Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful dads out there!

Kevin, thank you for being such a good man and fine example to your kids. We love you dearly and are so very proud of you.

Handsome, isn't he? Inside and out! 

Dad, it is so difficult not having you here to say in person how much I love you. But you knew then and I like to believe that you still hear me now. To the best dad that anyone could ever ask for. You were more than just my dad, you were my friend. I miss our long chats. You used to text me all the time, 
"Do u miss me?" and dad my answer is still the same. Yes, very much.

May 22 1944-  January 29, 2010

xo

(My husband Kevin, who is currently deployed in Afghanistan. Miss him terribly but so very proud of him.)

Happy Memorial Day everyone. Here's to the wonderful service men and women past and present. 

Hi Friends,

Sorry to be so absent.  May has just whizzed by in a flash.  Here's a Friday Five to see if I can get back into the swing of things.

1. May was full of birthdays including my first born Jesse who not only turned 18 but also graduated from high school this week. Talk about time going by. Sigh. Yes, I'm sad but I also know the turd has no intention of leaving the nest any time soon so it's all good. =O)

2. Oh man, so sad for this to be over. I was late to the party and watched all the seasons back to back via hulu this past month and I'm just not ready to leave the island. I am in the camp of viewers that really liked the ending. Very satisfying.

3 main reasons I will miss Lost:

Just kidding! Sort of. ;o)

I love, love, love them. I wasn't really skeptical but I didn't particularly think they would make all that much of a difference to my walking but wow.  I can go for miles now and I'm so surprised at the change in my posture. I can definitely feel different muscles being worked (glutes and front top thigh) so I'm sold. Would highly recommend them. They feel kind of weird at first , like you are going to topple over, but after a while it feels "normal". 

4. YAY LEE! He had my vote.

Okay, is it just me or do you think these two hooked up? They were just so "close" during the season. Then her boyfriend dumps her the night of the finale. Coincidence? I'd love to see them record a duet. They're both awesome.

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to say that Peachtree Week at the PBJ's is in full swing. Be sure to check out some great books being reviewed and be sure to leave a comment to be entered in the book giveaway on Monday. Commenting more than once to increase your odds is encouraged!  =o)

I had the pleasure of reviewing, "Arbor Day Square". I'm a big fan of Cyd Moore's illustrative style so when I saw that this book was available I just had to have it. =o) 

The story is set in the early 19th century so if you have any little ones that  enjoy "Little House On the Prairie", they'll enjoy this as well.  You can read the review here.

Plus, it will introduce kids to  fun community activities that make our Earth happy. =o)

Happy Friday everyone!  

This week, I worked up some Santa Illustrations for a potential project. This happens quite a lot . There will be a request from a publisher to see samples reflecting a certain theme and your agent sends samples from his/her stable of artists. I wanted to be included in this submission so I had to get these completed quickly. 

They are a bit different from my typical style. I omitted the stitching in hopes that it would help them look a tad older. Plus, it was quicker. =o) 

 Here's a little wordless story I worked up for my portfolio. I had a lot of fun with this one. Sometimes I feel like the singer Pink. Remember when she first came out with her signature pink hair? Each year the pink became more and more subtle with a strip here or a dollop there. That's how I feel with my work. There is an essence of the felt work I started with several years ago but just barely in this piece.

PS. There is actually quite a lot of texture to this one but hard to see due to the size I had to upload.

There is a fun blog you need to check out. It's called "they draw and cook" which posts illustrated recipes.  Above is my contribution. I hope other illustrators out there will participate too! 

Hi All,

Haven't done this in a while and it's a fun way to catch up. So here goes:

1.  Just finished up a second batch of educational work. I really love working in black line. Can't show you much so here is a snippet: 

 If you have the niggle to try a new program, do it. I'm so thankful that I pushed myself to learn Adobe Illustrator because this last assignment hinged on it being a requirement. 

3. Created a new blog banner. Decided that it would work well as a portfolio piece so I replaced "rozzieland" with "home sweet home".

5. Favorite movie of the week? Food Inc.  Please see it and pass it on. It's eye opening and makes me want to do better with the choices I make. It is our way of "voting". We do count.

Have a great weekend!

Hi all,

I have been working on a couple of things that I'm afraid I can't share yet so here is an illustration I finished recently for a personal project.

His name is Benny.

It was Oscar weekend and what a fun show it was. Weren't Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin hilarious?  I was so happy for the "Hurt Locker's" accolades.  I only wish "Moon" would have been acknowledged (zero nominations), especially actor Sam Rockwell.  Still good, though.

One of my favorite segments was the "Best Short Film" category. It left me so inspired. Before the nominees were announced, they had directors discuss the importance of the short film in their careers.

John Lasseter (won best animated short for "Tin Toy" 1988 and then went on to direct Oscar winning "Cars") said:

You know, the tools to make a film are so readily accessible. Cameras, your lap top. My advice to young film makers is, the tools never make a great film, it's what you do with the tools. Telling a great story. Entertaining the audience. That's what's going to win you an Academy award.

This is true with illustration. So often, we get caught up in getting the most expensive this or top of the line that. I know I have often thought,  if I could only afford _ _ _ _  then I would be a great illustrator. How naive. Yes, it's important to have the right tools but what you do with them is what will get you noticed.  It still boils down to the creativity you share. I mean, we hear this advice all the time don't we with our portfolio pieces? Your illustration's must tell a story. The viewer should be left wanting to know what happens next. That's what makes them dynamic and interesting. Not that one created it with the most current programs on a cintiq. 

And then there was, Taylor Hackford (won best short film, " Live Action" 1978 then later directed Oscar winning "Ray") who shared:

When you're a young film maker, nobody believes you can make a feature film. The best way to convince them is to make a short. You've got to start somewhere.

Again, this resonated with me. When we're first starting out, we envision our picture book sitting on the wall of fame at Barnes & Noble. Am I right? But how do you get there? I am still a firm believe that every job is a stepping stone. That's not to say we should work with a self publisher who is going to take advantage of us. But I do think working on projects that excite us yet  don't necessarily pay well is a great way of getting experience and honing our "voice" in the industry.

Yes, you've got to start somewhere and you just never know where it will lead.

Anyway, it was a great show and now I have a list as long as my arm of films I want to see as well as inspiration to get better at what I do.

After a year long hiatus, I'm thrilled to announce that the "picture book junkies" are back in blog land. We are a group of illustrators that are absolutely addicted to picture books and children's publishing. We plan on sharing our work, thoughts, links - anything that pertains to the wonderful world of the picture book.  Poor economy or not, picture books will always be!

 * On a personal note, I just wanted to thank everyone that stopped by to pass on their condolences on the loss of my dad. It has been a painful journey that I know many of you can relate. Your words brought me great comfort.

Happy Valentine's Day!

In loving memory of the best dad in the world. I love and miss you so much. 

May 22, 1944 - Jan 29th 2010

I feel an addiction coming on.  I recently ordered Tara Reed's e-book on creating repeats and started playing with some existing spot art I have. Wow, this is just way too much fun. =o)

Looking for a dose of inspiration? I'm finding it over at Lisa Schroeder's blog.  There she has YA author posts where they share their experience with dreaming big. And don't skip it if you think it's only geared to writers. It speaks to everyone who has that niggling dream in their heart. Love it.

Speaking of Lisa, many congrats to her on the release of her newest book, Chasing Brooklyn. I began following Lisa's blog when she was writing for the picturebook market. It has been so inspiring to watch how she has grown and reinvented herself. Go Lisa!

This is such a fun time of year because everyone is so inspired about pursuing their dreams with gusto!  It's infectious.  With that in mind, I thought I'd post a recommendation if there is anyone visiting that is interested in freelance illustration. 

Holly DeWolf's, Breaking Into Freelance Illustration is chock full of valuable info and encouragement. Definitely a book to add to your arsenal. Holly did a fabulous job of covering all the bases and it was so fun to see interviews in there with fellow illustrator buddies Kathy Weller, Jannie Ho, Holli Conger and Susan Mitchell.  I also had the privilege of being one of the contributors which was a lot of fun- thanks Holly!

Anyway, get this book, you won't be disappointed.  =o)

Happy New Year everyone. I hope this is a healthy and prosperous year for all of us.

Here are my 10 for 2010.

• Learn Corel Painter. I have no idea where this will lead  but I am feeling like I need to explore this program.  
• Pursue writing again. I really let this go by the wayside in 2009. I know my dream is to write and illustrate my own books so I need to work towards that.
• Explore art licensing. 
• Make time for more crafting/decorating/gardening.
• Release control. 
• Take each day one day at a time.
• Slow down and listen to that little voice.
• Be a more active blogger. 
• Just be without putting too much pressure on myself.
• Finally shed these dumb 10 pounds!

Every year I look forward to getting my new Linda Nelson Stocks calendar for Christmas.  I love her folk art style, especially her snow scenes.

But this year, I've splurged on a second calendar by illustrator pal Susan Mitchell. Her needle felt characters are adorable. 

Merry Christmas to you all. Hope you have a wonderful day. xo

Merry Christmas Eve! 

This lovely panda was designed by my pal, Theresa Smythe.

This is an absolutely gorgeous book to browse through during the holidays for inspiration. I got bought this last year and I admit again, I didn't do any of the projects. One year I will, though. What I love most are the fabrics. Oh the fabrics. I researched on line and it looks like you can only order them from the UK- http://www.puddlecrafts.co.uk/ . Tilda is the line.

If you are thinking more about the new year ahead, there are a series of craft books from Tone Finnanger that are also a feast for the eyes.