Happy New Year from Serenity

     Hello, hello! I'll start by saying how blessed I am with family and friends and beautiful moments throughout the holiday season. But, now that the decorations are packed away, I am grateful to see my life return to normal. I'm getting my mind back into author/illustrator mode and getting ready for the New York City SCBWI conference in February!

     I did well with 2019 goals. I finished 12 illustrations for a calendar (most all of them posted on this blog), I finished a children's chapter book manuscript and designed the cover, and I signed up for that conference! 

     Time to move on to my 2020 goals, and the only one I really have (besides sharing more often on my blog) is to keep moving forward. There are projects I could mention that I want to finish, and projects I want to start. But 2020 is about learning and improving. My main objective for the conference, besides being "discovered" and signing a book deal worth millions, is to soak up information that can improve all I'm doing. (And hopefully make a few new friends).

     The image I shared is my character Serenity and her frog. (I don't have a name for the frog, so if anyone has a good suggestion, I'm open to it.) The character study page isn't bad but if you follow this blog you know I like to redo things, and then redo them again, and maybe even again. You'll probably see the above image (redone) somewhere down the line. It's all about growing. Life's a journey, folks! And I feel blessed to be on this one.

    

 I wish everyone a happy and prosperous 2020!

     

Afraid of the Dark

 

   
     I've been working hard at getting my portfolio ready for the SCBWI conference in February. I've kept a couple of articles, I've stumbled upon over the years, on the best things to include in a portfolio for children's illustration. A piece with monsters was recommended, and what do you know? I had one of those from January of 2016. I just thought it needed a little spit-shine, as my skills, (in my humble opinion) have improved somewhat since then. Here's the old one.

Here's a link to the original post.

Happy Halloween!

     Not sure how her big brother is going to get her up those steps, but someone told him that this house was giving away king-sized candy bars. Maybe he hasn't noticed the eyes in the window.

Swingin' Through Life - More Inktober

This was inspired by the Inktober prompt - SWING

I did the first one (below) in ink with micron pens.

And I also did something sweet and simple for the prompt - ENCHANTED

     Someday I'm going to grab my art and writing supplies and run away to a cabin in the woods at the beginning of October. I'm going to have the time, with no distractions, to do an Inktober prompt every day.  I'll remain in that cabin through the month of November when I'll participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). I'll crank out a book or two before returning in early December to a fully decorated home with all the necessary gifts already beautifully wrapped beneath the tree and a large plate of cookies baked by my husband (though a good cook, he's never baked a cookie in his life) who has been waiting patiently for my return. Aaahhhh . . . someday.

Inktober Week One

What if little Stevie had not answered his Fisher Price telephone the day it rang for him?

I like to at least dip my toes in the waters of Inktober, and do a few of the daily prompts. Above is Inktober 1st and below is Inktober 4th.

Magic Bookcase

This is set to be the month of November in my calendar. The leaves will disappear. 

The world turns cold and gray. What better time for the magic of books?

This piece started in my 2012 Sketch-A-Day book (heaven's sakes I loved that book and why haven't I got myself another?) to illustrate the word - EXPLORE.

I went on to do this next piece a few years later:

And the one at the top is just me saying (as per usual) "I can do better."