Dandelion Sky

Just started a new summer promo/personal piece. I'm calling it 'Dandelion Sky' ...inspired a bit by Miyazaki movies, a bit by Ray Bradbury's book Dandelion Wine, and a whole lot by the feel of summer!

Much more to go: but I like the way it's shaping up!

(As you can see I also decided, after coloring the initial sketch, that this would make a really nice wide-format wallpaper.)

Not Dead, Just Highly Occupied

Don't let the fact that I've been suspiciously quite since Christmas fool you. I've been quite occupied. Mainly on that picture book I started a year ago. I've been working both on an updated 40 page dummy and the text... Which may end up as a very long poem.

Also in the works are a myriad of projects for clients, including a huge one for a fellow in Holland (and I can say no more). This secrecy stuff is rather enjoyable ;)

Oh yes, I've also just finished a brand-new logo for my Illustration business, which I plan to incorporate into my new website design.

Skyscape and L-24

Been working on some G-14 classified (or maybe L-24?) artwork. Yep, my children's book. I finally decided to dust off the book dummy and get those remaining two finished "sample" paintings done. I spent a good deal of yesterday and today paining and repainting and re-repainting a certain 'scape of ocean and clouds. Urrggggg! I now have the utmost respect for those artists who are good at such things. I do think I've found a solution to my problem though, but it calls for one killer skyscape.

A Startling Realization

So this morning, I checked my e-mail. Nothing. Or rather not the go-ahead I need to take the next step. You see, I'm still waiting for a response from the author to nail out details for the sketch (for my latest cover art project). And I thought: "there goes another day." But then I got to thinking (yes, more thinking!) and I realized something

...something very important that I've been missing.

Ever since graduating I've been focused on getting and doing paying illustration work. Art for other people. I've often gone months without doing anything (art-wise) just for myself. In fact, I did more of what I wanted when I was a student and that was with loads of classwork. And -a confession here- when the inevitable lolls came between jobs I'd would do a bit of illustration "business" work, but mostly I mess around.

But it isn't really the art for other people, the book covers, etc, that will get me to my dream situation, it's the art that I'm always "too busy" for: my own. Because, while I do aim to continue working on book covers, and want to keep getting bigger and better cover projects, what I really would like to do is spend more of my time doing pictures from my imagination. I'd like to write and illustrate my own children's books. In fact, I dare say I'd like to pump most of my effort into this.

So WHY if I want to do my own pictures for my own stories aren't I farther along with it? Why in all of this "down time" have I not completed all 3 of the sample images I planned for River of Dreams? Not sent it off to prospective publishers? If I want to work toward my dream... Why?

A good question.

Luckily, today I found something helpful: Bobby Chiu's YouTube podcasts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yit95pgZEeo

Here's an awesome digital painter/illustrator who has really inspiring philosophies on art & life which he shares as he paints a quick sketch. The man has me pumped. So much so, that instead of doing any goofing off today, I've made awesome progress in one of the aforementioned River of Dreams images. I'll not show it yet, least I jinx myself, but I'm pretty psyched! Thank you Bobby!

Ice Storms and Logos

I've been very very busy, mostly with business. I think I've got the accounting thing somewhat settled now (or is that just an "I hope"?) I'm in negotiations on the next likely project. It is a children's book painting to be included with the author's submission packet. I've been spending a good bit of the past couple days working on a logo for my illustration business. Not done yet, but see below for the present state. :)

I'm very glad that I got the battery replaced in my Blackout Buster, as we've been inflicted with a major ice storm and very strong winds as of late. Nothing scares me worse than my computer shutting itself down before I can save what I'm doing. When the 8-year-old battery was in, it would shutdown without warning. Even if it was just a surge. Rumor has it there is another ice storm coming.

Sweet Progress

My next cover commission is still in progress (being edited) so I've had a bit more down time than I expected. So I decided to use my time "wisely" and work on my picture book idea.

I now have a (roughly) 2,000 word story (hopefully, I can further tighten and shorten in the next revision).

On the illustration side. I made a series of tiny thumbnails so sloppy that only I could decipher them in my sketchbook (with a real pen, no less!)

For the past week I've been working to make these into more readable roughs, and also to work out a potential layout. I really like the idea of using mostly spreads, with the first and last images being single-side images.

Here is what I've come up with so-far:



The BIG version (with the actually legable text is here, warning 2.5 MB):

http://www.ldiehl.com/wip/bookdummy_wip.jpg

A Secret About Stories

I am now in the process of paring down my just written children's book manuscript, which is about 1,000 words "too long." Must... lose... description.... Or something like that.

I went to my local books-a-million today looking for Writing With Pictures: How to Write and Illustrate Children's Books by Uri Shulevitz and, of course, they didn't have it. Looks like I'll be ordering that one from Amazon. I hate buying books that I can't flip through first.

So what is this secret? It's not my secret, but a fine jewel of advice from an experienced Author/Illustrator Barbara Helen Berger. She is best know for her book Grandfather Twilight, which I really want to get my hands on.

The site uses frames so it is a little hard to link to. But here is the frameless page:


http://bhberger.com/children/features/secret_stories.htm?ok

And here is the link to her main site: (The "secret" I'm talking about is under features> secrets>

http://bhberger.com

At any rate, I'm very happy I discovered it. The idea of working from the pictures to tell the story seems the easiest way for me. A big thank-you to Barbara!

The River of Dreams

I'm pretty excited. You see, I've been scheming and dreaming for the past week, trying to come up with a good story for my first picture book. Last night I had a terrible time trying to get to sleep. Ever had your brain turned on so high you can't shut it down?

So as I lay in bed willing myself to sleep, the idea hit me. I was even able to come up with how to do it in 14 picture (spreads). I typically think in images not in words, anyway.

I was even able to finally convinced myself that writing it all down was more important than sleep. The funny thing is that my handwriting at 12:31 AM, with my glasses off, by the meager light of my alarm clock, when I'm half asleep, doesn't look much different from "normal."

This story is inspired by this image of mine, though it is mostly the setting and not these exact characters:



It's sort of a fairy tale. I do think it is going to make a good book though. Heck, all I want to do is get back to roughing it out at the moment.