Friday, May 29, 2009

Friday Fun: More Garden Song



The short week has thrown me off schedule. Oh well. Here's another version of The Garden Song, sung by David Mallett, the original creator. There are so many versions of this on You Tube! But this one is particularly beautiful.

So, it's back in to the garden this weekend. I need to take some pictures, if it ever stops raining!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Visit!

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting with a group of children at the Lois Bronz Children's Center, in White Plains, NY. I read my book, Sam Bennett's New Shoes, and did a little show and tell about the inspiration behind the story. Then we talked about how an author/illustrator goes about creating a book. The kids were great! They were very attentive and asked lots of good questions. So inspiring!

Afterwards, the kids had a choice of different shoe-related craft projects set up by the folks at Hudson Fusion, a local marketing communication firm who organized the event as part of their creative public service initiative.

All in all, it was a lovely afternoon. Here are some photos:



















































Shoe prints with paint and paper.
















Coloring and decorating different styles of boots & shoes.




















Shoe sculpture using old shoes!

Friday, May 22, 2009

Friday Fun: Singing Watermelons



... where I plan to be for the next few days, as long as the old bod holds up! Have a good weekend, everyone.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Random Acts of Haiku












Cat hair on pillow
Cat hair on pants, shirt, sweater
Yet cats still have hair.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Monday Map: Read Along the Hudson























Here's a map I did recently for the Westchester Library System's summer reading program. The theme this year is 2009's Hudson River Quadricentennial celebration. (See the sketch below.)

This was a particularly fun project to work on, since I'm not only a huge fan of libraries, but also because I was reading World's End by T.C. Boyle at the same time. The libraries are going to be using this book in the summer for their community-wide read, since it takes place around the Hudson River Valley area. I highly recommend it-- Boyle has a rich and full and bizarrely fascinating way with words, and the book is full of quirky characters and history. Even though it's a fictional story, it grounded a sense of place in my head while I worked, if that makes sense!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Dresses & Flowers & Honeymoons, Oh My!























This is a small piece I did recently for The Connecticut Bride, for a story about the using the internet to make wedding plans.

I had drawn the bride all frantic looking in an early sketch, but the client preferred her calm and composed. My frantic one was possibly more realistic, haha!

Monday, May 11, 2009

Haiku-Fest

These are random...


Dandelions shoot up

Toward sky in springtime yellow–
Merely weeds to some.



Birds with beaks of hay
Outside the morning window.
Cats stare, mesmerized.



Salad for supper
In summer-swelter weather
Crunchy green cool leaves.



Good morning, peepers!
Green wall of high-pitched chanting.
Welcome, Spring, again.



Spring, you crazy fool
Sweet sunshine, bursting petals
“Take that!” says dawn frost.



At square one again
White empty page and blank stare
Silent field of snow.



Spotted, farting dog
Sleeping on studio floor.
Such stink! Yet sweet face.



Three words, “How are you?”
Your eyes, as leaves fall to ground
Answer clear as day.



The haiku police!
Thick swarm of summer chiggers
Chew pen and paper.


For more haiku, and a list of other participating bloggers, visit Elizabeth's blog.
(This was fun! I think I'm hooked on haiku...)

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Dirty Little Freelance Secrets

If (A) deadlines must be met; and (B) I'd rather be drawing-painting-writing than anything else; then (C), my house ends up a dirty mess.

Today I must clean. (I'll spare you the scratch n' sniff photo of the cat's litter box.)

Monday, May 4, 2009

Monday Map: Cordova, Alaska
















This was a small companion map to the bigger Copper River Delta map I did for Alaska Magazine. Beautiful nature up there!