Trying different options for a new character

Happy Spring!

This image is inspired by three snow storms in March, excessive amount of sledding and spring that is just around the corner!

Little Chef

This image is inspired by my little chef!

Pumpkin Baby

Halloween Mystery

Children's Book Process - Figuring out the Environment

Most of the heavy lifting for SNOWMAN story is hopefully done. I have gone though many revisions with the invaluable help and guidance from my agent and few other critique partners (you know who you are - thank you!).

Now it's time to draw the scene from a million different angles. This little 3D model will make my drawing so much more fun and enjoyable as I don't have to worry about what goes where and what is in front of what and all that kind of annoying stuff. 

Now - lots and lots of drawing!

Summer fun!

Teaching at Massachusetts College of Art and Design

I have been teaching at MassArt for the last 6 years. Here's a little glimpse into my life of teaching Illustration there. Proud of my students!

MassArt Illustration blog: Working on Site at the Harvard Museum of Natural History

More atmospheric sketches

Atmosphere/ setting/ mood for the story

Love painting so much! Taking a break from countless revisions on the picture book dummy to work on the atmosphere/setting/mood for the story.

Getting some feedback on the story...

Picture book dummy usually goes through many many many different versions before it is finally working. It’s always good to ask an expert for feedback on the manuscript and get valuable suggestions on the illustration style.

Doing some field research for the SNOWMAN story I am working on.

Atmosphere/ Lighting Conditions sketches

These days my life revolves around working on my own stories as an author-illustrator. It requires tons of sketching, thinking, and writing behind the scenes. So, there's not much I can share at the moment. Everything is either in development stage, revision stage, or being considered! stage.

It's always fun to take a break and play with watercolor and to set little challenges for myself.

The challenge for these two sketches was different atmosphere/lighting conditions.

Keep on working!

While waiting for some answers on my other stories, it's time to start working on a new story with some old characters (thinking of a snow story in summer). Love the beginning stages of the project when anything is possible. You don't need to worry about page turns, word count, character development and all that good stuff. You just doodle and scribble and let it all unfold whichever way.