Underwater Birds

     This is another redo.  I did the original a couple of years ago and have always wanted to go back and revise it a little. My digital skills have grown considerably since then, so I thought I would just take the original (done in acrylic) and drop it into Corel Paint and have some fun with it. The inspiration for the image came from "Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin. A character named Patchface (in the books) sang, "under the sea, the birds have scales for feathers." I just loved those words.

Here's the original acrylic painting

Illustration Friday - MELT

     My contribution this week to Illustration Friday.  I'd like to set up an actual still life and take some photographs and turn this into an oil painting - but what a waste of delicious sweetness that would be. I'll just have to be ready with my camera the next time I come across a beautiful ice cream sundae that someone left in the sun.

     When I was a kid, probably around 7 or 8 years old, they began advertising The Fiesta Sundae at Dairy Queen. IT WAS GORGEOUS! A party in a bowl! A glimpse of heaven with whipped cream swirls, sprinkles, and of course those perfect curlicues of vanilla soft serve poking out from the top. I wanted one so badly I could barely live with myself.  Well, my parents took me to the Dairy Queen. I was so excited! Unfortunately, I was waited on by a teen-ager who couldn't have cared less.  The fantasy bowl I had longed for was thrown quickly together, came out lopsided and the curlicues didn't even curl on the top.  I was devastated. Don't think I've actually gotten over it.

     I'm a vegan now, so this particular sundae is made with coconut ice cream.

Illustration Friday - PET redo

     I redid this one. I just wasn't happy with it the first time and I like this one better. It's fresher looking and the mermaid is sweeter and more cartoonish to match her pet.  Since I'm in the process now of working on my portfolio, there was no reason to set this aside and come back to it later.  I'm happy with it now so it will remain as is.

Illustration Friday - WIGGLE

I can't think of too many more things much wigglier than a happy little dog.

FRESH - redo

Here's a redo of the Illustration Friday prompt - FRESH

I did it all in watercolor and pen, no digital enhancement this time. 

Here's the original from August of 2013

Illustration Friday and Serenity watercolor

     This past weekend my husband took me to the Ohioana Bookfest in Columbus. I wasn't sure what to expect. I had designed a few bookmarks, for children to color, for the Society of Children's Book Authors and Illustrators, and I wanted to see what other people had done for that display. I figured there would be some books for sale and maybe an author or two. (I did not do my homework)  There were close to a hundred authors and even some illustrators!!! I sat in on four of the 30 panel discussions, the last one of the day being the one related to children's picture books.  I might as well have been sitting in the presence of rock stars. Jeffrey Ebbeler, Tim Bowers, Jane Dippold, and Tammie Lyon were so friendly and down to earth. I was so inspired!
     So. . . now.  At last.  I'm feeling more focused.  I keep saying that I am going to put together a good illustration portfolio. I keep planning to redo certain pieces or fix some of them up and polish them up a bit more. Well, I'm not just thinking and talking about it any more. I'm going to do it! I'm pulling back out some of my favorites, including many from Illustration Friday, plus I have a short list of new pieces I want to do. There's a SCBWI conference in Northern Ohio that I want to attend in September and I want to be prepared.

     This is Serenity, my first redo.  I had done it previously, and rather roughly, in colored pencil.  Today I did it in pen and ink with watercolor. 

I also finished this. I owe a debt of gratitude to the website Illustration Friday for all the Friday prompts. A section of my portfolio is going to have my IF submissions so I did this heading.