2008 Holiday Card

I did these last year as a commission holiday card. I am going to have a few for extra for this xmas season available on etsy so keep your eyes pealed.

IF: Entangled

Entanglement

1.
2.
IF: Entangled

The second one is a little more like a pile than a tangle, but we can just say its open for interpretation. I did these illustrations of head dresses while at home for T-day and thought they fit pretty well.

Thanksgiving Illustrations

Squirrels and all

I been linked.

Yay, to squirrels.

Went to the Ace Hotel yesterday for some stumptown coffee and hangout time with a friend. It was a crazy crazy place....the hotel, not stumptown. Amazing. I loved the mix of old parlor, library, and taxidermy....I could hang out there all day.

I also met with a new client yesterday. I am going to put some of my info graphic edjamication to work for this one. He wants a "resume" done in a way that flows more like a tree. I am not doing a tree, but when we were meeting I did come up with a bunch of solutions and I will get to those this weekend.

In addition, to drinking lot of coffee yesterday I had a cleaning fit. I went through all my art supplies, clothes, and art. I have two bag of art that must go. I am going to a party tonight where I plan to unload this stuff before I resort to the old destruction method. I just have too much work. So, now I feel a bit more sane and I am off to make more things that I will have to get rid of in a couple of years....yay.

Tote time!

Just ordered 300 kraft flat mailers to prepare for the holidays. I usually just use cardboard and make my own mailers, but I have a feeling there is going to be an order influx this year...or at least I am going to will an order influx. I have promo cards I am going to leave everywhere even though they are not my favorite illustrations. Anyway, the idea is I will go prepurchase some stamps from George my mail guy (I hate the post office and therefore do not frequent it) and when orders come in at the last minute I can just drop them in the mail. I am also going to get cracking on some new holiday cards. Get excited!

In the mean time vote on the next tote possibly for the holidays:


a)

b)

Winter window land

Still plugging away on my book. I recently finished the covers and the inside pages (I have no idea what they are called, but its on the inside cover). A co-workers gf is looking at the content to see if it needs more revisions. She was an intern at Penguin and did editing of children's books so it could be useful to have her look at the language. Otherwise, work is just taking most of my time and while I would like to say I have other projects lined up I really don't. Kevin is finishing up all the stuff for the website, but it looks pretty amazing. I was trying to decide if I was going to do any craft fares this holiday season, but I really don't think so. I am just going to work on this book and selling art at work. I just don't have the desire or energy. I think after this book is done and sent out I might work on something new. I am revamping my business cards, but not drastically. Winter makes me sluggish.

Flamingos with Virtigo

Illustration Friday: Unbalanced.
....because its funny.

HORK

Because sometimes things don't make sense

A few new

A revision of blame the squirrelly one, I miss you card, and a kangaroo with a problem.

Positive reenforcement

If you are feeling stuck and want to be inspired Children's Books. I have been looking at the amazing work out there and it makes me feel that there is hope for unique/odd work.

Pleased to meet you!

IF: Blur

Paranoid Penguin

This weather reminds me of New England, which I love and miss. I get this feeling that anything is possible, which is odd because when I lived in New England and I was not in school I was often unemployed or feeling aimless and depressed.
Right now I am not depressed, but feeling a sense of aimlessness.
The closer I get to finishing the book and getting is ready to send out the more real my goal becomes and the more nerve racked I feel.

But who cares, here is a penguin! I drew him last night and I am in love. It's hard to say if I want to make an alphabet book of insane animals or just a children's book about a paranoid penguin....now a days I am sure 9 out of 10 children know what paranoid means...I mean there is a children's book about moms getting plastic surgery, is this really that far a leap?

To Boston

Ok so I finished the Ugly Sweater layout, but JJ said the type looked really boring so I am going to reevaluate before I jump the gun and print.
Going to Boston tomorrow so will update later. In the mean time enjoy some squirrels.
(I cheated and bought a new scanner off of ebay. It is the same scanner I have, but does not band or make horrible screeching noises.)

Who do the Lulu

My Lulu order arrived today a little later than I wanted, but that is only because I am impatient and spoiled by Zappos. When I lived in ATL I could order shoes at 11pm and get them the next morning...it was amazing and dangerous.
So my minibook looks really good. They made some decisions about the layout so while I wanted the images to have the right page with an image and the left side of the spread blank they print and both sides so images sit side by side. I can change that in the layout although I am not sure if I mind. If I decide that this is ok I do need to change the formatting so the titles of images sit on the outter corners...this is all boring and technical. The point is it looks good. I do feel that the colors look pretty good the blues are a bit washed out, but everything else looks nice even though its printed with a color laser.
I am going to try blurb next and see if there is a quality and price difference. I will report back.
Other news: Talked with Robert Forbes today about my children's book. He wrote a book that was illustrated by Ronald Searle so I thought he might be someone who has a good idea how to get things published. Anyway, I asked him if he wouldn't mind looking at a copy of the book and telling me what he thinks and he said he would not mind at all. So, this is a good step and a possible direction...mind you he might look at book say "how nice" and then nothing more. I am not good at prodding, but I was direct and if I have to ask for an introduction to a publisher I will...so there! I have another lead, but once again it could be nothing. I think children's books are not like novels where (in the case of Harry Potter) there was a bidding war.
My one operation of business is to find a publisher before the end of the year. I really want to be able to say I did something the year after I graduated grad school. My designer friends either have jobs, have started companies, or have (in one special case) started a textile design company. I do not know about the illustrators in the group. I was the only one in my class and I did both design and illustration, but spent most of my time with the designers. I saw a lot of unmotivated illustrators and I did not want to be identified that way. Alright off to craft night to continue operation children's book.

Flying dog

Flying Rufus. I want this to be the basis for the next book. I am obviously still working on the Ugly Sweater, but I want to start thinking about future projects so I do not get too bogged down by my own fear of failure...yay!
The Ugly Sweater is going well. I printed out some thumbnails for type and layout checks. I have some adjustments to make on images and type, but it looks pretty good. I know if it does get published there will be changes I am sure. Right now the type is Helvetica Neue because its friendly, sans serif, and rounded. I was also considering doing some of the words by hand. So just the words "ugly sweater" maybe or special words. I think I will leave it as is for now and just work on getting it printed and ready to mail out for round one of publishing submissions. I also still need to do the front and back covers.
I am still waiting on the minibook I ordered on Lulu. They 3-5 days, but we are obviously at the later end of 5 days. Maybe tomorrow? If not I might try printing at home. Anyway, I want to get this done and sent out by mid next week. I am so anxious and impatient.
oy

Skinny Legs and All

Another IF illo for Skinny

Chicken soup for the mold

I woke up in the middle of the night, ran to the bathroom, and had some drive heaves....delightful. It is that season again, the season of the unidentifiable illness. Luckily I am my own Jewish grandmother. When I got home from work I made chicken soup from scratch, which as you know, is the only way to get over the ick*. Canned or from the carton has a lot of sodium and gums so this is way better. I even made the stock from scratch. Ah the wonders of modernity you can make a stock from scratch and while it is boiling away be looking up scanners on ebay and correcting illustrations in Photoshop.
At work today one of my coworkers said I was going to be an amazing Jewish grandmother...but why wait I am already crotchety and my Yiddish is as good as its going to get.
Nothing better than some adobe layout programs while languishing on the couch....oh to be young and old at the same time.

*technical term for a fish disease, but in this case it refers to illness without origin.

Here's the Skinny

Illustration Friday: Skinny.
I was thinking of all the bad illustrations that could come out of this one. People who are sickly skinny, anorexic jokes, and all things tasteless and it kinda made me want to skip this week altogether. Maybe I am just being pessimistic about some folks sensibility.
So birds it is!

Another random illustration for the Ugly Sweater. The book is done! I finished all the illustrations last night. Now comes my favorite part...sitting in front of the computer and hitting my head against InDesign until the layout and type looks good. Then off to the printer so I can send out some samples to various publishing houses for judgement.
And I finished just in time to enter in the Communication Arts Illo annual!!! I can get rejected on so many different levels. No really, I am used to this. I used to draw comic books and send out about 25 books a summer to different publishing companies. I had no idea what I was doing, but I did it anyway and the rejections got better as I did. They become longer and more positive and more personal. So really I am ready to rock the rejection.
The cool thing that happened the other day was a guy came in to the shop, saw my work, and wanted a promo card. (When someone asks for a promo card it generally means they are in the business of doing more than just wanting a print to hang on their wall.) I did not have one on me so he gave me his card and I promised to send him an email link to my website. His business card said Disney Hyperion...I nearly peed my pants.
Anyway, he wrote me this email where he said he liked my work a LOT and if/when the right project came up the other editors in charge of children's books would reach out to me.

yay