Natural Inspiration

   Keep breaking my promise to post weekly.  Sorry my life is nuts, what else can I say?
Maybe I am losing focus a little.  Maybe just taking a break.  I think I was/am getting a
little overwhelmed at the immensity of the publishing world and how complex it all is.
    I was a good girl for two days and reworked my board book Buggie Boo, What Can
You Do At the Circus? according to what I learned at conference.  Have to get back to that...

    Recently I picked up this great little vintage book called  Non-Flowering Plants.  It
has been a great source of inspiration.  I have been getting into drawing some little
nature prints/patterns.  I found that I miss the simplicity of creating prints...just playing
around with a few simple elements and being inspired by nature.  Not ready to post
any work from my doodles yet, not sure where I am going with it.
 I highly recommend exploring nature for inspiration.  Books are great but the real deal
is even better.  I don't have much time to sketch out in nature but have been taking a lot
of pics to resource later.

    This tulip tree flower was incredible.  I got lucky finding a tulip tree with branches that
hung low so I was able to take this.  Color story here...wonderfully delicious:)

Chicks in Love

  This was meant to be a doodle but once I got started I couldn't stop!
I loved the two ladies and sketched their bodies first, then decided to
give them chick heads.  One started to look boyish, so I got the idea
to make it like a wedding photo.  I added the arbor around and the
church in the back.  I used a Pentel brush pen (awesome tool) to do
the outlines and colored everything with pencils.  Oh, yes, I added
a "happy" filter as a final touch for that vintage feel.
  Hope to see yours on Twitter!

Art Exercise is NOT exhausting!

   I know how important it is to look at other illustrators work, but sometimes it's

a struggle to maintain my confidence.  There are so many great artists out there.

Remembering what I do and who I am sometimes gets lost.  I have to keep myself 

in check.  

  This morning I was so happy to find this book, Desire To Inspire by Christine Mason Miller.  

It truly did inspire me with art and thought provoking quotes.  Things about "showing

kindness and compassion for others by showing it for ourselves"- (ok, so I will stop 

beating myself up).  Also, asking yourself questions like "Is what we choose to 

share and express uplifting?"  

   I am going to choose to smother the green monster by giving advice and inspiration to you!  

Yes, the children's book world is competitive, but so is everything in life.  So I will pass 

on the sweet karma and "be a force of good" as the book put it. 

  So instead of a drawing I have a little exercise for you all.  Even if you are not an

illustrator, just for fun...take one element, or two, or three or more! from this scan I made

and do a little doodle sketch.  Make some art. Go on now.  You can do it.  

  Some little posies or dollies can brighten the bleakest of days;)  

I will post mine by tomorrow. Follow me on twitter @RachelBollman and tweet me yours!

What makes a Character who they are?

    I finally have my act together so without any further ado here

are my character sketches of Maddie Hatter.  These were done

for an Illustrator Intensive with Laurent Linn from Simon and Schuster

Books for Young Readers.   He advised me to show more emotion

and expression.  He liked some of my details,  such as the tea cup hat

with Maddie's hair "spewing  out"!  He also liked the fact that the bird

was holding his own little toy cat.  He stressed that "everything is a 

character" in illustration, meaning how and what you add to the work

helps show who the character is.  Styling is important. 

    I learned a lot from doing this project.  If you are an illustrator I highly advise taking an illustrator intensive at conferences if you are able.  If not, try choosing a popular fairy tale or character and reinventing it in your own style.  I am very interested in starting an online critique group, perhaps this would be a good way to start.  If you are interested please email me at pixiebprints@gmail.com.

My next step is to just start drawing faces with different emotions, from kids to critters. 

Stay tooned folks, promise I will be a more timely blogger!

Finding Freedom

    Here is a bonus entry since I was late...
This is the watercolor illustration I entered in the art show at the
Wild, Wild Midwest Conference last weekend.
    This work was inspired by the Middle East.  It is about how you can
find freedom, even religious freedom, with books.  This girl drifts to her
future sailing on books.  Strange and curious creatures lie in wait.  Are
they friends or foe?  Hmmm...this may lead to a story.

Illustration is Intense!

    I apologize to my faithful friends who checked in on Friday only to
be disappointed.  My only excuse is that this conference kicked my butt
mentally and physically.  It has literally taken a week to recover.  I
still haven't sorted it all out in my head.
    Here is my final illustration of Maddie Hatter.  She is actually the
daughter of the Mad Hatter,  a little less crazy and she carries the
millinery gene.

The Illustration Intensive with Laurent Linn was just fantastic.  It was neat to see so many different versions.  Mr. Linn's advise was veryhelpful.  His advise to me was to turn the umbrella top to faceMaddie.  He also said to keep details the same, such as all charactersshould have highlights in the eyes since Maddie does.  Mr. Linn also stressed was that "everything is a character".  Meaning everythingin the illustration helps form who the character is.  I tried to do this here, with the styling of hats, colors, and keeping the other charactersa bit wacky.    

I will post my character sketches of Maddie next week.  

Color Incognito

    I am off to the Wild, Wild Midwest Conference tomorrow.
Very jittery and tons to do but here is a quick word about color...
While working on my final illustration for the intensive I wanted to
downplay this character in the foreground of the scene.  To accomplish
this I made his coloring very subtle, so he fades.  He is very discrete,
incognito, as goat boy.  As it should be.

    Have a wonderful weekend friends, and send me good karma prayers
that I don't stick my foot in my mouth or commit some other social or
publishing faux pas.  It has been known to happen. 8{