Saturday, May 22, 2010

The world of technology gets more interesting each day.



I tried to upload a short trailer for If Wishes Were Fishes, written by N. A. Sharpe, and for some people it did not play. This morning I redid the entire page and movie, and hope it will show up for anyone who wants to hear some fun music and take a look at the next book.

Friday, May 21, 2010

If Wishes Were Fishes


A second book I illustrated for 4RV publishing is due to be released this June. If Wishes Were Fishes was written by N. A. Sharpe.  A child's point of view makes some of the statements adults make come to life in a very literal sense.

I have a short trailer on my website for If Wishes Were Fishes. if you want to take a peek. Hopefully the trailer is working. Some viewers had trouble seeing it. The other trailer for
IN MY BATH
does seem to be working okay.

All 4RV books are available on the 4RV website, Amazon.com and any and all bookstores.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Time to Clean Your Room!

In keeping with my resolution to promote, promote, promote... This is going to be another new postcard. I've got a few lined up to go out.  Fingers crossed!
A Mouse in the House

Shifting Gears

To this day I can still hear my cranky old art professor's words ringing in my head from way back in 1986... "Class-- you need to wear as many hats as possible if you're gonna make it in this business!!! You can't draw one thing well and expect to make a living as an artist. Draw everything for everyone and you'll hit at least one out of the park!!" Now I loved this teacher so to me anything he said was gold. All I wanted to do was impress him artistically so I listened to his words of wisdom and when I opened my studio in 1987 I tried to draw as many styles and wear as many artists hats as possible. The varied work allowed me to pay my rent but I wasn't really finding my "niche" in the art community and I couldn't figure out why. Then came the early 90's and I started to advertise in Black Book, American Showcase, Picture Book, Etc. The art directors kept saying to me, "Scott, you need to showcase one style and one look only." This went against everything I'd been doing to date. I even went back and talked to my old professor to question this marketing dilemma and he said, "Baaah...They just want to sell more add space. Feature all your stuff." So I did and the result was I now realize I was simply confusing the art directors who looked at my work. Who was this Scott Nelson guy and what actual style does he do well? Inevitably they'd pass on me because the artist on the next page would showcase one style done well not 8 styles done mediocre. So over time I've learned to try and brand myself with one "me" style yet I still enjoy all the looks I do. So just for old time sakes and to honor the best art professor EVER__ the late Alex Gazonas... I'm going to feature two looks in this thread to really confuse my point. Bottom line, drawing is fun but when it comes to spending your marketing dollar...less is more. RIP Alex

Sunday, May 16, 2010

2 new books - Dancing Dreams & Oliver's First Christmas

I have 2 picture books coming out this fall that I illustrated. The first is DANCING DREAMS, to be released in September 2010 by Accord Publishing. In this story, Gracie dreams of dancing everything from ballet to hula to flamenco:



And this one is from OLIVER'S FIRST CHRISTMAS, to be released in October 2010 by Accord Publishing. Here, Oliver the puppy is staying up to wait for Santa (oops - he fell asleep!):

Kristi Valiant
www.kristivaliant.com
http://kristivaliant.blogspot.com

Also Coming Soon... If Wishes Were Fishes


Another book will also be released this June. Currently it is listed as available for Pre Order along with In My Bath.  This picture book explores the confusion that can result from "adult speak" when grown ups use terms like "If wishes were fishes, we'd all cast our nets..." OR "let's get our ducks in a row..."

 You can just imagine how a 6 year old could interpret that and a number of other expressions we sometimes take for granted. This all results in some very funny scenes that were so much fun to illustrate.

Written by N. A Sharpe, the picture book is a great read that fosters the bond between grandparents and their grandchildren.  It will be enjoyed by children and adults and will most likely bring up some interesting questions about the kind of language we use from time to time.

Published by 4RV Publishing, LLC it is listed as available for pre order as of May 15. If their website has not caught up with the deadlines, I'll post another update here soon.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Coming Soon.... to a bookshelf near you...



Coming Soon ~ In My Bath ~

I have had the privilege of illustrating a charming picture book written by Beth Bence Reinke. IN MY BATH is scheduled for release by 4RV Publishing LLC, this June. Children will love the adventurous imagination of a young boy who turns bath time into a splash, swish, and slosh of a romp!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Little Piggy...


This little piggy was my doodle for today...

I am going to start trying to soften my illustration look...
I love my linework, but have found that a lot of jobs pass me by because it is too heavy for such soft looking characters.. I also want to toy around with making my digital work look more like a traditional method of painting or maybe even color pencil...

This was just something I did while on a break at the day job. It is done in Photoshop with a dry brush...

I like it for a quick sketch...

Your thoughts?

Oh, and I truly am sorry for not blogging in over a month.
I am working diligently on a book project because I have another project coming down the pipeline that will start this summer...

Enjoy!

Monday, May 3, 2010

Traveling Sketchbook

This is a piece done for the "Happy Feats Traveling Sketchbook." The book has been visiting all over the world and finally made it to my little part of Texas!