Squish!

February 2012 Desktop Calendar is here!

2012-01-31T11:42:00.000-05:00

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I don't know about you, but the first month of 2012 flew by like a whirlwind. Maybe it was the combination of crazy hockey schedules(for my 3 oldest boys), plus landing my first picture book contract, in conjunction with the daily hustle and bustle of having 4 busy kids. But I don't mind, the busier I am the more I seem to get accomplished.
I thought for this month's desktop calendar I would use a new favorite image that I created for this year's SCBWI Tomie dePaula award submission. I had a blast creating this illustration. Who knew fowl and feathers would be so much fun to create in plasticine? I thought my lovey-dovey couple, Cocky Locky "cool-man" rooster and his swooning hen, Miss Henny Penny would be the perfect couple to feature.

To download this calendar simply click on your screen resolution link under the above image, then right click and select "set as desktop background". Easy peasy.
Cheers to a Happy Valentine's Day!
I hope you all have a fun, productive, and happy February. :)

Featured on Miss Marple's Musings Blog by Joanna Marple

2012-01-11T13:04:00.000-05:00

I was asked by my new 12x12 FB challenge friend Joanna Marple, if I'd like to be interviewed for her blog feature "Interview Wednesday" featuring up-and-coming illustrators.
Joanna's blog features book reviews and reflections from across the cultures, interviews, and resources for parents and educators. Well of course I jumped at the chance, answering with a big resounding SURE!! I was very honoured to have been asked and I had a blast answering Joanna's great interview questions. Please visit her blog and check out my interview at Miss Marple's Musings.
Thanks so much Joanna for the interview, and I look forward to getting to know you through the 12x12 challenge. :)

BIG NEWS!!! I will be illustrating my first Picture Book!

2012-01-07T15:35:00.001-05:00

I can now officially announce my BIG news! I am going to be illustrating my first Picture Book, "Skink on the Brink" by Lisa Dalrymple, published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside, due out Spring 2013. Holy Moly, can you believe it, every time I say it I start doing my happy dance again! I feel like I am going the burst, I am so incredibly excited! I had the pleasure of visiting Christie Harkin and Cathy Sandusky at Fitzhenry & Whiteside yesterday. My editor(ok how fun is that to say?!!) Christie Harkin gave me the o.k to give you all a sneak peek of one of the preliminary illustrations. I used plasticine of course and tried painting Stewy with acrylic gloss to give his skin a glisten.
So let me introduce you to.....drum roll please.....Stewy the skink. He might be teeny tiny, but he has a larger than life personality that I an so excited to illustrate and share with the world. Lisa wrote an amazing manuscript, that immediately pulls you in. I know you will fall totally in love with this little guy just as I did. So mark you calendars for "Skink on the Brink's" release date for the Spring of 2013.
Lisa also has another book in the works called " If It's No Trouble...A Big Polar Bear" coming out with Tuckamore Books in Sept. 2012.

I hope to post a bit about the process of illustrating a picture book as I go(after the ok of course) to document the whole wonderful journey.
Maybe there will be the occasional photo of Stewy too- another sneak peek from time to time. ;)

Back to my happy dance :)...Have a great weekend everyone!

Happy New Year! January 2012 Desktop Calendar is here!

2011-12-31T10:28:00.001-05:00

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I hope you all have had a great Christmas and holiday season so far. I am very excited to see what new and exciting opportunities come our way in 2012 and I hope you are too. Here is my January 2012 desktop calendar as my gift to you for all you support and friendship over this past year- Thank-you so much! To download this desktop calendar simply click on the preferred screen resolution link, right click, then select "set as background".
I have met so many wonderful and talented illustrators and Children's Book industry people through SCBWI, CANSCAIP, FB and twitter and I hope to meet you guys in person at a conference one day soon. Reflecting on the past year makes me a little emotional as I reflect on the supportive, and encouraging relationships I have with so many wonderful people. I am so very thankful to all my family and friends for enriching my life, I love you all :)

Wishing you all a very productive, and happy 2012!!

SCBWI 2012 Tomie dePaola award submission

2011-12-16T13:11:00.017-05:00

Here is my submission for this year's SCBWI 2012 Tomie dePaola Illustrator award. It was created using plasticine and I used polymer clay for the metallic effects. I wanted it to be rich with lots of yummy textures, and details. This year Tomie selected this passage from P.C Asbjornsen's "Chicken Licken":

So they went along and went along until they met Turkey Lurkey

“Good morning, Goosey Loosey, Ducky Daddles, Cocky Locky, Henny Penny,

and Chicken Licken,” said Turkey Lurkey, “where are you going?”

“Oh, Turkey Lurkey, the sky is falling and we are going to tell the King!”

"How do you know the sky is falling?” asked Turkey Lurkey.

“Ducky Daddles told me,” said Goosey Loosey.

“Cocky Locky told me,” said Ducky Daddles.

“Henny Penny told me,” said Cocky Locky.

“Chicken Licken told me,” said Henny Penny

“I saw it with my own eyes, I heard it with my own ears,

and a piece of it fell on my tail!” said Chicken Licken.

“Then I will go with you,” said Turkey Lurkey, “and we will tell the King!”

I am so excited to see all of the wonderful interpretations submitted by my fellow entrants!

If you'd like to see some of the submissions head over to the Unofficial Tomie dePaola award submissions blog. A big thank-you goes out to Diandra Mae, for setting up the blog and taking the time to put it all together over the holidays! Good luck to all who entered, I can't wait to see who Tomie selects as this years winner. The illustrations are all so wonderfully unique, Tomie has a very tough job this year.

To see the othe amazing submissions just click on the big acorn on the right to go to the Unofficial blog!

Best of luck everyone! Fingers crossed!!

December Desktop Calendar is here!

2011-11-30T14:19:00.000-05:00

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We had our first snow of the season this morning. It was wet and messy, not very fluffy and pretty, but snow never the less. Time to put on the snow tires!
And as tomorrow is the 1st of December, I thought it would be the perfect time to post my free desktop calendar. Consider it an early Christmas present :)
I showed this image previously, as it was one of a few I created to go into my winter promotional mailer packets. I am waiting patiently for my Moo shipment to arrive, full of all of my goodies; business card sized gift tags, stickers, and postcards....Eeeeeeee, I can't wait to crack open that package and see how they turned out!

As always just click on the appropriate screen resolution size link below the calender and right click to set as background, or save to desktop.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it....doesn't it make you want to go out and hit the toboggan slopes....fingers crossed we get a white winter. While I am wishing, can I also wish for a magical snow shoveling elf to accompany the snow...that one is for hubby :)

Busy behind the scenes

2011-11-17T12:53:00.000-05:00

It has been a few weeks since I have paid attention to my cute little blog,. sorry blog. I have been busy behind the scenes after attending my first CANSCAIP Packaging your Imagination Conference, getting my winter promotional material created, prepared and ordered. I am pleased to say that as of last night it has been ordered and hopefully will arrive in a few weeks to be lovingly packaged and sent out to all of my dream publishing houses. I liked my idea to include a little take away gift(bookmark) in my last mailer, so this time I thought, for the festive season, I'd create some rounded corner business cards that I could turn into gift tags by punching a little corner hole and attaching some festive ribbon. I also created rounded corner rectangular stickers from the same images to be used as gift labels....hopefully they will make their way onto someones holiday gifts.

I ordered a few extra so if anyone would like a few to use this holiday season drop me a line with your address and I'll send them out. Maybe closer to Christmas I will make a printable PDF so you can even print them off on your own computer to use? I'm liking that idea too.

When my postcards and extra goodies arrive from Moo I'll be sure to take a photo and post it, to share in my glee. :)

Stay warm everyone, winter is here, and it's time to crack out the winter coats and toques! :)

November Desktop Calendar

2011-10-31T12:55:00.000-04:00

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Happy Halloween everyone! November is just around the corner, tomorrow actually, so I have posted another free desktop calendar for you to snaz-up your computer screen! I used a recent illustration I created for Illustration Rally's Children's Book Illustration Contest. The winner has not been announced yet, but if you get the chance go check out all of the beautiful illustrations submitted! Very inspiring to say the least. :)

To download your desktop calendar simply click on the link corresponding to your desktop resolution, then right click and then click on "set as background".

I hope eveyone has a safe and fun Halloween!

Dad's Birthday Cake

2011-10-31T12:36:00.000-04:00

Here are some photos of the fish cake I created for my Dad's surprise 70th birthday party this past weekend. I molded the fish out of rice krispies and the water was a very yummy lemon cake. My Dad loves to fish at the cottage in the summertime. He and his buddy Doug have had quite the dry spell lately, so this cake is representative of the "big one" that got away! LOL :)
He was completely surprised and a ton of fun was had by all that attended.
Happy Birthday Dad!!

Children's Book Rally Submission at Illustration Rally

2011-09-30T13:35:00.002-04:00

Right now there is a Children's Book Rally going on over at Illustration Rally. To submit you could choose to illustrate 2 double page spreads of either an original story or an old classic. I chose to illustrate my take on the classic fable "Thumbelina"by Hans Christian Andersen. I love this fable and could relate to this character growing up as I was always the tiniest child in school. Over the years I have grown to love being ...ummm...petite, not short, and now fully embrace my uniqueness.

I took this opportunity to create 2 double page spreads that show variations in layout, text placement composition, viewpoint and character emotion, yet maintained character continuity and artistic style.

My submission illustrations do not have the text included as the text was longer than the one or two sentence allowance within the submission guidelines. So above are the final double page spreads, including text.

I am really enjoying checking out Illustration Rally each day to see what fabulous submission are posted. Go now and see for yourself!

I'd love your feedback as always and hope you enjoy my interpretation of Hans Christian Andersen's "Thumbelina".

P.S It looks like Illustration Rally has extended the deadline for submissions until Oct. 10th, so do head over to their site on the link above and enter!

October Desktop Calendar

2011-09-30T13:04:00.002-04:00

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Hi Everyone! Well it is the end of another month and you know what that means...free desktop calendar time!! Yipppeeee! I chose to make this month's calendar from a personal work-in-progress illustration that is still waiting patiently to be completed. It's a fall farm scene, highlighting the abundance of glorious autumn colours we are so lucky to experience here in Ontario Canada. As it is the background of this illustration, I've had to zoom in pretty close with my camera, but I kinda like it as you get to really see the details of the mud and wheat fields nicely. Eventually there will be some rambunctious kiddos frolicking in a big pile of leaves in the foreground, which I have cropped out for now.
To download your desktop calendar simply click on the link corresponding to your desktop resolution, then right click and click on set as background.
I hope you enjoy it and it reminds you to get out and enjoy autumn before it gets too chilly. :)

Inspiration galore!

2011-09-20T14:30:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to attend a seminar by the Canadian Children's Book Centre. It was a wonderful morning packed with advice and discussion from some of our canadian author/illustrators, publishers and booksellers. I still can't quite believe I was in the same room as some of these fabulous people-pinch me. Award-winning authors Frieda Wishinsky, Gillian O'Reilly, Kevin Sylvester, and yes Barbara Reid! I know, double pinch me!! It was interesting that each spoke of non-fiction writing, and how it is often something we don't immediately consider when we think about children's books. But now I sure will! Especially considering my background in science. They all hit home how important it was to write about what you know and love, and to honour your voice.
I left so inspired and energized that I started brainstorming ideas for my own picture book manuscript the very next day.
Canadian publishers Margie Wolfe and Sheba Meland shared the inside scoop on what they are looking for; from cover letter advice, to how to stand out in their slush pile. Booksellers Maria Martella and Saffron Beckwith spoke about what librarians, schools and bookstores are looking for in new children's books.
Overall it was a very informative and inspiring seminar. The speakers were so kind, humble and honest in their thoughtful responses to how they began their careers and found success in this industry.
After this seminar I am really looking forward to my next conference: "Package your Imagination" by CANSCAIP this November. And I think I better start saving my pennies because next on my list will be an SCBWI conference :)

ABC Series IIlustration

2011-09-07T22:05:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone had a great August! Was it just me or did it fly by really fast??

I managed to get one glorious week up north with the family filled with load of fun in the lake as the weather was amazing. Then I stayed on for another week all by myself yes that right, no kiddies(did I say how incredibly wonderful my hubby was to give me such a refresher) to get lots of artwork done and some R&R.

It was wonderful to dive into work for hours at a time and I got quite a bit accomplished. I completed this ABC series for a local nursery school I just adore. I added many of the items found in-class as well as many of the special events and spirit day themes. I felt it was important to personalize it as much as possible with familiar objects so that the children could use the illustration as a fun learning tool.

I also decided to work with a limited colour palette on this piece. I have to give a big shout out here to the wonderfully talented Jannie Ho -aka Chicken Girl for inspiration. I love her ABC series, I can see how they can become addicting, and her use of limited colour palettes is so fabulous. I think the overall effect of this limited palette nicely unifies the illustration, keeping it gender neutral and playful.

I hope everyone had a safe and memorable summer. My kiddos started school today actually, and my youngest met her JK teacher and is excitedly awaiting her start next week. It's going to be a weird adjustment for me with all of my babies in school full-time....

Summer Promo Packets

2011-08-05T12:15:00.000-04:00

My package from Moo arrived yesterday just in the nick of time!! WEEEEHOOOOO!! I love Moo's products and managed to get my order in during a Moo-wide 30% off sale!!

We are heading up to our family cottage for a week(then I am staying on for a few more days of art-time) and I wanted have all my supplies on hand to assemble my summer promo packet mailers during the quiet evenings up there.:)

I went with 2 different postcard fronts as not all the publishers I am targeting like anthropomorphized animals. The backs are the same on both. I also had some minicards printed that I am going to make into bookmarks. Trying to go for a summer beach feel with these. So I am using hemp cord, and I am leaning toward using a shell instead of a regular bead, but I am not sure if it will survive the trip through the mail.

Now I am just waiting for my vellum envelopes, which are due to arrive any second. I was going to go with clear self closing bags to hold my packet contents but it looks like there is an extra fee for sending any thing poly plastic through the mail! So I am going with translucent lovely vellum envelopes instead. Who doesn't looove the feel of vellum?? Am I right??

Hopefully the yummy vellum will help my promo packets to stand out from the slush pile, and the translucency will grab the curiosity of the AD, leaving them wanting to see what's inside......I hope, fingers crossed!

I hope everyone has a good 2 weeks, and I will post once we are back from our summer holidays! :)
As always I'd love any feedback :)

FREE August 2011 Desktop Calendar

2011-07-29T15:49:00.001-04:00

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Can you believe August is just around the corner! Summer is half over already!! Boy that just flew by.

For this month's FREE desktop calendar I thought this summer themed illustration of a fun-loving Granny having tea time with her grandchildren would be the perfect fit! Doesn't it make you want to go run barefoot in the grass to feel the blades tickle your toes? Too bad our grass is all yellow and straw-like due to the lack of rain in our area.Bummer! But we can image it. ;)

I love being able to spend more quality time with both sets of grandparents over the summer holidays. It really allows the kids and the rest of us to build lasting memories to cherish and have a good chuckle over when we reminisce.

As always, just click on the appropriate screen resolution link below the image to bring up the corresponding image size then right click and then left click on "set to background".

Cheers to creating great summer memories with your family!

Kids Cake 2011

2011-07-28T14:09:00.000-04:00

This past weekend we held our annual Birthday BBQ bash to celebrate the kids birthdays. For this year I decided to create a cake depicting the kids doing their favorite cottage activities. They have all grown such confidence and learned new skills this summer both in and around the water. They have learned new paddling skills, snorkeled with fins, attempted fancy dock jumps, caught bigger fish than Grandpa off the dock and even learned some new swim strokes. So I thought this theme would be a great idea to celebrate and showcase their achievements. Here are some pictures of the cake:

"crazy dock jumper- cowabunga!!!"

"determined fisherman"

"paddle snatcher in the dingy"

"super-engine on the dingy"

It was fun to make and after multiple attempts I finally figured out a way to suspend my dock jumper in mid air. Ha! The figures were make out of modelling paste, so they could each eat their own after we sang "happy birthday". Can I just say how much I prefer plasticine to modelling paste! But all in all, it was really worth it to see their happy little faces smiling and pointing out their achievments to each other and to friends.
Enjoy!

Minicards as Bookmarks

2011-07-20T00:27:00.000-04:00

I was very excited to see that my favorite printer MOO was offering a 30% off summer sale. Aren't there products just glorious? And I love their Printfinity option to get multiple images on the back of your products. Genius!What perfect timing, as I am in the midst of creating my summer promo mailers. So with a day to spare(as the sale ends tomorrow) I just finished placing my order. I created 2 different postcards and some minicards which I plan to fashion into cute little bookmarks. The above image is what will show on the back of my minicards, with my logo and info on the front. I am going to add a cute ribbon and bead detail at the top of each bookmark so it can easily keep ones spot in a favorite book of choice. You like?? I think I may be onto somethin' here...

IF- Stay

2011-07-11T14:25:00.000-04:00

The good friends decided to stay for one more jump. The perfect end to a fun filled day.

I couldn't resist using this illustration for this weeks Illustration Friday topic "stay". I hope to do a series of illos with all of these little friends....they sure can get into mischief while seeking out adventure!

Short post as it's summer time and with 4 kidlets home it is kinda crazy around here! Happy summer everyone!

Free July 2011 Desktop calendar

2011-06-29T22:54:00.001-04:00

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Hi Everyone,

It's that time of month again- FREE desktop calendar time!! Yippeee :) I don't know about you but I just love checking out all the amazing desktop calendars created by so many great illustrators each month. I have a hard time picking and often put different ones up weekly, so I can admire and get inspiration from all my favorites. A few other links to check out for desktop calendars are Jonathan Woodward (click up top on free stuff), We love to illustrate for children group blog, and Geninne Zlatkis .

Remember to click on your screen resolution link listed below the image then right click and click on "set to background".

I hope you all enjoy this desktop calendar and it reminds you of how fun it is to play with friends and be silly sometimes. :)

Fun in the mud!

2011-06-23T12:58:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest plasticine illustration I have been working on over the past few weeks. I thought it would be fun to do a bunch of silly farm animals taking turns jumping in the mud in the pig's pen. Those crazy animals! The textures were fun to play with, expecially the mud! I hope I didn't give my kiddos any ideas- ekk! ;)

Below are some close-ups of the jumping sheep and my mocking rooster. Enjoy!

First Edition of the Zero2illo zine is here!!

2011-06-18T22:38:00.000-04:00

I am so excited to share with you that the very first edition of the Zero2illo Zine is available now! If you haven't yet signed up for your subscription then go and subscribe now!! I am so very honoured to have been one of the lucky illustrators chosen to be featured in the gallery section of this first edition! I submitted my "Teepee Granny" illustration above.
This new venture put forth by the very talented Jonathan Woodward, and his equally talented wife Lea Woodward is fantastic example of how to bring together a great bundle of illustration resources such as website analysis, in depth interviews, illustration business tips, and a gallery section with great artwork from both established and emerging illustrators, all rolled up into a cohesive and gorgeously designed e-zine. Brilliant!
Jonathan also contributed a wonderful process piece of the creation of his majestic eagle illustration that he submitted for the BBC Wildlife Artist of the Year Competition. I so love seeing other artist processes and methods, and this one did not disappoint! I really must try collage soon! I have it on my "to-do" list.
They are currently accepting submissions until July 31st for the next issue due out in Sept. so do visit zero2illo for more information on how to subscribe and definitely submit some of your illustrations! The zine will also be sent to select Art Directors as well as subscribers.
So go, go now and check it out!!! You know you want to....;)

Two FREE June 2011 desktop calendars to choose from...

2011-05-31T12:41:00.001-04:00

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I thought my little hummingbird and parachuting mice characters were so much fun that they'd both make great June 2011 desktop calendars. So now you have two to choose from...I might just have to switch back and forth every other week, I can't pick a favorite?!! Just click on the links below each image to choose from 2 different screen resolutions of each desktop calendar, then right click the image and click on " Save to desktop". Enjoy!! :)

Hummingbird...and friends

2011-05-30T10:54:00.000-04:00

Here another few quick snaps of this illustration as I'm working on it. The hummingbird is giving a ride to a furry mouse friend and his little buddy is parachuting in above with a napkin. Lately I have had a thing for Echinacea flowers...I've used them in my last 2 plasticine illustrations- they are so, so pretty :)

Can't wait to share more...check back soon. ;)

Hummingbird

2011-05-27T16:28:00.000-04:00

Just a quick little post to share a few snaps of what I've been up to...

Here is a quick snapshot of the little hummingbird character I am working on that will be part of my next plasticine illustration. As you can see from the quick sketch above he will be giving a little mouse friend a ride, and will accompany a few other skydiving, and daredevilish little mice. Bye for now...:)

Butterflies and flowers...

2011-05-19T12:57:00.001-04:00

Here is a close-up of one of the illustrations I am currently working on. I don't know how the weather has been where you live, but here in Southern Ontario it has been very, very VERY wet! Enough rain already, and let's bring on the sunshine! The only good thing about the wet weather we've had is that we now have the lushest, greenest grass and an abundance of tree blossoms. So it is rather pretty outside even in this gloomy, damp weather.:)

I thought it would be fitting to share my butterflies and Echinacea blooms today now that the sun is finally  making an appearance- yippeee!

We are off to the cottage this long weekend. It will be the first trip for us this season. Time to crack out my lists and start packing! I hope everyone has a great weekend too!

Must be Spring...

2011-05-06T12:46:00.000-04:00

May always brings with it a plethera of activity...this year my second son has his first communion, we have 3x3 hockey for the oldest 2 boys starting up and then soccer season begins for all four of my kiddos. Geesh, it gets tricky to fit it all on my calender-thank goodness for coloured markers! But once they are all tuckered out with some good old fashioned exercise and off to sleep, I get to enjoy a cup of tea and get to work on some plasticine illustrations with the tunes playing on my ipod. Here's a little sneek peak at what I've been working on lately:

They are both still a work-in-progress, so I promise to share the full illustrations once they're completed. Sometimes it's nice to have a few projects on the go at once for variety. I hope everyone has a great Mother's Day!! I hope I get to sleep in! ;)

Some new work- Teepee Granny

2011-04-15T16:55:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone, here is the final illustration of my "Teepee Granny". I ended up re-working the face of the girl in yellow a few times and I am much happier with the giggly, cracking-up expression on her face. Thanks a bunch to my critique group The Creative Cup for all their great feedback(as always :) ). I really can't say how helpful and important it is to have a critique group. There encouragement and thoughtful feedback have been so invaluable. And thanks to my little 3 yr. old for posing for my reference pic.s- she does love the camera!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

I signed up with hai!- Hire an illustrator

2011-04-07T14:20:00.003-04:00

I am very excited to share some news. :) I signed up with a fantastic online illustration portfolio site called hire an illustrator.Not only do they serve as a one-stop shop site showcasing illustrators in everything from children's to nature or fashion illustration, but they also put together frequent mail packs full of illustrators promotional materials to send out to art directors and other industry professionals through there mailing lists. I think I it will increase my chances of getting my work seen if an art director gets a snazzy mail pack from a reputable name like hai. I'm really excited about this, and hope it attracts some great clients. I haven't tried an online illustrator portfolio site before, but many of my illustrator friends have highly recommended this one. Darren and Jane Di Lieto, the faces behind hai, are super helpful and they work very hard at promoting their illustrators and providing a platform to showcase their work.

If you get a chance do pop over to check it out here! And if you aren't on it yet, well get over there and see what your are missing silly!!;)

Granny in the teepee Work-in-progress

2011-04-05T13:20:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone, I thought I'd share what I am currently working on. This illustration will have children in it as well, so far I have only completed the grandmother character. But as it was inspired by a special memory I thought it would be fun to share at this point.

As I said, this illustration was inspired by a specific fond memory I have of a grandmother-like family friend that joined my sister and I in our teepee, on one hot summer day. As little girls my twin sis and I loved to goof around having fun in the backyard in our teepee playing cowboys and indians, or pirates(obviously we were so not girly-girls). My parent's dear friend Mrs. Margaret, as we lovingly called her, had come to visit. And being the proper english lady that she was, she would have a cuppa tea with my mom while they visited. Well one day when she was over, my sister and I asked if she would like to join us in our teepee. To our delight and surprise( and my mom's too) she slipped off her shoes with a smile, and quickly plopped herself down in our teepee, tea still in hand, to enjoy our company and tell us grand stories. According to my mom it what quite a sight to see. Sitting as prim and proper as possible with her tea cup and saucer squeezed into the little kiddie teepee with the two of us. We loved every minute of it, and we were so honoured that she joined us. We love you and miss you Mrs. Margaret.

What I learned from being hacked!

2011-03-27T22:15:00.000-04:00

As some of you know I had the unfortunate experience of being hacked a few weeks ago. I thought I would share some "lessons learned" after realizing my brand new wesite had been hacked. If I can save anyone out there from going through  the frustrations and the fear of possibly losing all my hard work, then that would be great! I hope this will help other illustrators/artists who created their own websites( and like me are not IT specialists or programmers by any stretch of the imagination) to protect your lovely websites and give you  some things to consider, and steps to take to better protect your website.

I had only had my site up for about a month or so, when I logged on one day to find that it had been hacked. Well of course I freaked out, and quickly emailed my support techs at my hosting company.  While they tried to restore my website from a backup, the hacker had embedded some nasty code in my site, possibly through my own computer, so going through the repeated process of deleting, reinstalling WP files, then restoring my backup was not fixing the problem. I ended up having my account suspended twice over a 2 week period becuase the hacker had my site linked to some phishing schemes that caused it to be flagged by phishing patrol websites. Luckily my friend Jonathan Woodward at zero2illo suggested his go-to guy for website and WordPress security issues Neil Matthews. He runs a website for WordPress coaching and technical support called WP DUDE. Great name too don't you think?

Neil quickly diagnosed the problem and offered a security service review to beef up my WordPress security. His rates are very reasonable, and believe me it was the best money I ever spent for the peace of mind of knowing my site is protected properly. (insert big sigh of relief here!)
Then about a week or so later I was hacked again! I know it's not personal but it sure feels that way! I've been joking that some one out in cyberspace must really have a thing against plasticine illustration and all things creative-honestly!
Neil was quick to relay the bad news and look into it for me. The hacker got in this time through my FTP, so he could circumvent all the security Neil had just put in place. Geesh. He is going to share with me some steps to ensure my FTP is more secure.

I honestly am so thankful to Neil, who runs the super amazing website WP DUDE. He was so prompt, patient, and helpful, like an WordPress knight in shining armour, rescuing me from my hacker nightmare! Neil, thank-you, thank-you ,thank-you!

I highly recommend Neil's services for any security issues you may have, or wonder about, to ensure your site is secure. I signed up for his WordPress troubleshooting methodology mini course, so that I can learn how to troubleshoot myself and further educate myself should I have WP issues in the future. Knowledge is power people!
Neil also offers a fantastic webinar series( yes my Mom even signed on for his webinar series!) and his WP DUDE blog is jam-packed full of other Wordpress goodness for anyone wanting to educate themselves and make their WP sites as great as they can be.  So go now, and check it out!! You will be glad you did.

So to break it down here are the things I learned:

1. Always back up your website. and back it up often. You can do this via a plug-in or through your host provider, or both.

2. Aways update your site with the latest versions of your WP platform, theme and plug-ins. Any security holes will hopefully be taken care of in the most recent version.

3.Go to WP DUDE and educate yourself on how to protect your website

4. Make sure to set unique and difficult passwords with upper case, lower case, numbers and symbols for each password. Never use names or the same password for more than one account or email. And if you are hacked go and change every single password to ensure the hacker can't access any other personal info.

5. Scan your computer once a week or so with Malware to rid any nasty viruses you may have inadvertantly picked up.  My kids also have access to our computer, and you know how they can be click-happy, so I scan more often just in case.

6. If you fear you have been hacked or need technical assistance, contact Neil Matthews through his website WP DUDE . Save yourself some frustration and let a friendly, knowledgable professional fix your site right the first time!

I'm on zero2illo!

2011-03-24T20:59:00.000-04:00

Ok, I'm bursting with excitement to tell you that Jonathan Woodward, of the fabulous zero2illo website, has just posted a new article in his Process of Illustration series featuring moi!! This is so, so exciting! I am so honoured to have been asked by Jonathan to share my process for zero2illo. Zero2illo has been a HUGE part in my journey toward "going for it" and becoming an illustrator. It is such a great go-to resource, where I feel such support and encouragement not only by Jonathan and Lea but by the other great illustrators I have met through the z2i forum.

I documented my process for the "Snow Angel" illustration I did for an Illustration Friday topic. I was so happy with it I ended up using it as a promo piece.

I know how much I love reading how other artists work and seeing their process. I find them very inspiring and I always take away a little something, either a technique or idea to push my art further.

I hope you find it interesting and enjoy the post!

Thanks again Jonathan for the feature!!! :)

Still trying to fix my website...

2011-03-10T15:41:00.000-05:00

HI Everyone,
Sorry I have been absent form my blog lately. As some of you already know, my website was hacked and the hackers linked it to some phishing sites- jerks! So I have been trying for the past 2 weeks to get it all corrected and sorted out. It's been a bit of a nightmare. I hope to have it back up ASAP.
In other news, I have been busy working on a 1st birthday cake for my adorable niece. After having 3 boys before my daughter, I still get giddy when designing anything girly. I will post a picture once it is complete.
Bye for now!

My Moo business cards are here!!

2011-02-22T17:46:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited. My very first set of business cards from Moo just arrived in the mail!!! Lalalalaaa.! I should be folding laundry but instead I jumped online to share my fun news. I tried Moo's Printfinity option and chose 11 of my favorite images to use on my business cards. I love this idea because it allows you to carry around a mini portfolio of your work in your purse, that you can take out and show as you offer someone your card: "pick a card any card". Too cool!

I am also waiting on my very first set of postcard mailers from Overnight Prints. I couldn't resist the 30% off winter sale their where offering, on their already amazing prices. And I liked the selection of postcard sizes and edges (rounded or not) from which to choose. Many other illustrators I admire seem to be really happy with their quality. So I thought I'd give them a shot too.

This feels like Christmas! Yippeeee!

Let me know what you think of my shiny new business cards! I even got the cutest pink card holder for my purse.:)

Facebook- finally!

2011-02-22T09:45:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone,

I am pleased to announce that I am finally on Facebook. Hahahah, I know, what the heck took me so long, I've been bugged by family and friends for years now. I wanted to start up a page for my illustration business, so that is really what got the fire lit under me. I am really loving Twitter, so I thought I might as well get my FB page going too.

If you get a change please check out my page, and "like" me if you like ;)

I've got annual check-ups at the Dr.s office today for all 4 kiddos at the same time, .....wish me luck, and lots of patience!

Lunch Box Love-part 4 and 5

2011-02-18T13:07:00.000-05:00

Here is the lunch box love note that I sent in my boys lunches yesterday. It's a photo of my little daughter in dress-up army gear. Of course, she has to be like the big brothers, no princess dresses here. My oldest, who is an avid history buff, has created his own army troop, were each sibling has their own special rank. It's too cute to see them marching around the house like ducks in a row, saluting as they march past.

They adore there little sister, so I thought they'd get a kick out of having a lunch love note from her, to express her love for them as she misses them so much when they are off at school all day long.

Here is today's lunch box love note. I didn't have much time this morning as my oldest was getting organized to head out to his first out of town hockey tournament, so I cheated a bit and used some handy-dandy scrapbooking stickers to make a fishing themed note. The kids are already counting down the days until we will be going back up to the family cottage in the spring.

This has been a fun week creating lunch box love notes for my kiddies, and now that the week is ending I am busy thinking up ideas for next week. I guess I have reset the precedent now and my usual quick napkin notes will no longer cut it??! ;)

Thanks so much Holli Conger for creating the Lunch Box Love Challenge- we had a lot of FUN!!!

IF "Sweater"

2011-02-17T11:03:00.000-05:00

This week's theme for Illustration Friday is sweater. I immediately had this idea to do a little girl (OK it my darling daughter who posed ;)- too cute eh?!) in a cozy cable knit sweater making snow angels gleefully in the snow.
I also wanted an opportunity to try making knitwear in plasticine. I was recently wowed by some polymer clay knit jewelery work featured on Polymer Clay Daily created by Claire Wallis. I know, amazing isn't it? So I thought it would be cool to try doing it in plasticine. I changed up the process a bit to suit the plasticine as it is much more malleable than polymer clay, but overall I am really happy with the result.
You know me, I love details and textures, so this close-up illustration provided me with the perfect chance to play and create lots of authentic textures.
You will see it's process documented in another post that I will fill you all in on later on....exciting stuff.
I'd love your feedback as always!!

Lunch Box love- Part 2

2011-02-16T09:20:00.000-05:00

YO HO HO!!!!
For today's "Lunch Box love" I made my boys pirate notes. Last night after dinner we had some fun together doing origami and made the hats together, even my 3 yr. old daughter got into the action. I thought it would be fun to surprise them with their own handmade origami hats incorporated into the lunch box notes. I poked around my craft boxes and found some googly eyes, scraps of fabric for the bandana, and some trusty tinfoil to make an earring-"ARRRRR". ;)

Lunch Box Love

2011-02-15T13:00:00.000-05:00

First off, Happy Belated Valentine's Day!!!

I am joining a little challenge suggested by the super talented Holli Conger. Any of you Mommies(and Daddies) out there would love it too! For this week we are doing a "A little Lunch Box Love Challenge", so drop by Holli's blog for all sorts of cute ideas and info.
I have sent little notes in my kiddies lunches every since my oldest, who is now 9 yrs. old, was in JK. Now with 3 in full time and one in half day nursery school 2 days a week, my morning routine in like a whirlwind. Getting 4 munchkins fed, dressed and out the door on time is no small feat, so most of the time my little notes are a quick sketch on an extra napkin, nothing as pretty as Holli's cute creations.
I am amazed at her ability to whip up something so cute and thoughtful so fast with a teeny newborn and daughter to get ready every morning! Way to go Holli!!!

So on Monday, which was Valentine's day, I sent each of my little men a box of 10 homemade love-heart cookies instead of a note. Yes, it is true what they say - the way to a little boy's heart is through his stomach too!! :)
All of my boys have severe anaphylactic food allergies to nuts, eggs and milk, so I baked safe cookies for them to bring to school to celebrate.

For today, I came up with these pop-out 3D notes with a foam hand cut-out to "High Five" my boys. I'm all about positive praise and reinforcement. It is sometimes tricky to come up with something that all 3 will enjoy as they are into very different things at there ages. I also changed up the messages so that each one reflects their reading level. Nothing makes me more proud than to hear my little guy say "Mommy I read your note to me all by my 'sewf"', in his little-guy accent.

I hope they didn't get mangled before lunch ;). Now to start thinking up tomorrow's notes.

Great idea Holli!!

Website retweek

2011-02-05T19:44:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone,
If you have been over at my new website, you may notice that did a little retweeking. I rearranged the layout of the "Home" page and changed the way the portfolio images are viewed. At first the portfolio images opened up in a new window but I changed them to open in the same window for ease of navigation. I took the great advice form my friends in the zero2illo forum, and also moved up my image rotator on this page so that most of it is visible once you land on the page and then you don't have to scroll down to get the full image. I also decreased the height of my header as well, to help create more space for the image rotator. At the top are my favorite 2 of the 9 variations I came up with for a new header design. I know 9, yeah...totally type A of me- hahaha.
I opted to go with the top header image. If you have a preference I'd love to hear it!:)
Now that the website is live I am looking forward to getting back to messing around with my plasticine and get creating. I have a project I hope to finish in a few weeks so stay tuned for updates.
Bye for now!

New website is LIVE!!!

2011-02-01T16:15:00.002-05:00

Hello,
I just launched my new portfolio website suzannedelrizzo.com. I had a few glitches but I think is up and running now.
I was hoping to get it up yesterday but we've had a nasty bout of stomach flu on a rampage thru the house and all the kids have come down with it ON SEPARATE DAYS!!! So this website launch has had to wait.
I hope you will all take a second to read through the content, and check out all of my images and if you notice any typo.s or have any suggestions, please don't hesitate to share!
Thanks hubby for being patient when I was frustrated and tired, you are the best! But I think it was worth all the work!;)
If anyone is thinking of creating their own website I highly recommend the Headway WP theme. It really made it easy once I got the hang of it.
Enjoy! Let me know what you think!!

Fresh new look to match my new website!!

2011-01-29T23:44:00.000-05:00

So this is the reason I have been so absent from my dear little blog lately.....I'm finally putting a proper website together. Here is a sneak peek of my new portfolio website, well a screen shot of the top half of the "Home" page at least. I am so excited to share it with you all, but it isn't quite finished yet. I hope to launch it next week if all goes as planned!
We've had a case of the stomach flu hit the family so fingers crossed it doesn't make the rounds to all of us and slow down my momentum!
I am using the Headway theme from Wordpress and it has been tons of fun playing around with it.

I wanted to have the same look and feel on both my website and this blog. But since it looks a little more complicated to make the switch from Blogger to WP, I've decided to stay put and just match it up as best I can for the time being.
So I switched templates, customized it a bit by changing the background to my cool plasticine image, re-sized my cute header, and changed some fonts and colours and voila!
What do ya think?
I hope everyone will please check out my website once it goes live at suzannedelrizzo.com, and give lots of constructive crit.s and comments too.

It looks like Febuary is going to be a busy month with artwork that has been put on the back burner while I've been getting the website put together so I promise to have lots of artwork illustrations to show soon!:)

New Website Header

2011-01-14T13:15:00.000-05:00

Well, I am busily working behind the scenes on my website. I know, I know, it is about time. This is something I have been wanting to start for a while as I feel it is imperative to have a portfolio website for clients and AD's to be able to check out your in a more professional setting. I have been wavering between the idea of hiring someone to design it or making it myself.
After much thought, I have decided to make it myself, even though I know it might take me 5 times longer than a designer and potentially take time away from my already squeezed "art time", but I think I have all the right tools to get the job done right (hopefully!).
I am a huge fan of Jonathan and Lea Woodward's zero2illo website. I purchased their amazingly helpful 12 week challenge kit, which also has some fabulous video tutorials for setting up Wordpress, and the Headway
theme. I have been a very diligent little student studying these tutorials and basically trying to become as familiarized with Wordpress as I can. I admit it felt overwhelming at first as I felt like such a fish out of water, but now that I have been doing my research I feel more prepared and I know that if I have any silly questions or get stumped I have resources to get unstuck.
I am really excited to have full creative control over my website, as I have so many ideas ready to be realized.
I have been working on a new Header for my website. I want one that's not quite as big as the one I currently use on my blog. I plan to have the same header on each page of my site, that way AD's and clients have an easy reminder of who's site they are visiting and my contact info. is right at the top so they can jot it down.
I have incorporated the image of my little mousy into my header as she has become my brand mascot. To be consistent she is also in my Twitter background and blog header too.
I played around with the background colours in the image above, which do you prefer? Right now I am leaning towards this:

I don't want it to be too dark and compete with the info on each page. I would love any feedback as always :)

Hoping for more snow tomorrow! The kiddies have been having a blast on their new mini-luges they got for Christmas and their zippy toboggans.

New Year, New Goals, New logo...

2011-01-07T14:21:00.000-05:00

Instead of making a list or resolutions to achieve this year, I decided to choose a word or phrase( in my case) to follow. I noticed a few other illustrator/designer/creative people who's blogs I follow have opted to have a "word of the year", and I thought it was a grand idea!

So for 2011 my phrase is: Be brave, and go for it. Basically I plan to keep saying this to myself as a little mantra, whenever I feel like I'm stepping out of my comfort zone. Which...may be often, as I am a very shy person by nature, and I have always found it kinda difficult to put myself out there with out the fear of rejection.
I think many of us have this fear, and we need to just be brave, and go for it. Easier said than done I think. But I have come to realize that I need to embrace my fears. All that jittery, butterflies-in-the-stomach, what- if-this-doesn't-work-out fear, could also be deep rooted excitement because I am finally realizing and following my dream career!
I have to thank my wonderful hubby and family and friends for being the little nudge(read big shove) behind me, who cheer me on, and I also want to thank Michelle Ward, a career coach extraordinaire . Although I have never had the pleasure of speaking with her in person, I have found her blog, especially her Tough Question Tuesdays to be very insightful and helpful. Thanks Michelle!!

So to start off 2011, I am getting down to business and checking things off my list from last year-ekk.
I redesigned my logo. There is it up above this long post. I love it. I think it really shows my personality and is totally me.

I have joined Twitter. And boy is it fun! I followed along on the #kidlitart Thursday night 9pm twitter chat last night. why the heck I didn't do this sooner.... what a perfect networking tool to follow the "pulse" of Children's book illustration, and to meet many more in the industry.

I also joined SCBWI. I had joined CANSCAIP last year, and now I will have many more opportunities to gain insight and meet other illustrators and industry people.

I plan to enter some other illustration/art competitions too, more details on those to follow another day.

So I've been a busy girl these first weeks of January 2011. And I've got some momentum now to get the other stuff checked off from last years list...website..portfolio series...character study..facebook...
I am proud of myself for being so proactive and brave. My mantra is working!

Now if I could just get to folding all that laundry that's been patiently waiting since I joined Twitter-hmmmmm

Free Desktop Calender Wallpaper for January 2011

2011-01-02T15:19:00.001-05:00

(1680x1050), (1920x1200)

Happy New Year Everyone.

I thought it would be fun to start this brand new year with a little organization tool from me to you! So I made this cute free January Desktop Calender Wallpaper for you to download! Just click on the screen resolution size you require under the image then right click on the image and select Set As Desktop. The girls over at We Love To Illustrate for Children made some really awesome desktop calenders too. My kids are having fun picking which they want for a week then changing it up...well I couldn't decide on just one they were all to fun and cute!
Enjoy!

Big News!! I won 2nd place in the Toronto Star's Emerging Artist Contest!!

2010-12-24T08:18:00.000-05:00

I am sooo excited to share with you my big news! A few weeks ago I submitted this plasticine illustration to the Toronto Star's Emerging Artists Contest, and to my delight I won 2nd place!!!! Weeehooooo!

If you can get your hands on a copy of today's paper (yes that is Dec 24th) check out page A32. There you'll see the full article and both my 2nd place illustration and the 3rd place illustration (way to go Kyle Tonkens!!). I want to send out a big congratulations to the 1st place winner, Kelley Turgeon, who's gorgeous impressionistic Toronto Streetcar graces the front page! Way to go Kelley!!

If you don't have access to the paper version you can also see the top 10 on the Toronto Star's Cover Art Article, and Online Gallery, just scrolled down and click on the Related- Art Cover contest top 10.

The theme for this years contest was "Winter Holidays in Toronto". I decided I did not want to do the typical iconic image of Toronto like the CN tower, skyline or Nathan Phillip's Square, I wanted to capture something iconic but unique. So I decided on the Distillery District because of it's beautiful architecture, and heritage. It has become quite a little neighbourhood now, with many of the old building being converted into lofts. I wanted to show Toronto's diversity too, so I incorporated different enthnicities, ages, and lots of fun holiday activities.

This was a really fun and technically challenging piece. I haven't tackled this type of architecture before and I am pleased it turned out the way I had hoped. As always feedback and critiques are always welcome and appreciated.

As this year comes to a close, I want to thank all of you for taking the time to pop over to my blog, and for leaving such thoughtful and heart-warming comments. I really appreciate the time you choose to spend here with me- Thank-you! :)

I hope you all have a VERY Merry Christmas filled with happiness and laughter.

Big news to share on December 24th!!!

2010-12-22T10:05:00.000-05:00

I've been bursting with excitement and jumping around my kitchen like a silly goofball for the past few days. I've got some amazing, knock-my-socks off, news to share with you guys...but I can't until Dec. 24th...all I can say for now is to ask you to pleeeeeease go out and get yourselves a copy of The Toronto Star (if you live in the Greater Toronto Area) or check out The Toronto Star's website on Christmas Eve day...yes that's Dec. 24th. I will post about my awesome news that day too! I can't wait to share it with you all!!!
Now back to my happy dance...lalalalala :)

Holli Conger's Illustrations Tips and a Giveaway!

2010-12-16T13:17:00.000-05:00

I wanted to pass along an awesome draw! If you hurry, pop on over to Holli Conger's blog, and leave a comment or blog post, tweet, FB mention etc. to earn a spot in her fantabulous draw for a chance to win a

3 month marketing consultation! That's right you heard me, you get a chance to bounce marketing ideas around and learn from Holli herself! I know how great would that be?!! And for this wonderful month of December yes every single day in December, Holli is posting her thoughts on a different illustration topic. So far they have been little golden nuggets of wisdom. I can't wait to see what awaits for the rest of the month. Thanks so much for sharing Holli!

They Draw and Cook Feature

2010-12-11T20:47:00.000-05:00

HI Everyone,
Yesterday my recipe for Christmas Tree Cupcake " Cake" was featured on They Draw and Cook. I didn't win favorite recipe of the day(bummer), but after seeing the adorable recipe sent by Wilma Sanchez, I don't mind..she totally rocked it! Her Forest Spice Cake was so adorable and looked very yummy. Congrats Wilma!

I have been rather neglecting my blog as of late...sorry dear bloggyblog. I have been busy working on a piece for a Holiday themed contest and finally submitted it today- pheeewww. The deadline is tomorrow so I was getting really worried it wouldn't get finished on time. But after 3 late nighters in a row I managed to pull it off.
I wish I could show you guys the illustration, but I don't want to risk being disqualified for posting it here. So once they announce the winners, I'll fill you in more.

I hope everyones Christmas shopping, baking and festive gearing-up is going well, pheww... this is such a hectic time of year. I am really looking forward to some quality time once the kiddies are off of school. Hopefully we'll get some snow. Areas just to our West, North and East got a humongous dumping of snow last week but we barely got a sprinkle. :( My hubby says to stop complaining as I'm not the one who does the shovelling- heehee

I do love a white Christmas.

My submission for "They Draw & Cook Holiday Recipe Contest"

2010-11-25T14:15:00.000-05:00

I just love the illustration/recipe blog They Draw and Cook. It is such a fun idea! And I find it not only has some fabulously yummy recipes served up, but the illustrations of those recipes are just so amazing and so varied that it really gets the creativity flowing and serves as some awesome inspiration!

I was over on it the other day and noticed that they are holding a fun Holiday Recipe Contest. I thought, since I hadn't had a chance to send in a submission yet, that this would be the perfect time to do so, and the top winners could be featured on the Food Networks blog The FN dish. Well how is that for some great exposure! Count me in, it sounds fun, and the top 4 winners could even win some cash too-bonus!

Above is my submission. I even did the lettering in plasticine for a fun touch. What do you think?

I actually made 2 of these cupcake "cakes" for my kiddies classes 2 year ago. Here is a picture of one of them. Even the angel on top is edible(gum paste).

As some of you know my children have various anaphylactic food allergies to milk, egg and nuts, so this is a recipe I have adapted that has become a staple in our house for birthday parties and anytime the kids need cake or cupcakes that are safe and yummy.

I thought it would be the perfect festive recipe for contest. If anyone wants to try it out yourselves for your kiddies, and have any questions please feel free to contact me, I can elaborate on the process if needed.

Now I'm in the mood to start my Christmas baking- yuuuuummm.

My tools and yummy plasticine colours

2010-11-21T11:51:00.000-05:00

I have been feeling under the weather for a few days, and felt like I had been neglecting my poor blog. I wanted to reorganize my plasticine and thought it would be a good chance to snap a few fun shots of all my yummy colours. I just love seeing how other artists/illustrators organize their art supplies...such eye candy. I thought, since I was tidying up a bit, I would also take a second to organize my gazillion tools for a fun photo as well. They're usually stored in a tall container all shoved in together so I can paw through em' and grab what I need quickly. Don't they looked so glorious all lined up and pretty??

OK I know, they are just art supplies, but they make me happy. tee hee :)

I was even lucky enough to take a trip (solo!!!!lalalala) to my favorite art supply store Deserres yesterday. And to my delight they reorganized the entire shop so I had to meander down every isle to see what goodies they had to offer.

Anyway it helped me feel a little less sick, and put a little spring into my step.
Have a good weekend, and I hope your family isn't coming down with whatever yuckiness we contracted-bleach!

What I'm working on...

2010-11-09T11:02:00.000-05:00

I have been working on a new plasticine illustration piece inspired by the glorious fall colours we are so lucky to enjoy here in Ontario Canada. I wanted to do a piece that depicted the beautiful red/orange colour palette of our fall foliage in a rural setting. Just like something you'd encounter on a drive along a country road up north. So far I have the background and middleground started. It will be a surprise what fun, playful ideas I have for the foreground. You will have to pop by again in a few days to see it completed and find out!
I have posted a series of images below to show my process- Enjoy!

I promise to have lots of action and movement in the foreground, so please do pop by again to see the finished illustration!!

Halloween Cupcakes to Scare you Hungry!

2010-10-29T10:37:00.001-04:00

Here are 2 of the 3 Halloween cupcake "cakes" I made for my sons classes, for their Halloween parties. Sorry for teeny pictures and poor quality, I was up super late and I just took quick photos with my Blackberry as an after thought. I actually forgot to take a photo of my 3rd cupcake cake?? Opps. It was of a haunted house with ghosts escaping out the windows. Nothing too scary as this was for my youngest son's Kindergarten class and I didn't want to traumatize any unsuspecting kiddies. ;) Hopefully my son's teacher will take a photo and I can post it another day.

These 2 shown above, were for my 7 yr.old and 9 yr. old sons. So I figured I could go all out in the "ewwwww gross" department! Heehee. Considering cupcakes are so roley poley and present such an uneven surface, I think both design turned out pretty well. Thank goodness decaying bandages and werewolf fur are very forgiving with whatever uneven surface lies beneath.

And it was sooooo worth it to see the excitement on my kiddies faces. I know how hard it is for them to have severe food allergies and not be able to ever eat the birthday cakes, or treats at their friends parties. Halloween is especially difficult for my middle son who is severely allergic to dairy. NO chocolate(or hardly any treats for that matter) that he gets during his trick-or-treating can be safely eaten. My 1st and 3rd sons have anaphylactic allergies to all nuts and eggs, so they can't safely eat much either. Honestly the trick-or-treating stresses me out every year. But I think I now have them well trained to wait until we go through their bags together before diving in to sample their candy. So... this is my little way of making them feel included and to make something that is perfectly safe for all food allergies kiddies to enjoy together.

I am really lucky to have this amazing cookbook called What's to Eat? The Milk-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free Food Allergy Cookbook by Linda Marienhoff Coss. It has so many great recipes that have the taste and texture of everyday baking and cooking. NO hockey puck muffins here! If you know of anyone who has anaphylactic allergies to food, I highly recommend this cookbook. I've tried to many over the years, and this is by far the best!

Happy Halloween everyone!!! :)

Illustration Friday- "Racing"

2010-10-25T11:52:00.001-04:00

The furry friends were racing back home with their acorn treats.

I created this plasticine illustration for my critique group Creative Cup and I thought it would be fitting for this week's theme racing for Illustration Friday. If you get a chance please pop over to my critique group's blog, as we have been posting our interpretation of cup for this month's challenge. It is so cool to see everyone's take on the theme. Everyone has such a unique style and such talent. It really gives some great, fresh perspective and inspiration :)

My 3 boys are really into creating contraptions out of everyday stuff and pieces of wood. So far they have built a tank at their Nonno's house and I think they want to try a submarine next??. They love watching the Re-inventors on TV. It is so great to see them stretch their imagination and work together as a team to problem solve and work to build something new. Anyway, I was inspired by them, that I thought it would be fun to have a contraption in this illustration too.
So after a bunch of sketches I came up with this silly nut-collector/wagon contraption for these two furry friends. I had a lot of fun making the old, cracked teacup, sardine tin, and even the Tinkertoy wagon wheels. Did I just really date myself by mentioning Tinkertoys?? Hopefully some of you remember those awesome building pieces-ahhh memories of the cottage when I was itty-bitty...sigh :)

We have a busy week with Halloween coming up on Sunday. I volunteered to make cupcakes for my 3 boys classrooms since they all have severe food allergies, and it is just the safest way to go. So I will be up to my eyeballs in cupcakes by Friday! I have to make around 90...wish me luck! I will post some pictures of them if they turn out ok. I like to treat the tops like a cake and hope todo something eerie and gross on top-heehee. I'm hoping to make a haunted house for the S.K class, a mummy/zombie for the grade 2 class, and a werewolf for the grade 4 class.

Thanksgiving photos in Muskoka 2010

2010-10-19T16:06:00.002-04:00

Here are a few photos I took one morning up at the cottage in Muskoka. I can't remember another time that the fog was that thick in the morning- crazy! Needless to say it was a great "kodak moment", and I am really having fun with my new Canon T2i DSLR camera. Enjoy the fall colours! And I hope everyone had a great Canadian Thanksgiving. :)

IF- Spooky

2010-10-18T13:29:00.000-04:00

Spooky fun!

This is my submission for this weeks Illustration Friday theme "spooky". It really has me in the Halloween spirit now. :)

Luckily I am "on the ball" this year and took the kids out to get their costumes a few weeks ago. I was hoping my 3 year old daughter would want to dress up in something pink and girly, for her first Halloween going out with Daddy and the big brothers. Well doesn't it figure that she had her heart set on being Diego(yes that Diego from Nickelodeon). I guess that is what I get for having 3 boys with major influence...sigh. No pretty princess costume in the house this year. But she'll make the prettiest Diego :)

What are your kiddies going to be for this Halloween?

Yipeee!! Guess who won Crystal Driedger's CSN Giveaway??

2010-10-17T16:48:00.001-04:00

Hi Everyone, I hope you are having a nice weekend. I had a wonderful surprise this afternoon when I noticed my Blackberry beeping, telling me I had an email message. Imagine my delight when I opened it to find that I had been chosen as the lucky winner of Crystal Driedger's CSN Stores Giveaway over on her blog. Yipeeee!!

Maybe I should go out and buy a lotto ticket or something...hee. And maybe I should let Google's Random Number Generator pick my lotto numbers?? (Good idea Crystal!)

I am sure most of you are familiar with Crystal's gorgeous artwork. She does the most beautiful paintings and adorable illustrations . Lately she has been experimenting with her handy-dandy dremel and doing some surface carving on wood that she then turns into a textured painting...they are fabulous! You must pop over to Crystal's blog and see for yourself.

I can't wait to check out the CSN Store catalogue and see what goodies I can find...a wee bit of early Christmas shopping-hmmm

Thank-you Crystal!

Great Resources to kick Self Doubt to the curb

2010-10-12T11:05:00.000-04:00

Firstly, I am having lots of fun playing with my new DSLR camera. Above is a shot I took using the macro setting. The plasticine textures are going to look fab!

I thought I'd do a post on a topic I often struggle with - Self doubt. Since having the kids back to school, and the start-up of another busy year of kids sports practices/games and shuttling them too and fro, I feel like I just can't quite get my feet firmly planted in an art production routine. I feel so unproductive. Arggg. I know I am my toughest critic and probably just need to be patient and remember it always takes a bit of time to iron out the kinks when trying work out all of our crazy schedules. Geesh, just wait until the kids are teenagers- I cringe at the thought.

Luckily, it seems to be a topic that a few great people online have been posting about this week, so I thought I'd sum it all up here in the hope that it will inspire you as much as it did for me. A good creative kick-start so to speak.
Let's start with the amazing Zero2Illo. It is a definite a favorite of mine. Jonathan Woodward is the creative genius, and very talented illustrator behind this site, who has his pulse on what aspiring illustrators want to know. He and his wife Leah have really poured their hearts and many amazing resources into this site. It is a must for any aspiring illustrator. He did a great post this past week on tips for overcoming self doubt. It is encouraging to know many other illustrators also struggle with this problem., and many other aspiring illustrators shared their suggestions themselves in the comments section.

I also stumbled upon a website and blog by another amazing artist: Kelly Rae Roberts. I just love her tag line- artist.author.possiblitarian- cool word or what? She created a series of ebooks entitled Flying Lessons: Tips and Tricks to help your biz soar. They look fantastic. She is another very generous artist whose willing to pay it forward and share all her great advice.

And during my morning computer/tea time, I came across Michelle Ward and Jessica Swift's ecourse entitled The Declaration of You, mentioned on Khristian A Howell's beautiful blog. I don't know about you but I just loooove surface design!! It really invigorates my brain! Sorry I digress, back to the topic. Michelle Ward's blog has some great questionnaires to help get you on your right path, and she also has a great feature called Tough Question Tuesday, which, last week, also talked about tackling fear.

And if you don't want to shell out any coin right now and just want a bit of creative kick-start, look no further than Tara Gentile and her free mini ecourse on Creating Action. Tara's blog has such enthusiastic tips that really inspire and motivate. She offers Brainstorming sessions too if you want to speak with somebody who's been there , to bounce around ideas and formulate your plan.

I am sure there are many other amazing resources out there that are not covered here. These goodies where just the gems I needed to feel re-energized and ready with more tips and tools to tackle self-doubt and procrastination. Then I shut down the computer and cranked up some tunes, put in the earphones and took some time to just play around with my plasticine and create some art just for fun, without constraints. Getting into the zone, is also sometimes the best remedy. Because this is where we are happiest and free. And it reminds us why we love art and illustration so much.

Now go create something just for YOU!

It feels like Christmas!

2010-10-04T10:20:00.001-04:00

Look what I got !!! I am just giddy with excitement. I have been researching DSLR cameras for a while, as I thought it would be easier if I could do my own photography for my website, promo stuff etc, and then I'd only need to rely on a professional photographer for client work. It really just made sense from a logistical standpoint.
So, after a ton of research, I finally took the leap, and purchased a Canon Rebel T2i with a EF-S 18-55 IS lens, and tripod. I really have to thank the wonderful people at Henry's. My Henry's associate Ron, really took the time to go over all of my options, explain all the tech. stuff in terms I could understand, and showed us so many cool lenses and other stuff that we might want to consider later on. He was so so helpful and knowledgeable! Thanks Ron!

I must admit to being a little intimidated. This is my first DSLR camera and I've always just used a simple point and shoot. But the great thing about this camera is that it has many intuitive features and is considered to be one of the best DSLR cameras for beginners. I am really looking forward to seeing what this baby can do and learn how to make my plasticine illustrations look their absolute best. I can see this getting rather addictive-heehee. Thanks to Paula Pindroh, and Gisela for all your suggestions and advice.

I've been holding off putting up a website until I had better photographs of my work, as I think you really only have one shot at making a great first impression. So now I hope to rephotograph my artwork, and finally get a website up and running.

It will be great to take better pics of the kiddies too. I can't wait to see how our annual Christmas card pictures will turn out this year! Yeehoooo. Say Cheeeeese :)

Printable Back to School Sticker Sheet

2010-09-23T13:55:00.001-04:00

CLICK HERE to download Stickers

I made these free printable Stickers, Book Plates, and lunch label for all of the "back to school" kiddies. The theme for September at the We Love To Illustrate Group Blog, was to create some fun printables for "back to school". You must pop over and check them out, they are so adorable and so much FUN!!! I plan on downloading all of them and sticking em' all over my kiddies stuff. And my stuff too!

this project sounded so fun, and I thought it would be a really good learning experience with CS5 too. Obviously, I am still learning Adobe Creative Suite CS5. This was my first ever contact sheet using the photoshop tricks to extract my little critters from crazy backgrounds. Not perfect but a start!:) And I am slowly learning my way around these amazing programmes.

Enjoy!

My new, super-duper, Drawing Table

2010-09-21T10:34:00.004-04:00

I decided to set-up a work station in our family dining-room, since we only use it on birthdays or special occasions like Christmas dinners. I need a space on the main level that was accessible to work on my artwork and keep an eye on my kiddies when they are at home. Having my art desk up in the corner of my bedroom was fine for the evening but just wasn't working well during the rest of the busy day. And there just isn't another room available for a studio. This all sounded great in theory until I started to think about what work surface would fit, and be organizable in a flash, if company was coming. I wanted something that wasn't enormous like a standard drafting table, but also had storage, so I could quickly tuck everything away from curious little fingers if I had to make one of my pick-up runs to the school.

Well one day, during my little morning "me-time" tea/blog surfing, I came across a post by the talented Phyllis Harris. She was was writing about her new, fabulous desk that her hubby had purchased as a gift. I know, she is one lucky lady to have such a great hubby! It was perfect, so compact, yet so functional and full of great storage!! I emailed her right away, and she was very kind to give me the manufacturers info. I did a little investigating but alas, with the shipping to Canada it was just too expensive.

So I thought a bit, and thought a bit more, and then I thought I should show the specs to my dad, who by the way is a contractor by trade, to get his input to see how much it might cost to have custom built. He said he'd talk to his brother who is a retired Fine Carpenter, and see what he thought. Well, those brothers are fast! The next time I asked him what he thought, he exclaimed that my Uncle Bob had it almost finished!!! Yippeeee, I did a happy dance, and thought to myself how helpful and kind it was for them to take on this project of mine. Check it out !!

How cool it this drawing table?? Don't you wish you had an Uncle Bob the builder too? The angled top has a hinge so I can put my work-in-progress inside to keep it safe from little hands; there is a flat top section to put my mateials and tools, so they don't slide around; there is a drawer and cuboard with shelves for storage; and at the side I can keep all my huge illustration board pieces upright, safe and sound.

I just ordered a drafting chair this morning from Staples, so hopefully I will be able to get "crackin" and start to work on my new AMAZING drawing table in just a few days!! Thanks Dad and Uncle Bob!!! You're the best!! :)

IF-Proverb

2010-09-14T14:01:00.000-04:00

"It's not the towering sail, but the unseen wind that moves the ship"-Proverb

I couldn't resist using one of my boy pirate series plasticine illustrations for this weeks Illustration Friday. I thought this pirate proverb was a fitting choice for this salty wee pirate boy...ARRRRR !

So far this Sept. has been a flurry of activity, teacher meetings, try-outs, doctor appt.s, and writer's cramp from all the school forms-arrgg. Once it slows down back to normal I plan to post more often :)

I hope everyone is having a good Sept. so far and thank-you to my wonderful readers who leave such sweet comments and brighten my day! You guys rock!

IF-Dessert

2010-09-08T16:02:00.002-04:00

I couldn't resist making this plasticine illustration of a slice of yummy chocolate cake with a very hungry and chubby mouse helping himself, for this weeks Illustration Friday theme "dessert". Boy...now I am craving something sweet! Hmm... maybe there is some left-over icing in the fridge, from making my kiddies birthday cakes last week???- wish me luck!!

Enjoy!

Boy Pirate Series: From sketches to plasticine illustration

2010-09-02T15:12:00.001-04:00

I thought it would be fun to show another step-by-step tutorial on how I work. I have been working on a series of illustrations depicting a "Boy Pirate" and his "mighty ship and "crew". I hope to do 3 or 4 and include them in my portfolio to show my ability to maintain character continuity, depict different viewpoints, perspective, show a range of emotions, and tell a little story through a series of illustrations.

First, I wanted to try my hand at illustrating an extreme viewpoint. So I decided to do a "worm's eye view" of this "boy pirate". I thought this view point would give him a majestic and grand quality, and hopefully lead the viewer to wonder what is he looking at through those binoculars? And where was he?

First I took a few reference photos by lying on the ground and shooting straight up at my models(OK I used my kiddies, they really like to pose for me).
Then I did a few sketches to work out the perspective, and tinker with the foreshortening. I broke-down the body into simpler geometric shapes and included my perspective lines for reference.

Once I was happy with that sketch, I moved on to sketching a tighter, more detailed "boy pirate".

Then I started the background. I always smear plasticine onto illustration board first.Iin this case since I knew the sky would be above the "boy pirate", due to the worm's eye view, I didn't need to do an "under painting" and block in my colours, I could just use the sky blue I had mixed and cover the entire surface.

I wanted to give the illustration some dynamic movement and help to bring the eye back again to the central character, so I decided to depict the clouds diagonally across the background and with reflections coming off the underside of the wispy clouds to help show that we are viewing the sky from below. I actually lay down on the dock for a while to study the clouds....OK and relax a bit too. I think it works nicely to gives the piece some energy, and the subtle convergence and divergence of the clouds leads the eye around in an elliptical path back to the center.
Next I added the very bottom of the "ship". I purposely didn't show much of it as I want to viewer to wonder: what type of ship this boy pirate could own?Or was he in the crow's nest? I also needed to show a portion of it to ground the character.

I then started to form the individual pieces of the character. I usually work from the background, and work forward, but sometimes I like to do a few foreground bits so I can place them on top, as I go, to ensure I'm staying on track with my proportions. And I really like doing toes, so I couldn't resist! :)

It can be a bit tricky when there are a few different layers of plasticine on top of each other, with a foreshortened image. And it can start to look wonky if I don't carefully flatten out, or cut out the plasticine bits that will be directly behind another foreground object. So, I find it can be useful to have the foreground parts set aside to then be able to trace around them and make the exact cut, so it isn't noticeable.

Here he is, the "boy pirate", after a bunch of tinkering and sculpting, I think he is almost there. I usually like to put it away for a few days and then take a look at it again and tinker a bit more. It lets me look at it with a fresher set of eyes and spot any other problems.

As always, I'd love any feedback, good and bad, it is always so helpful :)

I also worked on a close-up of this little "boy pirate" and used it for Illustration Friday this week. I wanted to

show him saying "ARRRRRRR!", but not in a scary, mean way, but in a playful way. Here is the sketch I came up with:

I recently purchased this amazing book by Mark Simon called Facial Expressions of Babies and Teens. It is such a great resource if you need to do facial expressions. And it also shows a few models that have posed over consecutive years so you can actually see how the face matures with the same child...very helpful stuff! I hope I succeeded in achieving a playful "ARRR". I must have scraped off each feature and started again like a million times??

I had a lot of fun with this illo. as I got to play with the textures of the hat, skin, and handkerchief. I had fun with the extruder to make the teeny feathers on the top of his pirate hat. Sore thumbs though! Here he is again, all sneery and cute:

Next up, I am going to do a double page spread that shows his "ship", "first mate" and surroundings. Here is a quick sketch of the layout and a tighter one of the ship and it's crew:

I think I might change the boy pirate's position and have him looking back and pointing so that he is engaged in dialogue with the other little "first mate". I want to show more interaction, so I will probably do a few more sketches to firm up my thoughts.

I hope you enjoyed this step-by-step tutorial of how I work. :)

And thank-you all for the wonderful comments and for taking the time to pop over to my blog and see what I've been doing...you are all AWESOME!!

A Mouse Cake and a Camouflage, Army Dude Cake!

2010-08-30T10:51:00.001-04:00

We had our annual birthday BBQ for our children yesterday, and as with every year, I made special cakes for my kiddies. All 3 of my boys have anaphylactic food allergies, so this is my special way of making something completely safe and special for them. And it is really fun to see their expressions and the hollers of delight as they bound down the stairs and burst into the kitchen to see what I have made for them.

This year the party also happened to coincide with my Aunt Sharon's birthday as well, so I decided to make a mouse cake for her and my daughter. My aunt collects mice and I thought it would be fun to try to make a cake just like the little mouse in my blog header. I thought it would be funny to have one rubber boot off with a bare foot, just as my daughter would do. I painted the fur using food colour paste, but I had to make this mouse brown as my black paste kept appearing pruple when diluted. Here is a close-up of the head.

She was a fun little mousy to make, and the little girls at the party seems very smitten with here. And my daughter and wonderful aunt liked it too. Yeahh!!!:)

This camouflaged, army dude, creeping on the ground was lots of fun too. I had made a tank last year and this year the boys had said they wanted an army man cake. They are really into history and anything army related, so I thought doing a sniper type guy(minus the gun of course!) creeping along the ground would be interesting. I had to do my research online for this one, and find some photo references of a "ghillie" suit. That is what they call those crazy, hairy-looking, leafy jackets that completely camouflaged them into their surrounding. Hmmm, I learned something new too-haha :)

Here is a picture of him from the back. I even included tread and laces on the boots...I just love details! My fingers and forearms are still a bit sore from pushing all that fondant thru my clay extruder, but I think the effect worked well, and the boys really loved it! A few people said I should open up a cake business (wow-thanks!), but I said it was just a hobby, as I would be absolutely stressed and worried, trying to delivery these cakes-ekk. I am quite the clumsy, goof at times. No thank-you, I think I'll stick to plasticine, as I can always correct that without having to start all over.

Now the kids are already thinking about next year....:)

IF- Immovable

2010-08-27T19:35:00.003-04:00

The sea-battered pirate growled a hearty "ARRRR". He was an "immovable" force guarding his prized treasure.

This is my plasticine illustration for this week's Illustration Friday theme, immovable. I have been working on a series of illustrations depicting a boy playing pirate, and his grand imagination. I thought it would fit perfectly with this week's theme. I hope to share the grouping with you all soon. This is the close-up of him with his sneering "ARRRRRR". I tried to make him a little less mean and a bit more cute, I hope I succeeded. His expressionwas a bit too scary and mean at first, so I reworked. Please let me know what you guys think! :)

BTW, tomorrow we're having our annual birthday bash BBQ to celebrate all of my kiddies birthdays( as they were all born in the summer time). So I have been up late for the last few nights working away on some really fun cakes...I can't wait to share them with you! Hopefully I won't be burning the midnight oil to late again tonight :)...

IF- Atmosphere

2010-08-20T21:31:00.001-04:00

The atmosphere during story time was electric with the children's wild imaginings of fantastic, underwater worlds.

This is an older plasticine illustration, but a real favorite. I thought it would be a fun fit for this week's IF theme atmosphere.

Dog Days of Summer

2010-08-18T13:00:00.001-04:00

"Dog Days...First jump off the dock with the encouragement of big brother"

I arrived home yesterday evening after 4 days of awesome productivity at my cottage! I worked my butt off and managed to complete 3 new plasticine illustrations, and start on the background of a 4th!! Yipeeee!! It was so nice to really get into the groove and get lost in my work for hours at a time with the music cranked and the creativity flowing. My wonderful hubby held down the fort and was sweet to send updates via text message so I didn't feel too out of the loop.

The illustration you see above was based on this months "Dog Days" theme over at the We Love To Illustrate for Children Group Blog . It is so fabulous of the ladies over there to open up the floor to all of there followers, and encourage their participation...such fun. And it is really cool to see everybody's interpretation of this month's theme.

I hope you like it! Dog Days made me think of those hot summer days at the cottage watching the kids learn new things like taking that very first leap off the dock into the deeper water. It is aways so heart-warming to see siblings offer encouragement and support to the younger ones. It is a universal " moment" I know all parents of multiple kiddies savour, as it often only last a little while and then they are back to bugging each other (geesh).

Snorkel boy, bird feeding frenzy...and other random cottage snaps...

2010-08-10T16:42:00.001-04:00

After beautiful sunny weather all week at the cottage, we were hit with torrential rain on Sunday...all day. After trying to entertain the kiddies inside for the day with baking, crafts etc, we decided to head home a day early :(. We had a menagerie of birdy families visit our dock...maybe they spread the word to each other that our dock was "the spot" for free cracker and bread crumbs??? We had ducks, mergansers( see above) and even one lone ducky who was brave enough to swim around with my boys in the water.

My second youngest amazed us all, he is only 4 yrs. old, but he was swimming all around the bay with my hubby in his snorkel, mask and fins....my little fishy.

I got a cool photo of this gigantic dragon fly. Not to bad for a point and shoot camera....oh I can't wait to buy a Canon DSLR soon. This little guy would make a great sketch!

I also snapped a photo of the flower box on the boathouse....flowers in full bloom are so pretty.

We had a great time at the cottage and I am very lucky( thank-you my most wonderful hubby!!) to be going up again this Friday for a few day SOLO...yes that's right...by MYSELF!!! Yippeee! My hubby is "manning the fort" for a few days to let me go up north for some uninterrupted "art time" to get some portfolio pieces finished. Then I can hopefully get my website up and running??!!

Rachelle Anne Miller Giveaway!!!

2010-08-08T21:10:00.001-04:00

Rachelle Anne Miller is having an adorable giveaway over at her blog here. She is an amazing illustrator (one of my favorites actually) and does the most adorable artwork...if you haven't seen her work before then here is your chance! Hurray on over to her blog as she is offering a great giveaway until this Wednesday...if you comment on her blog you get a chance to win one of these super cute backpacks from Dante Beatrix. Aren't they so adorable? And they come with the most hilarious names! Enjoy!

Going to the cottage for a week!

2010-08-02T14:07:00.006-04:00

I haven't been able to post as much as I would like this summer, as the hustle and bustle of having everyone home has left me little time for blogging and artwork. But as summer is quickly evaporating, we have decided to go up north for a week or so with the kids to soak up some sunshine, and get water logged in the lake.
Then the following week I plan to return SOLO :) for a few days, to get some artwork completed. It will be so refreshing to get up north again!!! Yipppeeee!!
So I guess I should get starting folding my piles of laundry so I can get packing- argggg
I also wanted to wish all my fellow Canadians a Happy Civic Holiday today!! Yeah long weekend! :)
See you in a week or so!

IF-Double

2010-07-29T08:21:00.001-04:00

"Double Trouble" turns into "Quintuple trouble"!

This weeks Illustration Friday topic is "double". The first thing that popped into my head was twins and the "double trouble" they can get into...so I thought this plasticine illustration I did for my good friend a while back, would be perfect. She has 5 great kids...the last 2 were twins!! She is one great mommy, who is a master multi-tasker. She even chronicles some of her hilarious family stories on her blog Five All Mine.

In this illustration the twin are in the middle goofing around with the rest of her bunch...now that is double trouble...maybe even quintuple trouble!!! I'm sure all of us with kiddies can relate to this one!

Enjoy :)

My first Illustration Friday- Breakfast!

2010-07-19T10:27:00.002-04:00

"Ohhhhh, look Wilbur... mmmmmmuffins for breakfast!!"

I have wanted to start taking part in IF for a while now, and worked late last night to get one done in time. I doubt I will be able to participate every week, but it is a great way to get the creative juices flowing, and add portfolio pieces :)

My take on "Breakfast" is a cute little girl with a head full of unruly curls(bed head-heehee) sharing yummy blueberry muffins with her beloved teddy, Wilbur. I tried to use a limited soft palette of colours, and lots of fluffy, and soft textures.

I hope you enjoy, and it reminds of you when you were little and loved having breakfast with your favorite furry friends(real or stuffed) :)

Playing with Polymer Clay

2010-07-15T11:31:00.001-04:00

I have been wanting to try out polymer clay again for ages. I used to use it exclusively a few years ago, but was frustrated by how stiff it was and how I always felt like I was fighting with it. Not anymore!!! After some helpful input from some amazing clayers like Paula Pindroh and Gera Scott Chandler, I have discovered Premo, which is a much softer brand of Sculpey polymer clay, and the wonders of the clay conditioning press(very much like a pasta machine) which helps to warm up, mix and roll clay nice and thin.

I bought a few blocks of Premo(they have some gorgeous colour too) once my clay press arrived in the mail, and gave it a whirl the other evening.

Here is the result of my first attempt....I tried using the same techniques I use with plasticine, with some success :). I find the polymer clay to be less soft, and more "rubbery" and therefore it doesn't allow you to smear it and blend with my sculpting tools like I can with plasticine. That's OK though, it is a completely different material, so it will just take some adaptation and some "playing around with it" to see what works.

I like that it it is curable by baking it in your oven. And Gera has shared how to go about adhering uncured polymer clay to stretched canvases, then baking it (canvas included) in the oven. This is something I'd definitely like to explore.

Many of the links I have under Dimensional Illustrators over on the right do polymer clay illustration...they are all so talented and amazing...if you get a chance check some of them out, they are very inspiring.:)

Arrrrr matey...

2010-07-12T15:31:00.003-04:00

I did a few rough sketches last night for a portfolio series idea. I have so many family photos of my boys dressed up as pirates, so I thought, that would be a great theme for a series of portfolio illustrations that show continuity of character, different perspectives, and different facial expressions. Luckily, my boys are always very willing to pose and goof around for me, so I have live models to use for reference photos or sketching. I can't get anymore real then that! Hopefully that will help me to fully capture children's true inner sparkle.

I can't wait to clean them up, and get on to the final sketches then start the plasticine illo.s....

I'd love any crit.s or suggestions as always :)

Jumpin' into the Digital World

2010-07-11T13:02:00.001-04:00

Guess what just arrived in the mail!!! My very own Adobe Creative Suite CS 5. I am giddy with anticipation to delve in and get cracking...I know it is going to be a work in progress, as there is a humongous learning curve, but it is a program that is used by everyone to some degree in this business, so I might as well learn it while I am just starting out.

Did you know that if you are a student or a teacher you can purchase Adobe products through there Adobe Education Store for North America and if you qualify you can purchase products at a HUGE discount...we're talking 80% off!!!! Holy mackerel!!! When I came across this amazing info I just about fell off my computer chair!

So if you are STILL a student go and buy your software NOW before you graduate! And if you are lucky enough to have a wonderful hubby who happens to be a Vice Principal (moi) then you are in luck too!!!

My hubby jokes that I am fused to the keyboard of my computer right now, as I am having trouble tearing myself away..hahaha. Adobe has some great tutorials and I know I will be using that HELP feature about every 5 or so seconds at first to figure things out.

Wish me luck!!!

And if anyone has any great tips please through them my way :)

Now...what to do...hmmmm

Wait!...can't...remove...fingers....from...keyboard...stuck....send....caffeinated beverages....and....reinforcements for kiddies.....

Ahhh... summer time...

2010-07-07T09:52:00.000-04:00

We were up at the cottage for the past few days, soaking up the glorious sunshine and keeping cool in this crazy heat(43C- with the humidity- wheeewww). My munchkins were in the water the ENTIRE time...I think they may have grown webbing between their toes!

It was such a nice break after the hectic school year. There's nothing like some fresh air, outdoor play time and cool, fresh water to tire out my gang and have them sleep like logs, to awake refreshed with smiles on their little faces :)

My boys looooove getting "action" shots of them jumping off the dock. Here is one of the best, it's tricky with my little point and shoot camera . My youngest wouldn't jump off the dock but she did end up going in the water and assembled quite a large rock collection for a wee-one.

Each one made really great progress in the water; learning new floats, swimming, jumping further down the dock, - they are a brave little bunch! I can't wait to get up there again soon!

I hope everyone is having a great summer so far...and that it is filled with good times with friends and family, to create some lasting memories. :)

Where it all happens...

2010-06-30T10:24:00.001-04:00

Today is the last day of school for my kiddies. The excitement and energy in our house, with the anticipation of summer, is so abundant you can just about taste it. It will be nice to not be ruled by the clock for 2 long months and to really get in some good quality bonding time with my little monkeys.:)

I hope to get a whole bunch accomplished over the summer too...website up, more portfolio pieces, and business side of things up and running. And my wish list of illustration related items keeps growing....eeek !sorry hubby :(. The more I delve into this wonderful world of illustration the more I realize that I am really going to need to get myself Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. I tried each out this year using the trial version. I am hoping to get the Adobe Creative Suite at some point....it looks so fantastic. I'd also like to get a scanner, for my sketches...if only I could scan my plasticine illos...grumble. For this reason I am also looking into digital SLR cameras, so I can hopefully take good photos myself for portfolio work etc, and then only need to hire a professional for illustration work.....I'm looking at the Canon Rebel XS and the Nikon D3000. If anyone has any thoughts/ suggestions or preferences I'd be happy to hear them!! :)

I just purchased the Graphic Artist's Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines. It is chalk full of everything I will need from contact info, pricing, forms, copyright info ...the list goes on. I know it will be full of earmarks and well worked-in over the next few year. If you don't already have it I highly recommend it.

Now I should go tidy up my desk!!! I know,I know it is a MESS! It's like a plasticine bomb blew up all over it!!! :)

I'm finished!!!! Yeah!!

2010-06-27T14:37:00.000-04:00

I am happy to report that my final "End of the year -Teacher Gift" plasticine illustration is now completed!! I was getting a little worried as time was just evaporating and fiinding some time, with all of the end of school craziness was harder to come by than previous years.

I am very pleased with how this illo turned out. I think son#2's teacher will really appreciate the Canadian animal theme, and I had so much fun making them. Below are a few detail shots of the new characters I just added.

Enjoy!

There's a moose on the loose...

2010-06-25T10:31:00.001-04:00

I am almost finished the last of the teacher gift illos! Yeah!!! I sure hope they like them!

This is for son#2's grade 1 teacher. She loves polar bears and moose, so I thought a Canadian animal theme would be perfect! I have one more animal to add, and I am torn between a blue heron and a chipmunk. I will have to think on that a bit....if anyone has any suggestions I would loooove to hear them!! :)

I think I will be making many more moose (is there a plural for moose anyway??) in the future....I really enjoyed creating this big furry guy...I really love their serene soft faces, they look so gentle for such a humongous animal.

And here is a close up of my little lonely beaver friend....don't worry little guy I will have a little friend near you really soon!! The texture was fun on this little guy too.

Bye for now :)

Hoo hoo hoooo.....

2010-06-24T10:40:00.000-04:00

I'm not yet finished my third teacher gift illo quite yet, but I thought I'd post a detail photo of the work in progress. I am really liking my tiny, squirmy baby polar bear- he is just barely hangin' on there- "don't fall little guy!" I am also pleased with how my horned owl turned out. It was the trickest one yet, with all the brown and white feather detail, but I am fairly happy with it. Hopefully I will have it completed by tomorrow night :)

I'd love some feedback from you guys so feel free to leave a comment. ;)

Finished another Teacher Gift Illo- One more to go...

2010-06-21T13:54:00.003-04:00

I just completed my teacher gift illo for my oldest son's teacher. As I stated in an earlier post, his illo has a rainforest animal theme. I had a fun time researching and creating these cool animals. There were so many fun animals to choose from that I had a hard time narrowing it down. I wanted to depict a bunch of different textures- smooth, slick frog skin, reptilian scales to furry lemur...it was really fun to go texture-crazy. Here are some detail images.

Now I am busy working on my son#2's grade 1 teacher illo. According to my son, this teacher is a real animal lover and has many favorite animals including moose and polar bears. So I thought it would be fun to include Canadian animals in her illo. I am thinking about creating a horned owl, moose, baby polar bear, and canada goose. I've got a week to get this finished as next Wednesday is the last day of school- ekkkk. Nothing like a deadline to get me moving right? No pressure ;)

Teacher Gift Updates..

2010-06-16T10:18:00.002-04:00

This illo. is for son #3's teacher. She teaches JK/SK, so I thought fun, silly little mice might be a fun choice to have scampering around her name block pyramid. If you look closely you can see each mouse has their own little personality-I just love the little guy on the top bustin' some moves!

The illo for my oldest son's teacher is almost finished. I thought since he is a male grade 3 teacher, the illo needed animals that weren't girly or immature. So, I chose the animals of the rainforest. I think they are a good fit, because they are very intriguing, exotic and well...cool, which is very important when you in grade 3(wink) . I still have a few more animals to add but here it is so far...

I really like that I could add lots of textures in this illo...maybe I will add a lion, or something with fur or a snake or both?? I wanted these animals to be dynamic too, so all of then will be either jumping or flying...well except Mr. Iguana ...he is just vegging since they don't really do much unless they are chomping their prey (ewwwww!). Here is a close-up of my parrot. I like how he is swooping down to land.

I have this one to finish up, then one more for son#2's grade 1 teacher- that one will be a surprise I will save for another day ;)

Illustrators are such a helpful bunch!!

2010-06-15T13:59:00.002-04:00

Can I just say how much I am loving the friendly, generous and overall helpful/"paying it forward" sorta folks in the illustration business. It is so refreshing to continually meet like minded people who are encouraging and supportive, instead of the usual cut-throat mentality I have seen for so long in the business, and workplace world.
Especially now that I am seriously trying to get an illustration business off the ground, and have no real business background, it is such a gift to have a bunch of resources that other more seasoned illustrators have put together to help us newbies out. THANKS GUYS!!
I wanted to take a second and mention a few awesome websites and books that I have found to be very helpful, informative and ...well invaluable.

I'm sure most illustrators have heard of Escape from Illustration Island. If you have not, go there now!!! Because for TODAY ONLY, it's creator Thomas James has a 50%off sale on his brand new ebook 15 Steps to Freelance Illustration. I just bought it myself, and took a quick look through and it has put a humongous smile on my face!! I can't wait till the kiddies are asleep and I can get into it:) Form a glance it looks like it is chalk full of good stuff!

Another book I highly recommend is Breaking into Freelance Illustration: a guide for Artists, Designers and Illustrators, by Holly DeWolf. This one has a permanent place on my bedside table, it serves up some great inspiration when I'm feeling off track and has so many helpful insights from a ton of great illustrators-it is a must-have !

I've also been following Jonathan Woodward's blog Zero 2 Illo. Talk about being proactive(and a new father-whewww), he has developed a 12 week plan/challenge to get him (and others who have taken on this challenge) up and running with their illustration business. What a fantastic idea!! It definitely gives me loads to think about; helps me focus and prioritize my target goals; and get my head wrapped around what steps I will need to take in order to be realistically prepared and organized to "open up shop".

See what I mean?? And those are but a few of the many resources available.

Many illustrators have said that they see a huge hole in the education system. They see new illustrators coming out of art school with tons of illustration/design knowledge but little in the way of business knowledge. It is very commendable that many of these illustrators have taken it upon themselves to write their own books or articles to ensure that up and coming illustrators have access to this material and can learn from their real world experience in the illustration business.

I want to send out a big THANKS to all of you who have taken the time out of your busy careers to fill this void. All of it is so greatly appreciated!!
And I hope one day I will be able to pay it forward too!!

More Ripples...

2010-06-14T17:05:00.000-04:00

With all the momentum that Kelly Light's Ripple blog has gathered, I thought I'd jump back on the wave and donate another illo. This one is a cropped version of one I did last year, but I thought it was fitting.

And Ripple is featured on Illustration Friday this week! What a great way to bring the Ripple blog to the attention of many more in the online illustration community.

Kelly has raised $1500 last time I checked- amazing!!!

Way to go illustrators!!!

Ripple!!

2010-06-09T10:04:00.003-04:00

The other day I came across this great blog by Kelly Light called Ripple. Kelly is a talented children's book illustrator who was so moved by the plight of the animals effected by the Gulf oil spill that she decided to be proactive, and came up with this creative way to help. She created this blog where illustrators could submit artcards to be purchased for $10 with the proceeds going towards a variety of animal rescue organizations. So brilliant!

I made this pelican illustration for Ripple....The digital image of it will be used to create the card.

She has raised hundreds of dollars already!! Way to go Kelly!!
I know we are all so deeply saddened by the horrible images we have witnessed in the media surrounding the oil spill disaster. But we can all help. As Kelly so eloquently said "our small actions together will ripple outward".
I hope you will take a moment to visit her blog. There are many beautiful cards created by some very talented illustrators from all over the world, and they can be yours with a donation of $10 .
It makes me feel a little less helpless to know that my small contribution will hopefully help in some small way.
So if you are an illustrator or artist, or animal lover please pop over to her site...and please pass it on!

Where did May go???

2010-06-08T13:17:00.002-04:00

Wow, didn't May just fly by...like at lightening speed?? I feel like I have been in fast forward juggling a million things. There are always end of year permission forms, allergy/asthma forms(my sons have anaphylactic allergies and asthma), school registration forms etc. etc....I've had such a hand cramp! And that is even before I get started on my artwork- geeeesh!!
Well, the end of year teacher gifts are coming along, but not a quickly as I would like. It took a little longer than anticipated to make all of my alphabet letter blocks. I wanted them to look authentic, so they are made in the correct colours(of my set any way) and to scale. I hope they look OK, trying to get plasticine strips to stay sharp and straight was a technical headache, but I am happy with the result :)
Now for the really fun part! For each illo. I am going to create a different bunch of characters playing around, assembling and climbing each letter pyramid. (If you are a teacher friend please keep this post our little secret OK-wink wink)
I sure hope they like them!

Featured on... Balance My Life

2010-05-31T13:39:00.004-04:00

I have some very exciting news!!! I have been featured in a great online women's magazine called Balance My Life. This magazine focuses on how to "balance your life" with all that today's multitasking moms face in their hectic lives. I know I have fallen into the conundrum of putting everyone and everything before myself. I think as moms we often selflessly put ourselves on the bottom of the priority list. This magazine reminds us that we are also women who deserve to give ourselves some ME time and have fun, and strive to reach important goals for our own personal growth and fulfillment. It features great advice, inspirational articles, entrepreneurial tips and fun girly events to encourage us to include ourselves in the equation and reclaim our spot in that family balance. After all, a well balanced, happy mommy makes for a better mommy, wife and family unit.

I wrote an article about my journey of self discovery during my years as a stay at home mom and the decision to change careers and go into Children's Book Illustration. It is featured in the WORK section entitled Go For It- Second Career.

I want to send a big "Thank You" to Kenda Blum, the founder of Balance My Life , for the opportunity to write this article for her magazine. She is a creative dynamo to be admired as she also runs the web design and print company Kiwibcreative, and is a busy mom.....wow, now that is multitasking at its finest. :-)

So.... if any of you mommies out there are nodding in agreement as you read this post, and want to get some great ideas about how to achieve more "balance"(don't we all??)....DO pop over to their site and check it out....you'll love it! :)

I've joined a Critique Group!!

2010-05-25T14:22:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone, I am soooo excited to announce that I have been invited to join the Creative Cup Illustrators Critique Group. I want to express my thanks to Stacia of Espial Design, the blog's moderator, for the invitation. I have just posted my first post to introduce myself, so if you get a chance please do check it out. I have been a fan of the blog for a while and have aways wanted to join a critique group, so when they posted about wanting to add some new members, I jumped at the opportunity. I am very honoured to join, as there are some fabulous illustrators in this group and it will be so great to bounce around ideas and get valuable feedback. I can't wait to get involved and get to know the other great artists of the group!

Up to the cottage we go.....

2010-05-21T15:06:00.001-04:00

Well, the day is finally here....after hours of packing and organizing, and ticking of my big list, we are finally heading north to the cottage. The above photo is 3 out of my 4 kiddos on the dock last summer. They are so excited that they have been busy packing their "treasures" in their little backpacks since the beginning of the week. So cute. Lets hope the rain in the forcast is only a sprinkle, and they can get out to enjoy. I packed full rain-gear just in case.

I can't even bring any of my plasticine illo.s to work on. I don't want to risk a big smoosh accident during transit. Just have to bring my sketch book I guess.

Wishing my fellow Canucks a Happy Victoria Day Long Weekend!

Now to tackle the dreaded drive north in rush hour traffic.....oh my...car toys -check, snacks -check, extra-strength advil -check, patience -double check. ;)

Long weekend is almost here!!

2010-05-13T13:23:00.008-04:00

I don't know about you but if you are "cottagers" like our family, you have a count-down going until the first trip to the cottage each year. Well, it looks like we will be going up for the first time this coming long weekend and I'm sooo excited!! My kids have the cottage life "in their blood" too, and have been squealing with delight knowing that we are going very very soon. They have even started packing and keep asking "how many more sleeps 'til we are at the cottage?" They crack me up!!
To honour this first exciting trip of the season I have posted a favorite cottage portrait of mine that I did for my cousin. This illustration was a memorial piece I did for him as his father had just recently passed away from a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease. The Muskoka chairs in the illustration symbolize the good times and quite moments they shared hanging out on the deck together at the cottage. I chose to put a favorite personal item on each chair too, knowing my cousin would really appreciate the reference. My uncle loved his well-worn Tilley hat, so I put that special hat resting on one chair, and resting against the other, I placed my cousins favorite baritone Saxophone. He was really touched by the piece and I'm glad to know that it brings back a flood of warm memories whenever he looks at it. :)

New Blog Header Illustration!

2010-05-10T13:46:00.002-04:00

As part of my Mother's Day gift my wonderful hubby took all 4 kiddies to my inlaws for the afternoon and evening to let me have some quiet time to work on my art....I know, I know, I am SOOOO lucky to have such a supportive and fabulous hubby. He is the best!
So I managed to finish up the "Little Mice" plasticine illo that I thought I'd use as a header for a while. Well, in my haste to get this cute new header illustration finally completed, I completely forgot to take a few photos during the process. Opps, my bad. So I'll have to do another plasticine tutorial showing my final steps on another illustration.
By the way, if anyone out there can tell me how to center a custom header within it's border I'd love it if you could share this info with me! That slight misalignment is bugging me, so I will continue to try to sort that out. I think it will be fun to "change it up" from time to time to keep things fresh! I'd love to hear what everyone thinks, so please do leave me a comment if you can :)

Happy Mother's Day!!!

2010-05-08T11:01:00.003-04:00

In honour of all of those fabulous mommies out there who strive to follow their artistic passion; be a supportive wife/partner; and most importantly, be the BEST mommy they can be, this " virtual bouquet" of sunflowers is for YOU!

I painted this, oh my, about errrr... 13 years ago, when I was experimenting with Impressionism with my acrylics. But I thought it was fitting for today. I just love the old masters of Impressionism. There is something so liberating about laying on think splotches of paint, and using a vibrant colour palette. Such freedom! I really admire this style, as it is a very challenging one, I think. I guess that's because I am naturally the type of person who love to include tiny details in my work, it invites the viewer to look more closely. That's one of the reasons why I love the medium of plasticine. I get the best of both worlds. I can do tiny details and textures when I'm doing foreground subjects, and I can be more loose and mix my colours with gusto to achieve a more impressionistic style too, like with my water reflections. Such fun :)

So I want to wish a "Happy Mother's day" to all of the great Mothers and Grandmothers out there. I hope your special day is filled with sloppy kiddie smooches and cuddles!!! And I hope your enjoy your bouquet!

In full "Teacher Appreciation Gift" mode

2010-05-05T13:12:00.004-04:00

Mrs.B's class of '09
Originally uploaded by sdelrizzo

It is that time of year again. Time to get crackin' on my kiddies teacher appreciation gifts. I am working on 3 this year, and since I don't want to give anything away at this point, I thought I'd show you another from last year.
This one was for my eldest son's amazing grade 2 teacher. She was so fabulous, and always went above and beyond. I had great fun with this one, as I tried to capture the kids' personalities in the illustration.
My oldest son is depicted in the foreground...yes that 's him, the goofy one with the present balanced precariously on his head.
I was lucky to have a fellow teacher/friend sneak into her classroom and snap a bunch of photos to use a reference. Luv the rug!
Now enough procrastinating for me...let get back to work :)

Yoda Cake!

2010-05-01T10:36:00.002-04:00

I finished my Yoda Star Wars cake last night for my son's best friend's party today. What do you think?
I had a bit of trouble with the arms as they were wanting to sag and fall off, so I added a walking stick to prop one arm up and hid some support under his cloak for the other arm. If I didn't tell ya would you have noticed? I sure hope not :)
The weather forecast is for thundershowers this afternoon-yikes, fondant will melt if exposed to rain...I sure hope the rain holds off until I delivery the cake.
I can't wait to see the look on the birthday boy's face when he sees his special cake, it will be sooooo worth it!

Yoda cake in progress

2010-04-30T09:19:00.001-04:00

I am working on a Yoda cake for a Star Wars themed birthday party for my youngest son's best friend. Here is a quick pic. of the head "in progress". It is a bit freaky and well...creepy, without the eyes fully painted. Ha Ha Ha
I made the hands, legs, and head out of rice krispies, as they are lighter and easier to mold into complex shapes. Then I covered them with modeling paste, which is kinda like a combination of gum paste and fondant. I made the body out of chocolate cake, but I still need to cover it with fondant. No pic. of it yet, it looks like a big white mass so far, that vaguely resembles a little Buddha. Thank goodness Yoda is short and squat, so hopefully my cake won't topple over.
I am really liking how the wrinkly face turned out.
Fingers crossed nothing starts to slide around! At least he's old and wizened so even if the modeling past starts to droop a bit, it won't ruin it.
I will post a pic. once the cake is complete :)
Have a happy day....

Cake Topper

2010-04-28T10:00:00.002-04:00

One of my good friends is having a baby shower for her sister this weekend. She is having her first child, how exciting! I was asked to make a custom cake for the event. One of my other fun-to-do things! After all, gumpaste and fondant are very similar to plasticine. I thought it would be really fun to make a custom cake topper in polymer clay to go on the top, especially since her sis has a really great, funky style. She wore this outfit to another party, so I managed to get a photo to use as reference. She totally rocked those striped socks and cool hat! I hope she likes it (fingers crossed). :)

Email is now safe!

2010-04-27T10:02:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone,
After much anxiety and panic, I have resolved my email issue and it is now protected and activated again-yeah!! What a brutal headache. Feel free to use any of my emails to correspond. And again, I do apologize to everyone that received any messages from the phishing scammers.

Phished!

2010-04-26T13:21:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to let you all know that I have had one of my emails hacked or phished. So if you received a strange email message about me being stranded in Scotland PLEASE DISREGARD!!!!!!
This message went out to ALL of my contacts. If you received it, I do apologize, and ask that you use my other email address on the right, for now.
Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Teacher "Thank-You" Gifts

2010-04-26T09:37:00.003-04:00

Since my oldest child was in SK, I have made my own "thank-you" gifts for the wonderful teachers of our local elementary school. I have 3 children in school now, so I have to start thinking, sketching, and planning a little earlier every year. I don't mind though, because I really appreciate these fabulous teachers, and all that they do. And it is nice to give them a heartfelt gift that, I think, shows them how much I truely appreciate them.
Above you can see one plasticine illustration I did for my middle son's SK teacher last year. He really loved the ocean unit they did, so I thought I'd do a little illo. depicting him (orange shirt nearest the teacher), and his classmates listening to a story about oceans and the wonderous imagination that unfolds through her story-telling.
It was fun to do, now to get going on this year's ideas.....

Busy Little Fingers

2010-04-21T13:05:00.002-04:00

The other day I decided to try to get some artwork done while my guys were all outside playing in the backyard....riiiiiiight...just when I thought I had the kitchen table to myself, thinking I could work and watch the kiddies at the same time, my 6 year old son comes flying through the sliding door " Whatcha doin' Mom, ohhhh...can I do plasticine too??" Sure I said. So I now had one little apprentice quietly working away next to me, trying to make camouflage after a quick demo. in colour mixing. He created a great soldier (see above) and had enough camouflage left over for some funky boots. Funny how all boys this age (and his brothers) are very interested in anything army related right now...well better a soldier than a weapon for once(geeesh)!

But wait... then there were two! About one minute later there was another little voice from beyond the screen door....."Mommy.....ummmm...can I play too?" This time it was my 4 year old son, not wanting to miss out on anything, and hoping to play too. Well, the more the merrier right? He pulled up his chair and got down to business pulling and kneading with fierce concentration. He was very proud to hold up his Seadoo (see above) half an hour later. He has had our cottage "on-the-brain" and can't wait to get up north once the warm weather is here to stay. Good job boys! Yup...another proud mommy moment.

Luckily my daughter, who is two, was very preoccupied in the sand-box and my oldest son, who is eight, was out with his Daddy for some "Daddy and me" time. It could have been pretty cramped and crazy around the kitchen table!

And to top it off, I actually got a bit of my artwork completed too... yippee!