upper left corner of the card.
Here is a corner of my newest piece of art. This will eventually be sent out as a postcard mailer. This is the line art and the first 2 layers of washes. Let me know what you think! Happy Friday.
A facebook friend posted this today.
The boys’ kindergarten class is starting a new project, called “Me on the Map”. A highlight of this unit is the Postcard Project. We will pass the school address to friends and family across the country and around the world. As the postcards come in, they will locate the different places on the map.
Please, if you have a spare moment, send a postcard in, no matter what part of the world you are in.
Mrs Wagner’s Class c/o
Claymont Elementary School
405 Country Club Drive
Ballwin, Mo 63011
Feel free to share this. Thanks for your help!
If you have a spare moment, it would be great if you could send the twins’ class a card. I know I have readers as far-flung as Australia and Italy. How cool would it be for these kindergarteners to get cards from all over the world?
I’ve been an avid viewer of the popular Sunday night series “Downton Abbey” on PBS. It’s not often that my TV viewing tastes coincide with a huge population, but this show has hit some pretty impressive numbers.
As a story-teller myself, I wonder what makes a show catch fire and take off.
What exactly is the secret formula? Is it the characters, the story, the scenery or a combination of them all?
The things that make Downton Abbey successful are also present in simplified form in children’s literature.
For example: in last night’s episode the younger daughter, who has lost her purpose as a wounded soldiers’ nurse, arrived at a life altering decision to get married. This is a big deal in and of itself, but there is added drama and story layering in this specific situation because she’s the lord’s daughter and her intended is the chauffeur. OMG! Not the help! The expected drama of her older relations becoming angry and forbidding the marriage plays itself out during the episode, but with a twist at the end.
Of course, in an adult drama such as this there are many such threads going on at the same time. In a picture book, there is usually only one main theme. But the drama that is present in the above situation can make for a compelling narrative in a children’s book as well.
What are some of your favorite kids’ books? Can you pick out the drama initiation, the build up of the emotions and the climax when the story resolves? Do books without this story development work?
Click on the image to get your 8.5X11 download coloring page.
I love to hear from you. Emails, comments and your colored pages make my day.
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I send out coloring pages to let people know about me, my art and my children’s books. Help support my efforts by spreading the word or buying any of my books. Please stop by any of my social networking sites to leave me a message (here is good too!) and let me know how you like the coloring pages. Remember, I provide these pages free of charge for your own personal use. Do not reproduce them or use them for any other purpose without my written permission.
I have been a long time fan of Ms. Chernik’s detailed Art Nouveau style work. When I heard she was releasing an autobiographical book, I had to have a copy.
Much of the work included is already available to be viewed on her website or her social networking sites, but what really makes me drool is the detail in the work I can observe on the printed page that just is lost when viewing a low resolution web image. The book is a tall 12” x 8”. The single-page, full-color plates are large enough to be able to see tiny details in the art, something that is often lost when the images are smaller.
That alone would have made the book worth the purchase for me. But there’s more.
Also included are tips on working in the industry, breaking in to licensing, dealing with different types of clients and Echo’s sketches, photo reference and insider looks into her working process and career development.
The final page is a FAQ that sums up questions readers might have not covered in other portions of the book.
A great coffee table book for Art Nouveau aficionados and a great reference book for artists looking for some insight into how successful contemporary artist’s career has progressed.
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Note: I purchased this book for my personal library. I have known Echo on-line for over a decade.
I just love getting an inside peek into how others in this profession work. Check out this 15 minute interview with Ed Emberly. Good stuff here:
