IF Topic: Snow

Biggles is enjoying the new winter snow while he looks up at the stars!

Enter to Win!!....deadline to enter is Dec 21st

Don't forget when you purchase My Shiny Light to Enter to Win on the Biggleton Books 

website!!!....deadline is midnight this Friday Dec 21st for a chance to win a $25 Furture Shop Gift Card!

Biggleton Books

Holiday Savings!

Holiday Gift Cards at Amazon!!

New LOOK INSIDE feature for my book!

Please check out the New LOOK INSIDE feature for my book My Shiny Light on the Biggleton Books website.....Happy Reading!

Biggleton Books website...

ENTER TO WIN!

NEW BOOK RELEASE!

Announcing the new release of my children's picture book now available on Amazon & Kindle!

An insightful children's picture book that explores the idea of a special & wonderful light each child possesses and shares with others. The book is written in a generalized way as to not be discriminate. Written in the first person and meant for all children regardless of religion, colour, gender or sexual orientation. A message that says all children have a special light within themselves.  

Happy Reading!

Also available now on my  online book store at the Biggleton Books website!

AMAZON

KINDLE Store

Will Terry's New Video

If you haven't checked Will Terry's Blog out yet... I strongly suggest you do. This amazing award winning artist has a NEW video up recently and it's always worth having a look!!

"Making Art for eBooks & Story apps" by Will Terry

IF Topic "Whiskers"

My cat Phelix had plenty of white whiskers

New cover design

Working on a new cover design for a project I am hoping to finish this in the new year...well one can hope anyways :)

Beautiful Blogger Award

I would like to thank The Back Door Artist, the wonderfully creative Mary Livingston for nominating my blog for the Beautiful Blogger Award.  It has been inspiring and a pleasure to know Mary Livingston through my art group critiques and connect through our blogs and social networking. Mary is one talented artist and I have come to learn so much from her as an artist.

7 facts about myself:

My husband is my biggest supporter and he is the most loving and inspirational partner I could ever have!

We have a wonderful, creative & artistically talented son who lives in Toronto.

I am a writer and freelance Illustrator at home.

I love to paint with acrylic, illustrate while listening to music

Love working in my garden,

Love dining out or cooking at home, entertaining with our amazing friends

Go for long walks or drives 

I would like to nominate and thank the following artists & bloggers who have inspired and influenced me to tap in to my creative side encouraged me in  pursuing my art! Thank you!

Helga Harrumphs
Matt Clement - Clement Art
Art-By-Amy
How to be a Cildren's Book Illustrator - Mark Mitchell
Will Terry
Folio Academy
Back Door Artist
Artistic Expressions by Felicia Lilley
Mary Flynn
Lisa Thompson
Elaine Comeau
Ian Jeans
James A. Brummel
Illustration Junky
Karl Schutt

IF topic this week - Haunt

Haunting eyes look on through the dark forest at children sitting around a bonfire.

IF Topic this week: Sky

Biggles the bear likes to look up at the night sky and stare at the stars!

IF topic this week: Identical

These bears look identical....but why is the bear in the mirror waving back?

IF Topic: Tall

One bear trying to look very tall.....but I don't think he's fooling anyone!

IF topic: Freeze

 The marmot is trying to save his friend from a deep freeze!

Illustration Friday Topic: Lonely

This bear is feeling rather lonely on this tiny little island all by himself.

Illustration Friday: Carry

The bears carry on their summer time outings by stopping by the Berry Delicious Shop for a treat!

Illustration Friday: Lost

A bear lost his kite in a wooded area. Hope he doesn't get lost himself!

Illustration Friday: Suspend

 This daring bear decided to suspend himself by bungee jumping while the others look on cautiously.....

Illustration Friday: Hurry

The kids are playing a game of ball and he needs to pass it in a hurry to his team mate if they're going to win!

Taken from a children's book I am working on this year. Am almost finished but not quite as  there is much editing to do yet. Hopefully I can get it completed by early summer  :)

IF: Faded

Both Fuzzmo and Biggles faded off into a deep, deep sleep. They were exhausted after a busy day of endless adventures. 

Finally after a long stretch off being away I was able to submit some artwork for Illustration Friday's topic this week "faded".

Back to the drawing board!

Well I have been missing in action recently due to an extensive physio rehab program I was able to participate in to get more mobility with my left leg which has given me problems these past couple of years, so it's been a number of weeks since I posted or drew anything but am back home and trying to get inspired once again. So this week I am going to look at what the Illustration Friday topic and tap into that creative energy once and for all. Plus surf through all the wonderful illustrations on here that I've missed in the last month and a half!

See you all around, cheers Susan :D

Illustration Friday...Swamp

Finally managed to do an illustration for this weeks IF...this scene is of a swamp and everything is buzzing with activity and life. Tried doing it digitally using some techniques to give a traditional watercolour look.

Illustration Friday....Yield

Two rabbits make their way through the snow to go sliding on the ice....

Illustration Friday.....Intention

This is an illustration taken from one of the pages of my book "My Garden Friends ....after a long cold winter and the frost has lifted this robin intends on building a new nest in order to lay her eggs.

Capable......Illustration Friday

The little brown bear decided he was quite capable of getting the meal ready himself. The white bear cheers him on and expresses how proud he is of his friends accomplishment!

Fluid...Illustration Friday

Well this bear is a little confused as to how the bucket of wash for his egloo tipped over and spilled it's contents. But somebody appears to be looking on with great interest....could he have knocked it over and doesn't want to say anything?

Popularity....Illustration Friday

This weeks Illustration Friday is about a bear who likes to sing and perform for his little friends which makes him rather popular among the crowd. They look on with great interest as he sings some of his favourite songs!

Bear decides to go diving

I was thinking maybe I should try and illustrate a bear diving into water to look at the coral on the bottom of the sea.

Biggles has to think of something....

Working on the character Biggles now for my story and this particular image is portraying him thinking. He needs to think of a clever plan to find a way to make Ms. Briddle happy. I find painting a black bear is hard when it comes to showing highlights and shading of the fur. Will have to keep experimenting with it till I get the right effect.

Suspense....Illustration Friday!

The suspense is building as the bears try to perform their tightrope act.....careful now ...will he make it?

Forward...Illustration Friday

There's nothing more fun than bear bobbing down a hill on a wintery day! Going forward is safer than bear bobbing backward.

Fuzzmo heading to Biggleton....

The first illustration is the Fuzzmo character heading down the road to the little town of Biggleton, wearing his Roche hat with his backpack.

The second illustration is when Fuzzmo arrives at Biggles house after deciding to answer the ad in the Biggleton daily newspaper.

Twirl - Illustration Friday

This weeks IF topic "Twirl" inspired me to come up with a bear showing off.. how he twirls a baton!

Prepare..Illustration Friday

Bear in preparation of a fish feast!

Well first time trying out the Illustration Friday  so created this image of a bear stocking up on fish in preparation of a feast, but... Are the other bears included in his findings? It does seem like a fun challenge to get your creative wheels turning. Look forward to seeing all images from the other illustrators as well!

Fuzzmo

Finally after many sketches might have come up with my bear illustration for the Fuzzmo character. Its so hard to get an idea or vision in your head of an image onto paper but I think this might be the one I chose to go with in the future! Will see.

Creating a banner...

Decided I wanted something for a banner on my blog so designed this bear one! It was fun and may play around with this design to see what else I can come with up.

Biggles sitting under the town sign

Well just finished working on this illustration and thought I would post it. Still looking at ways to improve it. But will leave it for now and start working on another image. Its so tricky trying to get the look and feel in digital painting that I want. Trying to experiment and give the illustrations as much of a traditional feel, if that is possible. Oh well back to the drawing board!

New image

I just posted a new image of the two bears sleeping in the house where they live. I recently finished this piece not too long ago and am not sure where it might need improving or not. Maybe it needs more texture or lines? Thanks for looking and any comments you have would be kindly accepted. Enjoy!

Welcome to my Children's Illustrations blog!

I am in the process of creating illustrations for a children's book that I am working on at the moment and decided to start a blog so I can post some of the illustrations I have been working on this past year. Most of them have been sketched first and were painted using acrylics. I then scanned them into my computer and have repainted them using Photoshop with some of the techniques I studied from taking Will Terry's online digital illustrating course which was extremely helpful. In the new year I hope to improve my technique and skill in illustrations through Mark Mitchell's online children's illustration course which uses the traditional approach. 

I look forward to receiving feedback and comments on my work so let me know what you think!