Bunnies & SCBWI

Hey there blog readers,

It's been a busy couple of weeks - between a job, a surprise party, conference prep, and the very recent possibility of some exciting new work, I've been running around a little crazy. (When I say conference, I mean the same little dealie I went to last summer.) But! Things seem to be mostly in order. The suitcase is packed, and with six freshly cut and taped book dummies, a newly loaded portfolio, and a blank sketchbook, I may just be ready to get on the plane for LA.

In the midst of all of the crazy, between scanning and printing and binding, there were a handful moments for some much needed doodling time.

I give you the ballerina bunnies:

Ta da!

Not sure where these are going, but you may see more of this little character after the conference.

Turtles

While we were away, I did a fair amount of aimless doodling. Mostly turtles, as it were.

Don't be surprised if you see more of this little turtle guy in the future...

Hot.

Hey there everyone,

I arrived back from vacation yesterday to NY at 96º... which, of course, made me think of penguins. Obviously. Penguins.

I don't know... vacation brain, maybe? That's a thing, right? Let's go with that.

Summertime

Hey there blog readers,

It was a busy June filled with loads of projects. I ended up with a big job requiring pages and pages of sketches. Incredibly fun, but I can't say much more than that. Non disclosure agreements and all. I also recently started work on two new projects with a couple of different publications, more about those in coming weeks as things get underway. Alas, jobs and massive amounts of sketching left little time for blog-ifying. But I'm back... albeit briefly. On Thursday, I'm heading off for vacation, on a Pacific Northwest adventure extravaganza, visiting Seattle and Portland for the first time with the boyfriend.

I may try to post once or twice while away (I do have to bring my computer along as the aforementioned new projects will require some work), but more likely than not, it'll be a quiet few weeks. Sooo, I'm going to leave you with a whole bunch of sketches and some summertime fun.

While in the process of getting ready for the big SCBWI conference out in LA (early August), I decided I needed a new Coco and Oscar painting. Clearly it was time for some brainstorming.

My first sketches are usually pretty rough, but these few are exceptionally sketchy. I actually did these first couple of pages on the back of two photocopied crossword puzzles while on the subway.

When I got home, I began to firm up a few of my favorites.

With a quick revision...

I actually really loved this last sketch. It might just be my favorite. Alas, I decided it would be a hard read for someone unfamiliar with the characters, so I went in a different direction. I will probably still go back and paint a bunch of these when I have some time. They're too much fun not to.

And finally, the full color painting. 

Happy Summer everyone!