The Little Book That Could~!

A surprise this morning in my email, came from the publisher of the book I illustrated , THE ADVENTURES OF CALI.
Written by Michle Lallouz Fisher, it is a story of discovery, friendship and growth that will make you smile and perhaps bring a tear to your eye.
YES ! Little CALI made the cover of Publishers Weekly! Which one is she? Just look for the brightly colored cheerful book cover.

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY ~ VISITORS

I'll post this here as I just finished it. It is in keeping with the theme as Winston the Wonderhound and his friend, Roxxanne the hedgehog are certainly going to be VISITORS at the castle....once they get out of the moat. You can see more of their adventures on Winston's very own blog.

Winston has returned

Back from more of his wanderings, Winston the Wonderhound has returned to his blog to continue his adventures.

Visit the Picture Bookies and take a look at Books

Take a ride on over to the PICTURE BOOKIES BLOG today and find out about some of the all time favorite children's picture books.
Leave a comment and tell us about your own favorites.

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY II- Food for Thought

Ever wonder just what is in that fish food?
©Ginger*:)

POSTCARDS WORK!

Postcards, those that illustrators send out every 3 or 4 months really do work! I have been creating them and wondering if any ever made it to an art director's bulletin board or file cabinet. I would prefer the bulletin board of course, because you can really see 'though' a file cabinet to find our labors of love.

A little card I created over a year ago just brought me some work. I know this because the art director asked for the same style and wanted the dog added in to the piece.

So, do your best, send your cards, and keep sending them.

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY ~ CAPTAIN

I wasn't too sure where I would start with "CAPTAIN" and had a lot of thoughts. So I began making sketches of children.
This first thought was a bit far out, but I might persue it in the future. With the little goldfish as the captain.

But then I tried this little guy with a captain's hat and spyglass of his very own.

And then I thought, why not a group of little friends who want to come along for the adventure and bring some maps and a backpack for treasure digging and a picnic basket of goodies.

And why not one more eager friend with a better map in hand who doesn't want to be left out.


But, better yet, why not group them all together somehow with an interesting thing or two going on out at sea. So this is where I began to put the group into a little story all their own. I think they like it here.

And finally, the group sites something they didn't expect to find. But, then again, maybe someone in the group had an idea that there was more to this part of the sea than meets the eye.

©Ginger Nielson 2007

Future Entomologist

Don't go to bed hungry~

So... last night was the first of two performances of our children's Summer Theater camp, and I was there early and home late. That meant skipping dinner. So I guess I went to bed a bit hungry. And I dreamed about a kitten eating spaghetti of all things. I guess since we had been playing a game with the children before their performance... a game involving FOOD names, I must have had food on my mind. And this is what happened in this morning's sketching session.

©GingerNielson

And now I'm hungry all over again!

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY ~ EMERGENCY

Oh yeah! Un huh! and will someone please tell Peter to RUN! It's an EMERGENCY and who knows what happened to the poor duck? ( I guess she forgot to....)©Ginger Nielson 2007

TWO FLUTES

Finished for now, but may have another revision. Click here to see the beginning stages.
©Ginger Nielson2007

Mothers always know best

When it comes to soothing a scraped knee, mothers always know best.


©Ginger Nielson 2007

To the Cintiq and beyond...

I have a few little index cards tacked to my bulletin board. They contain wistful 'wishes' for the future. One card has a Nordic Track C2200 treadmill listed on it, one has an Epson wide body printer, but the one that caught my eye this morning, as it always does, was the one that simply reads: CINTIQ 21UX




I use a Wacom 6x11 tablet, and am very happy with it, but I know I would be far closer to Nirvana with a Cintiq beneath my stylus. One of the things that I wondered was if the Painter and Photohop palettes would be visible along with the artwork on the CINTIQ so I went looking for Demos. On YOU TUBE I was able to find several ( actually a whole bunch) demos that are sure to have you salivating if you are a digital artist. I was pleased to see the palette on the screen along with the artwork. I don't know why I thought it wouldn't be there.

The most amazing thing, and something I had not even thought of was the ability to turn the CINTIQ into any direction for drawing. Just like your drawing pad, you can move it from angle to angle for the 'real time' feel of drawing on paper. I now know that I will have to keep walking outdoors (forget about the Nordic Track for the time being) and focus on the CINTIQ.



My favorite video can be viewed on YouTube if you do a search for : Wacom Cintiq 21ux in action

Are you an Illustration Athlete?

Are you an ILLUSTRATION ATHLETE?
Do you exercise your creative talent?
How?

It would be interesting to hear how others out there create an environment that encourages their gifts or talents.
Like any olympic swimmer, runner, or hurdler, there are obstacles to overcome in our everyday lives that may hinder our progress.

Are you ever burned out, facing ridiculous deadlines, worrying about an editor's comments?



In my own way I deal with these challenges on a day to day basis. But the most important aspect of my illustrating life is the time spent each day drawing, observing, painting, or photographing. Maybe it is the 'ink in the blood' syndrome, but for me a day isn't complete without a drawing either begun, finished or somewhere on its way to completion.

The reward, may not come in money or a new assignment, but in simply standing back and looking at the finished work, and being able to say... " Now that one, I really am proud of!"

What keeps your illustrating muscles toned?

Stages of development

Several stages in the ongoing illustration of two flute players... not nearly finished, but at least making some progress

Revisiting Old Friends

Somethng new and something old but renewed.

©Ginger Nielson 2007

Good sports

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY ~ MISSING

©Ginger Nielson 2007