Exploring Dogs

A few studies of DOGS using watercolors.

Exploring Elephants

A series of studies I did of Elephants using watercolors.

Exploring Bunnies and Rabbits

After sketchbook revival I wanted to work more in watercolor. It was such fun. Here are a series of Rabbits and Bunnies.

Exploring a Variety of Subjects: Birds

After I finished Sketchbook Revival, I challenged myself to choose other topics and complete a series of images. Here are a few BIRDS.

Thank Goodness for #sketchbookrevival2020.

I really enjoy working to prompts. It relieves me of thinking of new subjects as well as challenges me to try new things. Here are a few of the things I did during the #sketchbookrevival2020 challenge. If Karen Abend brings it back don't miss it. It's a really work out for artists and illustrators. (Pardon my poor photography...working with what I have at home.)

Fingerpainted face

Little Boy Blue: Collage

Watercolor Sunflower

Early Bird gets the worm: Mixed media

Exploring Black & White: mixed media

My inspiration: Watercolor

Character Sketches: watercolor pencils and marker

Left Brain: Submissions / Right Brain: Exploring Alcohol Ink

 It's been awhile since I posted here. I participated in Tara Lazar's Storystorm 2020. And have been writing on topics from list since then. As a result, I haven't done much at the studio. However, the recent shut down of life as we know it has allowed me much needed time to work on both sides of my brain.


The Left Side: Susan Barker, a writing colleague, and I have been submitting our non-fiction book, Hidden in Plain Sight: Illinois Petroglyphs and Pictographs. We actually had three editors contact us. Two were legitimate but as much as they liked the book, they weren't ready to publish, due to the limited audience. The third promised us the moon, publicity, bookmarks, etc but when the contract came they wanted US to give them money. It was a devastating blow. I spent countless hours sending them extensive lists of where we were willing to go to reach our audience. Live and learn.

The Right Side: Took an alcohol ink workshop and it has inspired me to dabble and play around at the studio...just what my right brain needed. Although I don't think any of my samples are publishable quality yet. It has been very freeing in terms of letting my right brain explore. Here are a few of my first attempts:

Alcohol Ink: Mermaid from the workshop

Alcohol Ink: landscape on tile from the workshop

Alcohol Ink: Egyptian

Alcohol Ink: Face from the workshop

Alcohol Ink: Medussa

 

Alcohol Ink: Octopus

Alcohol Ink: Roses

 

From June to October: Working not Posting.

In June, a few of my bookend pals and I rented a cabin at Shale Lake Winery and spent a weekend writing and revising. I still had a few ideas left over from "Storystorm 2019" to flesh out, so I grabbed a handful of note cards and actually came up with three new manuscripts. One about Lines, One about Shapes and two dealing with aspects of color. Fun, fun.

Hard at work at the cabin: writing, revising and making a mug!

In July, Aug. and Sept. these three manuscripts made the rounds between my three critique groups: the Scribes in Springfield, the Bookends in Edwardsville and my Downstate Illustration group. Out of this I have two dummies to shop around. And two manuscripts that need a sprinkling of story glitter: the concepts are solid, I need to make them shine.

Page from Silly Shapes Dummy

Page from What Can A Line Do?  Dummy

Deciding which of my 2019 stories I plan to illustrate is tough. I went with the ones that seemed easy for me, just to get them out the door. A few others I'm still hedging about. How much time can I spend on dummies that may or may not sell?

October was IRC, the Illinois Reading Conference, where once more our SCBWI-IL group "wowed" conference attendees with author & illustrator swag. The entire crew was engaged and more than qualified to reach out to educators and explain how to affordably bring authors or illustrators into their schools. The Illinois outreach, Read Local is building steam. The new posters were a hit.

SCBWI-IL Authors at the Illinois Reading Conference

I won a prize at a local gallery for one of my two collage canvases.  Both images were created in response to the theme "Dual Natures". I chose to represent my ancestors (the knight and queen) and their descendants (illustrated in the attached mirrors in the backgrounds). 

Ancestor/Descendant: Knight

Ancestor/Descendant: Queen

I only got three Inktober sketches done. I always think I can work faster than I actually can. Both Susan, my co-writer for Hidden in Plain Sight: Illinois Petroglyphs & Pictographs for kids and I divided the SCBWI PAL list of publishers and came up with our #1, #2 and #3 lists of publishers to send our book package to.

Inktober 2019: Mindless

Inktober 2019: Ring of Witches

Inktober 2019: Bait

 

In addition, both Susan and I also have our own manuscripts that need to get out there.  After making lists for OUR book, we've each been hammering away at making lists for our other works. I'm hoping some of our manuscripts find editors who love them.