This post looks a lot like the last one, I know! : ) Since this blog is primarily about work and illustration, I’m sharing what I have illustrated that is presently out in print. The following illustrations were created for a poem by Eileen Spinelli for Highlights’ High Five magazine (I illustrated another poem of hers in this poster). I had a lot of fun with this but struggled with the main girl somewhat in the rough stages (well, also the final)! She was deemed a bit “homely” in the roughs and I just couldn’t see it. In the end, it was surrounding her nose (I had it too large), and changing it to a more smallish, “button” nose did the trick (Thanks, Kelley!) Again, my thanks to Highlights (and High Five!) for the project!
(Copyright–Highlights/HighFive Magazine)
I have a page spread illustration in this month’s (September ’13) issue of Highlights magazine. The poem is by author Karla Kuskin. The cover is by B. B. Sams, a great cartoonist-illustrator!
Thanks so much, Highlights!
(Copyright–Highlights Magazine)
Below are illustrations for a fun spread I did for Highlights magazine’s August ’13. The story (entitled “Bear and Max”, by Julie Dillemuth) is about a cat with two names as the consequence of acquiring two families–who don’t know about each other (someone I know calls a cat who does that “double-dipping”!). My thanks to Highlights for the pleasure to create the illustrations!
(copyright Highlights For Children)
I can’t believe it’s almost August! I hope your summer has been going well. For me, it has brought fun projects to work on, a few represented below with just some glimpses of the over-all projects.
We girls at Illustration For Kids put out a summer promo last week, selecting the theme “Ballet”! Below is the illustration I did for the postcard, along with another version. Please heck out our site and blog!
Something from a project over the weekend.
I have a illustration spread published in this month’s issue of Chirp magazine (June ’13). It was a very fun piece to do (as all these busy, festival pieces are)! Challenges with this project was working out the rough on my laptop and Wacom tablet (verses my desktop and Cintiq), and deciding from what angle to best depict the boats, festival goers and fireworks. Below is the cover and spread, from afar:
The first page:
And bits and pieces at random:
I found this illustration I did up on the Highlights For Children‘s website the other day, and realized I’d forgotten about it:
(Copyright Highlights For Children)
It’s the illustration for a poem by Marileta Robinson. Can’t say I’ve ever had hot pickles! Have you? The little girl certainly is enjoying it, but not without some tears–albeit happy ones!
Happy May, everybody! I’m working this week on some black and white images for a client’s curriculum (below). Fun stuff!
Thankfully, spring looks like it’s making it’s appearance. I see buds on trees, I spotted some bulbs sprouting, temps are on the rise…and most of the snow is melting away. I soon may be able to put the parka away for good!
Below are some segments of illustrations I did this year for a poster about reading books. You can read a book anywhere, dontcha know!
(copyright Highlights For Children)
Something different–and quick: Illustration mixed with photos.
And so I shall round out the week with more rabbits. Or bunnies. Either/or. And a rabbit/bunny pattern, to be exact.
Making patterns is enjoyable, I find, though that is an exercise I pretty much do on my own time, for my own projects. It’s a completely different approach to creating something visual. Whereas I’m usually doing something that creates or enhances a story, to just simply take an image–and related images–and play with juxtaposition, alignment, color, texture, etc., has a very liberating quality to it. No need to weave a narrative. I am free to just enjoy the design.
A quicky warm-up for Illustration Friday. What a fun topic! So many ways to go with this. And I’m keeping the Easter theme going.
Check out all the other submissions at Illustration Friday.
