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

Zoom

Mary the Fairy and Billie the Bee

I almost didn't post today for www.illustrationfriday.com  I really didn't have anything great for zoom.  Except this old thing.  And I'm not talking about the sweat pants that I happen to be wearing.  But I always enjoy the treasure hunt of digging something up each week.  Sometimes it is my latest and greatest.  Other times it is like discovering the favorite sweater that you forgot to unpack from a suitcase.  It still makes you feel warm and fuzzy just looking at it.  And then there are times when you dig up a moth eaten old rag.  

But do you know what?  I usually end up posting those rags anyway.  And do you know why?  Because one person's garbage might be another's treasure.  You never know. 

And while you are here be sure to scroll down and check out my first illustrated book giveaway.  Or click Book Giveaway for the scoop.  I'll be drawing names in a couple weeks. It would make a great Christmas gift.

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!   

Shiny

click to enlarge

I did this illustration way back in the day.  And I thought the light beams shining through the trees would be perfect for the www.illustrationfriday.com theme.  Not that I think this painting is perfect.  Far from it.  But I still love the magical mushrooms and the washy green grass.  The big mushroom on the far left is definitely worthy of a fairy tale.  And my little fairy Petunia is still kind of cute.   

Highlight

This was the first illustration (click to enlarge) I completed when I switched my career plan from fine art painting to freelance illustration.  It is from my whimsical story Petunia's Slightly Slow Adventure.  I usually don't like to post my early pieces because they don't reflect the quality of my current work.  They are not the highlight of my career by any means.  And this piece has some clunky areas.  But there are things I still like about it.  I love the mushroom's vibrant color and the watercolor technique of the grass.  And the rays of light fit the theme over at Fridays are Hawaiian shirt day  

Here's my favorite paragraph from my (unedited) story...

They came to a clearing and all looked around.  And what they saw was so scary they didn't utter a sound.  A campfire glowed with five Witches dancing around.  They were swinging their arms wildly first up and then down.  They had crazy gray hair and ratty black gowns.  Petunia was scared and so was Mr. Mouse.  But the Black Cat didn't know what all the fuss was about.  Then as the Queen watched a smile slowly spread across her face  She snorted, shook her head and let a little giggle slip out.  What they thought was so scary turned out to be sweet.  The Witches were catching fireflies for little Toad to eat!

Petunia was thrilled they had found Toad at last.  And do you know what?  She hadn't even been flying that fast.  

The end.

They scattered in complete terror!

The word scattered always reminds me of The Waffle House. "I'll take my hash browns scattered, smothered and covered please" Yum. But today it is the theme over at www.illustrationfriday.com And luckily it is not called Best Illustration Friday. Because this number hot off the slush pile is an oldie and not so goodie. It kind of looks unfinished. And I'm not sure what possessed me to use that weird yellow color behind the fly swatter dude. But I don't mind posting my early pieces because with a lot of practice I've come a long way. And I've been painting non stop for several years now. And it's not all bad. The fly swatter rocks!

Things with wispy wings

I was feeling uninspired about what to post today. And then I ran across a butterfly photo that was taken a few weeks ago. Suddenly I had butterflies on the brain. Here are some wispy winged creatures from my photo archives...

Mini SWARM

Today's http://www.illustrationfriday.com/ theme is swarm. I think you'll have to use your imagination on this one! Imagine the friendly looking bee flying off and swarming with his pals. BBBZZZZZ!

I did this illustration around 3 years ago. It depicted a scene from my story, "The Tale of the Magic Cat Whiskers" I really shouldn't let my idea of magic cat whiskers go to waste. I still love that idea. But the illustration...not so much. I've really grown as an illustrator since I did this piece. But one thing I do love about this illo is the glowing green color of the flowers. Speaking of flowers...


This is my magic orchid. It was in full bloom last May. I always call it my magic orchid because it has been blooming without fail for many years now.

Flash forward... to today to be exact. And my orchid is at it again. The magic buds starting forming around 1-2 months ago. And it now has 4 blooms and many more to come. And it was only about 6 months ago that it was still in its last flower mode.

I do have 2 cats. And that is a lot of magic whiskers after all!