POWERED BY 'MAGINATION...

The 2016 LA SCBWI Conference was held at the historic (and haunted) Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.  It was a fast-paced week of stellar keynotes, inspiring breakouts, great people and new friends. At the opening Keynote each of the faculty members were asked to give their "one word" take away.  They were inspiring and funny...thought-provoking and encouraging.  The impact was undeniable. I scribbled down each word as fast as I could...being a word nerd I didn't want to lose a single letter! The One Word List is too good not to share.  Whether or not you attended the conference, the impassioned "one word" list is meant for each creative reading this post. CHALLENGE:  Throughout the following months, I encourage you to look to this list for inspiration and fill a blank page.  If you create an illustration from a word, or words, on this list, please share on the social media of your choice and hashtag it #2016LASCBWIoneword. 2016 LA SCBWI CO...

Watercolor paintings and illustrations are beautiful.  And though I've tried, I never quite mastered traditional watercolor.  In fact, I never even came close to the images I saw in my head.  My color mixes were muddy and my brush hand felt clunky.  I took another route and started using colored inks, mixing them with colored pencils, markers and hand-drawn ink lines. Fast forward to the present.  Digital painting makes experimenting with watercolors fun again.  There are many, many watercolor brushes in Photoshop that give realistic results.  This is good news for someone like me because it allows me to play...and delete...or add...without the stress. There is fun in the practice!

This illustration is part of an assignment for our upcoming SCBWI Carolina's Spring Conference.  The assignment was to choose a stanza from Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (or other selections) and create a double page spread. We were given feedback on the sketch and we are to bring a final version to the conference. My original sketch does not look anything like the final version.  The original was "sweet" but it didn't create the emotional connection that I wanted it to have.  I was given clear and very good art direction on the first illustration, but it still was not working for me.  Rather than keep working on a piece I didn't like, I chose to go with my gut instinct and redo the drawing.  And I'm glad I did because I like this one so much better! I was happy with the first illustration below, but was given a suggestion to add color to the mom and baby.  This is where I give a thumbs up to digital painting!  Color comps are so easy in Photoshop a...

I had a little down time this afternoon, so I started a sketch of a toddling kiddo in the yard.  She reminds me so much of my daughter at that age, in particular the hair "fountain".  As I painted, she seemed to smile back at me.  She waved and begged me to go outside to see the beautiful flowers in our yard. She even stopped to pick a few.  Hmmm...goosebumps... So, I let her take my hand and we stepped outside to oooh and ahhhh over the explosion of vibrant colors blooming all over the yard.  Wow...and to think I might have missed it!  It made me pause and reflect...I am thankful for a husband who's thumb is way greener than mine.  And I am truly thankful for the gift that God gave me that allows me to create.  I am even more in awe that HE connected with me through a sketch!  HELLO SPRING! The following images represent the steps I took to complete the illustration "Kellie". Digital Pencil Sketch Background gets painted in ...

When I started my illustration career, about 427 years ago, I worked traditionally.  I could tell the difference between hot and cold press bristol board and papers.  Canson Mi-Teintes was my favorite paper and, when paired with my Prismacolor Pencils, it was a marriage made in heaven for me!  I did lots and lots of pen and ink...3 complete sets of Rapidiograph pens bit the dust not to mention countless single pens.  Running out of india ink in the middle of an assignment was horrifying (many late night runs to Pearl's art supply!). Usher in the 2000's and a switch to digital media 16 years ago...how on earth did I survive all those years on pencil and paper alone?! There was no CMD Z to undo my boo-boos. Texture actually came from real paper, not an overlay layer set to multiply. Color studies were done separately and I could only hope the final art looked the same.  There was no eye dropper tool to keep the colors consistent. My list could go on and on...

I am fully embracing the start of 2016!  It feels good to shed my 2015 experience and step into a year of intentional and inspirational challenges and grow from there; both professionally and personally. 2015 had it's share of awful stuff...things I didn't plan to encounter.  After working for months to get ready for the SCBWI LA conference, I had to cancel at the last minute because I contracted C-DIFF.  It's not something you can travel with and it's highly contagious...and yeah, people die from this stuff.  The (usually quiet) rheumatoid arthritis that I've had most of my life woke up in the middle of the C-DIFF nightmare.  Life halted.  Everything changed in the matter of a few weeks. That unwanted call at the end of July meant I had a choice to make.  Do I give in to the temptation of feeling sorry for myself? Get angry at God because I didn't deserve this mess?  I can tell you that I didn't choose either one of those options....

All writers and artists need space...a quiet place to create...right?  I don't know about you, but that rarely happens at my house.  And that's okay.  Through the years, I have shared my studio space with the most important people, and pets, in my life.  Each conversation, every interruption, the floating pet hair and dust bunnies...they are moments that inspire and make this illustrator's heart happy and full.  Some of my favorite memories are when my daughter was a teenager...she would come in to my studio, flop down on the floor, and start telling me about her day.  One day, I hope to live close enough and let my future grand-kiddos (or her) do the same. I always find the quiet spaces when I need them, but for now, I'll embrace the snoring dog and count my life blessed.  My art is, after all, a reflection of my heart.  Let's keep it happy.

We all have it.  We all listen to it.  It doesn’t matter where we are in our career - beginner or famous - we have heard the negative chatter inside our own head. I call my negative chatter, “Moe”. I don’t want hear no Moe.  But as we all know, Moe is a persistent somebody. Moe tells me things that aren’t true.  They are lies.  And if I’m not careful, I will engage the downward spiraling conversation. If my work was really that good, I would have an agent by now.  A self-taught illustrator has no voice against an art school degree.  I have never illustrated a real picture book, so who am I to do this job?.... When I can’t stand to hear more of Moe... I STOMP ON THE PAUSE BUTTON AND STUFF A SOCK IN MOE. I surround myself with others in this industry because you can’t do this journey without community.  It can be brutal.  As creatives we are not meant to be alone.  We need the support and encouragement from our colleagues and friends....

I've tried - and then deleted all of my blog attempts that try to explain the experience of total freelancing the last year.  I had been stuck in every way possible for too long so I made a decision that would force me to move.  I didn't know where, or how, but I would move some place.   It was a fabulous year of NOT accomplishing everything I had in my mind to do.  Looking back, it was a year of foundation building for the years ahead and what those years may bring.  Good and bad. Big and small. Sweet and the not so sweet.  I had to yank on the bootstraps I didn't know I owned to get to the other side.  It was hard.  I wanted to quit more than I dare to admit.  But, I learned to lean in and rely on God so much more that I ever had.  I learned to trust in areas that I normally wouldn't have. The last year left something deeper and more meaningful in my soul that only stepping out and away could bring. Thank you to my hubby...the l...

That ONE thing is to CONNECT with others who share your passion for your craft.  If you are an illustrator or author - or both - make a point to connect with other illustrators and authors this year through critique groups, Facebook groups, the SCBWI...by whatever means possible. If you aren't connected with your regions SCBWI, then go to www.scbwi.org and check it out.  Belonging to a professional organization, such as the SCBWI, tells potential clients that you take your career seriously.  Yesterday, I mentioned KIDLIT411 in my post, and want to remind you about it again today. They have an entire page devoted to critique groups links. On the other hand, maybe you aren't' ready to connect with others yet because you're still trying to figure out your direction.  I've got it! Start with a BLUEPRINT!  Check out the site Drawn By Success and download the FREE Artist's Success Blueprint .  It's a series of 4 audio lessons (2 hours total) and 3 sets of...

These smiling faces are waiting on me... I get images and ideas in my head all the time...at crazy times...but that doesn't mean everything that skips through my imagination is meant for an illustration.  Most ideas I want to get onto paper as quick as possible.  And since I carry a sketchbook, that part is easy.  The frustrating issue is when I can't put the image I see in my head on paper - the first time.  When this happens I take my doodles to my digital paper.  I love doodling digitally because I can quickly add layers and move things around. I like what happens in this process because this is where the original idea takes shape.  Lately I have been trying to create "cleaner" doodles because I like to use the loose sketch in my final art.  Ah...the magic of Photoshop!  I love it. For my digital pencil sketches, my favorite pencil is the Twitterific Pencil created by Kyle T. Webster .  This is the brush used on the sketch here. Yo...

Snip from Moogie, Bop and Me! Appetite.    When I see that word I immediately think of food...and that a handful of jellybeans would solve my insatiable appetite for something sweet. But that's not what I'm talking about (even though jellybeans are a weakness). This "appetite" refers to your life. What do you CRAVE that leaves you EAGER to have more of? What do you have a HANKERING for that keeps you filled and indescribably happy? It's certainly not what I've been loading up on lately, that's for darn sure. Today I started following, along with my Pastor and the rest of our church, 21 days of prayer and fasting.  It's not 3 weeks of food starvation, although healthy fasting can certainly be part of it, if you choose.  This time is for us to give up something...whatever that something is... and spend more time getting to know God on a more personal level.  I don't know about you, but I'm more than ready to realign my scattered heart -...

First, you must understand that I don't make resolutions.  I RESOLVE to _______ what?  Eat better. Lose weight. Stop smoking. Be nice to people. Spend more time with my kids. Go to church every Sunday. Get a job, or a better job...the list goes on.  The truth is that most or all of these resolutions are fantastic.  It is also true that most of them will be discarded by the end of January. Whether it's just too hard to loose weight, or getting up early on Sunday morning is not your thing, it was just a silly resolution anyway. And we all know that resolutions are made to be broken. Right?  This is why I don't make resolutions.  When I say resolution I feel defeated before I even start. Many years ago I decided to change the way I approached the whole New Year's Resolution thing. And that's when I got excited! My thesaurus explains RESOLUTION like this: noun 1 her resolution not to smoke: intention, resolve, decision, intent, aim, plan; commi...

Who hasn't had the urge to go WILD sometimes? I knew this book was destined for my book shelf when I saw the beautifully illustrated cover.  Mr. Tiger's fun expression begs the reader to find out how this properly dressed tiger is going to go wild. Mr. Tiger lives in a very proper town, where they dress in very proper clothes, walk on two proper legs and lead very proper and boring lives. So Mr. Tiger, who was "bored with always being so proper" got a "very wild idea." Starting with getting on "all fours", Mr. Tiger starts casting off his proper constraints and gets WILD! And he ROARS! The town folk are not too happy with Mr. Tiger and tell him to kindly act wild in the wilderness.  Mr. Tiger says "What a magnificent idea!"  Although he has lots of fun being wild and free, Mr. Tiger soon misses his friends, and the city. He returns to find a surprise! And this is where I will leave you hanging in suspense until you read this l...

I don't like tethered things...and thank goodness being attached to a corded device is becoming a thing of the past.  Not fast enough for me, though!  And, on my limited budget, I have to be creative! I have owned a Cintiq for over 3 years and, along with my 27" iMac, it is one of the best investments for my illustrating business that I have ever made.  But, I'm tethered...leashed to a bunch of cumbersom cords...sigh.  I have been waiting for a Wacom product that is portable...one with all of the bells and whistles my 21UX has.  And Wacom finally delivered the Companion this year.  It's a fantastic piece of work with a price tag to go with it. So...I set my budget and got creative. I needed a laptop, a tablet, and a portable Cintiq-like experience. I told my 2 year old Nook Tablet that our relationship was over.  After much research, listing pros and cons...more research, I decided to buy an iPad Air (64GB), a wireless Apple Keyboard...