Found at Borders

An Oldie but Goodie- free comic download!

What to do after my Sketchbook Project?  Thank you for all the kind words about it, as I do plan on continuing my comic endeavors.  Right now, here is a mini comic I did from about 7 years ago (whew, time flies by, doesn't it?) called When Girl Met Chicken.

Its available as a free PDF download over at The Illustrated Section, started by the ever so clever Dani Jones, which launched today. I'm so happy to see that artists are taking more control of their work and the way it is being presented. Please take a look over there as there is a great selection of work. Be sure to download When Girl Met Chicken. Its FREE...and let me know what you think. Looking at my past work, I realized I had more fun and was a bit daring back then.

You Can Draw Series

It was fun collaborating with Picture Window Books to create these two titles for their You Can Draw series, Zoo Animals, and Monsters and Other Scary Things.

They are simple how-to books for kids to learn how to draw, with basic shapes broken down. For me, it was fun sneaking a funky chicken in there. Just another little thing to help with my world domination with chickens.

Illustration Friday- CHICKEN!!!

So my plan for world domination with chickens is finally here! I suggested this week's Illustration Friday topic years ago, so it was quite unexpected. Perhaps its a sign that I should go back to doing IF more.

Well, the pressure is on to come up with some awesome chicken stuff, but I've been drawing tons of chickens already in the past 6 months with my sketchbook project, so those of you new to the blog, please check it out here. I started working on this Super Chickens Club zine just for fun, I'm not sure where its going but thought it would make a clucking good submission.

Bawk bawk bawk!

The End! Last Pages of my Sketchbook Project

So bittersweet. These are my last pages and post of my Sketchbook Project 2011.  To read this story from the beginning, please visit my flickr set.

(please click to enlarge and read)

 

Cover

Back Cover

Whew! Heck yeah!! I did it! I filled every single page of this sketchbook. I can't believe I spent half a year on this. I want to give a BIG thank you to those of you who came back every Tuesday to support and encourage me. Not only does it provide the energy I needed to continue but also a bit of comfort with the struggle I've been going through.

Things I've learned from this sketchbook project:

-I'm capable of being a storyteller.
-Deadlines are my friends.
-Slow and steady wins the race. Consistency is key.
-There is great power in telling the truth.
-People share similar experiences.

There were thoughts about continuing my comic after this. But right now, I sincerely need a break, as this book took up alot more of my time than I would of liked. There are lots of other personal projects that need my attention, and I would like to finish them.

Comics are still in my future because I still have alot more to say. But for now, time to wrap things up and send this baby back to Art House Co-Op!

Zero2illo Re-Launch + 48 hour Super Sale

Just a quick note here to mention the relaunch of Zero2illo, a great resource website for illustrators started by Jonathan Woodward. To celebrate, there is a super sale going on for 48 hours- a bundle of resources from some great contributors:

• Tara Reed
• Chris Guillebeau
• Alyson B. Stanfield
• Thomas James
• Khristian A. Howell
• Dani Jones
• Jonathan Woodward

It includes the Zero2illo 12 week challenge kit that Jonathan kindly asked me to contribute and be a part of.  

Click here to view more details*

*full disclosure: its an affiliate link, but I only recommend what I fully believe in. This is a pretty good deal, a great way to start off the year.

Speaking of which, I still need to do a list of 2011 goals post here, don't I. I have so much going on in my head but need to organize them in some way. Much success to you all. In the meanwhile, come back tomorrow for my Sketchbook project post!

My Latest Board Book: What Does Cow Say?

Its wonderful to kick off 2011 with the release of this board book I illustrated, What Does Cow Say? written by Joan Holub, published by Scholastic/Cartwheel books. It is a lift-a-flap book where you get to lift the mouth of the animals and see what they say.

I'll be talking a bit more about the process in making this book, but in the meanwhile, check out the author Joan Holub's interesting post on the 2 pg dummy she submitted to the publisher for this book.

And hey, this is the first time I have a rooster on the cover of one of my books. Possibly the beginning of my chicken world dominance?

Sketchbook Project 2011 Pages 64-69

This week is the second to last week of my Sketchbook Project 2011 pages!  To read this story from the beginning, please visit my flickr set.

(please click to enlarge and read)

5 spreads left to go. With this book due back by January 15th, I'm getting a bit sad about having to let it go, but in a way, it will feel good. This project had took more time than I thought, yet I'm quite surprised at how commited I was. (Every Tuesday since August, only missed one time!) I'm ready to wrap it up.

Please come back next Tuesday for the final pages of this book. Thank you for reading!

P.S.- if you want to see a painterly version of Chicken Girl and Rooster (math) Boy, here is a video.

Bye bye 2010

2010. What can I say, but its been one of those years I'd rather move on from. Its been a year of change for sure. Shifts in both my personal life and career. But there were still so many wonderful things that happened.

2010 Year in review:

• Traveled to Tokyo and attended DesignFesta. Also finally got to meet a great online friend in real life.
• Attended the Highlights Illustrators party and finally got to meet Paula, Susan and Jenn from my critique group, Illustration for kids. These ladies have supported me from the very beginning!
• Traveled to Germany with my awesome girlfriends. Most memorable: riding bikes near the Baltic Sea.
• Books published: The Great Matzoh Hunt, and Halloween is Here
• worked on a cool iPhone app.
• Attended a great comic workshop and met some amazing local comic artists.
• Started the sketchbook project, writing in comic form.
• Was a speaker on a panel for a local arts conference.
• The end of this year marks the 5 year anniversary of me going out of my own as a freelancer.

Whew! Ok, so maybe I did more in this year than I thought. Its been a year of new experiences. I also feel like I'm at a crossroad both personally and career wise. For 2011, I plan to reinvent myself. Goals coming up in another post.

Happy New Year!

Painting with iPhone's Brushes App- Girl

I'm back from California where I spent a few days in warm weather, which was much needed. Sad to be back in the cold again but also happy to be back in the swing of things to get ready for the new year.

When traveling, I get plenty of time to play around with the brushes app on my iPhone, so here is a piece I did while on the plane.

Sketchbook Project 2011 Pages 60-63

This week's Sketchbook Project 2011 pages.  To read this story from the beginning, please visit my flickr set.

(please click to enlarge and read)

 

 *please come back every TUESDAY for a new post for this project!*

 I can't believe I'm up to 60 pages! Two more Tuesdays to go before I turn this book in :-)

Sketchbook Project 2011 Pages 56-59

This week's Sketchbook Project 2011 pages.  To read this story from the beginning, please visit my flickr set.

(please click to enlarge and read)

*please come back every TUESDAY for a new post for this project!*

 

There are 10 spreads left in my sketchbook and only less than a month away before I turn it in. I'm hoping to get lots of sketching done over holiday break. Merry Christmas and I'll see you next Tuesday.

Free App featuring Desktop Wallpapers

Freebies! I'm honored to be part of this free app called Galleries 1 by WingedChariot that features an international group of illustrators. You can download this image by yours truly as a desktop wallpaper for your iphone/ ipad/ ipod touch.

There are many more stunning work by various illustrators. Thanks to WingedChariot for having a spot for me. You may want to check out their adorable kids' book app called Scruffy Kitty, featuring the work of Michael Slack, who is definitely one of my favorite illustrators out there.

Sketchbook Project 2011 Pages 54-55

More about football in this week's Sketchbook Project 2011 pages.  To read this story from the beginning, please visit my flickr set.

(please click to enlarge and read)

*please come back every TUESDAY for a new post for this project!*

Sketchbook Project 2011 Pages 52-53

This week's Sketchbook Project 2011 pages.  To read this story from the beginning, please visit my flickr set.

(please click to enlarge and read)

 

  *please come back every TUESDAY for a new post for this project!*

 

So, notice there is only one spread this week. Even thought I still have quite alot of stories in my mind to tell, I've been getting a bit drained. Sigh! I still have a few more pages to go before I turn in this book before January 15th. Lets just hope I come up with a nice cover art for it. (still blank at the moment.)

My Website got a Face Lift!

My main website is revamped! Please go check it out.

I've been wanting to learn WordPress for sometime now, and thanks to Jonathan Woodward of Zero2illo and Tracy Bishop, I got the push I needed. I used Headway themes for the site and even though it was a struggle at first and bit of a learning curve, once I got the hang of it, it is very easy to use.

I still have this blog separately right now, but in the future I hope to merge it to my main site. I'm just a bit nervous about doing so. I've got to get some holiday postcards out the door, and some fun projects are coming in.

Let me know what you think of the new site!

Sketchbook Project 2011 Pages 48-51

I'm back with my Sketchbook Project 2011! Can you believe its up to page 51 now? To read this story from the beginning, please visit my flickr set.

(please click to enlarge and read)

 

 

 *please come back every TUESDAY for a new post for this project!*

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend. And thanks for everyone's understanding about my need for a break. (still feeling very guilty!) We drove from Ann Arbor to Philadelphia to visit family and finally got some time in between to put my pages in.

There are about 28 pages left in the sketchbook. I'm not quite sure how I will end this story, since I'm still in the midst of it. Its still a big "to be continued." But I'm happy to be putting my little snippets and thoughts of living here on paper. And to those of you who's been following this far- Thank you. :-)

Guest post + a Giveaway over at PiBoIdMo

I'm guest posting over at Tara Lazar's blog for PiBoIdMo today with this print as a giveaway. I hope this quote inspires you as it did me. Thanks again to Tara for letting me guest post. Head over there to enter!

No Sketchbook Project this week

Just a note here to say I'm taking a break from the Sketchbook project this week. I'm feeling a bit guilty but between client work, Thanksgiving, and a big book deadline around the corner, I need to concentrate on that instead. Although I'm pretty proud to say I've been doing this every Tuesday for the past 3 months! I will be back on track next week!

If you haven't gotten a chance to read this story from the beginning, please go to my flickr set.

******************************************************************************************

In other news, I will be guest posting over at Tara Lazar's blog for PiBoIdMo (which stands for Picture Book Idea Month) with a giveaway tomorrow (Wed, 11/24.) So please stay tuned. And happy Turkey week!

Christmas postcard

Just sent this off to the printers! This will be my Christmas postcard. I've been thinking about what I wanted to do for this year. Since I got so many nice comments about the animal ABCs, I wonder if I can continue it onto other themes.

There are some tricky letters but thats the fun part, figure it out. Even though I felt like I'm cheating a little with the letter Z being "zzzz," I'm pretty happy with the end result.

I'm already thinking about other themes already :-)