The Princess & the Pea in da house!

Well, look what greeted me at the post office today!

There's really nothing like it to have the real book in your hands.  I delivered the first sketches for this book about a year ago and now it's finally here.  My project for the next few weeks is doing sketches for the next book in this series; The Beauty & the Beast  :)  If you want to order the book, it will be available at Barnes & Noble and on Amazon in October.

...so....yayyyy! (me dancing silently in my studio)

What I love the most about drawing...

...it's really quite simple: With a single pencil and a piece of paper, you can create a whole new world. A figure, a place or a feeling that no one has seen before but you in your own imagination.  And that drawing on that piece of paper is what captures what only you have seen and therefor now exists!  

Now that was deep... ...but like I said, it's really simple.  I LOVE drawing and that's the reason.  

This guy was born in my sketchbook one night when there was nothing on TV...

 ...turns out he lives in a rainforest...

 

...which apparently looks something like that!

To have a partner in crime (or illustration)

shake-it till your dots fall off!

I have a friend - such a good friend that I must tell you about.  I met her at my first class at the Academy of Art - the scary Color Theory class.  Man, it was difficult!  And I who thought my English was ok felt totally clueless most of the time.  A student in that class was Lindsey Manwell, who has since become my friend, advisor, critic and supporter in the scary world of illustration.  I can only hope I can help her out as much as she's helped me.  Once in a while we meet up via Skype (late in the evening my time, afternoon California time) and talk about this business we're in for at least an hour each time.  It means EVERYTING to be able to talk to someone who knows exactly what you are doing and going through.  And every single time after our conversation, I feel inspired and more energetic.  You must check out her stunningly beautiful art work here!

I've been in the writing mood for a while now.  Ideas pile up in my head, in my computer and notebook, but most of them in my sketch book.  I've been reading a lot, many things suggested by Lindsey, and I feel like I'm discovering a whole new world.  There are so many interesting books, blogs and podcasts out there for children's book writers and illustrators, I can't believe it took me so long to find it!  So if you are interested in illustration and writing and haven't discovered these blogs and podcasts yet, check out these brilliant sites:

Resources for Children's Writers

Guide to Literary Agents

Katie Davis

Julie Hedlund (...you must check out her interview with the brilliant Peter Brown here.

Illustration Age

Paper Wings Podcast

Enjoy!

When mad - paint rabbits!

Do you know the feeling when you've been working on something in the computer for a while and then something happens, kind of like out of the blue - and boom - your stuff disappears!  Or it's somehow mysteriously ruined - and it's totally NOT your fault!  At least that's what you tell yourself....  

Well, that happened to me last night.  At the final meters of my deadline, the piece I'd been working on for almost two days somehow got so seriously messed up in the computer, that I basically had to start all over again.  I'm sure you can imagine the frustration! I was in total disbelieve that it'd happened!  At first I got really angry at my stupid Photoshop, then at my stupid computer, then mad at me, then at just about everything!

At that moment I found a piece of paper that I'd scanned in probable about six months ago.  And I started painting the rabbit on that piece of paper.  "Stupid rabbit" I grinned.  But you can't really stay mad when painting a little innocent rabbit that had nothing to to with my document being ruined.  So I got happy again. 

So here's my advice to you my friends - when mad - paint rabbits!

Lára had drawn two rabbits on that piece of paper - so here you can see her version of a happy rabbit :)