Website Makeover

©Kathleen Rietz
If you haven't checked out my website lately, DO! I update at least weekly, and I feel as though it is finally really coming together and representing who I am as an artist. I have weeded out a lot of artwork that, while very nice, does not represent my current goals. I would really like your feedback, even if you see something you don't like about it.. Don't be shy... It is alwasy nice to have others' objective eyes!

KIDS WRITE THE DARNDEST THINGS!

I thought I might share a few lines from some recent letters from kids at a school that I recently visited. Kids' letters are always precious. I included the misspellings, or course:

Dear Mr. Smith:
I like the banan slug it is cool I wud like to have your autograph. I like the funny weird animel it was weird and I mene it.
Mason

Dear Mr. Smith:
Thanks for teaching us to draw a banana slug. I really wanted to get my picture autographed by you, but I didn't have enough time. And I took my pictures home, and my mom really liked my picture of my banana slug. I really liked the talk about your new book Washington for Kids. I'm looking forward to reading it. And one more thing, I really like your outfit. The badges were really cool. The hat was funny because when you wore it it looked kind tall. I like you a lot.
Soraya

Dear Mr. Smith:
Than you for coming to our school My favirite thing at the acimble is the monster game. And when my class came to the jim and drew the banana slug.
Shelby

Dear Mr. Smith:
I like you pichers. they are cool. I wish you colde drow spong bob. I like you. I bet you wer a slef maniger, to.
Aiden

Dare Mr Smith
I am so happy to meat you! I think you are cool And a gerate other and ilstratr. I like you Olot. you are Osum. I want to be a Oather and a ilstrater like you.
Abe

MY HOMECOMING SCHOOL VISIT

I recently returned to my alma mater elementary school for a week-long series of assemblies and workshops. The newspaper interviewed me while I was there. I posted the article here and it was up for about five minutes, but I thought it took up too much space, so I deleted it.

If anyone has questions about making seven hundred dollars (or even more) per day just for making a presentation at a school, I'll be glad to answer your questions. Schools pay a LOT more than publishers...you can take that to the bank. Bruce Degan gets four grand a day, last time I checked.

So here's a picture of me with one of the classes at the sign in front of my alma mater elementary school.

Happy Easter Everyone!

©Kathleen Rietz
Any of you who know me well know that Easter has a much deeper meaning to me than bunnies and coloring eggs. But I do enjoy the images of spring this time of year. Here in Chicago there is a winter storm warning today. I could use a little springtime festivities right now! Happy Easter everyone!

Read my first article for the SCBWI-IL!

Read my first attempt at writing for The Prairie Wind, the e-newsletter for the SCBWI-Illinois chapter. I love to draw and paint, but writing was a whole new venture for me! It was actually kind of fun, and I would definitely do it again if asked. The topic and article length were totally up to me. I chose to write about the history of my career as an artist, and why I now blog.

What do you think? What do you like most about blogging? Do you use it as a marketing tool? Networking? Creative support?

All About the Books and Beyond! ~ What about YOURS!

Have you illustrated ( or written and illustrated) some books you would like to share? Created a map, greeting card, or received a sensational review?
My Bookpage has grown over the past four years. I have been fortunate to work with some wonderful authors and small press publishers as well as some fantastic educational publishers.

Since most of the marketing and press is done by the publishers I need to check in once in a while to see what is happening with the books. Some have received awards, good reviews and wonderful articles in newspapers. But what I am most proud of is the way children react to them. I love seeing their faces as they look at my illustrations and read the charming stories or listen to me read the stories.

It must be the same for so many illustrators that are devoted to creating for children. Do you have a story to tell? Do children inspire and encourage your art? Post your response, and let others know how your illustrations can bring a smile or a tear to those who view them.

If you are a blogger, the link to your name will bring people to your site so they can view your work. Once there they can follow other links you may have to your personal website and beyond.

Where I Love To Be - In My Studio

What would a studio tour be without a picture of the "boys." These are my dogs Luke (Yellow Lab) and Billy (Tibetan Terrier.) They are not only my studio buddies but great friends.



Here is the area of my studio where the creative work gets done. . .and a lot of emailing to my friends too!

I have two work areas. The area closest to you is where I sketch. You can see my light table. The area right across from that is where my computer is and where I do the painting part of my art.



One of the most important parts of my studio beside my computer. . .is my five cork boards. As I sketch the pages I pin them up and see how the whole book looks and it's a great way to see if the book flows. I couldn't live without them.

Sorry for the crazy angle. . .but this is they only way I could get them all in.
Amy if your looking. . .see the parrot eye in this picture?




And last but not least is my couch area. This is an area where I can read, sketch or where my family and visitors sit.


Well that's it. . .if you're ever in the area. . .stop by.

MY FAST FOOD/GREASY SPOON STUDIOS

This will undoubtedly be the dullest of the studio tours. You've all seen my studio if you've been to McDonald's or a cafe. If I showed you my home studio, that would be even duller...my bookshelf isn't that exciting to look at, nor is my computer. It looks a lot like yours. Hopefully, the text will spice up the photos a bit.

This is one of my window seats at a nearby cafe. I get much more done here than at my home studio. It seems strange, even to me, that my Trowbridges, my comic strip, and all of the rest of my work is hatched in little places like this. As long I'm careful about who gets my cell phone number, I can work relatively undisturbed much, but not all of the time. At home I'm constantly plagued with phone calls from people who want to take a chit-chat chunk out of my workday. It has become so annoying that I flee my studio to hide away and find some quality work time.

This is my corner window table at a nearby McDonald's, one of my afternoon studios. I broke my priceless McDonald's mug the other day, so now I'm actually having to PAY 75 cents for my ice tea until they replace my mug. I used to travel all over the area to different wharfs, parks and beaches to work, but now I seem to prefer just a handful of nearby eateries. Wendy's has the best ice tea, but it's free at McDonald's. Plus, here you don't have to ask for refills...you can get your own, so that makes it handier.

This is the art for the front and back cover of my most recent book, Washington for Kids. Though the ink is still wet, it's already selling like donuts at a cops' convention. If anyone wants to know how to write, illustrate, and sell your books as fast as you can sign them, by way of "infomercials" as I do, I'll be glad to give you some tips on how you can do it too. It works like a charm. This book will be just as hot next year as this year. Every elementary and middle school in Washington state would want this book in their library because every child needs to learn about their own state, and why not make it fun? Dr. Seuss did quite well with that philosophy.

If you happen to know a writer who would like to collaborate with me on a Florida for Kids, or whatever state in which they live, I'm starting to look for collaborators. I wrote this over the course of three or four months of late nights, early mornings and weekends. If Trowbridge has slowed down a bit over the last few months, this is one reason.

"Thank you Miss Ginger!"

I'm a lucky person!I get to witness both the inner workings of making literature for children and seeing what that literature can do in the hands of a child! And I don't know which I like best- for the past five years I have had the fun of teaching ART to rural ranch kids and Native American kid,mostly Navajo, at Battle Rock Charter School in historical McElmo Canyon.
I'm also a freelance writer and aspiring freelance illustrator who is getting to know some very kind and cool illustrators-and one of the coolest and kindest is Ginger Nielson- who just donated a whole box full of her new book- "The Adventures of Cali" to my kindergarten through second graders.Written by Michele Lallouz Fisher, with wonderful "Ginger-esque" illustrations- she has such a distinct look- the story tracks the travel of a little caterpillar that is hiding in a delious tomato patch and found by a curious boy.
What makes these books really cool is they come with a little recorder- so the kids can have someone record the story and than they can read along listening to the device.
Anything, again I say anything, that gets these kids interested in reading is a good thing. As is true across the rural West,reading is a skill that is sometimes overlooked- and if a "gimmick" of a recorder- is used to get a kid in a lap of an adult reading- I'll do the happy dance.
The recorder, itself will be great for these kids as well- allowing them to listen to their own voices- Navajos, by their culture, can be very soft spoken- so sometimes it is hard to get these kids to talk much, but who doesn't like to hear the sound of their own voice!
So thank you, Miss Ginger, for your generosity- the kids loved the story and loved the illustration and thought it was pretty cool that I knew you! Some fuzzy caterpillars are coming your way- so watch your mailbox!!

Space...

The space I carved out for myself in our small office suits me fine. I have a neat drawing table that fits nicely next to my desk and computer and it is on wheels so that I can easily move it away from the printer or extra bookshelves. It was on sale at almost half price and I like that it is lightweight, has an adjustable drawing board and cupholders. The cupholders are for a glue gun, but I keep a water bottle there.
The window is wonderful to have. But, when the sun is too bright there is a little folding Japanese screen that I can use to block out the light. If you look closely out that window you will see that the snow is up over the sill outside. There are three full bookshelves in here but I have another two in the hallway outside this room and walls of books in our family room. The ones that I keep close to me are reference and picture books. Some are signed by the artists, and several are those have been illustrated by very good friends.

I hope in the next few weeks more of the gang can share the space where they work. I know at least one of the Picture Bookies uses the entire planet as a studio! It is always fun to see where and how an artist works.

Thinking Spring

©Kathleen Rietz
While I dare not show anyone my studio right now, here is somethng I sketched the other night IN my studio! How are you all doing? I know that Ginger and I have both suffered through monstrous winters! I am SO ready f0r spring! I hope this makes everyone feel a little warmer. Spring is just around the corner (even if that corner is 3 months from now!).

LET'S GIVE A SHOW!!!

For the next few weeks in the Picture Bookies Blog...let's all give a little show!

Show us your studio.   Use photos, drawings, writing to show us where and how you work.  I know that some of the Picture Bookies may have links to where and how they work,  and it would be fine to post a link to an already existing page on your website.   

Some of us are busy on projects, some have other limitations right now, but any post would be a wonderful insight to our readers and each other.

For me, the pictures will have to wait until I do some cleaning up!

Valentine Hugs to ALL!

©Kathleen Rietz

VALENTINE HIBISCUS

As suggested in Ginger's recent email to the group, I will describe the process that I follow to create a painting in Photoshop, in this case the current Trowbridge episode. My art school training may put me at odds with some, due to my non-purist "commercial" methodology.

Because of my art school training, I'm not hesitant about using tracing methods, when it's time-saving and advantageous. That's what we were taught in art school when doing representational art. Why take three times longer to be a purist and copy a photo freehand? To me it's not practical. In one of my art books on realistic watercolor painting, the author traced all of his images for watercolor paintings from photographs. It was obvious, but he never came out and stated it in his book. To me, there's no shame in tracing.

It's a totally different story when I do my humorous illustration projects. Everything is pure freehand drawing and imagination. The Trowbridge episodes are also obviously freehand, with the exception of this flower series. I'm doing these flower paintings for my new realistic watercolor painting workshop web site that I'll mention a bit later. I'm getting extra mileage out of the the paintings by using them for Trowbridge episodes. I've also blown them up into a large format and had them printed on canvas. The yellow tree hibiscus posted at the Trowbridge blog now hangs over our fireplace mantel. I will also blow up and print this red hibiscus on canvas.

Below is the photo that I used, taken on our Rarotonga trip. When you examine the painting below you can see how many modifications I made. The yellow anthers are much brighter in the painting than in the photo, and I modified the light and modeling quite a bit, and of course darkened the background to add contrast and drama.


In painting realism from photo references, the photograph is almost as important as the quality of the painting. The photograph must be well composed and cropped, it should be an ideal example of the flower, and it MUST have a strong light source. Without strong light and shadow contrast, the flower painting falls flat on its petals. The flower below is not a good example of strong light, but it's all I had to work with. That's why I enhanced the light on the petals as much as I could. I got only a handful of "paintable" photos from the trip. Unfortunately, I couldn't spend the whole time on the island shooting flowers.

My painting process is not complicated; it's quite straight forward. I choose a photo, decide where to crop it, then I trace the image onto the paper within the prescribed dimensions, in this case 7.5 inches square (Lulu book dimensions). I'm careful in the tracing stage to include all of the details that will be necessary for the painting. Next, I scan my pencil drawing as a foundation for the painting. I paint in Photoshop on a layer on top of the pencil layer in the "multiply" mode.
Much of the success of the outcome depends on the photograph(s) that I'm using for reference. If it's a dramatically lit photo, it's up to me to bring that light into the painting.

The trick to painting realism is in being familiar with rendering techniques. We did a lot of rendering in art school. It takes considerable patience to stay with it and keep the rendering tight throughout the painting. To enhance the realistic effect, the background may be rendered in an "out of focus" manner. It doesn't have to be the same background as in your photo. You can use a background from parts of other photos, or you can invent a background as I did in the red hibiscus. FYI: This photo was shot in the botanical gardens at the resort where we stayed.


If anyone would like to take a dream art vacation, I'm planning a return trip to the South Pacific next winter to teach a realistic watercolor floral painting workshop. I will soon be launching a new web site, called Painting in Paradise, that will spell out all the details. It would be wonderful if some of my blogging friends were part of the group. I'll let you know when I launch the web site. It will be in a month or so. I hope you find this explanation helpful.

Loving What I Do....

The process for Gunther the Underwater Elephant is now in its third year.  This won't come as a surprise to anyone else who writes and illustrates their own picture book. The process is twofold. The manuscript must be perfected and the illustrations must hit the mark with consistency and impact.
 It began as watercolor and ink ideas.

I decided to refine the sketch and move the action away from us a bit, to show more of each character.

The first job was for me to define the areas so I could concentrate on who was where in this entanglement.

Then some color and shading on about 5 layers in Painter IX and X. I also made a change in the leg positions.

Finally I added some seaweed and darkened the sea a bit.  The final will have text at the bottom and maybe a few more bubbles with more clarity.

Loving What I Do!

Since the mermaid illustration was created as a promotional piece that I would send out to trade publishers (as well as scholastic publishers), I decided to add a little spot illustration. This not only adds to the story line, but carries the tropical elements over to the back of my postcard....a visual treat for the eyes. Here we have a budding romance between a dapper lobster and shy starfish.


In the finished illustration, I added a sea horse to the right of the mermaid in order to add balance to the overall composition and introduce another cute sea creature into the story. I also slightly changed the angle of the starfish on the left so that the line would not be so vertical. I decided not to use such literal "scales" in the mermaid's dress, but instead gave it a smoother texture. I am such a "girly" girl myself, and had a lot of fun fashioning a sophisticated little princess dress for my mermaid....one that little girls would love, but not too cluttered. In the planning stages of my illustrations, I try to constantly keep in mind the overall balance of the finished work. This applies to composition as well as color. In this piece, I my focus was on the lush secondary color palette we associate with the tropics. I challenged myself to use saturated color and lots of fun details, yet l pull it all together in the end. This turned out to be one of my strongest illustrations to date. I already placed an order for the promo postcards I will send out in my next mailing to publishers. I am proud to say that I created the entire piece traditionally with gouache, without having to go in digitally and make corrections or "fix" anything. My illustrations are usually acombination of both traditional and digital media, but in this case I was able to acheive the look I desired using only traditional materials.


Here you can see that I have established the skin tones and the hair...and have begun to create the background. I decided to work on the mermaid's hair and skin first, since that would help me determine how to lay down a background of ocean that she would not get "lost" in. I did go back and work on the hair and skin more later on until I was happy with the overall illustration.


The original sketch inspired by the Illustration Friday theme "Tales & Legends". I often use Illustration Friday as an opportunity to create new sample pieces for my portfolio and promote my art blog and website.

February ~ Loving What you Do

I am trying desperately not type because of my hurt thumb. . .but how do you stop what you love to do? It's not easy. I am reading blogs and posts . . .but not posting comments. I am a talkative person. . .so this is killing me not to communicate! Anyway here is my contribution to this months topic. . .it's an old one. . .but appropriate.

February ~ Loving What you Do

Do you Love what you do? Are you creating a Valentine for someone special?

This month the Picture Bookies would like to share their Valentines, or the process in making one, or just the process in a particular piece of work.

Yippee yi-o ki-a for Kersplatypus!!!!!!!!!

Kersplatypus which is published by Sylvan Dell Publishing and illustrated by me just got it's first review by Andrea Sisco Armchair Interviews!! And boy am I excited. It's the best review I have ever had for a book I have illustrated! Thanks Andrea!! I certainly needed this to inspire me and make the next book even better!

Check it out

Andrea Sisco Armchair Interviews

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE !

~CHEERS~

What's Up?

I have an assignment I'm working on for an Educational publisher. When I do these it is quite different from a Picture Book. With a picture book you can be quite creative and run with your imagination. Educational assignments are very nice to have, but the work is very specific and detailed. These are mostly early readers, or grade level readers and the text and images must fit together in great detail. It is fun to work both ways, although I would imagine that most illustrators would prefer the creative Picture Book approach to the detailed instructional/educational approach.

When I work for an educational publisher I will often make lots of sketches of different elements that appear on various pages of the text. I will cut these figures or objects out and start positioning them on a separate sheets of paper like little collages. This way I can move people and things around until I get an idea of composition and scale. I know this can be done in the computer too, but I like to work with my little paper people first. I will also work on several pages at a time, just to keep the characters consistent.

So here are some elements grouped in an image of how they have been fitted together....just for now. Once this is in the computer, it may change again, but I find the whole process kind of fun and challenging. ( You might be able to see the shadow line of some of the cut outs.) There are actually several more elements that will fit into this scene, but they are still in the scanner.

Trowbridge Research trip

I guess I'll go first...

My lunchtime read-and-look over the last couple days has been James Gurney's link on his blog, Gurney Journey, to Harry Anderson's amazing work. He was one of the 20th Century's great illustrators. I admired his work as a kid. Don't just look at the pictures...read the text too. It's fascinating.

I just finished a map of the Seattle area for the Union Gospel Mission. They wanted to show in a humorous way the ten different facilities that they maintain in the Seattle area. It will be posted on my Fun Maps USA web site real soon.

Just posted...I just finished a cartoon map for The Famous Radio Ranch in Los Angeles. Owner Dick Orkin is the creator and star of the renowned Chicken Man radio series ("He's everywhere! He's everywhere!"). I was a faithful Chicken Man listener on Armed Forces Radio when I was overseas in the army. Do you remember Chicken Man?

In a couple weeks I'll be leaving the Western Hemisphere with my faithful research assistant and wife, Jacquie. Our destination: a remote island in the South Seas, called Mangaia. In my Trowbridge shrew research I recently got a tip that there is strong evidence of ancient Trowbridge shrew colonization on this and other remote islands in Polynesia and Melanesia. I want to see if there is a connection between the shrew colonies in the Mongolian steppes (Shrew Khan) and those in the South Sea islands. This research will hopefully lend credibility to my theory that the Trowbridge shrews began in Asia and "leap-frogged" their way to the Americas. I'm sure the results of my research will be turning up in the Trowbridge Chronicles in the weeks ahead. Stay tuned.

So...as I'm preparing for the big trip last night, my office phone rings. "Uh-oh," I mutter, " I hope it's not a new project." It is...30 detailed Bible illustrations, due on January 3rd. Like a fool, I accepted the job. It looks like I'll be drawing on the plane to, and from the South Seas.

What's New with You?

What's up with you and your art? Have you redesigned your website? Are you working on a new project? Looking for a new project? Adding to your portfolio? Traveling? Teaching? Going to Classroom visits?

Chime in here and spread any News you have!

Best Illustration Job

It would be hard to pick one "best" illustration job after all these years. But my Great Thistledown Flood comes to mind because it was the first kids' book that I wrote and illustrated, and I was honored to have it voted a Gold Medallion Honor Book at the CBA Convention. That book was day and night seven days a week for five months. I remember getting a call from a school principal one night...he told me that his daughter read to him for the first time that day...from my Thistledown book. And another call from California late one night...someone couldn't find the ladybug that I hid on a page from Thistledown, and she was deeply distressed.

And the Where's Dan Quayle? and Where's Charles and Di? books were an unforgettable memory. Because they sold into the hundreds of thousands I was getting constant calls from newspapers and radio stations all over the country for interviews, and featured in People Magazine, Time, Newsweek, USA Today and many other major mags. I was even booked onto David Letterman because of the Dan Quayle book (but they canceled out the day I was supposed to leave for New York because they thought the book might stir up too much controversy). So it was exciting, but again both books were day and night seven days a week for five months, and allowed me to attend the ABA Convention at the publisher's expense.

Sigh...it seems this day and night job never gets any easier. Now Mrs. Trowbridge is the cruel task mistress.

Best Illustration Job

Illustrating THE ADVENTURES OF CALI was sheer joy for me! The Publisher and author were fantastic to work with, and the story is touching without being sappy. The idea that a little boy actually carried a caterpillar all the way from California's countryside to an apartment in Flordia IN A SALAD was too much fun to pass up. To make the book even more fun the publisher had the printer make the cover illustration of the caterpillar all sparkly. A finger puppet and another toy are coming soon to partner with the book.

Best Illustration Job - Sort It Out

For me it seems that the current project I am working on is the best. Sort It Out just hit the spot for me. I have loved illustrating all the books I have had the honor to illustrate. But, so far this one has been such a great fit I can't even say how much fun I am having. Everything about it just works.

Best Illustration Job?

What was the best illustration job you ever got, and why was it the best? Did it challenge you? Did it pay well? Was the client really great to work with? Did it come at a time in your life when you needed it the most? Was it an answer to a prayer? If it was a long time ago, are you still proud of the job you did? I am curious to read your stories...
-Kate

Most Challenging Project

Amy sounds like she had quite an experience with that mural project! My most challenging project was quite the opposite actually - it was very small! Over the years I've done a number of local and state level assignments for various magazines and organizations. About 8 years ago, I had an assignment for a campaign for veterinarians which sounded like a blast! I was to illustrate a scene for their "Vets to the Future 2000" campaign and show a couple of vets with a couple of vets taking off in a Jetson-like spaceship. Sounds like fun, right? Well, it was and I loved my initial drawing. But the client decided that they wanted more pets...OK, so I added a few more pets. Then they wanted more vets...getting crowded now but fine, I added more vets. Now, keep in mind this was not for a poster or anything like that. This image was to be used on things like stationary, meaning it would be reproduced very small!Then they decided they wanted to see the inside of the "spaceship" including knobs and buttons while showing several vets, many pets, and everyone's faces even though now they would be taking off away from the viewer... ?! I tried to explain that by having soooo much detail in this drawing that it would look cluttered, busy, and confusing after being printed so very small. Needless to say they did not care, they wanted what they wanted and so I finally was able to come up with something that they loved... but I hated!! So my solution for future issues that come up like this? Make sure you know exactly what the client is looking for before you begin and before you get yourself into something that will drive you nuts! :)

-Gina

The Most Challenging....

One of the most challenging jobs I ever had was one that was outside of the field of my normal illustrations. (Above is one pic of it in the middle of the process, without the players and with some blue tape on it)...I don't know where on earth the finished pics are at the moment) It was to do a huge wall sized mural of the Fed-Ex Football field, (Washington Redskins home field in DC) It was approximately 6.5' tall by about 16' long, complete with tiny football players, In correct field positions, numbered with the correct uniforms and skin tone, etc.....argh....there was also a huge crowd of fans and guys on the sidelines...(refs, umps, players) a scoreboard with the score the client's son had decided, and logos that are at the FedEx field. I even made parts of the crowd glow in the dark when the lights would be turned off. The lines and numbers of the field had to be done well enough not to look wrong..and the goal posts etc.

I think what helped most was that I just decided I would tackle it bit by bit and that there had to be a way to figure it out. That was the most valuable thing I learned..that it is possible to learn nearly anything if you are determined to do it. The mural is on my blog somewhere back in the archives. It was commissioned by a friend of mine for their first home, and the teen-age son of course was a fan of the Redskins.

The most challenging...???

What was the most difficult or challenging thing, object, scene, collage that you ever illustrated? At least up to now.
How did you approach it? How long did it take to complete? It would be really interesting to see how different artists approach a difficult subject. Is there a particular thought process or preliminary type of sketching that has to be done?

WHOOEEE!!!!!! Two Books for ZONDERKIDZ

Okay as I type this I am thinking I am crazy!! But. . .over the course of the next 8 months I will be doing 3 books!!!!!!! I cant' believe it!

A few days ago I was approached by Zonderkidz to do 2 books for them!!!! Yes 2 not just 1 but 2!! Can you tell I am jumping up and down!

I am just so darned excited I can't sit still. I have been dying to announce it and I just got permission today.

Zonderkidz is a Christian Publisher owned by Harper Collins Publishers!!!

My goal since I started this career was to work with a mainstream Christian Publisher! When I first started illustrating for kids five years ago I went into our local Bible Bookstore and looked at the children's books to see which books I liked and the names of the publishers who published them. Then I started including them on my list of promos mailers. I walked out the store that day with a book titled Who Made God? And of course it was published by non other than ZonderKidz! So working with them was definitely at the top of the list and a dream come true!!!!!!

Pardon my celebrating. . .but Wahoo!!!!

What Inspires Me

Better late than never. When the drain field alarm went off in our garage yesterday, I went "ouch!" I was INSPIRED to avoid paying a costly septic bill, so I sold the owner of the septic company on the idea of a septic cartoon for the wall of his office. Just like that I erased a $400 septic bill. I've done lots of trade outs over the years. This is perhaps the most unusual one.

Is Your Website a Closet or a Display Case?

Which is it? Does your website behave like a closet or a display case? Our closets are the places with the doors that need to be opened to gain access to the things inside. We shield the unfolded sweaters on the shelves, the untamed sneakers strewn on the floor and the garments we no longer wear from all eyes. But, a display case invites all to see the treasures laid out before them.

What would be the point in going to an art gallery or museum if all the treasures were hidden behind closed doors and panels. Aren't display cases more inviting? Now, apply the same thinking to your website. Do you really want that art editor or agent to have to wait tap, tap, taping his or her foot while the doors open, the flash script runs, the gears twirl or the "LOADING" sign warns of a long wait for the viewing of your illustrations.

Why not give those editors and agents and art directors direct access to your open display case. When you send out a postcard or promotional piece with your website address you ask for a visit to your gallery. Keep the door open. Let the visitor see what is inside without having to unlock doors, open cabinets and stand on the doorstep waiting to gain access.

All those animations, bells, whistles, gears and toggles may be great if you want to play a game, or solve a mystery. But art editors are coming to that site listed on your promotional material to SEE your work and you may have only a minute or two to get their full attention.

I am guilty of "closet" mentality when it comes to my current website. So, for the next few hours, days, however long it takes I will be doing my best create a display case that invites, delights, and "works" for me.

Gingers Post. . .Inspired me!

Ginger I just got home from coffee with a friend. . .actually I had coffee with my friend and then I stopped by the post office to mail some things. When I was standing in line, there was a woman pregnant with child and her small maybe 6 year old daughter. I was so taken by the child's beauty that I could hardly keep my eyes off of her. I actually thought "This child is so beautiful she needs a picture book about her." The child was so very patient as I tried to study what it was about her that just made her glow. I loved her hair, her outfit, her shoes, her eyes could never have anyone do them justice. . .they were incredible. I am sure she is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. How could I tell? She was loving on her mother as they stood at the counter.

Anyway I told myself I should go home and draw her. . .knowing that I wouldn't as I am in a crunch for a deadline. But your post Ginger inspired me to do just that. . .come home and do a really quick sketch of what touched me today. . .I could never do her justice but here she is. . .thank you Ginger for doing what you always do. . .inspire me!!

WHAT TOUCHED YOU TODAY?

What touched you today?

What is there that today or yesterday or maybe last week, touched you so much when you saw it that you HAD to find a pencil and start sketching?

When the sun sets? Is it a butterfly taking off in the sky for a 3000 mile journey? Is it a single leaf twirling in the breeze just before it floats to the ground?

Is it your child, or mother or father? Is is a homeless man begging on the street? Is it so bright a moon that the forest is lit up like the day?

Is it firefiles, caterpillars, children's toys, a woman at the supermarket with an army of her own little ones?

Is that mountain in the distance, or the one you are climbing?

Is it the flowers that faithfully give their blossoms late into the fall? Birds? Bees? Your neighbor working in their garden?

What touched you today?

Song for A Giraffe

At long last the day is almost here. SONG FOR A GIRAFFE the book that took me a year to illustrated is due out this fall/winter. It changed my style a bit, expanded my view of illustration for children, and I learned a lot along the way.

©Ginger Nielson2007

Doodle Caper

Here is my interpretation..The Doodle Duckies.

Picture Book Junkies Challenge - Doodle Game

The Picture Book Junkies invited the Picture-Bookies to a Doodle Game. I think this is really fun. . .so I am posting it here on their blog as well as My blog.

Here's the challenge. They gave us a doodle and we are suppose to make something out of it.

Here is the doodle they gave us:

And. . .here is what I came up with:

My Favorite Illustrators

So many amazing illustrators to choose from as favorites. My tops are
Howard Pyle ...the master illustrator.
Bernie Fuchs...an amazing illustrator. There aren't many good samples of his children's illustrations online, but I have nearly every children's book with them in it.
Helen Ward is another genius at illustrating. My favorite book of hers isn't listed here. It's a Christmas story with all of the animals in the stable.
Leo and Dianne Dillon...an incredibly gifted and versatile team (once again, not much of their gorgeous work shows up online. It seems that all of my favorites shy away from being shown online. I guess they don't need to advertize their work)
Kinuko Craft rich, luminious gorgeous paintings...incredibly detailed with such a sense of atmosphere.
Gennady Spirin..absolutely amazing work.
More include Jerry Pinkney and David Diaz

Favorite Illustrators ~ AHhhhhhhh

Where to begin. My life has always been influenced by pictures, artwork, illustrations, books of all kinds. Here are a few illustrators that I admire, not only for the artwork but for the vision they must have to create such fantastic worlds.
Mary GrandPre has a huge body of exciting work that goes far beyond Harry Potter.
Marla Frazee is another favorite whose humor and attention to detail always conveys a laugh or a tear.
Tomi Ungerer is a bit on the dark side, but I loved his sense of humor and his wonderful use of line and watercolor. Zeralda's Ogre is such a book.
Tomie dePaola has a wonderfully simple way of showing emotion, action and delight with his line and color. One of my favorites of his is, Simple Pictures are the Best. That is one funny romping book!
Jan Brett will always have a place of honor on my children's bookshelf.

My Favorite Children's Illustrator/s

Since starting my career in children's illustration I have acquired quit the collection of children's books. I love children's books. I not only have picture books, but I also have a few first chapter books for kids.

I have several illustrators that I love and I won't list them all in the post. . .I'll just concentrate on one who has replaced all my other favorites and is in position number one! And when you see his work you will know why!

Tony DiTerlizzi - I can't even say enough about this guy. Check out his website he is sooo fun and his work is just wonderful!! He has so much energy in the videos of him on his site. I think it is just that energy that makes his art as fun and lively as it is.

Here are a list of his books:

Ted - This is my very favorite of his books! Looks as if it is done in acrylic or oils

G Is for One Gzonk!: An Alpha-number-bet Book - This has the flavor of a Dr Suess illustrated book. . .but very refined Dr Suess.

Jimmy Zangwow's Out-of-This-World Moon-Pie Adventure - Very fun story. Looks like it might be oils.

The Spiderwick Chronicles - This is a chapter series, but I bought it just because he illustrated it. It has lots of black and white illustrations. The series started out a bit slow for me. . .but of course it's a kids book. But I am currently on the 4th in the series and it's getting pretty book. There is a movie on the series coming out this next Spring! I am excited!!!

Care and Feeding of Sprites - This is a companion book to the Spiderwick Chronicles and has incredible art.

Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You - This is also a companion book the the Spriderwick Chronicles. It is actually a copy of a book that is referenced and used in the series.

The Beloved Dearly - This is a 192 page chapter book of which I haven't read yet.

The Spider and the Fly - This is a black and white picture book, which I just recently learned about through a post by Gina on this blog.

I own all of his books, but the last two and they are on the way to me in the mail as I write this!

Todd Harris - Hog Heaven

I guess I'll get the ball rolling. There are so many illustrators out there that I like, it would be hard to narrow it down to one. But there is one who stands out. To me this guy is the painter's painter. His forest scenes that are used as backgrounds are mind-boggling to me. His name is Todd Harris. He works for Disney in the gaming business. This is his blog. No words, just pictures: http://hog-heaven.blogspot.com/ You'll find more work like his at his web ring: Avalanche Software: http://avalanchesoftware.blogspot.com/

I hope you're as inspired looking at his work as I am.

I'm Excited!

I just ordered copies of this book I illustrated, "My New Pet", which I will have for sale at the SCBWI-IL gallery show in October. Click the link to my blog to find out more details.

Also, my illustration, "Symphony In The Pond", was chosen by the SCBWI-IL to be used on all of the gallery show's promotional materials! I am so excited I could probably implode! You can click to the SCBWI link from the post on my blog, and see a sampling of works by other amazing children's book illustrators.
©Kathleen Rietz