The Next Big Thing...

The next big thing is a global tour which started in Australia, to bring awareness to authors and illustrators and their current work. Thanks go to Jon Nez for tagging me.

1. What is your Next Big Thing?

A Book I wrote and illustrated called "I wont share my Underwear"

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

I went to a writers conference and really started thinking of the possibilities of writing a childrens book.

I have illustrated many, and have always written, but never wrote my own childrens book. On the drive home this title popped into my head, I thought it was funny and I pursued it.

3. What genre does your book fall under?

Picturebooks. Ages 3 to 6

4. What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

I cant see a movie done of my book, maybe an animated movie based on my characters? That would be fun.

5. What is a one sentence synopsis of your book?

I won't share my underwear is about sharing, sisters  and respect.

6. Who is publishing your book?

Well, so far it is out under consideration at a couple of publishers, but no contracts yet. Some very nice rejection letters, which I collect in a file, but  no publishers yet.

7.  How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

I really dont remember, I was in between projects, I am thinking about a year. And then a writer friend of mine Diane Ohanesian added some of her magic to it, it has been an on going project.

8. What other books would you compare this story to within you genre?

I love the childrens books that Holiday House publishes, my favorite being "Its Not Fair" by

 Mary Mc Quinllan and illustrated by Anita Harper. 

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

My big influence is the relationship I have and used to have as a younger sibling to my sister. I also remember fondly the days of being in the house with my kids when they were little  and hearing them teaching each other. The warmth of being at home, I tried to bring that into the book.

10. What else about the book might pique the readers interest?

Hopefully the illustrations.

Thanks for visiting my blog and joining me for my part of the Next Big Thing. The tour continues on April 4th with 2 illustrators I greatly admire.

Melissa Iwai, and her new book Truck Stop.

 Anne Jewett and her book Silly Frilly Grandma Tillie.

Happy Spring

Its Spring here in Florida already. Time to plant the flowers and get ready for the heat.

But for now it is really beautiful, which inspired this illustration. "Gardening" is a combination of traditional and Photoshop.

Digital finish

The finished illustration, the thing I think with Photoshop I can overwork it. It was a very good experience, I learned a lot off to new digital work.

My new Photoshop illustration

This is my first real attempt at using Photoshop to paint. Its not finished but today I was playing around with how it would look on my blog, so here it is, I still have alot to do, but so far I liked playing around with the colors, a little bit of textures.

Februarys High Five

This is my latest Thats Silly for the Highlights Magazine High Five. I always enjoy working for the Highlights company, especially High Five.

Behind The Pencil...: Atlanta Gift Show

Behind The Pencil...: Atlanta Gift Show

Atlanta Gift Show

This Friday I took a trip to The Atlanta Gift Show, it was incredible. This is where the buyers go from little shops to huge stores go to purchase items for their stores. 3 huge buildings with 18 floors on each. The photo above is from one of the hallways.

I went because I really want to illustrate greeting cards, puzzles calendars etc. but having done childrens books all these years I wasn't sure how to break into this business.

My friend Rose Mary Berlin has been selling her art in this field for years, she asked me if I wanted to join her at the Atlanta Show this year, I am glad I did.

I spent the first 4 hours wandering around by myself, totally confused, and then I met up with Rose. After spending time seeing her in action, I realized companys really want to meet artists, as long as they are not busy with customers.

We found out from one puzzle company they are looking to start a childrens line, we would not have known that had we just looked at their booth and not spoken with the owner.

As the day went on I got over my insecurity and started to value what I have to offer as an illustrator. The whole building was filled with everything from cards to statues, all created based on illustrations. I ended up feeling excited to be a part of it.

Friday night we met up with some illustrators that Rose knew, I recognized alot of names and was really thrilled to be able to talk with illustrators that know this field, they were so willing to share all kinds of ideas. One of the things that really stuck with me was to design in groups of 4's.  Sounds simple but seeing the show the next day, I can see why that works and now my mind is having so much fun thinking like that.

I also got to meet Jim Shore, he was signing his flags , he was so charming and represents his work so well. The company that makes his flags as well as many other artists is Carson Home Accents. 

On Saturday we started the day out at Legacy Cards, They had breakfast for their artists and customers. I am a big fan of their products and have purchased their cards and calendars for years. Rose introduced me to one of the owner and really learned alot about what they are looking for, such a rare opportunity. Below is a picture of one of the owners Cathleen Llanso with some of their artists. 

We also got freebies, a Lang calendar signed by Jane Shasky. A little but nicely done mini santa by Pipka, Cards by Show Offs Art, and some coasters by Magnet Works.

So to wrap up my weekend at the show it was well worth it for an artist. I met alot of very nice people, I learned alot from some really wonderful artists. And spent the way home sketching.

Well here it is again, the holiday season! Where did the year go. I have been happily painting my ornaments in the studio and this so far is the most popular. It was inspired by a friend that loves burlap, so even though I couldnt find burlap ribbon, I used burlap type colors. I you would like to see more, visit http://www.jinglebulbs.com
Happy Holidays!

Folio Academy Tutorials

I have purchased 5 tutorials from Folio Academy, this  quick illustration was done in Brushes which I never could figure out until  I purchased the Brushes tutorial done by Will Terry. It was fun because I just brought my Ipad instead of my sketch book and was still able to draw. I am a big fan of Folio Academy  and would highly recommend them. Will has a tutorial just on how to draw on the iPad.http://folioacademy.com

High Five August Issue

This is my latest piece for High Five Highlights magazine. The rest stop was challenging but very fun. I always enjoy working for Highlights and especially High Five magazine.

My Baker

My sister bought this baker at a flea market in Florida, we share it, I have Bunco coming up and plan to use it for that. I managed to find these really cool chalk markers at Joanns, Bistro Markers, they are great. They are bright and beautiful and remind me of some of the cool restaurants we used to visit in Vermont.

Wine glasses

I made these glasses based on what I saw on Pinterest, what they had was very basic, and me being  I embellished, it was very fun at our party, I have better ideas, keep checking in, you will be the first to know.

Winter Garden Bloom and Grow

I was hired by Bloom and Grow, a gardening society here in Florida, to make crafts with kids. These are the crafts I choose, thank you Pinterest for the ideas. The first one was spool people which I did with scrapbook paper instead of fabric, the least popular. They loved the angry birds, that was the hardest due to the messiness of the glue. The butterflies were the best choice,  the kids could paint the wings, which are wooden spoons, spray painted with white paint. The kids any age would decorate them with markers, then I would push the wings up in the pin part of the clothes pin, we ran out of these. Pipe cleaners were a great choice for the antennas, and beads topped them off. Fun day, fun crafts, the kids seemed to like it and I have several parents thanking me for the nice crafts.

Disney/Florida

We live about 20 minutes from Disney/Florida, we went to the Contemporary Resort, California Grill, tonight to have dinner and saw these, I think I have a new thing for terrariums, it has been around since i discovered Pinterest a couple of months ago....I am not sure what draws me in with these, but something  does.

My painted table

I had this table from my mom, I always loved the shapes and wanted to paint it. So this is what I did, first I primed it and then added stripes to  match the pillows in the guest room, and the rest was just great fun playing with patterns. I really love painting furniture.

Decembers Thats silly

Here is the latest Thats Silly for Highlights/ High Five magazine.

I was really happy working on it and loved the way it printed.

That time of year....

Its that time of year again, this time caught me a bit by surprise, before I knew it, November is here and Jingle Bulbs is up and running.
For those who dont know, I have been painting and selling handpainted ornaments for many years. It is a fun diversion for me from the illustration work, I love hearing from my customers every year.
I feel honored that they let my artwork become a part of their Christmas. Here is a sample.

Pumpkin mummies

I got this idea from Martha Stewarts Living magazine, her pumpkins were oblong,  I couldnt find that shape so this is what I could find here in Florida, little ones. She suggested using crepe paper, my very smart husband suggested using ace bandages that stuck to each other, that worked really well. They do look a bit like terrorists, but they are supposed to be mummys, I like them they are cute... Happy Halloween.

Halloween Ghouls

Halloween Ghouls.... I needed something for the my Halloween Bunco party. I needed to have a way to mark the tables. I saw something interesting in a shop in SanFrancisco so I thought I would do my version.
But with no room left in my luggage I decided to make my own.  I really enjoyed painting them. Happy Halloween!

Portfolio's at Highlights

Recently I had the opportunity to visit the Highlights Company for the Illustrators weekend. I always enjoyed seeing how other illustrators present their artwork so here are a few of my favorites.

This first portfolio is of Laura Jacobsen's work. What I really liked about this aside from her wonderful work was the clever presentation, I like that these pieces can be taken out individually. Also the paper she matted the art on had her artwork printed on it, which really tied it all together. The box itself was imprinted with her logo which you could see above.

I thought this was a really fun way of presenting promotional pieces. Mike Dammer did this art and I thought the whole package really worked well together.

Here is another very great way of getting some attention for your work. Terry Taylor is a 3D artist and she had this 3D presentation. The photo isn't the best but the art was beautiful and really fun to look at. 

Another artist that I have watched for many years is Judith Moffatt, her work is cut paper, and beautiful.

She sells her art on Etsy, I was lucky enough to have 2 pieces of her wonderful art, she was a hit at the highlights party. Her costumes with her husband Bill are wonderful, always fun to see what they have come up with.  

Another artist that I had the pleasure of getting to know is Sherry Neidigh, she has been creating these amazing signs for Trader Joes. Now next time I am near a Trader Joes I will have to stop in.