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Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: what i am working on week, Most Recent at Top [Help]

Results 1 - 8 of 8

1. What I'm working on

By: Alicia Padrón, on 3/7/2012
Blog: Picture Book Junkies (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: animals, children's illustration, alicia padron, what i am working on week, Add a tag

Here is a little peak at the book I've been working on.

It's the sweetest book ever!

There is something so adorable about baby animals, I've been sketching with a constant smile on my face.

I've always been an animal person. Ever since I can remember I've hugged and held all sorts of animals in my hands.

I helped my dad raise ducks from incubators and always had a duck on my lap when doing my homework.

Like that movie Fly Away Home,

I was like Anna Paquin but without all the flying involved. ;o)

I was the kid who would save baby birds that fell from nests and helped them recover although sadly not all of them made it. But some did and that certainly made all th

6 Comments on What I'm working on, last added: 3/8/2012

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2. A little bit of this and that

By: Alicia Padrón, on 5/18/2011
Blog: Picture Book Junkies (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: what i am working on week, videos, alicia padron, Add a tag

Hi all,

While Bear is getting ready for movie night here, I've been busy doing a little bit of everything.

I'm waiting for feedback from sketches on 2 books so this is the time where I try to keep up with other things.

I've been doing some writing. There is one story in particular that I am liking a lot. I sketched it in tiny thumbnails but I need to leave it for a while and let it sit. I'll take it out in a couple of days and read it again. It's amazing the things you see after coming to it again with fresher eyes.

I also spent time making a little painting video. It's something I had on my list of new things to try. It's not perfect by all means. It's a tad dark but that's the best I could do because sadly my studio is very dark. If you'd like to see it, here it is on my blog and here it is on YouTube in a larger format.

I'm excited too because I'm about to start illustrating a new book! It's always so nice to start a new project. To visualize it, you know? I've been at the "thinking" stage for a few days now. This is where I brainstorm all day, while brushing my teeth, while making lunch boxes, while stuck in traffic.. but I don't pick up a pencil until I feel my head is about to explode with ideas. That happened two days ago, so I've been sketching like crazy and loving it.

So that's it for now.

Reporting from my couch.

Alicia. :o)

9 Comments on A little bit of this and that, last added: 5/19/2011

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Phyllis Harris said, on 5/18/2011 8:14:00 AM

By the way....I really love the music, too!!! So beautiful!!!

Phyllis Harris said, on 5/18/2011 8:14:00 AM

Ali, I know I already told you via twitter but this video is fantastic!!! LOVE the little movie bear!

Can I ask you what paper you use? I always tape mine down so it dries flat, especially when doing lots of watery washes but I noticed you don't. Do you have any trouble with buckling paper?

Alicia Padrón said, on 5/18/2011 8:53:00 AM

Aww thanks Phyllis!

Well I use Arches Watercolor Paper for my hot press. And I like Lanaquarelle for my cold. It's not as rough as other cold presses out there but still holds water beautifully. For this illo I used the Arches.

About taping the paper, I do stretch the watercolor paper but it depends on the project. This illo was not that big and the only area with a lot of water involved was the background wash, which wasn't much area really, so I new I could get away with no stretching.

If I'm going to work on big full bleed spreads with large backgrounds then I usually do tape my paper down.

xo

Phyllis Harris said, on 5/18/2011 8:58:00 AM

Thanks for all the great info, Ali! I just love sharing tips with other artists. :)

Brimful Curiosities said, on 5/18/2011 9:31:00 AM

Thanks for sharing your video. I'm planning on showing it to my daughter after school. She loves to draw and paint, and I think it's wonderful that she can watch accomplished artists create online, watch the whole process from start to finish. Do you know of any other painting videos like this by children's book illustrators?

Alicia Padrón said, on 5/18/2011 9:48:00 AM

Sure thing Phyllis! I do as well :o)

Brimful Curiosities- That is so neat you are going to show your daughter the video! I think is wonderful she loves to draw and paint.. Try to always have lots of art supplies available for her, that is really helpful.

If you like, I can send her a little illustration for you to print out. You think she'd like that? Just email me so I have your email address (you can find it on my website at the left)

There are several wonderful process videos out there.

Here are several videos by Paige Keiser. She's an amazing watercolor artist. Love her work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUBVwibjsH8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpKEPkJ7qP8&feature=related

Also our very own Kathy, from the PBJ's also has some videos of her adorable art!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR_khh9dgJ8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lj3dnO2cxI&feature=related

And Will Terry is fantastic working digitally. It's a treat to watch!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSFzBffEsmU&feature=related

roz said, on 5/18/2011 9:49:00 AM

Ali, I missed this when you shared at the group. Oh my gosh, it's soooo fun to watch you work. Your work is so delightful and you make water-coloring look easy.
Totally intimidated by it myself but love to watch those who work so confidently with it. You are a star. xo

Deb said, on 5/18/2011 10:13:00 AM

Boy sure love the color on this. Still has your soft feel but nice punched up color. Great!!!

Alicia Padrón said, on 5/18/2011 5:06:00 PM

Thanks my Rozzita!! I'm glad you found it fun! I didn't want to make a long tedious video where people would doze off.. specially with the music I used, it was definitely a possibility. LOL

Thanks MacDebbie! I like punching up the color on some illos. I'm glad you think it's still soft :o)

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3. "What I'm Working On" Week

By: Gina Perry, on 3/17/2011
Blog: Picture Book Junkies (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: crochet, what i am working on week, Add a tag

Thanks to some heavy lifting help from my husband, I've made good progress on moving my studio into our back family room. The drafting table actually feels very cheery and bright next to a big window. Our son is old enough to (mostly) behave back here so I've even been able to sit there without much interference. One of my tasks has been to plow through a few years of Martha Stewart (and a few other) magazines. It's been awhile, but I go through them and cut out inspiration pictures, 'good things', crafts, recipes, and other fun articles. I file them in big binders to flip through later on. I've been a loyal subscriber for at least 9 years and those magazines can pile up FAST!

The computer area still needs peripherals set-up, but it functions and it's nice to type loudly at nap-time again!

Other than that, I've been hindered by a giant belly and not a lot of creative motivation. The biggest creative endeavor I've taken on is this crocheted blanket for baby girl. I hope I can finish it (and the nursery which is still half-a-studio) before she arrives. The best news is that I actually feel at peace with not getting any illustration work done. I know it'll be there for me when I'm ready. And in the meantime I'm still reading and loving picture books on a daily basis!

6 Comments on "What I'm Working On" Week, last added: 3/18/2011

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4. What I'm working on

By: Alicia Padrón, on 3/16/2011
Blog: Picture Book Junkies (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: baby books, alicia padron, what i am working on week, Add a tag

Hi there!

To share a bit of what I'm doing at the moment, I finished working on the animal book I mentioned a few weeks ago. This is a lovely book filled with short animal stories. It was a time consuming project in the sense that I had to do quite a lot of illustrations. Above is a peek at a sketch from one of the spots and here it is in color:

I also recently finished working on the two baby books from the series I'm illustrating and have just started to work on the following two. I love working on these! Really, they are so much fun. There is something about drawing babies, you can't sketch them without smiling. :o)

Another thing I did recently was work on my website, it went through a little make-over so to speak. I tried to still keep it very simple and clean. I used iWeb. It's so incredibly easy to use it's ridiculous!

And one last thing I wanted to mention. We all know how devastating Japan's earthquake and Tsunami has been. I can't get my mind off these poor people and country. They really need all our help. Even if you think you are just one person in a sea of millions and you wont really make a difference, you can. If we all help it will count. Your help alone might not be able to clear an area from destruction but it can give a grandmother a meal for a day. Or help get a blanket to keep a child warm. It doesn't matter how much you can give, just help in any way you can. It does count.

I decided to help too. You can read more about it here.

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5. What I'm working on this week

By: roz, on 3/15/2011
Blog: Picture Book Junkies (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: roz fulcher, Picture book junkies, what i am working on week, Add a tag

I am a happy camper because I just finished my book for Dover and have some down time. I'm working on something totally unrelated to children's books... making sock toys to decompress and "play". I've been collecting how-to books for years but it wasn't until my friend flew in for the weekend, that I finally sat down and made time to try. All I can say is...it's addictive! =o)

6 Comments on What I'm working on this week, last added: 3/17/2011

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6. "What I'm Working On" Week

By: Kathy Weller, on 3/14/2011
Blog: Picture Book Junkies (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: kathy weller, what i am working on week, Add a tag

Another "What I am working on..." Week here at the Picture Book Junkies. Lately I've been working on lots of sketchbook drawings! Here's one to greet you into the day and into the week!

4 Comments on "What I'm Working On" Week, last added: 3/17/2011

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7. "What I'm Working on" Week

By: Gina Perry, on 2/17/2011
Blog: Picture Book Junkies (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: what i am working on week, Add a tag

This post would be better named 'What I Should be Working on". This is the space formerly known as my office. It's not pretty, but it's real. This is what it looked like on good day. In just a few months this needs to be a nursery for our daughter (arriving this Spring). My office will be reconfigured into a very small space in the back of our family room. I'll have just enough space for my drafting table, a small computer desk, and one of my lovely Ikea flat files. It's overwhelming to think about reducing my storage space that much, but the reality is, I'm not 'working on' much illustration these days. I posted the more frustrating details on my blog, here.
So as not to dwell on what I'm NOT doing much longer - here are things I've been up to that are feeding my creative spirit:
1.Learning to crochet: I took a few classes and have more projects in my head than time. It's been nice to create something without pressure. And I can do it from the couch. Bonus.

2.Continuing to be a library and true picture book junkie. We read new books constantly in my house. I feel like I'm learning so much that I'm filing away for the future. I'm at the library at least once a week and I feel good sharing my favorites with you all here!

3.Attending critique group meetings: I felt weird doing this when I had so little to share but reconnecting face to face was so rewarding. I got a lot of support from other mommy (and daddy) illustrators about taking this time off. And it had been so long since I had seen my old 'Smells Like Crayons' group that I got to share my picture book dummy with them for the first time. I've been mulling over what changes to make there, and I'd love to make a little progress before long.

4.Being OK with saying no: It was easier for me to say no to some recent book design work, but that was another first for me with that client. It was too mentally challenging for the few hours I even have free to myself. I was able to say yes to a lesser task and have no lingering guilt.

5.Daydreaming: It sounds silly, but just playing with ideas in my head is an improvement from the funk I was in after turning down that book job. I bought some new art supplies last month and haven't quite managed to use them (did you see how messy my office is?) but the ideas are there.

6 Comments on "What I'm Working on" Week, last added: 2/18/2011

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Nina Crittenden said, on 2/17/2011 12:40:00 PM

Gina- it is so hard to squeeze it all in! I bet you will like your new smaller studio space (I am in a corner of our porch). SO excited for your growing family! Oh, and something must be in the air b/c I just learned to knit! :)

roz said, on 2/17/2011 2:02:00 PM

I think the biggest hurdle was allowing yourself this time to decompress and just be. I'm so glad that you are. The illustration work will be there when you are ready again. And can I say that there is a huge improvement in that studio? That darling little cutie with the big brown eyes!
xo

Alicia Padrón said, on 2/17/2011 5:06:00 PM

I love that pic of M!!! He is such a big boy already :o)

I am so proud of you for handling things so well. You are doing what's most important now and that's being a mom and preparing for your new baby. The rest can wait. Even though some of these days maybe hectic and tiring there is nothing like it and are the most precious thing. We always realize this by looking back.

Work will come, sooner than you think and you'll know when it's time to say yes.

I love your book reviews! I'm always looking forward to them.

xo

Alicia Padrón said, on 2/17/2011 7:44:00 PM

Oh and I forgot to say, daydreaming is not silly! It's what keeps us going. :o)

Diandra Mae said, on 2/18/2011 2:30:00 PM

Daydreaming is so very important. It's what kept me going after having my baby last summer. And this time around, I gave myself permission to just let go and enjoy the slower pace. It made it so much easier, and I was that much more ready to jump back into art when I was able.

Gina Perry said, on 2/18/2011 5:03:00 PM

@Nina: Ooooh - are you liking it? I crocheted a bit as a kid, and was really stumped when I tried knitting. Not sure if it's because I'm a lefty... Granny squares are quite addictive!
@Roz: You are so sweet, M sure does liven things!
@Ali and Diandra: oh, it's so hard to let go but it has made me enjoy the days more, and get back to thinking about art even when I don't pick up a pencil or brush.

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8. "What I'm working on" week

By: Alicia Padrón, on 2/16/2011
Blog: Picture Book Junkies (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: children's books, board books, alicia padron, what i am working on week, Add a tag

Hi there! Continuing with our theme this week I will share a bit of what I'm doing at the moment. I can't name the books or the publishers at this time but I can talk a little about what kind of books they are.

I'm working on 3 books right now. Two of them belong to a new series of baby board books I will be illustrating! I am very excited with those and I'm really having a blast working on them. They are so cute and so much fun to do. I love doing board books for the very little ones. What you see above is a section from an illustration I created but we ended not using this character because the publisher decided to go with a younger baby, so I figured is ok to post it.

The third book I'm working on is a big book, that requires many illustrations and has to do with animals. It's great to get to do animals I usually don't do, like chameleons, cranes and magpies to name a few. This publisher allowed me to share some art so here is a peek at one of the spots.

After I finish working on these books I have to continue on more baby books for the series. I also have a couple of book projects lined up that are still under negotiation, ke

5 Comments on "What I'm working on" week, last added: 2/18/2011

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