The Pineapple Diary

NESCBWI 2013 Spring Conference: Elephant Poster

I'm so happy to announce that my poster for the NESCBWI Spring Conference Poster contest won 3rd place (Published Category)! (click image for a larger version)

Many thanks go to all the amazing conference organizers, volunteers, and judges. I have been attending for many years, and I never walk away without profound moments, new friends, and reason to celebrate and come back again for more. I will post a full recap (as always!) later this week.

The poem by Jane Yolen for this year's contest instantly sparked a picture in my head. Big elephant thanks go to the brilliant author above all. I truly enjoyed every moment of making this poster and am proud of how it all came together.

Congratulations to all the other winners - it was a sea of beautiful work this weekend!

 

About Me

It's always a good day when you get new postcards in the mail, right? I think I'm extra-excited about these. The girl and scene are from my latest picture book dummy. I started writing the story in a waiting room a few years ago. It started out about ME, about being small. It is called, simply enough: I Am Small. More on this later...

Right before I picked these up off the front porch I updated a bit of my website. I rewrote my biography to reflect ME a bit more. I even included a favorite picture of myself - not the posed picture I used in a recent interview - something more ME. I updated the splash page to reflect art that is more ME lately - a newer style that combines sketchiness and controlled gouache painting.

What I'm Working On: Elephants!

I love how I keep this box of so many tubes of gouache, yet I find myself using the same 5 or 6 colors from project to project. I can't think of the last time I reached for permanent green deep...

I'm at the final steps in my painting for the NESCBWI Spring Conference poster contest. I'll be adding the finishing touches with pencil on a seperate layer, much like I did in my last blog post. These elephants really need that extra detail. I'll share another sneak peek of the final art - I was really inspired right off the bat with this year's 'theme'. I haven't entered a poster contest in probably 5 years - so that says it all. Happy Elephant painting to all my fellow poster entrants, too!

Playing with Color (Media & Style)

Here we go again. Following up on my last post, playing with black & white, I'm experimenting with style! Nothing major. I'm starting with gouache, then adding a soft pencil layer on top in photoshop. I was playing around with all the different ways to 'add' a pencil layer and it brought me right back to my days as a compositor for animation. It's way more fun to play with effects on my own work. I've been painting for so long, I nearly forgot all my digital roots!

Here's a super close-up. I'm pretty excited about how this is coming together, especially for this picture book dummy project. It needs a more playful feel, and I think this might just be the look I was going for!

Playing with B&W: Fairy

Rather than accept that my B&W work will look just like my gouache work, I'm playing with a textural look using sketches and photoshop. It's fun so far, we'll see how it all plays out!

Elephants and Toddlers at the beach

A few weeks ago there was a bizarre beach day in New Hampshire. We should've been in snowsuits, but were quite warm in just raincoats. It was one of the nicest (and easiest!) mornings I had with my kids in a long time. When I went back to paint a new promo on a much colder day, I remembered the picture above.

It's clearly a bit warmer on little elephant's beach day, but I loved having the photo reference and memory of my little one playing to inspire my illustration.

 

Moonchild

This is my first painting of 2013. I have no real resolutions this year. I'm living my life (see this amazing post from Jo Knowles) and following my new mantra: Go weird or go home. (see my PBJ post).

I made this little painting on wood for my talented young niece. She is very creative, introspective, and makes amazing things (stories, art, inventions). And she loves cats.

Illustration Friday: Explore (a little late!)

I'm using Illustration Friday as a way to play with black & white (and adding anthropomorphic animals BACK into my portfolio!)

Illustration Friday: Whiskers

Art Prints via Imagekind

I recently started an account on Imagekind. I love how easy and flexible the site is for buyers and sellers, alike. It also makes me feel good to see some illustrations I really love available for others to enjoy, especially since I've taken many off of my streamlined portfolio. It's also a nice way for artists to get prints made for themselves (or family!).
I'm considering making a few pieces available just for selling, and currently this is the only place to buy my work as a print.