Howdy, 2011!!!

Happy New Year to everyone. It's been a while but I wanted to post in this new beginnings of 2011. This is going to be an awesome year! I can feel it. My studio is all spiffed up and organized. I'm posting some pics so I can KEEP it that way! Has everyone made New Year's resolutions or set intentions for this year? I'm still formulating mine but one for sure is to keep my studio neat and organized. It just feels better to be in here and it makes me SMILE. I like setting intentions rather than resolutions. It somehow feels more solid.

This pic above is walking into my studio.

My cozy little nook for reading. I love my papasan chair. All I need is a cute lamp! Notice all of my books, I have a TON of books mostly art related or children's books & illustration. My drawing table and paints. I usually paint at the drawing table now, rather than my easel. Do you like my twinkly string lights?This is my computer, my scanner and Wacom tablet. This is where a lot of my time has been spent last year! The paintings on the walls are ones I've done throughout the years. Some are self-portraits and from classes I've taken.

Holli Conger's Illustration Tips

Mosey on over to Holli Conger's "A Girl Who Creates" Blog for terrific tips on the illustration biz.. Holli is generously sharing her expertise and her savviness with us everyday during the month of December. I have been a BIG fan of Holli's work for several years and it's been exciting to see how her career has progressed. What an awesome gift to have a new tip every day about illustration! So, check out her blog. Today. Don't wait!

Benjamin Lacombe

Benjamin Lacombe is another French illustrator I discovered in France. I immediately fell in love with his rich, moody, and vibrant stylized gouache illustrations. When we were in Aix en Provenence, I was thrilled to find his children's picture book, "Les Amants Papillons" ("Butterfly Lovers") in a small book shop. The book is written in French, of which I only know a few words, but the illustrations are a sumptuous blend of color, drama, and design. The book is large, 15½" x 7" which is quite large by picture book standards. This allows for the full intensity of Benjamin's gorgeous illustrations with full spreads on many pages. Since this book is probably difficult to find in the US, here are some other titles he illustrated that are available on Amazon: "Lin Yi's Lantern" and " Cherry and Olive". You can see his work at his very creative website www.BenjaminLacombe.com



Check back for more posts on fantastic illustrators and their work!

Star Gazing - IF

I did these little star gazing frogs a while back, but I thought it could work for this week's theme. I'm hoping to make time to participate in Illustration Friday again! Check out the IF site, as there's always such great work each week around each theme.

Grayson's Elephant

Yay!! I finally finished Grayson's elephant painting for his room. I had a great time painting with the Golden Open Acrylics. I really liked how they stayed wet and I was able to work longer in blending colors. Even thought I still love my Winsor Newton oil alkyds, I think I'm hooked on the new acrylics. I bought a whole bunch of colors yesterday at the art supply store and am trying some more "experiments".
I'll post a pic of the painting in Grayson's nursery soon!

Open Acrylics

I'm trying new paints, Golden's Open Acrylic, which according to Golden's website, are a slow-drying formulation. I only recently heard of these acrylics and have been so excited to try them out. I usually work with Winsor & Newton's Oil Aklyds. They are quick drying oils and I love the colors. I'm working on a painting for my new baby grandson, Grayson's nursery. Here is a pic of what I'll be painting.
This little elephant stuffed toy is the subject of the painting. This should be a fun experiment. I'll post pics when I finish.. hopefully in a couple of days. Has anyone painted with these acrylics? I'd love to hear any comments about them!

Rebecca Dautremer

I first saw Rébecca Dautremer's illustrations in a small shop in Paris when my husband and I were visiting Paris for the very first time. My husband was attending a conference and I tagged along since I had never been there. While he attended his meetings, I took every opportunity to browse book stores and children's books for French illustrators. Boy, did I find some wonderful illustrators! I fell in love with Rébecca's work and have looked for her books here in the US ever since then.

A few weeks ago I found her illustrations in "The Secret Lives of Princesses" written by Philippe Lechermeier. What a feast of color, design and style flows through this picture book! She creates her beautiful illustrations in gouache and has been illustrating books for over 10 years. Rebecca uses unusual views and every spread has such striking contrast with her color palette. Check out this book if you have a chance.. it is completely captivating. Also check out her website which has many more gorgeous illos.