Making Progress

Here are a few of the ten or more steps I have been taking to finish work on an owl painting. The last image in the series is close but not quite at the finishing stage. There were many painted versions before the last image evolved. There will be more definition in the final painting and the dark lines will most likely be painted over or blended away.

©GingerNielson2007

And here's a bit of trivia. Did you know that the Sooty Owl has four talons and that he /she can use them with two in front and two in back or spread them all out separately to grab at its prey with each one spread north, south, east and west... just like a nifty set of ice tongs.

SNOW CONE

One of the things we love about New Hampshire is the change in seasons...sometimes that can be from minute to minute. Right now we have snow with more on the way. In fact the snow in the front of the house has been so deep I can't get to the bird feeders, so I put some kindling wood covered with peanut butter and birdseed sticking up out of the snow. This morning an industrious squirrel made his way over under and through the snow to grab a nice treat.

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY ~ COMMUNICATION

I believe there is a bond that exists between man and beast and that it is possible for communication to exist without the spoken word. If that is possible, then perhaps there is still hope for communication between man and his planet, and man and his neighbors.

©GingerPixels2007

Picture Bookies Challenge

The author/illustrator group to which I belong with other wonderful and talented illustrators encourages our participation in a monthly challenge. This month the Challenge presented was to recreate ourselves as a storybook character, not necessarily human,and share the image on the

Picture Bookies Blog

My entry is only the beginning of a piece I would like to persue in larger form with more elements. The sketch below the image is where I am headed. I like to get up close and personal with my characters. If I were to become one, this month, I would choose to be the SnowQueen.

©GingerNielson2007

Something beautiful and dear to my heart....

I want to send anyone looking at my blog today to this link:

Oberon's Journal

You will find a dear child with the current love of her life, painted by her older sister. With love on Valentine's Day.

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY ~ GRAVITY

©GingerNielson2007

Well it just goes to show you... IF you can have too much of a good thing, gravity might be one of them. I hope that window is closed!

Be Careful What you Wish for.....

New Hampshire had been pretty much snowless for months...we had our one inch and two inch snowfalls, but Valentine's Day brought us a wonderful gift... well, that depends on how you look at it... I, for one, love it.... until it's time to shovel.

Monday surprises....

I received my first copies of the FLAX art and Design catlog today with my illustration on the cover. That was such a neat surprise. Next thing I knew, my new copy of the update to Painter had arrived...Painter X. I am really excited about trying out whats new and experimenting with all the wonderful brushes.

©GingerNielson2006

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY ~ CRASH

©GingerNielson2007

Color Study

I have been working on a new book. When I create the sketches for the text I take a day or two in between to do color studies.
This is a small sunset study. It won't be in the book so I can show it here. But I will say that in this book I will be using more of a painterly technique than I have in the past. It just seems to fit the total theme so much better.

©GingerNielson2007

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY ~ SPROUT

If I could have anything here on my plate.
It wouldn't be something I'm likely to hate.

I'd be happy with something green as an apple,
Or anything related to soda or snapple.

I am happier still if it isn't too squishy,
Or ends up too spicy or even too fishy.

Celery's fine and so is potato,
And there's carrots or even tomato.

I said I like beans and even mom's chili,
But giving me this is just short of silly.

Why not meat or a portion of trout?
Just give me a meal that isn't a sprout!

©GingerNielson 2007

Tagged ..... and you might be next.

I have been tagged by my good friend Bron Smith.... as a tagee I must post 6 wierd things about myself. And post this paragraph about the RULES.

"Each person who gets tagged needs to write a blog post of their own 6 weird things as well as clearly state this rule. After you state your 6 weird things, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says “you’re tagged” in their comments and tell them to read your blog for information as to what it means."

That means you may find a short message from me at any time soon in your comments.......

So here goes...but I have to tell you, I really don't think any of these things are really weird...maybe that makes me REALLY weird.

1. I talk to my plants, give them encouragement and appologize profusely (and OFTEN) when I forget to water them and they end up drooping to the floor. They are very forgiving plants and usually respond to large quantities of water.

2. As a child I used to hide the mouse traps in my grandparents Vermont barn, and instead feed the cheese to the mice.

3. When ( as a older child now) I played with my dolls, I usually only operated on them. I laid out my dresser top as an operating table and went to work on the poor things.

4. My computers all have names... the one I am using now is called FRED, upstairs my laptop is called Cheyenne and my external hard drive is called Winston.

5. I will talk to any animal and expect it to understand exactly what I am saying.

6. And I know this isn't really weird, but I am completely happy and in another world when I am drawing or painting, I
feel a great connection to the characters I create and feel so blessed that I am able to make a living illustrating for
children.

I Tag:

the following people in no particular order, and allow them the time to create their list....

Isay

Jenn

Sherry

Julia

Amy

Roz