Charlie and Lola style

I've never watched Charlie and Lola,

but I'm getting to draw in that style,

by request :)

Sample illustration for a new book - 

it was fun creating the torn paper effect.

New book...

about a boy and his dad....

and the things they learn and do together...

More sourdough

I'm using my starter itself as my pancake mix...

It positively roils with the addition of

a small amount of baking soda.

The pancakes come out beautifully soft - 

and you cannot detect the sourdough in them.

Perfect with cinnamon, raw honey, and 

a dash of pure coconut oil.

You won't find this in a store.

Discover Magazine Issue 2

  I did an illustration for another story in the magazine - 

a fascinating look at the history of paper.

This is how it appeared in print...

New book - I Love My Dad

Written by Ghada Alo,

this book is about all the things a boy named Adnan 

does with his Dad.

Illustration for Azizah Magazine

I'm so excited!

The creative director of Azizah contacted me 

about this painting of mine - 

she wants to use it in their next issue!!!

Discover

Okie dokie, here's more work I did for the magazine:

An interactive coloring page,

more postures for the four main characters,

a double-spread for a story about soccer...and sign language.

I find the articles amazing - this second issue has 

a fascinating story about the history of paper,

and the differences between papyrus (reeds),

parchment (animal skin),

and ancient paper (tree bark and rags).

Working on the soccer story pics, I discovered that

while ASL uses only one hand,

British Sign Language for the alphabet is two-handed!

So cool!

No wonder they decided to call the magazine "Discover".

Breakfast

Sourdough bread, cream cheese, tea.

:)

Discover Magazine

Working on the characters:

I colored the first pic using Illustrator,

while the second one was done in PhotoShop.

It's interesting to see the differences in effect.

Which one do YOU prefer?

New project!

So, my textile piece for the Niagara Region is all done - whew!

Meanwhile, our house is still in a shambles from the move,

but it's slowly starting to become somewhat organized.

Thank goodness I don't have a deadline for THAT!

While I was still busy with the textile project,

I was offered the opportunity to work with

and upcoming children's magazine, out of the U.K.

All I could think was WOW!!!

Also, does it have to be NOW???

With my hands full of paints and beads and a looming deadline???

Luckily, the editor gave me time,

and with the textile project all done and submitted,

I'm ready for this new challenge!

There will be four main characters

who will appear in every issue.

This is my first sketch based on the

character briefs they gave me.

The magazine will be called Discover.

Isn't that a lovely name?

All pieced together

My deadline is only a couple days away!

Here's what my piece is looking like now.

I've laid it out on our dining table - 

the two layers are stitched together

and all the beading done.

The tree branches are paper cloth.

I painted it in greens and browns,

then coated it with ModPodge for a lovely sheen.

Then I went over it with free-motion stitching 

in gray and brown for texture.

I think I'm done!

Skipping ahead

Actually, skipping a LOT ahead,

since I forgot to take pics of some steps in between.

To fill you in, I finished painting my flowers,cut them out,

and then stitched them on to batting to create a quilted cutout.

Now I'm adding all the beads.

The dense brown center of the flower is yarn

that bunched up and machined down.

The twirly pink things are paper,

twisted, twirled and stitched down.

I used the beads in different ways:

as random scatterings,

in long lines,

and in clusters.

This was very fun to do!

Getting there!

A few quick pics:

Beads coming soon!