This week we started school and it is always an opportunity to improve or introduce a new routine. My kids are little (3 and 6) and it is always a challenge to get them to do things independently in the morning and at night to get out of the house on time, or get to bed on time. I introduced the idea of a rewards chart when we were potty training my daughter, and it worked well. We used to do a small toy or ice cream at the end of the week, but now that she is older, I want her to understand the value of money. I used the same incentive for my son because even though he is only 3, he wants to do what his sister does. It hasn't been a full week yet, but they are doing great! We have made it to school on time every day (which was a huge problem last year) and I haven't had to get upset!
Anyway, I thought this chart worked perfect for the theme.
On a separate note, I am posting a late IF for detach. I interpreted the topic in two ways; The obvious, the parents and the little boy 'detach' on the first day of school. For the little one and the parents, it's usually a moment filled with uncertainty and worry.
The second meaning is more personal, I 'detached' myself from my usual style and medium to experiment with something new. I recently checked out about 20 or more children's books and have been visiting the children's section at BN quite regularly trying to find books that mimic my current style, and to my surprise, I have not been able to find any that resembles mine. (if you know of one, let me know...I'm curious).
Anyway, that made me think, that perhaps my illustrations are not kid friendly enough, and I should vary my style and try more simple shapes and more flat colors.
I used gouache and watercolors for this one. Any thoughts or comments are welcomed!
And lastly, Fay kept us home for a day, and gave me some extra time. I decided to paint a sketch I had posted for a character study.
The second meaning is more personal, I 'detached' myself from my usual style and medium to experiment with something new. I recently checked out about 20 or more children's books and have been visiting the children's section at BN quite regularly trying to find books that mimic my current style, and to my surprise, I have not been able to find any that resembles mine. (if you know of one, let me know...I'm curious).
Anyway, that made me think, that perhaps my illustrations are not kid friendly enough, and I should vary my style and try more simple shapes and more flat colors.
I used gouache and watercolors for this one. Any thoughts or comments are welcomed!
And lastly, Fay kept us home for a day, and gave me some extra time. I decided to paint a sketch I had posted for a character study.Sorry about the long post...
Happy Weekend Everyone!
20 comments:
so... these are great works first of all! it's a big hapiness that you have style like anyone else has, isn't it? :) i think your new style is remind the earlier but perhaps a little bit "folksy". i like both of them! you can decide which one is the real for you...
oh what an awesome post Edrian!!! these are wonderful and perfect for the theme this week...
Hope you have an amazing weekend!!!
Quite the contray: I loved your long post and the picture it gave me of your family! The gouache is in any case a lovely soft effect.
Sorry, had to go back and check on her name (very senior moment!), but Fay is a wonderful picture.
I really like this. Just goes to show how busy things can get. This is a great illustration
They are all lovely,and having a personal style it's better.Love your style and the nice feeling that it give us.
Fay is so cute
You are so awesome! Both illos are perfect for their words...I loved your long post, this was lovely.
Great post Edrian!
I enjoyed them all. Really nice work and good ideas too!
Please don't apologize for a long post! I love reading every word. I was actually worried about you and Fay, so I'm glad you didn't get hit too badly by the storm.
That is a fabulous chart for the kids. Good to hear it work. I think I need one for ME.
I think you have a wonderful style that is very appealing to children because of the vibrant colors. I don't think you should second guess yourself at all. In fact, be happy that your art is unique and your own. My children love all sorts of styles, especially if they're happy and bright.
Like your new header, too!
I am touched with everyones comments!
I should clarify that when I mentioned FAY, I was referring to the Tropical Storm that dumped so much rain on FL this week. School was cancelled for a day and we spent time at home trying to stay dry. We were not affected by flood or tornados fortunately!
I am glad to be able to be a part of such a great community of creative minds and get such a varied and positive comments. Thank you!
I am happy with my style, in the sense that I feel I am being true to myself, and it is good to be a little different. My hesitation is about marketability, but I guess I will know better next year when I actually begin to send things out to publishers, or in Jan when I attend the Miami conference. (or perhaps the NY one, haven't decided yet).
I do like the softness of the 'detach' piece, and I am wondering if I should include some pieces in my portfolio with this type of style (with some refinement), or if I would not show focus? I read different things...some say show only your best style and medium, others say, show them in your portfolio but group the pieces by style, and some say have a different portfolio for each style.
:)
Thank you, Edrian, for the amazing video link. Much of Colombia is a paradise! I've added it to my post. I wish I could give you advice on marketing yourself and getting your portfolio together. For what it's worth, I do think your illustrations of happy children and family moments deserve a place in the published world.
I think your work is lovely...I'm always second guessing myself, too, but I like your style :) Love the chart and stickers...as a Kindergarten teacher, that really does work! Just gotta be consistent. I like the different images you posted. Keep up the great work :)
oooo!!!! i've never been here, and wow...i can't imagine not stopping by 1x a week to see what you are up to! GREAT chart. works wonders around here, getting it on paper. your work is just lovely, edrian! i love your color sense, the bold and pastely play on shapes...jut wonderful work! thanks so much for the visits...and to answer, i'm trying to paint in painter now as that's what seems to be the request from pubs/editors/ad's. but i'm also trying to match my trad. style to a digital world...so far it's been a challenge. how bout you? trad or digi or both? i'd say, both? have a wonderful back to school! :)
Great illustrations. May I borrow your chart? We've tried charts before, but I'm not organized enough to keep up with it.
I love both your illos. I think variety is the spice of life and keep them guessing. whichever way you choose to illustrate your talent to capture theme and content is great. I loved your long blog and thank you for visiting mine.
The reward chart is simply beautiful.
About style. I recently had a portfolio critique from an art agent who specializes in the children's book market. She said they are looking for the styles that stand out (in other words DON'T look like all the other books out there already) And she also recomended sticking with one style in my portfolio with my other styles to be backups pieces to show someone once I'd "hooked" them with a cohesive portfolio. I've just started sending stuff out to publishers--so I'm not sure how well that is working yet. The other thing about style is do something you love to do. It needs to be something you can and want to do for 32 pages...
I like your rewards table for routine, I think it's a great idea!
I like your new style too!
As far as portfolios go, if you like both styles and don't want to choose one, maybe make two seperate portfolios. I've heard that you don't want to make someone choose between your styles...but, then again, I don't have enough experience in the field to know for sure!
Thanks for your advice on watercolor, by the way, I'll keep working at it!
i love this one the forshortening is great!
very nice illo, very sweet
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