Wow. Stop doing something for a few months and it becomes hard to get into the habit again. I meant to pick up the daily doodle again after finishing the art for Smoky, but you know what they say about good intentions.

I guess I should not be so tough on myself. It’s not as if I haven’t been trying to put out all the fires that started while I was working so single-minded on the book art. My to-do-right-now list was several pages deep. I am finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s the train of my book signing tour coming to whisk me away from the studio for much of the rest of the spring.

I start out with a trip down to Texas, a new state as an author/illustrator. I’ve been there twice before. I have a cousin and her family living in a suburb of Houston. I thought about giving her a call and trying to meet up with her, but the logistics are just too hairy. I will be about an hour north of the city and without my own vehicle.

If you are in Texas, I’ll be at the CMA Beltane celebration from April 13-18. I will be out of the studio longer than that as it’s a couple days drive down and back. My poor husband quipped that I am abandoning him. I’m sure he’ll be fine.

In other news, a writer friend of mine put out a call to other middle grade authors. I was one of the 2 dozen writers that answered her call. We are banding together to form a web site focused on the middle grade audience. For those who are unfamiliar with that designation, it refers to books for the 9-13 old age group. Charolette’s Web is a famous book in this bracket. I had the total audacity to volunteer to be the webmeister. So in the time between now and my travels, I will be throwing together a multi-layered web site to promote the wonderful books aimed at younger readers. More info as it becomes available.

Next post will have some photos of the masks I have been feverishly working on to take with me to Texas. See you then!

I have been putting out fires since finishing the illustrations for Smoky and the Feast of Mabon. I uploaded all the files to the publisher and they only had a few minor changes. I received color proofs last Monday and they looked great! The books are in production now according to the publisher and I expect to see my F&Gs in early April. (An F&G is the picture book equivalent of an ARC for a novel.) Somehow, when I get the F&G the book finally feels “real” to me. I can’t wait.

One of the things I finally got around to was the last touches on the kitchen/dining room renovations. See the photos here. Chuck still has to help me get the last piece of furniture up from the basement, but I decided to take the pictures this afternoon after hanging the curtain rods and curtains in the dining room.

I am so pleased with the huge change. The rooms do not look as if they are even the same house as before. And it’s all so clean! It feels so much bigger, too.

Next home renovation project — the bathroom. SO not looking forward to that. There needs to be major plumbing replacement, so most of the budget will be spent on stuff that no one sees.

Red Lemon Club: Online Self Promotion for Creatives.

I am still working hard on the final illustrations for Smoky and the Feast of Mabon by Catherynne M. Valente. The book is now up on both the publisher’s web site and amazon for pre-order which really puts the pressure on me because people are ORDERING the book already. LOL

After I finish up with the book, the next big project on my to-do list is to make this site fully functional and work harder at bring me paying illustration jobs. I am learning all about marketing and SEO specifically geared toward creatives. The link above is my newest find.

Of course, having the info and taking it and implementing it are two entirely different animals. I have yet to figure out a good way to go about the implementing part where I actually follow through before another project distracts me. I have been on Twitter for a few months now (@lyonmartin) and the community I have found there tells me this is a common failing among my fellow artists. Seems we are all easily distracted.

I am itching to get back to my daily doodle. And my daily exercise routine. I don’t know why, but the stuff I do to keep myself sane the rest of the time slips away when I am finishing a book. The drug of choice this book has been cheese doodles. Go figure.

While trawling the internet for reference for my book art I came across this little gem of a video. I just wish there was more of the speech instead of excerpts.

I have been hard at work with the book art spreads for Smoky and the Feast of Mabon. It is official. I have “book brain.” This is the place I go when in the final throws of book illustration before the deadline and final art goes out. I call it book brain because my characters take over my head. I think of nothing else and even dream my characters. I wander around the house in a blur and I am amazed I have not managed to injure myself while cooking.

Tomorrow, I have to drive my DD into the city. I have two fears. The first is that I will space the trip entirely. And the second is I will be so immersed in book brain hi-jinx, I won’t remember to stop at red lights or look before merging.

Hopefully my characters are happy with all the attention I paid to them today and will let me get a good night’s sleep without demanding I attend to them at 4 am in the morning in a repeat of this morning. I can only hope.

You may have noticed a distinct lack of daily daily doodles. Between the kitchen renovation, the holiday festivities and having a book art deadline looming I find myself in a place where something had to give. Since the point of daily doodles is to make sure I draw everyday, no matter what, and I am busy on “real” art for the upcoming book. The doodles have been relegated to the back burner. (Kitchen pun intended.)

I will post rather sporadically over the next couple of months as the final push for the book art is in full throttle. No matter how well I plan time in advance of my deadlines, it seems as if there is always something to throw a monkey wrench into the works. At least I am getting better at forging forward when said wrench appears to muck up the works.

I recently received a copy (free – in exchange for my feedback and editing help) of Tara Reed’s Goal Wheel for Artists. She is a friend of mine who licenses art internationally and uses her marketing know how to help other creatives get a foot in. I was able to read through her very well crafted goal setting guide and use the knowledge gleaned from it in the production of my book art. I highly recommend the e-book download to other illustrators and writers who have trouble breaking down their goals and projects into do-able bites. Thanks Tara, you totally rock!

My drafting table is growling at me so I had better go and sharpen those pencils, kneed those erasers and make magic on paper. I’ll see you when I see you. Good energy and thoughts for deep creative well springs and accomplishment are always welcome and appreciated.