I’m working on the final color art for Lilibet Makes a Friend (written by Kersten Hamilton). Every book I work on teaches me something new about the artist I want to become, and THIS book is telling me to play up the TEXTURE! (Yeah, books speak to me. That’s normal, right?)

So, I’ll follow the lead and give extra love and attention to gritty pencil marks, painterly brush strokes, and stacks on stacks of layered color :)

The right amount of textural touches gives art that … “chef’s kiss.” Your eye moves around it, and it delights you at every angle. Sometimes fast. Sometimes slow. What’s the “right” amount of texture you ask? Beats me! For now, I have to rely on my taste and intuition because I can’t quite articulate/measure it. When I’ve gone too far and over-complicated an image, I get a feeling of overwhelm. The “right” amount of visual busyness is exhilarating yet manageable to take in.

I’m especially drawn to Brian Biggs’ work right now. In my opinion, he’s a texture expert! He appears to have loads of fun doing his work, too. Brian has made over 75 books, but honestly, he’s just now truly on my radar. His art is distinctive and playful yet educated and calculated. The guy knows what he’s doing. He’s honed his craft for years and pivoted when things felt stale (which I learned from this podcast).

From afar, Brian Biggs inspires me to keep going and keep learning. Hey, it might take me 75 books to make my mark in this industry and figure out who I am exactly.  If so, I’m 7 books in, 68 to go.

Kids Meet Authors (replay and next event)

Jannie Ho, Bethanie Murguia, and I had a lovely time answering real kids’ questions about reading and creating graphic novels. Enjoy the replay below!

The next event is on November 1st, all about STEM stories! Sign up to join live or to get a replay link.

2 Events for Kids THIS Saturday in person!

I’ll be doing two kids’ events at Alpharetta Public Library this Saturday, Oct. 26th ! Books will be available for purchase/signing after each session.

• 11 am – 12 pm, I’m presenting about Rad Robots, reading my STEM-friendly picture book, DOLL-E 1.0, and teaching kids to draw the robot from the story!
• 2 – 3 pm, I’m presenting Words + Pictures = MAGIC, reading my STEM-friendly picture book, DOLL-E 1.0, and teaching kids to draw like an illustrator!