 |
| Maurice Sendak: 1928 - 2012 |
 |
| Some "darker" imagery from my portfolio at the time |
 |
 |
| The Horse Whisperer -Buck Brannaman |
|
2 Comments on "Horsemanship is a Fine Art...", last added: 4/28/2012
Display Comments
Add a Comment
By: JenKellerArt,
on 4/16/2012
Blog: Jennifer Keller Artwork (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
Wow! I can't believe it's been more than a month since my last post....! Time does certainly fly.  Well, despite the fact that I haven't posted lately, I have been staying out of trouble and keeping busy :-). In between deadlines for my current educational project and a few pieces for some private clients, I am also working on my writing. One of my motivational projects happens to include being a participant in the 12 x 12 in 2012 Project. Hosted by blogger, Julie Hedlund, the challenge is to complete a brand new picture book draft for each month of 2012. It's a little daunting, but there is a supportive Facebook Group with access to so much information my brain nearly explodes every time I log on! Along with my fabulous local critique group, this challenge has really kept me sharp and prevented me from letting all of those sparks and concepts from just fading into the sunset. In addition to this truly global project, I have given myself a personal goal - character designs to go along with my picture book drafts! It is definitely a challenge for me to design characters from scratch and have them match the images I have dancing around in my head. Below I've posted a few from January and February (March still isn't ready for public consumption!) These are pretty loose sketches... but you get the idea!  Meet Bruno, the Butcher Cat of Corciano. Being a good Italian cat, Bruno loves to eat. Unfortunately he doesn't always like to share. He soon finds out that hoarding isn't always the best thing to do when you want to make friends.  Petunia enjoys depending on the kindness of strangers. Folks tend to run away
5 Comments on Characters in 12x12 in 2012, last added: 4/18/2012
Display Comments
Add a Comment
By: JenKellerArt,
on 2/28/2012
Blog: Jennifer Keller Artwork (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
 I just finished my first batch of black & white pieces for the new book in the EXPLORE! series with Nomad Press about Native Americans. I have to say the one thing I'm loving about working in educational illustration is the fact that I'm actually learning, too! This first batch includes the title page, the introduction and first chapter about the Northeast Woodland Native Americans. Every bit of this subject is so interesting I find myself diving so far into the research end of the process that it's hard to come back out!  So here's a little taste of the more than 20 illustrations I've done so far for the book. The art director had mentioned they really liked the black & white line work on my website, but the book called for a greyscale look. Since I prefer painting over working digitally, I just added a little shading with some light washes to create the needed look. 
4 Comments on Explore Native Americans - Intro & Chapter One, last added: 2/29/2012
Display Comments
Add a Comment
By: JenKellerArt,
on 2/14/2012
Blog: Jennifer Keller Artwork (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
Here's hoping everyone has someone special in their life - be it friends, family, or their very own special squirrel. :-) Happy Valentine's Day! 
3 Comments on Somebody to Love..., last added: 2/14/2012
Display Comments
Add a Comment
By: JenKellerArt,
on 1/16/2012
Blog: Jennifer Keller Artwork (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
  This work is a little different than my normal color work due to the requirements of the series, but it was fun to experiment more with digital illustration! 
0 Comments on Explore Native Americans! as of 1/1/1900
Add a Comment
By: JenKellerArt,
on 1/10/2012
Blog: Jennifer Keller Artwork (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
 A little fun fact: Everything I have in my avatar is actually in my studio! (and YES - that is Dogs Playing Poker behind me!!) :-) 
0 Comments on A New Look! as of 1/1/1900
Add a Comment
By: JenKellerArt,
on 1/4/2012
Blog: Jennifer Keller Artwork (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
When I travel for specific sketch trips (like the zoo or nature centers) I have a little bag with a lot of different medium ranging from watercolor pencils, to pens, to a variety of pencils. However in my everyday purses I try to limit those pieces in order to save room, and also to challenge myself. I thought it would be fun to reflect upon my "year of life drawing" beyond the exotic animals I tend to post, and just take a small peak at the everyday life sketches I've gathered. (Remember - to see the sketchbook sample pages larger click on them! You can even enlarge them more with the magnify glass tool if it's available!)   I love to look at people and try to sneak a peak at who they are, what they're doing and where they are. This is tricky because those pesky buggers tend to move as much as the animals! Especially if they feel like you are looking at them. I like using the micron pen for people because I can get an impression really quickly, and work on my stylization as well. I also like wearing sunglasses because then you can't tell that I'm staring at you! (mwah ha ha!)   The one thing I don't do a lot, but I am trying to get better at, is sketching environments & scenery. I'm finding that an environment can tell a story just as well and the characters in it. I have no real medium preference for this, but this year I tended to lean towards pen & marker a little more (aga
2 Comments on Goodbye 2011: The Year of the Sketchbook, last added: 1/11/2012
Display Comments
Add a Comment
By: JenKellerArt,
on 12/23/2011
Blog: Jennifer Keller Artwork (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
"It isn't the size of the gift that matters, but the size of the heart that gives it." --Eileen Elias Freeman (from The Angels' Little Instruction Book) My horse character was so moved by the farm dog bringing a carrot to him, that he had to reciprocate the act. (Or perhaps I fell so madly in love with these new characters in my head that I couldn't leave them for one illustration alone!) Here's hoping everyone has a wonderful holiday season with an endless supply of tennis balls, carrots, and love for all the characters in your heads and in your lives. :-) 
2 Comments on A Gift for the Holidays, last added: 1/11/2012
Display Comments
Add a Comment
By: JenKellerArt,
on 11/14/2011
Blog: Jennifer Keller Artwork (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Dog, christmas, christmas cards, card, lab, shop, holiday cards, golden, border collie, doxie, daschund, Add a tag
  My first card features the Canine Carolers! This is a full color greeting card with a simple but fun greeting inside (Happy Howl-i-days!). Some of my "fans" might recognize a few of those canine faces!  
0 Comments on JenKellerArt Cards: Open for Business! as of 1/1/1900
Add a Comment
By: JenKellerArt,
on 11/5/2011
Blog: Jennifer Keller Artwork (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
A little over a year ago I was searching high and low for inspiration for The Peace Project hosted by The Whole 9. I had no desire to depict something traditional or ordinary, and then I found Bella and Tarra - The Animal Odd Couple. Tarra the elephant and Bella the dog, had somehow found each other. Despite all of their differences, they became the best of friends. So much so, that when Bella become sick, Tarra held vigil outside of the clinic waiting for her return. About a week or so ago, the staff at the Elephant Sanctuary noticed they hadn't seen Bella for a while, and Tarra had been acting strangely. After further inspection they tragically found Bella's body, most likely attacked by coyotes. After studying these two extensively for my illustration, and checking in on them every so often on the Elephant Sanctuary's Elecam... my heart is heavy to know that Bella will be no more. The most amazing part of the story is that they did not find Bella where she actually died. Tarra is thought to have lifted her little body and carried her away from the site, trying to care for her friend one last time. I can only hope that Bella passed on curled up in the trunk of her best friend. It seems that the other elephants at the sanctuary are standing by Tarra and helping her with her grief. They are sharing their meals with her and keeping her company. These creatures are so amazing, to think that they are anything less than loving, feeling creatures with relationships similar to our own, would be wrong. For more information, the news program who originally brought Tarra and Bella to us, ran a beautiful segment - Elephant Loses Man's Best Friend. You can also read the amazing letter written by the CEO of the Elephant Sanctuary and see the Bella Tribute on the Sanctuary's Website. I know that even though Bella is no longer with us, her relationship with Tarra and their message of Peace will live on. 
2 Comments on Goodbye to Bella, last added: 11/9/2011
Display Comments
Add a Comment
By: JenKellerArt,
on 10/25/2011
Blog: Jennifer Keller Artwork (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
PAHS assists in rescuing animals including dogs, cats, horses, birds & bunnies. I wanted to include as many of these animals as possible in a classic winter scene. I am always fascinated with inter species relationships and I was thrilled to find numerous photographs of horses paling around with both dogs and cats! I've seen horses on numerous occasions nuzzle the barn cats here in California and the dogs interacting with the horses I used to work with in Illinois. Animals are so great at looking past their own differences, too bad we humans can't always do the same. 
2 Comments on A Carrot for You!, last added: 10/28/2011
Display Comments
Add a Comment
By: JenKellerArt,
on 9/20/2011
Blog: Jennifer Keller Artwork (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
Kitty + Laser Light = Mesmerizing! I haven't done an Illustration Friday entry in awhile, but when I read the word this week was mesmerizing I couldn't stop thinking of my old kitty (and almost every cat I've known) chasing her laser light until she couldn't chase anymore... Enjoy! 
8 Comments on Illustration Friday: Mesmerizing!, last added: 9/22/2011
Display Comments
Add a Comment
By: JenKellerArt,
on 9/14/2011
Blog: Jennifer Keller Artwork (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag It's all about the illustrators! This year was the fifth annual Illustrator Day hosted by the SCBWI San Francisco South Chapter. At so many conferences, the emphasis is put on the writers (which isn't bad since they outnumber the illustrators by around 10 to 1) but admittedly sometimes we feel a little short changed. Hence: ILLUSTRATOR DAY!! This year was fantastic! From speakers like Joann Hill, Art Director of Disney-Hyperion to Agent Linda Pratt with the Wernick & Pratt Agency, to the Illustrator Andrew Glass and Illustrator/Art Instructor at San Jose State, John Clapp... my brain was completely full by the end of the day! This year was pretty special because our Regional Advisor had something super special planned for our Illustration Coordinator, Lea Lyon. For the past five years she has been organizing and putting together this fabulous day exclusively dedicated to the illustrator and to thank her for her hard work we all plotted to put together a wonderful piece of art!  Can you see the secret message in there for Lea?  SCBWI has been an incredible resource for me and I was more than happy to contribute this small part to show my appreciation. Plus I got to play with watercolors again and experiment with my new fancy printer! I printed out my drawing onto a lightweight soft-press watercolor paper and created a woodland letter "N"! It was really fun to create this little piece. I used some of the more stylized drawing I had refined in the recent activity books I did but combined it with a more traditional style of watercolor painting and a little colored pencil.   I think it turned out pretty fun - I hope Lea enjoys it!! 
2 Comments on Illustrators' Gift for Illustrator Day!, last added: 9/16/2011
Display Comments
Add a Comment
By: JenKellerArt,
on 8/16/2011
Blog: Jennifer Keller Artwork (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
I am so glad I participated in this National Phenomenon. Not only did the actual process of making the sketchbook force me to open up, use my imagination and have fun putting it all together, but watching my book travel all over the country was a great thing to see!  Form/Space Atelier in Seattle, Washington - Pic Courtesy of Michelle!! I had so many friends and strangers pull out my little Storybook Sketchbook. Hopefully it all gave them a quick laugh and brightened their day a bit. (Honestly, I don't know whose mood wouldn't improve with the sight of giant cupcakes and glitter.)  Sister-in-law at the Madrone Studios in San Francisco, CA - Thanks Suz!! My mom was also featured on the Art House Co-op's blog about their stop in Chicago!!  Mom at the Hyde Park Arts Center in Sweet Home Chicago It was really neat the way the Art House Co-op managed to keep everything organized, and they would even send you a little e-mail when your book got checked out!
By: JenKellerArt,
on 8/9/2011
Blog: Jennifer Keller Artwork (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: LA SCBWI, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, scbwi, Add a tag So this past weekend I was able to travel to Los Angeles for the 40th annual National Conference for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. And BOY - was it a conference!! I left full of information and inspiration... 
Among the numerous and talented authors and illustrators that were there, legends walked all around. I was inspired by Jerry Pinkney (2010 Caldecott Medal Recipient & 5-time Caldecott Honor Recipient), moved by David Small (Caldecott Medal & Honor Recipient), laughed with John Scieszka, amazed by Gary Paulsen (3-time Newberry Honor Recipient), and my breath was taken away by Richard Peck (Newberry Medal Recipient). Within all of this great talent was a surprise visit from the Queen of Children's Literature - Judy Blume!! 
It was an amazing weekend filled with great speeches, good information, and a few fun gatherings including a big party on Saturday night with dinner and dancing... 
...plus a lovely lunch on Sunday where we had the best dessert - a Chocolate Mousse treat in the shape of a book! 
Monday, however, contained the best treat of all. This year the SCBWI added the "Illustrators Intensive." And it was INTENSE! We had the privilage of observing demonstrations by 7 amazing and award winning illustrators. We started in the morning with Paul O. Zelinsky showing us his oil/watercolor technique. I found this particularly fascinating and it got me thinking of playing a little bit more with my medium.
Add a Comment
By: JenKellerArt,
on 7/21/2011
Blog: Jennifer Keller Artwork (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
 This process and style isn't like anything I've done in the past, and I'm really excited that I had the opportunity to explore this venue. With most of my monochromatic work done in graphite with tone, I'm happy to report that through many trials, errors, numerous conversations and advice from my peers, I was able to establish a strong line-work style. Here's a little sample of "What are the Seasons?" section on Fall showing the three step process I used to create the line work.    The books should be out in the fall, and you can check the publisher's website, BooksbyKathe, for updates on its status. They are great activity books and I have to say that I even learned things (especially about volcanos!) that I might not have known before.  To see more samples of this style check out the new
0 Comments on Science Coloring Books - Finito! as of 1/1/1900
Add a Comment
By: JenKellerArt,
on 7/7/2011
Blog: Jennifer Keller Artwork (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
 My first stop was at the Gray Seal exhibit. I love watching these guys during the feeding session! They flop themselves up onto the rocks, fetch rings, and open their mouths in the cutest way so the handlers can check their teeth! Being seals, these guys weren't as agile on land as the Sea Lions I saw in New York, but they were just as great.  Next stop was at the Beaver tank - what a guy! He just swam & swam all over the place. Bobbing his head up above the water then diving down deep to the bottom of the tank. I had no idea Beavers were such great swimmers!  After the beaver tank, it was time to visit the big cats. This is one of my favorite things to do at any zoo, and Lincoln Park is no exception. I love the Lion House so much I had my wedding photos taken there! Inside the Big Cat Exhibit I was able to sneak drawings of the Ocelot and the Eurasian Lynx. Generally I haven't been able to see these amazing cats up close but at Lincoln Park they were in plain sight.
By: JenKellerArt,
on 6/19/2011
Blog: Jennifer Keller Artwork (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
 We drew everything from figures to animals to personified food! I think the kids had a really good time with it all. Below are samples from our "crazy ice cream" characters!  I also was so lucky to receive special gifts from a few students including a lovely letter from a kindergardener and a beautiful refrigerator quality drawing from one of my 1st graders. I was so thrilled that these students were moved beyond the class time to do something more...!   For our last class we fittingly drew a family packing for vacation - with the dog accidently packed with the luggage! I had such a great time working with these kids this year. And everything people say about working with kids is true. It's rewarding, inspiring, and moving. Helping to mold the future artists of america could be one of the best things I've ever done. :-)
0 Comments on School's Out for Summer! as of 1/1/1900
Add a Comment
By: JenKellerArt,
on 6/3/2011
Blog: Jennifer Keller Artwork (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
0 Comments on Summer Fever! as of 1/1/1900
Add a Comment
By: JenKellerArt,
on 5/4/2011
Blog: Jennifer Keller Artwork (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
At last she reached her fifteenth year. “Well, now, you are grown up,” said the old dowager, her grandmother; “so you must let me adorn you like your other sisters;” and she placed a wreath of white lilies in her hair, and every flower leaf was half a pearl. Then the old lady ordered eight great oysters to attach themselves to the tail of the princess to show her high rank. “But they hurt me so,” said the little mermaid. “Pride must suffer pain,” replied the old lady. Oh, how gladly she would have shaken off all this grandeur, and laid aside the heavy wreath! The red flowers in her own garden would have suited her much better, but she could not help herself: so she said, “Farewell,” and rose as lightly as a bubble to the surface of the water. I love re-inventing these old stories. Originally I had designed this composition digitally and have always wanted to attack it in a traditional format. With my trip to New York coming up shortly it was the perfect excuse to create something new for my portfolio. Enjoy. 
0 Comments on The Little Mermaid as of 1/1/1900
Add a Comment
By: JenKellerArt,
on 4/27/2011
Blog: Jennifer Keller Artwork (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
  
0 Comments on Learning about Clouds as of 1/1/1900
Add a Comment
By: JenKellerArt,
on 4/20/2011
Blog: Jennifer Keller Artwork (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
I'm so happy to report that Dog Star Resort, LLC had its soft opening in mid-march and is now going full force!  And look at my Logo Design - Lucy the Border Collie and Titan the Pom Mix are everywhere!!  Road Sign (There it is!)  Car Magnets (Dog Star on the GO!)  Tote Bag (for your favorite canine's overnight needs) The facility is outstanding and every dog looks like they are having a blast. I wish it was close enough for Mattie to board at.
By: JenKellerArt,
on 4/9/2011
Blog: Jennifer Keller Artwork (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Add a tag
0 Comments on Volcanoes! as of 4/9/2011 10:55:00 AM
Add a Comment
View Next 25 Posts |
0 Comments on Weekend of a Lifetime! as of 1/1/1900
0 Comments on Lincoln Park Zoo - Sweet Home Chicago! as of 1/1/1900
Nicely done. I really appreciate how you have a squirrel couple, and a dandelion couple. Your colors are amazing
Thanks so much! I'm glad you noticed! The squirrels were a carry-over feature from the Save-the-Dates (you can see them on my post from Feb. 14th - "Somebody to Love.") I'm really glad you like it - thanks so much for your kind words...!
Oh-- rasquachi is Steph Diaz <3
These are gorgeous! And I'm so proud that I get bragging rights for having the *first* Jen Keller wedding invitation!! :)
This is so wonderful!
Thanks so much! @Steph... YES! You do... ;-)