Illustration Friday #24 "Brigade"

A Brigade of Boys Bearing Gifts. My mind is on the Holidays, so when the word of the week came up brigade I thought "Toy Soldiers". These guys are similar to the close-pin solders I illustrated in my book "The Twelve Days Of Christmas" for the page, 12 drummers drumming.

Illustration Friday #23 "Round"

Round is my favorite shape. With Christmas just weeks away, my studio is hung with ornaments in various stages of completion. "Round" is an ornament for me this week.

Illustration Friday #22 "Vanity"

"Mirror mirror on the wall"...vanity is what gets all these fairytale queens and fairies in trouble. No good will come of it.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Illustration Friday #22 "Silence"

Fox sleeps silently while the snow falls.

Illustration Friday #21 "Stripes"

 I see them all day long... I see them in my sleep. "stripes!" This new kitty is stuck to me like glue. She sits on my shoulder while I work on the computer. Her gold eyes stare at me when I close mine at night... and when I open them in the morning.

Illustration Friday #20 "Fuel"

Around four o'clock I need a little extra fuel to get me through to the end of the day. A cup of tea and a wee crumpet does the trick.

Illustration Friday #19 "Contraption"

The Venus Fly Trap is a Con and a Trap to the unsuspecting insect. Venus draws in her prey with luscious colors and an intoxicating scent. The bugs days are numbered when they stop by to check out this exotic carnivorous plant.

Illustration Friday #18 "Hibernate"

 Like the woodland creatures I'd like to Hibernate. As daylight grows shorter and the dark fills the rest of the hours, I feel the urge to curl up in a warm nest and sleep.  Adieu sweet sunshine, hello chilly moon. Until spring returns, goodnight.

Illustration Friday #17 "Ferocious"

The tiger, one of the most ferocious of the big cats.
But they just look like beautiful over sized house kitties!

Illustration Friday #16 "Mesmerize"

Little Miss Moffatt sat on her toffet and was mesmerized by the huge spider that landed beside her. "Egad" she gasped "that's one big spider!"

Illustration Friday #15 "Boundries"

Due to Hurricane Irene I was with out a computer so I make up for three weeks of lost time:

This duck spent a happy life safely enclosed in his yard by boundries of Hosta and other beautiful plantings.

Illustration Friday #14 "Mysterious"

"The apple of my Eye". A mysterious quote.

Illustration Friday #13 "Disguise"

Two little dogs disguised as sheep.

Illustration Friday #12 "Burst"

So I say to my sister, "look at the weird split lines in my tomato, what's that about?" And she replies "Well it's ready to burst, you have to pick it off the vine and eat it soon!" This is a painting-with-paper of my first successful tomato plant. More about size etc. on my Etsy shop.

Illustration Friday #11 "OBSESSION"

At first I thought blueberries would be my "obsession" for this weeks word on IF. But as I was choosing from my "40 plus" boxes and canisters of tea this morning I realized my obsession is tea! So here is my illustration for this weeks word.

 I also have a collection of tea pots and tea cups and hats to go to teas in. I quite enjoy going to tea rooms and giving teas at my house. Why I just had one two days ago...my 14th annual tea I share with my illustrator confidantes.
So I think I can officially say I'm obsessed with tea...in a good way!

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY #10 "PERENNIAL"

From my perennial garden.

6 1/2" x11 1/4"

Available in my Etsy Store

Illustration Friday #9 "Gesture"

For this weeks word "gesture", a phrase I learned in high school french class came to me: "C'est Dommage", meaning "that's too bad". Or "Its a pity." She looks a little European to me.

Illustration Friday #8 "Stay"

"Please! Can he stay?" The age old question, how could you say no?

Illustration Friday #7 "Remedy"

I.F's theme is "Remedy". I already had a sketch and started the finish last Friday. Pleased to be early to post!

This is how my mermaid started. I am always surprised at how the finish differs so from the original sketch. This technique is new to me and I can't predict the out come like I could with my 3-D cut paper work.
I loved this stage with the bathing cap look.

Midsummer Night Illustration Friday #6

The last page of "Starry Nights" a "Nightglow board book" I wrote & Illustrated, seems to be the perfect Midsummer's Night Dream piece for Illustration Friday. Here, my third Airedale "Raisin" guards her boy as she watches the man in the moon and fireflies glow. The moons face is only visible in the book with the lights out.

"Bullfrogs" are from the same book. A school of glow in the dark fish swim beneath the big frogs lily pad.

Illustration Friday #5 "Launched"

Robins everywhere! Every year I find them hiding in my garden. They have launched them selves from the nest before they really got the hang of flying and now hide out while Momma bird feeds them on the ground. Here is a happy baby on it's first flight, hopefully to a soft landing of ground cover.

Here is my art table in the middle of my little 4x6 creation.

Illustration Friday #4 "Swept"

I started thinking about this piece on Friday as soon as the subject Swept was announced. It didn't come out like I pictured it in my head so I'll start a re-due tomorrow. But for I.F. it's a go.

Here is my original sketch and the eyeball globe as I begin assembling the piece.

Shadow

This piece is from a Scholastic book "I Am an Apple". When I present my work at school and library talks, I always tell the kids how much I enjoy using Silhouettes. I explain how they are simple shadowy shapes that tell a story. That's why I've chosen this piece for "Shadow".
I have listed this piece in my Etsy Shop with more information.

Asleep

This is a published piece from "Jack and the Beanstalk". One of several stories from Dorling Kindersley's "P.B. Bears Favorite bedtime stories". Here we see the giant sleeping as clever jack nabs a couple coins to bring home to his mum. I must say I always felt a little bad for the giant losing all his stuff to Jack. But I guess he was a pretty mean guy.

Soaked

Here's my first piece for Illustration Friday. The theme this week is SOAKED! Now to link this piece to the site...so much to learn!
I have also put the piece up in my ETSY shop (Link in right column). It is framed and ready to hang or stand!