Merry Christmas | Feliz Natal

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Feliz Natal a todos!

Another pencil sketch | Outro desenho a lápis

One more sketch, this time with my friends Bunny and Fox. It gets hectic at work and at home around the Holidays, but I hope to finish this one before the end of the year :-)

Outro rascunho, desta vez dos meus amigos Coelho e Raposa. Fico toda atarefada no trabalho e em casa na época do Natal e Ano Novo, mas espero terminar esta ilustração antes do final do ano :-)

Pencil sketch | Desenho a lápis

We got a lot of snow here this weekend.

Nevou bastante aqui neste fim de semana.

Spotlight on Books and Illustrators

Now, when was the last time I talked about some of my favorite books? I've been remiss, I know!

So the spotlight today is on Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Jen Corace series of "Little ..." books, published by Chronicle Books. The stories all share a similar concept, a variation on a traditional family routine -- eating, bedtime, clean-up -- and are totally charming and funny. The illustrations by Jen Corace are just marvelous: ink and watercolor, simple and uncluttered on a white background, but with plenty of carefully planned details.

Originally published as picture books from 2005 to 2009, they are now available in board book format as a box set.

What's next for these two very talented people? I'm looking forward to Amy's "The Wonder Book" with illustrations by Paul Schmid (I can't wait to see his work as well!) I'm also eagerly awaiting Jen Corace's "Mathilda and the orange ballon," written by Randall De Sève. Both books are being published by HarperCollins.

Look for books by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Jen Corace at your local library and bookstores!

One more from the Art Exchange

©Lukaluka

Now, look at these cool cats! That's the illustration for January in a fantastic 2010 Calendar created by Luka, a very talented artist from Vilnius, Lithuania. You can see more illustrations from her Cat Calendar (and other nifty creations) here.

Thank you very much, Luka! :-)

Illustration Friday | Crunchy

Crunchy acorn, anyone?
A quick one this week
;-)

Illustration Friday | Entangled

Admit it, this has happened to you too!

Admita, isto também já aconteceu com você!

Illustration Friday | Music

Guess what's playing on Itty Bitty Bear's iPod? Why, tango, of course!

Adivinha o que está tocando no iPod do Ursinho? Ora, tango, é claro!

Look what I got in the mail...

I was invited by Caroline Soer to take part in an art exchange project, and it's been such a fun and rewarding experience! Not only have I received delightful works of art, but I'm getting to know a lot of very talented artists:

From Jill Bergman, this sweet and delicate painting:

From Danita Art, this handmade ATC (can you see that the dress is made of fabric and sewn by hand?)

From Cathy Peng, an original ATC of "Kelly Green." Look at those eyes!

From Shirley Ng-Benitez, three ATC prints of the cutest mouse, her very own Monsieur Olivet!

Another ATC, this time from Loni Edwards, with her simply adorable "Farm Friends":

From Elisa Ann Lindstrom, this beautiful print of an absolutely lovely painting, "Amber Field":

And from Lisa Holtzman, calligraphy artist extraordinaire, this one of a kind painting, entitled "Shooting Star":

Pretty impressive, huh?! Be sure to visit the websites and blogs of these talented and generous artists. I'm certain you'll love seeing more of their work!

Illustration Friday | Unbalanced

They've done it before, but as you can see this is an extremely difficult maneuver.

Eles já fizeram isso antes, mas como vocês podem ver esta é uma manobra extremamente difícil.

Itty Bitty Bear | Ursinho

Playing around with pen and brush...

Brincando com caneta e pincél...

Illustration Friday | Skinny

Some bunnies worry too much about how they look...
Not terribly happy about this one (I couldn't get the mirror right), but illos don't come out good every time, right? ;-)

Tem coelhinhos que se preocupam demais com sua aparência...
Não estou muito satisfeita com esta ilustração (o espelho não saiu direito), mas elas não saem boas todas as vezes, não é? ;-)

Illustration Friday | Fast

Not fast enough...
Just ink for now -- will add color later :-)

Não rápido suficiente...
Apenas nanquim agora -- acrescentarei cor mais tarde :-)

Colors of fall | As cores do outono

For Watercolor Wednesday (inspired by the book "Leaves" by David Ezra Stein.) I always feel a bit sad once the last leaf falls...

Para Watercolor Wednesday (inspirado no livro "Folhas" de David Ezra Stein.) Sempre sinto-me um pouco triste quando cai a última folha...

Airmail!

Look what I got in the mail! A beautiful ATC from Caroline Soer, plus a bonus gift: a folded butterfly done with Japanese paper. Caroline and I traded ATCs and I couldn't be happier. This ATC is part of a series of Malaysian birds done with coloured crayon and collage. Just gorgeous...

Thank you, Caroline!

Illustration Friday | Germs

Do you remember the Peanuts strip where Lucy Van Pelt gets kissed by Snoopy and starts yelling: "Auugh! I've been kissed by a dog! I have dog germs!"?
Well, I for one love dog kisses!

Lembra da tira da Turma do Charlie Brown, quando a Lucy Van Pelt recebe um beijo do Snoopy and começa a gritar: "Aaah! Fui beijada por um cachorro! Estou com germes de cachorro!"?
Bem, eu adoro beijos de cachorro!

And the Kitty ATC goes to...

Thank you to all who participated in my first giveaway! I was on vacation this past week and it was wonderful to return home and find all your commentaries. I used an online random number generator (#1-10) to pick up the winner, and this ATC will go to Lil Kim!

Many thanks again! :-)

Obrigada a todos que participaram do meu primeiro sorteio! Estive de férias nesta última semana, e foi ótimo encontrar os seus comentários no meu retorno. Usei um gerador de números aleatórios (de 1 a 10) para selecionar o vencedor, e este ATC irá para Lil Kim!

Muito obrigada mais uma vez! :-)

Giveaway | Sorteio

My first giveaway! Here's an original ATC, from a quick sketch I did using pen and watercolor. In order to participate, just leave a comment and a way for me to reach you. Next Monday, October 5th, I'll draw the name of a winner. Good luck!

Meu primeiro sorteio! Aqui está um ATC (Artist Trading Card) feito a partir de um desenho que fiz com bico de pena e aquarela. Para participar, deixe um comentário e email para contato. Na próxima segunda-feira, 5 de outubro, eu farei o sorteio. Boa sorte!

Illustration Friday | Infinite

When I think of infinity, I imagine a vast, starry night sky. Who can resist looking up at the stars? I know I can't.

Quando penso no infinito, imagino um imenso céu estrelado. Quem é que consegue resistir olhar para as estrelas? Eu não consigo.

Saturday morning | Sábado de manhã

Finished ( I think...)

Terminado (Eu acho...)

Luta contra o abandono | Stop animal abandoment

Em Portugal, uma campanha importante contra o abandono dos animais. Clique aqui para aprender mais.

In Portugal, a campaign against animal abandonment. Click here to learn more.

Win a copy of Party Animals book!

Hurry to artist Kathy Weller's blog for a chance to win a copy of the book Party Animals, a collaboration of pet artists on a benefit project for A Place to Bark.

It's a great project for a very worthy cause. Stop by her blog and participate. I already did!

In Progress | Em andamento

A perfect early Saturday morning.

Um sábado de manhã cedinho perfeito.

Illustration Friday | Strong

Not an original, but I'm fond of this little guy... It was done for another IF's topic, Heavy, but I figured it could work for this week as well.

Não é uma ilustração original, mas eu gosto deste coelhinho... Foi feito para um outro tema, Pesado, mas achei que poderia se prestar para esta semana também.

Artist Trading Cards

Spotlight on Books and Illustrators

This time I'd like to share with you a series of terrific chapter books. Written and illustrated by the late Harry Horse, the books are: The last polar bears, The last gold diggers, The last cowboys and The last castaways.

The books' main characters, Grandfather and his independent canine companion Roo, tell their many adventures through letters addressed to his grandchild back home. The story lines are quirky and imaginative, sometimes silly, but always warm and loving. Roo quickly became one of my favorite dog characters!

And then there are the illustrations: done in pen and ink, they are simply wonderful: detailed, expressive and exquisite.

Published in the U.S. by Peachtree Publishers. Look for them at your local library or bookstores!

More doodles | Mais rabiscos

Little vegetable garden

Hortinha

Illustration Friday | Wrapped

Spotlight on Books and Illustrators

A bunny and a piglet, painting side by side, wish they were just like the other. In an attempt to look like their friend, they each try to change their colors, ears, noses and tails (in very creative and fun ways), until finally realizing they do indeed like themselves just the way they are.

Using fluid, spontaneous line work, Canadian artist Geneviève Côté creates a pair of loving, playful and adorable characters. With a touch of color against a mostly white background, she keeps the illustrations fresh and simple. According to the book, the artwork is rendered in mixed media – it seems like a combination of color pencil, watercolor and digital illustration. The end result is a delightful story about friendship and individuality that both children and adults can enjoy.

Published by Kids Can Press, it's now available at libraries and bookstores!

Award!

From Atelier Brigitte comes this moving award that celebrates art and friendship.

Thank you Brigitte and Bella, two very talented, generous and sensitive artists!

Illustration Friday | Modify

I realize this is a stretch for this week's theme, but I think it's time we modify our assumptions about pigs: they are in fact rather clean!

By the way, my attempt to post a doodle a day for a week went down in flames after 4 days. It's a great exercise, but it's hard to keep up the momentum ;-)

Está na hora de mudarmos nossa impressão sobre porcos: na verdade eles são muito limpinhos!

A propósito, minha tentativa de fazer um rabisco por dia por uma semana acabou depois de 4 dias. É um excelente exercício, mas é difícil manter o ritmo ;-)

Doodle 4 | Rabisco 4

One and a half -- a quick one tonight. Busy day!

Um e meio -- um desenho bem rápido hoje a noite. Dia cheio!

Doodle 3 | Rabisco 3

One more, again in pen and ink (Brause 66 and FW Acrylic Paint Sepia)

Mais um, novamente bico de pena e tinta (Brause 66 e tinta acrílica FW cor Sépia)

Doodle 2 | Rabisco 2

So far, so good :-)

Por enquanto, tudo bem :-)