by abby on May 6, 2013 | Comment
Has it been a very busy start to May for you too? Last week was so busy with books and art that I didn’t even get a chance to blog about what I was doing! Thankfully, I’m working at a much more sane pace this week and I can share with you what I’ve been creating.
I’m in my full painting mode to create lots of new artwork for the TWO ROCHESTER SUMMER ART FESTIVALS. I’ll be in one in early August and one in early September. I’ll be sharing more information on these upcoming events next month once I know booth locations and schedules.
August and September may seem a long ways away, but I’m a one woman show, so it takes lots of energy and organization to prepare and create for two weekend art festivals. Currently, I’m in the most fun part of my preparation—the creation of new paintings and new playful paper goods!
After the fantastic response I got from the Star Gazing illustration of a mother and daughter rabbit looking up into the night sky. I thought I’d create a sweet scene where a father and son can have their own night sky moment. Ta-da!
I’m very happy the final painting. I especially adore the little astronaut teddy bear the little boy rabbit is holding. Say it with me, “Awwwww…”
This painting will be available in my Etsy Shoppe soon as a high-quality digital watercolor print. The image size is 6″x 6″ centered on an 8″ x 8″ sheet of watercolor paper. If you can’t wait, you can pre-order the Make A Wish print by sending me an email. Otherwise, I will let you all know when new prints are in my Shoppe.
Did you ever star gaze with a parent or grandparent?
by abby on April 25, 2013 | Comment
Hooray for Friday and hooray for Spring sunshine here in upstate New York! It’s been a busy week getting back into the swing of book design and painting. My plan today is to have a great day at my drawing table working on the Birthday Parade illustration I’ve started. Cute, right? I’m working a little larger than I have recently to see if I can create great brush marks and washes in the painting. I’m letting the creativity flow!
Oh and I thought I’d give you a little peak into my sketchbook too. I usually keep my sketchbook close to my heart. Sketchbooks are visual journals for me. I write and draw in mine. Some of my sketch pages are for my eyes only and others can be shared with the world. Here are a couple that I do want to share:
{Animal characters—some of which ended up in the new painting on working on}
{“My Wishes” concept sketches. More to come on this project!}
This weekend, I’m celebrating Spring weather by watching some baseball with D (gooooo Mets!) and maybe even grilling out on our porch! Whoo-ooo!
What are you up to this weekend?
by abby on April 12, 2013 | Comment
In between book design and introducing myself to new publishers across the country I was able to find time to sit down and draw this week. It was an afternoon of explosive creativity! I was able to compose 3 new ideas for 3 new watercolor illustrations. I think that’s the most I’ve ever done in one sitting. I love that now my drawing table is actually covered in new drawings. Yay!
My head is already bubbling with new ideas for even more paintings. I seem to hibernate a little in winter, but I’m so excited to be feeling the flow all this creative energy again. I’m pushing myself to have several new painting and prints for Rochester’s summer art festivals.
Hope you have a great weekend!
by abby on April 1, 2013 | Comment
It’s Spring and I’ve hit favorite time to paint and create. I wanted to share with you one of my newest paintings! I call it Star Gazing and it features a Mother Rabbit and her Little Daughter snuggled together on a hill side looking up into the star-filled night sky.
I unveiled this painting to the public at RIT’s Spring Craft Festival 2 weeks ago and the reactions from customers visiting the AbbyDora Design table was instantaneous. I heard a lot of “Awwwwwwww” and “That’s so sweet”. It’s music to my ears! I think one of my goals with my art is to really channel the emotional connection between the viewer and the art. I know my favorite pieces are the ones where you can connect to them with your own life and memories.
The Star Gazing print is now available in my Etsy Shop. The original painting which is framed in a natural wood frame is also available for purchase. If you you would like more information about the framed painting please send me an email.
DON’T FORGET—I NEED YOUR VOTE TOO!
It’s the last week of voting!
I’ve entered into a holiday card contest at minted.com and I NEED YOUR VOTE TO WIN to have my Flying Dove card showcased on minted.com.
TO VOTE:
1. Click on the Dove Card above. It will take you to the the Flying Dove voting page.
2. Rank my card.
3. Follow the prompts to create a minted.com account. This occurs because to have YOUR VOTE COUNT you will must create a minted account. It’s quick and easy.
That’s it! Thank you!
by abby on March 18, 2013 | Comment
It’s a busy week! First off, THIS Friday I will be at the RIT Spring Art Festival from 8:30am-4:30pm. The Festival will be held in the lobby of the SAU on RIT’s campus. I’ll have a table filled with Spring art goodies! There will be NEW Spring prints (like the little fellow above) to share as well as cute Spring themed notecards and greeting cards perfect for Easter and Mother’s Day. I hope if you are in the area you will stop by to say hello .
Secondly, voting for the 6th Annual Children’s Choice Books Awards starts TODAY! The Children’s Choice Book Awards is the only national book awards program where the winning titles are selected by children and teens of all ages. There are 4 age categories: K-2nd, 3-4th, 5-6th, and Teens. Teachers, Librarians, and Bookseller also have a separate page where they can cast their own vote too.
Launched in 2008 by the Children’s Book Council and Every Child A Reader (The CBC Foundation), The Children’s Choice Book Awards program was created to provide young readers with an opportunity to voice their opinions about the books being written for them and to help develop a reading list that will motivate children to read more and cultivate a love of reading. Read more about the CCBA.
Happy Voting!
by abby on March 7, 2013 | Comment
Have you heard yet? Children’s Book Week is May 13-19th this year. CBW is a wonderful annual tradition where schools, libraries, and even families take time to recognize books for young people and the joy of reading. Sounds good to me!
CBW is actually the longest continual running national literacy initiative in the country. It was started back in 1913 by a savvy librarian named, Franklin K. Matthiews. He was the librarian of the Boy Scouts of America and began touring the country to promote higher standards in children’s books. He proposed creating a Children’s Book Week to focus the energies and attention on quality books for children from the key players in children’s publishing: the publishers, booksellers, and librarians. There’s more to this story here.
Today you can expect schools and libraries to offer fun events all across the country. The venues of participating bookstores and libraries are listed on the CBW website.
Best yet—you can even order your own FREE copy of the 2013 CBW Poster created by Caldecott Winner Illustrator: Brian Selznick. He is the creator of he Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck (I just finished reading Wonderstuck and it truly is fabulous as he tells 2 stories in 1 book. The first story is told with words and the second is told only with illustrations. Grab your own copy to see how he blends the two together!)
Finally the winners of the 2013 Children’s Choice Book Awards are announced live during Children’s Book Week at the Children’s Choice Book Awards Gala (think Academy awards of children’s literature). Voting opens in 2 weeks on March 19th and goes to May 9th. Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to remind you once the voting is available.
What’s the first book that comes to mind, when you are asked: “what’s your favorite children’s book?” I’ll tell you mine on Tuesday!
by abby on March 5, 2013 | Comment
{the stately Simon}
Happy March everyone! February flew by, didn’t? In fact it came and went so quickly that I never got to share with you the final paintings of two new custom pet portraits I created.
These two were a pair of friends: Simon and Louise. I tried quite hard to capture their personalities with their postures and in their eyes. Overall, I’m happy with the results.
{the lovely Louise}
Each print is mounted onto a ready to hang wood panel and then coated with clear acrylic paint to protect it. See more samples of custom pet art here.
I’d love to make a lasting memory of your furry loved one!
by abby on January 21, 2013 | Comment
This is a big moment. It might seem small, but this is HUGE! I finally have my first postcard mailer promoting my own children’s illustration and design. HOORAY!
{postcards were printed at moo.com }
For various reasons, this task of creating a postcard mailer has always been pushed down to the end of the to-do list. BUT. NOT. THIS. YEAR. This year I’m putting my artwork at the top of the list of things to focus on and to market. My lovely postcard is the first step at putting this goal into action.
Over the next several months, I’ll be sending out my postcards to art directors, editors, and companies that use children’s illustrators in hopes that a new business relationship might begin. I’ll be combining this mailer with other self-promotion marketing efforts, too. With a little luck (and perhaps a happy happenstance) my name will align with an illustration opportunity!
How is your 2013 to-do list going so far?
by abby on January 17, 2013 | Comment
This week I finally found a better rhythm between: artwork, design, and the necessary admin tasks of running my business. I always feel better when I can create, especially away from the computer screen. Happily, I’ve been working on a couple of cat portrait paintings.
I tried quite hard to capture Simon’s and Louise’s personalities in their portraits—not an easy task! But I’m really liking how the color sketches are turning out. I’ll be working on the final paintings this weekend and hope the good vibes continue. These cat paintings will follow the style of my other farm animal portraits I created last summer—lots of vivid colors.
Would you like a custom portrait of your own furry or feathery friend?
by abby on January 10, 2013 | Comment
Oye—what a week! I cannot believe it’s already Friday? Did you also have a crazy, insane, busy week too? Sadly, this week wasn’t about making new artwork (hopefully I’ll get to my paints this afternoon!), but I wanted to share with you a couple of Valentine’s Day inspired patterns that I created last week. Cute, right?
The goal is that these heart paintings will appear on small Valentine’s day cards or as tiny prints. In the meantime if your curious, I’ve posted a few other Valentine’s day cards in my shoppe.
After all the holiday and new year’s traveling D and I are finally going to have a weekend home. I’m foreseeing some movie watching with lots of popcorn after a nice afternoon of painting. Sounds like fun to me!
What are your weekend plans?
