Wendy Martin's Art Blog

This is the size of my pencil before I decided I had to open the new package and throw this one out. I had a half dozen others about the same size, but this one won the “to the nub” crown. I can’t hold on to it when I put it in the sharpener. Definitely time to let it go.

I guess you could call me frugal. I hold on to things until they are used up to the point of uselessness. Sometimes this is a good thing. Sometimes, it is not. I have drawers full of fabric scraps I plan to do “something” with someday. I should probably just throw them away. But I hate to throw anything away. Honest, I’d rather give it to someone who can use it before I put it in the garbage.

As you probably surmised from the nub above, I have been drawing my fingers off. The thumbnails for a book always take far longer than one would think because this is the experimental stage of the book. This is the time to decide the flow or full bleed/vignettes and whether to do a close up or distance view. I must admit, this thumbnail workout is moving much faster than the previous books. Either I am getting better or I have finally come to a place where I understand what needs to be done to make the book pages work. I’m thinking it must be a bit of both.

Sadly, for NaNoWriMO anyway, I have discovered I can either write all day long or draw all day long. I cannot switch between the two disciplines and have anything I am satisfied with by the end of the day. I wonder if other author/illustrators have found the same sort of thing happening with them. Might be an interesting question to add to my interview roster.

Many writers post a play list when working on their next novel. So, if inquiring minds want to know I am listening to jazz. Right now Helen Humes is singing her heart out.

And just to make sure I am totally insane by the end of the year, this afternoon I am signing the agreement to renovate the kitchen. I am a bit nervous about making the down payment.

Back to the drawing board – literally!