The Adventures of Cali is now an APP

A book I illustrated, The Adventures of Cali, by Michele Lallouz Fisher has just been released as an iPad/iPhone App. I don't think the book is still available, but I am sure you will love the story in this form. You can read along or hear the story, whichever you prefer. When you see how Zachary transports little Cali the Caterpillar home from California to Florida you will certainly be smiling if not laughing.

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY ~ Spent

Gloria SPENT all her money and is left with only this button which somehow got into her piggy bank.

Good thing Trick or Treating is not far off.... she won't need any more than a costume and a bag to gather some treats.

Little Charley Thornpaws ~ The Color Pages

Here are some color pages for Little Charley Thornpaws.  The book is available from the publisher, 4RV Publishing LLC, and soon from Amazon.com and any and all bookstores.

To use the color pages you only need to click on the image for it to open in another window. Then you can either right click to download to your desktop or click and drag to your desktop.  If you want to print and color you can do that, or you can color in the computer with a paint program and then print and keep.
You can download more than one copy and have fun on a rainy day with your family and friends.

Want to get the MOST fun.... get your copy of the book. A day in the life of Charley will amuse and entertain you.  Caelaach McKinna's excellent and imaginative rhyme sets the tone for the day.

Charley will remind you of your own pets, and most especially if you have a cat!

Little Charley Thornpaws ... A Sneak Peek

Oh Charley!  What a rascal you are.

Now available from the publisher, 4 RV Publishing LLC.... 

Little Charley is waiting to surprise you.  The storybook is perfect for preschoolers and K-1 and any adult who loves cats.  Each spread features Charley doing what he does best.

Caelaach McKinna has captured some of Charley's best moments and I was happy to have the fun of illustrating them.

Here is a sneak peek.

Illustrations copyright Ginger Nielson and 4RV Publishing.

There is a trailer featuring CHARLEY here.

A new book!

Little Charley Thornpaws written by Caelaach McKinna is now available from the publisher, 4RV Publishing LLC.  A picture book for the young and young at heart, the full color illustrations are accompanied by Charley's antics.

Page by colorful page, you will fall in love with the little cat. You can order the book here.
And in a few days I will share more with you.  This book was  a pure delight to illustrate.

Flying Poodles Sticker page

These are the Flying poodles and a some friends.  I made a sticker page that correlates with the Avery large round labels #5294.  Unfortunately my Macintosh Dreamweaver is not set up to give you an instant download. However if you do want a set I can easily send it to you via email.  I won't share your email with anyone and you can ask privately for the page by sending a request to me at....

gingernielson(dot)gmail.com    That dot in the center stands for @

If you want a set I will email you the doc that fits the label size mentioned above.

Once I figure out the work around for the mac dreamweaver website I  will post them there as well.

Flying Poodles : :Max Maze

Something just for fun.  You can click on this image for the full size version and download to your computer or drag to your desktop for printing.  If you get really stuck, and I don't think you will, you can email me for the answer.

  There are also color pages for all the Flying Poodles and Santa on my website.  Same as here, just click to get the full size downloadable picture for coloring.

The very last rose, and the end of the leafy show...

The leaves have peaked and begun to fall.... everywhere.  We track them inside on wet shoes and find them blowing in after us as we come inside with a stack of logs.  Fireplaces are the new gathering spot in our home.

Even with one half of the sky a deep slate gray there was a surprising element as I looked up to see this very last rose.

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY ~ SPOOKY

Maybe not so much spooky as forlorn, but the fact is that this young turkey vulture can tear things apart in an instant and that beak is pretty awesome.

FLYING POODLES IS NOW AVAILABLE AS AN iPAD APP

This is something completely new for me.  The book I illustrated for the talented Karen Morss is now available as an iPad App.  Just in time for the holidays and at such a fantastic price.  I heard the audio and it is adorably enhanced by the sweet voices of the poodles.   Karen actually set up her own recording studio in home to capture those children's voices.  There is something for everyone in her story.

Just imagine what would happen if all of Santa's reindeer came down with the flu.  Do they even give flu shots for reindeer?  I think not.  You will love Karen's well executed rhyme as well as the emergency, the rescue and the unlikely heros who save the day or night as it may be.

                The app is available via  iTUNES and I think you will really enjoy the adventure.

The Flying Poodles Color pages

Flying Poodles, A Christmas Story is now available from the author's website and will soon be an iPad app. Karen Morss ,the talented author, wanted you all to have color pages as well.

                      There is a link below for all the pages.

The free downloads of the POODLES are now available online.  This is little Max, one of eight flying poodle dogs. You can download and color all 8 doggies and a couple of extras at
FLYING POODLES COLOR PAGES

This is little MAX. He is wearing a hand knitted nose warmer. You will need to read the book to find out why.

A beautiful day in the Neighborhood

Sharing what happens each fall in New Hampshire....  The past five days have been sun filled, pure blue sky  days.  With the colder nights the leaves lose the normal green and turn into a fantasy of color.

This last one is the view from my studio window.  In some weeks the view will change to one of snow covered branches

At work on new logo and banner...

For the next few weeks I will want to be in a late October mode.  A new banner is here for a few weeks.

I also finished making a new logo that I can use from time to time in all the right places.  This kind of branding can be useful if you create products for sale... or even as an addition on a business card.
Do you have a favorite logo of yours that you use on your work, other than or in addtion to your standard copyright?

Flying Poodles ~ A Christmas Story

The books are in. Flying Poodles, A Christmas Story can be ordered from the website, and soon for your iPad or iPhone.  That is little MAX sitting on top of the stack of signed and numbered books in this limited edition.  This makes a great holiday gift *:)

Written by Karen Morss, the story tells of an emergency, a rescue and the adorable heros who save Christmas Eve for the children of the world.

Coloring pages are coming soon, here is the first in a series that you can download now. Click on the image to download to your computer and print it out or color it right in your computer.

Santa, Rudolph and Max

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY ~ TRANSPORTATION

©Ginger Nielson 2010

Traditional + Digital = TRADIGITAL

There is no question that some publishers frown upon what they call “digitized” artwork.   The truth is, digital painting is far from digitized.  To digitize an image refers more to taking a photo bringing it into a computer.  Sampling at various intervals occurs in the computer via scanning or direct input.  That word - digitized -  has all kinds of negative suggestion as it applys to art.  Far too easily it can be misinterpreted to mean all digital illustration is somehow computer generated and not a very different and original artform.

Digitizing is a far cry from “digital painting.”  The term digital painting simply refers  to the fact that the painting is taking place in the computer.  Digital painting has the ability to free the illustrator from having to redo an entire painting just to correct one color or element. Newer high end computer software can mimic the brush strokes for hundreds of brushes, pens, pencils, pastels and all forms of paint.

I will often sketch with pencil or pen because it gives me the freedom to do very large renderings.  Those can be reduced in the computer to the size needed by my editors.

This is a watercolor study for the digital painting below.   Usually I don't go this far, but I wanted to get a feel of the colors and technique I would use when I transferred to the computer for the final painting. As a study it was good, and I was able to incorporate it into the main painting. 

Digital painting is no less creative than traditional.  Colors, design, point of view and composition are all elements of digital painting.  When combined with traditional sketches and even watercolor washes or beginnings, the finished work can have a quality that is impossible to get in any other way.  The colors can be controlled and kept constant through pages and pages of illustrations.  You won’t run out of paint.
Paintings that you have completed traditionally can easily be scanned or photographed and incorporated into the digital work.

This is the final painting done with digital painting programs.  Here I have the freedom to paint in layers and not disturb elements under one another.  But it is still original artwork.


In some cases a digital illustration can take longer than a traditional one.  Both methods should be respected and when they are combined the same is true.


All kinds of traditional methods can be combined with digital painting:  cut paper, collage, clay sculpture, bas relief, even folded paper art can be incorporated.

I use the term TRADIGITAL  to describe my work; it is  basically another form of painting, one which conveys the essence of any story for which I am hired to illustrate.


I will say this, however. The use of too many of the tweaks that are available in the digital software programs can ruin the freshness and originality of the work. One has to be careful of not using too many  of the fancy plugins to enhance the work.  Good art is good art in whatever method the artist uses.

Fishy stuff

I am working on scenes for a larger illustration and need to depict some sea creatures that are more my own than those that truthfully exist.  There are real fish that are similar, but to set these fish into the tone of my story I need to give them a story book look.   It has taken several hours to get these two into place, but I am happy with them and they seem to like being where they are in the story.

The larger fish is based on a really interesting creature. The sarcastic  Fringehead is quite a bit more fearsome and uglier, but such a character. If you get a chance to watch a video of one of these fish I think you will see what I mean.  The purpley guy is a saltfish, or at least my version of same.

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY ~ BENEATH

I need to recycle this week because I loved the subject and this illustration

 makes me wish I could do the same and it is so much fun to share.

Next to being able to fly I think I would love to be able to breathe beneath the waves.

©Ginger Nielson