Thank you, everyone!!

What a great way to finish 2008: winning The Spotted Bunny! Thank you, Lyon, for selecting me, and to all my fellow WW artists! I tend to get down in December because of the short days, cold weather (remember, I'm from Brazil!) and distance from my family at the holidays. But winning The Spotted Bunny has filled me with cheer :-)

This prompt really got me going this month, and I was lucky to have the time to participate more regularly and create a bit of a story.

Thanks again to everyone for all your encouragement and support!

The gift | Conclusion

And so our story ends, with a hopeful note for the coming year.
Wishing everyone peace, friendship, happiness and love!

Query Holiday

If you have a polished manuscript ready to go here's your chance!

http://www.firebrandliterary.com/query-holiday

The Gift of Friendship - Sketch

Here is my long overdue Watercolor Wednesday assignment:
In this sketch, we see Bear receive his most wanted Christmas wish from his parents: a pot of honey. We see Rabbit receive her most wanted Christmas wish from her parents: a big, juicy carrot. We see Rabbit giving her best friend the most wonderful present she can think to give. We see Bear giving his best friend the most wonderful present he can think to give.

The gift | The story continues...

More color versions of these earlier sketches. You know who the gift is for, but what is he knitting? ;-)

The list color version

Happy Holidays to all of you. A warm welcome to our newest member.

May all your wishes and dreams for the upcoming year come true!

winter fairy

I wanted to share a watercolor that I am giving to one of my daughters friends for Christmas. This little girl is truly one of my biggest fans. When asked who her favorite artist is she says "Lisa Griffin"... talk about melting my heart.
Happy Holidays everyone! =)

rough sketch

rough sketch for children's story "The Procrastinator"

finalized illustration in color

this is the finalized watercolor illustration for a story in Stories for Children Magazine

The gift | Color version

Here it is, in ink and watercolor, from this sketch. I'm using Lanaquarelle Hot Press paper, and sometimes I have a hard time controlling the washes. But I guess it gives it that unpredictable watercolor effect, right? ;-)
As far as the ink strokes, I've been trying to leave them looser and sketchy, and I think I like the results. What do you think?

More details to Making a list

I spent most of the afternoon trying to decide if this was finished yet. I am toying with continuing the Christmas lights around the border but don't know if it will make the whole thing too busy.

I also am thinking of wallpaper patterns and patterns on the bed spread. What do you guys think?

Posey in Color....

I couldn't resist and just had to break out my new Inktense pencils and watercolors to make this illo come alive. Have a good weekend. =)

The gift | 2nd sketch

Here's a more detailed sketch for my illustration project this month. I also did a few other sketches developing the character a bit, so you can definitely see where this storyline is going. I hope to have a color version soon. :-)

Holiday Present Sketch

Hi Everyone-

I loved the prompt this month and wanted to participate with Posey! Here is my initial sketch... in it Posey is coming home from some holiday shopping and notices one of her bird friends looking a little chilled up in her nest. So, I wonder what Posey might come up with as the perfect gift for her feathered friend? I just rec'd a new set of inktense watercolor pencils and am looking forward to working on this comp. with them.

Hope everyone is handling this busy holiday season - I've missed keeping up with you all! =)

Chyna's Very Special Gift

This is my first character for our Christmas story layout. Her name is Chyna.
Chyna is around 7 or 8. Chyna is awe struck by the lights, bells and whistles of the
Christmas season. She has not a clue as to what to purchase for her
pen pal Lysan Tong who lives in Hong Kong.

Making a list

I have more ideas for this one. One would be floating presents round her head as if she's imagining the perfect one. Of course, I will be adding my art nouveau background once I have the idea firmed up.

All comments appreciated. Just a rough pencil sketch at this point, so there are lots of things to comment on for improvement. LOL

Sorry it's late. I spent most of Saturday and Sunday asleep fighting off a cold or something.

Week 1: Prompt

Sorry this is a day late, I have been busy beavering with Sprouts, the NJ magazine... phew! Lots going on this month - anyway,here are two sketches for my Happy Holidays piece... the first is a double page spread of a 8x10" vertical book. Madam Chook is trying to figure out a gift for pal Phileas Foxx. Phileas will be back just in time for the holidays after his round-the-world trip ....



The second is maybe a scene or the cover, I don't know, but I still haven't worked out the actual 'gift' yet ... hmmm?

What do you think of these two pieces? Does the hugging one look like the characters are very young, in which case, maybe Madam Chook is NOT the BFF to Phileas?

my current work...

This is a detail of a 16" x 20" piece, showing what I've been doing lately, which is getting ready for an exhibition coming up in January. I work with an ink pen (without penciling first) and then I watercolor the image. I have four pieces in various stages of completion. My husband is also an artist & we're showing together with three other artist couples. So, between the show & teaching & other stuff I've really missed being an active part of Watercolor Wednesdays....

challenge ending Dec 7

I really wanted to post, so I added this guy to a larger piece that I'm working on for an upcoming exhibition. The

"merhorse"

is gifting a wing to his fish friend so that he can enjoy flying around the world to see the many different lands above sea level.

Unlikely Friends

I really had a hard time with this. Must be the last week of school My brain is mush. I really tried hard to come up with two unlikely friends. I'm not sure how these two ended up together. There must be a story there. If my brain wasn't so mushy I probably could tell you the tale.

I don't think I hit all the criteria either. But I really wanted to post something. It's been a long time since I've put anything on here. I can't wait to put some color to it now.
Cheers all!

Thank you SO much!

It has been so long since I won anything, I am so thrilled to have been given the Spotted Bunny. I think there may have been giggling and even bouncing.

I love the little community we have here. It is always such a pleasure to see what other people using the same media for our prompts can come up with. Everyone's art is so unique and fresh. I am so proud to be a member of Watercolor Wednesdays.

I'm off now to steal some drawing time and sketch out my gifting friend idea. Wish me some uninterrupted personal time to do it.

Thanks again for the honor! I'll take good care of Mr. Bunny, I promise!

The Gift

So here's what I'm thinking... This little guy is planning on making a handmade gift for someone he knows. This is a very rough sketch, but that's usually how I get started: doing tiny, quick and very loose pencil or pen sketches.

He doesn't know much about knitting, but he wants to give it a try and make something special. What will that be? I have something in mind...
;-)

The Gift

Okay, this is my very first crack at the character that I will be
doing for this assignment. I don't know if she will remain the
same because I really would like to work on her some more.
I know she will be African American and the other child will be
Asian or Hispanic. I would like them to give gifts that somehow
speaks to the talent in both children. HELPPPPPPPPP!!
V.

Last Minute Turkey!

Oh! I hope I'm not too late with this one :)

Gobble

This Mr. Turkey also made it through this Thanksgiving (I'm a vegetarian!) So here he is, enjoying a nice, quite and peaceful afternoon. ;-)

Gobble!

Gobble is the magic word

Maya could do lots of tricks with Thanksgiving leftovers.
All she had to do was say the magic words. Gobble, Gooble, Gooble!
TADA!!!!
Don't we all wish it was that easy. he he he
Happy After Turkey Day! Shop till you drop Ladies!

Gobble

Hopefully, none of you will be on the receiving end of Great Aunt Bertha's cheek pinches and kisses this Gobble day! Shudder. Shudder. I was experimenting with my watercolors, so it's a little different than my normal stuff. I'm a firm believer in experimenting.

I've also attached some other Gobble Day related illos I've done within the past few weeks.

Oh, and a word of advice for the upcoming holiday....pull out the maternity pants (with those stretchy tummy panels), kick back with fam and friends, and EAT to your heart's content!!! Me, I've got my eye on the Butternut Squash pie.... Mmmm!! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving guys!

Snow White Sketch from V

Hello everyone. I finally got a chance to do these two illustrations.
It's been more than crazy for me, but I really do love this blog.
You ladies are a support and what I look forward to each week. Let me
know your thoughts PLEASEEEEE!!!

Some Snow White sketches

Hey all,

Trying to find the time to make more posts, but right now - I'll take what I can, even if it's just a few minutes to show some of what I have been mustering for the Snow White prompt.

Here's a sampling of:
Queenie, Witchie and Dwarfie with his doggie ... I haven't come up with a suitable character for the fair maiden herself... but as you can see, I am trying to add my spin on this. Do you think the man in the mirror is too scary-looking for young readers? Too sinister perhaps, or does that make him good for the piece?

All comments are most welcome! I've still to add some background matter - just trying to nail down characters at this point.

Back to weekly prompts?

It seems to me that trying to work on portfolio pieces here, while being a rather ambitious undertaking, has been a dismal failure for most of the membership.

How about a show of hands to go back to weekly prompts and a fun place to blow off some creative steam? We can use the prompts to work on portfolio pieces if we want/need them.

All in favor?

Really rough draft Snow White

I didn't want anyone to think I'd fallen off the face of the earth (I kinda have but that's besides the point) I have been working in fits and starts on most everything on my to do list, which as usual is way too long and not nearly complete.

Here is the beginnings of my rough sketch for my Snow White portfolio piece. The blank space to the right is for the text. The scribbely stuff to the left is a rounded window with Snow White, below here is a flower bed and the far left is a curved door.

As you can see I have a long way to go, I also intend to put an ivy wreath border around the whole thing and a weeping willow or some kind of droopy tree behind the house. I also want to add an animal or bird or two or three. Then maybe I'll consider color.

I know it's kind of in a nowhere place but all comments for improvements are welcome. I hope other's Snow Whites are moving along faster than mine. :) Have a great weekend!

Illustrator reference books?

This is a little off topic, but a few weeks ago, I had gotten two great suggestions for books that have made great reference sources (Scott McCloud's Making Comics, and Bruce Blitz's The Big Book of Cartooning), and I was wondering, what books do ya'll have on your bookshelves that you find yourself constantly referring to?

Personally, I recommend - Writing with Pictures: How to Write and Illustrate Children's Books by Uri Shulevitz. It's very helpful in understanding the process involved in creating a picture book.

Snow White sketches

I don't have anything fancy today, just a couple of sketches to show you I've been working (I've been working a lot on my PB, actually, thanks to last month's exercise). The top illo is pretty obvious, the bottom will eventually be a part of a double spread with Snow White waving goodbye to the dwarfs off to work (I'm using the older Snow White, btw). This exercise is making me realize how much I draw children, not older people, and how I automatically start to draw everyone the same. The prince needs some work, but I think it'd be fun to show him startled when she wakes up.

Enough talking. My kids want attention now! Until next time . . .

Snow White - Sketch

See Krisztina - you're not alone!

Here is a sketch I've done of the scene where the dwarves have found Snow White asleep after having eaten the poisoned apple.

What do you think? I've left space on the right for text, and the top of the image got a little cropped on my scanner, but I think you've got the idea.

snow-white part two

knock-knock! i hope there's somebody in... i'm a little bit alone now. here's the second part of my work for snow-white: storyboard of 5 double pages, some character sheet for dwarfs and the first ready double pages (pages 36-37) of the book.

i will do you next! :)

Thank you!

Thanks to Krisztina for picking me as the October winner - what a marvelous surprise!!! Seeing as she loved Doggy so much I made him the focus of the banner along with my homage to the weather we had this past week which blew out our power for four days. No heat, no electric, no light and NO water!!! I am so glad to be back on track now though. *Sigh*

It's been a tough month with workshops and conferences galore. I attended a NJ SCBWI mentoring event last weekend and have posted my notes along with a few pictures on my blog if you are interested. These events pair you up in one-on-one sessions with editors form major houses - it's really great and you get lots of fabby feedback about your work.

NJ events are open to out-of-state members as well as non-scbwi members. Check the upcoming events out listed on the NJ SCBWI Website. Prices are reasonable, and the events are always tons of fun!

Snow White - first steps

okay, i've already started working. at first i post some sketches for character sheet. i would like to find a new, owner Snow White who is so beautiful and becomes with my style - in the same time. so it's not too easy for me! because i usually don't draw beautiful people - only create funny and interesting aliens with big nose :) it will be good for seven little dwarfs but not for beauty...

now i'm here:



...and i've tried some colours in the final sketch:



i'm in a little trouble with shadows so i'm going to work on it. what do you think? could be Snow White like this? thank you all of comments and can't wait for your posts! :)

Snow White - longer version?

I know it should be my job to post an exact text for this monthly prompt, so thanks Lyon for her post! I"ve found the whole tale here: http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0709.html#snowwhite (better later than never...) . If you would like to put rich details of the tale to your works - here you are. Thank you for excusing and your patience, Linda must does it better than me :) Have a good job you all!

The Snow White Fairy Tale

Snow White Thought we could all use the same text, so I found the Brothers Grimm version online. What an awesome prompt. I have so many images in my head, it will be hard to choose!

I want to apologize for my absence last month. I had several events to travel too and when I returned back to the studio, I had mountains of paperwork that just wouldn't wait. I haven't had a chance to draw anything since early October.

I plan on doing better this month. No more traveling! I did sign up for NaNoWriMo, because I am insane, but on the top of my to-do list is a revamp of my portfolio site. So getting the prompts done will help move that project forward. I have old paintings up on the site from as far back as the 1990s! I really need to get them down and focus on my new style.

Character Sketch

I'm working on another character sketch. How does it look? Is it consistent? Not? Good, bad, ugly? Any advice/suggestions/comments are greatly appreciated!

A few character studies

Hi everyone! I have to apologize for not posting and commenting earlier. This is such a great idea and a great exercise, but I have been a bit overwhelmed with some other things and have not been able to dedicate myself to giving life to these characters.

One thing I learned already: keeping proportions is hard! The characters worked really nicely on that one illustration, but when I try to sketch them in different poses (and I had done a few a while back for IF) the proportions were not right. That's where I tend to lose the consistency...

I'll be sure to visit everyone's posts and comment. Sorry if I don't finish this project. In about a week, I'm going to Brazil to visit my family, and I still feel I have so much to do!

doodles for the storyboard and double colour pages

so 'cricket the superhero' story is continuing :) i'm working on a tale with autumnal colours and my cricket-character whom you can see at my earlier post.

here's some doodles from the storyboard:



and double pages from a work in progress book: