An Ocean of Snow

We live in an area that this year has had over 86 inches of snow during our winter. After the last 8 or 9 inches fell on top of the existing 20 of snow and ice layers, we had a drenching rain. The waves it created in the snow look like an icy ocean. At night this is pretty spectacular, but it is difficult to photograph at night.

Loving What You Do...

The Picture Bookies Artist's Group is showing the process involved in creating their illustrations. Visit the Picture Bookies Blog to see the various techniques, tools and thoughts that go behind a professional illustrator's final product.

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY ~ CHOOSE

©Ginger Nielson

It Hasn't stopped!

It snows here a lot.... and this winter is no exception. The exception to the exception is all the ice and sleet that has managed to slip in with the snow. This means there is a lot of time spent indoors .... when not shoveling, blowing, or plowing snow, ice, slush and other debris. But one can only dream of taking flight on a day like today.

Flying High

There is a competition in April for the New England S C B W I Conference, called Take Flight. A poster must be created that tells the story, fits the theme, and is constrained by a specific size.

While this is not my final entry, it was one of the possibilities I had in mind. In the end I chose a much different illustration which I will post in late April. For now here is one version of Take Flight!

As for this illustration it is the fourth version of this view so far this year. Someday I will be satisfied, maybe after I take my own balloon flight!

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY ~ BLANKET

©Ginger Nielson

Finding your flaws....

Somehow it never looks the same in print as it does during those wonderful hours after 2 am when you are finally finished with a project. The realization is good, just the same, because it only means I can do better. Today I received my copy of an educational reader segment. While on the surface it is good, colorful, tells the story exactly as requested, it lacks the perfection that I am currently striving for. I can only print this tiny example of a painting within a painting, but even here in this image that reproduces at maybe one third the size, I can see areas for improvement.

I suppose we all feel the same way, or at least most of us do...we can always do better. The big shocker for me is how many of the illustrators and artists I know or read about occasionally have the some of same feelings. And their work is amazing!

So do you all ever feel that way? Like there is a long way to go...uphill....with a bag of rocks on your back....??