the next conference and to totally revamp my portfolio. The discipline of maintaining this blog has forced me to work on new pieces on a regular schedule, which has been great for exploring different ideas and mediums. Over the next 4 months I need to continue that, as well as to focus on the larger project of the dummy. I work best under a deadline, so now I've officially set one. I'll keep you posted......

Illustration Friday "Confined"      

Just a head's up! My critique group is collaborating on a new blog, smells like crayons, that you might like to visit. Join us in our ongoing discussion of all things relating to illustrating for children.

The other night I was just doodling a sketch of the girls toasting marshmallows around the campsite, when the big empty spot at the bottom of the page felt like it needed something. It reminds me of the time I was staying at a house in Waterville NH. I was walking down the road from the house to the lake when I heard something rustling around in the bushes  ahead of me. My first thought was that someone's dog was loose. Suddenly, a very big brown head popped out of the foliage. I took off running back up the hill at full speed, yelling, "It's a bear, it's a bear!" The poor bear took off just as quick in the opposite direction.

Illustration Friday---"Renewal"

Sometimes the snow forts that my sister and I made became quite unstable after a few warm days and the excessive carving of nooks and crannies. One day my mother heard muffled cries outside. When she went to investigate, she found my sister stuck under the collapsed roof of our fort, her feet kicking and arms flailing. Mom pulled her out and she was fine, just a bit more wary of possible future cave-ins.