Happy Halloween!

BoOoOoOoooooo

Golden Kite Award

Well today or tomorrow

"The Giving Meadow"

written by Stephanie Burkhart

illustrated by Stephen Macquignon

will be in the hands of the Judges for the

Golden Kite Award. 

The book will be judged by my peers on the illustrations I did for the book.

 the Golden Kite awards are sponsored by the

Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators,

 I am keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well. 

This is the link to the rules

 (CLICK ME LINK:)

Thanks Diana for the insperation

Thanks Diana for the inspiration,
Well it is done! the illustration that I'm nicknaming "Chasing the Balloon (Dream)" is finished.
 In a way aren't we all chasing a balloon? Trying to reach are next goal in are lives. When I started to work on this piece it was just to have a little fun with a good friend, colleague, and very talented artist who I have enjoyed knowing for some years now.
Then I realized after a slight bump in the road that this illustration is my dreams that I'm chasing. And along the way there are disappointments like not being excepted into "The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art"  because I am not a major player and there is limited room available.
I would also love to see the books I have illustrated on a bookshelf (outside of my own) I have contacted some book stores with no one yet returning my emails.
Another dream I have is illustrating a hard cover picture book 8.5 x 11 in size with a dust jacket, I really want the dust jacket!  But that may not happen as well. According to an article in The New York Times picture books are on the decline some of that is do to bad economy, another reason is parents are not buying their kids picture books (Click here for full article).

I am starting to illustrate my ninth book with 4RV Publishing called "Why I Am I Me?" written by Wayne Harris-Wyrick,  I have done a total of eight picture books and one YA novel. all paperbacks,

out of the eight that I have done seven are available for purchase and the eighth should be out sometime early next year (2011) called "Libby the Odd Squirrel"  More to come on Libby when I find out more.

Thanks for the ear

&

HAPPY COLUMBUS DAY!

     

Diana is to blame

You can blame Diana for this one.  

Diana Navarro illustrator of "Priscilla Holmes, Ace Detective",  
wrote a comment that said

"I love the movement in this sketch and I hope to see you go further with it"

well I'm now working on it.

So this is the Pen & Ink version, I'm coloring it now.

Just remember not all your artwork becomes a portfolio piece,

sometimes you need to do it just for your self .

Happy Drawing!

&

Buy her book 

Can someone validate my parking ticket?

Angeline Jellybean & Halloween

"Angeline Jellybean"

 is the first picture book I illustrated for 4RV Publishing.

It is also the only picture book I did that has some of the holidays as part of its story,

the themes start with Easter and ends with Angeline Birthday.

(I know not really a holiday (except maybe to Angeline))

But the book is fun to read and the illustrations are not bad either.

With Halloween around the corner it made me think of a couple of the pages in this book,

and how this picture book could be given as a gift almost all year round   

You can check out the reviews on Amazon reviews

Written by Crystalee Calderwood, illustrated by Stephen Macquignon

published by 4RV publishing

to purchase this book there are many ways to get it

B&N, 4RV Publishing 

and of course Amazon

(you can find a link to this book as well as others on the top of my blog under "My Picks")