HildaRose Illustration

Healing the Bruises

2011-10-19T09:39:00.000-03:00

I am celebrating the launch of a new book for Alice Housing. Join us at the Woodlawn Public Library on Thursday, October 20th.

Something new...

2011-05-31T07:56:00.001-03:00

For years I have been working on projects for publishers written by authors other than myself. The time has come to reach beyond this and see what happens when I do something for myself. How will my style change? Where will I go with it? My current project is still (originally) written by another author, Lori Morgan, but the process we have gone through has allowed for the two of us and another writer, Jan Morrison, to brainstorm together to build a story that is more organic. A story that the storyteller has become a phantom consisting of particles of us three. In this project I have allowed myself to follow a path more aligned with self-voice then any other. Below is a rough from the current work. Even though it is called "rough" it may stay fairly close to this in the end. The story will be told in a graphic narrative style with a mix of sequential art and a few larger images, a move away from the single page images that I usually do in picturebooks.

The mistake

2010-11-05T08:55:00.002-03:00

well, I got this call from my 7 year old grandson last night. He was a little upset and wanted to tell me that there was a mistake in Freddy's Hockey Hero. He went on to tell me that the Montreal Canadian's uniform was wrong. There is supposed to be and H in the middle of the C. Not only one mistake but also... he wasn't sure if Billy Binkle played for the Montreal Canadians. His tone was serious.

Little did he know that he had just opened himself up for a learning experience on copyright and fiction. At the end he told me that his dad probably would not like the book, as he didn't like the Toronto Maple Leafs. We was very emphatic about it. They were on the bottom of his list—the very, very bottom.

New project

2010-10-20T13:01:00.001-03:00

Baby's Lullaby

2010-08-20T08:40:00.001-03:00

Secretly, in the middle of Freddy, I tucked in another book. Maybe I was feeling slightly bored that day? Crazy for sure! But all went well.

Introducing Baby's Lullaby, a board book for infants with words from a song by Jill Barber.

Another Freddy

2010-08-20T08:34:00.001-03:00

Okay, so I didn't manage posting as I go! I keep trying but life just gets in the way. Once I start rolling on a book I don't want to take the time to post. Someday I will give it a try or maybe just document it after the fact? Anyways here are some samples of the finally finished third Freddy book.

When I thought it was all finished, final proof to publisher, all of a sudden a new character arrived. In the previous Freddy books there is an extra soul that goes along for the read. Freddy's Day at the Races has a seagull and Hey, Freddy, it's Canada's Birthday has a crow. Freddy's Hockey Hero had none. Can we add one after the final images are done? No problem!! and it was the most fun of the whole experience!

Next book...

2010-03-03T15:23:00.000-04:00

So here I go onto another Freddy book. I thought I would blog through the process of this book, obviously the cover got ahead of me. For promotional reasons I had to get to it—fast.
With every book I begin with what I call the ingestion stage. I read, inventory, organize and research. Asking myself "What is this story about?, Who is it for? etc.". Since this is one of a series of books with the same character many of these questions have previously been answered. Possibly all of the questions have previously been answered but I am thinking not...so here we go.

Atlantic Book Awards

2010-03-02T15:02:00.003-04:00

Just announced that Johnny and the Gipsy Moth is a finalist for the
Lillian Shepherd Memorial Award for Illustration.

I am very proud.

Final cd cover

2010-02-25T11:25:00.002-04:00

Here it is! My favourite song is "Hey Diddle Diddle."

rough for a cd cover

2009-08-20T16:52:00.003-03:00

Rough for a job I am working on. Back to the traditional paint and paper. So much fun!

Hey Freddy, it's Canada's Birthday

2009-05-29T09:03:00.003-03:00

Another one off to press, that's three this year!

Off to print - Johnny and the Gipsy Moth

2009-04-06T08:35:00.003-03:00

Freddy #2

2008-11-20T08:27:00.001-04:00

Another Freddy book will be on its way soon. Publication in June?
Crazy, nuts schedule! but lots of fun!

Gipsy Moth book

2008-11-20T08:23:00.002-04:00

Getting deep into next book and loving the 3D additions.

Finished...almost

2008-06-13T07:35:00.003-03:00

Finally finished my most recent book, phew! or at least the images, last bits of production work left and then it is off to print. A feeling of calm comes over me, a little time to stop and smell the daisies and then onto the next project. Something a little different but not too different. Getting comfortable with technique but it needs some cleaning up. Freddy's Day at the Races is full of confusion and people, just like the Regatta that it is about but the next book needs more calm and quiet excitment. Love starting a new project as there is always the anticipation of where it might go...

IF - Seed

2008-05-02T09:48:00.004-03:00

Detail from a story sheet I am working on for my portfolio. It starts with a seed an this is where it ends.

First spread

2008-05-02T09:44:00.001-03:00

The first spread is always the hardest, now onto the others. Fourteen more to go!

For my friends @ Creative Cup

2008-05-02T09:40:00.003-03:00

The blogger community is great and even greater when you find the right place to share ideas, enthusiasm and information. That place for me is www.creativecup.blogspot.com and we are celebrating our first year together. Happy Birthday!

Illustration Friday - Leap

2008-03-01T08:42:00.001-04:00

Piggie Wiggie it's cold outside...

2008-01-29T18:24:00.000-04:00

Really busy these days and it is wonderful. Mind is rotating at a fast spin. Another book, that's two to get done this year.

New work

2008-01-17T09:54:00.000-04:00

Beginning on the adventure of a new book. This one is a picture book based in the 1930s. Thought I would go back to traditional watercolor for this one. So much fun to do...

Playing around

2007-12-07T08:16:00.000-04:00

Just playing around on the ol' prairie. Doing some sketching and trying out some things. Always testing out.

My Volcanic Adventure

2007-11-08T08:37:00.001-04:00

Article and images in KNOW magazine, yeah! Lots of fun doing this one. KNOW has sold rights to Korea also, so hello Korea.

Another book image

2007-08-01T08:49:00.000-03:00

Another illustration from the baby board book. All are done for the first round and out for proofing.

Book spots

2007-08-01T08:42:00.001-03:00

A couple of images that I did for a book to be used on the chapter heads. They bleed off so they look a little funny in their cropping without the page layout.

Book image...finally

2007-07-18T08:16:00.000-03:00

After many, many hours and days of working and struggling with style for this little book (board book for new borns) and some philosophical beliefs I think I have finally gotten somewhere that I am happy with. This is a total change of style for me but it just shows that if one persists long enough a solution can be found. I wanted something soft, emotional but still energetic and a little edgy. Trying to not look like a gift card for a baby shower. All feedback is welcome at his time as I still have the rest of the book to do. But I am moving fast now! When this is done I am going to try this style on something that is more humorous and see what happens then.

Checking out the summer brochure...

2007-06-05T18:28:00.000-03:00

The first sketch on an new idea for a kid's book.

Paradise (IF)

2007-06-05T09:49:00.001-03:00

Remember when...

2007-05-18T11:17:00.001-03:00

Sketch for Illustration Friday that I never gone done in time.

Ladies at the Lodge

2007-05-18T10:51:00.000-03:00

While visiting an elderly family member at "The Lodge", I did some sketching. Great lessons learned there in drawing older people. Loved this lady on the right as she had the same hairdo as I do in the morning, call it the rooster-do. I wonder what she is thinking or is she just enjoying her tea?

Watching for green... (IF)

2007-04-11T17:02:00.000-03:00

This time of year, this is exactly what we do in Nova Scotia. Any little spot of green makes one so optimistic. Thought we were close to spring but no, snow arrived, and here we are sitting, waiting, hoping...watching for green.

I Spy - many sides to every story

2007-03-28T09:37:00.000-03:00

Just where can one go with one image?

I Spy (IF)

2007-03-26T14:19:00.000-03:00

Ready, Set, Go

2007-02-02T08:11:00.000-04:00

Did you ever notice how long it takes to get ready for a vacation? I think it might take longer than the vacation itself...it did for this one. I am about ready to get on a plane to Costa Rica after MANY months of planning. Ever since I was a kid and read an article in National Geographic about some scientists exploring the rain forest from the top of the trees on a large net canopy I have wanted to go and do that. Not sure if I had the net canopy correct but that is the way I remember it. So, I am finally going! Haven't read anything about a netting above the forest but they do have zip-line tours in the canopy of the forest which I am going on! Too exciting! If I am a good blogger I will put up some of my favourite photos when I get back. I don't promise anything any more on this blog because I do know that I will be busy, busy when I get back.

So off I go, adiós amigos!

New project

2007-01-10T09:09:00.000-04:00

This is all about finding another style that works for softer more emotional projects. Not so bizarre, less funny. These are roughs but pretty close to where I think they should be. I always wanted to work in pastels but I just hate the dirt and scratching noise of them and conte pencils. Was inspired by 'The Lost Colony' by Grady Klein. Loved his use of black. Did try it out in Illustrator with shapes as previously mentionned in my 'Spinning' post but this works better for me.

Comments welcome.

Sunflowers

2006-12-06T14:50:00.000-04:00

Holy, smokin' tolido, two posts in one week! Along with sending out eight portfolio samples to publishers, I actually also did an image this week. Pat on the back! Have been thinking about this one for a while. The copy is not correct, just place filler but so far, so good. Last night we had our first winter snow storm so these sunfloweres look pretty good to me today.

Families

2006-12-05T09:29:00.000-04:00

Families are funny things, you have similarities but differencies and you're all supposed to love each other no matter what. I find it interesting how one family can create so many different people, I mean it is the same recipe but boy the things that turn out! It's a good thing cooking doesn't work like that or you would never know what you would get. A recipe for chocolate chip cookies after baked could end up being oatmeal and raisin.

I always thought that genetics had somethiing to with something but the more families I meet the less I believe it. Oh sure maybe a couple of us still have the brown eyes from Grandpa but grandpa was a teacher or an accountant and down the road a generation or two you have pilots, doctors and plumbers. In one family, in one generation, you can get calm people, silly people, mean people, strung-out people, strung-up people, smart people, and not too bright people. Weird that.

This is pieces of a day of scribbling out a family like that, all mixed-up. No particular family just the one on my paper.

Testing...testing

2006-11-23T12:30:00.000-04:00

Still thinking about watercolour/acrylic/digital. Thought I would try out the same image in each medium. Here is the watercolour and acrylic. I find it interesting how the medium alters the image. They were done in different sizes, mainly because I will not work with acrylic small and won't work with watercolour large. This was great fun. Guess I should try out digital next but to tell you the truth I have way more fun throwing paint around then pixels. But must finish off the experiment so watch out for the next one.

PS Have now added a pastel version done digitally.

Feel free to comment, would love to hear some feedback. By the way, this is called 'Gossip'.

Spinning

2006-11-17T09:45:00.000-04:00

Hello world (or at least Andrea). I am having what I call the spins. I apologize for the lack of posts recently. Every morning I go on line with my coffee and check out my usual list of blogs. I am thinking that this may be a big mistake? The ideas are too many and my mind is over stimulated. I can't stop thinking and get to the doing. Found an amazing illustrator, Grady Klein (www.gradyklein.com). You really have to check out his graphic novel "The Lost Colony". I love the style and it has sent my mind off into 'What if' land. I can see the possiblities for some of the images that I have on my drawing board and it is just enough to throw me into a style shift. Man, it is a time consuming one. For those that think that digital illustration is only a pushed button and some fancy computer techniques, try this one.

I thought I would take one of my old images and give it a try...eight hours later and I'm not any where near finished! Remember these are sketchs folk, not finished images. An experiment and one that I am not sure is going to be successful. I might have to leave it to Grady. Anyways my life is unfinished pieces at the moment and a head full of 'what ifs'. Somedays creativity just sucks.

Black&Orange

2006-10-29T07:55:00.000-04:00

Finally. I promised myself I would do this challenge and after a couple of attempts (didn't read the specifications closely enough!) I got it done. An old concept but new image. My first image I did on a canvas (acrylics class taking over) but this one is my usual, traditional line and digital colour.

Acrylic Class - near the end

2006-10-19T17:52:00.000-03:00

We're getting near the end flolks, one more class. This squash image is called "Still Life with Ugly Lilies". This was a joint still life with a partner. We were to each add an item to the display and my partner thought a set of ugly plastic lilies would go just great with the squash I brought in and then...she only painted the damn lilies! Learning experience! Then we had a model night. That was really fun, enjoyed it, guess all my sketching of people pays off. Maybe I should do some sketching of plastic lilies?

So next post I promise some kid's stuff. I am working on a board book but it is a proposal only, so I am waiting until after the deadline to post some samples. It is like THE most exciting thing I have ever done! The words are by someone I respect so much and they are full of energy and fun. I am stealing time away from real paying work just to do this. Hey, everyone has a dream!

That darn acrylic class...

2006-10-03T14:02:00.000-03:00

I thought I would upload images from that darn class, no matter how embarrassing they are, I mean, china chickens? What am I doing painting china chickens? Learning about white and greys, I guess. The other 'painting' is an exercise in complimentary colours and an exercise it was! Okay, so I did learn somthing and in the very least I got a better feel for the paint and the brushes. Do so love to mush that paint around, it is so touchy feely, a looong way from moving my digital pen around on my wacom tablet. Wish they could simulate the feel of the gushy paint and the pressure of the brush on a springy canvas.

...and so here I am back again to 'normal' but then is this normal? I mean what is style? How diverse or structured does one's style have to be? Each project is so different. I like lines, does that make my style or maybe I like colour, or blooby stuff or I always use my right hand, now that is a consistent. My theory...just go with it.

Old stuff

2006-09-26T08:46:00.000-03:00

Have been taking some time in the last few weeks to get together portfolio material for my website and a workshop that I am taking in November. Came across these two images and still like them. Not sure if old images are worthy of putting in a portfolio but if one still likes them? I am back to the ol'balancing act between the illustration and the design during the day. When I grow up I just want to be an illustrator. Please, someone hire me for the rest of my life. I promise to work hard. If only. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all have our dreams come true and everybody would be happy then....flutter, flutter little fairy wings...at this point you're supposed to stick your finger in your mouth and go arghhhhh!

At least for today, everyone have a good one.

Raisin Buns Published

2006-09-14T09:12:00.000-03:00

It is out, yeah!!! Received my copies in the mail yesterday and was really happy with the colour reproduction after the problems with the proof. Thank you Creative Publishing and Trancontinental, great print job!

Getting a new book always is an experience, as I get to look at it fresh and I see all the things that could be improved or places to go for next time. Now, what is next time?

Acrylic Class 101

2006-09-14T09:03:00.000-03:00

I love taking classes! I am a little isolated here so often I will take a class just to get myself to the city and talk to people. Suck in some of that energy. This fall I decided to take an acrylic class, the watercolour was not until November so that's why acrylic. Also wanted to try some more work with the medium and nothing learned is a waste. This is my first piece, came out of an exercise where we interpreted words and the cropped down the image to find a detail we liked. I don't know, I usually tell stories in my pictures so this was a stretching exercise. Anyways it was fun just swirling the paint around. Oh, by the way, this took three minutes to paint. Can't wait until next week to see what happens.

IF: Farm

2006-09-11T11:04:00.000-03:00

Additional image for previous post..

2006-08-31T11:13:00.000-03:00

Something New

2006-08-29T08:07:00.000-03:00

As I said earlier, my vactaion was inspirational. After a decompression time I have now found a project of my own, can you believe it! I know, if you ar an artist then you think I am crazy but as a designer I find it difficult to take time to work on my own personal projects. It is a goal of mine to solve this. So, I now have an inspirational project that I have been spending time on.

It started with a friend showing me a page of the 'Talmud', a book of Jewish laws (that's putting it very simply). She explained that each page contains a conversation through the centuries with the oldest copy in the centre and comments and discussion by people through the years on the outside, flowing around the inner copy. Okay, so it probably is a lot more complicated then that but I got caught on the "conversation through years" and I got thinking...what if one put together a kids book with more than one group of people doing something all at the same time and they could follow whichever group they wanted. So my book!

It is about a summer vacation (said it was inspirational) and four groups of people (couple, two friends, family and two other friends). Each proceed through their vacation and one of the groups meets up with each of the others during the full time of the vacation. Is anyone understanding this? Anyways, I have it very clear in my mind and I have started on it. Have gone through a full plan of the book because one has to get all these people coordinated so everyone is packing, having fun and going home at the appropriate times. It is going to be hard to see on-line as I am using a horizontal layout and each double page spread has small boxed areas (similar to a comic book). So here is a start. This is the couple—live in the city, apartment, very organized (when they pack they fold and coordinate items), they own a bird and visit a cottage on an island.

IF: Match

2006-08-22T13:04:00.000-03:00

Vacation - Part II

2006-08-09T14:01:00.000-03:00

Next stop on our trip was a visit with my sister, partner and nephew (3yrs). We had opted to go camping with them at their permanent campsite. So off we went to Cedar Grove - "The Friendly Place". Weather cooperated and we got several days of heat. That's what we came for! and that's what we got! I believe it was still raining back home.

Trailer park haven. There was a whole culture there. Conversation between campers discussed which was the best site in the park, who comes here and when, and will those hootinannies ever quiet down? Home sweet home was either a trailor or tent but always a sign, a firepit and ingenious ideas for outdoor living. I never imagined a campsite with a frig! This is permanent camping with electricity and water ( only the trailors get sewer). We had a kitchen tent equipped with a makeshift sink and a frig behind leaning into a tree. It certainy made camping easier—plug in the latte machine.

I love sleeping out doors and I love watching people so the visit was perfect. We swam daily to beat the heat. Janie would just lie back in the water and float for hours. We figured she was made of cork. Nephew jumped and swam and splashed while everyone else clapped and shouted (Janie just floated). Saturday night was bingo night! Bingo we did! Nephew played on the climbing unit beside our table and yelled "B-12, N-35" every now and then, which increased the skill required to win. But by the end of the night we had a table full of winners, three of the four of us! Fire, marshmellows and drinks, then a crash onto the queen size mattress in the tent and all was well.

Summer Flowers

2006-08-08T08:29:00.000-03:00

There is something about a flower that the closer you get the more fascinating it gets. I love shooting close-ups of my garden. This was on Sunday, which may be our last day of summer as the temperature has changed. I think we got five days this year. Once August comes you can smell the shift in the air, the shadows get sharper and one tends to throw a sweatshirt on after 5pm. We sat in the garden after a day of guests and drank some frosty glasses of Pino-colados (spelling is questionable?) in the last heat of the sun on the yard. I had moved the chairs for mowing around and the perspective became a little different. These flowers were right at eye level.

Vacation 2006

2006-08-04T17:10:00.000-03:00

Back from vacation but it took a long time to get back in my head. Great time, very diverse. Drove 4000 km. Our first stop was Janie's family cottage island, many cousins. Many, many cousins. Very cool being on an island where anywhere you go is in a boat. 8:00am was rush hour on the lake. All the kids had boats and scooted off to swimming lessons or tennis lessons or summer job. Many islands in the lake and it was like a water community. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate as well as we had hoped but we got by, just borrowed the rain gear. My hope of sketching was demolished by conversation. Family at your elbow at every turn. Got some in but mostly got ideas perculating.

Women & Wisdom

2006-06-30T07:56:00.000-03:00

A while back I posted a couple of brochure images. Okay, so they were sucky! Client didn't like them either but that is another whole controversy. Anyway, I got some advice from a blogger friend. She said "If you decide to do more pastel drawings, try approaching it from a painting angle." It got me thinking, "what is a painting angle?". I draw. I am not a painter. So I thought about it and got out my wacom and we spent some time together. Oh, in about 12 images, I finally got here. I didn't do a sketch, I didn't do the 'scan a rough' thing, I just took my illusive pastel and went to it, thinking as I went. It was accepted and here is the final brochure and image.

Vacation 2006 - Planning

2006-06-26T09:10:00.000-03:00

Two more weeks and I get to leave my desk and go on a roadtrip for two whole weeks. Yeah! Can't remember the last time I actually took two weeks for vacation. I am soooo looking forward to it. The one thing that I always do on vacation is my sketchbook. I am so excited this year that I have actually started with the planning part. I haven't used the real (not digital)watercolours in so long that I figured I needed some practice. Boy, was I right! So here we go, heading into vacation time.

Where I work

2006-06-23T08:41:00.000-03:00

Here is my Flip-Flop office/studio. I only have a small space, it used to be the porch and was filled with a piano, coach, treadmill, garbage bags, dog food and many, many books. Now it is my very own space and I love it. I make do with the what room I have. One side is the design side with the computer and files, the other is the illustration side with drawing table and books. I know they are interchangable but I like to think of them as split. Actually these days I am doing most of my illustration on my design side as you can see with my Wacom tablet.

I think I am avoiding my sketchbook with all these photos but I went to this really cool website this morning called 'on my desk' [http://www.on-my-desk.blogspot.com/] and took a look at all these illustrator and designer's desks. There is something very telling about a personal work space.

Where I live

2006-06-22T07:53:00.000-03:00

Thought I would post a couple of photos I took of around here. It looks pretty stark but I just love those rocks and so I photograph them a lot. I put the butterfly in so that you wouldn't all think that we only have rocks here. It seems that the only time I go out to photograph is in the spring before anything gets green. After that I am too busy in the garden. Of course spring seems to last an extended period of time here. The joke here is that summer is the last weekend in July and the first weekend of August then comes fall. Now fall, there is a season! My favourite. If you want to come this way to visit do it in the fall.

Kid's book off to print

2006-06-16T08:50:00.000-03:00

Off to print it goes! Finished up the last of "What if your Mom made Raisin Buns" just waiting to get final approval from the author and publisher but it has gone through a lot of checking prior to this so it should go smoothly. I will miss my friends that I have created, sounds funny but they do all have personalities and have kind of become my friends. I have spent a LOT of time with them! This is one of my favourite images.

An Image Maker's Dilemma

2006-06-10T09:40:00.000-03:00

So, it is Saturday morning and I am just going over a number of emails regarding work and have run into an interesting comment which poses a dilemma to image makers. Have been working on some print material for the Public Service Commission, Human Resources division and they have as part of their mandate a goal for diversity in the wrokplace. Obviously, they wish to keep their people images as diverse as possible on print material. Also, being a 'people' place they wish images of people on ALL of their print material. So when it comes down to creating an image, one must have many people and many races in each image. You can always tell the government ads on tv with the variety of colours of skin. If we are using a single image, I am not permitted to use a caucasian.

The other day I worked on some material for the Human Rights department, using an image of people but keeping it very generic, so to speak, and low and behold they wrote back "we try to avoid using 'people' in situations like these because of the need to be inclusive". Now, these images were for forums on "Race and Identity" and "Women and Wisdom". Looks like I'll be going towards a graphic solution (as suggested by client): female symbol and some kind of DNA graphic? For forums that were seriously dealing with 'people' issues, I find this just a little chilly.

Too bad 'inclusive' didn't mean that one could accept any colour or race? I am waiting for the 'khaki society' to come to exist where everyone is a little bit of everything. In the mean time it exists in our images; the khaki tone of skin, the undefined features, the lack of sex organs,hair that just 'blows in the wind' and views from the back.

The Chronicles of HIldaRose #2

2006-06-04T14:05:00.001-03:00

Okay so here is #2. Sorry about he mess but I had a disaster on the sketch. Had tried out my new Rotring ArtPen and the ink is not waterproof (was sure it was) so had to hit the Wacom to finish. Did this very fast, about 15 minutes to colour, but hey, it's a sketch girls and boys!

Brochure Images

2006-06-03T10:26:00.000-03:00

These two images were done for brochures for conferences on "Women & Wisdom" and "Race and Identity". It will be a series.
I seem to be running around with my style but if you exclude the previous portrait post (which began with a photo) this is done the same as the HildaRose image. Interesting brain shift while doing these. I had started with a line drawing and eventually I eliminated the drawing and continued on with the pastels. At that point I could feel my brain shift from right to left and start actually evaluating what I was doing as a whole and not as a colouring of a line drawing. This lead to me shifting some of the lines and changing some of the detailing. All good moves.

Illustration Friday - Portrait

2006-06-03T10:08:00.000-03:00

My boy Ben. The struggles of being 21 and the decisions to be made.

HildaRose sidebar

2006-05-23T08:20:00.000-03:00

HildaRose and HildaRose have spent many days together. It is getting a might confusing around here with two HildaRoses in the place, plus the coffee is getting low. To help out in the confusion, when blogging, I will refer to us as "I" and Hilda Rose. The "I" doesn't mind being an "I" instead of a HildaRose, if just for the time being, as HildaRose got real pouty when asked about changing her name temporarily. So hopefully, that will help in the confusion.

Anyways...we have been very busy trying to fix HildaRose's lines so that she can better appear in the 3D world. She is very fussy about her appearance and was a stickler on every stroke but we have decided together that we are not going to fret over the each and every line (we switched from coffee to tequila at this point in our discussion) and we would rather be "loosy" with the colour. If you are crazy with both the colour and the line we decided it just creates a mess, and heaven forbid, we would not want HildaRose in a flap over how she looked. The pastels were so much fun, and gave lots of options (HildaRose loves to have lots of choice). Once we got started we couldn't stop scribbling. Below is a sample of a sketch. HildaRose is fairly satisfied, she is not sure about the dress colour but figures no one stays in the same dress very long, so tomorrow she can try another.

Once out of the sketchbook, HildaRose needed a little inflation so she did jolly jump-ups for a while and this seemed to do the trick.

The Chronicles of Hilda Rose #1

2006-05-13T09:56:00.000-03:00

Yesterday I jogged into an idea. While I was at the gym treading along I listened to Danny Gregory's podcasts interviewing Tom Kane. Great stuff, I always like listening to how someone got to be themselves. Weird that. I mean how come we all have to go through this long, laborious trek to find what is standing right inside ourselves. Anyways someone in those interviews, not sure if it was Danny or Tom, mentioned that their journals were like books and they had journals for specific things, (this was Tom) like one for drawings of friends or news etc. I got to thinking about the concept of creating a "book" and thought that it may be fun to chronicle the adventures of HildaRose - the real HildaRose. So here I go. The story of "HildaRose and the Revolt of the Fairies"

Illustration Friday - Fat

2006-05-10T12:40:00.000-03:00

Many years ago I attended a dance. Very formal, very conservative, ballroom event. My memory of that event was two women, on the large size (that's the fat part), in large puffy flowered dresses, madly doing the polka. Totally selfconfident and having a grand ol'time. I fondly called them the "dancing flower pots". Oh, that we could all enjoy ourselves like they did!

Sunday morning

2006-05-07T08:34:00.000-03:00

Here it is 8:30am on the rock. Dogs have been out and in and I have downed my first cup of coffee. There is fog outside my window as thick as pea soup. I can see the tree in front of the house but all else is faded to a white blur. Heard the birds singing this morning as I lay in bed, so I am hoping that means the fog will burn off and I will be albe to go to my garden and dig, as I have one load of plants to put in! It is still darn cold here but when the gardening season is as short as it is, one must use each moment wisely or one will never see the blooms.

Thought it was about time I published some of my drawings. No sense having them all hide in your sketch book or where ever and I could use any feedback that might appear in my mail. Feel I am finally back rolling. Am spending some time trying out a couple of different things so my stlye is a little scattered. I want to put together a portfolio of one stlye but don't think I have enough similar items yet and also not firmly settled on something I want to stick at. Below a a very quick and comfortable sketch, this is Sara, she loves to paint. Did this all digitally but I really miss the hands on for the line work. Still searching for the right pen.

So carry on folks, I have several new posts today. Feel free to comment, actually I would appreciate it.

Noses

2006-05-07T08:31:00.000-03:00

The first image I did for Everyday Matters. Weird! (The image not the group.) Started drawing noses and this just appeared. I think it is funny. Imagine Nose People, what a snotty bunch that would be!

Healing Bruises

2006-05-07T08:28:00.000-03:00

These are two images I did for a small brochure about a program offered to abused kids called "Healing the Bruises". The window is actually the logo for the group. The long image was used inside the brochure.

Raisin Buns

2006-05-07T08:20:00.000-03:00

A few final drawings from "Raisin Buns", a book for kids. Have settled into this style for now. Could use some feedback if anyone desires. One of the hard things about doing a book is consistantly draw 24 images. I am always wanting to try something different. Still searching for a style I really like. Seem to go for the scribbly lines, these are done with a Pigma Micron marker pen. I like the pen as I can throw a bunch of different sizes into my bag and run and I can also use a heavy hand, which I do. Would really like a variable line pen but haven't settled on one that feels good yet, most are too scratchy. Any ideas?

Mind Mess

2006-05-07T08:16:00.000-03:00

This is what happens when I sit in front of my sketchbook with too many things in my head. The big decision, which idea do I draw.

2006-05-02T10:22:00.000-03:00

A doodling day. Where did this guy come from? Ideas are flying in and out I guess.

Illustration Friday - Monsters

2006-03-25T10:37:00.000-04:00

Our worst monsters are in our head.

Illustration Friday - Insect

2006-03-05T12:17:00.000-04:00

Tryng out some scribble sketching. This one got me. Think there were too many ideas in my head to try. Did this a couple of times and trimmed to this.

Illustration Friday - Tea

2006-02-25T10:26:00.000-04:00

Put the kettle on! 11 am was coffeetime and 4 pm was teatime. Coffee had donuts, handmade, hot, dipped in sugar. Teatime was sandwiches or whatever was left over from coffeetime. Coffeetime was the extended family, very extended...multitudes from miles. They came honking their horns and very verbal. Teatime was calmer. Feet up, end of day break. Left over gossip from coffeetime.

Illustration Friday - Song

2006-02-17T12:05:00.000-04:00

So this is my first submission for Illustration Friday. How do you guys get your images on so fast. Is there a security leak in the system as to the Friday word? I did this this morning, as I promised myself to take some time on Fridays to do fun illustrations. Feeling a little guilty about doing this and not "real" work (as I ignore the emails) but I am convincing myself that this is part of my learning Painter. This is what came out when my pen hit the paper and then it exploded in Painter. I wanted the bird to look a lot more scared but...

That was fun, now back to the the real stuff.

Hard work

2006-02-14T09:11:00.000-04:00

I am working on this book these days. Kid's book. And to anyone out there that might think this is easy work...forget it! I have spent hours, weeks getting the pieces all figured out. The biggest challenge with a kids book is keeping it consistent. Your upfront time is spent analyzing the characters and each item in the book so that they always look the same. If there is anything that a kid knows it is when you try to fool them into thinking that the scribble of a cat you just did on page 9 is the same cat as on page 2. Didn't you see that they have three stripes on the tail on page 2 and four on page 9?

This image is the distance I went to develop the mom. I have to admit that I am not just starting a new book I am also starting a whole new technique. I thought that I would give digital a try, so I bought the Painter and Wacom tablet and let myself loose on it. Well, that was a mistake! Lost in the hundreds of techniques, colours, textures and lordy knows what else that I haven't found yet, I dropped all sense of what I was doing. Off the road I went into some forest of softness (heaven forbid). What is that? I guess the important thing was that I found my way out. So, I am back to scribbling and dabbing, as I like to call it. Somewhere in the process I thought I would experiment and see if I could come up with a new style. Well, what I learned was that your style is inside you and you ain't going to erase it. I will try again, but next time I will keep the essence that is me and work from there ( I just want to scribble). So, I think I am on my way, or at least I kind of know where I am going. I have done this before folks but it is always like this. You want to try somthing new and so off you go and then you circle around and find yourself once again. Some of the experimenting wasn't useless as I think I will stay with the digital dabbing of color. It gives me a chance to try out colours and change my mind (for that doesn't stay still for very long!).

I am feeling very brave to show these sketches. Softy mom is just soooo bad! But here it is for all to see. Who knows where it will go next but my timeline is getting squished so I have to get going and make some firm decisions.

toodles, must get back to the pen and ink...

500 years later

2006-02-12T10:41:00.000-04:00

And this is 500 years later. This is an image from my Mexico sketchbook. I promised myself to do a daily sketch each day I was there. If ever I had a dream it would be to travel the world to do these kind of sketches. Any one want me to visit some exotic land and send back daily sketches? Bags are packed! So these are the extremes and there are yet places to go that I am preparing for with pen and ink or now pen and computer.

This blog will be about the inbetween and the yet to come.

500 years ago

2006-02-12T10:10:00.000-04:00

So this is HildaRose, 500 years ago. This is an "I will try it and if you don't like it we'll use someone else" deal. I completed this assignment and continued on. There was a comment in a review that I read that said "it looked stiff, like it was taken from a photo", da' that's right, so from then on I have been trying to put energy into my drawings and I never use photos except as a reference image. The hardest thing that I have encountered (other then spelling) is keeping the image full of energy. First sketches look lovely and fresh and the farther one works on them the more tired they get. (Oh my gosh, I am rhyming now! Please accept my apologizes.)

Anyway this blog is going to be my open sketchbook. Feel free to comment. I will listen...maybe.