Stranger Danger

Someone is in danger.  Carmen the chipmunk and Sidney the red squirrel are looking up high in a tree.  And somebody else is looking at them. And then there's the raccoon in the background looking at everyone.  There's a lot of looking going on.  But very little eating...yet!

I think cat paws are pretty darn cute. But in this illustration, they're about to snag a tail.  But whose will it be?

And here's a real life squirrel who really is in danger.  Ha!  I added him just for the fun of it.

Danger is the theme for www.illustrationfriday.com this week.

Small Weddings

Great Expectations

There are a lot of small things in this world.  Thumb tacks, shot glasses (way too small) whiskers, newspaper print, acorns, fairies and frogs.... 

Well, I could go on and on.  But what could be smaller than a fairy wedding?  All of the guests would be small. Hopefully, that would mean the cost would be small as well.  I guess it would depend on how many woodland creatures are in attendance.  There would definitely need to be a vegan menu. But the venue would be free and the flowers could be hand picked. 

 And when the chipmunk proclaimed them man and wife, or frog and fairy, the crowd could pick a dandelion puff and blow seeds over the happy couple.

Small is the theme this week at www.illustrationfriday.com

Summer Time

Well, this one was a no brainer.  Summer is the theme this week over at www.illustrationfriday.com  Easy as pie.  Or my favorite Summer Breakfast.  I've already made this with bing cherries this Spring.  And I can't wait to have it with the black raspberries shown here.  I don't have to worry about the local chipmunks stealing a bite.  But my cat Hana would give it a go.  Last night she managed to grab a whole cranberry cornmeal muffin and drop it on the floor.  AAARRRGGGHH! 

And don't forget to enjoy this with Summer strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.  Even peaches.  Oh my.  Summer is the best.

Imagination

click to enlarge

I finished Great Expectations a few weeks ago.  It is my most ambitious illustration to date.  And a lot of imagination went into it. I was inspired by the art work for the May/June SCBWI bulletin by John Rocco.  He illustrated carp-shaped kite balloons to represent the Kodomo no Hi national holiday in Japan.  It was his kite perspective that I tried to incorporate into my piece with the hovering butterflies. His cover was the best darn SCBWI bulletin art to date.

I worked on this piece all Summer. I had many beautiful drawing sessions outside at lake Harriet. And there is so much going on that it is best viewed at original size.  Sorry, you can't do that over the internet.  My favorite part is the big dandelion puffs in the foreground.  I painstakingly tried to get some realism there.  And look at all my labels.  I guess there were a lot of wedding guests!  I hope there is a happy ending. 

P.S.  Be sure to plant your toes firmly in the ground and read my last post.  You might have won an award!   

Hurry!

I should be ashamed to post more Sidney the Unstoppable Squirrel at this point. Will those cat paws ever catch him?  Will he become one of those half tailed squirrels we feel sorry for?  Sniff.  No bushy tail to keep him warm through a Minnesota Winter. But Sidney yet again fits the hurry theme.

I do feel like I have run out of new art to post for www.illustrationfriday.com  I was lucky enough to complete two exciting back to back book contracts last Winter.  Forty-six pages of new art. Whew!  None of which I can post on my blog.  Shoot.  Not that I'm complaining. But I did just post some new art over at www.mondayartday.blogspot.com  It's called Mani Pedi with a Monster. Check it out if you dare.   

Dumb Bunny

click to enlarge

This is a selection from my series of illustrations for Sidney the Unstoppable Squirrel.  It is one of my first illustrations for children's books.  I've grown a lot as an illustrator since then.  But it still remains one of my old favorites.  And oddly enough I don't think I've posted this one for Friday Fish Fry before.  The theme today is puzzled.  And that is exactly what dumb bunny is feeling.  He lost the map to the magic corn kernels after all.   He's a little long in the tooth and possibly pea brained.  Poor kid.  

I'll be back to my regular blogging schedule next week.   So be sure to check back on Monday for my funny bunny post and then a recipe for lucky rabbit feet stew on Wednesday.  O.K., I don't want to get off on the wrong foot with any new blog followers.  So no more bunny cotton tails/tales.  But only because the critters didn't chew our raspberries down to nubbins this year.  My husband was thinking all Fatal Attraction after that!    

Silent

I'm posting this oldie but goodie today for www.illustrationfriday.com This scene is one page of a two page spread. Here's the scoop...



Carmen knew exactly where to find the crazy red fox. His den was under the tallest oak tree in the forest. "This is the one," said Carmen. Sidney looked up and smiled. The oak's branches spread out like a giant maze towering over all the other trees in the forest. Sidney's smile spread from ear to ear thinking about all the fun he'd have climbing the wise old tree. "Wow!" said Carmen as she raised her eyes to see the tippity top. All of a sudden Carmen felt the odd sensation of prickles racing up and down her back. Out of the corner of her eye she could see a shadow creeping towards them. "Well hello my yummy little friends." It was the red fox!



Obviously the fox was silent in his stalking.

Hibernate

It is Friday again already. And that means it is www.illustrationfriday.com day. I picked an old illustration from my story, Sidney the Unstoppable Squirrel. I thought it would be perfect to follow my last chipmunk post. In my illustration Carmen the chipmunk is popping out of her hole to say hello to Sidney the squirrel. I sure gave Carmen a weird hole to hibernate in. All it needs is a manhole cover and she could be on the streets of New York. I'm sure that the chipmunks in our yard have been much more selective with their den placement. I know our little friend from my previous post put hers underneath our deck. And with all the corn she has stored up for Winter it must be huge! I don't think chippers actually hibernate so much as they sleep for long periods and then wake up for a snack. Kind of like a teenager I guess.

Say hello to my little friend!

My husband had a bright idea. And it actually worked. He held completely still with a hand full of corn. Eventually our little friend darted up and bravely filled her cheeks. And those cheeks can hold at least 16 corn kernels. Luckily my husband just happens to have 100 pounds of corn sitting around. The mother load! No wonder the chippers love us so much.

Now I gave it a try. Success! It was pretty fun to feel her little hands leaning on mine. So cute.

Stuffed cheeks, brave hearts and full dens. (My Friday Night Lights theme for chipmunks)

UPDATE!: A few days later I was sitting outside on a deck chair. I had my feet up and was focused on a drawing project. I noticed our little friend was hanging around. All of a sudden she jumped up on my feet, looked at me and silently pleaded for more corn. I couldn't believe how brave she was. No photos of this event. But it definitely put a smile on my face.

Kenny 365

I've been participating in a really fun community photo project. 365 photos of our neighborhood. One photo every day for a whole year. I thought it was a good time to post the photos I've submitted so far since there is a change of seasons going on. Sniff. Soon the photos will reflect cooler temps, Fall leaves and maybe some pumpkins popping up around the neighborhood. There are 17 Kenny photographers snapping shots. It all started on June 1st and will keep rolling until the end of May 2012. I bet I don't have one blog visitor that would like to visit the website to see ALL the photos taken so far. But here's a link anyway! http://www.kennyneighborhood.org/

Sidney's Journey

When I turned my attention from fine art to children's illustration, Sidney the Unstoppable Squirrel was my very first project. I wrote and illustrated a completely unpublishable short story. But it's still kind of cute. And I still love the illustrations. The story introduces Sidney and his very good friend Carmen the chipmunk. Together they embark on a journey to find the magic corn kernels hidden somewhere in the forest. Journey is the http://www.illustrationfriday.com/ theme today. Here's an excerpt from my story... They ran for the hole as fast as they could. Sidney could hear the cat's paws beat faster and faster behind him. Then Carmen dove for the hole and Sidney was right behind. He squeezed inside just as an Orange Paw swiped his backside. From the safety of their new den they peered outside. A big Orange face snarled back at them. "Yuck, fish breath!" said Carmen shaking her head. And with a twitch of a whisker and a splash of smelly drool the cat left. "We won!" shouted Sidney. Not the end!

This is where the wild things are.

I illustrated the painted moose art for the Minnesota SCBWI's Summer field trip to the Zoo. To see the flyer visit http://www.minnesotascbwi.org/ I like to think that after the beaver finishes painting the patient moose, the moose decides to kick the beaver sharply in the be-hind. The paint and the beaver fly into the shallow water. Unfortunately the poor beaver is forced to swim away through a swirl of paint clutching the paintbrush tightly between his two front teeth. The End. In honor of Zoo Day (which I missed, darn it all) I decided to create a HUGE post of animal photos. Have fun at my Zoo!

Corn chips.

This fawn was photographed in Hatfield, WI.

A Howler monkey at Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica.

Standing tough.

Baby

My pet bat...not.

Owl butterfly.

I'm talk'in turkey at Fort Snelling.

Akua

White faced monkey.

Monster Hummer.

It's a Kinkajou raiding the hummingbird feeder. At Monteverde.

This behind belongs to a Coati.

We like to think that we saved this frog from the volcanically heated pool. He didn't say thank you.

This sloth dared to cross a busy highway. Luckily a local gentleman stopped his vehicle and escorted him safely across. Near Fortuna, Costa Rica.

A Red-lored Parrot perhaps?

This is the extremely rare White-throated Magpie-Jay. Ha!

This is a beloved house cat. Hana! To see more beloved house cats visit http://www.gattinamycats.blogspot.com/