The Lovely Beatrix

Everyone has a hero and mine is Beatrix Potter.

Did you know that when she was 27 she began writing letters to entertain the child of a former governess? The child, Noel Moors, was in bed recovering from scarlet fever. She illustrated the letters with little drawings of rabbits, squirrels and other tiny creatures. This was the beginning of Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, and the hedgehog Mrs. Tiggy Winkle.

The children loved those letters and the stories so much that Beatrix decided to turn the story of Peter Rabbit into a book and the rest is history.

Most people recognize her by photographs like this one

This, however, is my favorite picture of her

And this film I have seen a million times.

Never get tired of watching it.

How about you?

Who's your hero?

Sophie Blackall

I'm sure you love Sophie Blackall for her breathtaking work. Now you can love her for who she is.

Take a glimpse into the life of this very lovely and extraordinary artist.

Art Crush

© copyright Richard Johnson

I've always had the biggest crush on Richard Johnson's work!

In case you are not familiar with it, he is a master of color and light in my opinion. His settings are so theatrical, perspectives always interesting and characters incredibly appealing.

© copyright Richard Johnson

He happens to be a sweet guy too. I had the courage to email him when I was just starting out and he couldn't be nicer. You can tell what a sweet gentle soul he is just by looking at his work. This is another thing I love about this field. Style is always linked with personality, no doubt about that.

Hope you visit his website and admire his work and books. Breathtaking. :o)

Link Love: Quentin Blake

Quentin Blake. Photograph: Eamonn McCabe

Who doesn't love Quentin? His free strokes and lovely lines. His unforgettable characters and simple humor. He is a true Master.

Plus he is such an adorable man. I love watching him work. This is one of my favorite videos of him. It lasts 10 minutes so make sure you are comfortable, feet up, tea or coffee in hand and enjoy.

:o)

A Story and a Star

© copyright Alicia Padrón

A lovely post by the adorable Eric Carle :o)

Fun links! Leigh Hodgkinson

This has got to be one of the most creative websites I've ever seen! Loved it! (Make sure you click on the button). Amazing work by author/illustrator Leigh Hodgkinson! She has a blog too.

** via Cupcakes for Clara. Thanks to Laura for posting about it. Take your time and check out her sweet work as well. She makes darling plush animals! Just adorable. :o) **

Quentin Blake

Quentin Blake answers some interesting questions. There's no audio on the first few seconds of the video for some reason but the rest is fine.

Enjoy!

p.s the "by me" on the top of the video is not really me. That's just how the video is featured on YouTube. Wouldn't that be something though? A dream come true to be able to be sitting in a room talking to him. :o)

Great links- A Portfolio Makeover

I've mentioned several times in the past what a big fan I am of Christopher Denise's work. I don't know if you know but besides making beautiful books he also blogs.

He recently posted about portfolios and what it takes to have a critical eye when it come to your own work. Updating and editing portfolio pieces and leaving only your best work is no easy task. He starts by saying less is in fact more and he found a solution on how to pick the best pieces. Click here if you want to know more.

Favorite Illustrators- Christopher Denise

I thought I would post about one of my favorite illustrators today, Christopher Denise.

Christopher works wonders in my opinion.... His characters are not only adorable and endearing but also very much alive in his skecthes as well as in his books.

Light, atmosphere, movement and telling of time are always present in his work.

One of the things I admire the most about his work is how his settings are like characters in a book. They are always powerful and important and play a mayor role in his work. I find his art to be so beautiful and theatrical, like a little masterpiece hold together in between covers of a book.

Visit his website to see more of his work. He also has a blog filled with sketches and beautiful art for you to drool over. I know I do every time I visit. :o)

At the library

I'm traveling right now and got to go to the library, a huge and beautiful one by the way! I couldn't help but picture what it would be like to spend the night there all by myself with a flashlight and some chocolate. ;o)

Anyway, I found this adorable book. The author is Margaret Wild and the illustrator is Stephen Michael King. Published by Harry N. Abrams.

The cover just instantly grabbed me but then the story and inside illustrations just stole my heart. It's a loving story of a piglet looking for his mom. It's tender yet fun at the same time. The illustrations are amazing, so alive. The line work is so organic and free as well as the watercolor splashes on every spread. I fell in love with Stephen's style and characters.

This is such a nice book to read with your little one. I highly recommend it.

And here is a great little video of Stephen painting. I like what the fun flying text says too. :o)

Rosemary Wells

Beautiful and inspiring video, definitely worth watching.

I like how she said her ideas came to her as little birds on the railing of a ship and that she had to feed each and every one of them before they flew away.

How about you, are you feeding your birds?

favorite illustrator

Holly Hobbie

Holly Hobbie has always been my favorite illustrator.  I loved her art as a child, and didn't go too many places without my beloved, "Holly Hobbie" doll.  Her work still captivates me, even more so now that I'm grown and illustrating too.  She is a source of constant inspiration, and sometimes intimidation for me.  Her books thrill and delight me, and spur me on to improve my technique.  

She creates an entire world for her characters.  It is a whimsical and humorous one, full of natural beauty, the comforts of home, the love of family.  Technically, she is a master of watercolor, capturing light like no one else I've seen.  Her books have been some of my best tutorials for learning to become an illustrator.  

Favorite Illustrator

It's so hard to pick just one! I have to go with John Lawrence. UK illustrator who works in traditional woodblock printmaking. He is brilliant and a master of the medium. I could look at his artwork all day and cry for more! You can see some of his working sketches and thought process in the book, Illustrating Children's Books.

favorite illustrator

Mo Willems

i luv m, i luv m, i luv m, i luv m.
I really do!

Favorite Illustrator

Monkey Business by the fabulous author Vivian Walsh who has collaborated with J. Otto for much of their children's book career. Illustrated by J. Otto Seibold

J. Otto has been an inspiration for me ever since I picked up the book Monkey Business over 10 years ago. I looked through that book with a mixture of starry-eyed desire and green-eyed envy. Desire because he was doing something that I wanted to do, and he was doing it so originally for the time, so unlike anything else I'd ever seen (as well as hordes of others -- just look at J. Otto's style and trace it to so much current artwork that his style has clearly inspired).

J. Otto was a total maverick! This was the future for digital art - it worked for children's book illustration, and, in his hands, SPLENDIDLY. Was J. Otto the first to do it? I have no idea. But, he was the first that konked me over the head with no less powerful an impact than a frying pan. My desperate appreciation/fandom for J. Otto's art after that fateful day 12 or 14 some-odd years ago, and the fact that he got there before anyone else, really helped to spur me to dig deeper to find my own voice as an artist. Ironically, my work and J. Otto's work looks nothing alike. It just goes to show how inspiration knows no creative medium pigeonhole.

Is all of this too earnest and sanguine of me to say? All I can say is, it's true.

Favorite Illustrator

When I decided to use felt for my illustrative medium, I scoured the bookstore and Internet to see if anyone else was doing it too. That's when I discovered the talented Clare Beaton.
She is definitely one of my favorite illustrators and I collect all of her books. I wish I had her flair for stitching and embellishments!

Favorite Illustrator

Ana Juan is a new (to me!) favorite illustrator. I fawned over her first picture book Frida earlier this year and fell right in love with her exotic and edgy style. Ana, a Spanish illustrator, has illustrated several children's books released in the states and is successful as an editorial illustrator as well. The Jewel Box Ballerinas is another great example of her work. I've always liked darker and quirkier books and her style lend itself beautifully to such stories.

Favorite Illustrator

Well, I have many favorite illustrators.. but this week's topic is to talk about one of them. So I chose Sebastien Braun.

If you are not familiar with his work, check it out. I love his art for many reasons. First of all, its incredibly sweet. It's also very simple in its shapes and lines. Such a beautiful and expressive way of rendering. And he paints the most dreamlike landscapes... just lovely.

Here is one of his books for you to see. Just keep clicking on the pages as it goes along.