Landscape Painting: The Best for Last

Hello friends! This summer has been a busy one- between vacations, camping, and church activities I'm a bit exhausted. But fall is here and things have slowed down a little bit.

My book came out on Tuesday, September 27th and it's been wonderful to hear everyone's warm and thoughtful comments about my book. People, even strangers, reaching out to say congratulations means a lot. I'm truly touched.

I remember as I created the illustrations I became nervous at the thought of people seeing it (crazy right?). I've never had a mass produced product of my art before and it was intimidating to think anyone could own it, view it, critique and review it.

But the thought of sharing something that is dear to me and that I created with a purpose to bring other's joy puts my anxiety to rest.

If you haven't purchased my book you can find it here.

If you have purchased my book (thank you!!!!) the best thing you can do to help me is to leave an honest review on amazon.com and to share the book with your friends and loved ones. The more  reviews the more likely my book will be noticed. I would be ever so grateful if you did!

(me jumping for joy because you purchased my book ;)

Moving on.....

You can call me an introvert when it comes to sharing my art. I'm not one to throw something in your face, but I do like sharing things I've been working on because it gives me a chance to connect with people and allows friends and viewers a glimpse into my studio.

The project below is one that I've especially enjoyed working on. It's for a friend of a friend. As most of you know I'm mostly a children's illustrator but even artists have hobbies of their own and mine is landscape painting.

This commision was for a very special woman and mom who has experienced a few hardships in her life over the last year.  She used running as a way to get away from her daily stresses and would instagram the places she ran to. The photo below is the last run she went on.

She purposely saved this place for last. Not only was it her last run, but also her final phase in her difficult trial.

When I first saw the photo I didn't see anything special in it, but after a few months of studying it, painting it, and learning about her story, it too has become a special place to me. Although I do not know the recipient of this painting, I can understand why this spot is special to her--peaceful, calm and with a bright path leading onward it becomes a place of hope.

Isn't it incredible how art can connect complete strangers together? Behind every painting and every photo there's a story. Artists have the important job of interpreting it so others see what they see, and so others can feel connected, and, dare I say, changed.

Below is a step by step process in creating the painting out of gouache:

A color study before I start the final--very important.

                                                 Using dry brush strokes to create water

entitled "The Best for Last"

Kirkus Book Review

Hi all! I wanted to give an update about my latest art adventures. First, as many of you know, I opened my Etsy shop! It's been a long time coming. Many have asked where they can purchase my art and so I decided once my book was finished to create a place where people could do so. My Etsy shop is made up of original children's art and a few pretty watercolor illustrations.  It's nice to create knowing my artwork has the opportunity to bring beauty and joy to someone's home. My creations have a sense of purpose. You can check it out here.

 Also, my book came in the mail! When I found out a few weeks ago it would be shipped to me I was both nervous and excited. What would it look like printed?

Andrew and I went to grab dessert late one night and on our way back we decided to check the mail. And there it was. I started freaking out and felt butterflies in my stomach. Andrew immediately started recording me on his phone. We walked up to our apartment and I slowly opened the box and there it was--my very first illustrated children's book! It was such a surreal feeling flipping through the pages and seeing all the illustrations bound together in a book form.

(looking at my book for the first time)

The book is beautiful. As I've shown it to friends and family I've noticed most of them brushing their hands over the pages because of the three dimensional texture. I enjoy seeing people interact with it. Many of them wish it could be a pop up book (that would be awesome). It won't be published till Sep. 26, 2016 but you can pre order it on Amazon. And if you would like to see a little preview of it check it out on my website. 

Now for my third bit of exciting news....

"Monday is Wash Day" received a Kirkus starred review! Don't know what a Kirkus starred review is? Don't worry I had to look it up too ;).

Kirkus is an American book review magazine. It's not as well known to the public as it is to librarians, publishers, and bookstores. Each year they receive 8,000-10,000 books to review and only 10% receive a "starred review". That's why it's so exciting! The words used in the review to describe the story and illustrations are beautiful and thoughtful. I feel deeply humbled and grateful. You can read the review here. 

Now my book has a little star 

 hello star:) 

Thanks for reading!

Gran Hotel

Now that my book is all done I have been working on small commissions for friends, preparing to open my etsy shop on June 10 (hooray!), preparing marketing material (the not so fun part of my job), re-discovering my love of watercolor, and entering competitions on "minted". The last few months have been enjoyable because I have found opportunities to create things I love that are different. One of which is a commision I did for a friend's birthday. She is obsessed with the Spanish period drama "Gran Hotel". Haven't seen it? Well if you don't mind subtitles (unless you speak Spanish), love drama, romance, murder mystery, and fabulous Spanish flowy hair then you should check it out on Netflix. 

Rachel's husband and I came up with this idea to to make a Julio and Alicia scene (main characters in the show) but instead, have them as the main characters and include their little dog Scruffy.

In the show, the main characters are always seen sharing a romantic moment by the sea side (sorry spoiler!)--so that's where I set the scene.

I decided to use paper as my medium of choice mostly because I wanted an excuse to use doilies to create her dress. I do feel like this is a different style for me. I call it my "disney princess style". 

I hope the scene didn't come across cheesy, but romantic and cute. Paul and Rachel are some of my dearest friends so I wanted to make the scene represent their relationship.

Here's the process:

(p.s. she loved it)

Monday is Wash Day Preview

Hello friends. It has been a long time since I have updated the blog, but for a good reason. Over the past year I have been working hard on completing my first children's book entitled "Monday is Wash Day" written by MaryAnn Sundby and published by Ripple Grove Press. It's about two little girls and their little brother helping their mother do the laundry in the 1940's. This past week I finally finished it! The feeling of completing a large project is priceless. I feel proud of the work I accomplished and am excited to share this beautiful book with you. But since it won't be released till September 27, 2016 (mark your calendars!) I thought I would give you a  preview of what it's like for me to create a children's book from start to finish.

                                                       (cover of "Monday is Wash Day")

When I tell people I'm working on illustrating a children's book the number one question asked is  "how did you get that job"? Good question. I sent out postcards of my art and contact information to publishers and art directors around the country. Ripple Grove Press received my postcard. My publisher, Rob, called me and talked about this wonderful story that he and his wife would like me to illustrate. I was beyond thrilled and very surprised! Of course this was my very first illustrated book and so I didn't know what to expect. But Rob and Amanda have been so patient and helped me every step of the way.

Before I began sketching I studied the time period and researched: clothing, wallpaper, popular color palettes, houses, old wringer washing machines (which look like mini spaceships to me), kitchens etc. Once thoroughly researched I began sketches by first dividing up the story and then created small thumbnail sketches to understand what each spread would look like. After my rough drafts were approved I moved onto final sketches.

I work best when I have models to pose and draw from. After searching around I was able to find the PERFECT family for my book. The Richins have two beautiful daughters named Lucy and Mia and a little boy with the most adorable curly hair named Hank. The family you see in my book is based off of a real family. This makes the book even more real and special. I have grown to love and admire this beautiful family who have been through so much. 

I created all the illustrations by painting, cutting, folding, and sculpting paper to look like clothing. I chose to use paper as my medium because it compliments the story perfectly. The visual three dimensional texture of the folded paper makes the clothing look real--as if you can reach out and touch it. It makes the story come to life and allows you to feel apart of the story. 

I hunted for small clothespins but found that none were small 

enough for what I needed, so I made my own using matches. 

Once the final sketch is created, I trace the sketch onto bristol paper using a light table and then I paint the clothing, objects, and characters using gouache (opaque watercolor). Next I cut out the individual pieces using an exacto knife and glue them all together. It's like putting a puzzle together--pieces can easily get lost. Sometimes I may cut too much and will need to start all over again. The process is time consuming, but the final product is worth it. 

Below is an example of the process:

I work from home which can be nice since I can work in sweats and t-shirts (the best!) However it can also be a bit lonely. Fortunately I have a studio cat named Willow to keep me company. Unfortunately she tends to lay all over my art. In the past she's tipped over my water container onto art projects and sketches. I learned never to leave water unaccompanied.

Adding a box on my desk seemed to help.

   

Willow even ended up in the book. 

   

Andrew, Willow, and I putting in the late hours 

And after a year of hard work I'm all done! And that's my cat...

Illustrating this children's book was a delight. Yes, there were times I wanted to throw in the towel and never create art again (that's how I felt at 3am at one point), but the best things in life are worth the hard work. Now that I'm finished I look forward to new projects and hopefully illustrating more books in the future.  I'm grateful for all the love and support from friends and family.

*You can now pre order Monday is Wash Day