Illustration Friday: Fierce

There was fierce competition during the three legged race at the company picnic. Actually the competition in the kid's division wasn't that fierce, my son and his partner won even after they fell down on the home stretch. But the adult division...who knew there were so many hard core three legged racers out there???

Illustration Friday: Forgotten

I wonder what things the Anasazi knew that modern people have forgotten? I certainly haven't forgotten the trip I took to Canyon de Chelle about sixteen years ago. I went on the trip with my Mom and two of her friends. We camped on the rim of the canyon which is located in the Navajo Indian Reservation and spans the border of Arizona and New Mexico. A native guide was required for anyone who wanted to hike into the canyon. Our guide was practically as old as the hills around us, his eyes clouded with cataracts, but he scampered down the steep red stone rock into the canyon more quickly than we could! It was a magical journey to a place of incredible beauty. I wonder what happened to make them leave?


(and while I had strong memories of the trip--I had forgotten exactly where I put my photos--finding them took a little excavation.)

Illustration Friday: Baby

For some reason sheep were the first thing that came to mind.
But then I was out riding my horse (the very Mustang who inspired the name for this blog) and I saw this little calf off all by his lonesome in a great big field. He near the fence I was riding along. He watched us go by with his big brown eyes and bright shiny nose and then he turned and in that awkward little lope that calves have returned to his herd.
(These are old fashioned India ink--created after the kids were in bed... Just for those of you who are wondering the bottom image in my Worry post is the digital one. Don't let the signature fool you.)

Illustration Friday: Worry

So this set of illustrations fits the topic in that I have certain worries about them. One is how well they relate to each other. (One is traditional media one is digital. Can you tell which is which?) I'm doing the digital because while I love the look (and even the process) of the ink resist it is time consuming, messy (India ink and kids can be volatile mixture...) and sends a lot of paint down the drain. So the computer is still time consuming (and has its own set of environmental impacts) but saves the carpets and drains--and can be walked away from at a moments notice for the myriad of small crisises that need immediate handling.

I had a portfolio review a few weeks ago and one of the things she thought I needed were a few sets of images, (two were good so that I could put one on each side of a postcard for mailers), that showed a story progression. So I'm trying to work on that. One of the things that has been great about Illustration Friday for me is that it has kept me working and given me a few more portfolio pieces. But since I eventually want to illustrate picture books--I need more things that show a story rather than a vignette.

Illustration Friday: Electricity

Ilustration Friday: Seed

This weeks topic seemed so easy--that it almost didn't get done. It was easy to just shove it aside among all the other things going on. And then there are all the ideas that are cropping up that need tending. I did this with a good ol' Sharpie. So easy to grab and draw... Of course I remember my daughter's lesson ("drawing on my bed was a bad idea.") and put a piece of scrap paper under my work.

SCBWI Birdhouse

This was my artistic work for the week. (I just couldn't get it to fit with the IF theme of "Wrinkles") This weekend was the Austin area SCBWI conference, and as part of the conference we had a silent auction of birdhouses that had been decorated by our illustrators.