I've been doing some spring cleaning the past few days. Well, spring cleaning might be a misnomer in my case. Can you really call it spring cleaning when you only do it every two or three years? But regardless, I have been shoveling out my studio. And I've found some old watercolors stashed away in a portfolio in the back of the closet. I thought I'd share a few over the next couple of day before they go back into hiding. Or who knows, maybe I'll even frame a couple.
I thought this one of magnolia blooms was appropriate since here in New England the Magnolias just finished flowering. This painting is approx 15" x 22"
Hello everybody!
Have I missed WaWe. Hope everyone is having an awesome new year.
This is an illustration I just finished for one of Jennifer Poulter's poster poems. The inner me was always daydreaming and trying to work out the world in my mind.
Goauche and coloring pencil.
Has it really been a week since I posted? Just busy being busy, I guess. Lots of creative juices flowing here lately. Rose is hard at work on a novel inspired by Erin Hunter’s Warriors series. I haven’t been granted a peek at it yet, but her first effort, a twenty page tale filled with swash, buckle, and feline romance, was delightful. I’m eager to read this next installment.
Now that the baby is sitting and playing, and scooting around until he wears himself out and collapses for a two-hour nap, I’ve been able to grab some time for sewing again. I pulled a piecing marathon this weekend and completed three(!) blocks for my virtual quilting bee. Gosh I love piecing. Made two log cabin blocks on Saturday, my first sally at log cabin, and I am completely, utterly, head-over-heels in love with it. Log cabin is like the best parts of Legos, crayons, and yarn all in one.
Here is an excellent log cabin tutorial at Crazy Mom Quilts.
One of the best things about the quilting bee is finding a use for the little bundle of Japanese fabrics I got on sale last year. Like this one:
Couldn’t you just die from the cute?
But as you can see, I’m still having trouble making my seams go where I want them to go. I am just not a straight-line kind of girl. Happily for me, wonky is in. (Making this the best time in history to take up quilting. Fabu deals on Japanese fabrics at a zillion Etsy shops, and crooked seams in vogue? I’m in!)
Although I nicked the handle, this teacup makes me swoon.
Another thing we’ve been having great fun with is watercolor journaling, for which I must send Alice Cantrell a giant cyberkiss. A while back I blogged about our backyard art bag, which brainstorm transformed painting into a suddenly easy pursuit. A chief factor in its success was Jenn’s brilliant idea of cutting watercolor paper into postcard-sized pieces. GENIUS. Small paintings are less intimidating, are quickly finished, are easier to frame, mail, or store. Well, Alice Cantrell liked the art bag idea and carried it even farther, creating mini watercolor kits for her children. And then she shared a link to a Watercolor Journaling DVD, which I promptly ordered because I am completely in awe of Alice’s painting abilities and I not-so-secretly yearn to be able to create lovely pictures myself.
Well, we—my five oldest children and I, from the 3-year-old up—loved the DVD. It got us painting right away. Rilla insists upon my ‘making her a painty picture’ every day. Mind you, I still don’t know what I’m doing. Jane has taken a watercolor class and she is teaching me some techniques. Despite her instruction I have yet to manage a non-blotchy wash. But I’m learning. And the colors are so bright, so fresh, so cheerful, that I really don’t care how many mistakes I make.
Say! If your blotchy wash is in blue, it looks like sky!
My kids have been watching old episodes of Magic School Bus on VHS. (That’s how old the episodes are.) And when I’m painting or sewing, I hear Ms. Frizzle shouting in her merry way: “Take chances! Make mistakes!” This is quite a comforting mantra to keep in mind when attempting to learn a new art or craft, I find.
Shari: I have visited your website and I must say, your work is beautiful. How long have you been doing this professionally?
Deb:
Thank you. I have been a freelance professional illustrator for almost 30 years.
Shari: I would imagine some of my younger readers might be interested in doing this kind of work. What kind of training have you had?
Deb:
I started out as an art education major but switched to a studio arts major when I had an opportunity to apprentice with an art director from a Madison Avenue Advertising Agency.
My formal education was a BA, and MA from Montclair State University with additional studies at The Art Students League, School of Visual Arts and Parsons. My work experience prior to freelancing was as a designer and assistant art director in advertising. I made the jump to illustration after taking a class at the New School with the Art Director of Pocket Books, Simon & Schuster, as the instructor.
Shari: Please tell us how you work? Do you use a computer, charcoal, oil, acrylic?
Deb:
I use the computer for preliminary work. Once the sketch stage is completed, I work in pencil,
watercolors, pastel and oils.
Shari: I know you illustrate children’s books. Do you know what the characters will look like right away, or do you play with it until it feels right?
Deb:
Reading the manuscript gives me a good feel for what I am looking to create but playing in the computer and then finding the faces with pencil is how the character is developed.
Shari: What should writers know about the writer/illustrator relationship?
Deb:
It is always a partnership. Communication is very important. A good illustrator knows what questions to ask and is an expert listener. Once we have decided on a direction I create sketches that are very clear to give the author a good idea of what the final art will look like. At that stage, it’s very important that the writer looks closely and feels free to make changes and even criticisms. Changes are very easily made in the sketch stage. Usually I have very few tweaks in the final art because of this.
Shari: What is the best thing about being an illustrator?
Deb:
For me there are so many answers to this I don’t know where to start. I love the challenge of finding a visual image to express a thought or word. I enjoy researching new subjects and most importantly I love it when the concept is all worked out and I can sit at my drawing table with pencil and brush and create magic. I recently had an inquiry regarding a book cover that I had done many years ago. An 80 year old woman had fallen in love with the image of Christ that I created for the book and her friend wanted to get her a print so he tracked me down by the internet. That is perhaps the best thing about being an illustrator.
Shari: What is the worst thing about being an illustrator?
Deb:
It is difficult for the public to understand how much work goes into an illustration. The difference between clip art and custom illustration is not as appreciated in this digital age where images can be pulled off the web. Because of this I have had to put very large copyright notices on my website images. The good thing about this is that students contact me asking permission to use my work for their projects. It’s a good lesson for them and I’m always happy to grant this permission.
Shari: Thank you for doing this interview on the spur of the moment. Would you like to tell us what children’s books you have illustrated and what you are working on now?
Deb:
You’re very welcome! As you have seen from my website, my range of projects extends beyond children’s book illustration but over the years I have done covers for Simon & Schuster and interior illustrations for a number of the Stardust Classics, the Andi O’Malley chapter book series by Celeste Messer, “A Dog’s Guide to Life: Lessons from Moose” (really a gift book) and more recently my first real picture book “All You Want and Then Some” by Carolyn McWilliams Brown.
I have a new children’s book in the works now which will be set in the 1920’s and features the Essex Train Station in Connecticut. I am also working on a large commissioned painting and a logo illustration of a revolutionary war soldier for a new product.
Shari: I recommend everyone take a look a Deb's website to see her beautiful work.
I tried out my new travel watercolor set at my son's baseball game last Friday night. Incidentally, I bought it at Michaels not Jerrys. It was fun to get some painting in while still watching the game.
I wanted to let you all know that I started a new project, "Painting a child a day". These daily paintings are done in watercolor and are posted to my google group email. I also have a Blog for it at http://paintingachildaday.blogspot.com if anyone wants to look there or follow that blog. When I have a painting that fits the themes here, or I gather time to find something that I can paint that will fit the theme here, I will post it here too.
I just launched this project April 6, so there was a lot of preparation before the launch.
I am enjoying seeing everyone's paintings and sketches here too! They are all wonderful and clever!
Debbie
“Families come in all varieties but with no warranties. I have lived with first cousins twice removed, second cousins once removed, and now a third cousin who is removing herself. I call her Loopy. Because of her large earrings. And because she is insane.
Loopy drives like a ten-year-old car thief on a sugar high.”
From the very beginning, Matt (not Mattie, and certainly not Matilda) has a chip on her shoulder. She’s angry and cynical, and she has good reason to be. Loopy is about to dump her off at “the next hostile takeover.”
“I finally found a second cousin of mine, but you need to make it work, Matt. This is the end of the line for you.”
The end of the line is the home of Sam and Jessica Fox and their disabled foster son, the Blob. These aren’t Matt’s kind of people. For one thing, they’re Quakers. They believe so strongly in peace that they don’t even have the good sense to run and hide when bullies challenge them. They just stand there. That’s what Sam calls it—taking a stand. As far as Matt can tell, it’s just being plain stupid. Everyone knows you’re supposed to run from bullies, and that’s just what she intends to do if the Rat decides to make her the next Victim of bullying at her new school.
Kathryn Erskine never underestimates her readers as she allows this story to push the limits and tackle issues that most sweep under the rug when company is coming. I love Matt’s sarcastic commentary on the state of the world as she faces the challenge of her own life. There is no doubt that this character is strong and capable—much like the writer who created her.
You are so talented! Why can't we live closer together? Then I would nag you everyday to have an art sale until you finally gave in, then I would show up way early, buy everything, then I'd have Jennifer Morris originals all over my house! I'd be the envy of the community!
LOVE this one!