Kurillastration

Val (err...) GALentine's Day

2012-02-13T23:55:00.001-05:00

This past weekend, a group of creative ladies got together for some Valentine's Tea at Upstairs on the Square. It's a relaxing and tasty tradition we vow to keep with the coming of each new season. Oh, Ellen what genius ideas you have:

I also got to spend some QT with Julia, who always brings a smile to my face. We're cheers-ing with some pre-tea hot chocolate:

I'm usually not one for pink, but even though the walls, tables, napkins, menus, floors, and ceilings were shades of pink... I loved the decor. Scattered around were little hints of spring: tulips! (I used to work in a flower shop - fun fact: Tulip season is actually November-March!)

And I can't forget my view across the table of the fantastic and quite lovely: Caryn, Kate, and Amanda.

Sweet and savory heaven:

And... always classy... me. :)

Happy Valentine's Day everyone <3

Splash!

2012-01-30T22:48:00.002-05:00

Meet Grace (Front), Christina (Left), and Mike (Right) of the Pool Girls Series, written by Cassie Waters for Simon & Schuster. Reading the manuscripts for these books (to be released in May, June, and July of this year) brought me right back to my dreamy, wishful childhood. Remember those days where you just couldn't put your Baby Sitters Club book down? This makes me really excited for young girls who happen upon these wonderfully written books. These characters are right around the age where emotions and pride take over, and you learn just enough about each of them to love even the most villainy of the villains! (Because exactly what is a middle grade novel without at least one slightly devious person?!)

Here's a sneak peak at all three covers, illustrated by yours truly:

Over here!

2012-01-25T09:51:00.001-05:00

Buttoning up some unfinished portfolio business tonight, I thought I'd do just a few more girlie images to go with this set. Here is one of them. She's actually wearing a Persian Rug and likely signaling to somebody across the room. :)

I filmed myself working on this one, though I didn't film it right to the finish. I'll post very soon!

Flash and Photoshop

2012-01-18T18:12:00.000-05:00

A marriage of sorts :) I made a really cool bubbly brush in Photoshop and applied it over a Flash doodle. Jelly!!!

2012-01-05T23:58:00.002-05:00

After my next few posts, you'll begin to start realizing why I haven't blogged in so long! Many exciting projects came up before the holidays including this comic for the digital book Womanthology: Holiday.

Renae De Liz, the creator of Womanthology, and her team gathered over 100 artists and writers together for a special gift to the backers of the book on Kickstarter.

I was so thrilled to be chosen by amazing writer Barbara Randall Kesel to illustrate her script. Every single time I read it, I get more and more amped. (I think it becomes obvious when you look at crazy face panel #6!) She's brilliantly funny and a pleasure to work with!

Our story is one of friendship...if only I could be so witty in real life like Bev (red coat)!

What a fun bonus project. :)

Rylan, Luci, and WIley

2012-01-04T12:32:00.001-05:00

One of the surprise benefits of planning our wedding is all the cool people we have gotten to meet. Through some sort of serendipitous phone conversation, Keith and I found out about Zac Wolf. He's quite a wonderful photographer and I highly recommend following along on his site. He's always uploading something new and you never know when a picture of his most adorable niece, Rylan will pop in (see below).

As a Hannukah present to Rylan, Zac commissioned me to draw her with her furry friends Luci and Wiley. She has to be one of the most fun people to "cartoonify." Must be those curls!

Image © Zac Wolf Photography

Save the Date!

2012-01-03T01:31:00.000-05:00

It's a new year and my friends Kelly and Adam from One Eleven Images are getting hitched in June! What an awesome project it was to illustrate their Save the Date cards.

Not only was it fun because I got to look at the goofy photo reference pictures they took for me (see above), but the entire time I spent coloring in their faces and the background scene I got to reminisce about all the good times we've had over the years in Boston. :)

Now we can look forward to what lies ahead in 2012! Happy New Year everyone and thank you so much for taking time to come visit my blog. I plan to update more frequently (New Years Resolution #1) with loads of new art and story.

Cheers!

-Renée K

Happy 15th Birthday, FableVision!

2011-12-21T11:34:00.001-05:00

A few Fridays ago, FableVision Studios was lit up and decorated to welcome hundreds of party go-ers, all there to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the only company I've ever heard of to declare a 200 year mission. That mission? To help ALL learners reach their full potential and to tell stories that matter, stories that move.

It makes you feel proud to work at a place like that. I've been at FableVision for 6 years and have been lucky enough to watch (and help) it grow through its tween years. :) And FableVision has helped me as well, to develop and flourish whatever artistic talents I had lingering inside, waiting to emerge.

Our Director of Art and Animation, Bob Flynn describes it best in his blog post.

To change things up a little bit, I thought it might be fun to give you a little peek into the cozy workspace I've created for myself at the studio. We all work in one big space but everyone has managed to make a little nook for themselves! Mine has lots of books (though only a few compared to our massive home collection), and as many toys as I can fit without overcrowding.

I pretty much always have a YA novel at the ready for whoever needs a book to read, currently I'm passing around Divergent, written by Veronia Roth.

I have a great view of the FableVision star from my desk, which leads me to describe the anniversary gift our staff made for The FableVision logo, in its essence has not changed since the very beginning. It just...works.

My interpretation of the FV logo and Peter H. Reynolds North Star Boy:

As a thank you to everyone who could make it to our party, we've made a special page on our website with all the highlights of the evening, including our new Demo Reel and Voices Video!

Happy December!

2011-12-02T01:29:00.000-05:00

Ahhh... now begins my most favorite time of year. Even though I've been known to complain, I love the brisk air and excessive snowfall that comes with winter. And, of course, I can't WAIT for Christmas.

I have to give loads of credit to my talented friend, Ellen, for sharing her ridiculously vibrant illustration and getting me psyched for snow, myself. I also need to thank, of course, Clark Griswold. For having so much holiday spirit, it hurts. :) In case you're wondering...that's me on the left wearing a coat I only wish I had, Keith in the middle pondering the tree's fate, and Santa Timmy because he dresses up for every holiday!

If you'd like to receive a 4x6" postcard of this image in the mail during holidaytime, email me with your address!

Being a Creative Adult and Encouraging Creative Babies

2011-11-02T14:20:00.001-04:00

This post is very long overdue as most posts are... and I will give you a fair warning that it's a long, process heavy one! I will preface this gargantuan novel-post by saying that one of the things I love most about being an artist is that I get to be a kid all the time. If I didn't have to draw them so often I probably would never have even notice that giraffes have little horns on the tops of their heads...so I'm constantly learning too. (Ahherm, female giraffess ALSO have small tufts of hair and now you know as well!)

In the beginning of last year I was approached by two lovely people named Alice and Pete. Of all places to find my art, on Facebook is where it all started! See, it can be good. They had a very interesting project for me that would be both easy and also technically challenging: 1. Create a world for 40 animals (easy) 2. It's an interactive play mat for babies, final size 4 ft. x 4 ft. (wowzers) Just for reference, I'm used to working in inches.

When I start any project, I never like to be hindered by technical challenges...so I did the easy part first, I sketched animals like there was no tomorrow. Here are some of my initial pencil sketches and reference photos I used:

I knew I wanted to have at least one tree and a stream running throughout the scene:

So then I started to fit the animals into the scene like puzzle pieces:

After a trillion versions of these, a few phone calls, and some really great art direction, I began to realize how out of my comfort zone I actually was. We decided it would be best if I broke the mat up into 4 24"x 24" quadrants and fit about 10 animals per quadrant:

...and I started to add a bit of color for depth:

The amount of sketches I went through to get to what's next is somewhat unbelievable, but like anything else, practice makes things easier. I filled at least half a sketchbook with animals, but it was time to get on the computer at this point. Each animal and chosen object would eventually have a label, so I labeled away and spread out. We also split the four quadrants into North Pole, South Pole, Forest, Desert, Tropical, which helped to organize the animals:

Adding a final logo and placeholder buttons (for interactivity):

Inked version:

I have a few different styles I like to work in. Sometimes I prefer black outline, sometimes no outline. I tend to not find as much freelance work with my black line style, but it made me immensely happy that this project allowed me to explore this style in a way that combined a bit of both. I used line, but added texture as well.

When you tap on an animal you hear a sound and the name of the animal in three different languages, depending on which you choose. Here's the play mat in all it's glory (I can't wait to get a sample!):

Some of my favorite close-ups (click each image to enlarge):

And a very sincere plug for a company that is fantastic to work for, Creative Baby! This product will be available in stores for all babies in December 2011!

Boiiing! Boiiing!

2011-10-27T22:32:00.000-04:00

It's no secret anymore, I'm being a garden gnome for Halloween this year. To get inspired for my costume I thought I'd doodle up a little inspiration. :)

MICE 2011

2011-09-26T11:34:00.000-04:00

MICE 2011 presented by The Boston Comics Roundtable and the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University was a huge success!

A few pictures from my table where I was representing Fanartica, FableVision, and Girls Drawin Girls!

My fiancé Keith Zoo and good pal Ellen Crenshaw:

Dan Moynihan and Bob Flynn on the left and Mike Rapa on the right:

Lovely lady friends Amanda Laurel Atkins and Julia Denos:

The amazing Shelli Paroline and "cowboy" Keith MacLelland:

Zack "Stormy" Giallongo and our across the way buddies Matt Smith and Tom Pappalardo:

Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by. I had a really great day filled with even greater conversation which left me so inspired. See you again next year!

Fanartica!

2011-08-17T21:56:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone! I wanted to tell you about this new tumblr some friends have started...it's fun filled with fan art from topics we'll choose every few weeks. We've taken on 2 challenges so far: 90's Nickelodeon and currently running is a mashup of Wes Anderson and Studio Ghibli. Woah. Here's some of the pieces I've done so far, but make sure to check out the tumblr because there's about 20 artists participating and they're making some crazy awesome stuff!

The Royal Totoraums.

Inside Out Boy!

Sponge and Donkey Lips from "Salute Your Shorts!"

Artie, the Strongest Man in the World from "Pete and Pete"

I'm really proud of this one, remember that awkward moment during the "Clarissa Explains it All" opening titles?
Ferg Face avoids the letter C, hehe.

Shark Week 2011!

2011-08-04T22:23:00.002-04:00

I've been really busy lately and I'm no doubtedly coming down with a cold, but I'd be so disappointed in myself if I let Shark Week go by this year without paying homage! I started an illustration LAST year during Shark Week and have been keeping it in an "unfinished art" folder on my desktop this WHOLE time. No kidding. :) I need to thank Ellen for reminding me that I can bend people any which way in a drawing :D

Here's what I started out with from last year:

I thought I'd spare the poor seal (because that brown blob is supposed to be a seal, haha) in favor of some sailboating humans. It's no coincidence that my friend Taryn has recently gotten me into sailing. I just won't be venturing out into the open waters anytime soon :) The Charles River works for me.

What the Doodle!? "Roose"

2011-07-28T22:49:00.001-04:00

It's been quite a while since I've been able to squeak something out for FableVision's biweekly WTD challenge. This time, the random word that popped up was "roose" and as far as we could tell, besides being the short name of a suburb in England...it means "praise!" See what the rest of the team came up with here!

Just for fun, here's the sketch I started with. I call it a form of brainstorming because my lines fly all over the place when I'm trying to come up with an idea!

Palette, Texture, and Story (IF:Gesture)

2011-07-20T00:18:00.001-04:00

Well, I was going to work on my "Children's Portfolio," but I decided to work on my "Story Portfolio" instead. I think that's what I really need to work on the most - adding more characters and interaction to my work. I might try a series with these two! I'm still experimenting with minimal line and more texture/color...

In other news, right next to me, my fiancé Keith is working on a new illustration too. Here is a progress shot. It's really fun being able to feed ideas off each other because we sit about 2 feet apart in our studio. He suggested the butterflies and he interrogated me about why the guy's hair is red...we both came to an agreement that his (Keith's) light brown hair wasn't helping the composition. ;) (teehee)

California Dreamin'

2011-07-13T01:45:00.000-04:00

Lots of fun stuff is happening!

Girls Drawin' Girls will have a table at SDCC where you'll be able to buy these 5"x7" prints and many other fine works of art from the uber talented ladies of GDG - along with The Way Nature Made Her book which I'm sure will knock your socks off!

A short week later, if you're in the LA area, you'll be able to see my framed "Seagrass" piece along with all the other originals from The Way Nature Made Her.

Details:

Saturday, Aug 6
8pm - 12am
Vlad the Retailer
704 Heliotrope Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90029

All these materials are getting packed up and shipped to Cali tomorrow...so I had to take lots of pictures because I hope they find themselves some lovely homes!

Mrow?

2011-07-06T21:34:00.001-04:00

2011-06-30T10:16:00.001-04:00

I ran out of color background ideas, so I thought, to finish off the set I'd use them all! Being a combination of every color, black will work just fine. :)

After this I'm going to work on my children's portfolio a little bit. So say "so long" to the ladies! (Although it might be more like "see ya soon")

My Sister the Freak!

2011-06-22T10:55:00.000-04:00

When Dani Jones asked me if I'd do a pinup for her comic, My Sister the Freak, I jumped at the chance. I'm a huge fan of her work.
The story of My Sister the Freak is only four chapters in, but aside from her beautiful comic panels, Dani's got lots of really fun stuff to swoon over like process videos and a digital download store. She also runs The Illustrated Section which is packed full of downloadable art from many sources. I'm hoping to contribute a sketchbook someday soon. :)

Thanks Dani, for asking me to be a part of your comic journey! I can't wait to find out the reasoning behind the levitation and glowing eyes!

Girls Girls Girls!

2011-06-15T22:50:00.001-04:00

Can't get enough of these quickie girl sketches. I've been practicing using NO LINES, it's so much fun. Next time I'm going to take a screen capture while I'm drawing so you can see inside my brain. Anyone have a suggestion for a new pose or outfit? I get lots of my inspiration from Modcloth, however, most of the clothes I start out drawing cover more surface area (I erase a lot). For example, the top girlie used to be wearing a knee length dress before. Ahem.

The top image is going to be part of the Girls Drawin' Girls pre-sale pinup bookplate offer. Order a copy before July 10 and you'll get a unique extra gift. :)

*Just for fun, here's my first pass at the top image (and my sketch):

Drawin' Girls

2011-06-09T00:41:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone! It's been a really long time since I've posted on my regular blog since I was focusing on Goodbye, my 20s. Now that I've officially said see ya to my 20's, I'm back in action!

One thing I did recently was start a Tumblr page.

The following images are some quick pieces I did to practice playing with color and texture. I plan to keep making more!

I love Tumblr because it feels nice to just post a picture. The "Queue" feature is super awesome...it's just -really easy. :D

Next up, Girls Drawin' Girls Volume IV: The Way Nature Made Her is now available for presale! The piece below is my contribution for the underwater chapter. We all chose different plants to start...I picked Seagrass :) The book is a 174 page hardcover gem that comes with a free unique pinup bookplate (only through presale!)

There are so many talented ladies featured in this book, 84 lady artists to be exact!

Aside from all of this exciting news, I've been buried in a REALLY cool freelance project that I can't wait to show you! Until then, start having a great summer because before you know it...fall will be here! :D

Happy Planet!

2011-05-03T23:54:00.002-04:00

Please vote for this design on Threadless! There are 7 Days until voting closes :D Thanks!!

I'm a little late with posting this, but I realized I only posted this to Twitter and Facebook, which means there's like a million people who haven't seen it. :) A tiny, smiley Earth inspired by a freelance project I'm working on! Earth Day really should be EVERY day, by the way! I'm gonna go turn off all my lights now.

I AM

2011-04-12T00:20:00.003-04:00

Some folks at The Art Institute of Boston recently asked me to fill out something called an "I Am Statement." Part of the catch is that I would have to illustrate one of my responses. I chose "I am quirky and observant," because, well, I am. :)

My friends Kelly and Adam at One Eleven Images took some really fun pictures of me which made it hard to choose. They also took some snapshots of me in my studio, which is something I have yet to share on my blog...behold, my little corner of the studio I share with Keith:

As you can see, I keep everything precious close to me while I'm working: Totoro, Squirt, Gary the Snail, Toad, My Britney Lee print, my signed Raina Telgemeir ink drawing, my lava lamp from 6th grade, and a various assortment of books...aside from the books we have in the other room:

So that's about all she wrote - for now. I just got back from MoCCA where I met a lot of really great people and attained some new favorite items that will look nice in my workspace. Namely this portrait, painted by Nathan Stapely:

And this photo snapped by Scott C!

Keith did a really great post on his blog, which I linked to further towards the top! Until next time, faretheewell my friends. Thanks so much for reading and being so wonderful.

Nostalgia: Post #1

2011-03-14T21:43:00.000-04:00

A few months ago, I ransacked the boxes at my parents house for books I used to love as a kid. I'm going to do a really short series of posts about them. To start, I'm convinced that this one explains my sense of humor... and why not too many people actually think I'm funny:

The Joke Book, by Roy McKie.

Hardy har-har:

(Math.)

Yuck-hyuck:

(Duh.)

Water calamity:

I've told this story to many people, but never had the image to back it up. During my freshman year orientation for college, we sat in a large, awkward circle and introduced ourselves to each other. One of the ice breakers was to tell a joke. When the girl in the spotlight had no joke to tell, I joyfully offered up one of my own from memory:

Crickets.

Seriously people, it's funnier now that you've SEEN it, right? RIGHT? (MAAAN! tough crowd)

This post probably belongs on my Goodbye, my 20s Blog haha.

A Page from my Sketchbook

2011-03-07T23:36:00.000-05:00

I doodle whenever I can and wherever I can, however years of scrap paper have somehow gone missing, so I have vowed to keep it all in a sketchbook. My second problem is finding the right book. Now that I have, it's almost full. This is a page of doodles I did to warm up while working on a book project at FableVision.

What the Doodle!? "Window"

2011-03-04T13:52:00.002-05:00

You know the drill! Random word generator + FableVisionaries = What the Doodle?! Our bi-weekly creative challenge. To see what everyone else did for "window" click here!

Daydream

2011-02-24T20:34:00.003-05:00

It happens to me every year with the coming of spring. My artist-self has a rough time trudging through the end of the winter months. Things are changing for me and they're currently floating somewhere in between confusion and satisfaction...

This is a good thing (or at least I try to tell myself it is)!

Luckily I have a really great bunch of friends at FableVision who know me well enough to lift me up, brush me off, and encourage me to keep going. That's what this comic is about...loosely. :) It's a chunk of story taken from a larger story that wasn't working. I drew most of this over a year ago and let it collect virtual dust for so long. But I picked it up, got it dressed, straightened out it's tie, and learned to let go of the pieces that weren't working. (Which, for this particular story means about 20 pages - GULP!) To view the whole comic, please visit this link.
And thanks for reading, everyone!

WTD?: Daylight

2011-02-08T14:04:00.001-05:00

This week's What the Doodle word over on the FableVision Creative Juices Blog is... DAYLIGHT! I can't help but be inspired by the snow because it's all I see lately in Boston. Another inspiration of mine is a really beautiful picture taken by my Dad!
We're bringing back our bi-weekly WTD posts, it's been a while...so hop on over and see what everyone is doing!

I See I Learn: Percy Gets Upset

2011-01-29T12:35:00.000-05:00

Percy is really perturbed. But his new book, Percy Gets Upset, written by Stuart J. Murphy and published by Charlesbridge, comes out on February 1st so he should probably buck up a little.

I believe the above image of Percy is from an older version of the cover...

These are just a few images taken from the next in the I See I Learn series of Pre-K books that I illustrated! The book teaches anger management, and also a little bit of forgiveness.

I worked in collaboration with Tim Jones Illustration (Tim illustrated the other book Camille's Team, to be released on the same day)

Sleep it off, Percy! You'll be famous again on Tuesday :)

IF: Chicken

2011-01-18T17:36:00.000-05:00

The Sketchbook Project...

2011-01-13T20:39:00.002-05:00

Quite a few months ago, I signed up for this curious project. Fill an 80 page sketchbook on one theme, send it to Brooklyn, and become part of a traveling sketchbook/library show. Awesome, right? I chose my theme: "It's Raining Dogs and Cats" and that sounds perfect for me. Fun!

Problem: 80 pages seems like nothing when you don't have all those blank pages staring you in the face. I have a hard enough time keeping my own sketchbook and have books that last me years, if not a decade. Needless to say, I've learned a few valuable lessons from my endeavor:

1. Do NOT compare yourself to other artists.
Artists have been posting their sketchbook art on their blogs all along and there is some fantastic stuff out there, really! It's SO intimidating. But everyone has a different learning curve, and a different opinion about what a sketchbook should be.

2. Do NOT wait until the last minute to complete your work.
It turns out very obviously rushed.

3. Above all, make sure you have FUN exploring.
That's what sketchbooks are for after all! Get messy and so what if it looks like a five year old drew a few pages (hehe....errmm).

That being said, I had to give myself a few rules because I was so busy that I only gave myself one week to complete almost the entire book...
-------------
1. No planning - wing it and explore.
2. No rulers.
3. No feeling sorry for yourself.
4. Learn to use a brush pen. (This was a bit challenging in the earlier sketches and then I ran out of ink, which brings me to my next point...)
5. Don't be lazy. - (When the brush runs out of ink, change it. When you'd rather play video games, too bad...you have work to do.)
6. (long term) Keep sketching!
-------------

Toward the end, I realized I need to tell some sort of story, so I used the last few pages to do some quick comic panels. Here they are, along with some randoms! Enjoy and thanks for reading :)

*UPDATE!
I just finished the cover!

I cut it out and glue sticked it to the front cover of the sketchbook - I sure hope that holds up ;)

Timmy is having a hard time letting go of his FACE. :)

Bundle Up!

2011-01-07T16:17:00.000-05:00

According to the forecast, there's some snow coming! Grab a cup of hot chocolate and curl up with a good book. I'm reading "Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk" by David Sedaris this weekend. What about you?

Just for fun, I thought I'd include my initial sketch(top)...and ink drawing(bottom). Both done in Flash - Color in Photoshop.

Hannah the Cat!

2011-01-04T17:42:00.000-05:00

I was completely humbled when my friend Kate commissioned me to draw three illustrations of her cat, Hannah, as a gift to her husband for Christmas. I don't know how any other artists feel, but there's always a slight twinge of "maybe I'm not good enough" that lingers in the back of my brain. I fight it away constantly. But, to be asked to do something that will potentially be meaningful to another person...on PURPOSE? That's the most challenging. :)
Thank you Kate and Chad, I hope you enjoy these little paintings of your fluffy, little ball of joy!
As a bonus, I'm back on the sketch a day kick I got off of a few months ago. Here's another quick, cozy, winter bundle:

Welcome 2011!

2011-01-03T17:30:00.000-05:00

In 2011, I vow to write more stories. (Among other things!)

Happy New Year everyone!

Feliz Navi...DOG?

2010-12-24T20:53:00.000-05:00

I grew up thinking that Feliz Navidad was REALLY Feliz Navidog. I can only assume it's because I was reading the What-A-Mess books at the time. :) I miss the innocence of being a kid, but luckily enough, I have the joy of being able to channel that into my work.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone who reads my blog. Thank you a million times over for your continued support and nice words. If you're reading this, you are an absolute blessing to me.

Much love and see you in 2011!

-Renee

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-17T17:09:00.000-05:00

Some festive holiday characters of which I'm hoping to draw more of before Christmas comes and goes! :)

Snow Dudes!

2010-12-09T18:41:00.001-05:00

I recently worked on a quick character study job for my friend Evan's company Hero 4 Hire Creative. These guys didn't end up getting used in the final animated product, but they're still moderately fun to look at!

A Snowy Scene

2010-12-03T17:33:00.000-05:00

For the winter season, I've updated my website with a new, cozy theme!

I wish you all a peaceful, happy, and healthful holiday season!

Tis the Season!

2010-11-27T02:47:00.000-05:00

'Tis the Season for some sales, no? Try coupon code: TISTHESEASON in my etsy shop for a sweet 20% off your purchase. I hope you all had a terrific Thanksgiving and are headed for an even better holiday season. :) Onward!

CTN 2010!

2010-11-17T22:52:00.001-05:00

I hope to see you there and I'd love to meet you if you are! Bob Flynn and I will be there representing FableVision Studio and hopefully I'll be able to keep my jaw off the floor and maintain composure. I can't wait to meet so many of the talented people I've been talking to online for months!

This image is from the FableVision "What the Doodle?" word of the week: Ricochet! And I truly enjoyed ricochet-ing this pink bunny, I really did. :)

These poor guys...

2010-11-08T16:06:00.000-05:00

...almost never saw the light of day - until TODAY! Some unused character studies from work. :)

Pumpkin Tower! / IF: Spooky

2010-10-19T23:05:00.003-04:00

Even though I've been having a hard time being creative lately, I managed to sneeze this one out for the upcoming holiday. Has that ever happened to any of you? How do you get yourself out of a creativity funk?

(I need to figure it out soon because I have an 80 page sketchbook to fill for The Sketchbook Project!)

Just for fun, here's my sketch:

FableMusic

2010-10-19T12:10:00.002-04:00

We listen to lots of music all day at work, so we set up a Last.fm page. Feel free to follow along!

Purrcasso 2010

2010-10-14T11:35:00.001-04:00

It's that time of year again!

Berkeley East Bay Humane Society is having their annual fund raising gala, Purrcasso! Last year I began the tradition of submitting and I hope to continue to do so for many years to come. It's a wonderful cause, and I know it's a tight deadline, but I encourage all artists to participate. In the very least, please bookmark the sight for next year!

Click here to see my submission from last year!

**If you saw this post earlier today, you saw this:

...but quite frankly, I changed my mind! Of course, if you'd like to buy a print of a cat in a turtle costume, you can contact me for sure! :)

IF: Beneath

2010-10-06T15:09:00.000-04:00

It's been raining a lot in Boston lately...I've been spending most of my time beneath an umbrella.

More birthdays!

2010-10-01T12:20:00.002-04:00

And more fun characters :)

Been a while...

2010-09-07T23:16:00.002-04:00

...Since my last blog post - BUT I have been making lots of new art :)

Mostly for some friend's birthdays :)

Wishing I were on vacation...

2010-08-17T11:58:00.002-04:00

Telling Stories

2010-08-11T13:26:00.000-04:00

"There's probably hundreds of thousands if not millions of images out there that we'll never see because they're in sketchbooks and loose pieces of paper. People are afraid of showing them. Fear. The fear of sharing something because you feel you're not good enough..."

I snagged this quote from artist Pascal Campion because, truthfully, he is my inspiration for this blog post...

Recently, I started up a Facebook Fan Page to better separate my "personal" self from my "work" self. (Not that they're so much different anymore...) Mostly, I just wanted permission to post like crazy about art and not worry so much about being annoying! The ability to choose to be a fan is slightly different and less personal than a friend request.

That is, of course, until I discovered a large number of friends tagging along. :) Thanks you guys.

The problem posed by starting yet another online site is how to make it interesting enough for people to actually, well...care! I decided to use Facebook's photo album feature to my advantage and start a daily sketchbook album (because apparently Goodbye my 20s isn't enough ---stupid?)

I want to share my sketches, not hide them away, and I don't want to put any pressure on myself to finish. I merely want to dig up an emotion from deep inside and hold on to it long enough to make a picture.

It's going to be a journey for me, a place to learn about myself and work on my storytelling. And because what matters most is for people to see these stories, I hope you'll follow along!

Vectorabbit

2010-07-25T18:01:00.000-04:00

Just a quick warm up rabbit before I dive into a night's worth of book making. I'm currently reading Watership Down, so it only makes sense to me to draw rabbits. There will probably be more.

*On a side note: I just finished reading "Skim" by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki. I highly recommend checking it out. The loose sketchy line is just brilliant – and the nostalgic tone of the writing is enough to make you dig up all your old journals. (I did.)

Thumbnails are tooooo fun!

2010-07-19T00:36:00.002-04:00

This might be my favorite part of starting a new book: THUMBNAILS!
Here are the many pages of teeny tiny drawings I did - just for the title sequence and end papers of Zebrafish.

Some of the things I knew ahead of time were:

1. The first few pages needed to start the story, but could not include dialogue. The text that was going to be on the page was the Table of Contents (TOC). The following sketches are for the TOC page, the lines represent the chapter list.

In the above sketches, I started with only lines. I flipped the page and drew lines all over the place, trying to think outside of the box - then started to add shapes. I was aware at this point that the TOC page had to show Jay walking to Plinko's apartment. I wanted to represent that in silhouette form.

I sketched their town, even though you would never see it. I tried to figure out where Plinko lived relative to the hospital, the school, was he in the city or the suburbs? We settled on city.

What can you show in a silhouette and still have it make sense? Windows, feet walking, trees, sidewalks, lampposts, the cityscape, a spotlight on Jay...

He is carrying a Wii guitar to Plinko's - I sketched the guitar, all parts of it, the neck, head, and tuning keys look really cool in silhouette.

We ended up using this one:

The final image needed to leave room for lots of text and show a hint of Jay ringing a doorbell, so we got rid of the tree and building in the foreground on the right:

2. The end papers were a little more defined: A bulletin board filled with student activity. The only specifics were to leave room for Peter H. Reynold's fantastically inspiring afterward. I also included the kids' show poster and a few hidden messages (including a quote from one of my favorite TV shows of all time -My So Called Life and a Pearl Jam song) :)

Here's an image from the inking stage:

And the final art pre-Peter's text:

La la laaaaaaaaaaa

2010-07-09T17:37:00.001-04:00

I have to seize every opportunity I can before things get crazy. I'm starting a new book next week and might be out of commission for the next month or so. Until then - another batch of entertaining piggies.

WTD?: "Web"

2010-07-09T12:09:00.000-04:00

The theme for this week's "What the Doodle?" on the FableVision Creative Juices blog - is:

WEB!

One More Ripple...

2010-07-06T22:49:00.001-04:00

If you haven't already checked out Kelly Light's blog, "Ripple" go now! gogogogo! This piece will be available for sale sometime this week, but there's plenty more where that came from over on Kelly's blog!

Whooo are youuu?

2010-06-28T00:35:00.003-04:00

I was going through files on my computer and I found this unfinished piece that I posted forever ago.

And I finished it :) (digitally) Here's to tackling nagging projects. Cheers!

Band Practice

2010-06-22T18:43:00.001-04:00

The battle of the dueling banjo pigs continues... and it's so fierce it needed its own blog! By fierce, I mean AWESOME: http://banjopigs.blogspot.com/

Original duel started by Guy Francis and Stacy Curtis.

More Ripples

2010-06-14T23:55:00.000-04:00

My heart is broken by the pictures of animals covered in oil...I'd much rather see this.

Please visit Kelly Light's blog Ripple.

Ripple

2010-06-11T11:33:00.000-04:00

Kelly Light has a big heart...and letting your heart motivate you is just so important.

She recently put together a fantastic fundraiser to help save the animals in the Gulf oil spill and is getting help from a massive swarm of artists around the globe. Check out all of the wonderful postcards that have been made and sold so far on her blog.

Each postcard is selling for $10 and every penny will get distributed between two non-profits. This is my design.

I encourage everyone to go check it out and spread the word!

The pig ate my homework.

2010-06-09T17:31:00.002-04:00

A few artists (Starting with a challenge posed by Guy Francis to Stacy Curtis are doodling up dueling banjo pig images and it's hilarious! I found it almost impossible not to participate, even though they don't know who I am :)
The circular shape was definitely inspired by Jannie Ho who has some amazing work on her blog!

Goodbye, my 20's

2010-06-06T23:55:00.000-04:00

For anyone that missed the announcement about a month ago, I started a new blog dedicated to my 20's. Why? Because I'm turning thirty in LESS THAN A YEAR NOW and - well, I guess I'd say it's an experiment... an evaluation... an exploration to see how much I can remember about the last decade and celebrate the trials and tribulations.
Enough big words. It's called Goodbye, my 20's "An Illustrator's Sketchy Perspective on Turning 30" I hope you'll check it out. :)

For no reason...

2010-06-03T20:41:00.000-04:00

Gimme back my cookie!

2010-05-25T20:15:00.001-04:00

The I See I Learn Series by Stuart J. Murphy / Charlesbridge is coming out soon!

Pickle just stole Percy's cookie! (from Freda Plans a Picnic)

Tug Tug

2010-05-20T19:30:00.000-04:00

Tuggin' at your heart strings over at Goodbye, my 20's!

Lightweights!

2010-05-14T16:36:00.000-04:00

It's my birthday today, which means I posted a new image on Goodbye, my 20's ! (It's not for the kiddies!)

Plant Stuff!

2010-05-10T23:27:00.000-04:00

There's nothing better than home grown herbs.

Zebrafish: What it's REALLY all about.

2010-05-04T01:01:00.005-04:00

So how do you spread a message without being too "preachy?" That's a difficult task that I face even now as I write this. The truth about Zebrafish is that, sure it's my first book as an official published illustrator, but what this is REALLY all about is...

Children's Hospital Boston.

http://generationcures.org/

The zebrafish research lab at Children's is entirely funded by donations. When you buy this book, a generous portion of the proceeds goes to cancer research.

Ultimately, you are putting money towards helping CURE children who are sick.

The real Zebrafish Lab at Children's.

Vita and Pablo visiting the lab in the book.

The characters in the book form a band with the intent of putting on a show to raise money for the hospital.

Did you know there's a real-life band doing just THAT!? They're called Yellowcake and they are AWESOME. Alone, they have raised $7,000 for the hospital.

Photo Creds: CHildren's Hospital Boston

A still "photo" from Episode 10. Isn't the resemblance uncanny?

7 other local high school bands also joined the cause to help raise money, listen to their music here: http://www.zebrafish.com/notes.html

If that isn't what it's REALLY all about, I don't know what is.

So today, I am celebrating not only my first day as a published illustrator...I am celebrating the beginning of what could possibly be the most wonderful thing to happen to Children's Hospital Boston. At least, I am crossing my fingers for it.

And because everyone seems to respond well to PROCESS images! I decided to choose my favorite page. I'm excited to share it because EVERY artist on the FableVision staff contributed a bit of flair to this page.

Soccer game: Thumbnail

Soccer game: Final Ink

Soccer game: Final Color (Click for larger view!)

Artists:

1. Sharon Emerson

2. Didi Hatcher

3. Allie Biondi

4. Adam Ziskie

5/7. Me

6/10/14/15. Keith Zoo

8. Bob Flynn

9. Katelyn Walsh

11. John Lechner

12. Tami Wicinas

13. Hannah O'Neal

16. Taryn Johnson

I'll be selling and signing some Zebrafish books at the Maine Comic Arts Festival in Portland on Sunday, May 23rd. I'll also have all kinds of fun things that I've designed including bookmarks and art prints. Please do stop by and check it out!! http://www.mainecomicsfestival.com/

Also, check out this amazing list of GUESTS! http://www.mainecomicsfestival.com/Guests.html

And also, if you missed it back in December, you can watch the book trailer here: http://kurillastration.blogspot.com/2009/12/so-much-for-secrets.html

**OH and I promise never to be this wordy ever again. You have my word. ;)

*Transparent Zebrafish Photo Creds: Dr. Richard White

Lots on my mind...

2010-05-02T21:07:00.002-04:00

Stuck in a rut...

2010-04-27T22:52:00.001-04:00

..and all it really takes to come out of it is some Bob Dylan.

Goodbye, my 20s

2010-04-23T12:07:00.001-04:00

As I near my 29th birthday (May 14th), I can't help but reflect on how far I've come in this decade. I want to celebrate the passing of my second decade instead of dreading it, so I have decided to reminisce in a different kind of way.
Goodbye, my 20's is a new blog I am starting that is dedicated ONLY to one single sketchbook that I aim to FILL in one year.
The blog is still a work in progress and I will likely make some edits to the design and even the first post...but I wanted to tell you guys where to find it!
I'm REALLY looking forward to sketching some memories...my first attempt is the banner which shows four different stages of... me -ish ... (through haircuts, mostly) and that at the end there? That's totally a gray hair. OMG.
Please spread the word! (not about the gray hair you guys...the blog!)

Something a little different...

2010-04-16T00:00:00.003-04:00

I have been working on a new side project the past few weeks, mostly in my head...now it's starting to come together.

A second blog - dedicated to a brand new, shiny sketchbook that will follow me through the last year of my 20's.

I've already christened the sketchbook, in fact, this illustration emerged from one of the sketches...

I'm really excited about the idea of rightfully chiming in my 30th birthday next year with a FULL sketchbook.

And what better way to keep yourself motivated than to tell EVERYONE who reads your blog so they can yell at you when you don't post. :)

More to come..

You guys!!

2010-04-11T18:28:00.000-04:00

Advance copies!!!

Illustration Friday: Dip

2010-04-08T00:13:00.001-04:00

Dog Blogging

2010-03-28T23:59:00.003-04:00

Because I have a serious problem keeping things a secret, here are some images I'll be showing at the Creative Juices Art Show on April 9th at FableVision Studios.
I hope that if you're in the Boston area, you'll be able to make it because it promises to be a good time overflowing with lots of fantastic (and out of the ordinary) art.

View the Facebook invite here.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

2010-03-24T16:31:00.003-04:00

Phil McAndrew had a contest where he challenged artists to draw a scene from their fave movie and I'm too late to enter... BUT I do have a favorite movie and I thought I'd take a sec to sketch out THE greatest character ever: Holly Golightly (and of course the aptly named, Cat).

So long, Winter...

2010-03-23T22:58:00.003-04:00

With the official changing of the seasons, comes a new blog header. Winter, I know you're still lingering a bit...but I'm ready for Spring. See ya!
Now, the countdown until Summer begins...

ALA Booklist Review of Zebrafish!

2010-03-22T13:38:00.005-04:00

Zebrafish.
Emerson, Sharon (Author) , Kurilla, Renee (Illustrator)
May 2010. 128 p. Atheneum, hardcover, $16.99. (9781416995258). 741.5.

Several friends, led by the purple-haired Vita, try to figure out how to make their band work despite the fact that no one knows how to play anything. But when Vita, whose older brother is a cancer researcher, learns that band-member Tanya has leukemia, she begins to wonder how their upcoming performance might be put to a greater good. Emerson’s graphic novel (developed with Peter Reynolds’ FableVision media company) succeeds on several levels: the characters are credibly diverse in personality and appearance, and their individual stories are carefully twisted into a full and complex story arc.
Additionally, information about leukemia’s physical toll on a young patient and research methods to combat it are integrated cleanly and without didacticism. Full-color panels vary in size and shape, with scenes moving from the stage to a soda shop to the back corridors of the hospital. Gentler and for a younger crowd than Judd Winick’s Pedro and Me (2000), this bouncy cartoon story nonetheless mines equally serious territory, and stands a good chance of finding wide popularity to boot.
— Francisca Goldsmith

Nobody can convey my elation the way that Tanya can:

WTD? : Bellying

2010-03-21T13:37:00.003-04:00

Sigh. People now associate me only with cats. I guess I'm OK with that, though I could never have imagined this day ten years ago when I was deathly afraid of them. :)

Everyone else had some pretty stellar submissions this week, check them out over at the Creative Juices Blog.

What the Doodle!? "Forward/Foreward"

2010-03-09T17:17:00.004-05:00

This week was sort of funny because some of us thought the word was "forward," when in fact it was "foreward," which is sort of different.
Check out everyone else's contributions here!

This piece is dedicated to the FableVision frog who jumped clear out of his tank and ran away sometime in the past few days. Poor little guy.

*UPDATE!!! The Fable frog is BACK!!! I have no idea where on Earth he went, but he's back!!

Another book cover :)

2010-03-06T15:55:00.002-05:00

Peter was lucky enough to see the hardcover when he was at Simon & Schuster a few weeks ago!

Don't judge a book by it's cover, eh?

2010-02-28T22:55:00.004-05:00

Instead of posting my own artwork, I thought I'd take some time to celebrate some other book work. These are just a sampling of some of my current favorite children's book covers that sit on the shelf at home. Inside these books is some of the most beautiful artwork I have ever seen.

I love books.

The Sea Serpent and Me - written by Dashka Slater, illustrated by Catia Chien
Louis and the Dodo - by Mark Shulman and Vincent Nguyen
The Curious Garden - by Peter Brown
Free Lunch - by J. Otto Seibold and Vivan Walsh
The Clever Stick - by John Lechner
This is San Francisco - by M. Sasek
The Octonauts and the Sea of Shade - by Meomi
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus - by Mo Willems
Being a Pig is Nice - written by Sally Lloyd Jones, drawn by Dan Krall
The Dot - by Peter H. Reynolds
Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland - retold by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Mary Blair
Owly - by Andy Runton

Betta Wall

2010-02-25T01:58:00.005-05:00

I've been spending lots of time at pet stores lately and can't help but notice the stacks and stacks of betta fish bowls. I used to have one, his name was Delphinium and I drove all the way home to PA with him (5 hours both ways) and back about 3 times. I feel bad for the bettas, they must get bored. Luckily, my friend Tami recently rescued one from utter pet store boredom.

*This piece is also part of the latest project I've been working on in between all the others. :)

Interview!

2010-02-21T00:01:00.003-05:00

I was recently interviewed by David Paccia over on his blog, called David Wasting Paper. David's blog is a nice, growing collection of comic artist interviews, links, and wisdom. He asks some great questions of some very talented folks. I feel honored to participate, and if you'd like to see, hop on over!

(* I drew this little guy for my friend Joe's birthday. I like this... the closer we get to 30, the goofier the drawings get)

Chomp!

2010-02-11T23:41:00.005-05:00

I'm totally spoiling the surprise for tomorrow, but here's a short little comic strip I made to give out as valentines at FableVision. I usually don't do Valentine's Day, obviously, neither does this guy. :)

New Book Series!

2010-02-10T19:09:00.012-05:00

I've been waiting to tell you guys about this for months now. Remember during the summer months when I kept telling you about the secret projects I was working on? Well, at the same time as Zebrafish, in all the spare time I could muster, I was also busy illustrating two books for a new series from Charlesbridge called, I See I Learn, by author Stuart J. Murphy.

(as a side note, the top image is not the book cover...)

By power of the internet, artist and agent extraordinaire, Tim Jones contacted me to do a series of character designs...and later a look and feel for the book series.

Here are the characters in the very beginning stages:

And later:

And later they developed into nice, fine young digital childrimals (I made that word up):

I'm beyond thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Tim, Charlesbridge, and Stuart J,. Murphy on these books. This book series is just like the type I was addicted to as a kid. I can only hope these have the same effect on the little ones!

The series launches in Fall of 2010 with four titles and I'm set to begin illustrating another very soon!

A few teaser images:

What the Doodle!? "Welcomed"

2010-02-04T22:29:00.010-05:00

I decided to turn last week's illustration into an ongoing comic adventure. Though, I got rid of the little guy's legs and I'm trying to ease up on the textures a bit. (I got out of control.)

What's going to be interesting is that the outcome will be totally dependent on the chosen word.
OooOOoo.
I still have no idea what this little guy is. I think he's a fuzzball. Blogger is making the colors look totally washed out, too (booooo).

Check out what the rest of the FV team came up with at the Creative Juices Blog.

Happy FRIDAY! More big news and TONS of new art coming next week guys!

IF: Focused

2010-02-04T17:08:00.002-05:00

Just a quick sketch this week. I hope that counts?!!

LOST

2010-02-02T14:02:00.003-05:00

In honor of the season premiere of LOST tonight, I drew up a comic of my most favorite LOST scene..(as interpreted by me.)
Because Sawyer REALLY wants Kate...at least I think so.

IF: Clumsy

2010-01-28T17:37:00.003-05:00

Lately I've been drawing lots of cats. Sometime soon I'll tell you why!

What the Doodle: "Preparation"

2010-01-22T13:21:00.005-05:00

This week is just filled with new art! And, as a side note, I have no idea what that thing is. I think I was inspired by the little soots in Spirited Away. I guess the beauty of art is that it doesn't realllly have to make sense. Right?

...right??

Go see what the rest of the FableVision staff came up with for the word "Preparation"on the Creative Juices Blog.

IF: Wilderness

2010-01-21T22:21:00.004-05:00

A couple of cats with dreams of taming their wild ways. (And a lazy one...because there's always a lazy one.)

(And a big thank you to Chris Oatley for creating some amazing Photoshop brushes!)

Zebrafish: The Visual Novel.

2010-01-20T21:52:00.016-05:00

Officially, the news is spreadable! Simon & Schuster announced the arrival of the Zebrafish novel last week - On bookshelves May 4, 2010!

Check out Zebrafish.com wonderfully crafted by my co-workers at FableVision Bob Flynn and Ryan McNulty. (and I love you Katiebird!)

For those of you that don't know me, I work at FableVision Studios in Boston, MA. For the last two years, I have been LIVING in Zebrafishland because not only is this a book...it's an animated series, it's an online comic, it's a series of games, it's an initiative to raise money to help sick kids through Generation Cures at Children's Hospital Boston.

For me, this project was a chance to grow. I worked closely under the creative direction of Peter H. Reynolds and writer, Sharon Emerson. (That's me and Sharon below with some ACTUAL zebrafish!)

Sharon is holding up the black and white version of this illustration:

The advance paperback copies: Exciting! The book is about a bunch of quirky kids who like to rock, but play no instruments. Not only do they figure out how to make that work to their advantage, they learn all the important life lessons you need to learn in high school.

On Sunday during the ALA midwinter conference in Boston, Simon & Schuster threw a book launch party at FableVision where I got to sign my first (advance) copy of the book. I really, really, need to warm up my drawing hand again...ew.

I used to warm up by drawing full pages of character sketches before I started in on the spreads. Here's an example:

More to come, but probably not until the book comes out. I'll be able to show some more in process art then... which is, for me, where all the magic happened. :) Rock!

So much for secrets :)

2009-12-30T16:06:00.005-05:00

This past year I was lucky enough to illustrate 3 children's books for two major publishers.
The following is the graphic novel I worked on at FableVision. I've been planning on posting in progress illustrations and sketches...but for now, without further ado- Here is the book trailer for Zebrafish! (That I also made :)

The Year in Music (and a few books)

2009-12-29T10:46:00.006-05:00

Music is so important to keeping my motivation on track. I think I spent almost my entire year on Pandora, with the exception of a few albums. A few of my "go to" stations grew from the seeds of Jackie Mittoo, Bob Marley, Django Reinhardt, Stars, and Phoenix.

It was also a year unexpectedly filled with books. Making them, buying them....books books books! And ALL children's books. My favorite finds from this year and years previous:
"Being a Pig is Nice" by Sally Lloyd Jones/ Dan Krall
The Octonauts Series by Meomi
and of course:
Blankets by Craig Thompson

As for music, here's the top five albums that made it on my playlists over and over again (and why):

5. Flight of the Conchords "I Told You I Was Freaky"
Ok, this album is just plain old funny. The show is hilarious, the songs are great and very well written. You know...if you're into that.

4. Mayer Hawthorne 'A Strange Arrangement"
If you're feeling a 60s vibe, this album is key. Every person who heard me play this asked "Is this NEW?" I think it's a pretty bold move to take on a Smokey Robinson-esque sound right now.

3. The Black Eyed Peas "Boom Boom Pow"
And then there's the Black Eyed Peas. Different from the previous, I know. But listen...if you have a bike and you have one hour to ride to work everyday...if you need a serious jolt of energy fast? This works.
Though to be honest, the album could probably cut out around track 10. It's way too long. It just keeps going and going near the end, each song making less and less sense. But then, if the album is 1 1/2 hours and you have an hour ride to work it doesn't matter, does it?

2. Phoenix "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix"
Stellar album. Period. :)

1. Pearl Jam "Backspacer"
Pearl Jam's last album didn't make it to number 1...but this one does. It's refreshing, for an avid fan like me, to have an uplifting sound from Eddie Vedder again. Rock.

And here's hoping for an exceptionally good 2010. I have a whole lot of news and art to show in the upcoming months! Keeping secrets is sooooo hard. :) Until then...

A very healthy, happy new year to all of you! Cheers!

Happy Everything.

2009-12-17T23:53:00.005-05:00

I want to wish everyone who reads my blog a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year...oh you know...happy everything. :) I hope your season is filled with magic. More magic than you know how to handle!

See you in the New Year!
(oh you know me better than that...I'll probably be back before then)

In progress

2009-12-14T23:06:00.004-05:00

As I mentioned in my previous post (two posts in one dayyy what the heck?) I am working on a holiday illustration. I was inspired by the Macy's department store display in NYC . It's not finished yet, but since I rarely post my progress, here goes:
Detail:
Sketch (Photoshop):
Color Study (Photoshop):
Color Cleanup (Photoshop):

My next steps are to add patterns, textures, and magical snow effects. Coming soon, but not tonight...I'm tired!

Bird by Bird

2009-12-14T12:06:00.007-05:00

Hello friends! I'm pleased to report that my Christmas spirit is still kicking in full swing. I have a few more projects in queue for this year (not much time left). One of these projects is a series of bird ornaments made from yarn and googley eyes. If you're reading this and you're in my family, you'll be getting one of these for Christmas:
What a cute little bunch of scrappy bird-friends! I have about 10 more to go.
Another highlight of the season for me was a trip to NYC to see the tree at Rockerfeller Center. Being from Scranton, PA I used to take trips to the city all the time in high school...but it's been years since I visited in December. For crying out loud does that city know how to do Christmas.
My favorite pictures from the trip are from Macy's department store window. (magic!)
The theme this year seemed to be letters to Santa.
The letters flew through multiple window displays with wings, such a cool concept. I wish I had a movie but it was raining like mad.
And the second project I'll finish before next week is my yearly holiday illustration. Here's a small (in progress) detail:
I have a feeling I'll be finishing this tonight :)

If you're wondering what the subject line means, it's taken from the book, "Bird by Bird:Some Instructions on Writing and Life" by Anne Lamott. Highly recommended.

Doodle Cats

2009-12-09T11:16:00.000-05:00

Doodle Wave

2009-12-07T14:57:00.001-05:00

A bunch of us are trying to put Google Wave to good use. I figure I might as well put my doodle to good use in more ways than one. Doodle Wave!

Fa la la la la.....la..la...la

2009-12-03T10:33:00.001-05:00

Another one in the spirit of the upcoming holiday. I hope I don't wear out my Christmas spirit, it's only the 3rd of December.