Illustration Friday | Winter

This illustration was an assignment I did for a children's book illustration class I took a few years ago -- a black and white spread illustrating a poem.  We had several poems to choose from, but this one by Oliver Herford (1863-1935) was my favorite.  As some of you already know, I don't enjoy winter.  The short days and cold weather are hard to take for a Brazilian like me.  But this poem is so simple and so full of hope, I fell in love with it.  Click on the image to enlarge it.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Este trabalho foi feito há alguns anos atrás para uma aula de ilustração infantil -- ilustrar em preto e branco um poema em duas páginas.  Haviam vários poemas para serem escolhidos, mas este escrito por Oliver Herford (1863-1935) foi meu favorito.  Como alguns de vocês sabem, eu não gosto de inverno.  Os dias curtos e o tempo frio são difíceis de suportar para uma brasileira como eu.  Mas este poema é tão simples e tão cheio de esperança, eu me apaixonei por ele.  Clique na imagem para aumentá-la.


Feliz Natal a todos!

Illustration Friday | Mail

Mail the old-fashioned way.

Correio da maneira antiga.

Illustration Friday | Savour

 

Savouring a large cup of hot chocolate.  One of the few things I like about cold weather!

A very quick pen and ink sketch this week.  

Apreciando uma caneca grande de chocolate quente.  Uma das poucas coisas que eu gosto quando o tempo está frio!  Esta semana um desenho rápido a bico de pena.

Illustration Friday | Afterwards

Afterwards, Bunny and Bear were quite pleased with their work.

Depois, tanto o Coelho como o Urso estavam bem satisfeitos com seu trabalho.

Blessing of the Animals

Every year I take my dog Constance to the Blessing of the Animals at a nearby church.  We meet dogs, cats, guinea pigs, ferrets (even one time a fish in a bowl!) and have a wonderful time celebrating St. Francis and his love for all animals.

This year I was contacted by Ginger Berstrom, Family Ministry and Communications Director at The Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul in Charleston, South Carolina.  She wanted to use some of my animal drawings to design a poster and door hangers promoting their Blessing of the Animals service.  I was happy to be able to contribute in a small way to this good cause, and delighted with the end result.  I think Ginger did a great job incorporating my drawings into the materials and I hope you think so too!

Illustration Friday | Spooky

Oops, perhaps a bit TOO spooky?

I haven't been able to participate in IF lately, but this week I couldn't resist.

Opa, talvez um pouco assustador DEMAIS?

Não tenho podido participar no IF ultimamente, mas esta semana não resisti.

Drawn in Brooklyn Exhibitions

The Brooklyn Public Library is hosting a fantastic exhibit of original children's book illustrations by 34 artists who live and work in Brooklyn.

You can read all about it here.

Drawn in Brooklyn runs from September 21, 2010 until January 23, 2011 at the Central Library, Grand Army Plaza.

It's sounds amazing, doesn't it? See you there!

Spotlight on Books and Illustrators

Did you know that October is Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month? Well, it is! So I thought I'd share with you five pictures books about adopting or rescuing dogs. Perfect, right?


We begin with "Let's Get a Pup! said Kate" by Bob Graham (Candlewick, 2001) in which Kate and her parents go to a shelter looking to adopt a new dog. Kate's cat Tiger died the previous winter but now it's summer and she's ready to find a new friend. First they bring home Dave, a puppy full of energy. But at the shelter they also meet Rosy, an older dog that radiates "good intention." What will they do? Can Rosy find her forever home with Kate as well?

Next comes "The Stray Dog" by Marc Simont (HarperCollins, 2001) from a true story by Reiko Sassa. A family out for a fun Sunday picnic in the park meet a stray dog. They name him Willy and play all day. When it's time to go home the dog stays behind, but as the week goes by no one can stop thinking about the him. The following Saturday they're back in the park, but where is Willy?


In "Before You Were Mine" by Maribeth Boelts with illustrations by David Walker (Putnam, 2007) a little boy wonders what his rescued dog's life was like before he adopted him. A truly sweet story, the boy imagines both happy and sad scenarios and we join him in wondering how this loving pup ended up in a shelter. An author's note at the end talks about the benefits of adopting.


In Stephen Michael King's Mutt Dog ( Harcourt, 2005) we meet a little dog living all alone on the street looking for both food and shelter. We follow him on a particularly windy and rainy night as he takes refuge in a homeless shelter. Will mutt dog ever find a home of his own?



Finally, there's "A Day, a Dog" by Gabrielle Vincent (Front Street, 2000), a wordless book that starts with a dog being abandoned by the side of the road. No words are necessary to express his confusion and fear in what can only be described as a powerful story. Although in picture book format, this book is better for older children and adults, but it's one that shouldn't be missed by animal lovers and illustrators alike. An amazing book.

There it is. Do you have favorite books about rescuing pets? I'd love to hear about them!

Illustration Friday | Immovable

"What?! Why are you pushing me?!"

"Que foi?! Por que você está me empurrando?"

2010 Original Art: Celebrating the Fine Art of Children's Book Illustration

Did you hear it?

The super talented Renata Liwska has won the Gold Medal at this year's Society of Illustrators' 2010 Original Art: Celebrating the Fine Art of Children's Book Illustration for her work on The Quiet Book written by Deborah Underwood.

This is a fantastic exhibit! If you're going to be in New York City, it is a must see :-)

The publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, is doing a random drawing for a chance to win a piece of original artwork by Renata Liwska. Very cool!! Click here to learn all about it!

Illustration Friday | Star Gazing

This is not a new illustration -- in fact, I created it last year for another IF theme (Infinite). But I have a soft spot for these two polar bears, and think they express perfectly this week's theme. Hope you like them too!

:-)

Esta não é uma ilustração nova -- na verdade foi criada ano passado para um outro tema IF (Infinito). Mas eu gosto muito destes ursos polares, e acho que eles expressam o tema desta semana perfeitamente. Espero que gostem também!

:-)

Illustration Friday | Caged

A quick line sketch for this week's theme.

Um rascunho rápido para o tema desta semana.

Illustration Friday | Diary

Some bears lead very busy lives...

Alguns ursos levam uma vida social intensa...

HUGE News!!! | GRANDES Notícias!!!

I'm jumping for joy!!!

Estou pulando de alegria!!

I'm thrilled to announce that I have a TWO book deal with Nancy Paulsen Books, a new imprint at Penguin Young Readers Group.

The first is a picture book based on the true story of Baltic, a dog found stranded on an ice floe in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Poland this past January. This incredible story made news all over the world, and when I first heard about it I used it as inspiration for an Illustration Friday post on the theme "Adrift."

From there I began to write the story and work on some possible illustrations. Now, thanks to my extraordinary and very talented agent Teresa Kietlinski at Prospect Agency, the story has found a home and will become my first picture book. The topic of the second book is still to be determined, but needless to say I'm very excited about the many possibilities!

Estou alegríssima de anunciar que fui escolhida para publicar DOIS livros com Nancy Paulsen Books, uma nova editora do grupo Penguin Young Readers Group.

O primeiro livro é baseado na história real de Baltic, o cão que foi encontrado flutuando num pedaço de gelo no Mar Báltico, perto da costa da Polônia. Esta estória incrível foi noticiada no mundo todo, e serviu de inspiração para minha participação no Illustration Friday com tema "Adrift (A deriva)"

A partir daí começei a escrever a estória e fazer mais desenhos. E agora, graças a minha extraordinária e talentosa agente Teresa Kietlinski da Prospect Agency, esta estória vai se tornar meu primeiro livro infantil. O tema do segundo livro ainda será determinado, mas naturalmente estou super excitada com as possibilitades!

Spotlight on Books and Illustrators

Author and illustrator Betsy Lewin has a brand new book coming out called Where is Tippy Toes? Published by Simon & Schuster, it follows the adventures of a playful cat from morning to night.

Her latest work reminds me of a lovely book she illustrated back in 1988, written by Maria Polushkin, called Kitten in Trouble. This book is currently out of print, but I was lucky to find a very nice copy at a used bookstore.

.

Betsy Lewin has a wonderfully loose and fluid style. Her characters come to life with just a few perfectly laid brush strokes, which make them seem deceptively simple. I remember when I first came across this book and how I fell in love with Betsy's art.

In her terrific book Show and Tell: Exploring the Fine Art of Children's Book Illustration, Dilys Evans devotes a chapter to Betsy Lewin entitled "Liquid thought." This book is a must read for anyone interested in children's book art!

Ripple

Too late for Illustration Friday, but still in time to help raise money for the animals affected by the terrible oil spill in the Gulf. You can read about this fantastic project by Kelly Light on her blog Ripple.

Muito tarde para Illustration Friday, mas ainda em tempo para ajudar a arrecadar dinheiro para os animais afetados pelo terrível vazamento de óleo no Golfo. Leia a respeito deste projeto fantástico da Kelly Light no seu blog Ripple.

(2.5" x 3.5" ATC ink and watercolor)

Rescue mission | Missão de resgate

"Thank goodness! I thought I'd never get out of there!!"

"Ainda bem! Pensei que nunca iria escapar de lá!!"

What's Raccoon up to? | O que é que o Guaxinim está fazendo?

Just pencil | Só lápis

Quick sketch

A quick sketch of my personal assistant and muse!

Um desenho rápido da minha assistente pessoal e musa!