Working with Dreamweaver CS5

My revised website  is updated and now I will let it rest awhile before adding any more.  I need to be sure the links are working and the pages still make me happy after a week or two.

The site includes links to articles, books I have illustrated, a bio and contact along with portfolio pages in color and line.  Using the upgrade to Dreamweaver CS5 has been a bit of a challenge for me personally but I am finding it easier to use day by day.

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY ~ SWARM

There are many kinds of swarms, but with all the snow we are having the one that comes to mind is a rookery of penguins bleating their way down a snowy slide.

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY ~ LAYER

©Ginger Nielson 2011

Whenever she could, Princess Lentil would play.

She'd layer on clothing and take off the day.  

Because "Princessing" can be such a hassle

She'd rather be outdoors than back in the castle.

Many thanks for your kind words *:)

Because I and many others in the illustration world do get the nicest compliments on our work, and because many authors request illustrations for their books, I thought it would be best to create a page that addresses that question and others. You can find out more at:

How I work,

And it isn't just about me.  Many illustrators receive requests to illustrate for authors who plan to self publisher or use a POD publisher for their work.  In all fairness to the industry there are guidelines to follow.  If you have a great story it should be submitted to a publisher (s). Be prepared for a few or more rejections, but keep trying.   Once your work is acquired the editor or publisher will choose the best illustrator for your work.  If you are determined to self publish or even create your own publishing company you will bear the cost of printing, hiring an artist and marketing your work.

I love what I do and would work for everyone on the planet if time and energy allowed.  However, illustrators cannot live on paint, paper and pen and stylus.  We need to charge a reasonable fee for our work. That means that we cannot work on spec, and we need support as well as good critique from those who hire us. Professional illustrators charge fees and give any project his or her full attention.  Contracts are necessary and help to keep the author and the artist equally happy with fair and professional arrangements.

Illustration Friday ~ Sweater

©Ginger Nielson 2011

It stands to reason, if you are going to have an "all-out" sweater, you need leg warmers as well.  I think with this cold snowy winter, I may actually see some fashionably attired creatures in our forest.

Is anyone sure they really want to fly?

I'm just sayin'

Another way to look at snow...

The more we shovel, the more we sweep

We shed those calories in one big heap.

©Ginger Nielson

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY ~ REVERSE

 The party just started and each had a cup, 

but when it was poured the tea just flew up!

How does one cope with things in reverse?

And make them get better before they get worse?

Hold your cup upside down and try not to blink.

Maybe by then you'll get something to drink.

One more from the dummy...

For the dummy I like to keep the sketches rather loose.  I may want to leave a lot of the line work in this one as well.  The thick and thin lines add so much movement to the piece.  This is one half of a double page so there is no text needed here.

New dummy under construction

Since I have sent out the dummy I worked on for most of the last few months, I will begin this second one while I wait patiently for some type of response on the one I just sent out.
Here is a quick sketch ... but I can't give away the story. I will say that there is a surpise ending that just cracks me up.  If the sketch looks familiar, and it might, that is because I have been coming and going with the manuscript for over a year now. I finally love it, so the dummy will come next.  At some point this story will find a home.

Happy Chinese New Year ~ Gung Hay Fat Choy!

The Year of the Rabbit has begun.  To learn more about the Chinese year of the Rabbit Click Here.

Can a mouse Cook?

Can a Mouse cook?   If he has the right book!

And now for something completely different

©Ginger Nielson

This is a scene from a dummy I have been juggling for a year or more. I have changed the story but the characters remain the same, they just keep asking for script changes.

A Few Winners!

IF Wishes Were Fishes by N. A. Sharpe, Illustrated by Ginger Nielson    ISBN 978-0982588673
Why oh Why do grownups say such silly things?  JT has a hard time understanding why some grown ups don't  mean exactly what they are saying!

A Wish and A Prayer, by Beth Bence Reinke, pictures by Ginger Nielson                                    ISBN 978-0-9826423-1-3
When Jason's pet parakeet flies off out the window, Jason is desperate to get him back.  After a number of ideas are presented to him by his friends, he realizes the difference between a wish and a prayer.

In My Bath, by Beth Bence Reinke, illustrated by Ginger Nielson- ISBN 978-0982588666
Bath time is so much more fun when you can share it with a manatee, a penguin, a dolphin, or a tortoise..and many more creatures.

I was really excited to see that these three books placed in the top ten for the Preditors & Editors Readers Poll this year.  All of these books were published by 4RV publishing in Oklahoma. They are really fun books for children and all can be purchased via the publisher's website,Amazon.com, or any and all bookstores.  I added the ISBN numbers in case  you want your bookstore to order any of these.

As the illustrator for all three I am also equally excited to have placed fourth among all the artist's who were considered in the voting.

All the results can be seen on the 4RV PUBLISHING LLC publisher's page.

  You will see a number of other 4RV books in the standings.

And more great books for children are coming soon from this publishers.  Watch for the news.  One of those books is my own story and I have been waiting ten years to tell it!

And so it goes

The snow it snows and snows and snows, the wind it blows and blows and blows, and so does my nose...

The penguin is warming up his ice pod for Bunny Week. The  Chinese Year of the Rabbit begins on Feb 3 and all are invited to the FB page of Illustration Board to post your bunnies!

Click here to get the link to the FB page.