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At every step in our lives there are bridges that we cross. I've already crossed many of them myself, even one not unlike this one pictured here. The log was a bit shaky and unnerving to cross, but having experienced the crossing it took me to more than just another destination. It took me to another level of my maturity. My husband is intrigued with bridges, well, actually with any engineering feat. When he saw the PBS presentation of Super Bridge, a NOVA special about the construction of the … [Read more...] about Bridges

One of the generous awards and opportunities offered through the Society of Children's Book Writiers and Illustrators is the Tomie dePaola Award. This years prompt was to depict the main character from the popular tale of Little Red Riding Hood. The excerpt that Tomie gave us was from a version by Philip Pullman of the well known Grimm fairy tale. Mr. dePaola challenged submitters not to fall to generic depictions that were too ordinary or "designed", like what's already been seen in media … [Read more...] about Little Red Riding Hood

At a recent SCBWI conference the illustrators were given a chance to show off their skills in a contest. The prompt was to create three different poses of the character Rumplestiltskin that shows our vision of him. I had a vague memory of the character from stories in my youth but couldn't quite put my finger on how the whole story went. So I did a little research. There were several versions of the story including some from other countries and cultures. In one his name meant simply rattle … [Read more...] about Rumplestiltskin

When I look around me as I go through my day, or delve into the reference books on my shelf for an image to illustrate and hone my skills, I conclude with no uncertainty that our creator is the greatest artist of all time. So many beautiful faces. Creating a representation of one of those beautiful faces would be defined as portraiture. Portraiture has been around for centuries and the reasons for these depicitons as well as their styles have been varied. They range from being aquired to show … [Read more...] about Beautiful Faces and Portraiture

Next to the human form, drawing and painting animals is another favorite of mine. Perhaps it's because they share moods and emotions not unlike us. I've gathered second hand books as references for stance and realistic qualities when I'm portraying different figures. And often I will work from photos I've taken. This designer gouache painting was initiated by several beautiful photos of Impalas. As I was drawing their lovely curving horns I allowed myself to get a little creative with their … [Read more...] about Fantastical Beasts