Hello Again

 

Another variation with more pattern, texture and better line work.

Tomorrow I will be moving on to snowy forests and a little red hooded girl. 

Hello?

My teenager looked at this painting and said, "Ah, too bad kids don't play like that anymore."  Don't they?

That's sad, those old games, making a baking soda volcano, blanket forts, tag (right, like running around after each other, why would we do that!) and all those things we grew up with and that I made sure my kids at least had a chance to experience once - are those too old fashioned now? 

I know there are parents who pass down those unplugged traditions, I wish more did. I should write a book - Unplugged: 100 games for kids - no batteries needed!  I'll add that to my to do list! Well, first I will research what books are already out there - that's the first step in writing a non-fiction book!

I love reading the blog Soule Mama - because that's one family after my own nostalgic heart!

Word of the Year: Connect

It's only been 6 months and a few days since my last blog post.  2012 was not the year of illustrating.  It was the year I worked on healing from a serious injury, on taking care of my family, a year of big changes and most importantly it was the year of beads.  It's not easy running an empire in a different creative field.  The only thing to do is move bravely forward into 2013!

2012 found me finally returning to my hometown, a sleepy little tourist spot two hours from Chicago along the shores of Lake Michigan. The town closes at 5pm and reminds me of an episode of the Gilmore Girls..

The end of 2012 delivered a 1910 farmhouse in the middle of the country to me. We see more trees and fields than houses, more bunnies and deer than neighbors. Which is so different from anything I've ever done before, I've lived in a city for my entire adult life.   I'm 10 minutes away from most of my family.

It's a good place to be in, physically, emotionally and creatively. I'm deep, down in my bones kind of happy and content. 

As most of us do, I've been reflecting on the past year and what I want to do with my next 364 days.  Instead of resolutions I've come into the habit of picking a word as my theme for the year.  For 2013 my word is connect.  We are so connected to the world via the internet, but I have found myself quite disconnected over the last year.  Sure I see the status updates, tweets and blog posts, but I'm not particpating or connecting on a deeper level, which is important to me.  2012 was the year I survived and in survival mode, there was a lot of disconnect.

How will I connect in 2013?

1. I am making an effort to reconnect with my creative community both on and offline.  That's means SCBWI conferences and getting together with illustrators. 
2. I will work on making the connection with publishers as I send out work on a regular basis this year.  
3. I will connect to my passions of crafting, living simply and helping kids be creative. 
4. I will connect to my inner artist, giving myself the time and space I need to work.

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.  -Ralph Waldo Emerson
 

Woodland Surprise

Hmm, will be doing this one again in a looser style. 

Forest Friends

Inspired by yesterday's nature walk.  Hello.

The heat is a welcomed change to the air conditioned world I have been existing in for the last few weeks.  I'm spoiled by Michigan's cool nights and sleep with the window open, but during the day the humidity wins out.  There is a dryness here that is strange compared to the lush spring that graced the land. 

Michigan has a simple beauty in the forests and along the lake shore.  It makes you slow down and stop to see what's really there.  There are breath-taking areas, but it's the small things that catch my eye the most.  The paper-thin periwinkle petals of the chicory, the playful bounce of Queen Anne's lace as the wind rustles across the field, the fiery day lilies that pop up everywhere - both wild and cultivated, the stark and graphic patterns of the birch trees - I could spend days and days drawing and studying those four elements. 

I feel like my quality of life greatly increases when I stop to take notice of the world through sketching and my camera.  I read this other day and it rang like a bell though my life:

"Many begin (keeping a journal) when they feel their lives accelerating and slipping away; they have a vague sadness that so much seems lost.  They sense that they aren't deeply affected by things, and don't remember enough.  The want a deeper connection to the world." - Hannah Hinchman (A life in Hand)

Nature and Painting

We enjoyed a lovely walk in the woods on a nature trail today. We listened as the breeze rustled through the leaves above our head. The soft mulch of the trail cushioned our feet as explored the well worn path. Queen Anne's Lace littered the edge of the forest with other tiny purple flowers.  We spotted a monarch butterfly fluttering near the little white puffs.  It was quiet like we haven't experienced in a long time. 

My daughters and I spotted a doe with two fawn, they were unafraid as they stopped and watched us for several minutes through the trees.  We were two mothers with our children wondering in awe of each other.



I've recently downloaded a few watercolor/journaling books to my Kindle and just had to take my little sketchbook and watercolor set outside today. I've been so busy lately, I was thankful for a day to slow down and soak in the beauty around me.

My favorite so far:

A Life In Hand by Hannah Hinchman - this is only available as a digital download as it's out of print.  It's a beautiful written book, simple and poetic.  Encouraging and succinct.  I keep going back to it again and again.  The charming black and white line drawings leave room for you to focus on the words and assignments in the book.  It's very inspiring and I highly recommend it.  I may try to find it in print I've enjoyed it so much.

Hinchman on starting an art journal:

"Just begin. Any day, any moment.  There need be no occasion, no noteworthy event.  Think of your beginning as the point where a tossed pebble hits the surface of a pond.  Changes and discoveries will widen out endlessly from just such a small point."

I love that quote and can't help be think how it could apply to anything in life that we have been putting off starting.

Two other books I've been enjoying:

Artist's Journal Workshop

Water Paper Paint - by far my favorite watercolor book to date! 

What are you reading this summer? 

May Flowers Sketch

It's been a slow warm up here in Michigan.  I'm looking forward to warmer days and have been enjoy the blooms that have already braved the chilly temperatures and late freezes. 

This is just a little sketch.  I think there needs to be a little more action in this scene before I would pull out the watercolors. 

This little girl reminds me of my youngest, who is now a teenager. I aways loved her little bob and crazy tights.  Their childhood sped by so quickly, it makes me sorta sad. But they are amazing, so I've done my job well! 

It's funny when I first started illustrating for children, I think there was a part of me that wanted to capture something from my childhood and now I see myself trying to capture parts of their childhood.  While times may change, the universal of discovering the world and how we fit in it stays the same.

When you pick picture books, do they appeal to you because they remind me of your children or your childhood?  I'm a little of both.  Either way, I'm definitely more pulled toward the nostalgic.