I LOVE this book!

As I am doing research for a personal project I have been reading LOTS of books for the 4-8 year old age group and I came across the most wonderful book. It's called Before You Were Mine written by Maribeth Boelts and pictures by David Walker. If you've ever lost a beloved pet or have adopted pets from rescues, you will LOVE this book as well. It is so well done! The writing and the art is fabulous and really pulled on my hearts strings. Get the tissues out and go check it out!

Spring promo

painted version

Here is the painted version.

Another Brandy sketch

During some down time, I am still working up sketches as I work on a personal project about my late sweet dog, Brandy. I'm going to paint it in the next day or two hopefully.

sketchbook

This is a different style for me...more humorous. That's what's great about sketchbooks...you don't have to be so polished and it gives one the freedom to experiment. Like where I misspelled "lightening". Sheesh...

more sketchbook

I guess I am ready for the beach...ya think?

sketchbook

Thanks to The Illustrated Life I am finally using my sketchbook. Here's a recent entry:

Winter Revival

It looks like Winter's not done yet in Missouri. Here's what we woke up to. 5 and a half inches of fluffy white stuff.

Louis Armstrong - What A Wonderful World

Talk about precious!!!! Sorry for the youtube again but I just could not resist this one!

Everything's amazing, nobody's happy

This is sooo funny and sooo true!

What I'm working on - part 2

Here's a peek at the color of what I'm working on. Sorry, you can't see the rest until it's published in May. I'll be sure I post the whole thing then. :o)

Happy Valentine's Day

Here's a big Valentine's Day hug to all my blogging friends!!

What I'm working on...

Here's just a peek at what I'm working on.

The Caldecott and Newberry Awards announced!

American Library Association announces literary award winners.

They're here!!!

The Katherine The Almost Great series books arrived today! It's always exciting to have a book arrive in printed form after waiting for months to see it. These were the first chapter books I have illustrated and they were printed with hard bound (library bound) covers. The colors printed really wonderfully. No scary color surprises. Yay! ABDO did a great job!

Here's a play by play brought to you by my photographer husband, Bradley Harris. :o)...

Ta Daaaa!!!!!!!

Juggling

I've been absent recently from my blog but I am back after my husband's surgery. We are home from the hospital for him to continue his road to recovery and much better health for the new year.

I've got a deadline looming so I will need to juggle my nursing skills along with sketching over the next couple weeks which means I may be absent a while longer but I will try to post something when I can.

Stay tuned as I expect some copies of the books I illustrated to arrive on my doorstep any day.

Happy 2009!

I'm back!

After the wonderful but hectic holidays we've just returned from a relaxing trip to my brother's cabin. We enjoyed spending time with my brother and his sweet wife and my three fabulous nieces! He has a dream cabin in such a peaceful place and when the weather is right, it's some of the best trout fishing in the country! What a blessing! I can't wait to go back sometime with my easel and paints in tow.

Anyway, here are a few photos. Enjoy and Happy New Year to all my blogging buddies!!

Playing around with washes

I was having fun playing around with watercolor washes on some old scraps of student-grade watercolor paper. I always feel so much looser painting on this old stuff because when I go to paint on the good watercolor paper, I instantly start tightening up thinking about how much each piece is costing me if I mess it up.

I know it shows a lot of texture because of the grade of paper but I actually thought the texture was kinda cool.

Merry Christmas!!

I just went outside to play around with my camera and take some night shots of our Christmas lights. It is snowy and SOOOO cold but I thought the pictures turned out very festive. Merry Christmas all my blogging buddies from our home to yours!!

Bear Hug

Here's a sketch of a piece I actually first did about 9 years ago. I always wanted to try reworking it so I have re-sketched it and I will eventually paint it.

I could use a big bear hug, it's brrrr cold today...in the single digits. My fingers ache as I try to draw. But that could just be my age and "old Arthur" aka- arthritis, coming for a visit.