Illustration Friday: Modify

Seven-year old Isabel modifies her look with the help of Tía Rosa’s makeup expertise! This week’s Illustration Friday submission comes from the bilingual book, A Day with my Aunts / Un dia con mis tías. I remember that when I was Isabel’s age, my Auntie Sandra bought me a My Little Pony makeup playset that my sister and I would practice with. Those were good times…

Have a great weekend, everybody!

Art Crush Wednesday: Chuck Richards

My mother-in-law often clips and saves magazine and newspaper articles for me. It’s nice to know that she thinks of me often, especially since these articles aren’t tips on cleaning, having babies, weight loss, or being a better daughter-in-law! Recently she found a nifty gem in her Iowa State University Alumni magazine, a feature on ISU art professor and children’s book illustrator Chuck Richards.

Richard’s vibrant colors and eye-popping style really dazzled me, earning him a space in my heart with my other "art crushes." His delightful children's book, Critter Sitter, was illustrated in watercolors and watercolor pencils. I love this medium and am awed by his skill and technique. According to the article, it takes him 2-3 weeks to complete each piece, time that is definitely well-spent when you see the quality of his work. Just look at that endearing hound and those adorable bunnies!

Like a schoolgirl relentlessly Googling her favorite teen heartthrob, I scoured the internet for more information on Chuck Richards. Unfortunately I can’t find anything besides his booklist and an ISU profile that links to a defunct website. So if you’re out there and reading this, Mr. Richards, please get another website up soon! You have a growing base of fans who would love to see more of your work!

Illustration Friday: Tango

I immediately thought of this vignette when I saw this week’s theme for Illustration Friday. The image is a simple text divider in the bilingual children’s book, A Day with my Aunts / Un dia con mis tías, for the scene where young Isabel playfully dances to music with Tía Clara. I’d envisioned her aunt as an accomplished dancer, hence the dancing trophies in this illustration.

Art Crush Wednesday: Split Rock Studios

Today’s post is to celebrate the work of my talented museum exhibit designer husband and his employer, Split Rock Studios. I’m very excited to report that after a lengthy 3-year renovation, their redesign of the historic Ford's Theatre Museum is now open to the public!

My husband was one of 2 designers on this project, and you can catch glimpses of the 3-D fly-through he rendered in the clip above. I like to brag that it was my husband’s work on the proposal that won them the contract, though he’ll tell you otherwise I’m sure. They have a great team of exhibit designers, graphic designers, muralists, fabricators, project managers, and support personnel at Split Rock Studios. The company has been very good to us over the years and I regard them as the best in the business.

Be sure to view the whole video for glimpses into the gorgeous exhibit! Check out The Washington Times and The Washington Post for some nice buzz about the re-opening, plus a nice review from The New York Times. If you’re in the DC metro area, you should definitely stop by to see it for yourself.

Minnesota SCBWI Field Trip Recap

I love the Minnesota SCBWI field trips to the Como Park Zoo! The people are always great, the weather is fabulous, and there is lots of time to sketch and enjoy the animals. Folks get to meet each other in a more informal setting and have tons of fun in the process. The trip this past Saturday continued to uphold this awesome tradition, and I can hardly wait until next year!


In addition to capturing images of the animals, it's also fun to study artists outside their native studio habitats:
Check out this Flickr photoset to see a little more of the day. The turn-out this year was the best it’s ever been, so thanks to everyone who made it out for the fun (we're sorry that some of you had to leave before lunch!). We hope to see you all again next year!

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

In all honesty, I wasn’t really interested in this book because the film never struck a chord with me as a child. Dorothy’s journey always seemed too silly, plus I’m sadly not one for musicals. However, I was thrilled to discover that the original text is much darker and more complex than the campy movie. There is richness to the words and images that I wasn’t expecting, as well as more depth to characters I’d only thought of as one-dimensional symbols before. The Cowardly Lion, a character who really got on my nerves as a kid, has now become my favorite. Oz, on the other hand, acts like a bigger jerk than I remembered. Every chapter in this classic holds a new surprise, and I now have a desire to discover the other volumes in the Oz series.

If you have young ones, try reading this book to them (or have them read it to you) before you introduce them to the film. I should never have written this off as mere fluff when I was young!

View all my reviews on Goodreads.

Illustration Friday: Hollow

Happy Friday! This week’s Illustration Friday submission comes from the first children’s book I ever illustrated, Boon the Raccoon and Easel the Weasel. Boon and his family live in the hollow of an old tree. I remember having to do a bit of research on raccoons for this book, and I’ve loved them ever since.

Have a great weekend, everybody! I’ll be hobnobbing with other Minnesota SCBWI members this Saturday at our field trip to Como Park Zoo, and I can’t wait!

It's Coming!

Facebook is pretty fun and surprisingly good for business. Many of my clients are on it for the same reasons, and every once in awhile we’ll send each other nifty surprises like this:
It's the cover to the forthcoming children’s book parody, The Antarctic Express! The book is set to debut this August and I am so very excited. Read all about it on Facebook, Atlas Games’ website, and sign up for updates on Amazon.

Thanks to Michelle Nephew for the tip!

Crunch Time!

I’ve got some big deadlines at the end of this month, so things are pretty crazy ‘round these parts. My projects include illustrations for an activity book about deployment and finishes for the ubiquitous Triangle Republic. I’m learning so much about vector drawing (a new technique for me) and improving my speed at digital painting. Wish me luck as I reach for the finish line!

Minnesota SCBWI Zoo Field Trip

July is already upon us, and that means it's time for the Minnesota SCBWI Summer Field Trip!

Date: Saturday, July 11, 2009
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Location: Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, 1225 Estabrook Drive, Saint Paul, MN 55103
Registration: FREE (Voluntary donation to Como Park Zoo is $2)

Pack a lunch, your art or writing supplies, and some sunscreen! We’re going to spend the day gathering inspiration from the various creatures and activities that the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory has to offer. Sketch, paint, write a children’s poem, come up with a new character or story idea, or practice a creative technique….Go WILD with your imagination!

Meet at the Como Zoo Entrance at 10am. It is located at the Visitor Center. We will share our work and maybe even do some brainstorming when we break for lunch. This is a great chance to mingle with some of your fellow Minnesota SCBWI members!

For Como Park Zoo directions (including a map), visit the Como Park website. We hope to see you there!

Special thanks to Steve Thomason for the marvelous illustration.