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{
                                                                               

Draw the Line

I finally finished the character sketches for my version of the Mad Hatter.  Pretty happy with the results.
My art class is over and I feel like I learned so much.  There is so much to the drawing process that I
sort of forgot.  That a line can mean so much, and you have to be so careful with each one.  Your hand alone has the power to break or cross each one.  Think about what impact it makes or doesn't.

Here is a sneak peak.  The more I worked on my character sketches the more I realized how much I love and missed the process of making a really fine drawing.  I hadn't really taken the time to do that since Foundation Drawing at UC.  Which was just a few years ago (ha ha) but anyhow.  I highly advise it.  It is important, even if the world doesn't know it, you do:)

Just A Sketch

    Today for drawing class I brought in some character sketches on a large sheet of drawing paper. I am working on these for an intensive for the Wild, Wild Midwest SCBWI Conference. I was a bit upset when my teacher (awesome artist James Werline) told me that the composition of the sketches on the page could be better.  He then proceeded to take tracing paper and lightly sketched a better way to present the sketches as a whole.  (Sorry I can't show you the sketch, but I don't want to show my work here before Conference.)  
                            
                            As we talked I realized how right he is. I was being lazy.
                         I guess the thought of redrawing everything again filled me with a little dread.
The problem was that I didn't PLAN.  Mr. Werline emphasized planning my drawing, even if it is "just a sketch".

Point two, he said my sketches were messy.  All that moving around the page with 

no planning blurred my pencil lines.  But it's they are JUST SKETCHES!  Just sketches 

I will be showing to an ART DIRECTOR!  Neatness counts.   
    



I do fear I may loose something in transferring my original sketches.  

Here is a little 
example of that (and messy sketching)....
Yes, the first one was messy, but I think more sucessful.  When I redrew and inked I changed the eyes for some reason.  The plan was to do it as a little comic.  NOT totally thought out yet.
    
  

   Plan your composition and be neat when presenting your work!  
Thank you Mr. Werline for waking me up. Now I better get some sleepppp.    

Drawing in Reality

   Thought I should give a little explanation to the huge difference in styles I am 
working on currently.  
    I was advised I should take art classes to refresh my 
drawing skills.  This at first was a bit discouraging, but in doing so I have regained
a huge respect for the masters.  Going back to the basics of drawing is like learning
it all over again.  
    When I was designing textiles it was all about line, composition, and color.  
The more simple the better; it's easier to print on fabric.  Now 
switching gears to children's book illustration is a whole new ball game.  So 
starting over is right, and it feels like a huge challenge.  
     Drawing cute characters comes easy to me, but figure drawing and portraits
feel like a giant hurdle.  Learning realistic will give me a definite edge as I work 
on children's book illustrations.  I can already tell the difference.  Thinking more 
about drawing and actually planning my work has been a great benefit.
     So get out there and DRAW!  Take classes!  If you live in the boonies like me
check out community colleges and art guilds for lessons.  Buy a small sketchbook 
and carry it in your car.  Take it out when you have any moment, 
waiting at doc's office, during kid's sports practices, etc.  I used to draw in 
bars in NYC... creative stuff!  Now...Ready, set, DRAW! 

Positively Negative!

    Today I am posting twice to make up for my delinquent behavior.  My art teacher James Werline, showed me what a difference it makes if you pay attention to negative space.  Here I got so focused on the cute face I forgot about the space surrounding it.

    My teacher pointed out that if he picked up the drawing, the lines could almost float away.

The photo had a very black background and the child has very black

hair.  So I thought, yes, she needs to be grounded.  I went back with charcoal and added
the darkness the negative space needed, enhancing the face as the main focus.  Great direction is
so important to progress.  See ya next week!