“Although they received a warning, Ernie and Eddie continued to misbehave and were given a Time Out.”

Just had to do a cute- fuzzy-animal- illustration this week

I thought this process is fitting for this week’s Illustration Friday word “layers.”  I am in the preliminary stages of drawing a somewhat complex illustration, and above are studies from the larger illo I did to help me decide my approach. The study on the left is created with hot press watercolor paper, and the one on the right is cold press.

I create many of my illustrations and fine art work using cold press. I like the ease of color blending and the richness of color you can achieve. However, the texture sometimes can be a distraction, especially if the illustration is on the small side–the peaks and valleys in the paper are even more apparent. With hot press paper, it is much easier to add details, either with pen, pencil, or finely brushed ink, and there is no texture to distract from the image. However, it is more difficult to work with (for me), as blooms and uneveness in washes are more difficult to avoid. In fact, the study above is probably the most success I’ve had using hot press paper!

I would enjoy feedback and opinions on which is the better way to go with this piece. Thanks for looking!

“And then, at last, he surrendered to the dreams that awaited him.”

I enjoy drawing and painting in black and gray, but being a watercolorist and especially a colorist, I prefer to make my gray by blending French Ultramarine blue and Burnt Sienna to alter the warm and cool tones throughout the piece. It is just more interesting to me than using watered down black ink.

Converting to true grayscale is a simple click in photoshop, and as long as the highlights and shadows are consistent throughout, it will still work for assignments that truly need to be grayscale. Just for comparative purposes, here is a converted version below:

Which one do you like better? I welcome your comments and feedback!

Everything from the bland walls to my collection of children’s books in boxes on the floor (gasp!) was keeping me from being fully focused on my business and art.

After a couple coats of paint and some utility shelving from Home Depot, I made it look like this:

The drafting table was a Christmas gift to myself. It was a great price, is made with real wood, and the glass top allows me to double it as a lightbox (notice the clip lamp I attached under the surface!)

I have my book collection displayed, with some of my favorites and autographed copies sitting on small easels on the bottom shelf. I think I will soon have to get longer shelves, however.

I have my printer, scanner, and computer on the other side of the space now, away from my paint and water jars (only would have been a matter of time before an accident happened!)

I have a little nook where I keep my oil painting easel and taboret, and can wheel them out whenever I get the urge to use them.

My desk space with shelves for invoice files, expenditures and receivables, and other business documents. Again, AWAY from the paints and water jars!

It’s still a bit of a work in progress. I would like to put up some more artwork and get a better chair for the drafting table, but the bulk of the work is completed. The main thing is I now have an inviting space where I can get much more accomplised.

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 1,700 times in 2010. That’s about 4 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 23 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 36 posts. There were 47 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 10mb. That’s about 4 pictures per month.

The busiest day of the year was September 6th with 77 views. The most popular post that day was Illustration Friday: “Dessert”.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were illustrationfriday.com, auralesnjak.com, zero2illo.ning.com, clubhouse.zero2illo.com, and google.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for archaeopteryx, owl illustration, sketches of owls, hedgehog, and owl and the pussycat.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

Illustration Friday: “Dessert” September 2010
12 comments and 1 Like on WordPress.com,

SCBWI Conference Part 1: Illustrator Tips August 2010
6 comments

Illustration Friday: “Drifting” June 2009
10 comments

About May 2009
4 comments

Illustration Friday: “Clumsy” January 2010
11 comments

It’s been a while since I participated in Illustration Friday, but I had this idea last night and thought it fit the concept nicely. The style is a bit of a departure for me as well, which is refreshing sometimes.

Don’t worry, the mouse is safe and the kittens get a bowl of cream for dessert so they are happy too.

I wanted to take a little break from my usual watercolor illustrations and experiment with a technique that is new to me, cross-hatching with pen & ink. I think it turned out pretty well for my first one. If any of you inkers out there can offer any words of wisdom I’m all ears…just like my lucky little mouse friend here.

Thanks for visiting!

Kelly Light  A talented illustrator in her own right, Kelly is also the founder of “Ripple,” a not-for-profit that raises funds to help the animal victims of the gulf oil spill. Her efforts of coordinating buyers of original art sketch cards and the artists who create them have already raised thousands of dollars. To get involved, please click the link for info.

Molly Hall  One of the most sincerely friendly people I’ve ever met, Molly is a YA writer and has a funny, witty and entertaining blog that I highly recommend following.

Heather Powers Heather is a Regional Advisor for the Southwest Texas chapter of the SCBWI. She is a printmaker, jewelry designer, and author, as well as an award-winning illustrator and she took the time to answer so many of my questions during the conference. Thank you Heather!

Jennifer K. Keller I got to know Jennifer during the Illustrator Social on the first night of the Conference. Her illustrations are so lively, and she conveys such wonderful expressions on her animals!

Lea Lyon A published illustrator and watercolor teacher, Lea had a lot to teach me about technique. Her paintings look effortless, something I try to achieve with my own watercolors. Plus, I really enjoyed her company during the Golden Kite Luncheon.

For each of these people, there were many others who I had conversations with between sessions, on the elevator, at the Heart and Soul ball, and all the inbetweens. It was really amazing to be surrounded by 1000+ people who all share the same passion for this industry, and I will always cherish the feeling of being connected to the creativity and energy that is embodied by the members of the SCBWI. I hope to make it next year for the 40th annual conference…maybe I should be working on getting some commissions so that I can pay for it!

I also should mention, feedback is always appreciated. Thanks!

First of all, I was not anticipating that there would be 1139 members in attendance, and it was amazing to be surrounded by so much talent. Since illustrators made up a smaller percentage (1 in 10? 1 in 7?) compared to the authors, the breakout sessions for illustrators tended to be a little bit more “cozy.”

Illustrator Tips (from Editors, Agents, and Art Directors):

1) What is looked for in a portfolio is technical ability, variety of composition and points of view, and narrative ability.

2) If you don’t show hands in your portfolio, it raises a red flag that you can’t do them.

3) Don’t just illustrate a caption, but think beyond the words.

4) Often the illustrator will get a job based on only 1-3 pieces in his/her portfolio

5) A beginning illustrator will often be asked to “prove” him or herself with a few sample pieces from the book in question, however, he or she should ALWAYS get paid for this work, even if not selected for the book contract.

6) On a website portfolio, it is often a good idea to show contact information on EACH page.

7) A permanent link from the website (not just on the blog) that shows an arttist’s process is often interesting and engaging to an A.D.

8 ) When illustrating a character or scene in a book, imagine it having an appropriate “theme song” to help you bring out the emotional quality (Thank you Loren Long!!)

9) Themes of Trust, Loyalty, and Security are to be taken very seriously by children’s book authors/illustrators.

10) Portfolios should have no more than 15 pieces, and should show 80% consistent style.

11) Important: A.D.’s will often keep a copy of the WEAKEST piece in your portfolio on file, so they know the worst they could expect if they decide to hire you.

12) Use perspective to direct the emotional point of the scene.

13) When it comes to children’s book illustrators, know the imprints! An A.D. or editor does not need 10 copies of the same postcard.

14) Develop a distinct point of view and know how to describe your work (influences, etc.)

15) For email submissions, its better to submit links to a website rather than attachments for security/safety reasons.

That’s all for now! Next post I hope I can share the links of other attendees and some of the keynote speakers and guest faculty that I met and learned so much from.