I just returned home from an unforgettably great week of camping and swimming and eating paella with dear family and friends, to be happily surprised to find this on my doorstep: These are my illustrator's copies of TURKEY TOT! What better incentive to finally clean up my dreadfully messy studio, than to make room for copies of one's VERY FIRST published book! And now I think I can safely

I was lucky enough to spend a few days rocking out and catching up with dear friends (who happen to be the organizers) at BottleRock Napa Valley last week, and in the hubbub of it all, I did not have a chance to squeak about this exciting package that arrived on my doorstep. This is the real deal: Turkey Tot, written by George Shannon, illustrated by me!! My very first published work as an

Today, I am a guest blogger over at my wonderful literary agency, Pippin Properties! As ever, I am so so tickled to be in such good company among the many awesome Pips. Head on over there, and have a read! And then come back here, and tell me your birthday party stories!

A global tour in the comfort of my red wagon--nice! The Next Big Thing is a global blog tour that got started in Australia to bring awareness to authors and illustrators and their current work. All kinds of cool people have participated--many of my friends have already been tagged! I was fortunate to be tagged by Anik McGrory to contribute this week. Others who have recently participated are

ALA Mid-Winter was in Seattle this past weekend, and I was thrilled to be invited to a reception at the Space Needle hosted by Holiday House, who is publishing TURKEY TOT, written by George Shannon and illustrated by me (my first book!!!). It was very exciting to see a mock-up of the book (not quite a galley yet---it’s on their fall 2013 list) on their display table at the reception and at ALA!

My birdies and I are busting out! Two blog posts in two days, and I jumped up a size for some of my tiny paintings! For those who wonder, I do collage little bits of stuff in behind the paintings, because it helps me not to be so afraid of the "blank page." The "blank page" sounds like a funny thing to be afraid of, but it is like other unknowns that makes us gulp and back away at first.

I make these tiny paintings (most are about 2" x 2") around this time of year, sometimes as gifts, sometimes just because. (Some of you looking at this might find one in your mail soon!) Most of these divine little beings frequent the shrubs and trees in my backyard. I love to watch them and to hear their winter chatter and song. Some I have not yet seen, but I know they are near.

This is an art trading card, which I made to send to a young artist who was kind enough to send one of hers to me!

As I launch myself into the process of creating the final art for my very first picture book-to-be-published (George Shannon's TURKEY TOT) I find that it is time for me to develop not only some really good time management habits, but also some really good standards for creating my art. Can I just tell you that this is not the easiest thing for me? I have spent years developing myself as an

I expend a silly amount of energy feeling guilty when I browse the internet rather than working on something on my to-do list. Enough with the guilt--I've put the browsing on my to-do list! Here is what I browsed today, and it was just exactly what today needed. I found it on a new favorite blog called Booooooom! Enjoy!

These bunnies are being experimented upon! Taking a break from the real work, I dabbled a little in species modification and lifted these cuties right from the petri dish. They'll look special in the meadow at night--bwa ha ha ha!!

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It's my birthday today, and in honor of that, I am going to spiff up my blog a little. Check back now and then for more changes, little and big. Trying to learn to be my own IT department!  P.S. This is a work-in progress, starting today!

It's my birthday today, and in honor of that, I am going to spiff up my blog a little. Check back now and then for more changes, little and big. Trying to learn to be my own IT department!  P.S. This is a work-in progress, starting today!

It's been a mild December here, and the birds have been so song-ful. It must be their joy, when the weather is fine. Here are a few tiny portraits of some of those who loiter in the yard or linger in the neighborhood. They are all characters-some more transparent than others. Miss Quail doesn't really live around here. But she insisted on a portrait in any case. Sing out a little joy yourselves

It's been a mild December here, and the birds have been so song-ful. It must be their joy, when the weather is fine. Here are a few tiny portraits of some of those who loiter in the yard or linger in the neighborhood. They are all characters-some more transparent than others. Miss Quail doesn't really live around here. But she insisted on a portrait in any case. Sing out a little joy yourselves

The wildlife that my dog and I see in the neighborhood Marina is unusually entertaining: sea otters with boundary issues, seagulls who really will swallow a large starfish in a single gulp, great (huge) blue herons with terrible posture and impossible patience.Overseeing it all is the Belted Kingfisher, a theatrical dandy among birds, so well dressed in his high collared shirt. Undaunted by cold

The wildlife that my dog and I see in the neighborhood Marina is unusually entertaining: sea otters with boundary issues, seagulls who really will swallow a large starfish in a single gulp, great (huge) blue herons with terrible posture and impossible patience.Overseeing it all is the Belted Kingfisher, a theatrical dandy among birds, so well dressed in his high collared shirt. Undaunted by cold

I just had to share this image. These are the visual notes that my eighth grade daughter drew for herself in order to memorize a good size chunk of the opening of the Declaration of Independence. She had it memorized by the time she drew the last character. She uses this technique a lot--a true visual thinker. Can you decipher the code? I can't, but here's what it says, if you are curious (of

I just had to share this image. These are the visual notes that my eighth grade daughter drew for herself in order to memorize a good size chunk of the opening of the Declaration of Independence. She had it memorized by the time she drew the last character. She uses this technique a lot--a true visual thinker. Can you decipher the code? I can't, but here's what it says, if you are curious (of

I wish I could have posted this when the news was an eentsy bit fresher, but the news broke at just about the instant that I was leaving for a week of camping, an adventure that did not include a computer or other device for creating blog posts. The camping, and swimming and hiking, was excellent, and I did not miss my computer one bit. But now there is much to catch up on! In any case, the

I wish I could have posted this when the news was an eentsy bit fresher, but the news broke at just about the instant that I was leaving for a week of camping, an adventure that did not include a computer or other device for creating blog posts. The camping, and swimming and hiking, was excellent, and I did not miss my computer one bit. But now there is much to catch up on! In any case, the

I don't know what it is about elephants for me, but I can't stop drawing, painting, printing them. They might be filling in for whales until I can wrap my head around just how to fit a whale on a page. Or they might just be in my head because they are!A peek into the symbolism of elephants reveals that the elephant stands for patience, determination, longevity, and good luck.Ah, maybe that's

I don't know what it is about elephants for me, but I can't stop drawing, painting, printing them. They might be filling in for whales until I can wrap my head around just how to fit a whale on a page. Or they might just be in my head because they are!A peek into the symbolism of elephants reveals that the elephant stands for patience, determination, longevity, and good luck.Ah, maybe that's

Just trying out some new stuff.