Archive for July, 2012

Where this story begins – my first blog post!

Filed under: Illustration,Shanda's Journey | July 28, 2012

Once upon a time I decided I wanted to be a children’s book illustrator! But … It’s not quite that simple :) This blog has been a long time coming, and for so long I have wanted to share my particular journey to my dream in a setting called my life where there’s a husband, a 2-year-old, financial limitations, time limitations, fear, and faith.

My first post is a simple one. Today I was watching my sweet pea play outside, so I squeezed in some drawing-from-a-live-model practice. Well, I tried anyway. She was too fast. I couldn’t even finish a one minute sketch, so I snapped a phone picture to get her still for a whole 3 minutes :)

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Then I took her upstairs and thought I might add a little color to my drawing. But painting and entertaining my squirt didn’t mix well. She ended up finishing it for me. Oh well, at least I snapped a picture of the pencil drawing before she got a hold of it :) She does love to paint! She says she’s an artist like me!

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So here’s what you can expect from this blog… my illustrations, inspirations, books, illustrators, art projects, my road blocks, my leaps, my tears, my triumphs and my life (the big and little times)! And here’s a big kiss to my sweet honey hubby, Ben who made my site look just the way I wanted it and encourages me to just go for it :)

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. -Proverbs 16:9 

Shanda McCloskey, Children's Illustrator & Author