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© copyright Alicia Padron
Hello There!
This is an illustration I worked on at the end of last year. I usually do book work but this project was a little different. They contacted me asking if I wanted to create a logo for a non-profit organization. It was for such a beautiful cause.. I just couldn't say no. :o)
I can't say which organization just yet but I'll post about it once I have green light.
It was important for me to convey warmth, coziness, love and security in this illustration and I wanted it to be appealing to kids at the same time. I love drawing bunnies and they seemed appropriate for this.So bunnies it is!
I've also been working on several different magazine projects which is new to me and I have to say a lot of fun! I love how fast paced they are compared to a book for example. I will share some of that as we get closer to publishing dates.
Also I recently finished a new board book for babies, one of my favorite types of books to illustrate. :o)
For this year I hope to have time to work on one of my dummies and to create new work for my portfolio. Published illustrations work for the portfolio too but I think is important to create new artwork specifically for the portfolio. Sometimes what a particular house wants in a book is great for the book but not enough for a portfolio. You know what I mean? Portfolio images have to have tons of story telling and have to grab you immediately.
Working on dummies is time consuming and hard work. I don't know why but I am always so insecure with my dummies. Maybe is because I have so many alternatives that can change that is hard to make up my mind? I am the writer, illustrator and art director in a sense.. too many people in my head! Haha.. Sometimes I think I have to go ahead with the best idea I can and just go for it.. even though I'm such a scary cat.
How about you? It is hard to work on dummies too or just a breeze? If it's the second one, please share your secret.. I need help. ;o)
© copyright Alicia Padron
Ok, I think I might have 8 new grey hairs since the last time I posted something on this blog. ;o)
It's the start of a new year and always brings a feeling of hope mix with nervousness and a dash of laziness in it. Or maybe it's just me? He, he.. But it also gives us a chance to start fresh and to look ahead into what we'd like to do.
So here's to a wonderful 2013 my friends! :o)
I thought I would share with you
a super video of Oliver Jeffers. I mean who doesn't love Oliver? I know, no one. He is super talented, funny and just plain adorable.
Enjoy!
Graphic by Tara Lazar
Here is a
very useful post by the wonderful
Tara Lazar that explains all the possible layouts on a typical 32 pg Picture Book.
Really worth checking it out! :o)
I came across this post by chance while Googling one of my images. I do that from time to time to check what's going on online regarding my illustrations and to make sure things are fine and no one is doing anything they are not supposed to.
Anyway, I found this post I did a few years back on the PBJ's and I decided to repost it here today. I think is ok to repost isn't it? I mean there is no law on no reposting your own posts is it? He he..
Anyway, here is a little about myself:
12 Things I Love
My morning coffee.
Stopping to smell the flowers.
Henrietta, my chicken.
My dogs.
Nutella!
Illustrating and painting with watercolor.
Listening to music.
Children's books!
Yoga..
Being outdoors.
The PBJ's..
. .and my family. :o)
How about you, what things do you love?
© copyright Alicia Padrón 2012
This is a little sketch from a project I recently worked on. It's for a lovely cause and I can't wait to share it with you. Hopefully soon. :o)
© copyright Alicia Padrón
Thinking of everyone affected by Sandy, specially people up in NY. Stay safe.
Have a happy Halloween everyone!
I'm so happy! This book is out!
If you'd like to read more about it and see some inside pics,
© copyright Alicia Padrón 2012
I'm pleased to say that a book I worked at the beginning of the year was just released!
This title is so gentle.. I absolutely
loved working on it. It's the perfect book to read to your little one before putting him or her to bed. It features all kinds of baby animals kissing their mommies goodnight. :o)
© copyright Alicia Padrón 2012
I love illustrating animals and it was a joy to paint these big loving scenes. The editor is wonderful, I love her to pieces, she really gives me complete freedom and I appreciate so much her trust in me.
© copyright Alicia Padrón 2012
This is a big, thick and sturdy board book. The quality is just superb, I couldn't be happier.
© copyright Alicia Padrón 2012
Un Beso Antes De Dormir is published by SM Spain and SM Mexico and it is out and available today. :o)
-Mirror-
This is a little sketch I drew yesterday for Illustration Friday.
It has been ages since I contributed! I used to do it religiously every week a few years back and that really helped me build my portfolio. Now I'm busy with work but I sort of miss participating. Yesterday I realized that I can still participate by quickly sketching something and use it as warm up sketches once a week.
If you are an artist and haven't tried it, you definitely should. They give you a word every week and you draw something related to it. The word for this week is Mirror. Everyone can participate, artists of all skill levels and now they have a section for kids to participate too, which I think is a wonderful idea.
Don't be shy and give it a try. :o)
It's been ages since I participated on
Illustration Friday. So long that I didn't even know they had changed and updated their website!
I decided to do a little sketch for this week's theme: Mirror.
It's always wonderful to see how a new dress fits, isn't it? :o)
I'm busy working on my studio right now and just realized it was my day to post. Honestly, I really didn't have anything prepared, hee.. so I decided I would share what I was doing at the moment.
I like to find something to listen to when I work. Usually is music but other times I find podcats, interviews or wonderful videos related to children's publishing, illustration, etc..
Today I found this one on YouTube from the Academy of Art Univerity in San Francisco. The panel is formed by Matt Faulkner, Julie Downing and Andrea Brown. The video lasts more than an hour so you really need to find the time to sit down and watch or do like me and listen to it while you work.
Enjoy. :o)
© copyright Alicia Padrón 2012
I recently sent this baby out..
or should I say these babies? Hee...
I hope they bring some lovely baby book projects my way! :o)
I just filmed this! Please don't make fun of my accent or the fact that I shot this just horribly, ok? Hee hee...
It is always so wonderful to hold your book for the first time that I wanted to share it with you all. :o)
I'll share more of the inside once the book is out.
Have a lovely weekend! *hugs*
© copyright Alicia Padrón 2012
This book will be out October 15th! I can't wait! I'll share more once it's published of course!
The publisher emailed me and I should be receiving my complimentary copies very soon, so time to stalk the UPS guy.. hee.. hee.! :o)
And here is a pic I took of my studio a while back while I was working on this book.
This part of the studio looks suspiciously very tidy... I wont tell you how the other side, or the floor for that matter, looked like. ;o)
© copyright Alicia Padrón 2012
Here is a little peek at one of the projects I've been working on.
They decided to go with a different sketch so this one is safe to share. I'd love to find some free time to take this to color as well. :o)
© copyright Alicia Padrón 2012
Here is a little peek at one of the projects I've been working on. :o)
I received this wonderful surprise in the mail recently. My lovely and talented friend
Monica Carnesi is a writer/illustrator and a librarian as well. She spotted my art on the cover of Random House's catalog and was super kind to mail it to me. Isn't she the sweetest?! I know! :o)
It's a treat for me to see my art on the cover and their selection of baby books is just adorable.
Also make sure and check out Monica's book
Little Lost Dog... beautiful and heartwarming!
I found this hidden behind some boxes inside a closet and it immediately brought a huge smile to my face!
I had no idea we had this book. I'm pretty sure it belonged to my sis when we were little. Don't you just love it when that happens?
I dusted it off and right now is sitting in my studio along with many other awesome books so it won't feel lonely and I get to see Gyo Fujikawa's beautiful artwork every day while I work. :o)
Here is an interest post from the Babybug Blog. I love it when they interview their artists and we get to see a bit of their process.
Click
here to read their latest interview with
Rosalinde Bonnet.
I really enjoyed listening to Andrew Stanton. I hope you do too.
"Don't give the audience four,
give them two plus two." - Andrew Stanton-
I recently had the pleasure of standing in front of this painting. I love Impressionism and
Woman with a Parasol has always been my favorite painting from Monet.
Isn't it something? It's everything about it.. the mood, movement, subject characters, light.. I could go on and on.
I was standing very close to it for a while until a guard looked at me with unfriendly eyes, LOL.. I wasn't going to touch it of course, just wanted to see up close the thickness of the paint and the tiny strokes and tried to imagine what Monet saw while working close to it and then standing far. I'm no fine art painter, but I imagine the only way to paint an impressionistic painting is to get close to it and step away far from it.
Anyway, I finally sat down to contemplate it and came to me how close fine art is to children's illustration at times. I know there are many debates as to what is what but I think the main difference is illustration in general has a commercial tint to it, there is usually a purpose for its use. But if we take that a side there is really no much difference.
Of course style and subject matter has a lot to do with this but take
Matt Phelan for example. He is one of my favorite author/illustrators and he is a master of making you feel with his art.. His strokes say tons and his illustrations are ethereal.
© copyright Matt Phelan
© copyright Matt Phelan
I'm not trying to say illustration and "art" are the same but to realize that sometimes they are standing
very close to each other. I just love that. :o)
What do you think?
© copyright Alicia Padrón 2012
(front)
This is a promotional postcard I recently sent out to publishing houses. Don't ask me why I thought of this scene because I have no idea... hee!
© copyright Alicia Padrón 2012
(back)
I really have a soft spot for that little penguin, he is a very determined little fellow. :o)
© copyright Alicia Padrón 2012
(front)
Hello there! Long time no see, huh? ;o)
Here is the finished postcard as promised (click
here if you'd like to see the previous posts). I decided to simplify and kept only three characters on the boat. My initial idea had two more kids but I realized they would be lost in the format of a postcard and felt too crowded.
I like how it turned out. It's an adventure and certainly raises questions. Why are they on a boat? An elephant is with them, maybe they come from far away places... and that little penguin, where is he going? Why is he packed? He looks very determined doesn't he? Like he has a plan.
Hmm.. maybe he does... ;o)
© copyright Alicia Padrón 2012
(back)
The truth is I don't have an answer to all those questions since this is not a story I wrote but more like an image that popped in my head. But I don't think it matters for a postcard. The idea is that it
feels like a whole story, sparks an interest and makes you want to know more, well at least I think it does.
Kids' minds are like this. There are no rules or explanations. Everything goes..
That's one of my favorite things about this field.. anything can happen in children's books! :o)
© copyright Alicia Padrón 2012
This is a sample I recently worked on for a publisher. They decided at the end they wanted to go with an entirely different style for the book.
This is ok and it happens all the time in this business so if you are just starting out and this happens to you, now worries... Don't take it personally. Time to move on to the next project! :o)
Plus there is also a good side to things, you are left with a new portfolio piece. Hee! ;o)
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It looks like you've been busy! Book dummies are hard, and take a lot of time. Especially fitting the story into a set number of pages.
I often do quick storyboards on paper (many squares on a page) to work out ideas, then do a bigger version when I have it worked out. It's also good to set it aside for a few days, then come back to it for an objective view.
How very charming and lovely!
our little granddaughter loves bunnies.
Both children really like your Christmas book!
oxox
Thanks John! I agree, dummies are hard. I work very small at the beginning too but have a hard time deciding from tons of thumbnails, hehe. But I know that's the way to go. I like the setting aside idea for a while and the come back to it with fresher eyes. :)
Aww thank so much Elizabeth! I'm thrilled to hear that. Xo :)
This is so lovely, Ali. Dummies are hard! I'm by no means an expert, but my 1st finished one was soooo much work (and rework!) - mostly bc the manuscript just wasn't strong enough until many versions deep. For my 2nd (nearly!) finished one, it was SO much easier because I took much more care with each step. I wrote, and thought, and edited, and thought. When it was just right, I put my illustrator hat on, and STILL kept thinking. Then the drawing, thumbnails, etc, all came together MUCH easier (and stronger, I think). Everyone finds the best process for them, and you will in time too. Just keep at it, because there is so much heart and joy in your illustration, that it's only a matter of time before we are buying your 'written and illustrated by' book.
Thank you sweetie! :o)
I've seen some of your dummies and they are wonderful. It's great that you find you learned from your first one and the second one came more smoothly. For the one I'm working on, I have the manuscript down so that's good! I just have to have more faith like you said need to keep on working on the scenes. I'll keep at it. Thank youuuuu xo.