Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

And the winner is...

Et Voila!  Thank you, Grace Bonney! Check out the other winners!

Designy and Spongy

Design Sponge's Grace Bonney was hosting a book giveaway for a free personalized copy of "Design Sponge at Home," their summer newspaper and some of the ribbons flowers featured in the book. It's one of my favorite inspiration sites so I had to enter, even just for fun.  I simply had to take a photo of the spot where the book would be placed, or where I would read it.  This is my entry.

August has come and gone...

 

...but my book hasn't!  Well, you can still find it online, and as of now, I'm not sure it's still on B&N shelves.  But in case you missed it, here's what it looked like.  

A Devilish Edge

It's always fun making a departure from my usual genre and into the world of comics—especially dark, devilish ones.  Todd Stashwick and Dennis Calero have created a weekly comic strip called Devil Inside, which just celebrated its year-long run at San Diego Comic Con.  I was asked to illustrate a dream sequence for one of the main characters, Sophie.  The result is a cool juxtaposition of styles.  Take a look and if you like what you see, click on the RSS feed.  You won't be disappointed!  

Hello August 2nd!

If you haven't been yet, go to your local B&N store and take a peek at the children's book wall.  I believe you will find my latest book, No Dogs Allowed, proudly displayed.  As for me, I'm bringing my camera, folding chair and giant foam #1 hand to watch it perform.  In the meantime, if you're stuck behind your computer, which you must be if you're reading this, check out Jenn Bertman's interview with me in my work lair on her blog: From the Mixed Up Files of Jennifer Bertman.   

Picture Book 2011

With this latest Picture Book ad, what this story might entail is up to the viewer.

Out and About: Anthropologie

I meant to post this months ago, but I figured better late than never.  I think it was their sense of humor combined with the execution, but I had to post a pic of what I found at a Westchester NY Anthrolpologie store display.  Anthrolopologie never seems to be short on ideas, but this one lends itself to our child-like sensibilities.  I think they're rather charming.

With Pride

I had the honor of illustrating a poster for a fundraising event on Fire Island featuring Martha Wash, best known for singing "It's Raining Men" and the voice behind The Weather Girls. An icon for the gay community, the assignment serendipitously coincided with the legalizing of gay marriage here in New York.  I almost felt a part of history! The poster was art directed by Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez of Somos Arte.  It was a departure from my usual projects and a welcome change.  I enjoyed doing work for the "adult" world and hope to do more in the future.

At the Ballet with Mudpuppy

A ballet where the prima ballerina is a cat, the admiring audience a dog, an orchestra pit full of piggies, and you have my latest Color Me Puzzle from Mudpuppy!  This one's unique because it's double-sided.  On one side you get the full-color illustration, on the other, a black and white version of the same image, so that once you've assembled the piece you can color it.  You even get a nice set a of fat wipe-off crayons to boot!  How can you not be a fan of Mudpuppy?

Summer Promo & Sneak Peak

Rolling out the big promo guns this summer.  The first one is a sneak peak of an interior spread from my upcoming book No Dogs Allowed (August 2, 2011, Sterling).  I'm also working on a few original pieces which I'll share with you once they hit the press.  Hope you like it!

No Dogs Allowed!

I am excited to finally have an advanced copy of my brand spankin' new book No Dogs Allowed!.  Its official release date is August 2, 2011.  It was a challenge to illustrate as the story is mostly told visually, with very few words.  The most exciting part is you can order an advanced copy online now.  Yay!  

Meet me in Kentucky!

This will be my first work adventure out since having a little one, so I call this an adventure because it will be mighty interesting with a little one by my side.  I'll be appearing at the Southern Kentucky Bookfest selling my wares, but more importantly, giving a presentation on Children's Day, Friday APRIL 15 at 9:30am to be exact.  SEE?  Good things happen even during tax day weekend! Check out the link for more details and details about the fair.  It'll be a pretty big show with some big luminaries like yours truly...I kid!  No really, like me, Nicholas Sparks and Jean Auel.  See you there!

Up Crocodile Creek

If you're a fan of puzzles (I know I am) I think you'll like this huge floor puzzle packaged by Crocodile Creek. They have a line of Tower Puzzles (they call them that because they each measure about 4 feet in length!), and one of them, Kids World Tower Floor Puzzle, I had the privilege of illustrating. Here's a link of an online retailer that carries it, including, of course, Crocodile Creek.  I'm a big fan of their products and I hope mine lives up to their reputation.

April Highlights

In the latest issue of High Five Magazine, in a piece called "Good Morning," I illustrated two landscape images, one city, one country.  Including more architecture in my work has always been a challenge for me so I knew I had to step up to the plate with this particular job. Normally I rely on character as a focal point to my work. In this case, I treated the countryside as one character and the city as the other.

Winter Pinks

So I've taken quite a long hiatus from posting, namely because I had my first born daughter just before Christmastime. It's been a rough winter, but the sun shone inside with our new addition!  Needless to say, it's been a wonderful winter break so far. I'm getting used to the idea of being someone's mother now, and easing slowly back into career moves, slowly being the key word.  For now I'm enjoying these fleeting newborn moments. Here's a look at my holiday card which I had printed but never really got to send out.  Some friends and family were able to enjoy the electronic version, however, the next best thing. Oh well.