It may not seem like a lot so some, but I finished off one of the three sketchbooks I’ve had in progress since about 2005. It is a major milestone to me. This unassuming little, black book was started in 2005, finished in 2010. I have three sketchbooks at the moment, that I keep in [...]
This is a reprint, with permission, of my article from the Spring Issue of THE HIGHLIGHTER, SCBWI Mid-Atlantic’s quarterly newsletter. It was written for an audience of children’s book authors and illustrators in the VA/DC area, but you can really apply the concepts here to any creative practice. Who doesn’t need to stimulate their creative [...]
I recently put the Spring Issue of the Mid-Atlantic SCBWI’s Newsletter, THE HIGHLIGHTER, to bed (thanks to the hard work of my co-editor, Moira and Taunya, our webmaster) and wanted to share a screen shot of the cover and a spread. The spot illustration of the bunny may look familiar to you. The cover illustration [...]
Two weeks ago, after 13 years of working for the same company (full-time), through three corporate mergers and four major reorganizations, I tendered my resignation. I made an appointment with my boss, walked into his office on a Tuesday afternoon and handed him what might be the easiest letter I’ve ever written. The letter was [...]
One of the things I’ve always tried to do throughout both my kids school lives is chaperone on every field trip. That being said, I can relate to the Johnny Cash song, “I’ve Been Everywhere.” Well, not “everywhere” but I have been to crazy places, some weird, some downright awful. I won’t even go into [...]
I just finished this little spot kidlit illustration so I thought I’d share the process involved in going from sketch to final spot illo. First Sketch… I usually work in pencil. Specifically, cheap mechanical pencils that come in a giant pack…like these. I like having a sharp point all the time and it’s no big [...]