IF - Fuel

Illustration Friday

The chef say's, "Fresh fruits & veggies are good fuel for your body."

I think he's right!

9 x 19 Pastel

Right now my chef is all dressed up in his best black frame to be on display in the dining area of New Seasons Market, Vancouver WA for their grand opening in November.

This illustration was made for the children's book,
We Eat Food That's Fresh!, by Angela Russ-Ayon, Our Rainbow Press.

Book Signing Event at Borders

Children's Gift Book Signing Event

December 19, 1-3 pm

Borders
429 South Associated Road
Brea, CA 92821
714.672.0120

Cathy June | Merrily Kutner | Irina Mirskaya
Angela Waterman

Meet four children's book authors and illustrators
and have books personalized for you and the kids you love.
Lots of free activities and fun giveaways too!

~ Hope to see you there! ~

Easter at Anaheim Farmer's Market

Come visit me and join the festivities!

Anaheim
Certified Farmers' Market
& Craft Fair

Thursday, April 1st, 12n - 7p

Noon-7pm Family Karoake

2-7pm Trackless Train!

4-6pm Free Activities include
Easter Bunny, Easter Egg Dying,
Coloring Contest, Karaoke and more!

12n-7pm I'll be there to read & sign
We Eat Food That's Fresh!
with activity ideas to encourage children
to eat fresh fruits & veggies

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

IF - Brave

My Illustration Friday post for this week...

Max is brave, smart, energetic, loves puzzles,
and has the biggest smile in the whole world!!

9x12
mixed media on paper

Just in case you're wondering... I usually work in pastel, but I used a little different technique for this piece. The puzzle was partly created in Photoshop. I worked over it with ink and pastel. The background and boy are pastel and ink on paper. Then the finished puzzle was added with a little space between it and the background to give some dimension.

Favorite Thanksgiving Picture Book

Are you looking for a good Thanksgiving picture book for your family or classroom?

Give this one a try...
Thank You Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving, written by Laurie Halse Anderson, illustrated by Matt Faulkner.




It's my favorite Thanksgiving picture book, in fact, I've often said that I think it's one of those great stories that should be in every classroom, at least in every library. This time of year, I take my copy off the shelf and display it to share with my family.

Laurie Halse Anderson's story is fun and easy to read while bringing home the message loud and clear that persistence and determination pay off when you truly believe in something and the power of the pen. Don't you think that's a message every child should hear over and over again? It took Sarah Hale 38 years of writing to politicians and presidents before Thanksgiving became a national holiday.

And what would a good picture book be without great pictures? Mat Faulkner's beautiful watercolor and ink illustrations are enticingly detailed, historically correct, and fun.

I've shown the signature page that Matt signed for me at the 2005 Children's Book Illustration Show & Signing at Chemers Gallery. So, you see, he's a nice guy too, besides being a talented illustrator!

I hope your library or local book store carries Thank You Sarah. If not, you might ask them to. I've included some links below where you can buy the book online.

Indie Bound | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Borders

Here's more information about the 18th Annual Children's Book Illustration Show & Signing, coming up Dec 5th, 2009, at Chemers Gallery.

What a Great Day!

We had a great turn out at our book launch party for "We Eat Food That's Fresh!" and "We Love The Company". I am honored and appreciative of the support and enthusiasm of friends, family, and fellow illustrators.

SCBWI Westside Illustrators: Cindy Whitlock, Laura Lacamura,
Irina Mirskaya, Steven Corvelo, Suzy Engleman Block

Some people were so generous as to buy books to give to libraries, preschools, teachers and parents. I can't tell you how much that means to me. If I could, I'd give a book to every library & classroom, to encourage children to eat healthy, but alas, I am only me. So, I am very grateful for the help spreading the word!


Tim Russ play some wonderful songs from his CDs. It was obvious that everyone thoroughly enjoyed his performance. I am so glad that Tim shared his talent to create voice of the chef for "We Eat Food That's Fresh!".






Cathy June, Angela Russ-Ayon, Tim Russ, Irina Mirskaya

We had many helpers to make it a special event. Laura set up refreshments and tended to refreshments while Dennis made sure no one went thirsty. Jisel, Julia, Marcus and Emily helped children make crafts throughout the day on the patio. Thank you Sandi, for rescuing me at the sales table!

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who participated and helped to make it a memorable day!

Angela Russ-Ayon and I will be at another signing at Chemers Gallery for "We Eat Food That's Fresh!" on Saturday, September 12th, from 4-6pm.

IF - Theater

A Gift for Princess

pastel on sanded paper
9 x 12

IF - Impossibility

It's not an impossibility to go back in time when you have good memories. When I was five, my grandfather built a playhouse, dutch door and all, which provided a place for endless hours of make-believe for me, my sisters, and friends.

The Playhouse
8 1/2 x 11
pastel

Idea... wash doll clothes. Bucket, water, bubbly soap.. good.
Bubbly soapy water & dirt... ooh mud!
Shovel, dishes... mud pies. Great!
Need sign. Paper, crayons, tape... sign. Now we're in business.
Hmm. What to do next?

Kitty, kitty, kitty!

Sneak Preview - We Eat Food That's Fresh

Here is a sneak preview of the soon to be released book that I illustrated, "We Eat Food That's Fresh", by Angela Russ-Ayon, published by Our Rainbow Press. It comes with a CD for children to play and sing along with, so I've included a short clip of the song. Children and educators can enjoy the CD with or without the book. Below are a few pictures from inside the book.

"A whimsical chef introduces young children to fun food experiences that stir up their interest in fruits and vegetables. Join them as they pick from the garden, prepare in the kitchen, and relax by the shore. The chef wants the children to try something new, and they just might, before he's through.

Easy rhymes and repetitive verses are combined with deliciously colorful pastel illustrations. This picture book comes with a companion song, audio book, and instrumental on CD. Ages 4-8."

Hardback ISBN: 978-1-934214-06-0 Paperback ISBN: 978-1-934214-09-1

"You might just want to try something NEW. Blended BERRIES and APPLES. Make a smoothie too." "You might just want to try something NEW. PAPAYA, MANGO, GUAVA. Taste one or two!"

"We Eat Food That's Fresh" will be released late 2008 or early 2009. I'll keep you posted!

My Current Book Project

I'm very happy to say that my first picture book is going off to the publisher this week! Soon, I'll have a better image of the cover to post... the color is off on this one.

The working title is "We Eat Food That's Fresh" by Angela Russ, published by Our Rainbow Press. It is a book for preschool and elementary age children to encourage healthy habits.

More info to come!

This illustration was done for an SCBWI Westside Illustrator's exercise. All members were given the text to a story about an arctic fox to illustrate. Then we brought them to the meeting to share. It was very interesting to see the many different ways the story was illustrated. No, sorry, the little arctic fox didn't catch the fish.

The original is 10x9 pastel.