KID'S CORNER - BALLET SHOES

Every week I post a colouring/activity page for you to print out and give to children - yours, someone else's or to use in a school or library. All I ask is that it is not used for commercial purposes.

Simply click on the image below and print  for your children to colour.

Don't forget to follow my blog so you will receive the latest Kid's Page on a weekly basis.

Hazel

aka The Wacky Brit

Finals and Contract

It's been a long week at the computer. Monday I finished the finals for the book for Free Spirit Publishing. They are looking good and more news when the publicity is out. My eyes were crossing during the final check through for dust specks and left behind pencil lines. Thank goodness for photoshop! I remember the days of marking them out on negatives. What fun that was with little red dabbers and red cellophane tape.

Thursday I got the contract to illustrate a book with Charlesbridge that has been in the works for the last several weeks. So this, my friends, is pretty exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My first book contract with royalties. Up until now my stuff has been on a work to hire basis (which to those who do not know means I get paid once and no residuals.) My fingers are crossed that this is the thin end of the wedge. And you know, I am behind that wedge with a big ol' HAMMER.

I wait still for the answer from the LOVELY AGENT on whether they are interested in working with me or not. Patience.

In between lots to do, including drawings for 'Wee Three', a book of poems for children by Marta Moran-Bishop. Here are a couple of them - they are going to be black and white and I used a dipping pen, because I like the linear accidents it gives you ...

 

and working on some pencils for a children's book by Margy Robertson-Reid all the way up there in Saskatchewan called Crazy Days. 

The in-house critic has been busy this week too ... here's a shot of him relaxing in the sunshine.

Winter is still holding off in Maine. Felt like September yesterday, (from what I could tell in the studio with the blinds pulled down).

I finished Quentin Blake's book 'Words and Pictures' this week. What a good read. I felt connected to him in several ways .. first because his first ventures into illustrating began when he was serving in the British Army (and I am, if you have been following along, Ex Royal Navy, and worked in Naval graphics studios), plus he didn't attend art college long term (me neither). It is comforting to know that a top illustrator can also spend hours surrounded by a mountain of discarded paper while he tries to get the exact position of two dots for eyes in the right place. I hope I eventually can get the dots right half as often as the brilliant Mr Blake.

Right, Sunday or not, I am going to paint the cover for 'Wee Three' and then work on the pastel of a panel for HORSE ... see last week's post for details.

Have a splendiforus Sunday where ever you are. I quite fancy some Yorkshire Puds for dinner :-) what about you?

Toodles

Hazel

aka The Wacky Brit.

PS

I am still reading everything that was on the bedside table last week.

PPS

Little Sprout is recovering well from her surgery ... here is a pic of her in her onesey.

Out of Adversity comes Creativity

Last week I was telling you about our old boy Oreo, who'd had a reprieve at the vet. Unfortunately it didn't last long. By the weekend he couldn't walk, and trying to pick him up at the weekend he nipped my face. He was devastated and sat with his head on my lap all night.

I had a lovely shiner, and was able to blame 'im indoors and give the neighborhood something to gossip about.

Oreo eventually went to doggie heaven on Wednesday last week ... the lovely Chris Demarest drew me this beautiful sketch from a picture I posted on Face Book ... RIP Oreo we miss you ...

if you don't know Chris' children's illustration check him out here ...

So that was Wednesday morning  ... on Wednesday afternoon I had the artist's reception for my Fire and Ice Photographs at Eastern Maine Community College. So I took out my English Stiff Upper Lip and gave a rather rambling talk on the photos ... but it was actually a lot of fun, and nice to talk to people about my work. Afterwards a fun meal with friends which helped take the edge of a difficult day.

Thursday - dog number two - Sprout, our little blind Cockapoo had to have surgery for breast cancer. We left her at the vet and hoped that we would be bringing her home later. I don't think we had enough Kleenex in the house to cope otherwise. Glad to report Sprout pulled through, had a large tumor removed and a couple of little ones, and 2 teeth! She had her drains removed this morning and is doing nicely.

Here she is recovering in her baby onesy ...

So all in all, a helluva week.

In the midst of all this I still had to have the finals done for the book for Freespirit Publishing. I did it! Finished them this afternoon. Amazing how much you can cope with when you try. Not that I am complaining ... I have a home, someone to love me, work, all my limbs and am not living in an earthquake aftermath. It's not so bad.

But still. When your sad, your sad. And in amongst the sadness I had an idea for a new book. ('Here she goes again', I hear you cry, 'what about all the other ideas she keeps springing on us!! When will we be able to buy those in my local B&N??' - be fair reader, I have finished the math dummies, and I can't do anything else about those until I hear back from THE AGENT. Sigh.)

The new idea is about a girl and her horse. I don't want to give away too much (when do I?) but it is not like anything else I have come up with (SO FAR). It is much more about emotions and dealing with sadness. I suppose I channeled my grief from this week. Here are a few sketches from the rough layout. I am going to do one of them in pastel .. (yes NOT in photoshop!) I would love to have feedback on what you think of the roughs and of the finished pastel ... hopefully I will get to post it in the next couple of weeks. I bought a beautiful piece of sanded gray pastel paper ... actually it is probably too good to draw on. I just want to pin it on the wall and think 'Did I really pay THAT MUCH for a piece of paper?'

Leaving you with some photographs taken just as the sun was setting one evening this week. Last night we had a storm and I think the rest of the leaves are gone, so I am glad I took these in time.

Work. This week .... sketches for the poetry book Wee Three by Marta Moran Bishop and for 'Crazy Days' by Margy Robertson Reid way up in the far flung realms of Northern Canada.

a rather weary Wacky Brit signing off
Hazel

on the bedside table this week:

Tim Burton - The Interviews
Questionable Creatures (A Bestiary) - Pauline Baynes
Save the Cat Goes to the Movies - Blake Snyder
Zen Ghosts - Jon J Muth
Words and Pictures - Quentin Blake
Fancy Nancy & the Fabulous Fashion Boutique - Jane O' Connor, Robin Preiss Glasser
Olivia Goes To Venice - Ian Falconer
Art & Max - David Weisner

(I went a bit mad at the library!)