Looks can be deceiving….. she may not be as sweet as you think!
Looks can be deceiving….. she may not be as sweet as you think!
BAD SPELLING – Book 1 of the Witches of Galdorheim A klutzy witch, a shaman's curse, a quest to save her family. Can Kat find her magic in time? If you’re a witch living on a remote arctic island, and the entire island runs on magic, lacking magical skills is not just an inconvenience, it can be a matter of life and death–or, at least, a darn good reason to run away from home. Katrina’s spells don’t just fizzle; they backfire with spectacular results, oftentimes involving green goo. A failure as a witch, Kat decides to run away and find her dead father’s non-magical family. But before she can, she stumbles onto why her magic is out of whack: a curse from a Siberian shaman. The young witch, accompanied by her warlock brother, must travel to the Hall of the Mountain King and the farthest reaches of Siberia to regain her magic, dodging attacks by the shaman along the way. At the Troll Kingdom, a young troll, Andy, joins the siblings in their quest to find the shaman and kill the curse. Continue reading
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A few pages from a redo of my dummy book….. been a bit busy the last few weeks!
The prompt for this month on the CBIG blog is, Happy. I recently finished this piece for my new portfolio. It’s from a sketch I did last year of a witch girl and her puppy. They’re both happy because it’s the puppy’s first broom ride. Not only is he managing to hold on, he’s also loving every minute of the ride. It’s even better than being in the car because he doesn’t have to stick his head out a window to get air.
I also have a black and white version.
p.s. Halloween is only 77 days away
Ruby Rue made magnificent stew, though her secret ingredient nobody knew!
This little character popped into my head the other day, so I made a rough painting of her over the course of a few morning sessions:
I don't know why her hat is so tall or how exactly it stands up as well as it does. Maybe she stores something under it - perhaps flower seeds or some such, although that seems highly impractical. I probably won't get to it for a while, but I do eventually want to do a full-scale painting of her in her garden:
I'm not sure what to do with the background yet. Maybe some dynamic clouds or possibly some tall silhouetted pine-y trees to give contrast between a dark background and the sunlit, brightly colored garden. I'll have to give it some more thought....
A daughter is a mother’s gender partner, her closest ally in the family confederacy, an extension of her self. And mothers are their daughters’ role model, their biological and emotional road map, the arbiter of all their relationships. ~Victoria Secunda
Happy Mother’s Day
The dummy book continues…. Ruby tries a new recipe!
These are pages 14 and 15 of my book dummy. I’m at the half way point, and trying to get it finished by the Houston SCBWI conference on April 9, 2011.
Here Ruby considers a menu change….. to say the least!!
Another double page spread from my dummy book…. let’s see, only ten more to go!!!
Pages 8-9 of my Picture Book Dummy, Ruby Rue!
Happy Halloween from my archives... one of my favorites.
The above is my image for the Illustration For Kids fall '10 postcard. Like Holli, I ended up doing a witch. This was created in Painter 11 using the digital watercolors.
When witches familiars, get too familiar with the equipment.
The Illustration Friday word for the week is spooky.
Mable was in it to win it!
All year she’d been sharpening up her spell writing skills and practicing her hexes. This year she finally conjured up the courage to enter the grimoire display contest. So when they announced the annual HSWW (Halloween Society of Witches and Warlocks) conference, she was first to pay the dues and book a hotel room.
Good luck Mabel!
This is post number 600 here at the Mouse in the House. To celebrate I’ve created a couple of Halloween treat boxes, yours free to download. Each box measures 2 1/2 inches and would be great to fill with treats for a Halloween party. Just click on the image below to download. Enjoy!
Here’s to 600 more!
This is the October colouring page for my community newsletter. It's FREE for parents and teachers to print, copy and share - just please email me for a higher resolution (otherwise it's going to look quite crummy when printed, don't be afraid to ask!).
As all of the current challenges have finished and no new challenges have been put up, I thought I might suggest one, “MAGIC”. The deadline will be Monday the 14th of June. I’m happy to select the winner, I’ll contact them be email and send them a copy of my book ‘Crime of the agent Mariner’.
For more information on the Mariner book see my website www.flowersink or for more about my illustrations see my blog.
Illustration above is a concept drawing for a new book Im working on call"Ceridwyn and the biook of Spells"
Just a little witch who lives in the sketch book. She just popped in to say “hello” and mix up a brew to share!
Want a taste?
http://www.childrensillustrators.com/illustrator-details/rbaird/id=1096/portfolio/
Something with a Halloween theme.
Lady Grizelda gets a makeover!
The smaller version is one of the first pictures I did when I first started working digitally, two years ago… It’s perfect for the prompt but I just couldn’t put her up in that condition… so here is the new Griselda… along with the original poem that went with her.
Lady Griselda looked at the date
“Good heavens!” she said
“I’m running quite late!”
“The Coveny Sisters have already started!”
So she packed up her tools
and quickly departed.
And just for good measure she mixed up some dust
Then she sprinkled her broom
Chanting “Salem or bust!”
I love the look on the puppy’s face, and all the motion you’re created in the sky.
You really captured the joy they’re feeling. Wish I could hitch a ride with them! They’re obviously having a terrific time.
Thanks Ruth and C.K.!!
C.K. watch out your window tomorrow night around midnight. They’ll be by to pick you up
That was the best night ever! Thanks for sending them my way.