wild thing

Finally, finally, finally! This has been sitting on my desk for weeks, and I just got it uploaded. After Linda's invitation to join WaWe (back in October - oy!) I'm "finally" jumping in!

I had in my mind the thought of the wonderful imagination of a child, and how fun it would be if those wild things were fun furry things that came in at night to play hide-and-seek with!

Background got a bit messy, unfortunately. And apparently I still am unsure of how to upload my image properly (so that when you click on it, it opens up enlarged)... assistance please? Thanks!!!

character

I'm double-dipping here also because I used this image for IF this week. This is Bella Minnie, my new character (she appears in the banner above but looks a little different). I'm working on making her into a picture book character to show at SCBWI-NY conference. She's actually based on our newest adopted dog, a sweet St. Bernard (we have a house full of animals who are all loved). I'm working on showing her in different positions & different actions. Wish me luck!

Wild Thing

This is an absolute mess--my washes got away from me & I will be redoing this. As a child, my "Wild Thing" was anything under the bed and especially the monster in the closet. If I piled all of my stuffed animals on the bed, I was much safer!

Value comment ex.

Here is your image in black and white.










Here is one with highlights and dark tones. It's not well done I just threw it into Photoshop, but even still you see a difference immediately.



Here is the adjusted image in gray scale.

HTH. :)

Stepping Stones

I admit I'm doing double duty with this piece. I'm using it for this week's WaWe adventure prompt, but also IF's unbalanced.

Crossing the creek by way of stepping stones, was not as easy as Victoria thought it would be. Only one of them on this adventure didn't seem to have any trouble: Whiskers. Cats were just nimble that way. Claude on the other hand, didn't even make it to the first rock without sliding in. Well, "sliding" wasn't exactly the word to describe what he did, more like "galumpfed" in. Thank goodness Nevin wasn't around to see this. As far as big brothers go, Nevin was the worse. He always complained about how clumsy and klutzy Victoria was. It was a relief he wasn't here to see this spectacle.

What do you guys think? Sometimes my work feels flat. Do my pieces convey action, movement, expression or do they feel flat to you too? Honestly, the truth may be painful sometimes, but that's how we grow. Thanks!

PB artist interview Wednesday.

This moth's interview is with picture book artist Bonnie Adamson. Next month will feature Cyd Moore.

Visit my blog to read the interview and see samples of Bonnie's beautiful work.

Banner Art for WaWe

Anyone interested in designing a banner for WaWe for December? January? February?.....??? The banner format is approximately 660 pixels long. Let me know which month you'd like to design. Thanks!

Create a character | Itty Bitty Bear

Doodling with a pen, I found myself drawing this little fellow...

I then did a bit of a color sketch, and decided to call him Itty Bitty Bear.

Not sure what kind of adventures he'll be having, but he sure looks comfy in his little teacup :-)

Young miss Charlotte

For young miss Charlotte, who was a very timid girl, even skipping rope was an adventure of its own.

The story...