How to use this Page

These are brushes I have configured for use in Corel painter X.

Includes more brushes than my previous brush download and some for the 6D artpen use. Some brushes have been changed and tweaked quite a bit.

Tested in Corel painter X- should work in later versions and may work on earlier versions as well. PC and Mac use.

There is a readme file included in the zip file.

Download

chrisbrushes2010

Copyright © 2010

I will be consulting with a couple of teachers next month who have questions about how to make Writing Workshop work better for their special needs students.  One teacher has a student with Asperger’s Syndrome, while the other teacher has students with other learning disabilities.  Since I’ve never taught a student diagnosed with Asperger’s, I’ve [...]

The Noma Concours for Picture Book Illustrations

Lately I've been getting quite a few emails asking for advice on becoming an illustrator. Sometimes I'm quite surprised (and flattered) that people want to ask ME for advice, when I'm still learning and finding my way everyday. However, I've realized that I've been doing this professionally and full time now for about 4 years. I've learned a thing or two along the way and would love to pass it along.

Thanks to Holly DeWolf, I got to contribute to her book, Breaking into Freelance Illustration. She sent me a comp copy back in December- with the holidays and traveling I didn't get a chance to blog about it here. It is a great read for people starting out and even professionals who sometimes need a reminder on a few things. Alot of familar names and blog friends are in it, be sure to check it out if you are interested in becoming a freelance illustrator.

I'm thinking of writing more posts on topics like this, such as what I've learned so far as an illustrator, and my journey of getting there. I feel like I need to pay it forward, as when I was starting out, I looked to bloggers like Keri Smith and Danny Gregory for encouragement and inspiration. So stay tuned.

**OTHER AWESOME NEWS** I'm so excited- I'm going to Japan in May! Just booked flights there for a vacation AND it will be the same week as DesignFesta- which I did purposely so I can attend that as well. It will be a heavy dose of creative inspiration...hope I don't OD! :-)

link: multimedia, online database

Review of

Nail Your Novel by Roz Morris

British author and writing teacher Roz Morris has a new book out just in time to help you with that first draft of your new novel. You know, the one you’re going to write in November for National Novel Writing Month, better known as NaNoWriMo.

Hiccups in your Confidence and Motivation

Morris writes with great wit and wisdom about the writing process, starting with those awkward moments when you actually admit, “Yes, I’m, uh, writing, well, you know, something a bit longer. Maybe, a, uh, a novel.”

Writing always begins here, by acknowledging the writer as a person with the usual insecurities. Morris address this directly by providing you with some structure. No, structure isn’t for everyone, but for beginners, structure can be a comfort and save them a lot of time. Her process involves a series of tasks, breaking down the process into smaller steps:

• Task 1: Shaping your inspiration
• Task 2: Starting this specific novel
• Task 3: Focused research
• Task 4: A structural survey for you novel
• Task 5: Detailed synopsis
• Task 6: How to free your muse and turn off your inner critic
• Task 7: Before you look at your manuscript again
• Task 8: The beat sheet game
• Task 9: Revising your manuscript
• Task 10: Your submission process

Help for NaNoWriMo writers

Authors embarking on the month-long adventure of writing 50,000 words in November will appreciate the first few tasks. Morris gives you direction on how to thicken the plot, find inspiration, decide what does NOT belong in the book, accept random input, and generally get the overall story thought out.

Research (Task 3) can flesh out details further:

“Research might throw up all sorts of interesting situations. For instance, I was commissioned to write a novel about people selling kidneys in India. Reading about the poverty in the villages inspired the start of the story – a young girl decides to sell her kidney to get her family out of debt. Of course, once she’s in the clutches of the butchers, she changes her mind, poor love. Meanwhile, her family are desperate to get her back.”

Overall, Morris’ experience enhances the book. This is a process she is intimately acquainted with and daily practices. Even if you’re experienced, I recommend the book as a review for concepts you already know. Because I think you’ll also find some unexpected nuggets. And for more nuggets, read Roz Morris’ blog, Dirty White Candy (Yes, a strange name for a blog, you say. Morris explains it on her home page). Example of her posts: How to Make Readers Root for Your Character

NaNoWriMo Special!
For three weeks, until 21 October, you can download the e-book of Nail Your Novel for 99p! That’s a whopping £2 off the usual price of £2.99. So if you’re preparing a book for NaNoWriMo this will help you firm up your plans, fill your plot holes – so you are ready to blast off on 1 November with confidence. Just click on the pic!

Related posts:

1. Writing AND Revising Your Novel

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To serve as a reminder and guideline for how to think about writing a picture book, Bob Staake created this diagram, The Idiot-Proof Picture Book Dummy. Bob writes:

Of course there are execptions to the rule, but when we talk about a “picture book” we’re speaking of a “32-pager” (or depending on how liquored up your editor is) a “40-pager”. Think of it this way: you as the artist only have to worry about 15 spreads, a title page image, a single page finale and, of course, the cover.

I couldn’t locate the dark lines my students used to use underneath white paper when they started publishing their persuasive letters today. Therefore, I did a Google Search to find some. I didn’t get exactly what I wanted, but I came pretty close when I went to PrintablePaper.net. This site is an [...]

I worked on the Reading-Writing Connections Document for Those Shoes this evening. Here’s an example of the way I set it up: Craft Move Page Number(s) Why the Author Might Be Doing This… Varied Sentence Lengths Pgs. ,2, 15 & 30 One thing writers do is vary the lengths of their sentences when they write. If an author wants [...]

The local seven eleven went low techjpg Originally uploaded by damariasenne I've posted an article about Eskom' regular power cuts ( load shedding) on my blog Mobile Life. Like all other South Africans, I'm very frustrated with this practice.It affects our productivity, throws our schedules and deadlines into disarray and at the end of the day, I'm just sooo exhausted from the stress

This post is a shameless promotion of a friend's business, so if you're not interested in places to eat in and around Johannesburg, please skip to the next post. I’ve previously mentioned that friends of mine have launched a new restaurant serving North African cuisine in Rosebank in Johannesburg. The restaurant is called Hightable and on Saturday Baby and I had the chance to explore it and

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