2018: 125-131/365

In my last post I mentioned that I took part in the Illustrator Challenge at the New England SCBWI Conference.  The theme of the challenge was Fairy Tale Mash-up, so I created "Swinederella": a combination of Cinderella, The Three Little Pigs, and a dash of Little Red Riding Hood.  It was created using pencil, watercolor, and Photoshop.

Since I love seeing how other artists create their art, I thought it would be fun to share images of my process from start to finish...

1. Thumbnail Sketch

2. Character Design

3. Clean Sketch

4. Watercolor Washes

5. Black & White Underpainting

6. Starting to Add Color

7. Final Image (after many, many layers!)

I'm still figuring things out in Photoshop, but I have a feeling that I'm really going to enjoy this way of working!

2018: 117-124/365

Wow... this week flew by!

Photo courtesy of my sister, Stevie.

The weather was finally Spring-like, and I definitely took advantage of it... I had a great time helping my sister paint her truck
(but that is a story for another week).

This week, I promised to share more about my trip to Springfield, Massachusetts...

Art by Priscilla Alpaugh

While at the New England SCBWI Conference, I took workshops with Dan Santat, Josh Funk, Russ Cox, and Sara Zarr.  I listened to amazing panels and speeches with incredible authors and illustrators including Jane Yolen, Rita Williams-Garcia, Amy Reed, and Matt Phelan.  I listened, learned, and talked about books.  I volunteered, participated in the Illustrator Challenge, met with an editor, had books signed, and made a lot of new friends.  It was a very full, very fun, and very inspirational, weekend!

It would be impossible to share everything, but here are my top takeaways from NESCBWI 2018...

 Nothing is more important that being good.

Hard work develops talent.

 Practice & push yourself.

Learn from others, but don't compare yourself to them.

 Explore, evolve, & try new things.

and...

Don't be afraid to take risks!

2018: 110-116/365

This past weekend, I went to the New England SCBWI Conference in Springfield Massachusetts.  My days were jam-packed with learning, inspiration, and fun.  I am still processing all of the information I received from the incredible workshops I took (I will definitely post some highlights next week).  But...

In the meantime, I wanted to share some photos from a trip my friend Dee and I took to The Dr. Seuss Museum.

It was so much fun to get a glimpse into the life of Theodor Geisel... I really enjoyed looking at his work space, seeing his original art, and reading letters he wrote to family and friends.  It seems pretty obvious that the man known as

Dr. Seuss would be funny, but I never knew just how clever and fun he really was!

(More from my trip next week...)

2018: 6/365

The making of a mascot...

Binkwee the BNCWI mascot

If you've been reading my blog for a while, then you know that I am very interested in writing and illustrating children's books.  And, you may have noticed from my sidebar that I am a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

Bink-Oui (Binkwee's artist counterpart)

Well, in addition to SCBWI, I belong to a local writing group called BNCWI (Buffalo Niagara Children's Writers and Illustrators).  I have discovered that the kidlit community is very welcoming, supportive, encouraging, and helpful.  I have met so many wonderful writers and illustrators, and have made so many friends through both groups!   So, when one of BNCWI's founders asked me if I would like to help out and freshen up the group's website, it was a no-brainer... I was thrilled.  The first thing I decided to do was create a BNCWI (pronounced Binkwee) mascot...

I started by sketching some book loving buffaloes.  Once I had decided on one, I named him Binkwee and drew him reading in a barrel headed for the edge of Niagara Falls.  

If you love reading as much as Binkwee does, I'm sure you can relate to being so engrossed in a book that you lose sight of everything else going on around you!

I first created Binkwee (and Bink-Oui) almost a year ago, and since then they have been very busy celebrating friend's book launches...

Encouraging people to vote...

Decorating for the holidays...

And tomorrow, Binkwee (and the rest of our very excited city) will be cheering for our home team, The Buffalo Bills, as they play in their first play-off game in 17 years...

Go Bills!!!