ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY ~ EXCESS

©Ginger Nielson

TIME TO WINTERIZE ~

I decided to WINTERIZE... my My Website and the banner for this blog.

BACKGROUNDS ~

The Background is an integral part of any illustration. Sometimes it is simply a textured area and in other cases it needs to represent some particular area. When I was working on the newly released, "Song For A Giraffe," I did a ton of research on the African Savannah. Never having had the opportunity to visit the area, I needed to rely on National Geographic films, books, the library, Google and photos from family and friends who have actually visited there.

Accuracy is important even in a picture book. Below are some of the backgrounds created for the book. Keep in mind that it is a picture book and these are only an illustrator's interpretation.

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY ~ ZOO

From an interior spread for the book I just illustrated and now available from Stagger Lee Books "Song For A Giraffe"
It took almost a year to complete the illustrations for this book and this image is actually much larger as the giraffe and the text for this spread aren't included here. The research was one of the best parts of the whole experience. I learned so much!
©Ginger Nielson2007
PS... if you want to hear what the animals are singing, just go to my PROFILE section on this blog and play the Audio Clip.

HAPPY AND BLESSED THANKSGIVING TO ALL

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY ~ SUPERSTITIONS

Clothes worn inside out will bring good luck and
if you use the same pencil to take a test that you used for studying for the test, the pencil will remember the answers. So why not double your chances for an A+.


©GingerNielson2007

In the sketch you can see where I cut and pasted a different version of the child's head. I just felt like she should be concentrating a bit more, even with that special pencil in hand.

Why is this woman smiling?

The answer is easy! Michele Lallouz Fisher is the author of the book I recently illustrated. The Adventures of Cali. Michele was one of the authors attending the recent Miami International Book Fair. And in addition to being there to promote little Cali the caterpillar she was also featured on the local CBS newscast. You can learn much more about the book, Michele, her sweet and touching story and download several colorpages at The Adventures of Cali

Henry at home...

NH is a far cry from California, as you can see from Sherry Rogers recent post on her blog.

Our leaves are almost all down and even the ones you see in this picture of our home are now on the ground.  This was taken only a week ago so that Henry could share his new home picture with old friends in Tennessee.  Those were the folks who created a loving foster home for Henry until we were able to find out about him and adopt him.  Today was his first appointment with the groomer here in town.   The groomers are wonderful people who also have a terrific Doggie Day Care for pet owners who need to work.   Henry was so proud of his nicely trimmed nails and his bright blue bandanna.  And CLEAN is just so good!

A Day in the Life....

Mrs. Cappezzio's family lived on a shoestring budget.

©Ginger Nielson2007

Small City

©Ginger Nielson2007

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY ~ SCALE

©GingerNielson2007

Cards of Comfort and Joy

My friend Amy Moreno posted a wonderful idea on her blog. This holiday season, why not send a card to a recovering American soldier at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Send words of comfort and joy to:

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20307-5001


Pass the word along to your friendly bloggers.

What I'm working on...

This is the sketch for a project I am currently pursuing.  At 20" x 8" it will take a while to finish.

Frosted Leaves

This morning when I was out early with Henry the hound.... we had had a heavy frost and the leaves were ringed with sparkly frost. If it happens tomorrow I'll get some photos, but for now here is an interpretation. The actual sight is really beautiful.

Hats and Caps

The image I uploaded earlier wouldn't show up for viewers, so I reloaded with a different icon to make sure it could be seen. Sorry for any trouble anyone may have had in viewing.

Song for A Giraffe

I received the first few copies of the book I illustrated for Stagger Lee Books in the mail today. I was delighted to see that the colors transmitted with very little change from my originals to the printed copies. The book will be available in 2008, but I will share a few images with you from time to time until then.