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It's been a while since my last post! In fact you may notice I've not blogged since the New Year, blimey, what's been going on?

Well the short answer is "work!".  I usually write blog posts in two languages to go on separate English and Japanese language blogs, which can take up a chunk of time, so I took a tactical decision to stand back from blogging while I tackled more urgent matters.  Other social media? Well, yes, to a point, but I've tried to keep my online activities short, sweet and quick. As some people read this blog from feeds on Facebook and Twitter I thought it would be quicker to just post occasional updates directly to those platforms, but it's not quite the same is it. Blogs are more personal, more of a journal, more themed. Earlier this year I posted daily sketches on Twitter and Facebook until work issues obliged me to stop that too - however sketches will return shortly!

Things have been very hectic. At the moment I'm working on a picture book for Holiday House in the US. It's my second collaboration with author Marion Dane Bauer, after the spooky Halloween Forest. Though not a follow-up to that title at all, our new book has a somewhat complimentary rhythm.

Without giving too much away at this stage, I'll just say the book follows the journey of a bear, a child and various other animals through a late winter night, because, as the bear explains, "It is time..."

Time for what you ask? aha....


The title is Crinkle, Crackle, CRACK! Right now I'm painting the spreads, here are some scans of the pen work before colouring.

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Working on a quite a few things this month. Including this nautical themed illustration. And what started off at a day in the beach for these kids..

ended up a day in the backyard..

 then a flight on a magical bath tub and a bird stealing their lunch..

I don’t know what sparks these ideas in my head..they just demand to be created sometimes. hehe. Can’t wait to see them finished though.

Until next time!

HAPPY TUESSY KIDS!

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Hey. Thought I'd better check in with something, even if its not finished art. Had a lot going on this week, but in between all of that I've been working on the dogs skating. You can see the first rough ideas and how its progressed, and where we left off last time, here ~
http://drawingafineline.blogspot.com/2014/02/dogs-skating-work-in-progress.html
(or, just scroll down to the last post)

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Here are three unfinished bear images waiting to be coloured, from Crinkle, Crackle, Crack!, my current picture book project.

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Um, nothing

Light at the end of the tunnel

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Read How to Get Moving on Your Work in Progress: A Review of The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts by Sue Bradford Edwards on WOW! Women on Writing.

While you're at WOW! Women on Writing, enter to win in the 5-Book-Giveaway for The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing

NOTE: still time to join me virtually today to Track Your Plot at the Scene Level, a Plot Webinar hosted by the Writers Store at 1pm Pacific.

SPECIAL EVENTS:
1) Feature Article:
Emotional Elements of Plot
Showing how a character feels fuses the relationship between characters and the audience or reader. Showing how the character transforms delivers on the promise of your story. Learn the difference. Plot tips how and where to develop transformational emotional maturity. Read the entire article:
http://www.scriptmag.com/features/emotional-elements-of-plot


2) Plot Webinar: 
Join me virtually on March 6th to Track Your Plot at the Scene Level, webinar hosted by the Writers Store.

Knowing what to write where in a story with a plot allows for a more loving relationship with your writing. Whether writing a first draft or revising, if you falter wondering what comes next in a story with a plot, follow the prompts in The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing.

Today, I write.

To familiarize yourself with the basic plot terms used here and in the PW Book of Prompts:
1) Watch the plot playlists on the Plot Whisperer Youtube channel.
2) Read The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master
3) Fill out the exercises in The Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories
4) Visit:
Blockbuster Plots for Writers
Plot Whisperer on Facebook
Plot Whisperer on Twitter

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"Spring Maiden"

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work in progress shots

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Why is it that I have to read a manuscript 89 times before I notice this:

Three little dogs yipped and yapped and raced in circles and threw themselves against the door, snapping at the air and scratching at the screen.

"Stop it, y'all!" Tiny's mother snapped from somewhere inside the house.

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Things are so hectic right now I can hardly stop to think. Daughter and I have just moved house, and before we have a chance to unpack we'll be off to Japan for the rest of the summer where I'll be exhibiting and running a workshop. Nevertheless I've just time to post a few images of work-in-progress from my current project, a non-fiction picture book by Jane Sutcliffe,  The Stone Giant, the story of Michelangelo's creation of the statue of David, which will be published by Charlesbridge in the United States sometime, erm..... after I've finished! The house move and Tokyo trip have inevitably put things on hold for the moment, but I've completed all the pen-and-ink line work and will get straight into painting watercolour when we get back from Tokyo.

So here's a sneak preview at the black and white stage!

Naturally a lot of research was necessary (and boy did I love that!), and in some cases a degree of estimation. I hope the results are not too far off the mark.


I'm trying to steer a path between imagination and historical accuracy, a flavour of the period, and a flavour of me so to speak.


The final spread showing a panorama of the Piazza Signoria from the Palazzo Vecchio. There are no historical images from this angle that I know of and none of these buildings exist now, so a lot of detective work was required to estimate the architecture of the square in the Renaissance. Fingers crossed the experts will be happy!

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I’m not going to post the full version of this yet because I want to work on more pieces for my portfolio first, but this is just a sneak peek at what I’ve been up to.

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Jarmara Falconer was kind enough to take me to different place with this meme. I'm terrible about tagging others, but I don't mind sharing 7 lines starting at line 7 from page 77...

From Badlands:

...including the couple walking on the other side of the lot, until he slammed the passenger door shut. He pressed his sweaty palms against his jeans. 
The couple, a man and woman in their mid-forties, had stopped to watch. 
Ryan took a breath. 
The woman tugged on the man’s arm. The man didn’t move, his eyes fixed on Ryan. 
“Had too much to drink,” Ryan said. 
“Is she okay?” 

No, she isn't. And Ryan isn't either, but I haven't sorted that end yet. 

I'm terrible about tagging others, so let's just say the seven dwarves are on my list. Go!

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I've just finished pen and ink drawing on Jack in the Beanstalk (or rather "Jack to Mame no Ki" to give the book it's correct Japanese title).

Before I plunge into the heady world of colour and start building up layers of watercolour, here are some more scans of the artwork at the black-and-white stage.

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I'm doing a series of illustrations based on fairy tales. Red Riding Hood is going well so far. I've done the composition studies, colour studies and a few character designs, so I think I'm ready to...

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It's not normal to close your business for any period of time, and if it is, it doesn't feel like it when you do.

I purchased an Epson Stylus 1400 a couple of weeks ago. Put aside the anxiety of having yet another large format printer, and was pretty excited about it!

Got it all set up (after taking the studio apart trying to figure out where the beast was going to sit), printed my first page, and it had a band of ink at the bottom....just like my Artisan 50! The whole reason I started looking at printers was because of that band of ink.

I just couldn't believe it. A brand new $300 printer was already spitting ink.

The next day I decided to give the poor printer another chance, and the prints came out perfect. Oooookay. It became a pattern. I gave the printer a week. Every other printing "session" was like before. One day, bands of ink, next day...nothing. I decided to risk my business and not settle for this printer. I am sending it back.


B&H Photo was amazing and are paying for the return and giving a full refund. It was my intention to purchase another one just to see if what I got was a lemon (there are several of those in the Epson line), but I was told they don't sell it anymore. Say wha?!

And it's true, they don't. Looks like Epson is pushing everyone to buy from their new line. Sheeeah right, already bad reviews.

So I decided to give myself some more time than a week to solve this. My business runs on prints, and I can't afford to do large quantities at a time. It has to be on demand. I have started to freshen up my Imagekind gallery for now, so prints are available.

I thought about just purchasing another Artisan 50 and printing my limited editions through Imagekind or another on demand printer. I feel like I was just in this boat about 6 months ago. I'm not positive what is going to happen, but the shop will be open on way or another on March 19th.

Week in Watercolor

Spent a couple hours figuring out designs to place into the background. The gorgeous patterns of the East are insane! It was pretty overwhelmed but found some that were simple enough for me to understand.

I can do complex hair, but find it increasingly frustrating to do geometric or intense patterns. Something I must practice more often!

I resolved the bottom half of the painting and added the famous red cord (or sash for this piece) from the story. I think it tied (no pun intended) everything together beautifully.





Life Song's Sneak Peek

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Any feedback you can give me on this would be welcome. I need a fresh perspective from you talented people then I can get started on the final version. Thanks in advance!

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I just finished inking in! And yes, it's from Jack and the Beanstalk as many people soon spotted. This is the scene where Jack ignores his mother's pleading and ascends the beanstalk for the third and last time. The brooding clouds and tossed leaves are to suggest the trouble that lies ahead. Can you spot something unusual about those clouds?

It looks quite flat at the moment, but the clouds, drawn in thinned ink, will blend into the watercolour washes, while sharper colours on the beanstalk will pull out. Often half the lines blend in when I lay on colour, it's a problem I always have with my watercolour paintings, but I try to turn this to my advantage and use drawing to anchor washes and provide some tonal range without relying entirely on paint.



All that remains now is to paint it, but that won't be for a while yet, as I tend to draw all the spreads of a book first before switching to colour, there are still a lot of spreads awaiting the ink pot and pen.

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Can you guess which well known children's tale I'm illustrating at the moment?

It's one of the spreads from a new 44 page picture book for Japanese publisher Fukuinkan Shoten. The finished work will be in colour, at the moment I'm inking in the linework.

Fukuinkan can be described as quite a traditional publisher, being one of the oldest and most established houses in Japan. The requirements for this book are likewise in a traditional vein.

So have you guessed the story?


It's still unfinished, but here's the full drawing, half way through inking.

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There's some progress going on, and I'm a bit excited about it!

In class this week Melinda handed me a folder full of figurative artwork and told me to find 15 I love and 15 I hated....all based on color. Then I had to narrow it down to 5 love and 5 hate.

This was hard! Try it, I dare you. I'm attracted to almost all figurative art, so to look at a piece and determine whether I love or hate it based on color....ugh, let's just say it took time.

I returned to the room and we talked. She then took one from the hate pile (because I kept pointing to it and using it as an example) and told me that I was to draw it (no prob) then paint it in the color palette that I loved (found in the 5 loved pieces).

Before I go further I must say I had no idea how much I adored cooler skin tones. I always thought I liked the warmer, but when looking at the ones I loved they all had a lot of blues and purples. This is very helpful knowledge!


Back to the assignment. I did as she asked.

She also insisted that I use an odd ball color mixed in with the palette I chose. My odd ball was a mix between Quinacridone Rose (q.rose) and Phthalo Blue as my "red".

THE PALETTE
Red: Daniel Smith Quinacridone Rose mixed with Daniel Smith Phthalo Blue GS
Yellow: Winsor & Newton Aureolin
Blue: Winsor & Newton Indigo
Added Warm: Winsor & Newton Rose Doré

I'm pretty pleased, tho I know I could push my shadows more. That is my largest fear I think right now....shadows becoming mud. o.O

Missed Week 1? Here ya go: http://warriorprincessdream.blogspot.com/2012/01/week-one-in-watercolor.html

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I should have a lot to show you but here is a photo of Spike, new studio helper. He likes lounging on my paintings while I work, unfortunately... It is a good thing he is cute... (Also a sneak peek of art in progress for Warm Winter Tail)

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I'm thrilled to have with me today writer and VCFA MFA Candidate Skila Brown. Skila was the 2011 winner of the SCBWI WIP Grant. Google Skila and you'll see that she has plenty of freelance credits for articles on parenting and adoption. I know her as a writer of snappy picture books, a talented poet and an amazingly loving, intelligent and hardworking person.

What can you do with an SCBWI WIP Grant?

• Purchase of necessary materials
• Travel for research
• Conferences, courses and/or workshops in advanced writing techniques
• Child care
• Rental of work space
• Supplemental basic support
• Other items deemed necessary to complete the project.

If you are like me, you've researched grants and found them just as the deadline approaches. For the SCBWI 2012 WIP Grants- completed application and accompanying materials must be postmarked no earlier than February 15th and must be RECEIVED BY March 15th. The Grants are available to both full and associate members of the SCBWI. They are not available for projects on which there are already contracts.

With what project will the WIP grant help you?
My middle grade novel, Caminar. It is the story of a boy who, after surviving the massacre of his village, journeys up the side of a mountain, and must decide what being a man during a time of war really means. Caminar is a coming-of-age novel told in verse and set in Guatemala during the year 1981.


For what types of expenses will the grant money be used?
I will travel to Guatemala this winter to revise the story while I'm there, enhance the setting, and hopefully find survivors who are willing to read and vet my manuscript.


What do you think keeps people from applying for grants/awards?
A grant application sounds so intimidating, doesn't it? I mean, there are people who write them professionally for a living! There's also that kind of hopeless feeling of "there are so many people applying...I will never get picked...why bother..." I also think some people wait until the last minute, look at what is required in the application packet, and then realize they don't have the time or energy to spend on it.


You are a mom and a student at Vermont College of Fine Arts. In what ways did this make the application process more challenging? Did your studies or family help the process at all?
Honestly, being very busy and juggling many things forces me to think and plan ahead. I am not a procrastinator. In this regard, it really made the application process easier for me. I read the application instructions months in advance and allowed myself plenty of time to get it right.

This was not my first time applying for an SCBWI grant. I applied once before for a different grant, with a different manuscript. That story wasn't as solid or unique, but also - I waited until right before the deadline, rushed through the application, and didn't put as much thought into it as I could have. All mistakes I knew not to repeat.


When you dropped the materials into the mailbox, did you feel confident? Why or why not?
I felt confident that I had done the best job I could do on the application packet, but certainly had no expectation that I would win! A teeny hopeful part of me was longing for a runner-up position. When I got the call from SCBWI this summer and was told I was the winner, I absolutely could not believe it.


Are there any tips or hints that you would give to other SCBWI members who are interested in completing the application materials?
Start early. Allow yourself plenty of time to review the materials. Cr

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"Aster" - Flower of September

Yuppers, it's turnin' into autumn!

First thing's first...

The new Flower of the Month fairy for September is finished! It's been finished for a few weeks (sorry for my delay in posting). I have started November, she should be out by the end of September, if not the first week of October.

My Mama

My mother's birthday is in September, so any time I do a piece that has to do with Libra, September, Sapphire, or Autumn I tend to show features that resemble my mom.

She's a constant source of inspiration for me in the women I wish to show having courage and maturity. Plus, she has long gorgeous black hair. That inspires me EVERY time. :)

View the entire image and print listing on Etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/79669617/print-fairy-september-sapphire-flower


A Painting for Halloween

I don't normally paint for Halloween. It's been years since I even had the desire to. Now...that's not saying I don't like Halloween, but my work tends to be something that could be used year round. I like that. But I do so love a good mask, so I thought I'd paint one. :)

Here's the work in progress. She's pretty small; a 4x6 painting. Something quick but elegant. I have always wanted to throw a Masquerade Ball, hopefully someday I will. But until then, I must live through my paintings.

I hope to have her finished by the end of the week. If not, I'll go crazy! Not quite sure what to call her yet...

Have you ever been to a Masquerade Ball? If so, was it as much fun as they look? I want to know!

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For you, what is the hardest part of writing? Getting started? Making time? Finding ideas, or maybe dealing with rejection?

Perhaps the hardest part is the endless waiting that goes with this profession. You wait for word from a critique partner, then an editor or agent. When a book comes out, you wait for reviews and reader reaction and sales figures.

The question isn’t whether you will have to wait during the publishing process. You will. It’s a fact, no matter who you are. The question is how you will wait. Waiting involves more than entertaining yourself (with blogging, reading, watching movies, talking on the phone, or eating out) to make the time pass with less stress.

Ingredients of Waiting

If you want to survive in this thing we call the writing life, your waiting has to be different. While it’s a difficult skill to learn, you need to wait patiently, productively, and expectantly. Here’s what Webster’s has to say…so think about these traits in connection to your writing life.

Patiently: bearing pains, suffering, and trials without complaint; manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain; not hasty or impetuous; steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity.

Productively: having the quality or power of producing, especially in abundance; yielding results; continuing to be used in the formation of new words or constructions.

Expectantly: looking forward to something with a high degree of certainty; usually involves the idea of preparing or envisioning; much more than wishful thinking

Honest Self-Assessment

Is that how you wait to hear from an agent or editor? Are you uncomplaining (to yourself, your critique group, your family, your blog readers)? Are you steadfast, not making hasty decisions (like sending angry emails or posting nasty comments in discussion groups)? Do you show forbearance under the strain? Then you wait patiently.

Do you work on other projects while you wait? Do you continue to study and go to your critique group? Do you refuse to sit and not write until you hear the fate of your current manuscript? Do you focus on the current work-in-progress, giving it your undivided attention? Then you wait productively.

Do you have a clear vision of where you want to be as a writer five years from now? A year? A month? Do you work hard and work consistently on your craft, expecting to improve steadily over time? Even while you wait, are you preparing yourself physically and mentally to be the writer you’ve always wanted to be? Then you wait expectantly.

Be a Professional

Wannabe writers complain when editors and agents don’t respond within a week. Wannabe writers won’t write another word until they sell their current manuscript. Wannabe writers continually tell themselves and others that the odds are terrible and they’ll never sell anything.

Professional writers don’t like waiting either–nor do they always like the answer that comes. But they don’t waste the waiting time. They use it to write and grow and move ahead.

Waiting well is a skill you can acquire. You (and everyone in your environment) will be happier if you learn this skill. Don’t let waiting times–no matter how long they drag on–cause a setback in your writing.

If waiting well is a problem for you, don’t just read this post, agree mentally, and move on with you

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