How to Put a Children’s Illustrator Portfolio Together

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Spring is finally here and that can only mean Conference Season has started!

With that in mind, I thought I would write a Blog Post Series about The Craft of Portfolio Making.

Today we will focus on the making of the Physical Portfolio. We will be talking materials and how to best present your work for a Portfolio Show or a face-to-face Meeting. When we are done (post purchases and put-togethers) you will be walking around town with a new portfolio under your arm. Let’s get started!

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SB’s 2013 Calendar Giveaway Winner

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Our giveaway closed last Sunday at 8pm Arizona time and we announced the winner Monday. Who is he or she?! It was Miss Megumi Lemons. For those of you who didn’t win, you can order a copy by clicking the link below.

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Ceviche for “They Draw and Cook”

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Nate Padavick and Salli Swindell started the blog “They Draw and Cook” a while back. There, illustrators submitted recipes that they felt like sharing. And although I hardly ever cook, I loved the idea of illustrating a Peruvian recipe so I picked my recipe immediately. Last week, I made time to start and finish the color illustration and type. Mainly because the deadline for submissions was October 10th.

My recipe: Peruvian Ceviche
| Click on images to enlarge the illustrations |

An interesting aspect of the project is that I tried to use Mochica iconography throughout the piece. The pre-Inca culture had one of the richest and most elaborate iconography of all of the Pre-Inca and Inca Civilizations. You may have read about the Lord of Sipan. If that’s the case, then you have seen the Mochica Civilization and the wonderful jewelry, pottery and iconography that they made. My mom’s side of the family came from Trujillo (province of La Libertad in Peru) one of the areas where the Mochicas flourished many, many years ago. Needless to say the piece has a lot of meaning to me and the research was a LOT of fun.

And don’t forget to stop by Nate & Salli’s blog to see more of the fun recipes other illustrators have created: theydrawandcook.com

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UPDATE: And something I forgot to mention is that “They Draw and Cook” will be a book. There will be 100 recipes in the printed version. I’ll post something later once the book is ready so you can buy your copies. I certainly will.

> Stay updated via: email | rss | facebook

Sunshine Awarded

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This week has been packed with exciting news. One of this-week’s-great-happenings was getting an award for my blog. I’m overly excited since it’s my first blog award ever :D

The great children’s illustrator and twitterer Laura Zarrin nominated my blog. Thanks Laura! She’s all good vibes and a great person to follow on Twitter if you are not doing it already: @creativegirl

So now it’s my turn to nominate 12 awesome blogs and bloggers:

Molly Idle – awesome children’s illustrator and AZ friend
Debbi Pehrson Haun – collaging the world and she’s a great friend
Megumi Lemons – AZ children’s illustrator with soft, tender illos
Joy Steuerwald – great children’s illustrator and twitterer
Marta Montaña – Catalan children’s illustrator I met in Macerata back in 2007
Gaia Bordicchia – a kidlit critique buddy and awesome illustratrice
Rachel de Ste. Croix – pen and ink+digital+inks+watercolor = precious little
Rebecca Sutherland – bringing amazing patterns in her work all the way from London
Manola Caprini – sweet, sweet illustrations from I-haven’t-figured-out-where-in Italy
Geninne D. Zlatkis – blogging beauties almost every day from Queretaro
Meg Hunt – who I don’t really know but hey!… she’s in Phoenix and I love her work
Christiane Engel – her work rocks my socks off!

Now it’s your turn to brighten someone’s day by nominating your favs for a Sunshine Award:

1) Put the logo on your blog or within your post
2) Pass the award to 12-well-deserving bloggers
3) Link the nominees within your post
4) Share the news by leaving a comment on their blog
5) Link to the person from whom you received the award

> Stay updated via: email | rss | facebook

Bugs 2.9.2

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apparent bugs in the update to 2.9.2 that require a post and a comment. otherwise you have a 404 error. all boring stuff for the non-web-techie but I got to resolve this.

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are we still having problems, feed?!??

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Let’s see if this test shows up in my bloglines as new post. Argh!!

Funny enough, google reader does show the older posts but not in Bloglines. I wonder if anybody is getting the feed. Must.investigate.now.

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Website relaunch+Blog and Feed Move

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My much neglected website has been relaunched and with tons of upgrades. Yay! I’ve also moved my blog here to wordpress so please update your feeds.

Yes, but why?!?!! Well, there’s a few reason so I’ll get wordy:

1. My site was in desperate need of a re-do. I designed back in 2006! √

2. I wanted to integrate my blog in the new site. Seamless transition, you know. √

3. I wanted to upgrade to a site with a cms. I’ve grown tired of hand coding and especially tired of Dreamweaver. √

4. I had to switch to wordpress. This one was just me being a spoiled brat. √

5. My site needed bigger, MUCH BIGGER images of my work. √√√

6. My portfolio needed an update. √

So, now I can say: check, check, check, check, triple check, check. Mission accomplished.

Please visit the site and I’d love to hear what you think. What works, what doesn’t. Now, back to work.

Happy Friday everybody!

UPDATE -
Comments were not working properly. Sorry about that. Issue resolved √

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Feliz Cumpleanhos, Baby – From Illo to Fondant

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Check out what this girl does for us. I send the sketches and illustrations and she makes them in fondant. She’s an artist!

- Color illustration below

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Feliz Cumpleanhos, Baby

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My son’s bd was on the 23th. Feliz Dia, mi amor.

An illustration that I did for the invitation to his bd, and the 3D sculpture made out of fondant for the bd cake. Cake girl is an artist!

I’ll post a nicer pick of the sculpture later today. I kept it!

Claudine Hellmuth’s Workshop in Sedona

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One more month until Claudine’s workshop! I can’t wait for her class. My buddy Debbi Pehrson Haun and I are taking the workshop. We signed up back in January!!

Claudine will give a 4 day collage class at the Sedona Arts Center. Class is full now but you can be put on the waiting list by calling the Center: (888) 954 4442.

You can find out more about her workshops here. While you are there take a look at her work and her site. Awesome website and really cool artwork.

Note to Reader – Check Debbi’s website – I had a lot of fun designing it.