A Flurry of Activity!

I can't believe we're only a couple months into the year, yet it feels like several months of progress, travel, delight, and sadness have been crammed into this brief time!  And here's a glimpse of what has been happening.

Story draft, photo references, preliminary storyboard...OH MY!

Praise God for His inspiration!  My son will be leaving to join the Army in March and in dealing with all of the emotions that come with that, the idea for a picture book began to take shape - the words, the characters, everything has been a steady flow.  I do feel that it's inspired because I've prayed for such a light to turn-on and it's amazing how all of the pieces are just sliding into place.  I finished an initial storyboard today...a first step on a long road.  It's quite beautiful, really, and I'm really excited to see how it all unfolds.

From 2011 - Here comes trouble...I will miss you, Basha!

And, if saying good-bye to my first-born isn't sad enough, our family had to say a more lasting good-bye to our dearest doggy - Basha.  Her health deteriorated rapidly at the end of January, and I miss having her at my feet when I work.  I've jotted down many notes over the years inspired by her interactions with my youngest child.

Go Crusaders!

On a more positive note, we've had 2 weekends of State Cup tournaments out-of-town and we're coming up on the final "Elite Eight" this weekend - ROAD TRIP!

In spite of all the ups and downs and running around, all of these experiences prompt ideas for potential stories, illustrations, and such projects.

I love being an artist and a mom!

Artist's best friend...

Today I'm sharing some shots of "The Boosh" - dog of a million nicknames (and she responds to none of them). Her real name is Basha my faithful companion when drawing (or doing just about anything). I recently discovered that new friend and talented illustrator Kathleen Rietz also has a Corgi-mix. By request I'm showing some pictures of this great little dog that we acquired off of Craigslist a couple years ago. Also, check out the funny shot of her I added to the sidebar.



You'll also see my youngest daughter's new, blue cast that we've written on with silver paint pen. I'm tempted to paint something on it, but I'm not sure she'd sit still long enough. Well, she's got it for the next 4 weeks.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Corgi's, they're sturdy mid-size dogs who were shortchanged in the leg department. The vet thinks Basha is Corgi and maybe German Shepherd - no one really knows for sure.



Anyway, on the artistic front, I've started an IF illo that I will share in a day or two. That is, if I can move tomorrow. I played 2 hours of arena soccer with the kids today - muscles are starting to freeze up now.

And now for something completely different...

I finally got an entire day to work on my projects(almost). Time sure can fly! I just sharpen the pencils, turn on the music, and next thing I know, it's bedtime.

Well, it's not EXACTLY like that. With 3 kids, there's always interruptions. You know, they all want snacks or something to drink - and NEVER at the same time. When you finally get settled, one of them needs you for something. A few minutes later, the next child comes out. But, one day that will end (and I'll miss it).


While I made a lot of progress today, I'm not ready to share. So, for your viewing pleasure, I'm posting a picture of one of my family members - Basha - with her favorite toy. We discovered that - like most little girls - she loves Barbies. When we first got her, we'd catch her sneaking out of my girls' room with one. So, every time they get a new one for a birthday, they give an old one to the dog.

Of course, she plays with them a little differently. She likes to chase it after you've chucked it across the room. Other times, she rolls around, swinging it by its hair. So much fun!