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Connie Arnold, writer, has given Gunther the Underwater Elephant another thumbs up *:)

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This is my week on the Talent Pool of Children's Illustrators.  I chose to feature, (who else?) Gunther the Underwater Elephant as the main event.  The Talent Pool is designed to show off the many illustrators that are featured on Children's Illustrators' portfolio website.  The illustrators choose a week and reserve it with a small fee. The idea is hoped to generate interest in the artist for future assignments.

Gunther is special for me because it is the first of several books I have not only illustrated but written as well. Others are in the wind, or wings, waiting to be launched over the next few years.

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I wish I could share more of this book, but that will have to wait. In the meantime I can say that
Gunther the baby elephant was clever enough to find a way to disguise an entire herd of elephants.

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When Gunther the baby elephant finds out that he can float along underwater he is delighted.
With his trunk held up like a snorkel he floats along happily.  Perhaps he should have paid attention because trouble finds him too quickly.  How he solves his problem and saves the day will have you laughing.  Gunther has a big surprise in store for anyone who tries to mess up his day.

Gunther the Underwater Elephant will be released in mid September.  More details will be coming soon.

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Gunther the Underwater Elephant.

This is a story that I began writing when my children were all at home. I was working full time and had only the kitchen table to draw and paint on, only the kitchen walls to hang the finishes on, and only a few willing publishers in NYC to visit in person. At that time there were "OPEN WEDNESDAYS" at several houses. Anyone could wander in with a portfolio and be seen by an editor. One particularly generous editor looked at the paintings, which were pen, ink and watercolor and asked me: "Do you know how to do a Color Separation?" I tried for weeks after that to master color separations on tracing paper and acetate, but failed miserably at the technique.


Gunther's paintings and story were shoved into a folder and it was another year or two before I began working on his story. Then the children grew, games and plays, and college trips took precedence and Gunther sat and waited. Eventually we moved north from the NYC metro area to NH. By this time I had actually illustrated several small books and stories for other authors.

Having left my day job and finding our new home had the extra "ROOM" I needed I dived back into my passion of illustrating for children's books. I joined SCBWI, paid my dues, bought the yearly copies of The Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market and embarked on a full time illustrating career. Might I add ... very late in life. But my mom always said I was a late bloomer. ( But as you may know, sometimes those final flowers bloom the brightest.)

This fall, after many revisions and many words removed, changed, and even some new ones added, Gunther's story is now complete, with my illustrations, and will be released by that "wonderful little publishing company that could"... 4RV Publishing LLC in Edmond Oklahoma.

How long was that journey? What is my point in telling you all this? It took more than 20 years from that first drawing and story to get to this point. There are so many artists and authors who are disappointed with those early rejections. All I have to say is you MUST keep trying if you believe in your work.

Gunther the Underwater Elephant will be released mid September of this year. I will announce his launch with pride and a collection of give-aways, take-aways, and personally signed posters. For those who buy the book and cannot attend a book signing, I will prepare a personally signed bookplate for your book. My fondest hope is that you will love little Gunther just as much as I do *:)

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This morning I was happy to receive an email from Sunshine Smile Publications Showcase
My work is being featured along with that of other amazing artists. You may already know some of these talented people from Facebook, Twitter, or their own blogs and websites.

Along with an article and some answers to questions several of my children's book illustrations were displayed.  One in particular is the image from my very own author/illustrator book, Gunther the Underwater Elephant.    This is a story that I began writing when my children were all at home.  I was working full time and had only the kitchen table to draw and paint on, only the kitchen walls to hang the finishes on, and only a few willing publishers in NYC to visit in person. At that time there were "OPEN WEDNESDAYS" at several houses.  Anyone could wander in with a portfolio and be seen by an editor.  One particularly generous editor looked at the paintings, which were pen, ink and watercolor and asked me:  "Do you know how to do a Color Separation?"  I tried for weeks after that to master color separations on tracing paper and acetate, but failed miserably at the technique.

Gunther's paintings and story were shoved into a folder and it was another year or two before I began working on his story.  Then the children grew, games and plays, and college trips took precedence and Gunther sat and waited.  Eventually we moved north from the NYC metro area to NH.  By this time I had actually illustrated several small books and stories for other authors.

Having left my day job and finding our new home had the extra "ROOM" I needed I dived back into my passion of illustrating for children's books.  I joined SCBWI, paid my dues, bought the yearly copies of The Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market and embarked on a full time illustrating career.  Might I add ... very late in life. But my mom always said I was a late bloomer.  ( But as you may know, sometimes those final flowers bloom the brightest.)

This fall, after many revisions and many words removed, changed, and even some new ones added, Gunther's story is now complete, with my illustrations, and will be released by that "wonderful little publishing company that could"... 4RV Publishing LLC in Edmond Oklahoma.

How long was that journey? What is my point in telling you all this?  It took more than 20 years from that first drawing and story to get to this point. There are so many artists and authors who are disappointed with those early rejections.  All I have to say is you MUST keep trying if you believe in your work.

Gunther the Underwater Elephant will be released mid September of this year.  I will announce his launch with pride and a collection of give-aways, take-aways, and personally signed posters.  For those who buy the book and cannot attend a book signing, I will prepare a personally signed bookplate for your book.  My fondest hope is that you will love little Gunther just as much as I do *:)
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I had submitted the story of Gunther the Underwater Elephant to about five publishers before one became interested but then after a long session and wait they finally turned him down. It wasn't so much the pictures, they loved those, it was the story.
Me, being a bit of a control (not quite freak) person did not want to let go of the story so I took Gunther back and put him on the bookshelf for 6 months.

Recently I started working on two other dummies and during the process I realized that Gunther had possibilities I had not thought of. So naturally he is back on the drawing table and being re-dummied. The text is far more minimal and the pictures are telling the story from a more childlike point of view. I think a child could now hear the story once and then retell (READ) it by reading the pictures. And isn't that what a picture book should be about?

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This is a page from the dummy I am working on ... Gunther the Underwater Elephant.

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The process for Gunther the Underwater Elephant is now in its third year.  This won't come as a surprise to anyone else who writes and illustrates their own picture book. The process is twofold. The manuscript must be perfected and the illustrations must hit the mark with consistency and impact.
 It began as watercolor and ink ideas.

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