Come visit my studio!

Studio pic

My studio space is in the room that connects the living room to the kitchen. I think it's intended to be a dining room but there's enough space in the kitchen for a dining table so I claimed this space as my own. (This picture was taken last year when I was in the thick of an assignment.)

Usually I spend my time at this table gluing and sewing pieces of fabric together.

But lately, I've been over on the other side creating my felt illustrations on the computer. I am really enjoying it and I especially love the easy clean up. =o)

(You can see the finished illustration on my blog)

When we retire from the military moving, I'm planning on a little outdoor studio.

Here are some examples of ones that inspire me...

http://prettylittlethings.typepad.com/tiny_house/

http://www.marlafrazee.com/ (click on the moon)

http://heidischmidt.typepad.com/inkedline_blog/2005/09/wee_studio.html

Studio Pic

This week's theme on our blog is to show pictures of where we work. A studio, kitchen table, computer or wherever it is that we sit and create.

I have a little studio in my house. Is very tiny and has just a couple of small narrow windows on one of the walls, so there is really not much light. I wish I had huge windows and lots of natural light coming in but I can't complain really, I love my tiny studio.

This was a room filled with boxes and stuff that didn't have a place in the house. One day I just decided to go for it, and emptied it, painted the walls (and myself a bit, I used a roller for the first time), looked for a board and 4 poles to use as a table, added an old chair I had and ..tada! Suddenly there it was.. my studio :o)

I love going in there everyday, put some music on and start sketching.. creating.. painting. In my opinion, having a place to call our own where we can can really disconnect, helps a lot with the creative process.

So here it is:

You can click all pictures for larger view

left- This photo was taken from the entry door.

right- A shot of the right wall of the studio. 

Here is a close up of the table

These pictures are from the wall opposite to my table's wall.

You can see some paintings I've done (I went through a phase 

were I would paint one canvas after the other.. 

now my house is full of them, he, he) 

and my very important closet where I keep almost everything. :o)

Hopefully I didn't bore you all with my studio tour, I always love seeing everybody's work spaces so I thought it would be fun to share. 

I hope you have your own place to create and have fun, regardless of how small it might be!

Farm Fresh

Well.. this is a farm alright but it is not very "fresh"..

You see, this is part of an older illustration I did a long time ago. At that time I was experimenting with finding my style. I do remember working very hard trying to find something I could call my own but I had such a great time doing it.

Now when I look at it, I see many errors and things I don't like about it, but I also see it with loving eyes as it is a great reminder to always keep going forward and to always... always.. enjoy the ride! :o)

farm fresh

This happy bovine is from a first grade decodable reader. Mitch and Blanche on a Ranch... with an Ox. heehee! These assignments are so fun. What I love most though, is being a part of kids learning to read. What a treat!

Farm Fresh

This little piece is from a much larger assignment early this year. It's been one of my favorite assignments this year thus far. Sixty-six 2"x 2" greyscale pieces. The deadline was super-tight. It was a BLAST to knock these out -- such a fun, freeing assignment!! I even wrote a blog post about it, way back when (you can read it here).

Farm Fresh

I love creating farm scenes and I think it is what I'm asked to do most.
This is the first project that started it all and I'll always be very fond of it. It was my first assignment in felt and I was paid $300. Cringe.

But I felt like I had hit the lottery because I was able to gain some illustrative experience while working with a very friendly client.

All of that was worth more than any dollar amount I could put on it. Shoot, at the time I would have paid them to hire me. =o)

Farm Fresh

It's a bluegrass night with grandma pickin' the banjo and grandpa on the harmonica. The fireflies join us in a little tw0-step, dancing to the country twang on a hot summer night.

What's Cooking

Stick a fork in me, I'm done! I just finished illustrating my first picture book. The images are uploaded and awaiting final approval. I nervously pick apart every little detail...stop Heather, it's done for now!

What's Cooking?

The Wish Trees

Here is a little peek into the book I just finished working on.
It is such a lovely book with a wonderful message for kids about trees and the environment. Beautifully written by Andrea Koehle Jones and illustrated by... me... (yay!) ;o)

What's Cooking?

Hope you like pie!

What's cooking?

Lately, I have been been totally absorbed with learning how to create my style digitally and I'm pleased to say that all the hard work is paying off. I am currently working with an educational publisher who likes the new look and wants me to use it for one of their projects. I'll be creating a minibook with accompanying activity pages ,icon images about bees and flowers. Fun!

This will keep me busy until June.

Over the weekend I was teaching myself how to create frayed fabrics. One thing led to another and the above image is the end result. I LOVE working digitally. I am learning something new each day and it's so inspiring.

what's cooking?

Here's a little incognito snippet from a book I just finished. hee! Waiting for publication.

This week I'm working on roughs for a picture book. Later this month I'll begin work on some illos for a teen workbook and sketches for a chapter book. That's what's cooking with me!

Now, I see clearly

Ok, I know what you must be thinking... What's this??? Right?

Well believe or not I can always see more clearly when I squint. He, he.. I know.. that doen's make any sense.. but it does actually.

 
See, what happens is when you squint, you are able to focus more on 2 really important elements of an illustration.

1. Balance in a composition

2. Balance in color

Something kind of magical happens when I squint that all the distraction fades away and I am able to see more clearly those important elements.

So if you see me working, you'll see me squinting every now and then. Ha! Ha.. I even squint while putting all the lights on the christmas tree! Makes those little white lights pop and I can make it all nice and balanced :o)

Go ahead, try it for yourself and see....

now, I see clearly

Taking a little peek outside... 

Whether it's outside my window or even outside of my comfort zone, taking a moment helps me see more clearly.

NOW, I see clearly.

Newspaper fun
(click to create your own!)

I created this back in 2006 when I had lasik eye surgery. This was probably the scariest thing I have ever done but ultimately the most liberating. I have to admit, I was in mourning for a couple of weeks afterwards for my glasses. I missed the vision I had with them..seeing through glass, plus the security of just being able to hide myself behind frames.

Now, I'm thrilled. Losing a contact or breaking my glasses isn't a dread anymore. NOW, I see clearly. Even the wrinkles, ugh. =O)

Congratulations to Patty!

This past weekend was the annual SCBWI Austin, Texas conference.

A big cheer for our very own Patty for winning 2nd place in the portfolio display contest.

Way to go!!!

More cheers for Janee who won 3rd!

Who won 1st? Illustrator, C. G Young.
Be sure to visit his site. His work is something else.

Congratulations everyone!

Now, I see clearly

I've had a little breathing room of late, something I have not had in quite awhile. There are always 1,000 projects waiting desperately for "down time". Projects that need to get done. Revising my web site, updating other online portfolios with newer material and working on my children's portfolio art work are but a few of them. But sometimes I just need to stop. These days, I so rarely do some art work for myself, with nothing else relying on it but my own creativity. I sketch for myself, sure, but I can't remember the last time I completed a piece of work, just because it's fun. So this week, I started doing some paintings in acrylic, a medium I have not used in years but one I used to use a lot and loved it a lot. So we are getting reacquainted. I just completed paintings #4 and 5 tonight.

I think my spurt of creating work just for myself fits this week's theme very well. I especially like how this cat fits the bill. It's the first little painting I finished (Sunday 4/27) and the image says it all. A pensive, thoughtful cat with big black eyes. Kind of funny, this cat does not look like my typical cat at all. I was surprised by this cat. But it's a nice cat, and the cat does seem to be communicating something through his eyes.

I hope you enjoy. If you would like to see the second painting I completed, please check it out here.

Illustration Friday: Primitive

You know, I started to do a bunny sketch for the theme this week (IF's "Primitive") but, ya know, it just wasn't coming out the way I wanted it to. I switched gears and took Roz's lead, and thought I'd post one of my ancient, "primitive" pieces! I figured it was okay for me to copy Roz's idea if I gave her credit for it from the get-go. (It is the most sincere form of flattery, after all..)

This piece which I call "Greek lemons" is primitive in more ways than one, so I thought it really fit the IF theme for me on a personal growth level, anyway.

Over ten years ago, when I had my own little (but very passionate!) greeting card business, this was one of my best-sellers. It was also one of my very favorite designs. I just never seemed to tire of it, and I still love it today. (The original scan is black-line pen and ink, but today for this post, I painted it in photoshop to emulate the way I used to sponge-paint each individual card). This is also the same color palette that I used for this particular card, as well - mediterranean blue, a bit of dirt brown to ground things, and a few juicy citrus brights!

The illustration (as well as the final paint on the cards) was textured and had a very rustic, old-world feel. It's true that I named the piece "Greek Lemons", but this illustration also always felt very Italian to me. I loved (and still love) doing borders and carrying on the old tradition of illustrative, intricate ornamental borders while trying to bring something new to the party, too.

Hope you enjoy the piece, and ultimately, my wish is that it stirs the desire in YOU to take a lemony-fresh vacation somewhere more "primitive" than where we are right now. (In front of our computers. ;))

Illustration Friday: Primitive

I like to imagine that back in those days they knew how to have good ol' fun!

I have to admit this was a tough topic. But I don't think it gets more primitive than Dinosaurs, right? :o)

Illustration Friday- Primitive

Here's one of my "primitive" felt illustrations. This was from a few years back when I was using the felt you buy in sheets at the craft store. Now I use Holland Wool felt which is much easier to work with and I prefer how it reproduces.

love at first sight

A special thank you from our family to my wonderful PBJ amigos and all the visitors who gave Josephine such a sweet and touching "welcome to the world".  We adore the beautiful artwork and heartfelt messages, it means so much to us.  Sending big hugs and kisses!  

xoxo, Laura, Brian, Henry and Josephine

Check this out!

In case you are looking for interviews with illustrators or authors of children's books, here is this amazing blog full of podcasts interviewing artists, writers and also doing book reviews. They do everything on their favorite cafe. It's really great.

It's called Just One More Book. Check it out! Click on it and it will take you there.

Happy weekend everyone! :o)

love at first sight...

... warm wishes of love and joy for Laura and family!

Love at first sight...

Wishes and hugs to Laura and family at this very special time!

Love At First Sight

IT'S A GIRL!

Hope you caught Alicia's hint in her post yesterday. We are so happy to announce that fellow Pbj'er, Laura, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl this week. We are thrilled for her and her family. Mom and baby are doing well!

Love at first sight

for Laura...

Around the world in 7 days

This is a piece from my portfolio that I think works with the theme. They have been traveling all over the world on a long journey to distant lands. What do you think they are looking for? :o)

I, like Patrice and Heather, am working on a project right now that fits this week's theme. Sorry I can't really say much about it, just that it has a worldly theme and it involves kids from around the world. I wish I could post some images or talk a little more about it but the client I'm working with wants to keep it a secret until publication time. So that's how it is for us freelance children's illustrators, sometimes even though we are really excited about a project we just have to shhh... keep quiet and respect the confidentiality issues.

around the world in 7 days

Currently, I'm illustrating a book about two brothers who are exploring the world, starting with their own backyard. In this rough, I'm exploring too... getting to know the boys. One thing I discovered is they have a puppy who's just as curious as they are. :)

Around the world in 7 days...

Do you wonder what children's illustration looks like in other parts of the world? If so, be sure to check out the following books.

Bologna Book Fair Annual 2007

Bologna Book Fair Annual 2006

Play Pen: New Children's Book Illustration

Around the BLOG world in 7 days

Want to take a trip around blog world this week? Here are 7 stops on your sightseeing tour...

1. Illustration For Kids Blog
sketch

2. Paige Keiser
Chess Analogy

3. Lil' Kim
Composition

4. Weller Wishes
Process 1 thru 6

5. Dani Draws
The Color Study

6. John Nez
"Book Making, the folded page"


7.Phyllis Harris
Elephant paints self portraint

Around the World in 7 Days

I'm working on my first picture book, it's about a Maori boy and a little friend he takes around Rotorua, New Zealand.

What's an artist to do when you've never been to New Zealand? Well, I headed over to youtube.com for a tour and a first hand account of the Haka and Poi dances that are featured in the book. It was like I was there!

And while I was there I found this bit of silliness that I just had to share:

april showers

Spring!

April Showers

Lucy is not too thrilled with this rainy season..
staying inside is never as fun as playing outdoors!

April Showers

For the theme of "April Showers", I thought it would be fun to give you a glimpse of a sketch becoming a picture book spread. (This is the "March" spread from "The Months", but it really fits the theme of "April Showers", doesn't it?)


The sketch worked great conceptually, but we needed to rejigger the elements to make it work spacially , and also so it would play nice with the gutter.


Below is the final piece, full bleed . You'll notice there is a lot more painting on the outer portion of the illustration than there is in the final cropped book spread.
(We have to make sure all the corners are 'covered'!)

For the final spread, the book designer used some of the daffodils as breakout design elements. This was her plan from the very beginning, and in some instances,
I created spot art just for this purpose.

Hope you enjoyed my "April Showers" show-and-tell. Now don't get caught outside without an umbrella this month!! :)

April Showers

april showers

.... bring May flowers.

Once Upon a Time...

Humpty made a wrong turn somewhere.

Maybe he was just egg-cited to get out of the house.

Maybe he was into egg-treme sports.

No matter which way you stir the batter,

he's now just food for thought.

once upon a time

There was an enchanted cottage in the woods...

Once upon a time...

Once upon a time... there was a little girl who wished everyday for a puppy. Finally her parents thought it was time and took the little girl to the breeders to choose one. She sat on the grass and a whole bunch a happy little puppies came bouncing with joy and that's when she noticed a little chubby one peeking behind a water bowl... he looked so sweet and shy. She went to him and he slowly sat on the the girl's lap and it was love at first site right then.

Ok, ok.. the little girl is me ;o) and the puppy was Sam, a yellow Lab, my first dog. He lived with me and slept by the foot of my bed up until I was all grown up and left the house. He will always be my special dog, no matter how many others come after him.

once upon a time....

there was a little girl who wished for a pet......

Once upon a time...

There was a pbj'er that got so manic about getting her dummy book out on time that she completely forgot it was her turn to post yesterday.

I stayed up late last night printing so it would be ready for binding when the kids went off to school today. See the pile on the right corner? It's all for nothing. I didn't make sure the images were exactly centered so they are each 1/4 off when you print them back to back on the same sheet.
Hard to explain but just know, I'm peeved at myself and need to spend the morning printing again. =o)

What a waste of time and paper. GRIPE GRIPE GRIPE.

Once upon a time...

Once upon a time, I created this illustration for an SCBWI illustration contest. The subject was "Wacky Wedding".

While I've never been completely happy with this final illustration - I was sort of experimenting with characters (the main ones), and in the end they kind of feel emotionally removed from me a bit due to that - I do love how the supporting cast came out! :)

lesson learned

Don't bite off more than you can chew, work-wise.  No matter how much you want to.