Style Evolution

Here's a wonderful article on Author All Sorts about how our style changes over time.

Boy, was this helpful for me to read!  I've had a bit of a struggle over this, thinking I'm all over the place with my art, when I suppose I've just been growing and *evolving, to put it in Ged's term.

Thank you, Ged Adamson for taking the time to write this article! Check out Ged's website. His illustrations are brilliant :D


*Side note, which I can share b/c this is MY blog, baby - I have to say, I don't believe in evolution, as it pertains to life on earth (we were created by an amazing God - YAY!), but I do agree our art and other abilities can evolve;-)....just sayin'......

Baby Elephant POP!

Baby elephant with some color. Wooooo!

Baby Elephant Walk....

Got final final revisions sent in, so have a little time for fun sketching....

Here's a baby elephant:

Prairie Dog Central?

On the heels of that last post, I wanted to let you know, I'm planning to make this blog into Prairie Dog Central, in order to celebrate the release of Brother Prairie Dog Goes to Town.

My plans are, to not only have info about the book, including ordering information (of course;), but also fun info and activities for kids and parents! I think this book, and hopefully the series to come, is a great fun educational opportunity (without seeming educational). 

And, as parents, I think we're always looking for that.  So, stay tuned.......

Brother Prairie Dog is Coming to Town!

I mentioned a while ago that I've been working on a couple of children's books.  Well, I'm excited to say that, in 3-4 weeks, the first one is due to be published!!

The author (soon to be announced) and I are frantically working on last minute changes...trying to make everything just right (hopefully!).

I can now say that the story is called Brother Prairie Dog Goes to Town. It's the epic adventure of a young prairie dog trying to get to town and back, facing the perils that a real critter of this type might face!

More info to come, but here's a sneak peek, without the text, for now:

Squishy Wish

A poem I just thought of this morning. I shan't tell you why...

Stepped on something in the dark,

I wishy, wishy, wishy,

When I stepped on that thing in the dark,

It hadn't been so squishy.

Pigeon on a Hot Air Balloon

I had such fun creating this guy. I think he needs to be in a story, some day....

My husband said, "Wow! You're getting faster..." which I take as a compliment. Doin' all these twoodles (which is what this guy originated as) has helped me become more and more comfortable doing this.

Great Advice on Writing & Illustrating Picture Books

I love love LOVE this post from Tara Lazar! Actually there are 2 posts on her blog that are perfect for me, right now, so maybe they are for you, too. One is about Writing a Picture Book.  There's a lot of staring, yes, staring (and coffee, of course) involved. So it appears that I am VERY productive most days. Heh-heh....

The other post is about Being an Illustrator, Then an Author-Illustrator.  BINGO! That's where I am...actually, I'm still working on becoming a published illustrator and in my down time/waiting-for- author-and-publishers-time, I'm being an author-illustrator for another book.

So, thanks again, Tara, for such helpful and encouraging advice;)