McDonnell Doodles

The Curse of the Pampered Pup

2012-01-23T13:47:00.000-08:00

This is from a story idea I have about a pampered pup who longs for the vagabond lifestyle of his nemesis, a squirrel named Scarbutt. (I left the scar off since I thought it would be merely distracting without the back story.) And yes, this was inspired by our dog's eternal torment at the furry hands of the neighborhood squirrels.

Illustration Friday: Prepare

2012-01-17T12:17:00.000-08:00

His mother tried hard to prepare him for the new baby, but he wasn't having any.

Wishing You All the Sweet Delights of the Holiday Season!

2011-12-20T06:50:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I think the anticipation is the best part. However you celebrate this season, I hope you treat yourself to sweet comforts.

Penpals

2011-11-01T09:34:00.001-07:00

Do kids have penpals anymore? When I was a kid, I was penpals with my cousin in Canada. I never knew when a return letter would arrive, and it was always such a thrill when it did!

When my son was in second grade, his class was assigned penpals from a class in rural Maine. It was very cool (although it made my son really want an all terrain vehicle to ride around on after that). I think middle schoolers and high schoolers should have distant penpals too. Then they'll figure out that Facebook isn't all that. (Although it's great for keeping in touch with Canadian cousins -- hi Lori!)

Puppies!

2011-10-24T09:44:00.001-07:00

Long time no post! Seriously, I think this is the longest I've gone without posting since I began this blog 3 years ago. It's been a crazy 3 months, but I'm finally ready to return to the blogoshpere, now that life has settled down a bit (just in time for the holidays -- eep!) This is modified from an illustration I did for a Korean publisher called Happy House. (Isn't that a great name for a children's publisher?!)

So Long, Space Shuttle!

2011-07-08T08:46:00.001-07:00

Well, despite the iffy weather, the last space shuttle launched safely at 11:29 this morning, marking the end of an era. When I wrote "Blast Off Day!" way back in (gulp) 1990, the space shuttle program was in full swing, and there was high demand for books on the subject. Now I see on Amazon that you can buy a used copy for 58 cents! I had so much fun writing this book, contacting people at NASA to learn how astronauts eat, sleep, and work in space.

I've written over 20 educational books for kids, on subjects ranging from animal camouflage to the Roaring Twenties to the changing seasons, and I can tell you there's no better way to get a clear understanding of a subject than to write a kids' book about it. First you have to delve deeply enough into it that you're sure you have it clear in your own mind, and then you have to distill it into words that curious young minds can digest. It's a great challenge and great fun.

Peace Mural for Chicago Cares

2011-06-07T13:56:00.001-07:00

Fun and scary ... scary and fun... those are the two words I'd use to describe this latest project. A while back an organization called Chicago Cares contacted me and asked if I'd design a mural for a Chicago elementary school and supervise a group of volunteers who will help me paint it for their 18th annual Serve-a-Thon, which takes place this Saturday, June 11th. I'd never heard of this event, but I've since found out it's a HUGE operation! Thousands of volunteers arrive at Soldiers Field bright and early and then are bussed to schools all over the city that need a little extra tender loving care.

Well. The paintings I usually create are measured in inches, not feet, and they end up in the pages of books, so if you don't like the look of 'em, you can close the book. This mural is going to be 12 feet by 8 feet, on the front of a school! Gulp.

The theme I was given is "Internationalism and Peace," and let me just state for the record that I am totally down with that. Now, these volunteers (about 8 of us total) will only have 4 hours to paint the pre-drawn mural, so I decided to go with a coloring book kind of simplicity that can be added to if time permits.

Fingers crossed, prayers said, offerings made, I hope it goes well. When I think of those school kids on a day like today, when the heat index is 103 degrees, sitting in classrooms with no AC, it REALLy motivates me to do a good job. I'm sure the finished product will look different from this (we're painting on bricks, after all) but one thing's sure ... it'll be colorful!
(P.S. the words say "peace" in Polish, Swahili, Urdu, and Mandarin.)

Pink Monsters!

2011-06-02T18:46:00.001-07:00

These are some fun little characters I developed for a puzzle project recently. I discovered that I like drawing monsters!

Happy Earth Day!

2011-04-22T06:37:00.000-07:00

Let's all do what we can. (Get it? Can?)

Draw, Draw, Draw

2011-04-12T13:29:00.000-07:00

"Do not fail, as you go on, to draw something every day, for no matter how little it is, it will be well worth while, and it will do you a world of good."(Cennino Cennini)
In an effort to follow the wise advice of Mr. Cennini, I've decided to change my habit of always carrying a book to read whenever I anticipate having to wait somewhere and instead bring my trusty little sketchbook. Here are some results:

This was done at the barber shop. (Why can't I ever get my kids on the same haircut schedule?)

And I shared the waiting room at piano lessons with this little chap. I didn't know how to illustrate the sticky goo all over his face and hands from the lollipop, but trust me, it's there.

Digital Debut

2011-04-04T17:24:00.000-07:00

Well, OK, technically this isn't a debut, since I've been posting my digital experiments, but I just submitted by first totally digital project to a publisher: 48 illustrations for an educational workbook. I remember my Spanish teacher in college saying, "If you REALLY want to learn Spanish, start dating a boy who only speaks Spanish." There's nothing like necessity to speed up the learning curve. This was a pretty tight deadline, so I had to learn a few shortcuts along the way. There were times when I really just wanted to chuck it all and go back to my paints and brushes, but in the end, I'm glad I'm learning to use this new tool.

Hello Spring! A Digital Experiment

2011-03-10T12:10:00.001-08:00

I haven't posted lately because I've been feverishly playing with my new Wacom tablet. Wow, is it exciting! As an avowed Luddite (I still don't own a cell phone) I am surprised by just how much I'm loving digital art making. I owe a huge debt of gratitude for this to Will Terry, whose online tutorial I can't recommend enough. I learned about Will's tutorial from fellow PBAAer Marion Eldridge (Thanks, Marion!) and I like it so much, I also purchased his general tutorial on Illustrating Children's Books. I'm almost halfway through that one, and it's enormously helpful. Onward!

Illustration Friday: "Sweater"

2011-02-17T08:46:00.000-08:00

This little drawing is actually a twofer: it fits the Illustration Friday theme of "Sweater" AND the PBAA blog's theme of "Wooly." Does this make me lazy or efficient?

The Secret of Kells

2011-02-03T13:20:00.001-08:00

I finally got around to watching "The Secret of Kells" last night. The story is very ethereal, and I wonder if young children would like it, but the animation is jaw-droppingly beautiful.

"I have seen beauty thrive in the most fragile of places." Wonderful thought.

Illustration Friday: "Surrender"

2011-02-01T06:49:00.000-08:00

When my boys were little, they often had to surrender their weapons. By the way, this was created digitally with my new Wacom tablet! I'm taking baby digital steps. (As always, click on the image for a larger view.)

From the Sketchbook

2011-01-31T08:56:00.001-08:00

I always seem to see this woman and her dog at the same place and time once a week as I'm driving by. I took artistic license with the matching pants and doggy coat.

Ape on the Moon Tutorials

2011-01-20T08:20:00.000-08:00

I recently listened to an interesting interview with illustrator Alex Mathers on the Escape from Illustrations Island podcast. (If you don't already know about EFII, it's a fantastic resource for all kinds of inspirational and instructional info.) Mathers is a very enterprising fellow, with lots of pots on the burners. Among them is Ape on the Moon, a website devoted to contemporary visuals arts. Among the many great facets of this site is a collection of tutorials. Have I mentioned what a sucker I am for tutorials? I highly recommend the Bigfoot Poster Tutorial. Very cool.

The Sketchbook Project - Finished!

2011-01-18T09:12:00.001-08:00

Just in the nick of time, I've finished my Sketchbook. Some of you may have seen my earlier post explaining The Sketchbook Project and my plan for my submission. Basically, I enlisted the help of a first grade class to come up with ideas for the theme "In Five Minutes..." You can see my sketchbook online here. I had a great time experimenting with different media, and when I brought it in to show the kids last Friday, they were so excited! What a fun group they were to work with.

I can't wait to see the whole collection when The Sketchbook Project Tour comes to Chicago! All 28,000 sketchbooks will be on display at the Hyde Park Art Center from July 14 - 17. So be there or be square!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-04T19:42:00.001-08:00

The new year is like a gift, waiting to be opened. Will it be just what I always wanted? I hope so. Speaking of New Year's, my agent, Nicole Tugeau, has made a resolution to keep the T2 blog more active this year, and one way she's doing that is by interviewing her illustrators, starting with me! You can read my answers to her five questions here.

Cast Your Vote

2010-12-13T13:18:00.000-08:00

I'm working on an easy reader called "Otto and Cleo," and I'm at the character development stage. I can't decide which style I prefer, the dot eyes or the more expressive eyes. I'd appreciate any opinions!

More Adventures with Esme

2010-12-08T08:11:00.000-08:00

It's fun to develop a story through pictures.

Aunt Esme and Me

2010-11-22T11:09:00.001-08:00

Here's something just for fun. I've been sketching these characters, developing a fuzzy story as I go.

The Importance of Letting Things Settle

2010-11-18T11:25:00.000-08:00

I'm still riding high after attending the SCBWI Prairie Writer's Day last weekend, where I met so many inspiring editors, authors, and agents. I came home totally enthused about sprucing up my book dummy for a story I first wrote a couple years ago. Katherine Jacobs, editor at Roaring Brook Press, gave a talk about pacing, and that got me thinking about revising the page turns in my book to build suspense. I was happy with my manuscript, but not with the book dummy, so I tore it apart and started over again, with almost all new illustrations. Having not picked up this project in a while, I had lots of fresh enthusiasm and am really happy with the way things turned out. This is an example of a page that I radically changed, for the better, I think.

Sketchbook Introduction

2010-11-08T11:23:00.000-08:00

The stage is set . . .

The Sketchbook Project - A Start

2010-11-04T18:57:00.001-07:00

It was two months ago exactly that I received my sketchbook in the mail for The Sketchbook Project, and now I've finally started! I heard about it from another illustrator and it sounded like fun, so I jumped on board. I chose "In Five Minutes . . . " from the list of themes offered, and then I decided to get some kids involved.

My sister teaches first grade, and I'd been wanting an excuse to visit her class, so I decided the sketchbook was my ticket in. Not only is it good research for me to hang out with little people, it's good for my soul too. They're so funny, so generous, so creative. When I told them I needed ideas to fill my sketchbook and asked if they'd help, they were jumping-out-of-their-skin eager to assist.

As it turns out, my chosen theme was probably not the best for this group, since at this age, time is still pretty irrelevant. They live in the moment, which is one of the things I love about kids. (My sister the teacher can tell you there's a downside to that too.) So I decided to jazz it up a little and ask them to brainstorm what they would do if they could have any superpower of their choice for just five minutes. The kids drew and wrote their ideas, and I'm going to steal freely from them. I am the undead illustrator, swooping in to suck the creative juices from unsuspecting fresh young things.

I'm resisting the urge to plan out the sketchbook in advance, because I want this project to be my "free play" time, an antidote to the creative burnout that sometimes comes from drawing on command. I'm just going to pick it up whenever I have spare time and see what comes to me. So far, I've painted the cover and endpages to reflect the superpower idea. I'll keep you posted. Meanwhile, keep that garlic away from me.

Backing Up for the Step by Step

2010-10-26T15:25:00.001-07:00

Several people asked me for more details on how I put together my "digital collage" posted earlier, so I thought I'd break it down and offer a little step-by-step.

First, I painted and scanned in the background layer, which is the sky and stars. I liked being able to paint freely without worrying about painting up to the houses.

Next, I painted and scanned in the houses and street. At first, I had a big, empty green area in the lower right, so I decided to duplicate and flip the sidewalks.

Next came the "pet" monster.

Then the little witch with her leash.

And finally the little boy in the monster costume.

I added each piece as a separate layer and then flattened the layers and played with the piece as a whole. As you can see, I made quite a few changes, most notably to the children's eyes. It was a great deal of fun, and I REALLy enjoyed being able to paint each piece freely without fear of messing up the whole illustration. I think it gave me a little courage to proceed more boldly, knowing I could just do over each piece until I got it right. I plan on doing more of this kind of experimenting soon!

Trick or Treat!

2010-10-18T09:16:00.000-07:00

Further adventures with Photoshop! This time I tried creating a digital collage, painting each element separately and then layering them in together. (As always, click on the image to enlarge it.) It really is amazing what can be done, and I know I'm just touching the tip of the iceberg.

Digital Experiment

2010-09-24T15:20:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've experimented with digital coloring, so I thought I'd give it a try today. I scanned in my drawing and began playing. The colors certainly are a lot more vivid, and good ole "Apple Z" makes mistakes easy to fix. The clean up is easier too, but I wonder if the final result is a little less, I don't know, charming? I'll keep trying.

Sympathetic Pup

2010-09-15T13:55:00.001-07:00

We don't have a dog, but the other night I dreamed we did and we were very happy. When I woke and told my husband about it, he asked "Who picked up the poop in your dream?"

The Sketchbook Project

2010-09-03T06:21:00.000-07:00

I've got my sketchbook and I have a plan! All I'll say for now is it involves 27 first graders. Stay tuned!

Back to School!

2010-08-27T09:03:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again! Time to meet the new teacher and, hopefully, make new friends! (Click on the image for a larger view.) Good luck to my two sons for another great year. I volunteered at the middle school this morning, helping the sixth graders open their lockers and find their classrooms. It's a big adjustment to a much bigger school, and the passing periods are a zoo! Most of the kids were fine, but a few seemed a little panicky when they couldn't get their lockers open. I did my best to reassure them that they'd get the hang of it in time. I know to a mom of preschoolers, sixth graders look gigantic, but to me, they look so little! It's all relative, I guess.

Oh, Baby

2010-08-18T14:41:00.001-07:00

I reeeally love drawing babies: their round little bodies, big heads, and dimpled hands. My kids say I have baby radar and can spot any baby within a 100 foot radius.

Welcome, Little One

2010-07-28T11:46:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to my lovely agent Nicole Tugeau on the newest member of her family.

"If one feels the need of something grand, something infinite, something that makes one feel aware of God, one need not go far to find it. I think that I see something deeper, more infinite, more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby when it wakes in the morning and coos or laughs because it sees the sun shining on its cradle." - Vincent van Gogh

Summer Porch

2010-07-16T14:12:00.001-07:00

My agent, Nicole Tugeau, has been challenging her illustrators to create monthly promo art, and for August, the challenge is "Having Summer Fun," with an emphasis on creating a sense of place. This illustration is my response to that challenge. (Click on it for a larger view.) I love big front porches and wish I had one. But being with friends makes any place more special. One of my favorite summer memories is playing games on our little cement front porch with neighborhood friends. We'd play Sorry, Trouble (with Pop-O-Matic action), and Monopoly. Somehow, all those games were more fun played outside.

From the Sketchbook

2010-07-15T08:54:00.000-07:00

I drew these at my son's baseball game last night. The good guys were doing alright until one especially painful inning. They ended up losing 14-2, but we'll get 'em next time.

Hot Fun in the Summer Time!

2010-07-07T14:08:00.001-07:00

Just got back from a wonderful vacation to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone, where the temperature occasionally dipped into the 30's at night while we were camping. Today I passed a bank thermometer that read 97 degrees. "Why do we live here again?" my kids ask.

ripple

2010-06-15T05:53:00.001-07:00

It's fairly common for kids to have obsessions, and for my youngest son, it used to be turtles. He still likes them very much, though there are many competing interests now. When he was younger, our whole family learned a lot about turtles through osmosis, since turtle facts had a way of popping up in the boy's conversations. Sea turtles are especially fascinating, the way the babies overcome ridiculous odds to crawl out of their sandy nests, migrate over a thousand miles, and spend 50 years maturing before they can lay their own eggs.

But now, in addition to the natural predators in the wild, five of the world's seven sea turtles are threatened by the BP oil spill. I've been kind of sheltering my son from pictures of the disaster, because I don't want him to feel what I feel when I look at a brown pelican so weighted down by thick, gooey oil that it can't lift it's head. I feel my own head hang from the weight of despair, rage, frustration, and helplessness.

Illustrator Kelly Light felt the same way, which is why she set up ripple. In her words, "A small sketch - a small donation - each small act helps. Together we can cause a ripple in the oil soaked waters of the Gulf." Artists from all over the world contribute a small sketch. For a $10 donation to help the animal victims of the oil spill, you can have one of the sketches. I purchased this beautiful portrait of a sea turtle for my son. It was created by Carmen Yount, from Spokane, WA.

So check it out. Make a ripple.

You thought we wouldn't notice . . .

2010-06-04T06:07:00.000-07:00

The internet is a wild and wonderful thing, but as everyone knows, it has a dark side. That's why it's good to have friends to watch yer back. Fellow illustrator and PBAA member Maurie J. Manning got the support she needed when she found herself going up against an unethical website that was ripping off her ideas for digital stamp designs. Mo went for help to a wonderful blog that every artist on the internet should know about called You thought we wouldn't notice . . . and pleaded her case. Although the offenders originally went on the attack, the pressure and condemnation directed at them from visitors to the YTWWN blog seems to have convinced them to back down. It's hard enough making a living as a freelance illustrator without people ripping off your art. (Incidentally, Mo is an amazing illustrator, and if you'd like to see more of her art, check it out here.)

The Fruits of Our Trees

2010-05-24T12:05:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much to everyone who showed up Friday night. The silent auction was a big success, bringing in $1,420 for the Art Creation Foundation for Children in Haiti. Every piece sold and a good time was had by all! You can see pictures of the event here.

Tonight's the Night!

2010-05-21T07:58:00.001-07:00

Our illustrators' group is having a silent auction of our Tree of Life art to benefit the Art Creation Foundation for Children in Jacmel, Haiti. You can see the whole beautiful forest here. The show starts tonight as part of the Oak Park Art District's "What's Blooming" art show. There's lots to do and see and hear, which you can read all about here. The silent auction concludes on Saturday at 6:00, so c'mon down and make a bid! If you can't make it to the show, phone bids are accepted at 708-848-4062, toll free 1-888-269-0693 during auction hours.

5th Grade Slueths

2010-05-17T15:31:00.001-07:00

I just finished illustrating a short story about a group of fifth grade girls who solve a mystery. Here they are plotting strategy over lunch in the school cafeteria. The illustrator in me gave them hot dogs for lunch. The mom in me added an apple.

My Tree of Life

2010-05-11T10:31:00.000-07:00

Here is my Tree of Life, painted for the show to benefit Haitian children (see previous post). I had a lot of fun doing it, playing with design and symmetry. Go ahead and click on it for a larger view. If you like it, c'mon down to Ridge Art on May 21 or 22 to make a bid!

Save the Date!

2010-05-07T14:29:00.001-07:00

This is so exciting! Our illustrators' group is having a show to benefit a wonderful group called the Art Creation Foundation for Children in Jacmel, Haiti. Click on the image for details. This is a great chance to purchase some beautiful art for a beautiful cause!

For the Love of Wilbur

2010-05-03T15:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I appear to be on a pig streak here. Can't really explain it, except that pigs are fun to draw, with their sensitive eyes and their wise smiles. I painted this piece for a spring promo that my agent is sending out, and although I wasn't consciously thinking of Charlotte's Web when I drew it, it has put me in mind of that wonderful book now. What an incredible world E.B. White created. If you haven't read it since you were a child, or since you read it to your kids, read it again. You won't regret it. I did so about a year ago, and was amazed once again by it's magic. The power of friendship, the cycle of life and death, E.B. White handles it all with such beauty, grace, and humor. And with such respect for his young readers, never once talking down to them.

Oh, Wilbur. Was there ever such a lovable character before or since? In one of my favorite scenes, Charlotte is trying to decide what new word to weave into her web. She's considering "Radiant," but she's not sure if it's an accurate description of Wilbur, so she instructs him to race around the barnyard to see him in action.

"'Do a back flip with a half twist in it!' cried Charlotte.

Wilbur went over backwards, writhing and twisting as he went.

'O.K., Wilbur,' said Charlotte. 'You can go back to sleep. O.K., Templeton, the soap ad will do, I guess. I'm not sure Wilbur's action is exactly radiant, but it's interesting.'

'Actually,' said Wilbur, 'I feel radiant.'

'Do you?' said Charlotte, looking at him with affection.'"

See what I mean? Brilliant.

Happy Earth Day!

2010-04-22T04:46:00.000-07:00

This may sound weird, but I love my clothesline. It gives me an excuse to go outside and enjoy the sunshine and birdsong while still feeling productive. And sometimes the five (yes five) little kids who live next door come to the fence and visit with me. Other times I just get to eavesdrop on them playing at the swing set. And then there's all that other good stuff about saving money, helping the planet, and the fresh smell of clothes from the clothesline. Yup, I love my clothesline.

Happy Easter!

2010-03-30T15:55:00.000-07:00

We had our annual egg dying party last weekend. Always a good time. A couple things I've learned: food coloring works way better than those little tablets, but you have to use more than suggested on the box for really vivid colors, and the dyes wear out after a few eggs. Which means I'm always busy mixing new dye.

Keys to Color

2010-03-10T10:03:00.000-08:00

Color is an area where I've always felt a bit insecure. Many's the time I've sat with my paint brush hovering over my palette, paralyzed with indecision. But I recently stumbled on a very helpful color lesson from children's illustrator Mark Mitchell. You can find his free lesson here. I look forward to playing with the things I learned from Mark, and maybe I'll post some of those experiments here! (If they're successful, that is.)

Tribute to Tibor Gergely

2010-02-26T10:38:00.000-08:00

The other day I stopped in a used book store called Top Shelf and picked up a book called "Wheel on the Chimney." I was intrigued by the title, and when I saw it was by uber author Margaret Wise Brown, I was even more curious, though the cover art was pretty dull and unpromising. Then I opened it up and saw this spread. (click on it for a larger view.) "I'll take it," I said. The book tells the story of bird migration through a family of storks, with bold, colorful illustrations. When I got home and googled the book, I discovered it was a Caldecott Honor book in 1955. Then I googled the illustrator, Tibor Gergely (pronounced gare gay.) (I know, I was wishing it was pronounced "gurgully" too.) Turns out that aside from six months studying art in Vienna, Gergely was a self-taught artist. Born in Hungary, he fled the Nazis during WWII and came to New York, where he found great success illustrating many classic Golden Books. You can see more of his wonderful art here.

Hooray for self-taught artists! Hooray for used book stores!

Be Still My Heart!

2010-02-09T12:16:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentines Day! May you share a sweet treat with someone who sets your heart all a flutter.

Pounce!

2010-02-03T10:53:00.001-08:00

Here's another little something from a beginning reader, this one called "At Night." It's a tale of revenge, believe it or not.

Bewitched

2010-01-30T09:09:00.000-08:00

This is for a beginning reader story called "Bad Witch." I've discovered that I like drawing frogs.

Return to the Sketch book

2010-01-28T10:29:00.001-08:00

I'm trying to get back into daily sketching. Any stationary family member is a viable subject, and they know it. They see me coming and think, "uh oh." Actually, they're all pretty supportive (and very honest with their opinions, i.e. "you made my nose too big"). By the way, if you're looking for inspiration to sketch, pick up a copy of Danny Gregory's book, "The Creative License."

Happy New Year!

2010-01-15T07:22:00.000-08:00

OK, I'm a little late with this, but I'm still getting up to speed after a very relaxing holiday break. I'm very grateful to be starting the new year with a few projects from educational and religious publishers to keep me busy and pay a few bills. This illustration comes from an early reader, and it illustrates the word "LOUD!" I hope to make more noise in the publishing world this year, starting with a new website that I hope to get up and running soon. Up until this point, my main "web presence" has been on childrensillustrators.com, but that site was attacked my hackers and has been down since November! Isn't that strange? I can't figure out why, of all the websites out there, a hacker would choose this one to attack. Anyway, this incident has given me incentive to finally create a website of my own. I'll let you know when it's ready to launch! Meanwhile, wishing you all a happy, healthy 2010!

Winter Scene

2009-12-12T15:53:00.001-08:00

I remember when I used to walk my kids to school on snowy mornings, I'd return home solo, and it always made me smile to see their footprints in the snow. They never went in a straight line for long. (Click on the image to get a larger view.)

Elfin Friends

2009-12-04T07:06:00.000-08:00

These are a few new digital stamp designs I'm selling at Shophandmade.com

I plan on adding new designs whenever I have time, so if there's anything you'd like to see, let me know!

Scary, but not TOO scary

2009-11-19T12:32:00.000-08:00

This is a sketch from an early reader I'm doing called "The Bad Witch." The tricky thing is to make a witch who looks bad, but not too scary for the little guys. My mother ran a preschool/day care center for many years, and I used to work there from time to time. Once, around Halloween, I was playing a game with a 4 year old boy. He sat across the table from me and drew a bunch of pumpkin shapes. Then he told me what kind of jack-o-lantern face to make in each one (silly, sleepy, etc.) Finally, he told me to make a scary face, and I did, but when I turned it around to show him, he about fell off his chair, he was so scared! I felt terrible. Now I'm a little leery of using my scary drawing powers on little kids.

What I'm working on now

2009-11-06T18:13:00.000-08:00

This is from a piece of art that I did for Loyola Press. It will wrap around a box filled with activity cards, which I'm also illustrating. Click on it for a larger view. (A lot of text runs across the top, which explains the fuzzy trees.)

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-02T05:46:00.001-08:00

Here's Owen's costume this year. We stole the idea from Theatre Zarko, an amazing puppet symbolist theater created by my friend Laura Montenegro and her husband, Michael. There's still time to see their brilliant show, and if you go to the link, you can see the bit that inspired Owen.

Go Bears!

2009-10-15T09:46:00.001-07:00

(I'm not really much of a sports fan.)

New Stamps

2009-10-07T08:42:00.001-07:00

I just finished some new stamp designs for The Greeting Farm. I'm having fun with these!

Going Digital

2009-10-01T06:22:00.000-07:00

I've tried averting my eyes and changing the subject. I've tried covering my ears and singing "LA LA LA LA!" But the time has come to face the truth. I need to learn how to make art on the computer. I have taken baby steps in this direction, but I think it's time to pick up the pace. My agent, Nicole Tugeau, informs me that educational publishers in particular are starting to demand more and more digital art, primarily because they can easily manipulate it in various applications.

So, in an effort to not be completely left behind in the dust, I've signed up for a class on Illustrator CS4 with a real live human being, who will hopefully hold my hand and talk me down when necessary. I also just signed up for a free online course on Photoshop. You can too, if you're one of the first 1,000 people to sign up! And if you do, think of me virtually holding your hand, talking you down when you feel like the woman in the above picture. Wine helps too. (Both kinds.)

Cleaning out the Closet

2009-09-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

Now that the kids are back in school, I finally had the time to clean out the closet where I keep my art supplies and old artwork. It's such a great feeling to be (somewhat) organized, and I even found a bunch of art I had long forgotten about. For instance, these b & w images were done about 10 years ago for a little publication for preschool teachers called "Building Blocks." They were lovely people to work with, and I got some great ideas for activities to do with my then pre-school aged sons, including a great recipe for homemade playdough, as I recall!

Teen Stamps

2009-09-02T11:59:00.001-07:00

OK, this was something different. I was hired by little company called The Greeting Farm to design "teen themed" rubber stamps. Crafters use the stamps to make lovely greeting cards and such. Well, it was a departure for me, but it was fun! They are a delightful company to work with, and I enjoyed the assignment. I have two sons and several nieces around this age, so I'm surrounded by teens and "tweens," but oddly enough, I never draw them. I tried to capture two things that I've noticed about this amazing, confusing time of life:
1. When you catch them in a certain light, or a certain pose, they show glimmers of the little kids they were not so very long ago.
2. They're starting to really play with style, picking up pieces here and there and trying them on for size.
It's a wild ride, but I wouldn't miss a minute of it.

Promotional Postcard

2009-09-01T07:33:00.001-07:00

Here is the illustration I created for a promotional post card. This is from a story idea I have that I've been tinkering with off and on. (More about that later.) I ordered oversized postcards from Vistaprint. Although I've heard other illustrators occasionally grumble about the color quality, especially when reordering postcards, I've always been very satisfied. They're super cheap and quick.

Feelin' a little Mousie today

2009-08-18T14:19:00.001-07:00

What Book Got You Hooked?

2009-08-12T06:50:00.000-07:00

First Book is an excellent organization that aims to put new books into the hands of children in need. You can join in their "What book got you hooked?" campaign at their website and tell of that first reading experience that made whole worlds bloom inside your head. Doesn't it make you warm all over just remembering that book? For me, it was "The Littles," a series by John Peterson, that FIRST got me hooked. I used to order them through the Scholastic Book Club at my elementary school. I loved, loved, loved the idea of mouse-sized people with tails living in the walls of the Bigg family home. I especially remember how vain they were about their tails, and I remember their thrilling adventures, including fighting off the family cat with a sewing needle, and their daring trips to visit other tiny families, including a branch that lived in the town dump, and one that lived in the forest, and . . . oh I could go on and on. As you can see, I'm hooked!

Two Girls and a Worm

2009-08-03T18:09:00.001-07:00

I keep a file of interesting photos of kids that I cut out of the New York Times, mostly. The other day I was flipping through those photos for inspiration and found one of two little girls in a school room looking closely at a worm on a petri dish. They had very different reactions to this little science lesson, and their expressions inspired this illustration.

Guest poster

2009-07-29T06:38:00.001-07:00

I'm turning over the blog today to my 14 year old son Sam, who draws all the time and makes it look so dang easy. This is his response to a challenge I gave him to draw a rectangle and then draw a figure inside the rectangle touching all four sides.

From the Sketchbook

2009-07-13T18:12:00.001-07:00

My fellow train riders. The woman on the left was reading a book titled "Why Men Love Bitches."

Character Sketches

2009-06-22T19:40:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry this is so light, but if you click on the image, you'll see the sketches larger and more clearly. These are quick character sketches I did for the book dummy I'm working on. These are the new neighbors of Florence Finnecker, a character I posted earlier. I find that my best character sketches happen when I work standing up, drawing on a large pad of paper. The challenge is to then keep that looseness all the way to finished art.

Step by Step

2009-06-09T10:22:00.000-07:00

I recently received an email requesting a "step by step" posting of my illustration process, so here goes.

My agent Nicole Tugeau asked for fresh images for the T2 website, so I decided to create a finished piece from a story idea I have. The concept came from an exercise I did in Laura Montenegro's class (which I posted about earlier) in which we created two characters through collage and had them interact. Here's my collage from that class.

This exercise gave me an idea for a story about a wandering minstrel who solves problems with his music. He is called to a village to help rid them of an ogre who has been bullying them.

I love working in collage, and my goal is to create a separate portfolio of work in that style, but for this project, I decided to recreate this idea in my more traditional, watercolor and gouache style. So here is a little thumbnail I did based on this concept.

I enlarged the thumbnail and decided to change the ogre's expression to happy and innocent rather than sad and wistful. I reduced the size of the minstrel and made his head tilt back more with my old-school scissor and tape method. Some day I'll have to learn to do that stuff in Photoshop.

I transferred my sketch on to Artistico Extra White 140 hot press watercolor paper and started layering in color after marking off the borders with blue masking tape.

Here's the final piece. After looking at it for a while and discussing it with Nicole, I see room for improvement, and I may want to take another crack at it. I kind of rushed the background, and I could have created much more narrative interest by making the village more unique and showing the villagers a little closer, with more detail. And then there's the problem of all that green. I should have either given the ogre a ghastly blue skin tone or changed the setting so there wasn't so much grass. Oh well, live and learn.

The Very Hungry Illustrator

2009-06-03T10:17:00.001-07:00

I have a new goal: to create a character so iconic that it moves people to sculpt it with pastries. This is a photo from a wonderful blog called "Cake Wrecks."

From the Sketchbook

2009-05-28T10:08:00.001-07:00

I've had a hard time getting back to the old drawing board since we returned from our trip. I don't have any paying jobs right now, and although I've been working on a couple of book dummies for the past month or so, I find I'm not really eager to return to them right now. I've been catching up on other things, cleaning and organizing, sort of biding my time until the urge to draw overcame me. I finally decided to sit myself down this morning and draw like kids do, without overthinking or planning, and this is what came out. What does it say about my mental state? Not sure . . .

Back from the Land of Walden

2009-05-26T19:49:00.001-07:00

My family and I flew out to New England to attend my niece's graduation from Boston College (with Phi Beta Kappa honors -- you go, Kelly!) Since we rarely pony up the money to fly anywhere, we decided to make a trip of it, traveling around Maine and the rocky Massachusetts coast. We went to Concord to visit the starting point of the Revolutionary War, which my fifth grader had just studied, but we ended up really grooving on the Transcendentalist vibe there. We stopped by the Walden Pond gift shop and struck up a conversation with the heavily tattooed young man working there. When my husband asked if we could swim in Walden Pond, he said "You MUST swim in Walden Pond." So we did! Here's Owen, enjoying his "bathe," as Henry would say.

I bought a copy of Walden from our tattoed friend, and I've been reading it since we returned home. To be completely honest, I'm probably only understanding about 75% of the language, but what I'm getting, I'm liking. Here's a quote from Henry that was on a onesie in the Walden gift shop: "I have always been regretting that I was not as wise as the day I was born."

Life on a Leash

2009-05-12T15:41:00.001-07:00

Copper and Cleo: Chapter One

2009-05-05T19:23:00.000-07:00

Copper called his best friend, Cleo.
"Heddo?" she said.
"Don't you mean 'Hello?'" asked Copper.
"Dat's what I said!" answered Cleo.
She sounded crabby.

Memories

2009-04-30T14:02:00.001-07:00

I was going through an old sketchbook (from 2005) when I ran across this color sketch I did for Illustration Friday on the theme "Crowded." It was inspired by my son, who actually slept with all of these stuffed animals back then. I remember the turtle's name was Shell. This is one of those memories that plays tricks: when I was living through this phase, I often found it SO annoying to have to round up all of the guys and arrange them just so before my son would consent to sleep. GOD FORBID one of them was missing! But now I think back and go, "Awwww." And when he woke up in the middle of the night with a bad dream, he'd climb out of bad, scoop up the entire entourage, and appear silhouetted in our doorway with his armload of friends, announcing his nightmare. I know, awwww, right?

PBAA poster

2009-04-21T13:34:00.001-07:00

Here is the promotional poster for the Picture Book Artists Association that is being sent to art directors and editors. I can't tell you how helpful this group has been to me. Members converse through a Listserve, and I've learned SO much, from advice on papers and materials to the lowdown on publishers and much, much more. They're the smartest, funniest, most thoughtful group of virtual friends I've ever virtually met. Check out the PBAA blog for an enlargeable (is that a word?) view of the poster.

Shopping

2009-04-14T18:42:00.000-07:00

Personally, I hate shopping. I either can't find what I'm looking for, or I find it, and it costs 3 times more than I'm willing to pay (OK, I might be kinda cheap.) But this little girl seems to be having fun. (Probably because she doesn't have to pay for anything.) Next stop, the shoe store!

Eggs

2009-04-09T13:29:00.001-07:00

We had our annual egg dying party -- isn't it amazing what can be done with rubber bands, masking tape, wax crayons, and food coloring?!

From the Sketchbook

2009-04-07T09:33:00.000-07:00

FYI, a read-a-thon is when the kids get to read all day, except for a break for math. Sounds good to me. But after reading all day, Owen came home and watched TV, which was OK, because it made it easier to draw him.

The Real Thing

2009-04-04T07:41:00.001-07:00

My sister, who lives less than a mile from me here in beautiful Arlington Heights, just sent me this photo of a fox family she saw in her neighbor's yard while out walking her dog. Though you can't see them all, my sister says there are six kits. Aren't they adorable? I wonder if this is the same fox we saw trotting down the middle of the street with a rabbit in its mouth this time last year. Who says the suburbs are sterile?

"I s-say, what are your intentions?"

2009-04-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

This is a scene from "Miss Chicken and the Noisy Nuisance," which I wrote and illustrated, and for which my lovely agent Nicole Tugeau is currently trying to find a publisher. The book dummy I created has one finished piece, and the rest are sketches. Nicole suggested I do some color character pieces and/or finish another illustration to help sell the book, so I painted this yesterday.

By the way, I came up with the idea for this story through an assignment done for Laura Montenegro's "Intuitive Suitcase" class.

Collage Done Right

2009-03-29T12:35:00.000-07:00

Now that I've got my mind on collage, I seem to see it everywhere. Of course, collage and children's books have gone together for a long time (think Eric Carle, Ezra Jack Keats, and Leo Leoni). But I've recently gotten my hands on two beautiful picture books that combine collage and painting in a really exciting way.

Wow, is this book fun to look at. Shelley Jackson uses the perfect combination of fabrics, photos, stitching patterns, and painting. My favorite is the illustration depicting the main character trying to "think all kinds of chicken thoughts" so she can sneak up on Miss Hen. We see her squinting out of one eye at the chicken while photos of corn kernals, worms, eggs, corn bread, and corn cobs swirl around her head.

Then there's "A River of Words." This book absolutely took my breath away. In the back pages, Melissa Sweet explains how she turned to a box of used books she bought at a library sale for inspiration when creating the collages for this biography of the poet William Carlos Williams. Among other things, she uses star charts, spelling books, and prescription pads in her collages and often paints right on the covers and end pages of those used library books. Combined with Melissa's quiet, simple paintings, the result is brilliant. No wonder this book won a Caldecott Honor.

Finally, I was in Barnes and Noble the other day when I bumped into this book:

Now, Louis Armstrong is kind of a hero in this household, so I was so excited to discover that he was a fellow collage artist! The yellowing Scotch tape somehow fits perfectly with the cut up photos of jazz life and newspaper words. Satchmo's love of life and of music comes through loud and clear.

Words and Pictures

2009-03-23T07:14:00.001-07:00

Here's a portion of another collage I did in Laura's class (only a portion because of my dinky scanner). The assignment was to put the character we created earlier in a setting and have that character show a different emotion. It's amazing how this simple assignment got the wheels spinning, churning up story ideas. After several false starts, I've got a plot outline I'm really excited about now. The hard part is coming up with the words to turn that outline into a rip-roaring good story. I usually do alright building the tension toward the climax of the conflict, but it's SO tricky to create a convincing and satisfying resolution. Still, I'm loving the challenge -- so far.

Adventures in Collage with Florence Finnicker

2009-03-16T10:48:00.000-07:00

I've been taking this fantastic class with author/illustrator extraordinaire Laura Montenegro. Laura has a wonderfully sneaky way of pushing you outside of your comfort zone in order to find wellsprings of creativity you didn't know you have. We've been working with collage, and it's a blast! One night in class I created this character who I'm naming, for the time being anyway, Florence Finnicker. I've been working on a picture book story based on her which may or may not go anywhere. If anyone's interested, maybe I'll post updates on Florence's whereabouts in upcoming days.

The Tree Pose

2009-03-14T15:27:00.001-07:00

Well here it is, my first actual blog post! I'll keep it short and sweet. This is an illustration from a beginning chapter book I'm writing about two best friends and their adventures. Hopefully one of their adventures will be to FIND A PUBLISHER! In this chapter, Cleo (the cat) convinces her friend Copper (the dog) to try Yoga. I won't give away the ending, except to say it involves Copper chasing his tail.

PORTFOLIO

2009-03-13T13:46:00.000-07:00