Inktober 2014 (Week Four)

Hi friends! Months later, I realized I never posted the end to my #inktober koala tale! You can view the whole story in my facebook album or on my website! 

Thanks for following along!

Cheers!

~Renee

Inktober 2014 (Week One)

I didn't mean for this to happen, but my #inktober turned into a story about friendship: 

In a perfect world (one where I realized I wanted to follow the story of koala right from the start), I would have built up the story between koala and bird a little more before bird took off on his own...

...and left koala feeling a little lost.

Because I wanted to express what it feels like when you seem to have lost something or someone...

...and show how you can overcome that sad feeling.

Some of this art will eventually make it into my Kickstarter sketchbook. I have the entire book in layout and in 7 days, I'll be ready to hit GO! I'm very excited and just a little hesitant because I am realizing as I'm laying it out, how much emotion I put into everything I draw. I'll be sharing all of that emotion with over 100 people who will hold my book in their hands. 

It's a crazy feeling!

Stay tuned for Week Two of my #inktober koala story.

Cheers!

~Renee

A Little Kick Start

Hi guys!

I'm just writing up a little post over here on the blog to help promote my Kickstarter project in it's last two weeks! 

I mentioned a while ago that I was toying with the idea of printing a collection of my sketchbooks... and I can't even believe it, but thanks to so many generous folks, it's happening! There is still time to order one if you're interested...for just $15! 

Some details:

• 52 page perfect bound booklet
• Full color cover / black and white interior, with color pages mixed in!
• Size: 6.625" x 10.25" (standard comic size)
• Paper: 100lb. Silk Matte
• Ships in December of this year

And to those of you who have already backed the project...I, along with all my cats, hippos, pigs, cows, and bears thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

PROJECT LINK: www.kickstarter.com/projects/reneekurilla/so-many-sketchbooks

Cheers!

~Renee

Blog (Hip Hip) Hop!

A few weeks ago, I was tagged by the amazingly talented Courtney Pippen-Mathur in a really fun, quick author/illustrator blog hop! Say that five times fast! Courtney asked me a few questions:

What are you working on now? 

I'm currently working on illustrating a book called Tree Dancers, written by the super sweet Newbury Honor Medal winner Margarita Engle. 

The book is a series of beautifully written tanka poems about an orangutan family in the Borneo Rainforest. I'm honored to be working with Margarita, Noa Wheeler, and April Ward at Henry Holt Books for Young Readers. 


Here are a few sneak peeks:

How does this differ from other works in this genre? 

I haven't seen quite so many children's books written in the Tanka style of poetry. It's quite unique, flowy, and allows for a bit more freedom in verse. The book is going to be very interactive, too. I can see kids really getting absorbed with the adorable orangutans and making up their own orangutan dances! (Or at least I really hope they do!)

I'll sure be dancing! 


Why do you write what you write? 

I'm mostly illustrating right now, but I'm also participating in #PiBoIdMo, a yearly challenge where you come up with a new story idea every day. It's fun. 

Though I've been focusing on art, for the past year I've also been working on a story/dummy that I've rewritten/redrawn three times. 

I want to make a story that tugs at kids and parents heart strings for years. I want to write a book that people will remember a long time from now. No words can express how much the books I have from my childhood mean to me, I want to make books that kids still love when they're adults. 


So I keep going back to the drawing board:

What is the hardest thing about writing?

Condensing your story. Most picture books are 700 words or less and you'd be surprised how quickly 700 words comes out! I do like revising though. You have to be ok with cutting your favorite parts if they don't help the story along. 

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Thanks for thinking of me for the blog hop, Courtney! I'm going to do my part and tag three illustrator friends ... my Simply Messing About counterparts:


Laura Zarrin

Christina Forshay

Tracy Bishop


Tag, you're it! All of these ladies work so hard, you'll love seeing what they've been up to! 

Cheers!

~Renee

Colored Pencils and Packing

My husband and I are packing up our cozy, little Somerville apartment and moving to the suburbs very soon. It's s surreal experience, knowing that in a month I'll be leaving the hustle and bustle of the city behind. I've been living in Boston for about 14 years and my head is craving quiet!

While packing, I discovered a bounty of neglected colored pencils. I chose a few to carry in my pencil pouch and decided to add some color to these regular sketches of mine. I'll keep posting when I can, but things are about to get even busier for me with two book deadlines and a moving day approaching!

As always, I appreciate you checking in on my little corner of the internet. :)

Cheers!

~Renee