Do You Know This Story?

I finished painting my "Peter Pan" themed piece for my sister's family and I am pretty happy with the results. Now I must mail it to her, along with another piece I promised to send to her (it features her two daughters riding safari animals across a desert).

What a productive weekend!! I love that! Cleaned up the whole apartment, got the laundry going, washed the dogs, painted, blogged, etc.!!

I have more exciting news, but I want to make sure it's set in stone before I write about it, so until next time...

I have been following Chad Beckerman's blog Mishaps and Adventures (there is a link on my blog spot)... he posts the most fascinating and endearing videos!! Please take a peek :)

The one he just posted was especially awesome- but in order to find out what I am writing about, I encourage you to click on the link and see for yourself!

I have ideas stewing in my head for designing some fancy submission packets, too... Maybe I can post images as those progress. They are still just in my head after all... and unless you are psychic there's no way of showing what the heck is going on in there, is there?

I know it's cliche to say, but doesn't time really fly??? I cannot believe that August is half-way done, and I know, before I know it, Fall will be approaching.... Fall is my favorite season. But it does also leave me with a tang of melancholy feelings because with it, is the end of yet another year. I am one of those people that thinks probably way too much about "the meaning of life..." so you can only imagine what goes on in my head during these times. I still can't believe I am in Portland, to be honest. Never in my life did I imagine I would have the guts to move so far away from my family and survive it!! I'm really falling in love with this city, though.

Alright, enough rambling! :)

PS: great movie I recently watched... Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much... now I have Que Sera Sera stuck in my head. This movie... for some reason... really, really, really got to me... something about the relationship was so real, and their pain so sincere, that I fell in love with Doris Day and James Stewart all over again. I have linked this title to a youtube video of Doris Day singing so her kidnapped son can hear her... very touching scene.

When Time Stands Still

I've noticed how much I miss times when I was young, very young, and could sit and read. My whole family actually are book/comic junkies... I find that I love books that have heros and heroines that are book junkies as well. What a lovely thing it is to delve straight into a story and come out as though you just returned from a wonderful adventure. And what a wonderful thing to be able to draw from your mind.

Sometimes it really dawns on me how truly lucky I am that I draw... being able to get out what is in my head down on paper- but not just in words- in pictures! Illustrations are so powerful... and I think about the children poring over pictures, putting their hands softly on the page as they greedily soak in all the details and then.... the best part: they imagine it for themselves!

Don't ever forget it. :)

On a lighter note, here is the drawing for my next painting... it's actually for my sister's family... Ethan (Peter Pan) is actually not even one years old yet, but I wanted each child to be in the painting. Wendy is Maya and Eva is Tinkerbell, although I purposefully made her larger. I had lots of fun drawing the roots and the leaves... I think this will be fun. Let's hope I don't get too eager and "over work" my painting... I had a horrible habit of doing that in college (I'm so sorry for my Special Studies professor- I simply wasn't patient! I learned the hard way, I know.)

I also made some changes to my blogger page- the fish thing was just something I thought was adorable... plus I like the idea of "koi" fish because well the Japanese aspect of it, but also because Josh and I graduated from CSULB (Cal State Long Beach). On campus is a Japanese Garden... which also hosts weddings. One day when we make enough money, we hope to have our wedding there... although time has been ticking away so I don't know if we'll ever get to, but at least we've both been there before.... and they have Koi. It is beautiful. :) If you click on the title of this blog, it will take you to their website...

Well, enjoy the warm night and hopefully, you have a lovely sunset, too! (the one we saw while walking the pugs was delightfully pink-orange against a blue). Josh said "Isn't it wonderful how nature has compliments everywhere? (referring to complimentary colors)." Too true. Look out for them and you'll see- the red rose with the green leaves...etc.

Grab a good book one day and just remember!!

a few more sketches...

It rained today. Totally beautiful. I think my favorite bridge in Portland is the Fremont, partly because I drive it almost everyday, but also because it is so high up you can see all around- the city, the river, the mountains... just breath-taking. Of course, being originally from So.Cal, this is totally awe-inspiring because where I grew up the only marvel was the ocean. Don't get me wrong, the ocean is beautiful...but there are much more pretty oceans than the view off Huntington Beach Pier.
I may be biased though... I definitely have a preference for a city scape with bridges and a sparkling lights.
In any case, even though I have the WORST night vision, I do think it's beautiful to drive at night.

Actually, funny story... when Josh proposed to me in San Diego, CA, it was at night. He kept trying to guide to what I saw as these dark, ominous alleys where there were no people (he insists there were tons of people around and that they weren't as freaky-dangerous as I thought or thought I saw). I almost ruined everything because I was arguing that I didn't want to get murdered!

Ok, enough of that...

I sketched some more... the scene I drew here of with the fireplace (yes, that's a fireplace) is on hot press watercolor paper.... I found it while rummaging around beneath Josh's art-desk. I remembered how much I adore hot press vs. cold press and had to draw something quick so I could try it out again. :)
If you've never painted on hot press, try it sometime. I love the way the color sits... and shines!

Anyway, happy sketching...
I have to get through some novels I've been addicted to so I can focus!!!

:P
I can't wait... for Friday!!!
Having a day job can be tedious... but well, such is life. Hopefully some day soon, I will have secured more freelance work and will be able to confidently work exclusively on illustration.
Well, cheers all!! :)

An update

I finally adjusted a few things on my website and uploaded some newer sketches as well (here is one of the pages I added).  I also added a downloadable coloring sheet of the cover of The Moon and the Nightsweeper in case someone would want to use it to run off copies for their class or child.  That can be fun- I've used them at book signings before and I think children really have fun coloring them.  If I can get my butt in gear, I can probably have more for the other books, too.

So it's exciting to know that I Can Speak Bully is now at the pre-ordering stage... I still haven't seen the official interiors, although I have seen a mock-up for the cover.  I feel much more capable now (I think that's only natural that if you practice, you're going to get better-duh) so I really hope to land another contract soon!  I've always wanted to illustrate a story with some magic to it- like a Christmas story.

By the way, it has finally cooled off here in Portland so I am going to be pulling out the watercolors again soon.  In the meanwhile, I'll need a bite to eat, and then sketch-time!

My twin has been staying over at our dad's apartment (he's leaving to China for 4 yrs. so she wants to spend as much time as she can with him before then) so I have been without my crit-buddy!!! You can only imagine how that feels...  and I am someone who (since birth) needs a companion to help me fight crime and lay down the law... let's hope I survive this!!

To the bat cave!