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An Illustration Journal © 2005-2008 Angela Matteson
All images are protected by copyright law and may not be copied, reproduced or used without permission.
By day I'm an inhouse designer of greeting cards and food and gift packaging. On the flip side, I'm working towards illustrating in the children's market.
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By: Angela Matteson,
on 3/20/2013
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The cold blustery wind almost knocked me over today, and made me think of my October piece for our
Storybook Brushes calendar. It's funny to me when people say it doesn't feel like spring because this warm - cold - indecisive rain/snow/sleet - sun thing sounds exactly like spring's modus operandi. Summer is the slightly more consistent warm/hot one. So, just a bit longer before we have those beautiful days when I can plant my mini garden again.
I worked on all 3 of my Snow Queen pieces simultaneously. (Oddly enough the Queen herself was not in any of these scenes.) This raven piece was my favorite as it was the most fun to paint. I especially had fun patterning the colors through the leaves.
Of course, the sketch stage was a bit tricky. Once I increased the size of Gerda, and turned the cat around it began to work better.
a close-up....
the final piece....
We had real sun yesterday! .......along with the killer wind.
It was lovely and warm through the window, so I grabbed a quick pic......
And there we have it. The final piece to the story of how 4 illustrators from around the world,
Katriona Chapman,
Juana Martinez-Neal,
Maria Bogade, and myself, came together to create a calendar filled with 12 original pieces of art.
The calendar is for sale in
my etsy shoppe here.
By: Angela Matteson,
on 2/14/2013
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Valentine's Day seems to be an appropriate day to post my February painting for our
Storybook Brushes calendar.
This one was my biggest challenge as I worked to figure out what I wanted these characters from the Snow Queen to look like. Since I had February, I thought the rooftop garden scene with Kai and Gerda would fit nicely. But, exactly how to compose this scene with two buildings and an adjoining garden was the question. So, there were many, many sketches.......
Also, the gathering of references as an idea began to take shape......
I thought I had it with this sketch, but the critique group pointed out that the image was rather static. It needed more movement from left to right since we were designing these as picture book spreads.
I agreed, and knew I could do better, so I gave the scene some more depth. Here's a painting progress shot....
the final piece....
Last week I was very excited to finally receive my set of finished calendars! I'm very impressed with the printing quality. I love how the woodgrain is apparent, but subtle.
The pages are a nice weight with a beautiful matte finish.
Maria's,
Katriona's, and
Juana's pages looks gorgeous!
It was fun to package them up, and they've been making there way across the country.
I have some extras left, so if you would like one they're available in
my Etsy shoppe.
By: Angela Matteson,
on 1/29/2013
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I need to get this 1st post into my 2013 archive because it's become a habit of mine to check back to see what each year's plans were, so I say to future Angela reading this, 'hey there, I hope you had a fantastic year!'
It's not my style to scramble to write up resolutions or plans on January 1st. Instead, I'm like a mom who needs to get a good look at her baby before naming it. The end of 2012 felt like a bit of a whirlwind, so it's taken a moment to get a feel for 2013. Afterall, this was the year that wasn't supposed to be, according to the Mayan calendar. So, what do you do when life gives you more life? I say we're now on our own schedule. Time to forget what should have been, and create your own unique vision of how things should go on.
It hit me this morning that this year's motto is 'don't stop'. Last year I was run down from the allergy detoxing, general business, our crazy heatwave, and a slew of other excuses, and I stopped exercising regularly. I've been paying for that neglect with several weeks of back pain and fatigue. After many trips to the chiropractor I've been able to get back to exercise, and my muscles are so much happier. I can breathe easier, and sit up nice and straight. So, lesson learned, if I want to accomplish my long list of goals, exercise is no longer an option.
I had also taken a break from drawing. First due to working on several paintings, and then needing to relax over the holidays. It was too much time away though, so it's been a challenge to get back in the sketching zone. I'd like to get back in the habit of posting more sketches and unfinished work like this girl with her crown of stars.
I love to read
astrologyzone.com for Susan Miller's monthly horoscopes. They've been crazy accurate in the past. This month she said, "
This month, five heavenly bodies, including the Sun, Pluto, Mercury, Venus, and the new moon, January 11, will crowd into your eleventh house of friendship and hopes and wishes. .......It is not usual for five planets to fill one part of the horoscope, and astrologers call this configuration a "stellium" or "crown of stars."As soon as I read that I became obsessed with the imagery this brought to mind. One thing I've gathered from years of reading these is they only 'work' if you work,....if you take action. Susan only tells you things are in alignment to go certain way. It's up to me to take advantage of this. So, 2013 can be special and wonderful if I continue to be proactive, and don't stop.
A quick note: Storybook Brushes calendars are due to arrive at my door this week, so if you've ordered one you can expect a package quite soon. :D
By: Angela Matteson,
on 12/20/2012
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| acrylic on wood |
Well, with the end of the world almost upon us, I thought I'd do a little year-end, world-end wrap-up. (Isn't that a grand way to start a blog post?)
Christmas Eve will be my 7 year blogoversary! I always credit this little blog and Illustration Friday for being the catalyst for this whole illustration path I've been on. Before the blog I was illustrating for my in-house design job, but I was lax about producing much personal work. Posting gave me the push I needed. And the rest of this story is….well, in the archives. Mostly, I want to thank everyone who has stopped by and supported me all of these years. I continue to be amazed by how incredible this online art community is. We may communicate differently these days; less blog commenting, more twitter and facebook, but the sense of community is stronger then ever. I'm so grateful to have found so many wonderful friends.
Here's where I like to look back at my first post of the year. Did I live up to my goals? I feel my decision to avoid conferences this year to focus on what kind of work I really want to create was very helpful. I needed to step away from expectations, and sink into my own world to see where it took me. But, towards the middle of the year I will admit I did start to feel a bit lost. My little boat had begun to drift too far into the big ocean, and I was losing sight of the shore. That's when 3 angels entered my life; and
Maria,
Katriona,
Juana, and I formed the group
Storybook Brushes with the main purpose being to promote ourselves through mailings, such as our 2013 calendar. I also want to say a special thanks to our angel friend,
Gaia, who has been so supportive behind the scenes.
We're all quite excited that our calendars are back from the printer, and we can't wait to start shipping them out next year. I'm awaiting my shipment from overseas, but Maria snapped this quick pic.....
Now, I can finally check off my goal list that I opened my
Etsy shoppe! Ok, I still need to get to work getting it all loaded up with prints and original art, and possibly some jewelry, but
our calendar is now up for sale there. More Etsy listings are the first thing on my 2013 goal list. :)
So, it's been a productive year. An unexpected year. A year to remember.
2012 has been the start of some new exciting chapters. Oh, I better get some sleep. The
end of the world is only 5 hours away, and no, it didn't already happen in Australia. It's based on UTC time. If we're going to joke, let's be more accurate. ;P
Happy Winter Solstice!
Half way out of the dark
….or the end of days. We'll see…….
By: Angela Matteson,
on 11/28/2012
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What happens when 4 illustrators from 4 corners of the globe join forces?
When
Maria Bogade contacted me about forming a group with the main purpose of producing group mailings to the children's book publishing world I thought this is exactly what I needed. While I've handed out promotional postcards at conferences, I was still working on establishing a mailing routine. I was so honored to be asked to join this group of brilliant, established professionals.....
Katriona Chapman,
Juana Martinez-Neal, and
Maria Bogade.
And so began months of emails, to chose a name, design the logo, the calendar cover & inside pages, the website,....oh, and critique our calendar pieces. Juana hand painted our logo, which we all fell in love with. When I was home for Thanksgiving I drew a little squirrel tribute to our group on the cherry pie I baked with my mom.
For our fairy tale themed calendar, we were each responsible for 3 months. The horizontal format is meant to mimic a double-page spread. I chose to create a series from The Snow Queen, although oddly enough the queen herself never makes an appearance in my 3 pieces. I was unfamiliar with the full story, so I enjoyed reading the tale of Gerda and Kai in search of illustration ideas. Choosing 3 scenes with Gerda would allow me to work on my character consistancy. The chapter with the old flower woman who conjurers seemed appropriate for a summer June illustration.
There were many sketch revisions, and many, many more character development sketches, but I'll get back to that in another post.
I would have painted these on thin 1/8" wood boards, but I have my first local solo show coming up, (this Friday), and I wanted to include these pieces, so I would need to make them presentable to hang on a wall.
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| work in progress |
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| final painting - acrylic on wood |
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| scanned and color adjusted |
Now, I'm very proud to announce that I finally opened my
Etsy shoppe! Wow, how many years have I been talking about opening an Etsy shoppe? Hmmm, pretty much since I started up this blog 7 years ago. In the next several days I'll be working on filling up
angelatoshoppe with prints and original paintings. I'm pleased to announce my very first listing is our calendar! As this is the
Pre-Sale I'll also include my Penguin vs. Chicken/Hansel and Gretel piggies 2-sided promotional postcard with the first 10 orders.
Our calendar is only $10, and besides being sold in
my USA shop, it may also be purchased at
Kat's Etsy shop in London,
Maria's Etsy shop in Germany, and
Juana's Big Cartel shop here in the USA.
Working with the
Storybook Brushes crew has been a most awesome collaboration. There have already been many thank yous in our private emails, but I wanted to publicly thank my amazing illustrator friends.....Maria, Kat, and Juana. Thank you for being so incredible, and making all of this possible! :)
We invite you to visit our new website to learn more about
Storybook Brushes.
By: Angela Matteson,
on 10/31/2012
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| acrylic on wood |
Penguin and Chicken are all dressed up to wish you a Happy Halloween!
These mini paintings will be added to my Etsy shoppe which will finally be set up next month.
I almost didn't put out my autumnal decor this year, but then I remembered these gourds I painted a few years ago. I realized I missed them, and I didn't want to face a gourdless season.
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| My favorite Halloween book, The Halloween Kid! |
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| painted acorns from my parent's yard |
My thoughts are with those affected by Hurricane Sandy. It warms my heart to hear the stories of people reaching out to aid those in need. If you would like to help, please Text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to American Red Cross Disaster Relief. As in the case with other donations via mobile, the donation will show up on your wireless bill, or be deducted from your balance if you have a prepaid phone. You need to be 18 or older, or have parental permission, to donate this way. www.redcross.org
By: Angela Matteson,
on 10/3/2012
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This is just a quick post to share what I've been working on. I know, this is a terrible sneak peak pic, but I have several paintings in the works, and it helps my momentum if I don't show too much yet. These pieces will be included in the works I'll be showing at
Haiku: Poetic Food and Art in December. Some of the pieces will also be worked into some children's book promotions. There's been a lot of planning going on behind the scenes this year.
I've also been going through a life changing 13 week
LZR7 Treatment program to eliminate my allergies & food intolerances, balance my hormones, and a ton of other stuff. I haven't been on allergy medication for months now, and besides eliminating my stomach pain, increasing my energy, and feeling overall better, this amazing thing happened.....I can see clearly now! I still need my contacts and glasses, but one day it was like I woke up with HD vision. The blurry haze I've had for the last 15 years has lifted, and everything is clean, sharp, defined, and colors seem more saturated. It's been a rather intense improvement that I'm grateful for everyday.
While most of the summer was spent drawing and detoxing every week during the treatments I did manage a little fun this summer. My friend, Bob and I went on an awesome open-air safari at
The Wilds. I've always wanted to go on safari. I just never imagined it would be in Ohio!
Located on nearly 10,000 acres, The Wilds is one of the largest wildlife conservation centers in the world. It is such an incredible place. I wish all animals had wide open spaces to roam.
I promise to post some better art pics soon. Now let the painting marathon begin....
By: Angela Matteson,
on 8/1/2012
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| acrylic on wood 6" x 6" |
This piece was a private commission I had a lot of fun painting.
By: Angela Matteson,
on 6/19/2012
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| naturalistic pantheism - acrylic on wood |
I was honored to be invited to participate in the
ISM- 10 year anniversary exhibition. Each artist was asked to illustrate a word ending in __ism, or to define our own __ism. I chose naturalistic pantheism, for it is the __ism I felt most connected to. The core of naturalistic pantheism is reverence and respect for nature and the wider universe.
_______ism will be on display at the ISM: 10 year celebration at Grand Central Art Center from Saturday, July 7 until Sunday, August 12. Grand Central Art Center: 125 N. Broadway, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Opening Reception: Saturday, July 7, 7:00pm until 10:00pm Closing Reception: Saturday, August 4, 7:00pm until 10:00pm The exhibition will be on display from Saturday, July 7 until Sunday, August 12.  |
| close-up |
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| close-up | | |
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| The furry art director, Andy, is unimpressed |
10 Comments on ISM: 10 year Anniversary Exhibition, last added: 6/21/2012
By: Angela Matteson,
on 5/17/2012
Blog: angelato
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 | | acrylic on wood |
 | | acrylic on Arches hot press |
I happened upon this blue-footed bird with the unfortunate name in an old calendar, and it inspired this little character. I'm working on a larger painting for a June show, so I used these little pieces to get my painting muscles warmed up. Feels great to be back in the studio again!
By: Angela Matteson,
on 3/1/2012
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 | | Faye's Red-stained Hands - acrylic on wood | | |
As part of my friend, Sara Wilson Etienne's, book launch she asked 25 artists and illustrators to create artwork inspired by Harbinger, her incredible debut novel. This Saturday, March 3rd there will be an opening at Hive Gallery in LA where all these works will be displayed. I was quite excited to be asked to participate. I met Sara at my first big SCBWI conference in NY a few years ago. At the Summer conference last year she gave me an advanced copy of her book, and a project brief. Harbinger weaves intriguing mysteries, and I wanted to create a piece focusing on one of those quandaries. I enjoyed playing with textures and patterns for this painting. It's been wonderful watching everyone's pieces go up in the Holbrook Academy sketchbook, and it's been so fun celebrating Sara's success! Sara also interviewed me over on her site here. See the Harbinger book trailer here. For those able to make it to LA this weekend: The Hive Gallery and Studios729 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA • 6pm-8pm: Book selling and signing; pre-gallery opening hang-outs; and FREE ENTRY • Starting at 8pm: COVER CHARGE of $8, music, bar, partytime!
By: Angela Matteson,
on 2/14/2012
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 | | acrylic on wood |
I'm a bit 'bah humbug' over Valentine's Day, but it has been a lovely day for these penguins.
By: Angela Matteson,
on 1/22/2012
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 | | Atelier Interactive Acrylic on Arches hot press watercolor paper |
Kung Hei Fat Choy! Today, I planned to work on some other paintings, but I wanted to do a quick illustration in celebration of Chinese New Year. For, the year of the dragon is said to be the luckiest of them all! I love working on wood, but I've been itching to play with a lighter, quick color technique, so I found my old Arches watercolor paper, and had some fun with this little painting.
Gung hay fat choy!
By: Angela Matteson,
on 1/18/2012
Blog: angelato
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 | | Copic Multiliner pen with digital paint & textures |
Prepare, what a great word to start off the year with as I've definitely been in preparation mode this January. This is the time of year I like to set a theme for the next 12 months. This year I'm not planning on attending any conferences. The SCBWI conferences have been like a type of grad school for me, full of information and inspiration, but now it's time to focus on producing the work. I'm grateful to have been asked to do a 10-15 piece solo show at a restaurant in our local art's district, and although it won't open until December I'll be working on paintings throughout the year. I've chosen a them for the show, and have begun thumbnailing pieces based on a story that's been developing. I'm also considering printing an art book of the series. I'm quite excited to see where this story goes. So, this year will be about sinking into my own work, and thinking about my art in terms of a bigger picture. I'm enjoying the direction I'm going more than ever, so now it's time to have some fun! I'd also like to finally open my etsy shoppe. I'm now working on a couple mini paintings, and I'd like to get some prints made as well.
By: Angela Matteson,
on 12/23/2011
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Christmas Eve will mark my 6 year blogoversary! Woohoo! (insert flaying Kermit arms) This year has been filled with so many wonderful supportive friends that I end 2011 feeling so overjoyed. I mean, really, who would have thought a little isolated artist posting a few sketches would find the key to a whole art community of like-minded, amazing, incredible people? Hanging out on Skype, G+, and in person at conferences has been the icing on the cake! Oh, and the dancing! There was crazy fun dancing! The kidlit SCBWI crew definitely knows how to get down and jump around! Before I forget, I want to mention I was interviewed by the wonderful, Kathy Temean. See the post here. To see my Scroogebunny for our Christmas Carol theme check out Between the End Pages. A fallen maple branch which budded out of season became my christmas tree this year. I even found an LED crystal garland light string for it.
By: Angela Matteson,
on 11/30/2011
Blog: angelato
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These are my submissions for the annual OAL Thumb Box Exhibition where the only rule is the total art dimensions (including frame) must not exceed 6”x 6”x 6”. One of my rules is to have fun with this, and my subject matter tends to end up being completely random and unrelated. I brought these to my parent's house to finish them up during the Thanksgiving weekend. As you can see I had some help from Andy, the furry art director. You see a better view of the Automated Bunnies over on our group blog here.
By: Angela Matteson,
on 10/31/2011
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By: Angela Matteson,
on 10/6/2011
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 | | James and the insects flung all about inside the peach pit |
These page spreads are for the Children's Book Rally contest over on Illustration Rally. The contest asked that we stick to a classic familiar story. I asked my twitter friends for story suggestions and Kim Fleming mentioned Charlie and the Chocolate Factory which got me me on the Roald Dahl track, and one of my all-time favorites, 'James and the Giant Peach'. (Kim also posted about the contest on her wonderful new Illustration Station blog that you should check out.)  | | They encounter sharks & escape by tying silkworm strings to a flock of seagulls |
My 5th grade teacher read 'James and the Giant Peach' to us, and I was instantly fascinated by the pure imagination of it all. What's best of all is how the insects all look to James to come up with solutions to the dilemmas they face on their journey, and he ends up finding a family where he belongs, and is loved. What more could you ask for? Painting insects seemed to make sense seeing how I've been photographing them in my garden all summer. I first encountered a baby grasshopper on the inside of my car windshield. He chewed on me. He decided to stick around.
By: Angela Matteson,
on 3/30/2011
Blog: angelato
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Next month I'm excited to be attending the Indiana SCBWI conference. I'm now working on completing 2-3 page picture book page spreads for the Illustrator's Intensive with Kerry Martin. This tiny robot toy is a small part of one of my pages. He's only 1 inch tall in my final sketch. Since he worked for the IF topic, I threw some quick colors on him which may change after I figure out the rest of the page. Since I scanned in at 720dpi to enlarge him here I left my sketch lines more au natural instead of going through my usual Photoshop Photocopy step, which seemed too heavy for this little guy. I'm liking the softer sketch lines, and may try this for the full pages.
By: Angela Matteson,
on 5/25/2011
Blog: angelato
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A few weeks ago I attended the Indiana SCBWI Conference. I was especially excited about this conference because of the Illustrator's Intensive with Clarion Books Senior Designer, Kerry Martin, where we had an assignment to complete before the conference. We were to complete 2-3 page spreads from Goldilocks & the 3 Bears. Text was only laid in for placement as we were told to concentrate on the illustrations. Something clicked with me during this assignment. I feel like information from past conferences, picture book illustration books, helpful blogposts, etc. all started to make a bit more sense, and it was so fun to attempt to put it into practice. I've illustrated tons of Illustration Friday words, but to tackle an actual story was exactly what I needed to work on in order to focus on the storytelling. I enjoyed taking this story into my own world with the Goldilocks piggie, and somehow she ended up with a sidekick in my sketches. I had fun with the little details in Baby Bear's room, and I enjoyed pushing the expressions in the porridge scenes. The night before the conference there was an Open Mic night where writers read a few minutes from their manuscript and received short, anonymous, written comments from the audience. Also, illustrators were allowed to display their portfolios for anonymous, written comments. It's helpful to read an envelope full of portfolio comments to see what pieces stood out, and which may not be working. Saturday's sessions and breakouts were excellent! Rebecca Kai Dotlich inspired us with how she became a full-time Poet and Children's Author, and emphasized how there are no excuses to not going after your dreams. She had many obstacles, and not the most ideal writing space, but she persevered. If you ever have a chance to hear Lisa Yoskowitz and Mary Kole speak at a conference you must attend! Their energy filled the room! They both were very clear on what works and what doesn't during the First Looks session. The competition is intense out there, so bring your A game and be professional. Many thanks to our excellent faculty for this conference. Lisa Yoskowitz, Editor, Disney-Hyperion Books for Children Mary Kole, Agent, Andrea Brown Literary Agency Kerry Martin, Senior Designer, Clarion Books Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Poet and Children’s Author
By: Angela Matteson,
on 6/21/2011
Blog: angelato
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Atelier acrylic on 8" x 8" birch wood board Here's my submission to the Harry Potter Tribute Blog hosted by Gallery Nucleus, who has a spectacular show planned for July 09 - August 01, 2011. I was notified that my piece has been selected to be on the blog, and included in the exhibition! Check out the show flyer to see see all the amazing artists contributing works.....even new paintings from Mary Grandpré herself! When I first started this traditional style of painting acrylics on birch wood panels, I listened to the Harry Potter audiobooks read by Jim Dale to accompany me through hours and hours of late night painting. It seemed fitting to honor the series with a tribute painting. I wanted to pay homage to the magic that every Harry Potter fan has felt through this series, with a little fangirl hugging her beloved Harry doll and Hedwig plush owl. Final sketch, a quick color study in Photoshop, and the drawing on acrylic stained wood panel. During the process I sand down some areas to reveal the woodgrain, and then spray it down with water to pop the grain back up again. It starts to feel more real for me as the paint sets farther into the wood, and the highlights are added. I used a half inch birch board, and distressed the edges a bit.
By: Angela Matteson,
on 7/29/2011
Blog: angelato
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Do these piggie cards make me look fat? My new business cards arrived from Overnight Prints. I like this new colorful packaging they arrived in. They remind me of trading cards.
Here is the front and backs of my new promo postcards. I was going to design them to be mailable, but I couldn't resist filling up the back with art. I also like the rounded corners, and I heard the rounded doesn't mail well. I'll be handing these out at the LA SCBWI Conference next week. I'm saving a few for promotional mailings after I find some nice envelopes.
By: Angela Matteson,
on 8/14/2011
Blog: angelato
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Last weekend I attended the 4 day SCBWI 40th Annual Summer Conference in beautiful Los Angeles, California. It was a great conference filled with good times with good friends. I met a lot of great people like the cute boy on the plane who told me all about how cool Popeye is, awesome illustrators and writers....oh, and the handsome fireman I briefly talked to in the lobby. I knew going in that I wasn't going to be crazy note-taking girl like I was last year, and I wouldn't be doing 4 mega blog posts, but rather sum it all up here in one post because I need to get to work applying what I learned. It wasn't so much about the talking points as it was about soaking up the inspiration of being at an event surrounded by over 1300 children's writers and illustrators. It was a record turnout with folks from around the globe. It was so wonderful meeting up with so many online friends, and friends from conferences past. Congrats to wonderful friends who were Portfolio Showcase and Mentorship winners! ....Eliza Wheeler, Greg Pizzoli, John Deininger, Juana Martinez, and Christina Forshay!
By: Angela Matteson,
on 9/9/2011
Blog: angelato
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 | Some squirrels know no boundaries. |
I've been finding with half eaten tomatoes in my garden....only the insides though....the culprits leave the tomato skin. I suspected the squirrels, and sure enough, one day I saw this guy stealing a green one, and another day one was eating a nice red cherry tomato. This was a sketch from a awhile back that I colored up to add to my portfolio for the LA conference. I'm now working on a painting for a local show, which I'll post soon. Until then, here are some photos of my sunflowers. I'm so glad they finally bloomed. I just hope the seeds develop before the first hard frost.  | | camera shy sunflower |
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 | | contemplative sunflower |
 | | sad sunflower |
By: Angela Matteson,
on 9/13/2011
Blog: angelato
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 | | Cat's Cradle - Acrylic on wood - 7 3/4" x 12" |
|
This is my painting for CAW's 'Strands' show at the Carnegie Gallery at the Columbus Metropolitan Library. The show features visual and performance art about hair, fibers, DNA and other “strands.” Show Dates: September 15 – October 21 Opening Reception: Thursday, September 15, 2011 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in Main Library’s Carnegie Gallery (2nd floor)The theme made me recall a simple string game, called cat's cradle that I used to play with my mom. In researching the origins of the game I found "versions of this game have been found in indigenous cultures all over the world" Here's a How-to Tutorial.  | | close-up scan |
While working on this these lyrics kept strolling through my mind: And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon Little boy blue and the man on the moon When you comin' home dad? I don't know when, but we'll get together then son You know we'll have a good time then
This was the only part of the Harry Chapin song I knew, so in order to not drive myself mad with the repetition, I listened to some audiobooks. This time, as per a suggestion by Tracy Bishop I listened to The Golden Compass series, His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, and WOW! it is an amazing audiobook series performed by a full cast. It has become my new favorite. (Don't tell Harry)
Here's some process shots  | | The messy part |
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Squeal!!! Hehehe, I loved following your process. :D I was glued to my screen. Resizing specific elements in an illustration is a great idea! I guess the March lions are really making the most of their stay. Hopefully, the lambs will come soon and shoo those windy lions away.
I do love your calendar and the collaborative nature of it. What a gift you have.