The Pineapple Diary

21 Day: version3.18

A little Mickey in dough to remember Maurice Sendak. Farewell, and thank you.

21 Day: version3.15

21 Day: version3.14

I need to paint these guys, tile them properly, and make it my new twitter wallpaper. Right?

21 Intermission, continued (with random sketches!)

While I took a longer break from the 21 day exercise, I certainly had been working - and even sketching.

I've included a bunch of drawing to busy the blog until I can get back to posting regularly - hopefully tomorrow. My kids did awesome while I was away at the NESCBWI conference (Thanks to my husband and babysitter) - but I'm paying it back big time with my 3yo so there has been zero work-time. Anyone else have 'payback' issues with their kids after they return from a trip? Wow.

I'll do a more thorough recap of the conference this week too. Also, if you use Instagram, follow me there (@ginapineapple) for more frequent sketch postings!

21 Day: version3.2

From here on out, most days will have just a few sketches. Happy Friday to all. And if I win the lottery tonight, I can't guarentee a post tomorrow.

Baby Sketches, and what's new

I started rough character design for a novelty board book manuscript I wrote earlier this year. Yes, I know novelty board books are a very hard sell. But I really can't control the ideas that come into my head now, can I?

I think I need to paint up that little Vitruvian baby, no? Or at least make him sepia toned like his grown up counterpart.

I've been juggling the writing on different projects in between painting up a big spread for my first picture book dummy. I had the grand realization that I can't collage at that scale the way I'd like. I think I'll be scanning all the painted bits and assembling it all digitally. I'll be sure to share the process once I make my way through it all!

Dummy, getting serious

It might be hard to tell from that photo - but I've got myself a book dummy! I did finish it enough to send off for a critique at the NESCBWI Spring Conference. I feel like it's at the point of just polishing details and actually painting 2 final spreads.

This idea started in late 2009. I went through several drastically different drafts, many iterations of sketches, stops, starts, long breaks, etc. I'm very proud of having a little folded booklet to leaf through, but also that I have several other manuscripts in various stages of progress. I'm taking lots of time to write which is frightening but quite rewarding.

I loaned out my tablet so my color study progress hit a major roadblock. I used to 'mouse' quite well with my right hand but I've retrained myself to just draw left enough that I just couldn't be bothered until I can do it with a stylus in my southpaw. I'm not sure how much I'll be sharing here, but hopefully details of finished work if nothing else.

Who else is going to the NESCBWI conference? What are you most looking forward to? Will you be showing your portfolio? I skipped last year's conference for the first time in many years so I'm doubly excited for 2012. Can't you tell?

Back to the dummy...

I'm taking a little break from the Sketchbook Project - not long since it's due by the 31st of January. Yikes! I'm trying to get my long-suffering picture book dummy ready to send off for a critique at the NESCBWI conference. I've shared this with lots of fellow illustrators, but never had an editor, agent, or AD look at it. It's really about time. And with that, I'm off to sketch, revise, and sketch some more!

Sketchbook Project 2012: Lunch

Sketchbook Project 2012: Treehouse, cover

And so it begins. Here's a detail - I hope the cover doesn't get ridiculously smudged by the time the interior is done!