April, 2012 ~ Interior Piece on Internet Child Predators for Seven Days

& last but not least, I handed in another final today, though I will not be at liberty to disclose anything further until my next post   I am also happy to report that within a few hours of handing that piece in, I landed another gig with Extra!

WORDS ~ Lavender’s Blue edits are still underway.  In the meantime, I’m about 4 chapters in my new middle grade novel THE RAT CHILDREN.  Here are some chapter heading illustrations for Lavender’s Blue:

That’s all I have to report for now.  I hope to keep the space between this post and the next to a minimum.  Don’t forget to follow me on FB & Twitter!!!  Until next time . . . ~

I know I’ve been slacking on my 2012 blog posts, and I don’t have much of an excuse – except – that I’ve really been working non-stop on illustrations or my novels since the beginning of the year.  So with no delay, (and with much thanks to Seven Days Alt Weekly in VT and Extra! Magazine for sending me a steady stream of awesome projects,) here are my pieces since last time I blogged:

January, 2012 ~ Extra! Magazine Cover -

February 2012 ~ Seven Days, Interior piece on food bank supply shortages.

February 2012 ~ Seven Days Valentine’s Day Cover

March, 2012 ~ A crazy, fun, seven piece set for Seven Days (Cover & Interior)

END ~ Part 1 . . . To be continued . . .

So I slacked on my blog posts a bit at the end of 2011.  I really have no excuse, (though I was dragging by the end of the year for sure!)  To make amends, one of my 2012 resolutions was to at least attempt a monthly blog post.  As of today, I am going strong for the year!  Haha!!!

I finished up 2011 with a few more commissions.  One of my favorites, if not the favorite piece I did this past year is the “Media Monopoly Octopus” for the October issue of Extra! Magazine.  Sometimes, a piece really comes together from conception through the final product and this illustration was one of them.

I must have been on a role, because right after this, came another 2011 favorite, this time a piece commissioned for MovieMaker Magazine.  This was the second piece from them this year, and like usual, the theme was a blast and so much fun to work on.  This commission was to accompany an article called, “Look Good in Your Shorts.”

I was thrilled to do a six piece series for Philadelphia Weekly’s Better Than Best issue, though the three day turn around nearly broke me.

I finished out the year with another cover from Extra! on Steve Jobs.

In between creating these pieces, I was also diligently working on Lavender’s Blue chapter revisions under the direction of my agent, Erin Harris.  Erin is helping tweak and mold my novel so that it reaches its fullest potential, and I am grateful for the tremendous amount of time and effort she’s poured into it since May.

The New Year is already starting off at a breakneck pace.  While I wait to receive my next set of revision notes from Erin, Iv’e already begun the February Cover Art for Extra!  (If I stick to my resolution, it will be unveiled in next month’s posting.)  I’m also working on a proposal for what could potentially be my largest illustration job to date.  So, fingers crossed I have good news to announce next month.  I’ll keep you posted.

Best wishes for a healthy & prosperous New Year!!!!

I don’t know what to do with myself . . .

Seems I’ve gotten so used to burning the midnight oil working on new commissions these last few months, that I can’t crawl into bed before 1 AM.  No worries.  Gives me a chance to do a new blog post.

I’ll have another MovieMaker blog post in a few short works, as well as a brand new Extra! cover to unveil, but in the meantime, here are two new pieces.

The first is a portrait of the newly inaugurated, twenty-fifth president of the University of Scranton ~ the Reverend Kevin P. Quinn, S.J.  It was commissioned by the University Staff Senate and presented to him on the eve of his inauguration.  It was a very complicated piece to paint.  The illustration depicts various Scranton landmarks as well as “The Commons,” the center walkway of the school.  The amount of individual masks was overwhelming, but all-in-all, I’m fairly pleased with how it turned out.

The second, is an interior piece for one of my favorite alt weeklies, Seven Days in VT.  It was a B/W piece illustrating an upcoming comedy fundraiser benefiting flood victims.

Check back soon to see my Extra! cover.  It’s pretty awesome if I do say so myself ~

I couldn’t wait to share this piece with everyone!

It had been some time since I worked with Jenn over at MovieMaker, so it was a happy surprise when she wrote to commission me for an interior piece in their August issue.  As usual, the subject matter was juicy and had a sense of humor – perfect for my art.

Stage 2 ~ The rendering from my photosketch

Stage 3 ~ The Final Product

Go & get your copy today ~

I recently inherited a desk from my grandmother.  It was her mother’s writing desk and it’s been in the family for the last 80 some odd years.  While the desk itself is a treasure, it’s what’s inside that’s most valuable.

I hope you enjoy these gems as much as I do.

Gem #1 ~ I Am an American, What Every Citizen Should Know

This book was my grandmother’s.  I love how both she and her mother signed each and every book in their possession with their name(s) and the date.  I try to follow their lead on this, but in this day of electronic publications, it’s easier said than done.  The copyright of this book is 1940 by the Whitman Publishing Company.

Pages 4-5 contain the rights and privileges of an American Citizen.

I wish they’d give this out to elementary school students.  It’s contains so many pearls of wisdom.  I wish my daughter and her classmates would learn to recite “I have the right to try to improve my lot through various means,” and not feel entitled to it.  I wish my son and his classmates would be required to memorize, “It is my duty to obey my country’s laws,” if only as a reminder.

Flipping through this book made me nostalgic for a time I’ve only read about, but wish in some ways we could once again use as a touchstone.

On the Word Side ~ I made a map!

I can’t remember ever making a map before, but had I known it was this much fun I would have created one long before now!  For my beta’s who’ve read LAVENDER’S BLUE, here’s a bit of visual aid.  Hope you like it

Hi All ~

On the Art Side ~ My June Extra! cover is at your local Borders or Barnes & Noble Booksellers, so stop by and pick up a copy.

I was quite pleased with how this piece came out, even though my blacks didn’t print as dark as I’d hoped.  Something happens between my final and the printed piece that I need to ask about next time around.  Nothing major, just not as crisp as I’d like it to be.

I’ll be sending out an emailer with it as soon as I get back from vacationing with the folks next week in the hopes of garnering some new work.  I’d love to get a brand spanking new client this year…

Good Times ~

I’ve been holding off on sharing my news until I was able to post a piece of art along side it.  But since my latest cover piece for Extra! Magazine, hasn’t hit the news stand yet, I’m sharing an oldie, but goodie.

This piece was actually done for the band Schmedly, way back in the day.  The original has a funky swirled paper background, but for logo purposes, I’ve cut it for a crisp, clean look.  Ahh, it brings back memories of some very fun times.  <sigh>

But, onto my news…

I’ve been signed by literary agent Erin Harris from the venerable Irene Skolnick Literary Agency in NYC!  It hasn’t been an easy feat the last two years, carving out chunks of time between my full time library gig, mothering two rambunctious kids, freelancing illustrations, and my volunteer work with DGR Soccer and NEBTR, but I did none the less. And boy am I glad I did!  I enjoy writing immensely.  It gives me pause and draws me back to my childhood days of making things up in my head.  Who doesn’t like that?

I still have a lot of work ahead of me, but I’m up for the challenge and am looking forward to the days ahead…full of art, full of words, full of life.

An unexpected snow day gave me the opportunity to catch up on all things art and word related.

After spending the last three weeks on agent research, I’ve begun submitting to my list.  This past of being a writer can be crushing and it’s sometimes hard to keep a hopeful outlook in check.  Whether it’s writer’s groups criticisms or five minute rejections, I constantly need to remind myself that it’s part of the game.  And if I want to be a player, I have to take the shots just like everyone else.

So with a plastered smile and gritted teeth I press ‘send’ and hope for the best.

It’s been a quiet start to my year with anything art related.  I’ve begun work on a “Spring Thaw” related piece to use as a mailer ad try to garner up some work.  Today was spent pulling reference and tossing ideas around on the best way to approach this piece.  I’m looking forward to seeing it completed.

I also spent today touching up my B/W Lavender’s Blue chapter heading illustrations which seem to be stuck on Chapter 3.

So with lots still to accomplish and dinner to make, I bid you a happy, snowy afternoon.  Enjoy ~