Illustration For Kids Blog

Free eComics

2012-02-01T08:00:00.000-06:00

Jenn has a new comics section on her website, check it out!

New IFK Postcard Promo

2012-01-31T16:13:00.003-06:00

Check out the "cool" new IFK promotional postcard.

Talking giraffes - Claire

2011-10-10T21:41:00.000-06:00

I've been working on a new digital style of illustration, and I created these giraffes this weekend. I like this new simple style, which I see as a bit of a combination of vintage inspiration with modern simplicity. I've done some illustration samples with outlines but I thought I'd try some without any outlines and I like how they turned out!

p.s. you can see the whole picture on my website www.clairelouisemilne.com.

2 new books in the series about Nilsen

2011-08-23T02:17:00.004-06:00

Book 3 and 4 in the series about Nilsen and his sister Dina will be available in book stores all over Norway any day now. At the moment I'm working on the sketches for book 5.

New Book Coming Out! -Jannie

2011-08-13T14:40:00.000-06:00

I have a new book coming out this fall! Its titled Road Work Ahead, written by Anastasia Suen, illustrated by me. Published by Viking and being released on September 15, 2011.

Take a sneak peek of the interior art!

Check out the Facebook Fan page for related activities, news, and giveaways!

What I'm working on at the moment - Anette

2011-06-06T13:22:00.003-06:00

One of the projects I'm working on these days is lots and lots of spot illustrations for 5 books. Here's a sneak peak of some of the sketches!

"Playtime"--Paula

2011-05-09T13:49:00.004-06:00

Hey all. Above is my image for our postcard mailer. It's in my fun, looser style I have been exploring for a few years now.

Postcard: Playtime

2011-05-09T09:26:00.002-06:00

Here's the front of our newest postcard! We all illustrated the topic "Playtime" for this one.

Playtime- Jannie

2011-05-06T11:29:00.000-06:00

Its been a while since I voluntarily did human kids for our mailer- anthropomorphic animals are always so much more fun. But I actually enjoyed this one and liked how it turned out.

New England SCBWI Conference

2011-05-04T08:00:00.001-06:00

The New England SCBWI conference in is two weeks and this year they are having a juried poster exhibition. This year's conference theme is "milestones." So in keeping with that theme, illustrators were challenged to redesign the cover of a children's book that they consider a milestone in children's literature.

I chose The Cricket in Times Square. I don't know if it's a milestone in the greater sense, but I remember it being the first chapter book that I really enjoyed reading, and as a kid and I suppose learning that reading is fun is a big personal milestone.

Above is my redesigned cover. I always like to see other illustrators sketches and rough drafts. If you do too, you can see some of the preliminary sketches for this illustration on my personal blog.

I'll also be speaking at this year's conference. I'll be giving a talk about painting with Photoshop on Sunday.

Playtime - Jenn

2011-05-03T07:40:00.002-06:00

Here's my piece for our new "playtime" promotional mailer.

Playtime - Anette

2011-05-02T07:30:00.004-06:00

We just sent out a new promo card with illustrations around the topic "Playtime". Here's my illustration. Painted digital with Adobe illustrator and Corel painter.

What I'm working on at the moment - Anette

2011-03-21T09:42:00.003-06:00

At the moment my main project is book nr. 3 for the "Nilsen and Dina"-series. The picture is a detail from one of the pages. I inked all the final artwork last week - now it's time to paint! The painting is my favorite part of the process. It's relaxing work and I love to see how the illustrations get closer and closer to how they will look in the book.

New Activity book published by Peaceable Kingdom Press - Jannie

2011-03-20T17:50:00.000-06:00

I recently illustrated this wipe and write activity book published by Peaceable Kingdom Press.

Some interior spreads:

Let's Do It Game Time! Write & Wipe Activity Book
published by Peaceable Kingdom Press
Ages 3-6
$12.99
Available on Amazon or at Peaceable Kingdom Press

In the newspaper - Anette

2011-03-15T10:19:00.002-06:00

Last week I was featured in 3 different newspapers here in Norway about the new book series I have illustrated. This photo is from my local newspaper, Fredrikstad Blad, and it shows me in my studio. You can also see some more pictures of my studio in this article (Norwegian text).

NESCBWI Conference - Jenn

2011-02-15T08:52:00.002-06:00

Don't forget, registration opens today for the New England Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators conference begin held in Fitchburg, MA on May 13, 14 and 15th.

I'll be there all weekend. And on Sunday, I have the privilege of giving a two hour presentation with my friend, and very talented illustrator Carlyn Beccia entitled, "Digital Painting Duels." If you are familiar with Carlyn and her work, you know that she loves Corel Painter. I, on the other hand, am a Photoshop kind of gal.

If you know anything about New England, you know New Englanders are extremely loyal to their teams. So of course, we could spend the two hours fighting over which which is best, Team Painter or Team Photoshop. Which would be silly, because we all know Photoshop is wicked bettah!

But seriously, both software packages have there own strengths and weaknesses, which is what we will be exploring during the course of our talk. Hopefully the audience will walk away with a better appreciation for both tools, as well as a few new tips and techniques they can take back to the studio with them. By the way, does anyone know where I can get a Photoshop t-shirt to wear?

What I'm working on at the moment - My Website

2011-02-10T07:46:00.000-06:00

I've been working to revamp my portfolio website recently. You can see my new, and hopefully improved site at www.jemorris.com. I'm still tinkering with the layout, but here are the things on my wish list that I've accomplished so far...

1. Update the pieces in my portfolio - My portfolio was pretty out of date, which is rather pathetic, considering that's my main source of advertising. So I went through and decided what sorts of work I would like to do in the future and tried to showcase those sorts of pieces. One of my resolutions this year is to review my portfolio the first of every month and cull out the weaker pieces. No more letting it go for 6+ months at a time!

2. Make the site more maintainable - By changing most of the formatting over to CSS, I hope to be able to change the look and feel of the site just by tweeking the CSS files. At least that's the plan.

3. Make it more mobile friendly - Another thing that I could do by putting the formatting in CSS files, I was able to create a style sheet for iPhones and another one to display on smaller tablet screens.

4. Have a way for folks to access individual images in my portfolio - Actually, I fixed this last time I updated my website. But it's a feature I was felt was important to keep. And something you might want to keep in mind if you are setting up your portfolio. A few versions back, I used frames to create my site and it was hard to bookmark a particular image or email a link to an image to someone.

So if you have time and want to let me know what you think, I'd appreciate any comments.

What I am working on - Susan

2011-02-09T16:02:00.007-06:00

I am currently illustrating my first Little Golden Book, which is quite exciting :)
I can show you the cover because it is now available for pre-order on Amazon:

Sketches are all finished for the interior and now the painting begins!

Alfie the Alligator T-shirts Available

2011-02-09T07:14:00.003-06:00

I have had some parents contact me and say that their kids love Alfie the Alligator so much that they would like to know where they can purchase an Alfie T-shirt. I'm thrilled that someone enjoys Alfie that much, and so I was happy to oblige. T-shirts and sweatshirts are now available on-line. And if you just can't get enough Alfie, there is also a coordinating coffee mug.

What I'm working on at the moment - Anette

2011-02-07T04:07:00.002-06:00

One of the projects I'm working on at the moment is book 3 in the "Nilsen" series that I wrote about in my last post. I've made a lot of thumbnail sketches and now it's time to start working on the final sketches!

My Latest Board Book: What Does Cow Say? -Jannie

2011-02-04T10:17:00.001-06:00

I spotted the latest board book I illustrated, What Does Cow Say? written by Joan Holub, published by Cartwheel books. You can get it on Amazon or there is a giveaway over at The Children's Book Review. Good luck!

2 new books!

2011-02-01T09:06:00.004-06:00

Last year I illustrated the first 2 books in a new series for 2-3 year olds here in Norway. Today I received a copy of the final books, and they will be in bookstores all over Norway any day now. I'm already working on the third book that will be published this fall. I'm really happy about how the books turned out!
(Written by Bodil Vidnes-Kopperud. Published by Cappelen Damm)

Goals for 2011 - Anette

2011-01-17T05:35:00.002-06:00

One thing I love about the start of a new year is writing my goals. Here's some of my goals for this year:

- Effective workdays. Keep away from distractions as much as possible.
- Illustrate at least 2 children's books.
- Finish writing my chapter book.
- Hold an exhibition of the illustrations from 2 of my books that will be published this spring.

Don't Panic Annika is Now Available in UK

2011-01-10T09:58:00.006-06:00

"Don't Panic Annika" written by Juliet Clare Bell and illustrated by yours truly is now available on Amazon UK in hardcover and paperback. I was pleased when Piccadilly contacted me to illustrate this book because a story about a little worrier was near to my heart.

Here's a little peek at one of the inside illustrations...

Claire's Christmas card

2010-12-22T10:50:00.000-06:00

This is my Christmas card illustration for this year. The original is in watercolour, but I added the snow in Photoshop. I wanted to capture those big lacy clusters of snowflakes that are so pretty.

Happy holidays to everyone, and all wonderful things in the New Year!

Christmas Card - Anette

2010-12-13T06:06:00.003-06:00

Here's my Christmas card for this year. It's the first time I've created my Christmas card in my digital style.

Gift Ideas from Susan, Paula, Claire & Holli

2010-12-10T15:25:00.000-06:00

Tis' the season for gift giving! Here are some great gift ideas for the little ones (and older ones) in your life:

Gifts from Susan:
The Comet Can't Wait for Christmas illustrated by Susan Mitchell:

Christmas Lights illustrated by Susan Mitchell:

A Glorious Angel Show illustrated by Susan Mitchell:

Little Poppets Calendar illustrated by Susan Mitchell:

Gifts from Paula:
What I Like About You illustrated by Paula Becker:

The Big Race illustrated by Paula Becker:

Gifts from Claire:
4 Bird postcards illustrated by Claire Louise Milne:

Esty Shop of Claire Louise Milne:

Gifts from Holli:
Mermaid Treasures Canvas Stretched illustrated by Holli Conger:

From a series of 4 pop-up books - A Boy and His Lunch illustrated by Holli Conger:

Christmas Baby bibs designed by Holli Conger:

available at WalMart, Walgreens, Dollar General, Kroger & CVS

Be sure to check out yesterday's post with
gift ideas from Jannie, Anette & Jennifer.

Gift Ideas from Jannie, Anette & Jennifer

2010-12-09T12:13:00.001-06:00

Tis' the season for gift giving! Here are some great gift ideas for the little ones (and older ones) in your life:

Gifts from Jannie:
The Great Reindeer Rebellion illustrated by Jannie Ho:

Chicken Girl Design Photopolymer stamps by Jannie Ho:

Fly Art Center Tote Designed by Jannie Ho:

My Better World Savings Bank Sticker design by Jannie Ho:

Gifts from Anette:
2011 Calendar illustrated by Anette Heiberg:

Gifts from Jennifer:
May I Please Have a Cookie? written & illustrated by Jennifer Morris:

Please Write Back written & illustrated by Jennifer Morris:

Check back tomorrow when we share items from Susan, Claire, Holli & Paula!

Website Update - Jannie

2010-12-08T13:32:00.000-06:00

I recently updated my website by switching over to WordPress. There are new art in the portfolio and an up-to-date list of books I've done. Please go and take a look!

Inspiration from November - Anette

2010-12-06T10:14:00.002-06:00

Some things that inspired me in November:

Bold shapes and strong colors! Take a look at my blog to see some illustrations for a design project I've been working on lately.

An interview with illustrator Kirsten Ulve. I love her illustrations!

Spending a few days in Copenhagen, Denmark. Lots of snow, Christmas lights and good food & snacks. Can't ask for more than that!

I'm thankful for ... - Anette

2010-11-22T15:02:00.003-06:00

I'm thankful for the opportunity to work with clients all over the world from my home here in Norway! The photo is from a Norwegian exhibition for illustrators this month, where I exhibited one of my illustrations for Highlights High Five Magazine.

What I've been Working on- Jannie

2010-11-19T10:45:00.000-06:00

I got an opportunity to design this tote bag for Fly Art Center, a local non-profit organization that gives art experiences for kids. There is something very free about working with just 2 colors. They will be screen printed and it will also be on t-shirts for kids. Its on pre-order now, so hopefully I can interest you in getting one and supporting them!

Spotted: Too Many Fairies Book

2010-11-16T09:05:00.007-06:00

I was at Babar Books in the Pointe Claire Village (Quebec) this past weekend, and spotted fellow IFKer Susan Mitchell's latest book, Too Many Fairies on the shelf. So I snapped a few photos with my trusty iPhone.

Below: The cover. And you can see the spines of the book on the shelf.

Below: One of the speads.

Below: Susan's Bio on the back flap.

What I'm working on at the moment - Anette

2010-11-15T09:17:00.002-06:00

I just finished putting together my calendar for 2011. It has one illustration for each month. All the illustrations are made this year, and they're all made with digital tools.
The calendar has Norwegian text, but it's easy to understand the names of the months, so if you would like to buy one, just send me an e-mail at anette@anetteheiberg.com

Inspiration From October--Paula

2010-11-06T19:51:00.002-06:00

By far, my greatest inspiration in October was attending the Highlights Illustrators' Party at their editorial offices in Honesdale, PA. Besides the specialness of hanging out for three days with a ton of other illustrators who freelance for Highlights, and meeting the art directors, editors and other staff of the organization, I finally met in person fellow IFKers Jannie Ho and Jennifer Morris! So there were four out of seven of us at this event! What fun we all had! And Susan and I were travel buddies and roomies, affording us LOTS of time to talk and share, especially on the lengthy drive from Montreal to Honesdale and back. I was re-energized after all that, I must say! If only we had illustrator parties more often. : )

Inspiration from October - Anette

2010-11-02T10:19:00.003-06:00

Some of the things that inspired me in October:

- Highlights High Five Magazine. I had an illustration in the latest issue so I got the magazine in the mail. I love looking at all the different illustrations they use. It's just filled with inspiration!

- All the fall colors outside. Orange leaves swirling around. Love it!

- Putting together an illustrated calendar for next year. It's great to see several of the illustrations I have made this year next to each other.

Jannie- Fall Mailer

2010-11-01T08:31:00.000-06:00

Here is my piece for our upcoming Fall mailer. -Jannie

Claire - Fall mailer

2010-10-26T07:43:00.001-06:00

I wanted to do something in a fairytale style for my illustration. This one was created using watercolour on hot press watercolour paper. I like this paper as it's very smooth and you can paint fine details.

Paula--Fall Mailer: The Little Witch

2010-10-22T12:10:00.005-06:00

The above is my image for the Illustration For Kids fall '10 postcard. Like Holli, I ended up doing a witch. This was created in Painter 11 using the digital watercolors.

Anette - fall mailer

2010-10-20T14:01:00.002-06:00

This is my illustration for our fall mailer. Created digital with Adobe Illustrator and Corel Painter.

Holli - Witchy Brew

2010-10-20T05:48:00.005-06:00

My contribution to our fall mailer. Done as a digital Junk A Doodles piece.

Inspiration from September - Anette

2010-10-04T06:58:00.002-06:00

Some of the things that inspired me in September:

- 25 No-Nonsense Ways to Power Up Your Productivity - an interesting article!

- Buying a large whiteboard for my office wall. It's going to make working on big projects so much easier!

- Finally reading the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. It's not really my type of genre, but it's a great story that makes it difficult to put down the books. Just finished the 3rd book, can't wait to start the last one.

Halloween is Here Sticker Book Giveaway! -Jannie

2010-09-29T14:43:00.004-06:00

I recently illustrated this sticker book, Halloween is Here, published by Running Press Kids. There is a story with tons of stickers inside!
I'm celebrating by giving away a copy at my blog, please hop over there for more details. Good luck! -Jannie

Paula--What I'm Working On At the Moment

2010-09-22T10:11:00.005-06:00

One of several projects I'm presently working on is a big batch of black and white line drawings for some Sunday School curriculum, an example seen in the angel, above. I am keeping the images very simple. That's hard for me to do as I have a tendency to over-work things, so this is a good exercise in the "move along now!" style of drawing! It's an on-going project so I will be having fun with these right on up until early December.

What I'm working on at the moment - Anette

2010-09-13T09:59:00.005-06:00

At the moment I'm busy working on 2 children's books. I can't tell you much about it yet, but you can read a bit more in my blog.

Here's a sneak peak of one of the sketches of the main character.

Inspiration from August - Anette

2010-09-06T14:57:00.003-06:00

I had a lot of fun when I decided to finally make something out of the big canvas I've had stored in my office for way too long. I wanted to do a Jackson Pollock inspired all-over painting, so I put the canvas on the floor and walked around it "throwing" on paint. I definitely need to make this kind of art more often. It was so fun!

Chickadee

2010-09-01T09:20:00.000-06:00

The One of A Kind Show has a contest every year to choose the artwork for their reusable shopping bags. I had a quiet week so I whipped up this entry, a chickadee on a branch. I thought it would be nice for winter. I didn't win, but I did win a runner-up prize of two free tickets to the show. I go every year with a friend so I'll be happy to use those.

Contests can give you mixed feelings sometimes but if you look on the positive side, it was a slow day and it motivated me to do some new artwork. Which is always a good thing!

Getting Back to Work After Vacation - Jenn

2010-08-26T18:50:00.006-06:00

The Doctor is in... sort of. I took some time off this August to recharge my batteries and I'm having a tough time easing myself back into work. One thing I did was I spent a good chunk of the today brushing up on some anatomy. Sometimes drawing from life or doing some drawing exercises helps get me motivated. Also just drawing something just for the heck of it, like this evil scientist guy that I did just for fun, can help me get in the mood before getting down to business.

Getting back to work after a vacation - Anette

2010-08-23T11:18:00.004-06:00

We all know how difficult it can be getting back to work after a vacation. Over the years I have understood how important my routines are to keep me productive and happy. These routines change during the summer, but once it's time to get back to work it's important to get into the routines again.

* Waking up early in the morning again.

* Planning what I need to do. Each month I write down what I need to do for each week.

* Planning each day by writing down the tasks I need to do for tomorrow. That way I start off every morning knowing exactly what to start working on.

* Get back to my "inspirational mood". This can be done by working on projects I love, reading inspirational quotes, reading a book, looking at inspiring illustrations etc. Whatever works for you.

* If everything fails - just sit down and get to work! Before you know it you're back into your routines.

Mobile Painting- Jannie

2010-08-12T10:39:00.001-06:00

I haven't had much time for personal projects lately but had fun playing around with the iphone's brushes app. For a time lapse of this painting, go here!

Personal projects - Anette

2010-08-09T08:47:00.004-06:00

When you're working in a creative profession it's important to find time for personal projects every now and then to keep the passion for your work alive. Even if you love the projects you're working on for clients, it's something different about taking time to make something out of your own ideas.

My favorite personal projects is making my own books. I write and make illustrations for picture books and I'm also writing on a chapter book at the moment. It's difficult to find the time to work on personal projects when I have lots of client work to focus on, but as soon as I have a bit of down-time I'll get to work on my own projects. They're slowly coming together. At the moment I'm balancing my personal projects and my client work by spending the first hour of each day working on personal projects. The rest of the day is for clients. I'm sure my personal projects will be set on hold at times when I have tight deadlines, but for now it's working pretty good.

The image above is showing some of my rough sketches for one of my picture book projects.

Inspiration from July - Anette

2010-08-02T07:23:00.002-06:00

Some of the things that inspired me in July:

- Spending a few hours working on the local beach instead of in my office. When my office got so hot I had a hard time working I decided to pack up my project and go outside. And you know what, I got a lot done! Maybe I should try working in different locations more often.

- Board books. I'm doing research for a possible project, and spent a lot of time looking at board books at amazon. I got very inspired both by the illustrations and the simple stories.

- This quote by Abraham Lincoln: "Remember that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other." So true!

Thumbnail sketches - Anette

2010-07-19T10:22:00.004-06:00

At the beginning of a project I think it's important to make several sketches to work out the best idea for the illustration. Small rough sketches, thumbnails, is the way to go. This way you can explore lots of different ideas and compositions - and work out problems very fast.

This is a book illustration I worked on a few years ago. I think it's a great example of how I work. First you see a really rough thumbnail showing the idea of the children in a circle. Then you see a small sketch where I'm working out the composition on the page, making space for text etc. I usually make a lot of sketches like this, with different variations. And then there's the final illustration, painted with acrylics.

Inspiration from July -Jannie

2010-07-12T12:11:00.004-06:00

Got my latest copy of Picturebook 10 recently. Just what I needed- a little bit of inspiration and see what my fellow children's illustrators are up to.
And here is my piece!

Inspiration from June - Anette

2010-07-05T11:28:00.005-06:00

Some of the things that inspired me in June:

- This quote by Henry Ford: "Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right."

- The book The Island by Victoria Hislop. Really interesting story!

- Alicia Padron's Illustration Friday post. I love the little video story she made! I'll definitely make one myself soon.

A Picture Book I Love - Jenn

2010-07-01T20:14:00.003-06:00

Sigh, I love lots of picture books, it's impossible to choose just one. But I'll try. Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm is one of my favorites. In this book by Jerdine Nolen, a young girl befriends a local farmer, Harvey Potter. What makes Potter unusual is that instead of corn or soy beans he grows balloon animals in his field. I never got tired of reading this one to the kids. I initially tracked down this book because I'm a fan of Mark Buehner's illustration and this book doesn't disappoint. Mark Buehner is a wonderful illustrator. If you aren't familiar with his work, he always hides things in his illustrations, which the kids love. But be aware that some of them are really tough to find - so if you are reading this for the first time at bedtime you might not want to mention it, or you'll be up all night trying to find that darn dinosaur ;)

As I was looking up the book on Amazon I noticed that Disney made a movie of the book back in 1999, with Rip Torn as Harvey Potter. Rip Torn seems like an odd casting decision to me. I may have to rent it to see for myself.

A picture book I love - Anette

2010-06-28T05:05:00.003-06:00

I have lots of favorite picture books. One of them is Kitty's Cuddles by Jane Cabrera.

It's a simple book where we get to see different kinds of cuddles, and in the end figure out who is Kitty's favorite friend to cuddle.

What made me fall in love with this book was the amazing illustrations! They're colorful with big, bold shapes - and you can see the strokes from the paint brush. It's definitely worth a look!

Summer challenges - Anette

2010-06-14T05:53:00.004-06:00

Summer is a great time of year - but it also has some challenges when it comes to work. One of them is the lack of motivation to work when the weather is perfect.

For me it has always been important to take some time off during the summer, just to relax and enjoy myself. Often summer is a bit slow when it comes to work, but sometimes projects just piles up not caring about the nice weather. My motivation to get to work is the deadlines. It's important to meet your deadlines even if your office feels like an oven and you're struggling with paint drying way too fast. If it's really hot I try to get my work done in the morning, and if I can I take some time off later in the day. I also make sure to get a lot of work done on rainy days, and take some time off to enjoy the nice weather when I have days where there's not much to work on.

It's also easier to motivate yourself to work when you enjoy your job. I love working freelance, even though I never know if I have to work during a vacation!

Inspiration from May - Jenn

2010-06-08T06:17:00.004-06:00

Quite some time ago, I purchased Riven Phoenix's figure drawing course. It's been sitting here on my desk every since, but last month I made a commitment to starting plowing through the five DVD set. I promised myself that I'd do at least one lesson a day. At first I was having trouble getting into the lessons but now I'm really enjoying them. And it has definitely inspired me to concentrate more on anatomy when I draw. Often times my figures are very cartoony but there are those projects that require a more realistic drawing style and I think a good understanding of anatomy is good in either case. I'm only on lesson 37 (I think I have 200 or so to go!) but I've definitely learning quite a bit.

Inspiration from May - Anette

2010-06-08T01:44:00.000-06:00

Some of the things that inspired me in May:

- My trip to Barcelona. The old streets and buildings, the modern parts of the city, the long beach, all the trees in the city (especially the palm trees) and the harbor with what seems like millions of sail boats. Also the food market with all the fruit and juice stands. Just look at those beautiful colors in the picture!

- Big fields of green grass with lots of bright yellow spots (flowers) all over. (Can you tell I get inspired by colors?)

- Walking in Oslo and suddenly finding myself looking at a huge door with my design on. It was the door of a bowling alley that I have done a lot of design for, and I had no idea one of my designs was used to decorate the whole door. (Does this mean I got inspired by myself?)

Inspiration from May - Jannie

2010-05-30T12:19:00.004-06:00

I recently took a trip to Tokyo to attend Design Festa, an art event held in a huge space where artists got to show off their work. I've blogged about it here. And there were lots of things I got for inspiration, take a look: part 1 & part 2!

Jannie- At the Moment I'm Working on...

2010-05-28T12:29:00.005-06:00

A few things I'm working on:

The June Collection for my digistamps line over at I {heart} Papers
A story about two mice (and cheese, of course!)
A book about monsters
A book about zoo animals

New book with my illustrations!

2010-05-27T04:25:00.004-06:00

I just got my copies of the last book I illustrated. It's called "En, to - støvel og sko" (One, Two - boot and shoe), and it's published by Norwegian GAN Aschehoug.

The book, written by Else H. Devold, is about how to teach the youngest kids in kindergarten the basic principles of mathematics. It has a lot of fun games and songs that I've illustrated.

I painted about 50 illustrations for this book, all with acrylic paints.

One thing you can't see in this photo is that the green cover is a bit shiny, and there's a bright red spiral binding the book together. It looks so playful!

Photoshop Tutorials

2010-05-25T07:01:00.002-06:00

In case anyone is interested, I have put a few new Photoshop tutorials on my personal blog over the past couple of weeks. These came out of my presentation at the NESCBWI conference earlier this month.

Creating Texture Brushes in Photoshop
Quickly Creating Patterns in Photoshop
Creating Half-Drop Repeats in Photoshop

Holli - At the moment I'm working on...

2010-05-19T09:57:00.004-06:00

I'm not happy unless I have several projects going on at once. It seems to be the only way I can keep my motivation going. Here are a few things I'm working on right now.

1. Poster in my junk style
2. Working on the Woog's teacher gifts
3. Designing baby bibs
4. Sketching for a new book about rain

Paula--At The Moment I'm Working On...

2010-05-18T08:26:00.004-06:00

...Greeting card ideas. And playing with this looser, painterly style.

Jenn - At the Moment I'm Working On...

2010-05-11T08:28:00.003-06:00

I have a very busy weekend that I'm getting ready for. I have two presentations that I'm giving on Sunday. One is for the New England Society of Children's book Writer's and Illustrators. I'll be giving a presentation on photoshop techniques for illustrators at the annual conference here in Fitchburg, MA. For a sneak peek, check out this blog post about how to create a texture brush in Photoshop.

After I give that presentation Sunday morning, it's off to Weston Mass to the Spellman Museum of Stamps and Postal History for Letter Writing Day. There I will be doing a drawing demonstration and reading my new book Please Write Back!

Anette - At the moment I'm working on...

2010-05-10T07:12:00.005-06:00

Today I'm finishing a project about fire safety that I've been working on for a couple of months. I got the chance to work with a flat, digital style for this client, something I really enjoyed.

I'm also working on an illustration for a magazine, that will be painted with acrylic paints. After spending a lot of time in front of the computer lately I'm sure it will feel good to work with some real paint again.

Inspiration from April - Anette

2010-05-03T09:55:00.003-06:00

Some of the things that inspired my in April:

1. Nature. One by one the flowers are popping up and the trees are turning greener for each day. I love that the world has colors again!

2. The illustration book Norwegian Illustrators No.03 (features my work).

3. Meeting lots of other illustrators at an open portfolio day. I was so inspiring to see all those portfolios in the same room!

"Please Write Back!" spotted at National Postal Museum

2010-05-03T09:10:00.004-06:00

My friend Anissa and her family got back from Washington DC last week and while they were there they visited the National Postal Museum. Even though you might think a postal museum would be a big snooze she said it was a lot of fun and very interesting. What made it even better was that her son Josh spotted my new book Please Write Back! in the museum's gift shop. They even took this picture to show me. Thanks Josh! And thanks National Postal Museum!

And speaking of postal museums, there is also a postal museum here in Massachusetts, called the Spellman Museum of Stamps and Postal History. I will be at the Spellman Museum May 16th along with adult author Lois Barry for the museum's "Letter Writing Day" event. Click here for more info.

The benefits of a critique group - Anette

2010-04-26T06:26:00.002-06:00

I definitely think belonging to a critique group (illustration group, writing group etc.) can help you move forward in your career. One of the many benefits of being part of a group is that you always have someone who can relate to your situation. If I have questions about the business, problems with a client, if I'm frustrated or struggle with the confidence in my own skills, or if I just want to celebrate reaching a goal I know I can turn to my illustration group - and I know they will understand because they have experienced the same things themselves. It makes me feel more secure knowing that I'm not completely alone, even though my colleagues live on the other side of the world.

If you'd like to be a part of a group why don't start one yourself? Contact a few others you know (or would like to know) and ask if they want to create a group with you. You won't regret it!

My best time saving tips - Anette

2010-04-12T05:24:00.003-06:00

Most of us would love a few extra hours each day, wouldn't we? I don't think that will happen very soon, so lets focus on how we can save time in our daily routine. Here's my tips:

* Keep your e-mail program closed, and check it only a couple of times each day.

* Write a list over your tasks for the next day. This way you start each morning knowing exactly what to do that day, and you can start getting things done right away.

* Do you have a lot of things on your to-do list that you don't really want to do? Take a look at your list and cross of everything you don't really have to do (remember that you can say no when someone asks for a favor). Focus on what's important for you instead.

Inspiration from March-Jannie

2010-04-08T08:39:00.009-06:00

Getting my creativity juices flowing with this book, Print & Pattern- a wonderful companion to the popular Print & Pattern blog. Thanks to Bowie Style for including me as one of the designers featured:

Also, I went back to NYC to see friends, family and the Tim Burton Exhibit at the MoMA.

Doing craft shows is also a wonderful inspiration; talking to fellow artists, seeing booth setups, the art of interacting with customers and or course, everyone's crafts. This was my table at the Blue House Ann Arbor show a few week ago.

Inspiration from March - Anette

2010-04-05T05:48:00.003-06:00

A few things I got inspired by in March:

1. Easter and springtime! Finally the snow is gone and it's getting warmer. It makes me want to draw bright flowers and butterflies.

2. Looking at the process behind a book. I love getting a glimpse of all the work behind a final illustration.

3. The film Changeling. It's an amazing, true story - and I love the old fashioned costumes and cars.

Spring Postcard - Jenn

2010-04-02T09:59:00.003-06:00

Here's my contribution to our spring mailer. People probably think I'm nuts but I kind of like drawing bicycles.

Spring Postcard--Paula

2010-04-02T05:22:00.005-06:00

Below is my image for our Illustration For Kids spring 2010 postcard promo. I opted to go with my looser, painterly style this time around.

On my blog, I did a post showing this illustration and several other versions leading up to my final choice.

Spring Postcard - Susan

2010-04-01T14:40:00.001-06:00

Here is the piece I did for our Illustration for Kids Spring mailer:

I think that our illustrations work really well together and look so cute!:

Spring Postcard - Holli

2010-03-31T16:20:00.006-06:00

My piece for our spring mailer is an older one but one I really love!

It's from a past Woogie Wednesday project we did here and you can see all the junk I started with. You can also see that I modified the piece a bit for the mailer.

Spring Postcard-Jannie

2010-03-31T10:10:00.006-06:00

My piece for the spring promo! -Jannie

Spring postcard - Anette

2010-03-29T08:52:00.005-06:00

We just sent out a spring promo. Here's my illustration for the postcard. I decided to make an illustration in my new, digital style this time.

Illustration style - Holli

2010-03-24T11:07:00.001-06:00

1. Painterly/Digital
2. Found Object
3. Clay

I have 3 different styles which is really just one style in 3 different mediums since my characters seem to look the same. I started out my illustration career with digital and clay work and then introduce found objects. Out of the 3 I really love doing my found object pieces because it's totally away from the computer. I like my digital work for quickturn arounds or pieces with a lot of detail. Clay is the most time consuming for me because of kneading the clay, sculpting, baking, cooling and then painting. I'm very thankful for heat guns when it comes to painting :)

Illustration style - Anette

2010-03-15T06:32:00.003-06:00

1. Ink and watercolors
2. Acrylic paints
3. Digital (Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter)

I started out working with ink and watercolors, and gradually developed my style. Actually, I didn't know that I had a style before people started to tell me that they recognized my work. Then I moved onto acrylics and I got more comfortable with my style - and it looked even better. When I recently started to work digital I wondered how I would make it still look like my style. I didn't need to think about it for long, it just happened - and I immediately felt that it was the next step in the right direction. Working with these different mediums has challenged me to figure out my strengths and weaknesses, and made me more comfortable with my style no matter what medium I work with.

I think all illustrators struggle with their style from time to time. There's so many great styles out there, and whe you discover an amazing illustrator it's easy to compare your own style to hers. It's great to look at different types of styles to get inspiration, but it's just as important to stay true to your own style, to what comes naturally to you.

Illustrating Children's Picture Books-Jannie

2010-03-09T09:40:00.006-06:00

There is a wonderful book that was just recently released called Illustrating Children's Picture Books, written by Steven Withrow and Lesley Breen Withrow. A complete resource and well-rounded guide to creating picture books.
And I'm honored to be part of it! There is an artist profile of me in the book.
I find this book fresh, modern and very extensive. There are alot of tips on visual storytelling, tutorials, and of course, inspiration. Recommended! Get it here on amazon.

Inspiration from February - Anette

2010-03-01T08:31:00.003-06:00

Some of the things that inspired me in February:

1. Making patterns of my illustrations. This is so much fun!

2. This interview with the talented author/illustrator Melissa Sweet.

3. Interior design blogs like decor8. I feel so inspired to decorate my house these days. Maybe it's the time of year, getting ready for spring?

My Favorite Animal to Illustrate--Paula

2010-02-24T09:22:00.005-06:00

(The above animals are part of a fun office scene I did recently for a greeting card company.)

I don't think I have a favorite animal I like to draw. Sometimes a particular animal will be more challenging for me (e.g. the mole; the monkey), and when personifying animals, it can be difficult to figure out how to handle things like hooves and tails. I had fun with the above project, though, using a loose line in a cartoon style.

My favorite animal to illustrate - Anette

2010-02-22T07:36:00.002-06:00

I've been having a lot of fun drawing animals lately. My favorite animal to illustrate is the giraffe. I love the long neck, the colors and the pattern. What a beautiful animal!

Recent sketches - Anette

2010-02-08T05:47:00.003-06:00

When I'm going to make an illustration I often start with a lot of quick sketches just get the feel for how the idea is going to work out and to figure out the composition. Last week I drew a ballerina. I made several quick pencil sketches to see different positions and dresses, and then I decided to go with one of them - and inked it so it would stand out from the rest of the sketches. I traced my sketch in Adobe illustrator and added some texture and shadows in Corel Painter to finish the illustration.

Double Spotted!

2010-02-01T13:49:00.009-06:00

We have two Illustration for Kids members' work spotted in this month's HighFive magazine!

Check out Anette's gorgeous double spreads:
and here is mine (Jannie) a few pages after:

Inspiration from January - Anette

2010-02-01T04:07:00.003-06:00

I found a lot of inspiration in January.

1. Working with a new medium. Starting to work digital made me want to create lots and lots of illustrations all day long.

2. The Gruffalo. I love the book, so I was excited to see the animated film. It turned out to be a great film! You can't miss this video where illustrator Axel Scheffler talks about his earliest Gruffalo sketches! Very inspiring.

3. Another film. I finally saw Mamma Mia! Beautiful location, great colors and lots of joy. It really made me look forward to springtime.

Process of Creating a Book Cover

2010-01-28T11:53:00.003-06:00

I'm celebrating the release of my latest board book, The Great Matzoh Hunt, published by PSS. I wrote about the process of creating the book cover over at my blog. Hope you enjoy! -Jannie

What would you do for a living if you weren't an illustrator? - Anette

2010-01-25T02:53:00.002-06:00

If I didn't work as an illustrator I would work as a graphic designer, either freelance or in a company - maybe in a magazine. I have a background in graphic design, and I enjoy working on design projects every now and then. I love creating logos and business cards!

Experimenting With a Different Art Medium-Jannie

2010-01-22T10:03:00.004-06:00

I'm a pretty loyal fan of Adobe Illustrator but it is always a struggle trying to add textures to the work. So when I got an iphone last summer and downloaded the brushes app, it was an easy, non-threatening way to play with digital painting, pushing pixels instead of vector art.
I want to explore some more and paint with Photoshop at some point. For now, this was a great start and simply trying something else was a great lesson in what can be possible and where I would like to take my work (instead of being hindered by not knowing certain programs.) -Jannie

Experimenting With a Different Art Medium (Paula)

2010-01-22T08:39:00.008-06:00

This might fit this week's topic. I experimented a few months ago with using different brushes in Painter and came up with the above style, one that is more painterly. I loved it and it felt like "me". The above was done for a client as part of some curriculum. I used Corel Painter 10's (now using 11) digital watercolor brushes. I will set the opacity low so I can see the simulated brush affect. Because the brushes work on an "gel" (transparent) layer only, I will then double up the layer and mess with the second layers opacity to bump up the saturation to my liking. I will also work on top of the piece as well, adding pencil or chalk for details.

Anyway, the results are pleasing to me and it's been a nice change of pace from the pen, ink & wash style I usually use.

Experimenting with a different art medium - Anette

2010-01-18T03:00:00.003-06:00

After talking to my art rep about what potential clients are looking for these days I decided that it's time to add some digital illustrations to my portfolio. Earlier I have worked with acrylic paints and ink and watercolors, mediums I both love. I have created digital illustrations too, mostly small spots to go with a logo or something like that. This time I want to create digital illustrations with a similar look to my traditional work. I experimented a bit last week, and this is what I came up with. It's a remake of an old ink and watercolor illustration, this time created with Adobe Illustrator and Corel Painter.

Double Spotted!!

2010-01-16T21:16:00.006-06:00

I was so excited when a friend said my new book, "Please Write Back!" was in the Scholastic Firefly book club flier this month, I didn't think the book was suppose to be released until April. Yay! I ordered myself a copy so I didn't have to wait to see it. Okay, I ordered 12 but whose counting.

But what's even more cool was when I started looking at the rest of the page I noticed right on the other side of "Biscuit" were Jannie Ho's emergent readers. It's so funny, not only did they put us in the same flier they put us practically right next each other.

My Studio - Anette

2010-01-11T04:34:00.003-06:00

One of the things I love about the house we bought a year ago is that it has room for a studio! I love having my own room with plenty of space to spread my projects around. I still need storage for drawings and books, and I haven't had time to put anything up on the walls yet, but I enjoy going to work in this room. I can also see a bit of the ocean if I look outside. Lucky me!

Goals for 2010

2010-01-05T14:09:00.002-06:00

I'm big on writing goals, weekly, monthly and yearly goals not to mention a 5 year plan. I think it's an important part of being a freelancer. If we don't set goals for ourselves than who will? That said, I went back and see how I did at attaining my 2009 goals and guess what? No goals. I've been so busy with my head down, I think 2009 went right by with no goals. Oops! So goal number one this year is to write out my goals and stick them on the wall right above my desk.

There are a few things about goal writing that I learned in a management seminar years ago (back in my cube rat days) that I still find useful. First, I only make goals that are in my control. Getting a book contract from a large publisher would be nice but not something I can control. What IS in my control is creating a picture book dummy and submitting it to publisher X. Secondly, I try to make goals that are concrete. I'm not as good with this one, but I try. Saying I'm going to be more organized is something I say every year, but that could mean lots of things. But this year my goal is to take time to clean off my desk once a week. I think that would be a good start at being more organized.

So here are my goals for 2010...

1. Write my goals and put them some place prominent in my studio.

2. Draw from life, at the very least once a week.

3. Remove personal papers, bills, etc. from my studio. Working out of the house, I've found it easy for home stuff to creep into my work space.

4. Finish listening to the Riven Phoenix drawing CD's (I started going through them last year but I have a lot left)

5. Finish a picture book dummy.

6. Clean off my desk once a week. (I don't have high hopes for this one.)

7. Promote the new Alfie book when it comes out in April. (I've got a few ideas.)

8. Update my website/on-line portfolios at least once per quarter.

9. Give the best presentation I can at the New England SCBWI conference. (My talk will be on Photoshop techniques for illustrators in case anyone is interested in attending.)

10. Back up all my data files at least once a week.

Goals for 2010

2010-01-05T08:27:00.000-06:00

I posted this on my blog and thought I would post it here too:

This seems a good time to look back over the last year and look forward to new ventures in this one.

Below are a few highlights from last year: My Little Red and the Wolf were featured on the cover of Stuffed magazine, some books that I illustrated were published, we got to visit Scotland to attend my sister's wedding which was so much fun and I discovered a new love (obsession) of needle felting, and even made a calendar from the characters that I created.

1. Stuffed cover, 2. My Mom and Me, 3. My Dad and Me cover , 4. Pink Lady, 5. Pumpkin Baby, 6. Wildflowers Edinburgh Botanics, 7. Dornoch beach, 8. Day 15 , 9. Day 5, 10. March , 11. Day 21 , 12. Day 30, 13. 2010 calendar cover, 14. William , 15. Octave , 16. Happy Holidays

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

Here is my list of goals that I originally posted at the beginning of 2009:

1. Get involved in Illustration Friday again and at least take part once a month. I am scared to look back on a similar post I wrote a year ago, as I was probably saying the same thing then! I do really miss the chance to work on something just for it's own sake, so I will make the effort. I think I often feel guilty if I have a lot of work and feel if I am painting, it should only be for work, but I think it is good to take a break and do something different.

2010: Well, I didn't do very well with that one! But once again, I am going to give it a go. I am determined to start participating in Illustration Friday on a regular basis this year.

2. Learn to stop feeling guilty about taking a little time out for other creative endeavours.

2010: I think I did manage to do that and want to continue experimenting with different media.

3. Blog a bit more.

2010: my blogging picked up over the year, especially when I set a project to do something creative every day in the month of September.

4. All of the above are non-work related. I think it shows that last year I felt a little overwhelmed with work at times and while I felt very grateful for all the contracts that I got, this year I would like to find more of a balance between work and time off.

2010: Yep, balance is the key, but always hard to find!

5. As for illustration goals - I really hope to illustrate more picture books and I would love to work on another book with my husband.

2010: Still a goal for this year :)

6. I want to keep sewing and making little stuffies - and here is a dreamy goal - I would love to illustrate a book with my stuffies and artwork. Something that will probably never come to fruition, but I think it is always nice to start the year with a goal that might not be realistic, but exciting to think about none the less.

2010: my dreamy goal has changed a little, now that I have discovered needle felting. I enjoyed creating the scenes so much for the calendar, and would love to create a whole picture book in this style.

Things have been quieter for me workwise, which makes me a little apprehensive about what this year will bring (the trials of a freelancer!). I know that if I stay positive and keep being creative, new opportunities will eventually come along.

I wish you all a very happy and creative New Year!

Goals for 2010 - Anette

2010-01-04T06:21:00.004-06:00

Happy New Year!
With a new year comes new goals. Some of my goals for 2010 is:
* contact more potential clients to get more work
* illustrate at least 2 books (not entirely up to me, but we'll see what happens)
* finish the chapter book I'm writing
* work more with watercolors again
* participate in at least one workshop

What's your goals for 2010?

Jealous rabbit, carefree beaver

2009-12-17T09:14:00.003-06:00

This was a commissioned Christmas card I created for a friend. It's his idea, I've done a few for him, and each year it's about the beaver character getting his Christmas tree. If you click on the image you can see it larger, a last minute addition was the bunny slippers...