teacher

One of the greatest rewards of teaching is when students find their own special way to show their appreciation.  On my last day of teaching at Sacred Heart's Sophie Scholars summer program, one of my students gave me a Pudgy Puppy Zombie Dog doll that she had spent weeks hand-sewing.  My heart instantly melted.

As a reminder, here's the original Pudgy Puppy Zombie Dog:

I showed kids the process I used to create Pudgy Puppy to teach them the basics of cartoon design.  I think my student did a pretty good job at replicating him don't you think? ;) 

freeze

You might freeze while belly sliding through snow, but racing penguins looove it. . .especially because they get to fart snowflakes! 

I designed this logo for my boyfriend's 24 Hours of Lemons team, since their theme is "arctic explorers."  I'll also be painting a belly sliding penguin on the side of their car. . .woo hoo :)

In case you want to color your own snowflake farting, belly sliding, racing penguin, here's a free coloring page:

Sorry for the long absence from blogland.  I'm about to wrap up my last week of workshops at Sacred Heart Atherton before going on a few personal trips to LA and then Burning Man (yikes).  I'll try to put in another post somewhere in there but no promises!

carry

I just spent a wonderful weekend playing board games at a friend's family cabin and there was a charming gnome chilling outside the entrance.  I decided to reinterpret him for Illustration Friday's "carry." I figured blueberries would be the perfect thing to carry for the summer season :)

I went for a less saturated look and I think I may have gone too far. . but hey, that's part of the exploration process right?  And here's another free coloring page, so you can try out your own color combinations!

I'm not sure when my next entry will be.  I'm in the middle of teaching cartoon workshops again to some very bright and talented kids.  You may remember the results from last year here.

Also, I'm excited to announce that I'll be giving a talk about my picture book A Moment in Time at Book Passage on Saturday, December 8, 11am.  I'll be talking about turning moments into memories and memories into universal stories (through pictures and words).  I hope to see you there! 

refresh

Long time no bunny!  For July 4th, Hipster Bunny takes a refreshing dip in the pool. . with old school swim swag (uppity English rubber ducky included lol).

As always, hipster bunny comes with. . a free coloring page!

Also, don't forget that my picture book is now for sale at my Etsy shop.  Just click on either image below to purchase a copy :).

It will look so pretty on your book shelf!

And it comes with a personalized doodle from yours truly!

Until next time folks, Happy Independence Day. . .I'll be celebrating with the powerful combination of family + friends + fireworks!

space

What could these pigships from outer space want with our pigs and chickens?  You'll have to find out when Attack of the Space Chickens is available in my Etsy shop.  Coming soon!

Speaking of Etsy shop, you can now purchase a signed copy of "A Moment in Time", illustrated by me and written by the lovely Jennifer Butenas.  I've got to say, it turned out very nicely, and the book would be a perfect gift for any kid, especially those future photographers!  Click on the photo below to get your own copy . . limited supplies available:

This book would look great on your shelf!

Look!  It also comes with a doodle, hand-drawn by yours truly :).

Best Graphic Novel!

"Attack of the Space Chickens" Winner:
Best of the The Graphic Novel at the 2012 San Mateo County Fair- Award
Sponsored by Peninsula Arts Council

 

Woo Hoo!  Looks like my Space Chickens are going to get an award this weekend at the San Mateo Fair.  It even includes a one year membership to the Peninsula Arts Council :)

I want to thank everyone who made this possible (including the pigships).  I think Captain Cluck would definitely be proud!

hurry!

If you've got some innovative know-how, then there's no need to hurry!  Just check out this tortoise and his slightly modified rocket ;)

You can probably tell by the different painting and inking techniques, but I had to post an old illustration for this week's Illustration Friday.  I have a good excuse though, because my schedule has been MAD crazy recently. Here's the down-low:

I just came back from an epic East Coast trip spanning three states. . then immediately after that, I was hired last minute to help illustrate for this moving documentary about the life of mothers in WWII Japanese internment camps.  It's a short deadline, followed by a children's book conference in Corte Madera. .so once again, the blog's going to be a little sparse for a while :(.

However, I can leave you with pictures of a little something I got in the mail today:


That's right folks. . my first published picture book!!  It was 10 long months of hard work, patience, and collaboration with my fellow partner-in-picture-book-crime Jennifer Butenas. . but I definitely think the end result was well worth the effort.

I need some time to process things but will have ordering information for signed copies of A Moment in Time soon :)