Children's Illustrator Lynn Alpert's Blog | Redheaded Stepchild

Stephen Colbert's Interview with Maurice Sendak

2012-01-27T10:06:00.000-06:00

After the bad news at the beginning of the week about how the Caldecott and Newbery Award-winners were dissed by the morning news shows, Stephen Colbert does an awesome interview with Maurice Sendak! Like most things Colbert does, it's not for children, but it is HILARIOUS! Sendak is known for his curmudgeonly attitude, but I've always admired him for being himself. He holds his own against Colbert, and we actually see him laugh! Maybe Stephen will have the winners on next year (I don't know if they would all be up to it!)

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Grim Colberty Tales with Maurice Sendak Pt. 1

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor & Satire Blog

Video Archive

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Grim Colberty Tales with Maurice Sendak Pt. 2

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor & Satire Blog

Video Archive

Will Terry's "How To Design A Drawing"

2012-01-08T15:18:00.000-06:00

I'm so excited to have won a free copy of Will Terry's "How To Design A Drawing" video tutorial. Even though I've been a graphic designer my whole life, I still struggle with integrating characters into backgrounds in my illustrations, and I'm sure this will help me with that.

Having been taught by Will for a week at the Writing and Illustrating For Young Readers Conference in 2009, I know I will come away with some great insights. I love the way Will teaches - he just talks about different aspects of illustration based on his experiences - not some hard and fast rules read out of a textbook.

Check out his tutorials - he has a new series of 8 videos. You can find them on folioacademy.com I'll let you know how it goes - but I'm sure I'll learn a lot from it!

Happy New Year

2012-01-02T12:59:00.001-06:00

It's an exciting day for SCBWI illustrators who entered the Tomie dePaola Award contest. The winner is scheduled to be announced today – our community is buzzing with anticipation. In the meantime, fellow SCBWI illustrator, Diandra Mae has been working tirelessly on a blog so that we can showcase our entries. Usually, when the winner is announced on the SCBWI site, we only get to see that entry. Artists love looking at art and Diandra's curiosity drove her to, first, take charge in getting a private group on Facebook organized, and then set up a blog for the public to see. Check it out - there are so many awesome illustrators out there!

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-22T14:01:00.000-06:00

I hope you all have a great holiday full of fun, food and family!

Chicken Licken Illustration for SCBWI Tomie dePaola Contest

2011-12-16T10:12:00.002-06:00

I created this piece for the SCBWI Tomie dePaola contest. He selects an excerpt from a classic picture book to illustrate and the winner gets a free trip to New York for the winter conference. He wants to see something different, so I thought I would give all those birds alternative means of transport. I've never drawn so much poultry in my life!

He chose this excerpt from "Chicken Licken" for us to illustrate:

So they went along and went along until they met Turkey Lurkey
“Good morning, Goosey Loosey, Ducky Daddles, Cocky Locky, Henny Penny,
and Chicken Licken,” said Turkey Lurkey, “where are you going?”
“Oh, Turkey Lurkey, the sky is falling and we are going to tell the King!”
“How do you know the sky is falling?” asked Turkey Lurkey.
“Ducky Daddles told me,” said Goosey Loosey.
“Cocky Locky told me,” said Ducky Daddles.
“Henny Penny told me,” said Cocky Locky.
“Chicken Licken told me,” said Henny Penny
“I saw it with my own eyes, I heard it with my own ears,
and a piece of it fell on my tail!” said Chicken Licken.
“Then I will go with you,” said Turkey Lurkey, “and we will tell the King!”

Illustration Friday - Round

2011-11-27T17:18:00.000-06:00

From the sketchbook. I love drawing extra round animals and kids and especially cats – I think it makes them way cuter!

The Perfect Holiday Gift Idea

2011-11-22T21:35:00.004-06:00

One of my favorite websites is theydrawandcook.com where artists create and post illustrated recipes. I've posted 2 recipes on it so far:
Balsamic Strawberry Salsa and Chocolate Eclair Cake. They published a book with some of the hundreds of awesomely illustrated recipes – I've drooled over it at the book store – it's gorgeous! Food and art at its best! Buy one for everyone on your list!

November is Picture Book Month

2011-11-03T21:21:00.000-05:00

November is a busy month! To go along with PiBoIdMo, November is also Picture Book Month. Here's a little history: with an unprecedented amount of picture books being converted to the digital format, Dianne de Las Casas decided it was time to celebrate picture books in their printed format so she created an initiative to designate November as “Picture Book Month.” Katie Davis, Elizabeth Dulemba, Tara Lazar, and Wendy Martin came on board to champion the cause and spread the word.

Each day in November, a new essay about picture books will be posted on the website from such notable contributors as Suzanne Bloom, Denise Fleming, Leslie Helakoski, Eric A. Kimmel, Tammi Sauer, Dan Yaccarino, and Jane Yolen. It will also feature links to picture book resources, authors, illustrators, and kidlit book bloggers.
Join the celebration!

Redheaded Stepchild Wishes You a Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T13:28:00.001-05:00

PiBoIdMo 2011

2011-10-25T23:12:00.007-05:00

It's time for Picture Book Idea Month! For those who don't know, November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) where writers challenge themselves to write a certain amount of words every day in November, then hopefully have a finished novel at the end of the month.

Tara Lazar, a children's book writer started PiBoIdMo to coincide with NaNoWriMo for picture book writers. The challenge is to come up with an idea for a picture book every day in November. I participated in PiBoIdMo 2 years ago, and I'm signed up to do it again! It really helps stretch your creative muscle!

Check it out! There will be guest posts and prizes all month.

p.s. Isn't the banner cute? One of my critique partners, Bonnie Adamson, created it and I think it's as cute as a bug (oh, wait, it IS a bug!) She did such a wonderful job!

For Steve

2011-10-06T10:30:00.005-05:00

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma--which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." - Steve Jobs

I wonder if the new iphone is named 4S to mean FOR STEVE?

New Recipe for They Draw and Cook

2011-09-12T22:20:00.003-05:00

EDIT ON SEPT. 13
After turning this in to the contest, the background color kept bugging me, so I tweaked it some. I like it much better. And I moved some stuff around a bit. What do you think? I wonder if I could update it on the website?

My latest project for the website They Draw and Cook's kid-friendly recipe contest. This dessert is so easy to make and really tasty!

14 Cool Things to Do in St. Louis

2011-08-12T18:51:00.011-05:00

My latest project is an illustrated map of my home town that I've submitted to the site They Draw and Travel. I love that site – check it out!

Help an old broad help some amazing girls

2011-08-09T11:30:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite bloggers is trying to raise $50,000 in 50 days for her 50th birthday for WriteGirl.

WriteGirl is a nonprofit organization for high school girls centered on the craft of creative writing and empowerment through self-expression. Through one-on-one mentoring and monthly workshops, girls are given techniques, insights and hot tips for great writing in all genres from professional women writers.

Since I'm not rolling in the money just quite yet, I thought I'd help a girl out and help promote her worthy effort. So, if you're feeling generous, click on the pic in the sidebar and give as little as $5! And you get prizes! And if she raises the money, she's gonna shave her head. Love her chutzpah! (Oh, by the way, that's pronounced "hoot-spa," not "choot-spa" the way some people [can you say Michelle Bachmann?] think it's pronounced!) So if you like girls, writing, prizes and feeling good, give some moolah to this cause!

The Importance of Presentation

2011-07-25T11:37:00.003-05:00

Image by EpicGraphic
I love this simple graphic! It visually explains the difference between a good presentation and a boring one. To explain the graphic design business, for instance, the first two images are what I get from a client and the third image is what I give back to them.

New Work for My Children's Illustration Portfolio

2011-05-26T11:30:00.003-05:00

I'm trying to get more interaction and storytelling in my images and I've been working on this image (posted on Easter). I think it fits more into the children's book arena than it did before - what do you think?

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T15:21:00.006-05:00

Happy Easter to everyone!

A Change of View

2011-04-04T21:20:00.003-05:00

Blogger has added a new feature that makes it easy to view your blog several different ways. You can view it as a sidebar, flipcard, mosaic, snapshot or timeslide view – change the blue scroll bar on the top right to see other views. My favs are the snapshot view and the mosaic view. Here's the snapshot view:

And here's the mosaic view:

Learned about this new feature from Alicia Padrón. Thanks Alicia!

Click here to try it out and view my blog differently.

Type "/view" at the end of your address to see your own blog like this.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2011-03-17T18:48:00.002-05:00

I know I'm probably behind the times with this, but I just recently watched the movie "The Secret of Kells" and wanted to give it a shout out on St. Patrick's Day. If you haven't seen this movie, rent it, or better yet, buy it! The story is good, but the visuals are so over-the-top awesome.

It's based on the story (folklore?) of how The Book of Kells was created. The beautiful graphic nature of the images just blows me away - as I'm both a children's illustrator and graphic artist, they just give me goosebumps! I don't know much about The Book of Kells, but I've seen glimpes of the art, and it looks gorgeous!

Here are some images from the movie – aren't they awesome?

Why So Serious?

2011-02-09T17:32:00.000-06:00

I so love the rock singer Pink! She is so freaking cool! I identify with her so much - she seems to have that hard outer coating and a soft, gooey center just like I have. And lately, her song "Raise Your Glass" has been my theme song (I even changed my ring tone on my phone to this song!). Why? Because I've always been the weird one and very loud (ask my former co-workers)! And I've always been ok with that - I didn't even care if I fit into any cliques in high school - I was just friends with everyone.

I just love the line "Raise your glass if you are wrong, in all the right ways ... all my underdogs, we will never be anything but loud and nitty gritty, dirty, little freaks" and of course, the "WHY SO SERIOUS?" phrase. Most of my loudness comes from my laughing - I gotta laugh. I've always dealt with life with humor and silliness.

Anyway, an example of this silliness was the other day. I was trying to shovel the snow off the driveway, but with the 4" of ice underneath it, it was impossible. The sun was out, it wasn't too cold, so I decided to make a snow dog. I was out there all alone, but I'll tell you, it was the most fun I had for a while! I even found myself giggling to myself. I didn't get to take a picture until the next day, and it had melted a little, but here he is! Just a little silliness for you!

How to Deal with a Bad Day

2011-02-02T10:14:00.002-06:00

I got this little gem in my email this morning and had to repost it - it contains some real wisdom for how to think about those "bad days."

HOW TO DEAL WITH A BAD DAY
by Christine Kane

Let's face it. No matter how much progress we make, we're still going to have "bad days."

You know the ones.

When the old critical voices are milling about drinking martinis in your head. You try to send them all away with your favorite powerful affirmation, but only a few of them even look up - and one of them turns away and snickers.

So, what do you do when no matter what you do, you're just icky?

Very few success-gurus or business coaches talk about the bad day. Rarer still is any discussion on the process of following your dreams or building a business and the persistence it takes to break through old patterns.

Sometimes it helps to hear someone be honest about this stuff. Not so that you can indulge in self-pity about how hard you have it. But so that when the bad day strikes, you have some leverage and you KNOW WHAT TO DO! (Or not to do!)

So, how do you get through a bad day?

Here's a few things that help me. Let them help you too...

WHAT TO REMIND YOURSELF:
1 - The icky voices do not tell the truth.
They're just your old voices coming up to feed. Do not feed them. This is what makes them stay.

2 - This is not who you are.
The voices like to tell you that this messed up person is who you really are and that the rest of the world doesn't have these same flaws.

Not true.

This is just a temporary set back. That's all.

3 - Lattes don't take the voices away. It just makes them go faster.
Bad Days are not a call to rush out to Starbucks, hoping that if you move faster, it will all go away. If there's any action that needs to be taken now, it's probably a nap.

4 - You can put off your productivity until tomorrow.
Consciously choosing to be unproductive is much more effective than spending the day wondering why you can't get anything done. It really is okay to put down your goals and to-dos for one day. You can return to them tomorrow. Today, make it your goal to consciously do nothing.

5 - Everything seems worse when you're tired or hungry.
If you are tired or hungry, that could be the primary cause of feeling bad. Eat something yummy. Take a nap. Go somewhere and sit quietly.

WHAT TO DO:
1 - Stop feeling bad about feeling bad.
If it helps, make today a container. Know that you're allowed to have this stuff and that nothing horrid is going to happen with this one day of getting thrown off.

2 - Make no decisions.
The late Richard Carlson, author and psychologist, gave this great advice: "Never make decisions when you're in a low mood." That's because low moods are a natural occurrence and that any low-mood decisions are typically not healthy. Put off all decisions when you're having a bad day.

3 - Don't read fashion magazines. Or the news.

4 - Take a 20 minute walk.
Bring a gentle affirmation along with you. On days like this you don't want to say, "I am master of the universe!!!" On days like this you want to say, "I am loved. I am precious."

5 - Don't try to FIX yourself today.
No need to rush to the Self-Help section at Borders. Maybe there are steps you can take toward being healthier in the big picture. But today, let yourself stop.

6 - Lower your standards.
If you eat a good healthy meal, be proud. If you do a little yoga, give yourself a high five. Tomorrow you can have your old high standards back and be productive and evolved and all that. Not today.

7 - Say NO to anything if it's motivated by the word "should."
This is a good rule to follow on good days too!

8 - Ask yourself what you feel like doing.
Sometimes the answer to this can be surprising. Maybe you'll want to begin a fiction audiobook and clean your closet! Maybe you'll just want a nap. Don't judge your response. Just do it. You might be surprised at how this one little bit of permission changes your state instantly!

9 - Don't do anything destructive.
Don't overdose on sugar or indulge in alcohol. Don't call anyone who drains you. It will not help.

WHAT TO BE:
Be very, very kind to yourself.

WHAT TO KNOW:
That the victory is not about not having bad days anymore. The victory is that you can get back up after having one.

Christine Kane is the Mentor to Women Who are Changing the World. She helps women uplevel their lives, their businesses and their success. Her weekly LiveCreative eZine goes out to over 12,000 subscribers. If you are ready to take your life and your world to the next level, you can sign up for a F.R.E.E. subscription at http://christinekane.com.

Illustration Friday Chicken (in progress)

2011-01-20T23:54:00.003-06:00

It's been fun looking at all the chickens this week. And the Twitterverse is clucking! Jannie Ho (chicken girl) suggested the word and since I consider her one of my Tweeps, I had to join in on all the chickeny fun! I'm still not done with it, but I thought I'd post it before the word changes.

Strangely enough, just the other day, one of my BFFs was telling a story about singing the song "Chicken Train" in her office at work (to everyone's amusement!) Everyone just looked at her as if she was a crazy woman, since no one remembered the song. She asked me if I remembered it and I broke out into song! Does anyone else remember it? It's from the 70s or 80's and it's by The Ozark Mountain Daredevils. I'm not sure that many people even heard of them outside of Missouri, but they were a staple on our local rock station KSHE 95. So the song has been on a continuous loop in my brain all week and I felt I had to take advantage of it! It's a silly, funny song! Click on the video to hear the song while you enjoy my visual Chicken Train!

Theme for 2011– Become

2011-01-19T16:21:00.001-06:00

Sorry I've been away for a while - I'm still trying to deal with my mother's sudden passing on Thanksgiving. Boy, grief can really surprise you - it can sneak up on you at the most inopportune times! It creeps into all the little crevices in your life that you weren't even aware were there!

I've finally decided that my theme word for 2011 is "become." I need to really become a working artist/illustrator and stop chasing after the quick money fix (which rarely worked anyway!) To become comfortable with working for myself (is that even possible?) I know fear is always going to be my sidekick, so I need to accept that, too. So my word is BECOME.

On the Ninth Day of Christmas...

2010-12-23T00:48:00.004-06:00

Here's my take on nine ladies dancing. They are wearing their green Christmas polka dots.

Check out he rest of the Twelves Days of Christmas on The Story Book Bugs blog.

On the Sixth Day of Christmas

2010-12-19T08:49:00.003-06:00

My illustration on The Story Book Bugs today. Check out the rest of the Twelve Days done by my fellow children's illustrators!

Check out The Story Book Bugs 12 Days of Christmas

2010-12-17T20:22:00.002-06:00

The gang at the group blog I belong to The Story Book Bugs is posting an illustration a day with the 12 Days of Christmas theme. Today is the day 4 - check it out! I'll be posting on Sunday and the following Wednesday.

Check out Holli Conger's Illustrator Tips and Today's Giveaway!

2010-12-15T16:05:00.002-06:00

Check out Holli's great tips for illustrators on her blog. She's also giving away a consultation! Holli was one of the first children's illustrators I came across when I started getting interested in children's book illustration. She has always given great advice and encouragement to others.

Friday Favorites

2010-11-19T08:00:00.004-06:00

When life gets too overwhelming and I start to feel down, I try to practice gratitude to stay positive. So, I make myself focus on the good things that happened in the past week that made me smile.

Had a nice lunch with children's illustrator and Twitter buddy Wendy Martin. We've been trying to hook up for a while and life kept getting in the way. We did wait for each other for at least 20 minutes in different parts of the place we were meeting though!
Met some great peeps at a Biznik meetup. Got some great encouragement and advice from another very nice graphic designer in the area.
Got my first article published on the Biznik site – and it's featured on the home page today!
Got another great testimonial from a happy client!
Thought like an author and got a book idea for PiBoIdMo from an unpleasant situation.

What good things happened to you this week?

Create Your Own Newspaper from Your Twitter Lists with paper.li

2010-11-09T10:10:00.001-06:00

I just discovered paper.li. You can use one of your Twitter lists (or your whole feed) to create a newspaper of all the stories mentioned from your feed in the last 24 hours. I think it's so cool! I'm following so many different types of people that it's impossible not to miss anything. This way, it's all organized in a newspaper format for me to read every morning. I do miss reading a newspaper. And you can read other people's papers, as well.

I have three papers so far:
"The Redheaded Stepchild Daily" – updates from me and everyone I follow
"Red’s Illustration Inspiration Daily" – updates from my illustration-related tweeps
"Red’s Biz Motivation/Inspiration Daily" – updates from my business/entrepreneur tweeps

You are welcome to subscribe to my papers, and create your own! I just had to tell everyone about this cool service!

Custom-Designed Website Header

2010-11-04T14:16:00.003-05:00

I finished another client project! A custom-designed header for a website called Computer Savvy Granny. My client is an older woman who is really technically knowledgeable and gives advice to those that aren't. Check out her site!

New Illustration

2010-10-29T16:02:00.002-05:00

Here is an illustration I just finished for a client who wanted an illustration of his son and his favorite toys. This was a really fun project!

Friday Favorites

2010-10-15T17:35:00.050-05:00

Things that made me smile this week.

Having a very happy client! Before I helped her, she was stuck and couldn't move forward with her business because she didn't feel good with the logo and the look of the materials. I got her branding the way she liked it. I love that I helped her feel good about her business and got her excited about it again!
This little diva dancer on Ellen. So cute!

Frosty the Gourdman comic by Dani and Nicole Jones. I finally got around to reading this - it is so cute. Dani is one of my illustration heros - I'm SO not worthy!
Beautiful weather! I love having the windows open and seeing all the trees changing colors.
Skype. I know I'm a little behind but I just signed up with Skype and had a nice, FREE conversation with one of my clients who is in Canada (yeah, I'm international now-gotta love Twitter!!)

What made you smile this week?

Friday Favorites

2010-10-08T10:32:00.008-05:00

Things that made me smile this week.

Have you seen this flash mob video from Ohio State? I just love the idea of flash mobs! It's just such a fun and joyful thing to do. I hope I get to witness one in person sometime. I love that they used the Glee version of the song "Don't Stop Believing"
Speaking of Glee, I LOVE that show. I am so glad that singing and dancing is cool again - it just makes me smile. Grilled Chesus was funny, and Jane Lynch, you crack me up!
Heidi Klum, you rock! I am a big fan of Project Runway, and one of my BFFs and I get together and watch it every week. I love how Heidi dressed down Gretchen - that girl needs to learn some humility! Don't be dissin' The Body, Gretchen! "What your line is missing..." I CANNOT believe she said that!
Amandin Piu's work.
The inspirational video of Pascal Campion talking about art below. Thanks Tracy Bishop!

Inspirational Artists: Pascal Campion from Onyx Cinema, Inc. on Vimeo.

Top 10 Things I’ve Learned from International Freelancers Day (in no particular order)

2010-09-25T18:12:00.001-05:00

Just got finished attending the first International Freelancers Day online conference. It was so informative! Had fun tweeting with other attendees while the presentations were going on. There was so much I learned, and a lot I missed (will catch up when the replays are available). But here are just 10 of the take-aways I can think of right now (my mind is swimming with so much information) that would be helpful to many kinds of freelancers – illustrators, writers, graphic designers, marketers, entrepreneurs, etc.

Pricing Implies Quality – Jonathan Fields
Paradox of Choice - don’t overwhelm your clients with too many choices – Jonathan Fields
Present your pricing from the highest to the lowest, because people will compare the new price in relation to the one mentioned before it – Jonathan Fields
FUF: Follow up Forever – Michael Huggins
ABP: Always be Pitching – Rebecca Matter
NEVER miss your deadlines. 75% of new freelancers Rebecca Matter hired missed their first deadlines. WOW!
Get listed on top influencers’ resource directories – Ed Gandia
Milk the freelance life – Peter Bowerman (favorite quote - a t-shirt to be made?)
People Don’t Buy What You Do; They Buy Why You Do It – Simon Sinek (by way of Peter Bowerman)
Never discount, instead offer economical alternatives by taking out line items. – Michel Fortin

New Halloween Designs on my Pingg Page

2010-09-21T14:12:00.002-05:00

I added two more designs to my Pingg page. If you plan on having a Halloween party or get together, you can use these for free!

Lynn Alpert Studios is Now on Pingg.com

2010-08-23T11:10:00.005-05:00

I now have a gallery on the pingg site so people can use my art on their invites. So far, I have baby shower invites and the Halloween one shown here. Check it out here.

Don't Work For Free Under the Guise of Good Exposure

2010-08-13T12:47:00.004-05:00

I don't believe in doing spec work, or work for "an opportunity for your art to be seen" or promises of "a lot more work in the future" or "it will be a great piece for your portfolio!" I don't think any other profession has to deal with this issue and I don't understand why people think it's ok to ask graphic designers and illustrators to work for free.

As artists, we are able to create something that someone wants, right? Then why not treat it as any other profession? You wouldn't go to the doctor and tell her you'll only pay her if you like what she says. Hell, if that's the case I would NEVER pay my doctor!!

Ben Crick is the designer of this wonderful image here, as well as three others about spec work, and he has a brilliant post about it here. I hope he comes out with these images as posters, because I want one! I feel like he should put them on t-shirts and I'm sure he'd have a lot of graphic designers and illustrators wearing them all the time!!

Add Copyright Info to Your Images: Photoshop Tutorial

2010-07-29T11:56:00.001-05:00

We artists know that as soon as we create something, it is copyrighted, which means that as the creator, we own all rights to that image. Some other people may not know that, and steal our images (or they do know that and do it anyway, but I'm not going to talk about that). But if you find someone using your image and you want to take them to court, the lawyers say you have to have gone through the process of registering your piece at the copyright office (and paying a fee) in order for you to be able to collect damages. Doesn't really make sense to me, but ANYway...

Some of us are too money-impaired to do that with all of our stuff. Adobe has addressed this starting with Photoshop CS4, by adding a feature that may* help you protect yourself a little more. I think it would protect you against instances where people claim that they don't know who the creator of the art is, as stated in that ridiculous Orphan Works Bill that was introduced last year.

* I am not a lawyer, this may not mean anything in a court of law, blah, blah, blah.

So, with your document open in Photoshop, go to the File menu and select 'file info.'

You'll get a new dialog box. Go to the description tab and there are places you can enter your information. The most important area, in my opinion, is the copyright status box. Here you can say that it's protected and add your name in the box underneath it. I also add stuff in the next tab over, the IPTC tab, to protect myself even further. I don't completely understand the IPTC stuff, but you can read about it here. I don't bother with the other tabs but there are a lot of other options to add more info about the image.

Now, you have your info for your original PS file. To get it on your web-safe image, when you go to "Save for web & devices", make sure that you check that you have selected copyright and contact info in the Metadata box. Hit save and you're done!

What's really cool about this is that when you open your new web-safe image, there is a © symbol on the name of your file!

Buzz on Over to the Story Book Bugs

2010-07-22T12:31:00.002-05:00

Announcing the Story Book Bugs. We're a group of eight illustrators crawling with creativity who love to illustrate for children. Buzz on over and check out this amazing group of talented women who never cease to inspire me!

Oil Spill Capped? Maybe, But We Still Need More Ripples.

2010-07-19T17:35:00.003-05:00

Hopefully, the cap will work to stop the oil, but the animals will probably need help for a long time. I've created 3 more sketchcards for Kelly Light's Ripple blog. I feel privileged to have been able to contribute to this wonderful cause.

Each sketchcard on Ripple is $10.00. The $10.00 is a donation to help the animal victims of the Deep Water Horizon Gulf Oil Spill. Every penny is donated. The three Non-Profits that are benefiting are The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, The Sea Turtle Conservancy and The International Bird Rescue Research Center.

Illustration Friday – Giant

2010-07-07T16:15:00.005-05:00

What kind of purse does a hippo need to go shopping? A giant one, of course! Her friend Gary Gator offered to be her purse for the day!

More Ripples

2010-06-14T11:04:00.005-05:00

I had so much fun creating my sketchcards for Kelly Lights Ripple blog, I did a couple more. I think the ripple has grown into a huge wave! I could imagine how busy Kelly is trying to keep up with these! I have to get my other cards that sold out in the mail today.

The top card is of a pair of Northern Gannets. They look so sweet – they are known to perform elaborate greeting rituals at the nest, stretching their bills and necks skywards and gently tapping bills together.
The bottom card is a Roseate Spoonbill. Aren't these beautiful birds??

Ripple

2010-06-11T16:42:00.005-05:00

We don't have to feel helpless. We can help. Our small actions together will ripple outward.

I did some sketch cards for Kelly Light's project Ripple to help the animals affected by the oil spill in the Gulf. Check out the site for a lot of great art and inspiration.

They Draw and Cook

2010-05-21T09:29:00.001-05:00

Here is the final version with some minor tweaks. Check it out on the They Draw and Cook site today!
This is a really good recipe for anyone wanting to try something a little different. The 'marriage' of tomatoes and strawberries is unexpected but delicious. :–)

Another Illustration for the Zero2Illo Challenge

2010-05-18T10:38:00.003-05:00

I've been working on this for the site They Draw and Cook. I love that site! Before I submit it, does anyone have any critiques? Click on image to see it bigger.

Nighttime Ladybugs

2010-05-03T23:51:00.003-05:00

I started this illustration for a secret project (coming soon!) and thought I'd make it into a little nighttime scene. I'm loving working with textures - I created this one by collaging some magazine articles and painting over it with watercolor, then scanning it in. Then I got to play with it in Photoshop - one of my favorite things to do.

Happy Earth Day

2010-04-22T10:49:00.002-05:00

Have you hugged a tree today??

Visualizing my Goal

2010-04-20T00:48:00.001-05:00

In working on my OGSM for the Zero2Illo challenge this week, I imagined myself in the place I dream of! So, I sketched it out and included it on my plan. They say visualizing it can help it happen!

Get Rid of White in Your Scanned Drawings in Photoshop

2010-04-05T13:35:00.005-05:00

If you want to use your scanned drawings and color them in Photoshop, here's a fast and easy way to get rid of all the white in the background.

Open up your scan in PS. It will automatically be on a layer called "background." This layer is locked, so double click on the word "background", then you'll unlock the layer and can rename it in the dialog box.

Then add another layer and move it under your initial layer. On the original drawing layer, go to the layers palette and change the layer state to multiply. This will get rid of the white!! Then you can paint on the layer beneath it. Easy Peasy!

12 Week Challenge

2010-03-27T14:39:00.006-05:00

Getting geared up for the 12 Week Challenge over at Zero 2 Illo. It starts on Monday, April 5 and I'm hoping it will help me get my illustration career going. Here is what Jonathan says about it:

The 12 Week Challenge is an opportunity to make amazing progress towards your goal of becoming a full time professional illustrator. But this time you won’t be alone.

Here are a few things we hope to achieve with the 12 Week Challenge:

• Life-changing progress for as many participants as possible
• Community spirit and a collaborative effort to get “there”
• A platform and spotlight for those on the journey

Please join us!

Sketching Today

2010-03-18T18:35:00.005-05:00

I was sketching today while watching my favorite daytime show. Can you tell who it is?

My Website is Up!

2010-03-16T00:05:00.007-05:00

Yay! I finally got my website up! After a lot of work, it's live. I have both my design and illustration samples on it. Let me know what you think. Click here check it out!

Music Poster

2010-03-02T23:21:00.006-06:00

Between the loss of my computer, getting food poisoning, buying a new computer, getting it set up with new software, etc. and trying to get my website done, I've neglected this blog - I'm so sorry, blog. I have been doing some sketching and my brother requested a guitar-related sketch to use for his Facebook avatar. My husband, also a musician, liked it so much that he incorporated it into this poster. Check out his music on here.

SUNSHINE AWARD

2010-02-21T12:31:00.004-06:00

This Sunshine award was given to me by Ginny of Designs by Ginny Baker - thanks Ginny!

So, as part of the rules I must pass this award on to 12 bloggers. Here's my list of bloggers that are like a ray of sunshine to me:

Vanessa Brantley Newton
Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw
Debbie Meyer
Sarah Jane
Amber Alvarez
Jannie Ho
Kelly Medina
Steve Mack
Kathleen Rietz
Manola Caprini
Colleen Madden
Deborah Mori

Here are the rules, so please pass this award along....
The rules for accepting the Sunshine Award are:
- Put the logo on your blog or within your post.
- Pass the award onto 12 bloggers.
- Link the nominees within your post.
- Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
- Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

I'm back from the NY SCBWI Conference

2010-02-18T12:12:00.016-06:00

My computer died 2 days before the NY SCBWI conference, I guess all the preparing was too much for her. I didn't get to tweek and print out everything I wanted to for the conference, but I still had 10 things to show in my portfolio. I have felt so disconnected from the world! I know it's a good thing and a bad thing - when my new computer arrived, I spent hours trying to catch up on everything! I AM addicted!

The conference - I couldn't believe how many people were there! They said over 1,000 were in attendance - the biggest ever! It was so inspiring! And I met several people I had only cyber-met before. I hung out with two other illustrators and had a lot of fun! I couldn't help sketching, it really does make me listen better! I sketched the keynote speakers as they spoke - here are some of them:

Lin Oliver, the Executive Director of the SCBWI

Jacqueline Woodson

If you ever get a chance to here Jacqueline read, do it - she is AMAZING! I learned so much! Something she said makes so much sense: she said she writes in an emotionally autobiographical way, and we should write for ourselves as children, not for our kids, grandchildren, etc.

Jane Yolen

Jane was the last speaker of the whole conference, and unfortunately, I had to leave before she was done :-(

For more about the conference, check out the official conference blog.

This is My Year

2010-01-20T21:37:00.007-06:00

This week's prompt in my “Creative Dreams Come True” journey is to write a "This is My Year" list. As Andrea describes it, "Now it's time to buy a ticket for the creative dream jet plane. So our assignment is to chart out more specifically what dreams you want to have come true this year, to set our destination to make sure we’re getting on the right plane."

This is my health
I feel healthy, energetic and pain-free

Do stretches daily

Walk and do yoga consistently

Drink plenty of water

Eat more whole foods

These are my relationships
I feel connected, loved and inspired by my friends and family

Continue my weekly "trash tv" night

Be more proactive in relationships with my friends/family

Encourage other artists, both in person and online

This is my abundance
I am happy to be making a living at what I love

Get website up

Market business

Send at least 2 promo mailings

Track successes, both personal and professional

This is my creativity/purpose
I feel I am using my talents as best as I am able

Draw and/or write daily

Develop at least 4 of my picture book ideas into stories

This us how I practice self love/self care
I feel happy, nurtured and comfortable with myself

Take frequent breaks from computer/drawing to move and stretch

Continue my morning pages

Have 1 "artist date" weekly

This is how I experience happiness/adventure
I feel joyful in each moment

I am willing to try new things

I will be okay to experience things alone if anyone else isn't interested in doing them with me

My Life's Successes So Far

2010-01-11T22:02:00.008-06:00

This week's prompt in my “Creative Dreams Come True” journey is to list our life's successes so far. I feel like I'm bragging, but as Andrea explains it: "It is important to own our successes and be proud of what we have done. This can fuel us to accomplish more. Sharing our lists with our fellow creative dreamers expands the sense of success~fullness and helps us bring that sense of success into our dreams for 2010 and beyond." So here goes:

Made National Honor Society in high school (going WAAY back!!)

Got scholarship to college (didn't use it, though - ended up going to a different school)

Got my graphic design degree and have worked in that profession for 26 years

In the final student art show in my last year of college, I had the most pieces selected (11) to be shown

Won Blueberry Hill's 1995 CD Cover Contest

Bought 2 brand new cars (and without any co-signers!)

Wrote poem that placed 3rd in our local paper's Valentine's personal ad contest

Designed and painted sets for a local play

Bought home

Got married, and had a beautiful wedding

At my third job in my field, I got promoted from production artist to jr. designer, then to supervisor of the jr. designers, then to art director

Joined SCBWI and attended several local conferences

Approached a group of strangers at one of those conferences and we started an illustrator's critique group

Attended an Oprah show taping and was in the 4th row!!

Learned to laugh at myself

Given 4 cats and 1 dog (so far) loving homes

Traveled to: Sun City, AZ; Boston/Cape Cod, MA (and saw a whale so close that I got wet from water coming out of his blow hole!); Orlando/Destin/Cocoa Beach, FL; New Orleans/Baton Rouge, LA; Chicago, IL; Hot Springs, AR; Washington, DC; Austin, TX; South Haven, MI; Seattle, WA; Portland, OR; San Francisco, CA

Have been in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and The Gulf of Mexico

Participated in group art show - The Sketchbook Project

Traveled to Utah alone for the BYU Children's Writers/Illustrator's Conference and my drawing won the daily challenge on the first day

Going to New York alone for the SCBWI Winter Conference

Gotten over fear of dining and going to movies alone

Have maintained several long-term friendships with some awesome women - including one that has lasted 29 years, and one that has lasted 22 years

Started this blog and cyber-met (I think I just made up a word!) some awesome artists

Illustrated a story in the 2009 ABC's Children's Picture Book Contest - we came in third

Have sold some of my art on merchandise in my Zazzle store

Completed PiBoIdMo in November and came up with 33 picture book ideas

Joined several (probably too many!) artist/writer networks

Started my new journey this year as a freelancer, with a goal of illustrating, then writing AND illustrating children's books along with my graphic design

IF - Confined/Renewal

2010-01-07T19:28:00.006-06:00

I posted this very late for the word "renewal" and I think it fits the new word "confined." I felt very confined in my corporate job like the birds in the cage and I feel like the flying bird since I left it. I definitely feel a renewed sense of freedom and creativity.

This Year's Motto: Be a Phenominal Failure

2010-01-04T13:34:00.008-06:00

You're probably thinking WTF? Why would someone WANT to fail? As Thomas Watson (the former CEO of IBM who came up with THINK for the company's motto) says: "The way to succeed is to double your failure rate." So, I'm going to try fail more than ever this year. I'm sick of feeding my Fear Fairy - Bitch it's time for you to go on a diet!
Hey, I've already got one failure, if you refer to my previous post about not being late for everything. It's the 6th of January and I'm just now figuring this out. But instead of giving up and not doing it because it's not the 1st, I'm doing it anyway. Chalk one up for the Failure List! WOOT!
Oh, I just thought of another one - I failed to be a corporate clone and now I have to try to fulfill my dream of being my own boss and to write and illustrate for children. Man, this failure stuff is rough! :-)

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T10:50:00.002-06:00

Here's something fun to do - make yourself into a dancing Santa! View mine here. Have a great holiday!

Inspiration

2009-12-05T13:13:00.005-06:00

I read blogs for inspiration and one of my favorites is Penelope Dullaghan's. She has a great post today with two great pieces of inspiration. I had to repost this one since I love Elizabeth Gilbert much and this is a great talk. I had the opportunity to see her speak about the book, “Eat, Pray, Love” at an Oprah taping (actually, there was so much good stuff, she taped two shows that day with Elizabeth ... and you can see me in the audience ... and I was "this close" to Oprah ... sorry, I got sidetracked). She is so inspiring! One thing she said that I will never forget is when she was talking about having a breakdown and writing to recover from it, “I wrote a ladder of words to get me out of the hole.” I love that. Check out Penelope's post to read some of her inspirations.

Where the Wild Things Are Movie Review

2009-11-17T14:11:00.009-06:00

I was so excited about this movie coming out, (hence my banner) but was a little disappointed. Not because of the violence that a lot of parents are worried about, but because it just didn't have the magic of the book.

My favorite part of the book is when Max's room turns into the forest. Those pages are the best - the movie didn't even go there. Max runs away from home, and it's not clear that he's imagining the place he goes to. I wish the makers of this film portrayed that part in the same vein as in the movie Frida, when she is imaging the trip to New York, or when the scene turns into a painting - love that!

I am surprised that Mr. Sendak let that happen (he is one of the producers). Maybe he didn't have as much control over it as I thought because he seems to agree with me. Here is an excerpt of an article that was in Newsweek. Reporter: "One disagreement you had is that in the book, Max stays in his room. In the film, he runs away from home."
Sendak: "It was one of my favorite scenes in the book. It was so much about the ability of children to imagine themselves in another place. He was a prisoner, locked in his room by his mother. And by his imagination he was able to get through those few hours where he was isolated and trapped. That's how I saw it. But there was something so totally valid in what Spike was doing."

I don't agree with that last sentence, but I'm glad me and my buddy Maurice are on the same wave length. Maybe there IS hope for me! :)

For a bunch of incredible art dedicated to the book, visit Terrible Yellow Eyes. Some awesome stuff!

I'm Participating in PiBoIdMo

2009-11-07T11:26:00.008-06:00

What in the heck is PiBoIdMo, you ask? It's the brilliant idea of Tara Lazar for Picture Book Idea Month. It is an offshoot of NaNoWriMo (which is National Novel Writers Month in which participants write every day in November and have a completed 50,000 word novel at the end of the month). It's for us picture book writers (yeah, I said it, I'm a writer) to come up with an idea a day for the month of November. I've already got 9 ideas! Who knew I could do this??

For anyone wanting to be a picture book writer, check it out - there's a new inspiration every day this month.

Illustration Friday – Fast

2009-10-28T23:48:00.007-05:00

Susie learned really fast that eating her vegetables would be in her best interest! Happy Halloween everyone!

Is it a kick in the ass, or a gift?

2009-10-21T19:18:00.005-05:00

Did you ever agree to go out with someone that you didn't really want to go out with, but he was so persistent that you finally agreed, then he stands you up??? I really had this happen to me, by the way. I feel like it just happened again - I just found out I am getting displaced from my job where I really don't want to be. After two mergers, it finally happened. After the shock of it, I am thinking of it as a gift - I am ready to do this illustration thing full-force, and to me, this is a sign that it is time.

I've always thought that being a graphic designer is what I've always really wanted – well, not so much now. After college, I opted for being a designer instead of an illustrator because, among other reasons, I thought I could always design something and work in my illustrations into the design somehow. In the 25 years of doing this, it has only worked out that way about 2 or 3 times.

This is scary for me, but hopefully Barack (we're on a first name basis - in my dreams!) will convince those stubburn Republicans to pass the health care reform, so I won't have to get a job I hate just to have insurance (it's so ridiculous!)

Any advice and encouragement is welcome!

Illustration Friday – Flying

2009-10-11T11:30:00.008-05:00

My entry for the ABC's Picture Book Competition which came in 3rd place. My apologies to my regular followers for the multiple postings of this piece, but it fits so perfectly with IF's word "flying," so I couldn't resist one more post!

Just Say No to Spec Work!

2009-10-08T23:48:00.011-05:00

No one would really do this in these situations, but to a graphic artist/illustrator, it is a regular occurrence! This really was said to me recently: "I'm not asking you to work for free, but can you come up with a few ideas, then do the finished art, then I'll see if I like any of them before I decide whether to pay you or not." Um, I'm not really asking you to kiss my ass, but why don't you just pucker up and plant one on my behind.

UPDATE: "Pig On My Bed" came in 3rd place.

VOTE NOW for "Pig on My Bed" in the ABC'S Picturebook Competition

2009-09-20T14:09:00.004-05:00

Please vote for us!

UPDATE: Ignore my last post - now I find out the voting has already started today even though we were told tomorrow.
http://www.abcbookcompetition.org/5th_comp/PigOnMyBed.html

Vote for "Pig on My Bed" in the ABC'S Picturebook Competition

2009-09-19T11:40:00.005-05:00

Please vote for us!

UPDATE: Voting starts MONDAY, Sept. 21th. I've been telling everybody to start voting on Sunday, because we were told the voting started Sept. 20th at midnight. But the woman running the competition thinks that Sept. 20th at midnight is the end of the day Sunday, but I disagree. It is 12:00 A.M. which in most people's world, is the beginning of the day (doesn't it stand for "at morning?"). Think about it - on New Year's Eve, we celebrate the new year at midnight because it's the start of a new day and year. Just a little mini-rant.

Anyway, it doesn't matter, she decided this, and she's in charge, so vote on Monday, not on Sunday. http://www.abcbookcompetition.org/5th_comp/PigOnMyBed.html

ABC's Children's Picturebook Competition

2009-09-06T19:03:00.005-05:00

I have been chosen to illustrate one of the finalists stories for this year's contest. The story I illustrated is called "Pig on My Bed" by Sandy Grubb. Check out the contest and please vote (for us??). Voting begins September 20 and runs through October 4...be sure to vote daily!

Help for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

2009-08-28T19:35:00.008-05:00

I'm back from a self-imposed break because I've been suffering from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome for a while now. I'm on the computer all day at work, then come home to blog and read others' and I just had to make myself cut back until I healed. I just want to spread the word about this wonderful book that helped me! After going to a neurologist to diagnose my problem (I was tested by having shocks sent through my arm, then a needle was inserted, and then they moved around my wrist to see if it hurt. Umm - YEAH IT HURT!) The doctor said, yep, it's carpal tunnel and started to leave. I had to keep asking questions about what I should or shouldn't do. She said if it doesn't get better, she'd have to operate. And the only thing she came up with is to wear a wrist brace while I worked and slept. $300 out of my pocket for what??
Luckily for me, a trainer at the gym suggested I do some exercises out of this book. And after suffering for months and months, the pain went away in about 2 weeks. The author Pete Egoscue is a physical therapist, and what he says makes so much sense! Wearing the brace probably made my condition worse, because it restricted my movement too much. Our bodies are MADE to do repetitive motions, the problem is the sitting and not moving our bodies. He also said that if you get operated on (unless you have an injury - not just pain like mine) that it would probably mess you up for life -because you'll keep doing the things that caused it in the first place. And the cause isn't just using the computer - it's the way our bodies get out of alignment and our posture suffers from sitting at a desk all the time. I have really bad posture!
Anyway, if anyone is suffering from pain or numbness, get this book before wasting any time and money at the doctor's. They know nothing about prevention - just how to fix a symptom of a problem, not the root cause. Okay, I'm off my soapbox now - back to art. (I had to curtail that, too, because while drawing, my whole arm would be totally numb!) I'll be posting a project I'm working on soon.

Happy Birthday Mr. President!

2009-08-04T22:36:00.003-05:00

Just couldn't let the day go by without a shout-out to my favorite Dude-in-Chief on his 48th birthday.

2009-06-14T14:48:00.013-05:00

OMG! The conference was awesome! I feel like I got so much crammed into my brain last week. I am so inspired and motivated, and it was wonderful to spend a week with other creative people who want to create children's books.

Our instructor for the daily 4-hour workshop was the talented and very cool Will Terry. Will taught me so much – I have never got so much valuable info at one time.

If anyone is interested in writing and/or illustrating children's books, GO TO THIS CONFERENCE – there's one every year. It's so worth it! And the two women that organize it, Carol Lynch Williams and Cheri Pray Earl, are an absolute riot!

Gone Drawin'!

2009-06-06T13:20:00.007-05:00

I am so excited to be going to the WRITING AND ILLUSTRATING FOR YOUNG READERS WORKSHOP in Utah next week. I hope to come back filled with new knowledge and inspiration!

Meet Rossobella

2009-05-16T14:16:00.005-05:00

She is the newest resident of Wibbly Woobly Woods. Click here to learn more about her and her friends.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2009-05-06T18:30:00.001-05:00

Isn't this cute? It's from a card my hubby made me. Happy Birthday to George Clooney, Bob Seger and Tom Bergeron, too.

Illustration Friday - Fleeting

2009-04-11T19:54:00.002-05:00

Spring is so fleeting, Sophie is determined to see the first flower bloom.

Update on post below

2009-04-10T11:47:00.002-05:00

Update: the voting is over, and thank God for that. I've never seen a bunch of more mean-spirited people in my life! Ok, they didn't like the font, the tree, the textures, too simple, too boring... I can take constructive criticism any day, but this wasn't constructive, this was just plain mean. What has happened to respect for other artists?

Contest entry - vote for me!

2009-04-02T20:10:00.001-05:00

I entered this design in another contest - click below to vote so I can win some cool stuff!

Illustration Friday - Legendary

2009-03-18T22:21:00.001-05:00

Here's another drawing from my "Everyone We Know" sketchbook that I think fits the Illustration Friday theme. Katherine Hepburn is legendary for being a strong, independent woman who was way ahead of her time.

"Everyone We Know" Sketchbook

2009-03-14T11:58:00.001-05:00

I went to the St. Louis leg of the show on Wednesday. The way it was set up was not ideal, with all 2,800 books all stacked in one small area of the gallery. Amazingly, I actually found mine among them! It was very cool peeking into other artist's minds.

Did you guess the theme? Here it is:

More sketches from my "Everyone We Know" sketchbook

2009-03-07T22:28:00.001-06:00

Here's some more drawings from my "Everyone We Know" sketchbook. I'm excited about the show coming to my town Wednesday, March 11!

More sketches from my "Everyone We Know" sketchbook

2009-03-05T19:15:00.002-06:00

Here's another drawing. I do have a theme going, can you guess what it is?

From my "Everyone We Know" sketchbook

2009-03-03T21:41:00.002-06:00

I sent my sketchbook in to the Sketchbook Project 3 and they had a show on Saturday in Atlanta. Tonight they're in Washington, DC. and tomorrow in Philadelphia. Check out the photos of the opening here. I wonder if anyone actually looked at mine? Over 2000 artists participated!

Keep It Cool

2009-02-01T13:10:00.003-06:00

This is so funny, and so true...

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

POTUS Obama

2009-01-20T17:23:00.002-06:00

Today is such an historical day, I couldn't let it go by without a sketch of our new president. I have to remember he is just a man (and a politician at that!), but I can't help but to have a little hero worship for him.

Illustration Friday – Resolve

2009-01-03T11:26:00.002-06:00

Resolve to not be ordinary.

Sketchbook Project

2008-12-17T10:44:00.001-06:00

Thanks to some of my illustrator group friends, I've done something that's out of my comfort zone – I signed up to be part of an art show. It's called The Sketchbook Project, and its being put on by The Art House Gallery of Atlanta. It's a very cool idea to get lots of people who sketch involved: they send you this small sketchbook and you fill it up (or not) and send it back to them. Then, all of the books will be part of a traveling show. It's coming to my town on March 11 at the Soulard Art Market. Join in! The deadline is Feb. 15. Check it out here.

Mosaic of me

2008-11-27T11:25:00.002-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Found this on Melissa's blog, and I joined in the fun.

1. Lynn Camp Side, 2. coffee and chocolate mousse cake, 3. Francis Howell Senior High School, 4. hold me pls..., 5. 102373_7742, 6. kitchen #2, 7. Montmartre. Paris.-, 8. extreme sundae, 9. Bob Staake - World Series 2007 New Yorker Cover, 10. Gizmo, 11. BANG, 12. redheaded stepchild
Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

My answers:
1. What is your first name? (Lynn)
2. What is your favorite food? (chocolate)
3. What high school did you attend? (Francis Howell High School)
4. What is your favorite color? (red)
5. Who is your celebrity crush? (Naveen Andrews)
6. Favorite drink? (tea)
7. Dream vacation? (Paris)
8. Favorite desert? (anything involving chocolate)
9. What do you want to be when you grow up? (children's illustrator)
10. What do you love most in life? (animals)
11. One word to descibe you? (loud)
12. Your flickr name? (redheadedstepchild64)

Wanna play? It's addicting! Type your answer to each of the above questions into Flickr's search (mine are in parentheses). Using only the images that appear on the FIRST page, choose your favorite and copy and paste each of the URL's into the Mosaic Maker. Have fun!

{photo credits are listed above}

2009 Soulard Mardi Gras Poster Contest Entry

2008-11-16T09:43:00.001-06:00

I entered this in the Soulard Mardi Gras Poster Contest this year. There was 49 entries this year, and some of them were very stiff competition, one of them being this one. Still no announcement of the winner...

Update: the winner of the contest was this design by Corie Hammerstone. I put my design on my Zazzle site if you would like to purchase a shirt for the upcoming festivities.

President Obama

2008-11-05T21:15:00.002-06:00

This has been a great day! I know I experienced something great and it makes me proud to be an American – (and it's been a while)! I heard the Lenny Kravitz song "Love Revolution" today and it's so fitting!! I've been singing it ever since!

This the time
This is the vibe
Don't you want to get onto the ride
Come on inside
From the outside
The truth will set you free and you will find
That there is a love
That won't let you down
And it always holds ground
Wear your crown

This love will never leave you
This love will never let you go
It is time for a love revolution
It is time for a new constitution
You are a child of the most high
There is nothing you can't do and that is no lie
You were designed
To use your mind
To move what you can't see so don't be blind
There is a love
That wont let you down and it always holds ground
Wear your crown,

This love will never leave you
This love will never let you go
It is time for a love revolution
It is time for a new constitution

Go Obama!

2008-11-04T19:09:00.001-06:00

My pumpkin in front of my studio door with some poster designs I printed out from designforobama.com

Illustration Friday - Strings

2008-10-12T17:19:00.006-05:00

When I saw this week's word, guitar strings popped into my mind, and I thought of this illustration I created for a brochure on savings and investing for kids. This was one of the few times I got to use my illustration skills at my job. Here is the finished brochure cover.

VOTE FOR ME!

2008-10-04T15:34:00.001-05:00

Wordle.net

2008-09-13T19:09:00.001-05:00

Check this out! This website creates a graphic of any words you put into it. It's fun - try it. The graphic above is what it came up with when I put this blog's address on it.

What a Man!

2008-09-01T11:59:00.001-05:00

I am blown away by this man! I really think he is in the election for the right reasons, and every time he answers any question put to him, I am impressed even more. I totally understand where Obama Girl is coming from in her song I Have a Crush on Obama.
I was so moved as I listened to Barack Obama speak at the convention, I started to sketch him, then couldn't stop. I scanned my drawing in and colorized it in Photoshop. Who knew inspiration could come from a politician!
If you want to see some awesome art featuring Obama, check this out !

Drawing Day

2008-06-06T12:53:00.001-05:00

Join in! Drawing Day is a worldwide drawing event encouraging everyone to drop everything and draw for the sake of art. The internet is an open canvas. Help us create 1 million drawings online this day and boost online art communities.

Slump

2008-05-23T22:06:00.001-05:00

Just posting to let you know that I'm still alive! I've been in a slump and have not been creating anything lately – creating makes me happy, but I don't feel like creating because I'm not happy. Man - what a Catch 22!

To make matters worse, I hate my job now – there's no creativity going on there anymore (the company I work for has been taken over by a bank and everything has changed for the worse). I'm actively looking for a new job (as a graphic designer), so then there's the ole' self doubting that goes along with that.

To keep me from totally giving up on my art, I still read other inspiring blogs - thank God for those that keep on writing and inspiring me, including Penelope, Holli, Violette, and Dani, an artist I just discovered. Thank you for keeping me (and I'm sure loads of others) inspired! You guys really are appreciated!

Illustration Friday - Homage

2008-03-30T14:23:00.001-05:00

I rarely find time to do new illustrations for Illustration Friday anymore, although I usually look at some of the posts from others. I really enjoyed looking at this week's interpretations of the word "homage," so I thought I would repost this drawing from my sketchbook, in homage to the great Maurice Sendak. (click to enlarge)

Illustration Friday - Multiple

2008-02-24T17:25:00.003-06:00

(click to enlarge) This illustration was inspired by an actual scene in my neighborhood. We were driving down the street and saw this line of geese walking on the side of the road. It looked like a momma and poppa with several little ones in between them. It was the cutest thing! (I wondered were they were going - since they were in a subdivision!) Of course, I added the accessories...