All For Them!

As a children’s book illustrator and author, I find myself in the studio drawing, scanning and coloring each day.  I think of characters, line width, color options, page sizes, stories to try out… and more. Much of the process taps the “adult” in me. I sometimes fight that!  I think it is more important to keep the “child” in me front and center during the process.  How better to connect with my “little” audience than to get on their level.  The results?  Watching them laugh when I read them my books.

How To Make A Toy 101

Yesterday three little birds came to my house for try outs.  What great fun to open the package!  Three baby chicks popped out!  Who will be Peepsqueak?  #1,  #2 or #3 ?  Do I like the eyes?  How about the beak?  Not sure I like the feet … Color is good… but is he smiling? He HAS to look happy! … Love the red PS shirt…the shirt might need a little horizontal seam under the arm to make it fit better? All in all it is great fun to learn the process of making a TOY!  I LOVE TOYS! When I was little all my toys talked. … and yes … mostly… they still do! ha ha ha ! … and yes, I still have TOYS!

Hindsight

Noun

1.

hindsight– understanding the nature of an event after it has happened; “hindsight is always better than foresight”.Most all of us have had opportunities to look back on in our lives and see there was a path set before us to follow!  Whether or not we have pursued that path is up to us. As I look back, even my disappointments were part of my present. ********************************************************************** 1. My childhood was fertile ground for make-believe.  We had dress up clothes and plenty of games and things to keep us busy. I always LOVED dolls and I remember my imagination being so keen that I could believe my dolls were almost real. ********************************************************************** 2. In Jr. High school I met a friend name Ronnie Burton.  She made the most wonderful cartoons. I still remember how she drew the ears and the hair.  She amazed me! Soon I began drawing my own cartoons. Just a few weeks ago we met up at our high school reunion.  She is still my friend after all these years and she is still doing amazing art! ********************************************************************** 3. When my children were young I read them book after book. I loved reading them stories.  My favorite stories were the ones that made us laugh and laugh. Some of our favorites are Ruby the Copycat, Dabble Duck, But No Elephants, Patrick and Ted, Duncan and Dolores, Frog and Toad, Owl at Home and more.  Anyone ever read Julie Andrew’s book called Mandy?  I sat sobbing as I read that one. Even though I was an adult, my future was still being shaped and my desire to illustrate books for children grew. ********************************************************************** 4. When my youngest was ready for reading we ordered Ladybug magazine.  Since I was an artist and cartoonist I began entertaining the idea of illustrating for Ladybug.  I sent off some art and was quickly rejected. I attended a SCBWI conference and an editor from Ladybug was there.  She looked at my portfolio and hired me to illustrate the parent pages.  It was a dream come true! ********************************************************************** 5. Meeting my hero, Tomie dePoala was great fun!  He came all the way out West to meet ME! Ha!… Okay… so I never met him in person until this day, but he did write me a couple of times after I wrote to him. Yes, if you write an author or illustrator, they MAY just write you back!********************************************************************** 6. Another fun event in my life was when my painting of “The Princess and the Pea” was a part of the Colorado Children’s Museum’s art show on Fairy Tales. All the paintings were only about 3 feet off the ground. ********************************************************************** 7. When my agent hooked me up with Clothworks Textiles I had great fun designing quilting fabrics.  My daughter’s grandma-in law Bonnie began making me quilts with my fabrics.  We traded.  I give her a ton of fabric and she sews! ********************************************************************** 8. The Licensing Show in Las Vegas brought me to where I am today, working on my second book for Harper Collins. Book one comes out in early 2012 and book 2 in 2013. ********************************************************************** In looking back at my life, I see a series of doors I had to go through that have brought me to today!  Hindsight can be a good thing if you use it to propel yourself into your future!  We have to use the disappointing times as stepping stones!  All things are possible if you believe!!