I don't know how I missed this.

Ollie Johnston

October 31, 1912 – April 14, 2008

The last of the nine old men and one of the most amazing animators passed away last month. In my crazy chaotic life I didn't hear about it. If you can, watch this dvd:

Their story is not just one of two talented artists but of a lifelong friendship. I will always think of him like this:

As Rufus from The Rescuers.

sketchy sketchy sketching

More of my messy sketches. I actually understand all of those scribbles. I know they need work and my perspective's funky.. but they're not too bad. I'm whipping out some ideas. This is called "smells like science". It was inspired by a friend's daughter who declared "Smells like Science!" when visiting Jersey City's Liberty Science Museum. Actually, Claire, that's eau de New Jersey.

The one above is the result of watching too much Top Chef and growing up in a family restaurant. Since, I have to think of stuff to draw..I tell myself stories as I do. This would be a story of a New Orleans family restaurant...the "Etoufee Cafe" and how thru the hurricane the restaurant kept life going. Soon, I will start writing some of these stories in my head and disappear for awhile. 

Art is long and Time is fleeting....

Such a fun day that went so fast. We spent the afternoon at the BNL Barnes and Noble show for the Snack Time cd release.

The three of us got to have reserved seats(yay!), then a nice woman from Nettwerk; Danielle, said she would take us in to meet the band. Walking in I was all hand out, smile on the face, "Hello Ed!".... shaking their hands. Then... in my brain crickets chirped- if I opened my mouth all that would have come out was "I got nuthin'" Then Tyler, all smiles said to me, "This is my head!"- referencing my re-draw. Whew- thank God he's funny, snapped me out of a big dumb silence. Then I remembered I have a kid. AND she's standing behind me. They were really nice to her. They signed the artwork to Maggie and signed a print to go back to Nettwerk. Then, Steve told me he has my Bartles drawings as his computer wall paper. ????????




----Gobsmacked. Struck dumb again.





The show was fun. I loved, LOVED the drawing song Kevin wrote. Did I say I LOVED it! ? I wish I wrote it. I wanted to ask him about his art... but there wasn't a chance.



We bought a book for Mags to get signed. Ed told Maggie the first girl he ever liked was named Maggie. Mags asked me a lot about Kevin because she plays piano too. She's sure he can play 25 instruments at least. I asked if he could pose for a pic with her, and he happily did and she was thrilled. She sang/rapped the lyrics all the way home.

They are as talented as they are gracious and warm and friendly. And that's quite a lot. The key to their art being long lived and their fans loyal.

I'll be smiling for days...

Almost there..

Gotta run to Kinkos to make prints for BNL show tomorrow in NYC... Almost done, may shrink image on back to allow room for address/stamp. I like it a lot more now, Thanks Gina!

Less is more..

Gina Perry had some good suggestions ... lookin' better?

Another Postcard...

Done and I don't know how I feel about it.

Color me tired..

I'm off to bed. I am halfway done. I need to finish the flat color, then do the shading. I may actually stay away from the computer tomorrow and go out. I'll post the finish by Friday.

I walk the line..

Final line work, now to color.

Oh.. Aloha, Hoaloha, means; "Hello Friend!" "Koa"-girl's name means "bold".

Anatomy of an illustration...

I'm trying to churn out 3-4 illustrations that will be consistent with the look of the BNL and "Taking Flight" illos I've done recently. I seem to be zeroing in on a style that's working, and have to adjust my portfolio/website accordingly. In the past, I felt I didn't have enough "real" examples of work so I put everything in plus the kitchen sink. Now, I'm editing and re-evaluating. I've got a few more cooking, will post as they develop.

When I was 7, my Mom and Dad took the family to Walt Disney World. Obviously, that had a big part in shaping my future. We stayed at the Polynesian Hotel. It started a lifelong love and ongoing dream of Hawaii. If I ever get there... I wanna learn to hula, play the ukulele, sing tiny bubbles, wear hibiscus in my hair and drink from a coconut. I also will buy 2,000 shirts. All of the cliches, I know, but I want that 7 year old's version of Hawaii. So, I drew this up! See how messy I sketch? I'll post the final line and color as I go.

I'm going to another SCBWI conference in June, and then I'll wait for NYC next winter. I think the next NYC conference, I will feel much more ready. So, I'm going down to Orlando, to show my work again, meet my college pal Sara AU,
who wrote the potty training book that I illustrated. I also hope to connect with a talented BNL friend, who works for Disney Parks merchandise. I'm passing along some samples for her to pass along, in hopes of work for the House of Mouse.

So much going on and it's all good.

I'm schlepping on an airplane....

I'm off for a week long tour of Florida to visit the Light family for Passover. Maybe we'll find Elijah hitchin' on the side of the road.. the mini-van door is always open for him! I plan on drawing up a storm, but for now, here are some words of wisdom, well Walt's actually:

Pinch Me...

The final art for the contest and announcement : http://www.bnlmusic.com/default2.asp

To paraphrase a BNL song, "... during a week such as this, it's hard to tell if I exist...."

'Cause I'm expecting someone to pinch me and all of this will go "POOF"!

May 6th- Barnes and Noble- NYC- Snack Time - LIVE, Me, Maggie, Leigh and a few of our musical friends...
Come on down with your kid in tow, it's gonna be a good time!

A Day in the life...

For a stay at home Mom, who wasn't sure if she would survive re-entry into the art world, Saturday was a good day.

I was up at the New England SCBWI conference. I took some great workshops with amazing illustrators and had a positive critique with someone from Greenwillow books, an imprint of Harper Collins. I met some really nice people. Donna, Bree, Cathy, Maureen, Mary, Angie, Jennifer and Tracey. I met up with Gina Perry, the talented illustrator I met at the NYC conference, and met her friends and fellow SU grads. New England is abundant with warmth and easy conversation and friendliness...,and an awful lot of people have relocated there from Long Island!...hmmmm....

The NESCBWI held a poster design contest with the theme "Take Flight". I watched other eager, enthusiastic, talented artists put up wonderful work all around me. Some so good, I was tempted to write someone else's name on my ballot. I sat as they read the award announcements.. People's Choice.. honorable mention, third place, second place... winner... me. ME? Really? Me! Hooray! What a great thing!- I went up got my award-sat down, happy.

Next category, unpublished: I was a little foggy from happiness and kinda heard, "The people have spoken and the judges agree, a repeat winner, Kelly Light"...my next door seat neighbor, Bree Baldwin, nudged me and hit my shoulder, and I popped up out of my seat... in shock.

After that , a blur of warm wishes and congratulations and wonderful words of encouragement.

I drove home today with some new feelings I've never felt before in my 17 years since becoming a working artist. Validation. Hope. Possibility. Pride. I think I'm going in the right direction after all of those detours. Sign post up ahead reads "Keep going!"

PS: The published winner: Frank W. Dormer - great stuff, google him!

Shhhh...I won..again....shhhh

Be vewy vewy quiet...Don't tell anyone yet, til the band announces it....so forget you are reading this...I won the BNL Snacktime cd release contest to draw BNL. Oy... I can't believe it. I'm hoping this is sign from the great beyond... Good art happenings will be coming my way. People like what I do! It makes me so happy! Oh please, Children's Book Gods smile down on me! I'm here in New Hampshire waiting for the weekends' New England SCBWI conference to start. As usual..I get nervous and feel nauseated. But I am hopeful and this win adds some wind to my sails. Ok...remember...you never read this, you didn't hear it from me..consult the BNL Music site to find out who won..

IF "Save"

IF topic this week "Save". The thought of a Momma polar bear following her maternal instinct and normal migration route in the arctic... only to find home's all melted. It's just inconceivable to me that I could have grandkids one day and have to tell them about what a Polar bear was.. gone the way of the dodo.. it's a painful thought to an animal lover.


What can we do?
http://www.polarbearsos.org

The best art hits you straight in the heart...

Thanks to Brett for commenting and mentioning this brilliant series of Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson. It's touching and so true to my life right now.

Catharsis

I'm still a little upset over the cat. We're gonna have a service this weekend. I've been thinking about how much mothering was involved in this event in our lives. And how much pets mean in our lives. As kids, they are our first loves. Teaching us to be compassionate, caring, responsible, patient and kind. Being our secret keepers, our best friends, playmates and protectors.

It's brought up thoughts of all of the pets I have had and what I learned from having them in my life. They were all there that day the cat died. Memories of them came bursting forth as I felt that same feeling of love and loss. My daughter has had a lot of fish.. which, with the exception of "Sushi"- didn't live very long. But even they teach you about the frailty of life.

So, kids out there could probably use more books about this. I thought I should show some other emotion in my art than bright cheeriness. Cartoons can be sad. I just couldn't bring myself to make the cat black and I discovered, I can draw and cry at the same time.

I promise to not keep dwelling on this, this was a cathartic illustration.

Anakin

This past Friday, my cat Anakin past away. It's been a slow decline for him since this past November. He was 11 years young. Nowhere near old enough for me. I adopted him from a rescue society in 1997. Newly married, he was my "test baby". Could I care for another life... actually be a Mom? He was my baby then and until Friday morning when I swaddled him in a towel and held him until his eyes closed.
Through the years he was a GREAT cat. Full of personality. When I was pregnant with Maggie and having pain, he would climb onto my belly and pat it with his paws. Maybe he knew then that Maggie would be his best friend. He kept his distance from her through her toddler years until she turned four, he chose her, and that was just fine with me. She called him her big brother. She's gonna miss him a lot.

Why have pets if you feel this pain when they die? Because the love we feel for them makes us feel more alive.

Red, your Spanx are showing....

IF topic this week: "Homage". So this is my homage to Preston Blair and Red Hot Riding Hood. As the animator of one of most memorable "hotties" of classic cartoons, and the author of several books, I think Preston Blair has posthumously guided countless young artists into the world of cartoon drawing. I purchased my Walter Foster "How to draw Cartoon Animation" book when I was in high school. When young(er) artists ask me where they can learn to draw "cartoons" , I tell them to buy this book. I had one young woman ask to borrow my book, only to see my reaction of sheer horror at the thought of letting it out of my hands that she said "Sorry.. sorry... where can I buy one?"

I've added some meat to her bones. I've personalized her (very personally personalized her) in a moment a lot of 37 year olds can relate to. Trying on clothes(persona) from your youth and having it just not fit anymore. No amount of Spanx or "sucker-inners"(as I call them).. are gonna get you back there. Let go of it and revel in what the years have wrought upon your person. She still looks good- just more to love.

IF and Easter

Happy Illustration Friday/Easter...

Topic this week; "Heavy". By Sunday, I will have eaten 5,342 cadbury mini eggs, so don't tell me after all of these years the bunny hasn't been hittin' that chocolate! And feeling the effects- we all do. Let's hear it for sugar highs! Thanks Easter Bunny- Boc Boc!

Missed another I.F.

I got caught up in the BNL illustration, missed "Garden" as an Illustration Friday topic... This was my quickie sketch... New topic "Heavy".. will have to get this one in on time.

Poodles in Blu

Today, while up in the attic, the phone rang. The machine didn't pick up. After 9 rings, I reached the phone only to hear it click-hang up. I checked the caller I.D. and it said "Poodles in BLU".

I kid you not. "Poodles in Blu"!  How funny! It was a Long Island number. I said "Jabba- it was for you- Poodles in Blu called!"  All day, I've been thinking about poodles in blu. Could it be a canine secret law inforcement agency? A puppy jazz quintet?  ... But as I  thought on.. hmmm...I decided it was a call girl agency! "Poodles in Blu Doggie Escort Service" was calling  and my golden retriever was client number 9! He 's been so secretive lately, carefully hiding treats in holes all over the yard. I'll stop there.. it's too funny and your minds can do the rest.. Funny..

BNL Contest

Another BNL Contest. I tried to stay away..I tried to resist.. must.. put.. down ..the pencil..

They have a new kid's CD coming out May 6th! Called "Snack Time". So, here's my imagining them @ around 9 years old. I tried to make it portfolio appropriate too. 

"What is Art?"

This was a discussion over on the SCBWI board. I thought it was a great discourse, but even more.. this amazingly brilliant video of Creature Comforts (click on title) totally answers the question posed by the poster in the first place.  Art is completely subjective-differently defined by different people. (or animals- love the penis line, so my husband) I truly wish artists would stop trying to divide and conquer eachother with their own narrow views of what makes real art and what does not- and just respect the act of making art in all of it's various forms. Then again- I want world peace also.... Let me know when the temperature starts dropping in hell. Anyway, I'm cross posting my opinion here, cause I can.

I will speak from my own experience. My background is in animation, my heart in cartoons. I spent the 4 years of my college education defending the value of my work to my illustration professors who drew lines defining what was good art and what was not. So this discussion struck a chord with me.

Every year, I go on a weekend trip all alone. I call it my "sanity break". I leave the life of a stay at home Mom behind and go to emerse myself in "art". I believe without great input, one can not have great output. I drive 3 1/2 hours north of L.I. to the Berkshires- first stop, The Norman Rockwell Museum. It's like a pilgrimage to Mecca for me. If I am lucky there will be another artist on display there, I have seen Jesse Wilcox Smith, Maxfield Parrish, JC Leyendecker. I have been known to cry and have the little old lady volunteers bring me kleenex. Afterwards I drive on...45 minutes north to North Adams, Ma, sleep and in the morning walk to Mass Moca. The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.( Until 6 years ago, I never even knew what "contemporary art" was or cared to, I dimissed it as.. well, crap actually. I decided it was crap with out really exposing myself to it. Because in my mind, to be a real artist, - you had to draw- and I mean DRAW. That was MY criteria for art... show me how well you can draw.) Anyway, my first step into the first gallery was like falling down the rabbit hole, dizzying, thrilling... nauseating... and I loved it. There was stuff that I loved! And stuff that I hated! And I loved the feeling of having those reactions! There was photography, installations, video art.. crazy brilliant stuff.. and brilliantly crazy stuff!
My last day is spent at The Clark. Bastion of academic beauty. Here you can see within an hour a Renoir, a Sargent, a Reubens , a Durer... and I can get lost in how one brush stroke at the tip of a nose makes it pop off of the canvas. Or how paint becomes velvet so soft you want reach out and touch it, alarm or no alarm..
so blah, blah, blah,.. what I'm getting at is that I have decided to draw no lines. I think the artist who studies his/her whole life to paint the most realistic jug of water or the most translucent skin feels the same thing as I do when I drag my blue pencil across a piece of vellum to create the perfect weighted line around a cartoon characters eye's to give it that illusion of life. I think an artist who plants trees upside down, suspended from a wire feels that same feeling, perhaps to a different end, maybe it's more external in the hopes of the reaction viewers will have but it's still that need to, express, create, move, share, leave a trace of yourself behind.. share an experience. Be human. And I do believe all children are "natural" artists and many do unlearn that carefree need to create and express, but the few, who refuse to put down they're crayons.. go on to become true artists. My wish is that more people would spend time taking it all in and less time counting some of it out. It's not all going to be your cup of tea, but it's all there to learn from.- Ok, I'm done. -'nuff said.

"The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself."- Anna Quindlen

Trust your pencil, it won't lead you wrong...

Stuck on a sandy beach in the Caribbean- sounds like heaven to most people, to me... an offering to the sun God.. it can be an uncomfortable place. I don't do well in sun and heat... I burn..I faint... I shrivel from dehydration. So, for the last week, I hid under the shade of a lime green umbrella and drew. Some good stuff came out. Some fun characters were on the beach. I forced myself to stare into a mirror and draw my 37 year old bed headed face.
I came up with 1 new idea for a book. And some sketches of an existing idea for a book.  "Undercover Hippo"- a film noir picture book. Undercover Hippo solves animal mysteries. The first being for a giraffe. Hippo: "She walked in, her legs went on forever..." I will be watching a lot of old movies for ideas and dialogue. I thought it was funny to imagine a Hippo going undercover..trying to blend in as a giraffe or monkey or bird...  This was inspired by a story I heard on NPR of an actual guy who wore a hippo suit to study hippos... seems hippos are quite ornery.
The other book, a graphic novel for kids 8-12, is, obviously a take on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland/through the Looking Glass. So dear to  my heart is this book and these characters, that I am trying to dig deep and find a new way to spread the love of imagination and nonsense this book gave to me. My brother, a fourth grade teacher informed me , no kids today would ever read or relate to the original text. So, it is my goal to build a bridge from 2008 to 1865 . Not to be so bold to think I could attempt to rewrite, retell, or re-illustrate. That has been tried by much more talented and notable artists than I. And in my opinion.. they all pale in comparison to the original. My hope is to create a new story that is fun and gets kids interested enough to read the originals. So, I'm gonna get to work.

I'm leavin' on a jet plane...

I'm off on the annual trip with the Father in law! Surf-sand and sunburn here I come. Hope all is well 'til next week. Here's where I'll be...

Just when I think I'm out...They pull me back in.

I have more character design work. Work is good. Being paid to draw is- well- pretty damn good. I just had decided to focus on a book, so now my focus is pulled back to character work. Part of me wants to say no, just to be selfish and do what I want to do. The other part wants the cash. Here's some freelance. This is for a Tea Shop. I love tea. It's in Painter. Not quite done and needs some type too. I'll put up the finish when I'm thru.
I have to say yes or no to a big project tomorrow. All I have to do is blue lines- and they are willing to pay me a great fee for each of them. It won't help the portfolio, but it may be fun.
If only I could make a decision!
I joined "jacket Flap" If any of you are on it, or know what it's all about, let me know! -Kel

L-O-V-E

It's Valentines Day. All thoughts turn to love. Those of us that feel they have their full and those who feel they are lacking...we all think of it today, either running to CVS for cards or grumbling about this as a manufactured holiday... I ofcourse love my hubby and my daughter, but I was thinking as I sketched today about other types of love.

I have had 2 lifelong love affairs: Art and music. I write here all of the time about art. So, I'm thinking to day about music. Music that takes you through the moments of your life and that you return to time and time again, winds it way into your heart. And when you hit the play button, it washes over you in a flood of emotions, memories and experiences.
I have been so busy since the BNL cruise that I haven't really reflected on it. To spend thousands of dollars to have 3-4 days with a band, is a form of love.

The cruise was great. But I came off of that boat with musical whiplash. It was sensory overload. Guster was sing along fun as usual but I most enjoyed hiding inside the quiet moments of Joe Pisapia's set. Barenaked Ladies consistently make me fall in love with them again and again.

I have not stopped thinking about Steven Page, the lead singer of BNL since. I have always favored him a little, tho I don't want to have his baby or want to lick his sweat off of his body(yuck-did I write that?) I got that out of my system with Simon Le Bon. But I admired his singing. I dug his "John Lennon-ish" sardonic wit and seemingly tempermental, literate, artistic countenance. His retro tinged clothes and clean cut appearance perhaps suggested he was a safe version of a rock star. The funny guy you want to hang out with.

So, on this years' cruise- the dude was different. He looked different, dressed different... was different. And then there was "Bartles". His musical alter ego. Richard Simmons meets Mike Reno. He wore a wrestling unitard and green socks with a red satin jacket and headband. And candy cane sunglasses. He did a hip shaking boogy-down dance with manic intensity. His smile was euphoric. He sang so hard his voice broke all over the place. He was transformed. He seemed - free.

I was transfixed watching him. I know he's had big changes in his personal life. I really shouldn't know or care about it, since I don't really know him. But after all of these years of following this band around, I do care. Plus, when someone brings you joy and makes the music you turn to often to help navigate the twists and turns of life-- you want them to be happy too.

In analyzing my bizarre fixation on the "Bartles" - and indeed, I do need to get over it- It forces me to analyze myself. I've figured out it's about age. I'm 37 too. Mid- Life. How did I get here? Staring down the barrel of 40 forces one to ask those questions like.."What am I doing with my life?" "Am I happy" "Where do I go from here?" - maybe in our late 30's; We all should put on some spandex and satin and shake our hips and sing til our voice breaks. Feeling a little free, maybe you can figure it all out a little easier. I hope he does. I hope I do.

So for Valentine's Day, I'll put on some great music tonight with the hubby and make some memories.

“Ready are you? What know you of ready?"

Thank you Yoda for the perfect quote. SCWBI conference, over. Head, spinning. Since I love a good quote, and I take notes in sound bytes...these were some of the best:



I most enjoyed the inspirational talks by Jerry Pinkney, Harry Bliss, Nicky Grimes, Holly McGhee, David Wiesner and Carolyn Mackler. I love listening to artists reveal their process and personal angst. The common thread I got out of it- stay true to yourself and work your ass off.
I was nauseous until the moment I dropped off my portfolio. After that, it was like it entered a black hole and resurfaced a few hours later. I would have LOVED some feedback.
I would say one of the highlights was the brief impromptu artist portfolio swap on the floor outside of the restaurant. I hope this can become a formal scheduled event for the artists at the conference. Much can be gained by seeing what others are doing and finding where you fall in the mix.
Another great result of going to the conference for me was sorting out my head on what to focus on. I had toyed with the idea of a graphic novel for kids 8-12. So, that's what I've decided to focus on. I asked my self, "Where is your heart?"- in cartoons...

Anyway, there were some things I was not as thrilled with. The conference on the whole was very writer-centric. I would have happily missed a breakout session for a workshop on thumbnailing or brainstorming, or anything art focused. A session with an artists's rep or an art director. Art specific. My morning session was almost identical to my afternoon one.

The art that won the portfolio exhibition was beautiful. AND very traditional, painterly, classical really in it's early 20th century - Parrish like imagery. Which, I love. But- it was diametrically opposed to what the publishers,editors,agents,marketers and publicists were asking for. Hmmm....interesting.

The other awards given, though the art was very nice, were for the most part, members of someone's master class. This only re-emphasized that no matter the industry, it's not always what you know as much as who you know. Schmoozing, connections, taking classes and workshops and having mentors...all as important as the art.

It was interesting to hear the state of the markets... and hear people say the report of the picture book's death has been greatly exaggerated... and it was interesting to follow the path of a book from concept to shelving in a book store.

I was dismayed to hear the emphasis on very little text for picture books. I love "Don't let the pigeon" books as much as everyone else, but I want kids to learn as well as laugh.

Blah blah blah, I go on. All in all,It was a tremendous learning experience. I met some nice people who are quite talented: Mercedes O'Connor Goldcamp(I owe you socks), Gina Pery, Leeza Hernandez, Joey Chapelle, Carrie Hartman(I owe you 4 dollars), Monica Scheliga Carnesi and some interesting writers too. I will post links asap. I'm not sure if I'm going to LA. I'll think about it. I've got a lot of that to do....

And away....I go...

Panda Pile. Nervous doodling. Happy Chinese New Year. My husband's taking his daughter and the shiksa wife out for dinner. He loves the food of his people and deli too.

Tomorrow I'm off to NYC on the LIRR @ 5:45 a.m. I'm waffling between panic and telling myself "It is what it is".."It's a learning experience"...."Go, have fun..." and "What the hell are you thinking going to this conference???"

I know my portfolio is not where it should be yet, It's where it could be, by this weekend. I started working on this last summer by taking a SVA class. So, I can take a step back and say, it's come along since then. BUT, I still don't have full illustrations with a real sense of place/environment. I'm stuck on the characters and I need to work through that. My backgrounds/landscapes/story needs work.

My hope is to meet people, learn what I need to do, get inspired.. and, quite honestly,and immodestly, I'd like someone to tell me I'm good. Forgive my needy ego. I'll go into many details post conference, I'm sure. Fingers crossed!

Ps- me -goy, husband- jew, kid- half and half

Off the boat, outta my head

So we're back from the cruise with Barenakedladies and our other favorite band Guster. Good times. Brought back an extra special souvenier cold. Really sick here. Seems I have been sick for the last three months a lot. I'll be back at he Dr. after this weekend's SCBWI conference in NYC.

So a new Justin illo. I wanted to do another with his Mom, but I don't think that's happening by tomorrow. I have to get this stuff to a printer.




This way too cutesy illustration is of a story I've been telling my daughter for 4 years. We go to St. Maartin every year with my father in law to his timeshare. St. Maarten has a BIG stray cat problem. She became attached to one cat named "Pretty face" one year we went- cat was gone. Since it is surrounded by water...I told her I had seen her, she'd turned into a Merkitty, which is what the cats do here in St. Maarten when they fall into the sea. Not a great story idea but she EATS it up. I promised her a picture of it, like -years- ago. So I thought I'd do one for the portfolio. I don't really do fantasy stuff, this is the closest I come. Now, she'll ask me for a unicorn-just watch.

As usual, I am stressing out. I've got to get back to yoga.