you are amazing

I painted this in honor of my sister-in-law Katie Lundquist, who is amazing. She just graduated from Warren Wilson College in North Carolina and the whole family went out to celebrate with her. I wanted to make her a custom card which says more than just congratulations on it, something which expresses how proud we are of her and her accomplishments. Hope this did the trick!

PS. she is a great writer, so check out her blog! 

http://lightonbalance.blogspot.com

Children's Book Week!

Happy Children's Book Week!! 

Why not celebrate by visiting your local library or children's bookstore?
(You can also build a fort)

bunnyboy

1927

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny, 1927

family portrait

Family portrait of the Bunny family circ. 1939

new etsy items!

My Etsy Shop

Journals! Handmade with 100% recycled cardstock covers and filled with high quality recycled sketchbook paper (Fabriano, made with windpower in Itlay!)

New! These thank you cards feature my characters Bunny and Fig the Fox! Handmade with 100% recycled cardstock.

save the date

I've just been commissioned to do this Save the Date design for a couple of friends, Sam and Alex. They told me that their favorite animals were bunnies and walruses (respectively) and asked if an illustration of both could be on the design -heck yes! I was excited immediately about the idea of drawing this adorable pair. The bunny was easy as pie since I've been drawing my bunny character for a while now, but the walrus was new and so a bit of a challenge. I looked up photos of the animal to get the shape of the body right and found it pretty easy to translate into my style. The trickiest part was the funny mustache business they have, I struggled to get it right, but I love how it came out in the end! (Note the sketch below has no walrus-y mustache because I wasn't sure how to draw it.)

ps. My husband Jesse may or may not have thought that the walrus was a lobster at first....

happiness and suspicion

moving the boat

Bunny has the best friends.

jump!

party!

This little scene speaks for itself, I believe! Bunny's friends know him well and have given him books for his birthday, mostly non-fiction and how-to manuals. He's going to have learn how to build himself another bookshelf!

super bunny

Here are a few more of the most recent Bunny and Bear pictures. I'm working on illustrating the characters in diverse settings and using interesting perspectives. I really love the painting of Super Bunny (above) because he seems weightless, like the clouds behind him.

This one shows the interior of Bunny's home, in the trunk of a tree. His place is cosy and he has made pot of hot chocolate to cheer himself up a bit because his plans for the day must wait until the rain lets up. 

Bunny has recruited Bear into helping him build a boat, so they pack a lunch of sandwiches and a thermos of cocoa and begin felling the first tree to make into lumber. I don't think they realize how much work building a boat will be, but at least they are doing it together and have brought snacks to carry them through it.

More to come!

bunny and bear

Summertime, watercolor, 2012

Sometimes you happen to create a character or two who really interest you. These little friends are Bunny and Bear and they are the main characters in a series I've been working on. For some reason I have grown fond of them, like friends, and am having a great time thinking up a world for them to live in. 

Bunny is curious and is always scheming and trying new things, like building a boat or organizing a pancake feast for the neighborhood. He doesn't mind taking a day off though, to just laze about and nap in a hammock! Bear is Bunny's best friend and the friend we all hope to have, dedicated and thoughtful, although he's got some quirks which make him unique and even more lovable. 

Stay tuned as I will be posting more of the adventures of Bunny and Bear!

Over Land, watercolor, 2012

Over Water, watercolor, 2012

Dance, watercolor, 2012

I also want to mention that I attended the Summer conference of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators last weekend and it was amazing. I learned so much and was incredibly inspired by the wonderful speakers. On top of that my portfolio received and 'Honorable Mention" at the portfolio showcase! If you are looking to become an illustrator or author of children's books, I highly suggest joining this society because it's a great resource and community. 

bunny stories

Meet my new little character, Bunn. He's a little rabbit who will some day soon have a little story to be a part of, though for now I'm just exploring how to draw him and his other critter friends. 

Here he is on a bicycle, probably zipping through the little animal town.

He is learning to swim in the local pond, but is a little worried.

I think he's a little down because it's raining outside.

This is such a fun little world to create and I'll be posting further developments on this blog. When I've got a strong story and illustrations I plan to put together a children's book dummy and send it to agents and publishers, both as a sample of my skills but also in hopes of getting it published!

In other news, I've been designing a logo for an organic farm in Canada and I have also done two wedding invitations recently. On top of this I'm currently working on designs for a mural which I'll be flying to Boston to paint in June! The mural is at 1369 Coffee House in Cambridge (Inman Square) and it's going to rock. 

So, lots of things are happening and soon there will be new posts with images of these recent projects. Subscribe to this blog so you can be notified when I post an update. Just type your email address into the subscribe box on the right column.

One more thing: I added Facebook/Twitter icons to these posts so that you can share them with your friends....you know you want to!