New You, New Me

    I have a bunch of excuses for my late post but won't waste your time with them!
Searching for my plastic bin of art supplies (a fishing lure box, it is great to grab on
the go) I came across the little Christmas illustration I lost.  Maybe the box was

misplaced so I could find the painting?
This happens to me a lot!
    Here's a peek into my art box...
    The big watercolor brush is a
number 12 Princeton and it really loads
the water, fabulous for washy skies.
    Kneaded erasers scream "You need
me!" to all artists.
    Those Derwent Drawing pencils are
water soluble and indispensable.  They
come in a range of wonderful browns
and plain or pencil, which is the
shortie I love there on the left.
 
    Finally, here's the Christmas tag.
I like the simple look more than my drawing
and may do a watercolor in this style with the full sketch in the future.


I wrote this short poem...

New Year
New You
New Me
Who knew?
A gnu?

The words made me think of a comic...
it is in the rough stages but I would like to
to post and maybe fine tune and post again next week with another panel.  I thought
this would be a fun continuous project for my blog.  Now I better get out of here before
this winter blast knocks out the electric!
Snuggle up, goodnight!

Happy Holidays!!!

    Preparing for the holidays is wiping me out!  Haven't had time to do anything
new, but I finished my illustration for the SCBWI Tomie dePaola award Wednesday.  
There will be a gallery of the entries after the winning entry is made public and I will 
post my piece here on Jan. 11.  I look forward to seeing the gallery!
    I am thinking I will take a two week holiday break and won't be back posting 
on my blog until Jan. 4th.  Searched through my sketchbooks trying to find the 
Christmas bookmark I lost and I found this sketch.  I did it on tracing paper and it
is a little rough, but I didn't want to say Happy Holidays! without a little visual.  
May you have a wonderful, happy, healthy and safe holiday and new year. 
Peace and love,  Rachel 

Fern Fawn waited patiently for
Buck to answer the door. 

Floating About

     Hello!  Sorry for the late post, has been a very long day.  I have been working on my

entry for the Tomie dePaola Award.  http://www.scbwi.org/awards/tomie-depaola-award  

I did a lot of sketching for this one and changed my mind about what I wanted for the final

art after already transferring it onto my paper.  Sometimes I think I jump the gun a little and

don't analyse the work enough.  Showing my sketches will give away my final too much but

I did want to share a sneak peek of my tracing.  This is another thing I have learned along the way.

I wasn't sure what colors I wanted to use so 

put tracing paper over my final sketch to sort out the colors.  My palette of colors are bright, which makes me a little nervous.  I tend to stick with softer or natural color.  Coloring with pencils and

actually painting on the tracing paper also helped me figure out pattern.  I was going to make this

little doggie solid blue, then thought about spots, but then tried the tiny ones.  The tiny ones are cute 

but I hope it doesn't look like blue chicken pox!  The illustration prompt if you haven't read it is

a poem called "Sneeze" so maybe it is fitting.  Anyway painting with brights and working

on this made me feel so happy, and *thought bubble* This is why I do this.

More news is that I signed up for Lilla Rogers Assignment Bootcamp.   http://lillarogers.com/school/assignment-bootcamp

It starts in February and I am very excited.  I have been feeling lately like

one of those balloons you blow up, don't tie, then let loose to go nuts 

   about the room.  Perhaps direction will help me fine tune my style and 

figure some things out.  Until then I will be floating about

the room.  See ya next weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!!!!!

Outside Peace

    Hey Everybody!  Glad to be back;)  My birthday was really nice.  Had lunch
with my love and had fun with my little-ish loves in Columbus.  We went to COSI
and Magic Mountain Fun Center.  I would recommend visiting both, especially if
you have kids!  The recycled moth art by Michelle Stitzlein at COSI was incredible.
You can see pics of these here...https://twitter.com/RachelBollman  Keep in mind
these are massive!
    I drew this scene last night inspired by a little bookmark I painted a while ago.
Upset that I had lost it, I decided it was still floating around in my mind and I
should put it down on paper.  The girl ended up a little older than the one I had
painted, but still happy with the result.  I also added more to the whole picture,
the bookmark was only her face with the scarf and the one bird.  This is what I
have been trying to concentrate on and improve, completing a whole scene that
tells a story.   I am a little bummed that I started too close to the wire binding holes.
I suppose I was trying to conserve on paper but now have learned my lesson.  It
was fun doing this as a drawing, not sure if I am going to paint it, ink it and
color with pencils, or just leave it alone.  I would have to transfer to paint, and
sometimes the spontaneous feel gets lost.

    Recently I have been working on and thinking about eyes.  It is so tricky to get the
eyes focused sometimes.  Emotion is tough too, and at times I think my own emotion
shows in the eyes I draw.  If you are battling a little sadness it is hard to convey the joy
that everyone speaks of being such a necessity in children's book illustration.  You
really have to become the character and place yourself in their world.  It's a great
escape, and it makes me happy and thankful to be able to create such a place.  Peace.
   

Taking a little birthday break, sorry no post today.  See you next week!

Fancy Pants

    Just finished this little illustration I started last week.  I sketched by hand and
worked in Illustrator.  Unfortunately it was a rough sketch and all my lines weren't
connected so it took longer than I thought it would to color and finalize.
    Daisy is a bit upset.  Working part time as a clown at birthday parties just doesn't 
pay that well.   Her room mate Violet works at The Fancy Store.  
    Sometimes Violet is nice and will share her steak dinner.  

"Some people get steak, others get kibble, how fair is that?" 

  Suddenly Violet says "The Fancy Store needs a model.  Perhaps you would be willing?"

  "Hmmm....how much does it pay and what would I have to wear?" 

  "Well, it can't be any worse than 
 a clown suit right?"

   "Smarty pants."

  "Actually, I am wearing a dress."
  "Bet cha got smarty underpants 
   on though!"

Mermaid Skates!

    Inspired by the #twoodle game on twitter and the "Tresses for Wild Things",  

I  did this today on Illustrator.  I worked from a sketch I scanned in, redrawing each
element.  I added the rough sketchy areas later to make it  look a little less

"computery".  Happy with the final result, she will go well with the siren I

did a while ago (Siren Vision).