Random Acts of Art - By Deborah Cuneo

So... what do you do when it's your turn on the kid-lit group blog and although you've been busy working 24/7, on fun book projects, for months, but you're not allowed to share a single thing yet? You post random images of other artwork that you created in every area that you like to create in!

Girl Character  -  Pencil sketch

Duck and egg sketchbook doodle - pencil and ink

Decorative Type doodle - markers and paint pen

Decorative Type doodle - paint pen and ink

Puppy sketch...gotta have a puppy sketch!

Fiber Art

Quilting

painted color sketch - Watercolors and marker

Girl Character - digital color study

Hope I get the OK to share some of the more "secret stuff" by the time it's my turn again!

Website: www.deborahcuneoillustration.com
Blog: Creating Out Loud  deborahcuneo.blogspot.com
Facebook: Deborah Cuneo Illustration

Twitter: @debcuneoart 

 Instagram: @ataleof2studios

Star Seeker, by Mike Ciccotello

You are the key to achieving your goals. No one else is going to do it for you. Go find your star and make it shine.

Star Seeker, by Mike Ciccotello

Represented by Rachel Orr

For more info contact 

rko(a)prospectagency.com

Prospect Agency Portfolio

Facebook:  The Art of Mike Ciccotello 

Twitter: @ciccotello 

Instagram: @ciccotello 

Art for a Cause - By Deborah Cuneo

You know how when you go to a gathering at someone's home, and there's that person sitting on the floor in the corner, playing with the dog? ...That would be me!  I've always  loved dogs, actually all kinds of animals and despite my parents protests, I've been rescuing all sorts of animals, bugs, fish, amphibians, reptiles and rodents, since I was a little kid.

 

Take Me Home - Pencil sketch

Fast forward a few years... Aside from being adopted by multiple rescue dogs and cats over the years, I have always collected for and donated to our local shelters . "Admission" to any of my home parties, is usually spare cans or bags of food for the shelters.  There are still so many animals that were either surrendered because the owners were too sick or too old to continue their care, or were rescued from horrible neglect and abuse, then put into shelters.  Some are lucky to get adopted right away, but some are there much longer and not all shelters have the funding to care for and rehabilitate them for any length of time...and, well...you know how that ends.  I wanted to do more.

 

Dog Sketches - Pencil and Liquid Pencil

So...While organizing all my artwork in my flat files, I discovered that I had a lot of dog illustrations and sketches that I've done over the years, either  as samples for submissions or for different SCBWI events. Looking at that pile of orphaned illustrations, I immediately came up with a plan! A couple of the more involved ideas are already in the works and I will be able to share them with you on my personal blog at a later date, but because I'm in the throes of finishing my book, it's hard for me to do everything right now, so I decided to start small, until the book job is done. 

 

More Dog Art - acrylic/colored pencil/ digital

Character Study - pencil sketch

A couple of months ago, I started  posting one piece of dog art from that pile of illustrations and sketches, on Instagram every Friday.  Once my book is done, I will begin sharing a newly created piece of dog art, hopefully each week. While I work on my drawing skills,  I am also hoping to encourage  people, through my art, to consider the shelters and rescue organizations  when looking for a pet. 

 

Mini Sketch Series - Pencil

 Some of the art is kidlit, some of the posts are more fine arts pet portraits, but all are posted with the same intention...to hopefully lead to placing as many shelter animals as possible,  in a loving,  "fur-ever" home. 

 

Dog Character - Pencil sketch

More to come, so feel free to follow along at:

Website: www.deborahcuneoillustration.com
Blog: Creating Out Loud  deborahcuneo.blogspot.com
Facebook: Deborah Cuneo Illustration

Twitter: @debcuneoart 

 Instagram: @ataleof2studios

Halloween Haunting by Patricia Keeler

I'm not haunted by ghosts, or scared of spiders or the dark. 

But one thing keeps me up at night in fear . . .

                                                                                                                                            © Patricia Keeler

 no, not rabbits!  it's beginning the illustrations for a new picture book. 

All that white. 

All those empty pages. 

All the UNdrawn.

© J Byron Schachner

At Eastern PA SCBWI, I heard a great presentation by J Byron Schachner—Judy to her friends. (She's one of those people who is so friendly that you think you are 'instantly' her friend.) So going on that assumption, Judy has a method for climbing into those scary white pages. It's a Character Bible.

In one of Judy's Character Bibles the pants came first. Judy found a picture of pants drying on a clothes line. She thought it was a great shot of pants. Maybe put a raccoon in them? Hello, Dewey Bob! Later, she found a photograph of a raccoon in a pair of pants.

Permission given by J Byron Schachner to publish images from her Character Bible on Drawn To Picture Books.
© J Byron Schachner

 Judy can spend a year or more creating a Character Bible before beginning to write and illustrate.  

I'm developing a story about a Halloween witch, and am creating my own Halloween Character Bible. I'm learning;

1. By collecting images of witches and cats, I'm finding what feet, noses, hats, etc., I like, and those that don't work for me.

2. I can sketch my characters in various guises, not worrying about the final look of the characters yet. Here they can grow and develop.

Building my Halloween Witch Character Bible         © Patricia Keeler

3. There are the common Halloween images like bats and spiders, but I'm finding pictures of objects I hadn't thought of, like brown moths and pumpkins wrapped in black lace.

4. While looking for witches and cats in shops, magazines, and online, I'm discovering new Halloween fonts and graphics.

5. I'm discovering new Halloween colors. Who knew pea green would be a scary color?

6. And surprising locations. The circus definitely works for Halloween images! Eeek!

© Patricia Keeler

Making a Halloween Character Bible feels like preparing the earth for planting. No wonder it is so hard for me to get anything growing. I've had little to grow new images from.

 

Here's my first sketch of a Halloween witch

 and I don't even have a headache!

Thank-you Judy for your enchanting stories, shiny characters, and kaleidoscopic art.

And for showing me a way in!

Judy Schacher signing DEWEY BOB, Dial Books for Young Readers, 2015

Website: www.patriciakeeler-author-illustrator.com

Facebook:  PatriciaKeelerBooks

Twitter: @patriciakeeler
Instagram: @patriciakeeler

represented by Liza Royce Agency www.lizaroyce.com