Finally, the new site is live. I still have a few sections to add to, but the majority is up now and ready for me to get some promo stuff printed up and get pimping for work. :0)
It was a big learning experience, but I decided that rather than piecing it together haphazardly, it was a good time to tackle the 800+ page Dreamweaver manual and learn what I was actually doing. I did learn a lot, but also learned that I didn't learn a lot. Ha! What I mean is that I found there are certain things that one should be able to do that either are not answered in the manual, or are answered in the manual in such a way that one would need to find a rosetta stone of sorts to translate. Much help was found by googling, but even still, there are things that leave me scratching my head. The pursuit continues! Stay tuned...
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Under construction
I finally settled on a design for the website redesign. Instead of too serious and grown up or too whimsical and child-like, I met somewhere in the middle and went with a simple layout. Now just to execute it! :0) Stay tuned...
The hardest part was deciding what image to use on the front page, but after putting the finishing touches on my fly girl for the FLiEs site and mailer, I realized I had fallen in love with this quirky girl (A self portrait? Not sure. You decide.) and she will be the perfect thing to match the feel I want for the new site. She's got enough detail to show my style, but enough whimsy to show that I want to make kids laugh. I hope.
The hardest part was deciding what image to use on the front page, but after putting the finishing touches on my fly girl for the FLiEs site and mailer, I realized I had fallen in love with this quirky girl (A self portrait? Not sure. You decide.) and she will be the perfect thing to match the feel I want for the new site. She's got enough detail to show my style, but enough whimsy to show that I want to make kids laugh. I hope.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
from linework to finished piece
After completing a third of the Flea and the Louse image in Photoshop, I decided it was too flat feeling, and I wanted to go back to colored pencil. I printed the image onto white drawing paper...despite the fact that I much prefer working on colored paper to show more of the paper's tooth.
Pretty happy with how it turned out, and it has raised my braveness level for working on white. Heaven help me if this book ever gets bought, though, because I'll have no clue what colors I used to make everything and will have to do it all over anyway. I like the zoom in on the poor bugs in distress and may use that portion on promo mailers before long. Laurent Linn said (in something I read recently) that promo cards should show action, and make you want to know what's going on. Sweet animals or children just posing get tossed in the bin straight away. Hopefully these fellows will show enough angst to intrigue.
Pretty happy with how it turned out, and it has raised my braveness level for working on white. Heaven help me if this book ever gets bought, though, because I'll have no clue what colors I used to make everything and will have to do it all over anyway. I like the zoom in on the poor bugs in distress and may use that portion on promo mailers before long. Laurent Linn said (in something I read recently) that promo cards should show action, and make you want to know what's going on. Sweet animals or children just posing get tossed in the bin straight away. Hopefully these fellows will show enough angst to intrigue.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Hey --vote!
Whoa...two posts in one day? The world is thrown to chaos.
Only two days left to vote in my oh-so-thought-provoking poll on the right hand side of the screen there. ;0) Just saying.
Only two days left to vote in my oh-so-thought-provoking poll on the right hand side of the screen there. ;0) Just saying.
I've been subtly nudged
A reminder, that is, that I haven't posted anything in a couple of weeks. I chalk that up to being too busy creating brilliant masterpieces to spend time typing here.
Buying it? Nah...didn't think you would.
I have been quite busy, though, filling sheet after sheet of scrap paper with website design and layout ideas. Now if I could just decide which direction to go with it. The more sleek and professional layout, or the one that feels inviting and like you stepped into a children's book? Or how about the other dozen or so that I'm seriously considering? My friend Gretchen said a wise thing the other day..."Go with the third choice. It's always number 3." Hmmm...if only I had numbered them.
I've also been trying to finish up started but not completed illustrations so that as I build the website, well...there's actually some new work to put up there (and I can finally move some of the current examples into retirement).
One such piece exists as linework, and has remained this way for about 3 years now. I dare say it's time to colorize that sucker and submit it! But once again, the quandaries arise. Do it digitally or traditionally? Colored pencil or paint?
Here is the linework piece...a page from the Flea and the Louse, an old Brother's Grimm tale. So far I've got digital and colored pencil versions going. We'll see what comes.
Buying it? Nah...didn't think you would.
I have been quite busy, though, filling sheet after sheet of scrap paper with website design and layout ideas. Now if I could just decide which direction to go with it. The more sleek and professional layout, or the one that feels inviting and like you stepped into a children's book? Or how about the other dozen or so that I'm seriously considering? My friend Gretchen said a wise thing the other day..."Go with the third choice. It's always number 3." Hmmm...if only I had numbered them.
I've also been trying to finish up started but not completed illustrations so that as I build the website, well...there's actually some new work to put up there (and I can finally move some of the current examples into retirement).
One such piece exists as linework, and has remained this way for about 3 years now. I dare say it's time to colorize that sucker and submit it! But once again, the quandaries arise. Do it digitally or traditionally? Colored pencil or paint?
Here is the linework piece...a page from the Flea and the Louse, an old Brother's Grimm tale. So far I've got digital and colored pencil versions going. We'll see what comes.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
scribbling like a mad woman
It's all well and good to talk about being productive in the new year, but another thing entirely to actually BE productive. As usual, I have my hands in many pots at once, but I've taken the time time actually sit down and brainstorm and sketch out plans for not only my revised website, but also for a book (in between letting coats of trim paint dry and dancing with a 3 year old to the Wiggles).
I don't have glorious new paintings to share, but figured I could give a glimpse into how my brain works. Give me a pen and some scrap paper (yes, those are left-over parent volunteer sheets from last year's science action) and leave me alone to let it all flood out.
Sketches for the new main page, the Critter Bag page, and the entry to the Miep's Corner section of the site. I've redesigned the main page over a dozen times. Commitment is hard! I love the first mock up I made, but realized I'd left some crucial things out. Back to the drawing board!
No...you're not supposed to be able to make much of that out. It's less about the content and more about the scribbly madness.
The tiny, inky door from that page above inspired the entrance to Miep's Corner, the future home of activities for kids on my site.
And just who is Miep, you might be asking?
Well, the original Miep was a Steiff stuffed mouse that I bought in Germany in the mid 80's. Miep was the name that came on her tag. (A famous Miep you might recall is the courageous woman who hid Anne Frank and her family during the war. Although my Miep has nothing to do with that one...it's just cool trivia.)
When I started the Critter Bag business, I decided I needed a proper model and decided to indulge in the purchase of my very own Webkinz. Yes, I am a grown up. No, I haven't activated it online. That'd be silly. I'll wait until my daughter is old enough to want to take over her account solely and not let me play anymore. At that time, I'll activate it and have my own account. :0) Anyway...I got the mouse. Something about her mousely proportions and the expression on her face grabbed me and she instantly reminded me of my Miep of long ago, and so I granted her the same name.
So Miep (the second) became my mascot for the Critter Bags, and as I drew her, I realized her charm should flow through the site a bit more. And perhaps if I stared into those beady, black eyes deeply enough, a story would emerge as well. And it did! Forcing a story to come out almost never works, but sometimes you're lucky enough to have one told to you...by some tucked away child inside of you. Suddenly, web design sheets were tossed to the floor except for one that had a little space left on the back. And there I started madly writing and drawing as fast as I could, as fast as the ideas were coming. A story played out in my head and in front of my eyes.
And here it is! Impressed? Yeah, doesn't look like much at this point, but it's all there...the nibblets of a story! Now to flesh out the actual story and work out a rough storyboard concept.
But I suppose for the time being, I had best get back to the website.
I don't have glorious new paintings to share, but figured I could give a glimpse into how my brain works. Give me a pen and some scrap paper (yes, those are left-over parent volunteer sheets from last year's science action) and leave me alone to let it all flood out.
Sketches for the new main page, the Critter Bag page, and the entry to the Miep's Corner section of the site. I've redesigned the main page over a dozen times. Commitment is hard! I love the first mock up I made, but realized I'd left some crucial things out. Back to the drawing board!
No...you're not supposed to be able to make much of that out. It's less about the content and more about the scribbly madness.
The tiny, inky door from that page above inspired the entrance to Miep's Corner, the future home of activities for kids on my site.
And just who is Miep, you might be asking?
Well, the original Miep was a Steiff stuffed mouse that I bought in Germany in the mid 80's. Miep was the name that came on her tag. (A famous Miep you might recall is the courageous woman who hid Anne Frank and her family during the war. Although my Miep has nothing to do with that one...it's just cool trivia.)
When I started the Critter Bag business, I decided I needed a proper model and decided to indulge in the purchase of my very own Webkinz. Yes, I am a grown up. No, I haven't activated it online. That'd be silly. I'll wait until my daughter is old enough to want to take over her account solely and not let me play anymore. At that time, I'll activate it and have my own account. :0) Anyway...I got the mouse. Something about her mousely proportions and the expression on her face grabbed me and she instantly reminded me of my Miep of long ago, and so I granted her the same name.
So Miep (the second) became my mascot for the Critter Bags, and as I drew her, I realized her charm should flow through the site a bit more. And perhaps if I stared into those beady, black eyes deeply enough, a story would emerge as well. And it did! Forcing a story to come out almost never works, but sometimes you're lucky enough to have one told to you...by some tucked away child inside of you. Suddenly, web design sheets were tossed to the floor except for one that had a little space left on the back. And there I started madly writing and drawing as fast as I could, as fast as the ideas were coming. A story played out in my head and in front of my eyes.
And here it is! Impressed? Yeah, doesn't look like much at this point, but it's all there...the nibblets of a story! Now to flesh out the actual story and work out a rough storyboard concept.
But I suppose for the time being, I had best get back to the website.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Making resolutions
2008, while it had lots of roller coasters and loss of loved ones, also proved to be quite an amazing year for me. I forced myself to step outside my comfort zone in many areas of life, and for the most part, was rewarded for doing so. The accomplishments started small and got bigger as the year progressed.
While I can often be shy and a bit of a peripheral person in groups, I stepped up and lead a parent-run science action program at my daughter's school. While a simple thing in itself, it laid the foundation for bigger steps.
I got braver about showing my work, and joined and became an active member of RACWI (Rochester Area Writers and Illustrators) and the Art FLiEs (my fabulous illustration critique group). Both have been priceless and brought my self-confidence up a great deal. Each meeting leaves me inspired and energized to do more.
The next three things, however, were the biggest leaps for me this year.
This spring, I lead a writers workshop program for a group of 1st graders. I talked with them about how a picture book is brought to life from the very first ideas and scribbles to the final printing process, and likened it to what they were doing themselves in learning to write and tell stories. I showed them examples of my own books I am working on, and many examples of finished books by area authors and illustrators. To say that I was petrified to speak in front of the class is the understatement of the century, but I knew in my gut that I had to do it. And once it was over, I felt a tremendous rush of empowerment and satisfaction...and dare I say it? The desire to do more. I am extremely grateful to my friend Bonnie for talking me into doing it with her class (or should I say for not allowing me to not do it), and bringing something to life within me that I simply did not know was there. The courage I received from that experience lead me to go on to do the next things I list here.
And then this past summer, I learned to drive. At 37, that's a biggie. (I had attempted to learn at age 25 and even got my license, but it was such a horrid experience and we never lived in a driving friendly environment or had a standard, so the years went by without ever getting behind the wheel.) I'm still a work in progress on four wheels, but I've driven in snow enough times now to feel I can properly call myself a driver.
The last big accomplishment of 2008 came this fall. I was asked to make a couple of sleeping bags for a school children's auction. I have made several for my daughter's Webkinz and a couple for gifts as well. I felt awkward delivering the handmade items and felt sure on auction day that there would be no bids for them next to the many commercially packaged games and toys provided by other parents. I nervously peered into the bid bags to discover each of the three bags I'd donated had nearly half a bag full of bids by children hoping to win them. I was stunned. And I was perhaps even more stunned to leave that afternoon with orders for more bags from a couple of parents whose children had not won them but desperately wanted sleeping bags for their own Webkinz.
While sewing those custom orders up, I made up some extras and on a whim took them down to a neat little boutique gift shop in town that sells Webkinz. This was something that once again terrified me, and I nearly turned back even as I was crossing the store's threshold. I took a deep breath, resisted the urge to bolt, and showed the shop owner what I had made. As I was showing her, a woman walked up and asked if she could buy one...that her daughter would love it for Christmas. About 30 seconds later, we were working out exclusive selling rights for the shop to carry my bags. And so ten minutes after I took a deep breath to force myself to go into the shop, I was suddenly in business. Critter Bags, as I named them, have been blossoming in my house ever since!
My 2007 self never could, or more importantly, never would have done any of that. 2008 taught me to take chances, have at least a nibble of confidence (that seems to be enough...the rest follows), and just DO.
I am sincerely anxious to see what 2009 will bring. I hope that it will be a continuation along this line, with new ventures and experiences opening my world even more.
My resolutions for this year (besides the "lose that last 20 pounds and be done with the long, stinkin' weight loss journey already") are to release a brand new website focused on children's illustration and writing, and to really get my work out there and attempt to get work in the publishing field. I usually make resolutions and then renew them each year, but I actually crossed them off the list last year. How crazy is that? So here is to a fresh, new year, and to fresh, new creativity and drive, and to accomplishing even more goals!
Happy New Year!
While I can often be shy and a bit of a peripheral person in groups, I stepped up and lead a parent-run science action program at my daughter's school. While a simple thing in itself, it laid the foundation for bigger steps.
I got braver about showing my work, and joined and became an active member of RACWI (Rochester Area Writers and Illustrators) and the Art FLiEs (my fabulous illustration critique group). Both have been priceless and brought my self-confidence up a great deal. Each meeting leaves me inspired and energized to do more.
The next three things, however, were the biggest leaps for me this year.
This spring, I lead a writers workshop program for a group of 1st graders. I talked with them about how a picture book is brought to life from the very first ideas and scribbles to the final printing process, and likened it to what they were doing themselves in learning to write and tell stories. I showed them examples of my own books I am working on, and many examples of finished books by area authors and illustrators. To say that I was petrified to speak in front of the class is the understatement of the century, but I knew in my gut that I had to do it. And once it was over, I felt a tremendous rush of empowerment and satisfaction...and dare I say it? The desire to do more. I am extremely grateful to my friend Bonnie for talking me into doing it with her class (or should I say for not allowing me to not do it), and bringing something to life within me that I simply did not know was there. The courage I received from that experience lead me to go on to do the next things I list here.
And then this past summer, I learned to drive. At 37, that's a biggie. (I had attempted to learn at age 25 and even got my license, but it was such a horrid experience and we never lived in a driving friendly environment or had a standard, so the years went by without ever getting behind the wheel.) I'm still a work in progress on four wheels, but I've driven in snow enough times now to feel I can properly call myself a driver.
The last big accomplishment of 2008 came this fall. I was asked to make a couple of sleeping bags for a school children's auction. I have made several for my daughter's Webkinz and a couple for gifts as well. I felt awkward delivering the handmade items and felt sure on auction day that there would be no bids for them next to the many commercially packaged games and toys provided by other parents. I nervously peered into the bid bags to discover each of the three bags I'd donated had nearly half a bag full of bids by children hoping to win them. I was stunned. And I was perhaps even more stunned to leave that afternoon with orders for more bags from a couple of parents whose children had not won them but desperately wanted sleeping bags for their own Webkinz.
While sewing those custom orders up, I made up some extras and on a whim took them down to a neat little boutique gift shop in town that sells Webkinz. This was something that once again terrified me, and I nearly turned back even as I was crossing the store's threshold. I took a deep breath, resisted the urge to bolt, and showed the shop owner what I had made. As I was showing her, a woman walked up and asked if she could buy one...that her daughter would love it for Christmas. About 30 seconds later, we were working out exclusive selling rights for the shop to carry my bags. And so ten minutes after I took a deep breath to force myself to go into the shop, I was suddenly in business. Critter Bags, as I named them, have been blossoming in my house ever since!
My 2007 self never could, or more importantly, never would have done any of that. 2008 taught me to take chances, have at least a nibble of confidence (that seems to be enough...the rest follows), and just DO.
I am sincerely anxious to see what 2009 will bring. I hope that it will be a continuation along this line, with new ventures and experiences opening my world even more.
My resolutions for this year (besides the "lose that last 20 pounds and be done with the long, stinkin' weight loss journey already") are to release a brand new website focused on children's illustration and writing, and to really get my work out there and attempt to get work in the publishing field. I usually make resolutions and then renew them each year, but I actually crossed them off the list last year. How crazy is that? So here is to a fresh, new year, and to fresh, new creativity and drive, and to accomplishing even more goals!
Happy New Year!
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