Happy Halloween!

Costume idea for the manatee with a sense of humor

Sketching at Barton Springs

Joined up with other SCBWI Austin illustrators on Saturday and tried to capture the scene at "Barking" Springs: part dog park, part swimming hole. Lovely morning to sit beneath the sycamores and watercolor.

Animal Experiments

Applying the landscape style from last week (outline in indigo watercolor) to animals.

Process: Lake Como in Watercolor

Let's start with my photo reference, a shot of Lake Como in Northern Italy from several years ago. Side note: this is one of the most beautiful, dreamy places I've ever been. I start off with a minimal sketch in HB pencil and a light pink wash for this one (I don't recommend having cat hair on your paper, as I have done, but when you've got a kitty in the studio during shedding season, it's tough to avoid) Three layers of color here More layers, lots of viridian green and prussian blue in the mix And voila. Finished sketch with watercolor and some graphite detailing on the boat and houses.

Landscapes Three Ways

Just playing around with watercolor approaches. I posted some progress shots of these last week, but here they are "finished" and scanned.

Watercolor, charcoal & graphite
Outlines in thick indigo watercolor, filled in with transparent watercolor layers
And landscape detail outlined in softer watercolor of different colors My photo reference (the amazing Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC) and a postcard of Toshi Yoshida's woodcut "Linnoji Garden", my jumping off point for experimenting with technique.

Desert Inspiration

Working on a Victorian gothic piece for this weekend's SCBWI conference in Houston, but the images in my head are more influenced by the subtle textures and earth tones and blazing blue skies of the desert. Took a trip last weekend to Palm Springs with some high school friends that I rarely get to see, and it was a lovely time filled with desert hikes, swims in a saltwater pool, delicious food (still thinking about that tender porkbelly and buttermilk onion ring sloppy joe at the ACE hotel restaurant), and the wackiness that is Palm Springs.
Joshua Tree

Indian Canyons

Palm Springs

Alpine woods at the end of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

Marilyn, larger than life

Squirrels Night Out

I just read last week's 7-imp post on David Ezra Stein's Ol' Mama Squirrel, which is going on my book wishlist straight-away. Love how he captured their fierce, chastising nature, even when dealing with creatures many times their size.

I recently drew several pages of squirrels, trying to figure out the look and personalities of some that are going into a story I'm writing. Thought these guys ended up looking like what might happen on squirrels night out.

Lion, squirrels and conferences, oh my!

The Austin SCBWI conference kicks off tonight, with an exciting event at the Children's Museum honoring Patrice Barton, Crystal Kite winner, and full of readings by E.B. Lewis, Liz Garton Scanlon, Cynthia Leitich Smith and more. Conference also means this week has been chock full of illustration and printer wrangling. Lots of new pieces in the portfolio this time! The above sketch is a work/possible story in progress...

From the sketchbook: dino & flamingos

I feel like this guy has a story, but I'm not sure what it is yet...
My nephew stopped by while I had out the bright fuschia liquid watercolor and wanted to try it out. His snake (he's 2 and everything he draws is a snake) looked like a flamingo, so I embellished and then did one of my own. I'm partial to the energy of his! Might have to use it as inspiration to stray a little from my own comfort zone.
Do you ever feel like you hold the year in the palm of your hand? You might be right
...or maybe you just ordered a mini-calendar online thinking it would not be quite so mini.

Inspiration on a frosty morning

Walking with my dog this morning out at the Walnut Creek trails, I was struck by the beauty of the glittery dew and frost and subtle golden colors of winter. My brain kept mixing watercolor paint to capture those shades, but the only tool I had on hand was my phone. And now I have my painting inspiration for the week... The frosty abandoned tennis ball might be my favorite moment.

Ursa Major & Minor

Just thought I'd share a peek at my studio table in the last week before heading to the SCBWI conference in LA. This is an image based on a dream that I'm using for a postcard promo. Back to painting...and I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Drawing Chickens

Yep, more birds. Sunday evening I met up with various members of the Girllustrators and Armadillustrators in the garden of Eastside Cafe for some drawing, socializing, and lemosas (refreshing mix of frozen lemonade, champagne, and raspberry). When I first sat down, it was hard to tell the chickens apart (about a dozen birds of the same breed, with all reddish-brown feathers). But they're are pretty expressive when you hang out with them for a while. Some have puffier bits. Some just want to take dirt baths. I'm kind of into drawing chickens now...and lemosas.

Bird snacks

Saw a green heron catch a minnow and a kingbird catch a caterpillar this morning at Shoal Creek. And yesterday an oriole was eating ants from inside the trumpet vine in the backyard (photos here).

Studio Clean-up

So lovely to start off the week with a clean desk! Spent most of yesterday and some of Saturday organizing, cleaning, and paring down in my studio. I'm half minimalist, half collector/packrat, and the minimalist half got tired of all the paper monsters taking over my workspaces.

Here's what my desk looked like around lunchtime yesterday:
And this morning:

Work table before:

And after:

My studio mate, Lloyd

View from my desk chair of the trumpet vine in full bloom...dreamy!