I’m working on an interactive picture book dummy that developed from my participation in the Sketchbook Project last year. It was creatively freeing to work on something called a sketchbook.  For me, a sketchbook ment nothing more than sketches. No pre-thought, no research, and no final art. Without using a pencil as a guild, I created my monsters with india ink and a brush. I added color using a cheep tin of watercolor (which I’ve fallen in love with). The sketchbook is part of a permanent collection at the Brooklyn Museum of Art Library where patrons can check the sketchbook out and peruse its contents. Every now and then I will get a wonderful comments via e-mail about my work. It’s pretty darn cool.

Three original monsters from the sketchbook project.

I reworked the monsters.  I sketched them out this time but I used the same materials, india ink and a cheep tin of  watercolor.

I just discovered the wordpress app. (Thanks Erik) so now I don’t have an excuse not to blog. It’s been over a year, shameful!

Sorry to those of you who follow my blog.   It’s been over a year and I’m ashamed.  BUT, it isn’t because I haven’t been working.  There have been some projects that required me to keep images to myself. Hopefully, I will be able to post those shortly.  In the meantime, I’ve decided to join the Sketchbook Project.  www.thesketchbookproject.com Artists can choose their theme.  Being that I am a fan of the dark side, I  chose Nighttime Stories. After signing up, the artist is sent a plane brown sketchbook.  The hard part, what to fill it with.  I stared at the book for a few weeks.  One day, while in Dallas for a hockey tournament, I started doodling on the cover with ink.  I decided that I would not outline or use pencil on this project.   Straight to ink….terrifying yet freeing.  I doodled out the cover and added color with some watercolor.   I got the basic idea down…but I had no idea how to fill the pages.  I knew I wanted to involve the viewer. I wanted it to be interactive.  I reflected on past projects and remembered this hatbox.

If you moved the hat box lid, you could change the character’s expression.  This is what I wanted for my sketchbook.  Something people would want to touch and play around with.  I decided to cut the pages in my sketchbook and allow the viewer to change faces, torso’s or feet to create a gazillion different monsters.   Here is the start of my project.

I’ve added several new monsters, Beware!

It feels great to finish a book dummy.   Suddenly you find that you can think about other things, play with your kids… shower!  All this extra time!!!  I sent my agent a digital dummy, (Indesign makes it so easy) but I need a hands on dummy for myself.  I need to hold it in my hand, leaf through the pages, carry it in my purse and just adore it for a bit.  Lot’s of work went into that little booklet.

I didn’t get to sketch till this morning.  Along with the other wheels I’ve done, I needed to sketch out one of the double page spread ideas.  Hopefully this will be enough for Rosemary to move forward.  I love this simple book more and more.

This will be the only person/child in this series.  Because it’s about wheels and locomotion, I decided to have the child face away from the viewer.  This will keep the focus on the movement and not the individual.  

I’ve sketched out the little girl after setting up the background.

I’ve applied a crackle glaze that I’m using for this series and filled in the cracks with Burnt Sienna. 

Blocking in color.  Trying to stay true to  my chosen pallet. 

Mostly finished.

This was the most fun wheel yet. I’ve looked up at the stars so many times in my life and I can even point out a few Constellations but to me the sky was too full of stars to make any real sense of it. I started drawing this star chart, plotting out the dots that would be stars and then connected them. After a full day of working I went out for a late night swim. The sky was clear and many stars could be seen. This time when I looked up, everything was familiar. I recognized everything.  It was amazing!  That’s what I love about drawing and painting, it forces you to be observant.  Drawing/Painting allows you to make it your own.  

I used a light crackle glaze for the space around the star wheel and added the star points.

Close up of the stars.  There are so many dots!  This forced me to find the constellations in a pattern of stars.

It was just like a puzzle.

and the finished piece.  

I had the pleasure of attending Chris Barton’s book signing at Book People this past Saturday.

Chris was promoting his first published picture book “The Day-Glo Brothers” .  

It was so nice to see all the Local SCBWI peeps showing their support for this very talented author. Not only was there a lot’s of writing and illustrator folks, but many parents and children.  It was a nice crowd.  

Chris had set up tables of crafts all in day glow colors for the kids as well as day glow cookies and bright orange juice.   He talked about how his story came to be, how long it took, how many rejections it went through, how long the story was originally,  and finally, how it came to be published.  It’s a interesting and fun biography full of whimsical illustrations…. and, it glows!

Here Chris is signing my book.  

I never would have thought of doing a book on wheels. It something insignificant to me, yet what would we do without them?   My friend Dianna thought up the concept. She sees things I don’t see, She thinks about things I don’t have time to think about. She finds the importance of small things most of us overlook. When she and I were first friends, we would go on long walks for what I thought was exercise. That wasn’t why Dianna walked. She walked to find things. She would find feathers, coins, buttons, seeds, plastic toys….to me, crap, to Dianna, little gifts. I still don’t think like her but she has helped me find wonder is small things.  

This wheel is Training Wheel. I found a crackle agent I liked and used it for the background. In most of the pictures, there is some added texture for the backdrop of the image. None of the wheels have been properly scanned. I just took a digital picture. They aren’t sharp on here but I didn’t want to mess with it.

I used to play with these. They were hypnotic with their movement. Such a simple idea. This illustration is the third in a series of wheels.  

I’m not in a very cheerful mood….and it’s showing in my work. I redid the wheel illustration and I’m still not sure it conveys the happy, cheerfulness of going to an amusement park and riding the ferris wheel. I personally never liked the ferris wheel. To me it was boring and slow but to a good friend of mine it is magical. I’m trying to find the magic but all I keep thinking about is carnies, and “Something Wicked This Way Comes”. I prefer Ray Bradbury’s depiction of a  carnival,  mysterious and creepy!

I decided to have the ferris wheel break the border. I really like when contained things leave the space.

Now on to a third panel. What wheel shall I paint now?

P.S. Erik, if you are reading this post.. I went back and made sure I only hand one space after a period.  It doesn’t come natural but I will get it one day.

Finally finished this wheel after many repaints.   Still not completely satisfied with it.  I’m going to put it away for a spell.  Hopefully time will give me fresh eyes.

I’m working on a new book.   It’s a simple book, which makes it complicated for me.  The pains of editing effect illustrators as much as writers.  The theme is pretty basic ..yet extraordinary, so how do I portray these things in a way that also celebrates them?  To simple, and they seem unimportant…to complex and the subject is lost.  I’ve been thinking about this for a few weeks now.  While on the bike, I thought I came up with something perfect.   Adding a textured/crackled background would give it a very different look while keeping the subject from being overwhelmed.   I usually use this really cool crackle stuff but of course, I was out. I couldn’t find the same product and decided to try a different one.   The effect wasn’t the same.   Instead of looking antiqued and aged, it looked run down and dumpy.   I’m going to paint it again after I find the correct crackling agent.   It’s so frustrating but I will get it right!!!

I haven’t been illustrating, though I have two things I need to work on. Right now, I just want to paint so…I paint.  I started a succulence series awhile back and never did much with it.  I’ve recently returned to my cacti and have re-fallen in love with them. Perhaps it’s the spring weather that draws me to paint those blooming prickly pear.  Who knows, I’ve alway been fascinated by succulence. Below is a cacti I found in San Miguel. It was right outside my friends door.  I was waiting for the shuttle to take  me to Leon and found this wonderful cactus. 

This painting is not finished.  Just thought I would post the process. 

close up the prickly pear.

Zoomed in a bit.

I’ve laid down the color for most of the pears, Now I start adding shadow, highlights and details like the linty spikes. That’s were the fun starts. I’ll post again when I’m further along.

My boys are finishing up their hockey this week. It’s always bitter sweet.  I’m happy that I’m not always at the rink …in winter clothes (even though it’s 80 outside) But I will miss seeing my kids play on the ice. It’s really one of the highlights of my life.  But now, I can’t complain that I don’t have any time. Trust me I’m still busy but with the new freedom,  I will be writing and painting up a storm.  Right? I’m going to enjoy this weekend …and

Good Luck AUSTIN!!

Ok, it’s Thursday, at 7:05 PM. I’m running out of time to post my illustration friday. The theme, time. Time… what does it mean? So many ways to interpret time. Time for an appointment, running late … running out of time..not enough time.   Time and I are not friends. I’m greedy and never seem to have enough. How do you interpret something so elusive? This is how I feel about time. 

I teach at a small charter school.  I don’t want to go into it too much  but our school needs every penny that they can get. For this reason, some extra perks that other schools get are simply out of our reach. For example, having authors and/or illustrators come for a school visit. This is a great opportunity for students to understand and appreciate the time and work that goes into  making a picture book or YA novel. It connects the student to the artist perhaps even inspires a student to pursue a career in art or literature. You never know how something like that may impact a student.  So, being a part of the illustration/writer community, I used my connections and asked my friend Don Tate if he could speak at our school. Here’s the kicker…I asked if he would speak gratis!  This man, with his large heart, didn’t even hesitate and said yes. He came to our school last Friday. The kids sat amazed as Don read from some of the books he had illustrated. The highlight was when two students were chosen to come up from the crowd. They stood so still as Don drew their faces on superhero bodies. Their little faces beaming and I know that those kids will cherish that illustration for many years. Afterwards, our kids stood in a line to have their books signed. I never knew they could be so still and quiet, but for our Rock Star Don Tate, they were perfect. He had an impact on our school and I’m eternally grateful!

You can learn more about Don Tate at his website 

http://www.dontate.com/

I cleaned my art room and decided to do a quick illustration for IF.  The word is pale. Again, no pressure, just get something out.   There is nothing amazing at all about the illustration (at all), but I find it funny. So there!   I plan on resuming my Illustration Friday now that my pity party is over.

 I’m going to miss you Dog A Day!

Erik, you have had so many clever and unique ways to draw dogs. Speckled, puzzled, spotted, and bare, twisted, polished, sweet, geometric, cartoon, manga, photo real, devilish and the list goes on and on and on! So many dogs in so many ways. You are very very creative!

 View Erik Kuntz,”Dog a Day”, 365 images of, you guessed it, DOGS @

http://dogadayproject.com/2008/01/01/golden-new-year/

I’m goin go miss you Dog A Day!

Erik, you have had so many clever and unique ways to draw dogs.   Speckled, puzzled, spotted, and bare, twisted, polished, sweet, geometric, cartoon, manga, photo real, devilish and the list goes on and on and on!  So many dogs in so many ways.   You are very very creative!

view Erik Kuntz Dog a Day, 365 images of, you guessed it, DOGS @

http://dogadayproject.com/2008/01/01/golden-new-year/

I’m sketching and brainstorming for a  book I’m doing with Dianna Aston.   This one is going to be hard for me as it’s going to take a part of my brain that I don’t use very much.  The logical-mathy part.  Scary times ahead!

Over the last three months I’ve had a torn meniscus, surgery that didn’t work, two colds, a fractured coccyx, staff infection in my nose and now, another cold.    These are the reasons I haven’t been productive.   I feel they are good reasons as I’m in a bit of a depressed state.   Hopefully the New Year will bring good health.  

Picture I took from the road on our drive.

My mother and I take a trip together every year. Many times we go to Sedona, Az.   We both like to hike and made plans to do some interesting treks. Unfortunately, before we left, I tore my meniscus and had to have surgery…AGAIN! It’s been a month but I still don’t feel better. Instead of hiking around this beautiful place, I drove. Drove and took a train. Though It was still lovely, I really missed our hikes.

Mom and I on the train, Verde Canyon Express.

I just had knee surgery….AGAIN!  So, I’m bored and I started playing with Illustrator.   I really really need to learn how to use this amazing program.   I have all kinds of books and tutorials..but I never seem to sit down to learn it.   I’m not learning it now either, but I am playing.  I have to tell you, it’s fun!

 I call this, “Me on Pain Meds.”

Hockey season is again here. This means that many nights I’m at the rink, or driving to the rink, or driving to a different city’s rink. New season, new teams, new shirts.   This one is for a fund raiser. I’m still working on the O.