Scooting

Clouded

Going Batty

Overlooked

Sock Monster

Colored in GIMP. This is another index card creation. I love this little monster.

My latest sketch

I'm working on a story idea with this character in mind. This was a sketch I took a picture of and then worked on with my phone via the Sketch Club app.

I like ferrets and how mischievous they can be. We are currently a ferret-free household, though we're thinking of adding one to our family.

Squirreling Around

This one is a sketch I colored and then took a picture of. Then I put it through an app on my phone to achieve brush strokes. I think it came out pretty cute for a phone app.

When the Light Goes Out

From what I've learned from reading my favorite artists' blogs, even the professionals have "writer's block," or times when they just aren't feeling very creative or very good at what they do.

Lately I feel like I have lost my oomph. I feel like my artwork takes a great effort. I'm frustrated with feeling as though my inner creative light is going out, sputtering, fizzing.

Sometimes, it just takes an assignment from someone else to get me going, though. My inner light glowed a little brighter tonight when I penned a Justin Bieber post-it for my niece (she's almost 6) and then scanned and colored it for kicks. It feels like the first artsy thing I've done in weeks.

I know that this time will pass. In the meantime, I'm going to continue to look for inspiration and continue to practice my craft. Oh, and to try to not be so hard on myself! :)

Flowering in Ink

My daughter often wants to work in the medium I'm working in. The last few nights I've been writing letters to my sister using an old fashioned nib and pen and ink. It's quite a lot of fun to draw quick sketches as well since I use a Zebra comic nib. I highly recommend JetPens for pens and ink!

Anyway, my daughter is using my old high school set with a round nib to ink in a flower using some old colored inks. I banned the red and brown, though, because they have a known cancer-causing chemical in them... Yikes! But she loved inking the flower and trying something new.

For the Love of Link

I adore Link from the Windwaker game. I also love his dragon boat! This sketch was altered in an iPhone app called Comic Book after I took a picture of it.

Screened Owl

Final Landing

I've seen several tribute pieces to the Harry Potter series of books and films. As my deadline for my second book quickly approaches, I've had in mind to take a break with a little off-task work. Here it is!

I call this piece Final Landing and have used a background from the book that's almost due. It reminds me of the Forbidden Forest. I like how this could easily be posterized or printed (without the background) as it uses minimal colors.

I'm excited about seeing the movie this coming Thursday. The kids and I are watching the other HPs while we wait...Currently in the background? HP3!

Midnight...Oh, Wait! It's 1:37 a.m.

I--unfortunately--find myself up later and later caught up in a tornado of ideas. This will stop. Must. Go. To. Bed.

Emotions

On paper, most of my work has happy/content faces in it. This is not too surprising as what I normally work on is related to "feel good" stories. But I thought it'd be fun to see how far I could take the simple, two dot/"U-nose" template for faces and make some emotions.

Next I'll practice side-drawn faces with only one ear showing. I can draw short hair sideways, but longer hair seems way harder for me. Practice, practice, practice!

Awe & Inspiration

I've been surfing for and reading artists' blogs for quite some time. I'm inspired by the way these comic/graphic novelists direct their characters on the page and with how fearless they seem to be in their creation. To MEET and visit with them is awe inspiring! 

I visited with Kazu Kibuishi (author and artist of Amulet and Copper) about his process, and I thanked him for the tutorial he has up on Bolt City as it was so helpful to me as a beginning digital artist. He asked to see my book, and he complimented my artwork, saying that having good sensibilities was essential and to keep creating. :) I liked looking over his Amulet series and the beginnings of an iPad app that should launch toward fall.

I then met Chad Thomas, an awesome artist who works on Mega Man comics and Young Salem comics. It was cool watching him sketch a picture for my daughter and to hear about how he got started. When he got out his Pitt pen I noted that I used the same, and we both agreed on their reliability and smoothness. Secretly I was happy to note that the pens I use are the "real deal"... Kinda silly, but it's nice to feel validated!

Next was Chris Schweizer. He had his "Sketchbooks" book for sale in which he took a great time inking a picture in the cover. I found out about some neat materials and that though he has trained at a school of design (where he also teaches now), he believes it is never too late in life to start creating and that I should just keep sketching and experimenting. His book outlines his process, and I'm excited to read it!

Latest Sketch

Colored in GIMP for kicks.

My son is in Kajukenbo, and I felt inspired after watching one of his practices.

Girl on a Beanbag, edited in GIMP

I uploaded beanbag girl into GIMP and changed the colors per the request of my daughter. I also "oilified" it and added a layer of circuitry. I like this one better than the one prior.

Distortion & Fatigue

This one was created on my bro-in-law's iPad via a free app called Sketchbook Xpress. I call it "Girl on a Beanbag." It actually IS a distorted picture of my daughter on a beanbag. I'm too tired to think up a different title! I've spent over 10 hours in the car the last 36 hours, not to mention the events of the weekend (scouting fundraiser, dance recital, niece's confirmation)! I need to be that girl on a beanbag!

Fun With Crayons

Sometimes you just gotta get out the crayons with the kiddos...Well, that's almost all the time at my house! Sooooo sometimes you just gotta scan it in and play with the colors and textures!

My Book is HERE!

YAY! The first picture book I've ever illustrated has been published and is available on Amazon.com! Please go check it out!

I still have deadlines and am working 4-6 hours a day on my illustrations. The rest of my time is filled with household and family obligations.

Two New Contracts

I've been tinkering with art and carrying around a sketchbook for several years now. All I've learned has been self-taught and full of trial and error. Well, people are starting to notice my art. Through friends and family, I've been introduced to a few authors who self-publishing their books.

Today I signed two new contracts with two authors to work on illustrations for their books. I'm excited about both! The first is with Brad Closson again, and we are doing a second book in a series, with the first book about to be published here in April. The second is with a new author named Joy who is a grad student and mother in California. She needs six roughs and one completed by April 7th, and my contract with Brad is up June 1st. Needless to say, I'm gonna be BUSY with illustrations. I wish I could post snippets here, but I won't be able to and won't be able to discuss what they're about, either. Once published, I will add them to my portfolio, though!

I'm not getting paid for either yet as both are dependent upon royalties, but I'm looking toward the future and enjoying using my God-given gift of art. It feels scary to venture out this way, as it's still not familiar to me and I second guess myself much of the time. I take solace in reading the blogs of some of my favorite artists and authors. Here is a great post about how I feel at times: I Drew This Thing!