Girl and Teddy Bear

Haven't had much time lately to illustrate. Did this quick one with ink, which I really enjoy working with.

Ladybug Illustration Final Version

The final version of the double-spread illustration. Took forever. Completely different direction from the previous 2 sketches. Got some good feedback from Marla Frazee. :)

Book Cover Illustration - My Mouse and Me

Book cover assignment. I'll probably build up on the color some more later.

Girl and Birdcage

I'm in my zone... and also felt inspired by some incredible artists... so I drew a personal piece, which probably isn't a good idea when you have a full color illustration due in 3 days. But really, I just can't force myself to draw something when I'm not feelin' it.

I'm pretty satisfied with the way this turned out, although with more practice I know it can only get better. But speaking of style, can you say ADD?

As for the content, I like the idea of a bird cage, but it needs to be smaller. and maybe some other object is missing... a bird? a key? bleeding heart? I'll probably get back to this... some day.

Oh, btw... I know this girl looks a lot like my daughter. I don't think my husband will be crazy about this piece. He already thinks I'm strange enough.

Birthday girl, Averi

Instead of spending $3.00 or so on some generic greeting card, I drew a portrait of the birthday girl, Averi. (My friend's daughter). She has the cutest dimples.

Ladybug Illustration Revised

This is the revised double-page illustration. Got some really great feedback and critique about this piece. I'm going to make one more revision (composition change, some more detail additions, minor tweaks... and I'm good to go for the full color. I will paint in water color. Hopefully I'll finish by next week. I'm already getting kind of over it. LOL

Ladybug! Ladybug! Fly away home.

Sketch of my interpretation of a nursery rhyme. I was having a hard time choosing a rhyme that spoke to me. But once I got the ball rolling, this was really fun to draw. It's a 3 wk long assignment so I'm sure there will be lots of changes until the finished drawing is produced. Will see how the critique goes tomorrow...

Emily Likes to Brush?

My daughter Chloe has been singing a song about brushing her teeth. It goes something like "... open wide, open wider, we love our molars..." which inspired me to draw a picture of a child brushing her teeth. I tried to portray kind of a funny and cute character who is diligently brushing... but looks a little tortured. ;)

Water Adventures

These are pieces that show my previous style- I guess you can call it "cute & generic". I'm trying to move away from this style. However, I wanted to post these particular pieces because I kind of like the colors, lighting and composition in these.

Character Sketch- Liam

My nephew Liam, is one of the most adorable little boys I know. He is so full of personality, which I don't think I portrayed very well in this sketch. I will definitely be doing more sketches of Liam (and Gavin) in the future.

Characters Sketch- Children

The other day, I went to Jumpin Jammin with my family. It's basically a big indoor playground for kids with jumpers, slides, etc. Kids love playing there. Rainy day, so it was packed with kids! Had so much fun just sketching the kids I saw around me. They were live models! btw, Chloe (my daughter) is in this drawing. :)

Mr. Bunny Sequence

This is a 4 piece sequence drawing of Mr. Bunny. It tells a part of a bigger story, but the point is to show a sequence of scenes that tells a clear story of what is happening without words.

Character Development- Mr. Bunny

This is a character I drew with the above adjectives. I tend to draw children, and girls at that. So it was a good exercise to step outside my comfort zone.

Children's Book Illustration Class at Art Center

So in order to pursue my dream of one day illustrating for a published children's book (oh gosh, I sound like a naive, bright-eyed adolescent), I am taking a Children's Book Illustration class at Art Center. I was so excited when I found out they offered this class and it was being taught by the Award winning illustrator, Marla Frazee. I'm half way through the semester, and absolutely loving the class. I'm learning so much about the industry and what being a Children's Book illustrator is really about. It is so much more then just drawing pretty pictures. It's about telling a story... with pictures. And that can be so much more complex then it sounds.

I'm starting this blog mainly to share my drawings, doodles, sketches, and finished illustrations. It's a work in progress (long one at that), but I think it's a great way to show my art work and get feedback, critiques, and hopefully encouragement from others. I may never reach my goal of being a professional illustrator (with so many unbelievably talented artists out there), but never-the-less, I love to draw so it will always be a big part of me. :)