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 :-)

Doodle | Rabisco

A little experiment this week: can I do one doodle a day and post it this week? I'm going to give it a try. Sounds manageable, so let's see if I can keep it up.

Um pequeno teste: consigo fazer um desenho de rabisco por dia esta semana e postar? Vou tentar. Parece-me possível, vamos ver se mantenho o ritmo.

Another giveaway!

Have you been to Elisa Ann Lindstrom blog lately? You should! Her paintings and cards are delightful and full of charm.

She is having a giveaway and everyone is invited to participate. I've been the lucky winner of her cards before, and it's such a treat to get them in the mail. :-)

Illustration Friday | Idle

i.dle: not spent or filled with activity
We all could use some idle time, don't you think?

o.ci.o.so: que não tem ocupação, que não faz nada
Faz bem passar um tempo sem fazer nada, não acham?

Koo & Poppet Giveaway

Meet Bear, a delightful handmade misfit creature created by Koo & Poppet and a terrific giveaway. He's quite charming, isn't he?

Be sure to visit her blog to participate and maybe bring him home! :-)

Illustration Friday | Tango

Bunnies, again. This time with romance (and music) in the air :-)

Coelhinhos, de novo. Desta vez com romance (e música) no ar :-)

Illustration Friday | Hollow

Helloooo!

Ooooiiiii!

Little painting | Pinturinha

Father's Day | Dia dos Pais

This week's prompt for Watercolor Wednesday is "Father's Day." So I decided to bring this little fellow back for the celebration.

Esta semana o tema para o blog Watercolor Wednesday é "Dia dos Pais." Decidi então trazer de volta este amiguinho para a comemoração.

Spotlight on Books and Illustrators

From France comes a delightful series of books written by Jean-Philippe Arrou-Vigno and illustrated by Olivier Tallec. The first two books have been published in the U.S. by Chronicle Books with more to come. Yipeee!

It's Rita's birthday, but she's not happy. None of her presents seem right (too big, too small, too medium) until one of them starts to jiggle and bounce off the floor. Out comes a charming little dog, with as much personality as our little heroine. They are bound to become great friends!

The illustrations are deceptively simple, but absolutely adorable and engaging. Pencil lines and just a bit of orange against a white background, and they're off!

Learn more about them in this nifty video and look for the books at your local library and bookstore!

Illustration Friday | Unfold

And where exactly ARE the folds, you might ask? Look closely at the long scarf! :-)
I did the sketch for this little illustration a while back, as an idea for a Christmas card. I came across it the other day and finally finished it for this week's theme. The colors didn't translate very well, though -- sometimes I have a really hard time with my scanner. It's hit or miss!

Last weekend I attended the Illustrator's Day 2009 Conference, sponsored by the SCBWI-PA. It was a great experience, and I got to meet Carli Moua in person! I met a lot of really good illustrators with different styles and techniques, and got some good feedback on my work. I'm planning on attending more of these events this year, they are a great way to learn and network.

Mid-America Bully Breed Rescue

The Mid-America Bully Breed Rescue is having a Boarding Donation Drive.

Stacey Hsu, the gifted artist from Three Red Trees is participating by donating 100% of all June profits from her Etsy store to help with this fundraising effort. This is a wonderful opportunity to get some beautiful and original artwork from Stacey and help with a very worthy cause.

You can also donate directly by clicking on the widget at the top right. Every amount helps and goes 100% to the dogs!

Thanks, everyone!