May, Moms and Mayhem

 

Whaaaaat, it's Friday already? Well, that week just flew by. I'm finishing final art for a middle grade book this week and am happily knee deep in pencils and pixels. And since it's Mother's Day this weekend, I made up a card that you can download and print.

 :: Download Here ::

 

(For personal use only, please)

By the by, Happy Mother's Day, Mom. Thanks for putting crayons in my hands, stories in my head and surviving (shudder) teenage me.

Jean from Racine

 

File under: things-you-draw-while-on-the-telephone.

From A to Z

I'm in the middle of deadlines at the moment, but popping in to say hello and to share:

* This review for The Glitter Trap (by Barbara Brauner and James Iver Mattson, coming out May 14)

* And this review for Bella's Rules (by Elissa Haden Guest, coming out May 16)

Both books were an absolute delight to illustrate and I'm thrilled to have worked with such wonderful authors. I'll post more about both titles coming up in the next week or two.

In the meantime, though, I think it's about time to power down this computer, clear off my desk and kick it into weekend mode. So happy Saturdays and Sundays and I'll see you on Monday.

"Underneath the lantern, by the barrack gate"

Vegetation

 

I'm getting over the flu and itching to get outside. I have all things green on the brain, in particular vegetables. I'm going to try my hand at some container gardening this summer, which begs the question: anyone have any good recommendations for fruit or veggies that do well in pots?

Dear Mili

Here's a detail from something I painted for the Annual Children’s Book Art Silent Auction (which will be taking place during BookExpo in a few weeks). The auction this year features a tribute to Maurice Sendak and I chose to do a piece inspired by his book, Dear Mili. And if you want to read more about all of that, you can mosey on over here.

Southwards

The stars alined and I took a long weekend, heading south for my niece's First Communion. And because of/in spite of being A) grounded in Chicago overnight B) flying last minute standby to Memphis and C) avoiding tornados while driving from Tennessee to Arkansas, getting there was all the sweeter.

Now my sketchbook is bursting and I'm ready to hit the ground running, full of strawberry shortcake and bonhomie.

 

And I wasn't the only one sketching this weekend. I think that kiddo's going to put me out of a job in a couple years.