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Gurggggggle swish…. slluuuuudge glump.… thorp…. bloop, bloop, bloop, bloop…..

It’s The next Big Next I tell ya!
What is?

This!
This is THE NEXT BIG THING!
See, it’s like this… it’s a global blog tour that started in Australia.The idea is to bring awareness to authors and illustrators and their current work. I was tagged by the talented Ginger Nielson. At the end of this post  you see the awesome authors/illustrators that I’ve tagged…. because they’re The Big Thing!

So on to the questions.

2) Where did the idea come from for the book?

I would love to illustrate a book about a monster or maybe  a scary, but not too scary character that is actually quite lovable.  That hasn’t happened…… yet!   So, I wrote my own.  I love to bring the misunderstood to life. With this book  we get to experience the little monster inside us all.

This book is for the 4- 8 range.

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?                                         

Hmmm….. actors maybe not so much, but animated for sure!  Hand drawn please!

6) Who is publishing your book?
This book along with my other one, titled “Ruby’s New Stew” have no homes as of yet.  They’re polishing themselves up to go knocking on doors though. Did I mention I’m open for suggestions?  :)

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
It started small in one afternoon and bloomed to a full manuscript in about a week. It has been edited several times since then.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I try to never compare. We’re all so different in our writing and illustration. It’s important to find your voice. However, I do love Cinderella Skeleton written by Robert D. San Souci and illustrated by David Catrow. Another one that I really enjoy is The Wizard written by Jack Prelutsky and illustrated by Brandom Dorman.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

The love of the good story that we can all related to, while knowing that everything is going to turn out okay in the end.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?
His backpack has teeth!  :))

Next on the blog tour are two very talented artists:

Candace Trew Camling

If it looks like things have been a bit wonky here… well they have. The website, the blog have had a complete overhaul.

www.robertabaird.com.   Even my Twitter Page is all shiny! https://twitter.com/robertabaird

Now it’s all matchy like a new box of stationery. Check it out!

Oh, how I would love to work in YA novels.  I hope one day to get the chance.

But until then,  I’ll keep practicing. Here’s a sketch, I started while waiting in the car for my daughter. Such fun inspiration  to draw… and those tween kids are rich in expression!

www.robertabaird.com

Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love.  ~George Eliot

At the Houston SCBWI conference, we were given a homework assignment. A choice of one of two prompts that we as attendees could choose from. One was a double page spread from a picture book and the other was a YA cover.  I started both prompts and then went with the one that appealed to me the most.  The sketches were sent to the Art Director for comments and direction, then we all brought back a full color illustration with the changes suggested. Above is  my sketch and  then my finished illustration.  Later, I was decided to finish the other prompt on my own. Below you see  a “Mock” cover for a young adult novel that is currently out. This is just a mock cover.

Mock cover

Some folks taste it daintily,
Others gulp it down quick-ily.
Some lick around and around,
So it never, ever comes dripping down.                                                                                                                                                                                                            Some shove the ice cream
Down with their tongue,
So at the bottom of the cone,
You’re left with some.
But some lick in just one place
So it gets sort of sloppy,
And the top plops off
In a great big bloppy!

Grandpa dropped his glasses once
In a pot of dye.
And when he put them on again he saw a purple sky
~Leroy F. Jackson

We’ll eat you up we love you so! And Max said NO!

Every year the Houston SCBWI illustrators create a children’s book themed birdhouse. This is mine, a tribute to the late, great Maurice Sendak.

Call me, don’t be afraid you can call me,

Maybe it’s late but just, call me.

Tell me and I’ll be around.

www.robertabaird.com

Ethel was always a little bit different than the other sheep.

Introducing Cheshire Cat personalized stationary note cards from my Alice in Wonderland art series. I am now offering stationary and personalized stuff in my Etsy store.
This set comes with 4 note cards. They are printed on high quality archival heavyweight paper. 5.5″ x 8.5″ in size. Use the notes to write down recipes, letters to friends, thank you notes and anything else you can think off.

The post Cheshire Cat Personalized Stationary Note Cards appeared first on Diana Levin Art.

Let the good times roll!

too often when thinking about our businesses, we tend to only focus on what hasn’t been achieved yet. At least for me it has always been about what still needs to be done or how far I still need to go before reaching my ultimate goals. Although it is valuable to assess where I am in relation to my goals, thinking this way sometimes leaves me feeling like I have somehow fallen short. So to end the year 2012, I have decided to put together a list of everything I accomplished in my business during 2012. And as I set there writing this list, I realized that I actually have come a long way.

I got into the Hive Gallery in Downtown LA as a resident artist

Had a successful Holiday sales season–quadrupled my sales from last year

Signed a licensing deal with a successful clothing and print company–Lowbrow Art Company

Started selling my jewelry at a new store: Co-op 28 Handmade in Hollywood

created lots of new art

expended my zazzle store product line and am making 1-2 sales a day: Now I offer iphone cases and skins, mugs, t-shirts, calendars, journals, totes and more..

Opened my own market stall at Crafted at the Port of LA–even though I closed it after 3 months, it was great experience overall and I got a sense of what it was like having my own permanent shop

Exhibited at a variety of art shows and conventions: Wondercon Anaheim, Designer Con, Batz Day Holiday Show, Pink Parlor Festival, Ink For a Cause, Knotts Berry Farm Christmas Village, HPLovecraft Festival, zombie Fashion Show in Downtown, a more…

Signed up over 300 new fans to my newsletter mailing list

Met lots of new people and built some great relationships

““““

What is your list? What have you accomplished in 2012?

Rich Davis is an amazing illustrator. On his website he demonstrates how to draw a leafless tree. In just over a minute, Rich--with his pen in one hand and his camera in the other--draws a beautiful tree. He brings the blank paper to life as if by magic. Well, if a picture is worth a thousand words then Rich's illustrations speak volumes. Check out the link above and see if you can keep up with his wizard drawing skills.

Then after you've created your own tree, try writing a story around it.
Leaf-it-out, so to speak.
Is your tree in your main character's front yard? Maybe it has a favorite swing attached to it.
Or perhaps your tree is in the middle of a cemetery. Will your main character dare to climb it in the dark at midnight?

Have fun writing and illustrating!

“The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings”

Like with every artist, my brain sometimes gets plagued by a disease called self-doubt. Sometimes it’s so subtle that i barely realize what is happening. Symptoms might include comparing myself to other artists, procrastination and hiding out from the world. We all experience it from time to time, even the best of us. I just have to remind myself that thoughts in my head are not real and self doubt is only natural when confronted with pressure to perform.

So how do you treat self-doubt? Put down your phone, shut off facebook and stop looking at other people’s artwork. Go to your studio and start working. Throw yourself into your art. You will have terrible paintings. But with every 3 bad paintings, you will create that one good one. We all have those bad paintings that we don’t show anyone. Bad paintings are a sign that you are taking risks and pushing yourself beyond whats comfortable. If you never have any bad paintings, you are not challenging yourself enough. Let yourself evolve. Take risks, fail miserably and be extraordinary.

Once a year the eyes of the nation turn to this tiny hamlet in western Pennsylvania, to watch a master at work. The master, Punxsutawney Phil, the world’s most famous weatherman, the groundhog. Who, as legend has it, can predict the coming of an early spring. So I guess the question we have to ask ourselves today is, does Phil feel lucky?

~Ground Hog Day

Every time it rains, it rains…… pennies from heaven.

Don’t you know each cloud contains…. pennies from heaven.

You’ll find your fortune falling all over town.Make sure that your umbrella is upside down!

Hmmmm…..She doesn’t look like she’s singing the same song as I am! Oh well, it’s still my favorite song!