My Little Girl

It's out! My Little Girl, by Tim McGraw & Tom Douglas, is twirling around on bookstore shelves!

Hello Carmine!

Hello! How are you today? It's almost dusk here. I have been away these past weeks, working on making my new apartment a home, befriending my new kitten, and working on picture books and some experimental pieces. And since I have last posted, Fall has come!

Fall is my favorite season, warm light inside, cool light outside. Have you ever taken a dusk-time walk? That is the best time to max out the cozy meter, you can peek in politely from your place on the sidewalk as you stroll, and see into warmly lit places throughout your neighborhood. When the sky reaches that deep inky indigo, it is so lovely to see warm orange window lights just pop pop pop out all over the places like little window constellations.

I digress, but I am totally infatuated with color right now. Dr. Ph Martin, thank you for your sumptuous bottles of it. Here is an experiment with them (and Photoshop, colored pencil and watercolor). Her name is Carmine, for my good luck color and for her nailpolish. Her painting soundtrack was the new Stars LP, Broken Social Scene's song 7/4 (Shoreline), and the Sound of Music soundtrack...Much of the initial vision I had for her was based on Brigadoon's costume design (1954 musical starring Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse- so good!)

New Places

Hi! I've been on hiatus due to vacation rolled into moving into a cozy new apartment, so life has kept me packing, moving, in canoes, hiking, seeing friends and fam., cleaning and scrubbing (not in that order) and far away from the computer. I'm even typing this remotely, because my internet hookup doesn't happen until tonight. Navigating room to room via little pathways between stuff. One of my big motivators for unpacking is the new studio company I've been dreaming of: a kitten (or 2!). Art and pictures soon. Hope all is well <3

Clare

This is Clare. She is a quick little study done in graphite and "special" watercolor, born of 2 recent and simultaneous infatuations:

The band, Clare and the Reasons, from Brooklyn, NY. Listen to the tracks "Pluto" (a song of condolence for the overthrown planet we used to know and love) and "Rodi". Be prepared for an entrance into a lovely little world. Plus, the lead singer spells her name the same way I do my middle name.

While I was listening to them, I was on the search for Dr. Martin's Concentrated Watercolor (it feels like a secret I've uncovered). Their saturation is delicious and their layering ability is so exciting. I can't wait to try it all over everything! Even ice-cream!

Summer's Long Long Days

How are you doing? Faring well, hopefully? Summer in Massachusetts is in full swing, days are long and vacations have been firmed up for August. I'm excited to be headed for some cozy and beautiful New England locations far from the city and close to trees and ocean with some of my beloveds <3

After being scolded for leaving my little blog alone, I decided to come back and say hello. Most of my art is under "shhh" status with Candlewick Press for Grandma's Gloves, pubbing (!) in 2010, so I can't post it yet. But life has kept me busy- Sleepover #7 is in the works, moving, weddings, searching for a kitten (or 2!), shifts at the bookstore, and long summer days all over Cambridge and Somerville with my favorite walking partner. And I recently had a press photo shoot with the gifted and inspiring Rachel Hadiashar, of Merge Weddings. Check her work out!

Here is the end of a recent summer day : fellow Boston-based illustrators and buddies Jess Golden, Emily Goodale, and I (pubbing!) at Deep Ellum in Allston. I told them we needed "a little illustrator picture" and they humored me. So here we are, the three of us, Marc Simont groupies, discussing new picture book titles, and talking in strange accents (derived from Cute Overload.com-speak/Boston natives). Add Goodale and Golden blogs to your reading travels!

So, art is coming soon! Thanks to all for your thoughtful comments these past weeks :) Enjoy a long long summer day where you are.

Art Room

Don't you feel that when it becomes warmer, events and deadlines and weddings and parties and people decide to speed up, and claim days as fast a they can before the cold weather is back again? Busy busy over here, but here is a sneak of Sleepover Squad #6 interior art, pubbing this October.

It was fun to imagine fall.

More Picture Book News!

Can you guess the subject of the SUPER SECRET book I've been working on since winter? Check out my desk. It's what it looked like as I completed my last painting. I had to use a LOT of cowboy hat referencing for this one. Hmm.....




The story is called My Little Girl, written by Tim McGraw, after his song, "My Little Girl" featured in the film, Flicka. It's about a daddy and his daughter, sharing a day together.



Though I never really gave country music much time on my iTunes, I made a Pandora station for just for Tim, to check out his sound. I did grow up surrounded by a love of old southern spirituals, and my mother was always crankin' up the Mary Chapin Carpenter, or playing her favorite folk on her Yamaha (a singer/songwriter herself!). So although country's roots and my roots might have shared familiar soil, I had to introduce myself. I admire the narrative spirit and innocence in that music's tradition. And I took a liking to McGraw's "Last Dollar"- the sweet little voices with their own twang at the very end of the song!



So, in the spirit of that song, my own blue grass collection) and some of my sunniest girlhood memories, I made a little book for Tim Mcgraw and his daughters. I really do hope they like it. It was my first book working in watercolor/digital composite, so I know now what I will change for my next book and such...a learning experience I am very thankful for.



So I tip my hat to Mr. McGraw. Look for My Little Girl on shelves Fall '08!

Picture Book News!

I signed on to do a picture book with Abrams Book For Young Readers, due out in 2009!

Erica Perl has written the tale, DOTTY, about imaginary friends (who I can't wait to begin imagining...and sketching!) This one, Dotty, is especially feisty. She describes the story as, "a testament to the importance of keeping your imagination as long as possible." I am whole-heartedly behind that philosophy, Erica.

Please check out her website. She is delightful, she wears chicken hats in interviews, and her books are so much fun. Thanks as well go to Chad Beckerman at Abrams. His book design blog is also extremely entertaining...it's a cool peek into the industry too. Art for this book will start in fall...I'll be sure to update you on DOTTY, so come back to visit.

Stay tuned for more secret revealing. It's HOT in Boston...crossing my fingers for a cold front and pa(i)nting, in the meantime.

Swords, Sultans, and Secrets

Oh so many posts to post! For now, I'll throw a current ROUGH sketch up there before I start on the final watercolor for the book cover. It's for book 2 of Karen Miller's Godspeaker Trilogy with Little Brown. It's interesting to have to be emulating another artist's style for the watercolor technique. I'll post it when I'm done. It's fun to study someone's handiwork closely, and I will be studying his.

So here he is, a crazed sword wielding berber!

Meanwhile I am scanning my drawings for the final pages of the undercover picture book, which I got the OK to announce last week! And stay tuned for some news about another new picture book on the way this fall with Abrams. I have secrets to reveal, so stop back soon!

Doodle

On the phone doodles... Art updates soon. Lots of projects on the way!