If you’re just now joining us on Iron Chef Vermin… Strawberry Challenge, you’ll note on the challenger’s side, Ronaldo Rodent, Executive Chef of the ever popular Hole in the Wall restaurant unfolding a nice pate brisee over a sugared strawberry filling….

Twelve drummers drumming!

Eleven pipers piping! 

When the Tomie dePaola Award contest was first announced. I was very excited and filled with ideas. The prompt choices were Tom Sawyer, Little Women and The Yearling.

My first go at it was this one for The Yearling. While I liked working on this, Tomie’s words kept ringing in my ear, “I want to see an image, a style, a vision that I’ve never seen before – all in glorious black and white!”

Hmmm… I will add this to my portfolio but  I had another idea.   So I ended up submitting the one below.  This is my take. I love little furry creatures.

To see the other entries and there are so many fantastic entries, follow the link below!

http://scbwicontest.blogspot.com/

Diandra Mae, a fellow Houston illustrator has been diligently adding entries to the Unofficial Gallery of the Tomie dePaola Award blog. Thank you Diandra for taking the time out of this busy holiday season!

Ten Lords a leaping!

Nine ladies dancing!

eight maids a milking….   

Meet the Synchronized Sisters of Sunnyvale.
These lovely ladies are known far and wide for their beauty, grace and of course their precision technique!

Never a more friendly gaggle of gals could be found. That is, until Sylvia joined the group!

She was a rare bird indeed!!

Then the feathers flew!!

“Why does she always get to stay above water?”

Sylvia just smiled and let it roll like water off a ducks back

… or should I say swan!

Seven swans a swimming!!!

……Six geese a laying!

This is what i do while waiting for the little ballerina to finish her dance class.

I pretty much take my sketches with me every where I go!

Five golden rings!!!!!

After all the toys had been delivered, and the milk and cookies had been eaten, Santa paused to explore his options for a little R&R!

……four colly birds

…… three french hens!

My true love gave to me…

two turtle doves.

Here is it… My entry for the 2012 Tomie dePaola Award.

Tomie did say “I want to see an image, a style, a vision that I’ve never seen before – all in glorious black and white!”  …. and well, you know me and mice!

For information about the award and the 2013 guidelines, follow the link below

http://www.scbwi.org/Pages.aspx/2013-Tomie-dePaola-Guidelines

To see other entries follow this link

http://scbwicontest.blogspot.com/

My true love gave to me…

a partridge in a pear tree!

“Exhuberance is Beauty.”
– William Blake

There she is…. the last SkADaMo sketch of 2012.

As she sugar plums herself  across the page, let me say this has been a very worth while experience. You don’t have to fill the the whole page  but you do have to pick up a pencil and put it to paper.

Thank you Linda for putting it out there and inviting others to join. I know you’ll have even more participants next year.

Sprinting towards the finish line of SkADaMo 2012!

I got rhythm
I got music
I got my girl
Who could ask for anything more ?

“Trees are sanctuaries. 

Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth. 

They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life.”
-  Hermann Hesse,  Wandering  

Children have neither past nor future;
and that which seldom happens to us,
they rejoice in the present.
- Jean de La Bruyere

Wiping the perspiration from his brow with a dandelion that he held with his tail, …

Friar Hugo smiled so joyfully that his face disappeared amid deep dimples.