It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas...

I know, I know, Thanksgiving hasn't even been celebrated and I'm already planning for Christmas!

My family draws names for our family gift exchange, and then we purchase or make something for the individuals whose names we have drawn. We all start out with great intentions of buying or making our gifts early, but year after year SOME of us end up in a mad rush. I am so thankful that last year I followed through and got things done early. I was so relaxed and as we gathered together, I was truly able to celebrate the REASON for the season. I like that peace and joy that I was able to experience, and fully intend to get things done early this year also.

What's on my Easel...
I'm amazed at how many people collect snowman "things," but that knowledge helped me focus on this year's offering of handpainted ornaments and Christmas cards. Each ornament is an original, hand signed, miniature painting. Each original painting is framed in a hanging ornament frame, and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Following are some examples of the framed, miniature originals -- they will be added to my Etsy shop tonight, and more will be added throughout the holiday season.


Snowman Christmas Cards will also be offered individually and in sets...


From the Jewelry Box...
Today the jewelry box holds three new simple, but elegant earring sets. Each set is made with Sterling Silver ear wires and Sterling silver, glass, and Swarovski Crystal beads.


Cover to Cover...
The book printers have done an excellent job in providing all of the information we need to move forward. At this stage in the game, I am drawing rough sketches of each page. Once I have a few more done, they will be submitted to the author for comment/suggestions, etc. The rough sketches will then be refined a bit, and once we agree that they tell the story, they will be made into "formal" illustrations.

Today's Quote...
"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." ~ Will Rogers

It's Tuesday -- Time for Another Update...

The U.S. celebrated Labor Day yesterday. I enjoyed the holiday and tried to labor as little as possible = )

Over the holiday weekend, I set up my new computer. Yes, I am one of "those" graphic designers who uses a PC and not a MAC. I purchased a Dell Studio XPS 16 laptop with a high-def. screen, extra memory and a beefier processing system. It is powerful, fast, and is managing my software programs (Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign; Corel Painter II, etc.) quite well. I enjoyed setting it up and my first painting session leads to...

What's on my Easel...

The Tribute to Francis painting is coming along. I now have all of the primary color in and will now start to refine and work towards completion. Deb Festa, you will have your painting before the month is over!


From the Jewelry Box...
My new toy (computer) took all of my free time, so there is nothing new in the jewelry box for today. My husband's niece, Kim, is getting married Saturday, so I'm certain I'll be creating something new to wear to her wedding!

Cover to Cover...
The book is progressing nicely. I met with the author yesterday and we are in the process of deciding on a printer, (there are a few more questions that need clarification before we can make the final decision). We have decided a few things, though: the page size will be 8-1/2" x 11", the format will be landscape (wide), and the illustrations will be drawn and painted on the computer on watercolor textured paper.

The next step is to contact the printers and obtain their layout specifications. Once I have that information we can finalize the overall content of each page and I can start laying out the book and roughing out the illustrations -- yea!

Quote for the day...
"What we learn to do, we learn by doing." ~ Aristotle

Joy is an Inside Job

I've come to a bit of a realization -- while I was in the gallery in Morro Bay, I painted things that I THOUGHT (hoped) would sell to the "tourists", however I lost somewhat of myself in that. What I love to paint are what I call "Portraits of Life -- of people, pets, places and favorite things" -- in other words, things that are important and special to me and those that commission my paintings.

What's on my Easel...

It is an absolute joy to work on the "Tribute to Francis" painting. As I paint I am able to focus on Francis' life and the impact that he had. I am thankful for the beauty that he graced us with -- for the irises that fill my front garden with beauty, and for the legacy of a family in which he can be proud.

As a reminder, this is where we left off...


The painting is still in process. As I paint small sections, I see other sections that need additional attention -- like the yellow iris. Now that the purple iris is blocked in and partially painted, I see that the yellow iris is too light and doesn't have enough contrast to complement the purple iris.

I will continue working on this painting and provide you with an update next Tuesday.

From the Jewelry Box...

Since I started posting about jewelry making, I have received some requests to share my newly acquired wire wrapping skills. I have to confess, I am still pretty "green", but I love to see that "aha" moment as people learn new things, and am happy to share what I know...or what I think I know... with others. Robin was one who recently asked if I would teach her how to wire wrap. We set up a time and she came to my home, learned the basics of wire wrapping, and she made a lovely pair of reddish orange earrings. Robin is one of those creative sorts, so I can't wait to see what she will create!

I have always loved the ocean and am VERY thankful that we live on California's central coast. My latest necklace and earring design is based on the shells of the ocean and reflection of the sun on the water...


Cover to Cover...
When I started "making art," I learned that there was so much more to it than just standing in a museum or gallery and appreciating the work that someone else had created. There was the inspiration, the planning, the making the work itself. Then there are a multitude of background activities and processes involved in getting the artwork ready for presentation or sale. Well, just as I learned there is more to the artwork than just the finished product, I am learning that there is more to a book than just going to the bookstore, pulling one off of the shelf, reading it, and then setting it aside.

When asked to illustrate a children's book my mind immediately went into process mode and asked...How many illustrations? How many pages? Full color or select colors? Portrait (tall) or landscape (wide)? What is the page size? Will the illustrations go to the edge of page or will there be a margin?

Never having worked on a book before, these are questions the author and I began researching. We contacted publishers and book printers, and the information we received from them caused our heads to spin. Not really, but we realized that there is a lot involved in publishing a book.

At this point, we have determined the number of pages and the page size -- the other questions are yet to be answered. As we continue down the publishing road, I will continue to share what we learn along the way.

Until then, remember...

Quote of the day...
"Joy is not in things; it is in us." -- Richard Wagner