You can only do so much

I'd like to get it all done. But in an unusually sensible train of thought I have decided, NO, I am not superhuman. This comes as a bit of a surprise, and I figure it is a sign of age. I am hoping it might be wisdom, but that may be asking a bit much.

I talk of the fact that it's 17 days until Los Angeles SCBWI conference and the completely new images for the portfolio are not going to happen. Most illustrators I talk to at this stage in their career (ie not published widely) seem to spend a LOT of time agonising over their portfolio. Especially the ones, like me, that have been around the block and back. The more youthful in the field are not weighed down by the pressures of life, failures and successes it seems and throw a portfolio together with innocence and abandon. We more mature folks have perhaps too much choice, or over analyse. See? I am doing it right now.

So I am going to put in only images from the problem solving books I am working on, which will be the same style and are fun and do reflect me. And that's FINAL!

Which is what I have been working on this week, the last in the series of 4 books. WHY did I decide to work on four books at once!!!! Share the Bear is turning out to be a lot more detailed than the previous three ... I think this is because the setting is all interior, and their are more characters and they have more characteristics. I hope to be done with the roughs by Wednesday. I have a bit of tweaking to do on 2 of the others (I decided to but all the speech into bubbles, as it is all direct and I think it works better.)

Here are some of the roughs for Bear ...

I am enjoying these characters ... and the bunny slippers! I don't know why Share is wearing them, they just appeared. It's great when a character tells you what they want. Happens in illustration too, as well as when writing.

And if your wondering I am still waiting to hear from the Lovely Agent. Friday was a day of anxiety, jumping when the phone rang, checking email every nanosecond.. I must admit I really, really, REALLY hate the waiting that seems a big part of the publishing word in all sorts of aspects. I can deal with abject failure much easier than I can with a grain of hope. Well it could be worse. I could be repossessing rental TV's. And yes I did that in a former life, and countiing piles of doggie doo for a town council litter group (Keep Britain Tidy). Ah, happy days ...

So, to take my mind off the LA (lovely Agent, not the conference) I am out on the schooner Isaac H Evans for an overnight trip tonight, so I had better get my skates on and do some chores. 'im indoors is installing the new dishwasher (hurrah! been a long time coming) while I am gone, so have to do some insulating behind it before I go. (I get the fiddly jobs being non skilled.)

Had an email from an author/illustrator I met at a conference this week ... she is working with an English Art Director. He asked for less cartoony, so she veered more realistic, when what he wanted apparently was more 'illustrative', like Quentin Blake, EH Shepherd etc, which she would have considered cartoony ... lol, culture differences. I wonder if anyone else has come across 'illustrative' in USA and what it means here?

TTFN and thanks for dropping by ...

Hazel
aka The Wacky Brit.

On the bedside table this week"
Can I play too (Elephant and Piggie Book) Mo Willems
City Dog, Country Frog - Mo Willems and Jon J Muth
Dawdle Duckling, Ready or Not Dawdle Duckling, Little Loon and Papa by Toni Buzzeo and Margaret Spengler
The Sea Chest by Toni Buzzeo and Mary Grandpre

Could be gone in a moment, couldn't it?

In somewhat philosophical mood this weekend. Life has a way of reminding us what is, and is not, important.

On Thursday I was cock-a-hoop, COCK-A-FLIPPING-HOOP I tell you, to receive a reply to a query letter I sent out a month or so ago from a NY agent requesting to see more of the PB problem solving manuscript I am working on. Needless to say I fandango'd around the studio, dogs scattered to sofas/cupboards/bushes until the dust had settled. All day Friday I worked on the rough, making some alts that had been in my head a while until, finally, with bulging eyes and buzzing brain, I pressed 'send'. And now I wait trepidatiously (spelling?) for the Lovely Agent to reply. I do not like waiting :-(

And then, just as I had finished, through the village came roaring a posse of fire trucks, blaring and a huffing and puffing. I cursed them for disturbing the peace and then wondered if it was a yahoo who had been showing off to his friends or a cat stuck in a tree.

I didn't have long to wonder. My flippant attitude well and truly banished by the news from a good friend that the fire had infact been her husband's workshop and sculpture studio burning to the ground. Years of work and tools and memories gone in a moment. Thank goodness, we said, that the wind was moderately stilled after a gusty morning or the house would have gone too. And thank goodness no one was hurt. But all gone, so fast.

It put in to perspective my lust to get my work out there NOW. I still have the ways and means to create at my disposal, there is always tomorrow, universe willing. I am reminded to not take things for granted and so to appreciate it more. Life needs to slap us round the head occasionally. I just wish it wasn't always when a tragedy strikes.

In their kitchen now is a little box emitting a VERY insistent squawking. A little frazzled chick rescued from the fire, demanding ground turkey and drops of water. I hope Phoenix makes it. Life is more important than stuff, however much the stuff may mean.

What else?

I have been working on greeting card designs for a client in Washington State, here's a mermaid in watercolour ...

and I began to layout the 4th book in the problem solving series (Share the Bear) ... here's an illustration of her (pencil and photoshop). So far I am liking the characters ... what do you think?

Oh yes, and it is some sort of holiday in the USA today. Independence something? Wasn't this the day the Brit's washed the hands of the whole affair and said your on your own now?

Me, I'm painting window frames.

Tatty bye until next time ... count your blessings y'all.

Hazel
aka The Wacky Brit.

PS reading this week:

"Miss Brooks Loves Books and I Don't" Barbara Bottner and Michael Emberley


"The Very Fairy Princess" Julie Andrews, Emma Walton Hamilton, Christine Davenier

PPS ... Farewell to a wonderful writer Beryl Bainbridge one of England's best.

We are sailing ...

Do you remember the old Rod Stewart song? Here's a link if you don't! Which is a segway to the fact that I have been bunking off the last two weekends and been all out at sea on the Maine Schooner Isaac H Evans. And now work is piled up, but heck, it was great to be skipping the waves of the beautiful Maine ocean, on an historic ship with a bunch of fun people and far too much sun, lobster and a few bevvies (drinks to you). I gained a very sun-burned nose, swam in the sea (just me and a hardy 8 yr old, all the rest were chicken). The wind gave us some good speed and we had a lobster bake on a deserted island beach. It doesn't get any better. Sunday night I slept on deck, under the stars, a three quarter moon dazzling, stars spinning above me as the boat gently rocked making the sky appear to move. Not much for me to complain about this week!

So here are some photos and sketches from the trip/s.

Looks like the drawing cruise I am leading on the schooner in September is filling up too! So if you want to come, nows the time to reserve that cabin.

This week I have been working on the illustrations for Little Rabbit and the Four Leaf Clover ... may have them done for the weekend ... it's a cute story.

What else? Oh yes, a fun time at Pittsfield Library giving an illustrator's talk as part of their summer programme. Lot's of fun and bright kids - always ... and gratified when a teenager came up afterwards to tell me that he nearly stayed home, but that he had a lot of fun and was glad he came along. Hurrah!

6 weeks till LA conference and still not started on the new portfolio images. ARRRGGGGHHHHH.
In laws visiting end of July ... to do list gone crazy ..... DOUBLE ARRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
Still haven't roughed out last in the problem solving series of picture books I am working on. (SIGH.)

Well, I will  be 'PLEASURE BOUND AGAIN LIZZIE' to quote Mr. Bennett, so I only have myself to blame.

English VAT going up to 20%!! YIKES. Makes me glad to be in America, much though I miss England sometimes.

TTFN till next time.

Hazel
aka The Wacky Brit.

PS ... books on the bed side table this week:

Instructions - Neil Gaiman & Charles Ness

The Sandwich Swap - Queen Rania (and Kelly DiPucchio illustrations Tricia Tusa.)

Ladybug Girl at the Beach - David Soman and Jacky Davis

Lilly's Big Day - Kevin Henkes