Nina's Blog

If Wishes Were Horses

2012-01-25T09:04:00.005-06:00

A very, very, very long time ago I drew this horse for my friend Kelly's parents. I was recently given a chance to revisit it and spiff it up a little. Trot on over to the Brown's Folly website to look at all their beautiful horses. Great big thanks to Greg & Mary Brown for asking me to draw for them again. A horse is really a perfect gift, so pick one up today!

A Norma Rae Moment

2012-01-11T11:45:00.003-06:00

The good and kind Laura Purdie Salas just tagged me with this shiny Versatile Blogger Award. Not so sure how versatile I actually am, but I'll just go with it... There are some rules that I need to follow now, so bear with me as I am traditionally pretty awful at reading directions. I need to:

Thank the person who bestowed the award on you
List seven random facts about yourself
Spread the love by passing along the award to five other bloggers – and let them know

Thank you so much, Laura! I hope that 2012 brings you all you would wish yourself! *hugs* Laura is a very talented poet and an equally wonderful lady, I love that she is local and that I get to bump into her at kid book events.

Ok, Seven Random Facts about me...

1. My favorite pop is Dr. Pepper.

2. I have lived in Minnesota my whole life but have never been to Canada.

3. My Pink Pearl eraser has gone missing... *sob*

4. Riding horses is my all-time favorite sport, but I haven't been on horseback since I was 7 months pregnant with my eldest (and that was over 9 years ago). Gah!

5. Currently addicted to Downton Abbey.

6. I once accidentally stabbed through my sneaker with a pitchfork and did NOT injure my foot. I know, right!?!

7. My favorite song right now is The Roller by Beady Eye.

I'd like to pass this award on to some local groovy art chicks that I adore:

Alicia Schwab, Anne Adix Fabie, Barb Björnson, Sara Weingartner, and Sharon Wagner.

Also, many thanks to everyone who has stopped by because of the 2012 Comment Challenge. I have enjoyed your kind comments very much and it has been especially nice to find all sorts of fab new blogs to visit! Cheers!

The Tree In Winter

2012-01-06T08:15:00.000-06:00

This is a little poem I wrote, inspired by the blog of the lovely and talented poet, Laura Purdie Salas. Thank you for helping me find my tiny inner poet, Laura! It was fun to illustrate this wee poem, and I am very pleased with how it turned out. We sent this postcard out to fam & friends as our holiday card (with love from the Crittendens), and today I'm sending out another version (with my contact info on it) to all the fab art directors and publishers that I would love to get a chance to work with someday. Plus, there is a new b&w page on my website now. Fun!
Happy 2012! Wishing you and yours every happiness! May all your trees be full of happy birdies and cheeky squirrels!

Fowl Play

2011-12-16T11:42:00.006-06:00

This is my entry for the SCBWI Tomie dePaola Award. Oh, to snuggle a baby fox!

I woke up last Friday morning with this song in my head, and it all just came together...

It is also a small tribute to one of my all-time favorite movies:

If I am ever in a fight, I want Burgess Meredith on my side. Far Out!!!

Bionic Nina

2011-12-02T19:05:00.006-06:00

The daily sketches in November were so fun, and I will get back to them, but I am going to have to put them on pause until I finish up a few things... Today I sent off the cover art and 76 spot illustrations for a project that I have been working on, so I am feeling super happy about that and will definitely share more about it when I can. The artwork I was planning on using for my last postcard was not very well-received at the MNSCBWI conference in October, so I am channelling my inner-Steve Austin for a newer... better... faster (?) six-million dollar bionic postcard. Now I am wondering if I have the chops to make it as a tv action hero and an illustrator and if six million dollars is too much money to spend on a promotional postcard...

thirty

2011-11-30T21:42:00.003-06:00

Can't believe this is my 30th sketch, and I have not quite finished telling this story. Do I keep going? I don't know how many more there will be... Feel free to chime in with your two cents, and I'd like to thank each and every one of you who have stopped by. You're awesome!!!

twenty-nine

2011-11-29T20:51:00.002-06:00

twenty-eight

2011-11-28T21:14:00.001-06:00

twenty-seven

2011-11-27T23:38:00.001-06:00

twenty-six

2011-11-26T21:21:00.002-06:00

twenty-five

2011-11-25T20:14:00.002-06:00

twenty-four

2011-11-24T09:28:00.002-06:00

twenty-three

2011-11-23T21:22:00.002-06:00

twenty-two

2011-11-22T10:07:00.002-06:00

twenty-one

2011-11-21T22:03:00.002-06:00

twenty

2011-11-20T21:00:00.001-06:00

nineteen

2011-11-19T15:17:00.001-06:00

eighteen

2011-11-18T18:04:00.002-06:00

seventeen

2011-11-17T23:44:00.002-06:00

sixteen

2011-11-16T11:42:00.002-06:00

fifteen

2011-11-15T09:26:00.002-06:00

fourteen

2011-11-14T21:12:00.002-06:00

thirteen

2011-11-13T12:06:00.002-06:00

twelve

2011-11-12T20:51:00.002-06:00

eleven

2011-11-11T09:44:00.002-06:00

ten

2011-11-10T22:26:00.002-06:00

nine

2011-11-09T23:56:00.002-06:00

eight

2011-11-07T20:28:00.004-06:00

(pssst.... this illustration can also be found over at The Sketchables today. Thanks so very much to all of you who have been so kind to visit lately). nvc

seven

2011-11-07T09:40:00.002-06:00

six

2011-11-06T19:21:00.001-06:00

five

2011-11-05T21:21:00.002-05:00

four

2011-11-04T15:09:00.001-05:00

three

2011-11-03T12:39:00.001-05:00

two

2011-11-02T13:19:00.002-05:00

one

2011-11-01T10:48:00.006-05:00

There are lots o' cool things going on in November like PiBoIdMo and NaNoWriMo. My friend, Sara Weingartner, had a terrific idea: posting a sketch a day for the month of November (the most excellent Nancy Carlson has been posting her daily doodles for the past two years now!). I thought this would be a fun thing to do (Barb Björnson, Anne Adix Fabie, and Alicia Schwab are doing it, too). I've had an idea rattling around in my head for ever such a long, long time and I think it is ready to find it's way to paper... Happy November!

Spooky Coloring Pages

2011-10-27T09:59:00.006-05:00

Get out your crayons and markers, little goblins and ghouls! I posted these a while back before all the images on my blog went missing, so they are officially back from zee dead. Zombie coloring pages, even! Scary!!!

I would be thrilled to post any pages that have been colored by your kiddies, so just email me photos or scans of their masterpieces if they'd like me to. nvc@ninacrittenden.com I vant to post your art (vampire voice)... Hope you all have a very Happy Halloween!!!

p.s. This also works great for Illustration Friday's topic this week: Scary! Boo!

Wonderstruck

2011-10-19T08:22:00.012-05:00

Well, the past five days have been pretty awesome. Dan Santat flew out to Minnesota to speak at the MNSCBWI Fall conference on Saturday. I have been a big fan of his work for a long time now, so it was such a treat to meet him in person. Oh my gosh, he was super nice. Very clever, funny, and down-to-earth. He shared his journey to publication during his keynote at the conference and talked about how he found balance between work and family and that we all really just need to trust in ourselves. Absolutely wonderful!
He signed a copy of The Adventures of Nanny Piggins for my girls (this book is very hilarious, my kids love it so far) and also brought me this fantastic sketch of Paul Bunyan that I purchased from him online. I think he might need to raise his prices if he plans to deliver all of his art in person... haha
The fabulous Brian Selznick has also been in town (I know, right?). My friend Jen and I went to hear him speak about his new book, Wonderstruck, last night. It was really cool to hear about his process and all the time he spends researching everything that he writes and illustrates. He signed my copy of The Invention of Hugo Cabret, too. SUCH a nice man.
I have yet to meet a person who works in children's books who hasn't been friendly and kind-hearted. Sending out a great big thank you to Mike Wohnoutka for giving me great advice about the postcard I was planning to send out next because it simply isn't my best work. He really didn't have to take the time to talk with me about it, but he did. Thank you, Mike! Nicole Tugeau gave me great feedback on my current portfolio and I will continue to work hard and grow with every piece of art I make. I enjoyed meeting Dawn Frederick and Andrew Harwell, and feel energized by their enthusiasm for kid books. Thankful for family and friends, writers and illustrators, the people who make books and the people who read them.

You all inspire me every single day. xoxo

Jack O' Lanterns

2011-10-11T10:25:00.003-05:00

Here is a scary witch, her scary cat, and the "scary" pumpkins they carved for Halloween. Special thanks to the lovely ladies over at The Sketchables for inviting me over for a spell.

Sugarbuns

2011-10-03T14:45:00.003-05:00

This is a portrait of our friends' little rabbit who met an untimely end. Farewell, Sugarbuns.

In other news: my Aunt's parakeets just moved in with us, I just ordered a new postcard for my next mailing, I'm spiffing up my portfolio for the upcoming MNSCBWI fall conference, and I have begun the sketches for the next piano book. I am not sure when the piano music books are coming out, but will be sure post about it when they do. I will end this post with a random haiku:

Max and Marcia, you

sing so sweetly in your cage.

Welcome to our home.

MNSCBWI Fall Conference

2011-09-22T11:26:00.004-05:00

Conference time is almost upon us, Minnesota! The MNSCBWI is putting on a fab conference for writers and illustrators on October 15th, 2011. Join us at Metro State University to hear great speakers such as Dan Santat (illustrator/author), Alison McGhee (author), Lonnie Plecha (editor, Cricket Magazine), Andrew Harwell (associate editor, HarperCollins), Mike Wohnoutka (illustrator), Dawn Frederick (literary agent, Red Sofa Literary), and Nicole Tugeau (artist representative, Tugeau2). You can also register for manuscript and portfolio reviews! Special thanks to Rachelle Gray, last year's winner of the illustration mentorship, for creating the beautiful artwork for the conference this year! Here are the deets:

Saturday, October 15, 2011 • 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Metropolitan State University, 700 East Seventh Street, St. Paul, MN

Hope to see you there!

Summery Summary

2011-09-06T12:35:00.014-05:00

We met some really charming characters at Disney World,

and watched our garden grow.

(I also had a painting in a show)

Watched fireworks for the 4th.

Ate lots of pancakes!

Went to a cabin in Northern MN (Gordy loves the great outdoors).

I made 6 terrariums (and only 3 have survived).

We saw Jeremy Messersmith in concert

and got his autograph!

Ended summer with a fun trip to the Great Minnesota Get Together.

Hope you had a groovy summer, too!

And to All a Good Knight!

2011-08-29T15:06:00.017-05:00

The book event was a great success! Meeting Elizabeth in person was a real treat, she just couldn't be sweeter!
The room was full of adorable kids. Here are the backs of some of their heads as Betty read to them from Cedric and the Dragon. Note to reader: I barely moved during the whole thing, I felt like the little bunny who freezes in the grass and just hopes no one sees her. haha
Look at these young artists! After I showed them how to draw the dragon from the book (you can see a bit of it on the dry erase board), they gave it a go. Brace yourselves, people. The following photos are just a sampling of the incredibly fierce and adorable dragons that the kids created. Special thanks to everyone who joined us on our fun dragon day! Thank you!!!

Book Event

2011-08-24T15:19:00.002-05:00

If you are looking for something fun to do with your kids tomorrow afternoon (and will be in the state of Minnesota), join Elizabeth Raum and myself at the Elva Resa office in Woodbury, MN from 2-3pm. Elizabeth will read Cedric and the Dragon and talk about the book and I will talk about drawing dragons. More info can be found at the Elva Resa website (click here).

Chicken Nugget Lemon Tooty

2011-08-05T14:21:00.000-05:00

These fantastic sculptures were created by Isaac over at Chicken Nugget Lemon Tooty. The Z-Kids have been blogging their beautiful, imaginative art for five years now! They also review books for kids with their talented father, Aaron Zenz, over at Bookie Woogie. What an awesome fam! To celebrate 5 fantastic years, a bunch of artists have created fan art based on the kids' artwork. Go on over to Chicken Nugget Lemon Tooty to take it all in! There is a call for fan art the whole month of August, what will you create?
This is the piece I created for the celebration. I call it "Aw, Nuts!"

Sleeping Cat

2011-08-04T13:25:00.004-05:00

Gus Gus has taken to sleeping under my desk these days. So cute, right? There are a few things I would love to post but I am not able to share them yet (oooh, how suspenseful!). So, here is a cute cat photo for you. Hope that you are happy and healthy! Stay cool!

IF: Perennial

2011-07-22T08:28:00.003-05:00

The topic for Illustration Friday this week is "Perennial." Here is an illo full of perennial favorites: giant ferns, geraniums, gladiolus, gerbera daisies, gloriosa daisies, gaillardias, giant alliums, and a couple golden guernsey goats. Gee, that's a lot of "G's."

[Note: not all plants shown are perennials, there are a couple annuals in there... ]

In other news: I am almost done with the illustrations for my current project. I'll be able to share more about it when the book comes out- yay! Have a groovy weekend, everyone!!!

Blog Update

2011-07-06T15:30:00.005-05:00

Due to a grave error on my part, I seem to have deleted every single image I have ever blogged since I began blogging back in February of 2008. Needless to say, I have been through a varied range of emotions today. So, please stand by as I attempt to re-upload (is that even a word?) everything. Or almost everything. I might decide to leave some things out and I am fairly certain I won't be able to locate some of it (or a lot of it). That is okay. Blogging has really just been a great way for me to journal my creative process and to get to know great illustrators and authors out there, as well as the rest of you kind people who actually come here to see what I have been up to. That fills my heart up with happiness!

When you see a little blue question mark where an image is supposed to be, just think to yourself any of the following multiple choice options:

a) "Thank goodness this isn't my blog!"

b) "I bet that was a beautiful image!"

3) "Nina sure has become quite the minimalist."

d) "Polar bear with a question in a snowstorm. Nice!"

e) "It is okay to make mistakes. Like Nina."

f) "How nice to not have so much cool art to look at. Now I have time to nap!"

g) all of the above

Technical Difficulties

2011-07-06T08:49:00.001-05:00

For some reason, all of my pictures have gone missing....

Crossing my fingers that I can find them again!

Dragon Fly

2011-06-22T07:24:00.005-05:00

If you have recently found yourself thinking, "Gee, I sure wish I had a dragon flying across my desktop," this is the post for you. I was inspired by Ingvard the Terrible, a fierce and talented artist (who kindly gave me the skinny on making wallpaper). Visit his blog, follow him on twitter, and check him out on facebook because he is the coolest! This is also a new one for me because I plunked this painting right on top of a photo I snapped of blue summer sky and happy clouds. You can download this wallpaper over at my flickr set. Have a groovy day while you're at it!

Father's Day

2011-06-16T12:33:00.004-05:00

Happy (almost) Father's Day to all the Great Dads out there!!! Sending a great big thank you to the lovely ladies over at The Sketchables for inviting me to contribute this seahorse sketch!!!

In other news: my fam just returned from a fun trip to Disney World, summer vacation has begun, I have a new project in the works, and Cedric and the Dragon was just honored with a Mom's Choice Gold Award! Hooray!!! You still have time to win a copy of the book (signed by Betty and myself) if you hop on over to facebook and "like" Cedric! The two lucky winners will be announced on June 18th! Happy Summer!!! :)

RSVP

2011-06-08T07:38:00.003-05:00

I never really know what you are supposed to write when you get this kind of reply card...

The "M _____________" part mostly made sense, but I never know what to do with "__________ of _________ ." That's a toughie. You can see where I added an ( 's ) later on the Crittenden so that "party of four" would work. I hope they don't notice...

Congratulations, Shannon and Ryan!

Cedric and the Giveaway

2011-06-01T11:04:00.002-05:00

Hello, Friends! To celebrate the 1 year anniversary of Cedric and the Dragon being published, Betty Raum and I are hosting a giveaway on facebook. All you need to do is "like" Cedric and The Dragon by June 18th for a chance to win one of two books signed by the both of us. Fun, right?

Happy Reading!!! Happy Drawing!!! Happy Writing!!! Happy June!!!

Flying Kites

2011-05-24T09:35:00.006-05:00

Scrub-A-Dub

2011-05-16T10:09:00.004-05:00

A friend of mine bought some art that I made for Ripple a while back and asked if I'd make her something else, too. So here it is! How could I say no? We were friends way back in jr. high and we used to design rooms on her cool Amiga computer! Faith is really awesome, and she has her own little cupcake business going. Visit Anytime Cupcakes to see her delicious creations! I wonder if they'd deliver cupcakes to Minnesota???

Cinco de Mayo

2011-05-05T07:46:00.001-05:00

Here is a new coloring page for the kiddies! Click, print, and enjoy!

Garden Bear

2011-04-19T17:26:00.002-05:00

Waiting patiently for Spring to arrive...

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

2011-04-15T07:30:00.002-05:00

(click to enlarge)

Here is my new postcard, hot off the presses! My first attempt moonlighting as a reporter and a staff photographer at a pretend newspaper... The idea popped into my head one night when I was brushing my teeth. It was fun researching The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and also poring over our local newspaper to try to catch all the details that would make it look as authentic as a pretend article would. It was printed on newsprint, even! One of the publishers I am mailing this to is actually located in Tarrytown, NY.

Coincidence? Yes.

Cool? You betcha!!

Guest Post at The Sketchables

2011-04-07T08:55:00.006-05:00

Once again, I have been honored to contribute over at The Sketchables while the very sweet and talented Joy Steuerwald is busy snuggling her new baby! Congratulations, Joy!!!

The theme I was given was Easter. Get it??? E + Stir = Easter *hahaha*

Many thanks to Kelly, Diandra, Priscilla, Heather, and Joy for inviting me to make a cameo appearance!

p.s. You can now "like" Cedric and the Dragon on facebook! Yay!!!

Bee

2011-04-01T12:22:00.010-05:00

I finally painted a picture frame for my niece, Blair. It was supposed to be a new baby gift, and she is two years old now... She is such a cutie, and so is her big sister, Megan. I just love being an Auntie!

Just for You: More adorable pet photos from Nina's House

Gus Gus has since taken to lounging comfortably in Gordy's bed...

And Gordy has figured out how to squeeze himself into the cat's bed! HA!

Horse & Rider

2011-03-28T09:01:00.005-05:00

Good Monday Morning! What have I been up to lately? How kind of you to ask!

Working out a new postcard and getting new art together to update the ol' website. The above sketch has been transformed into a lovely b&w illo that I will share soon. I really have to say that black and white illustration has a certain charm that I thoroughly enjoy. It is the shades of gray that appeal to me most, I think, because that is where I tend to bide my time. Some folks run hot and cold, and I admire their passion and conviction. It takes an awful lot to rile me up, so you'll find me at a pleasant lukewarm most days. I am feeling excited and a little scared about this next postcard because I am going to end up sharing my sense of humor. My family and friends know me too well, but what will the unsuspecting art directors think??? *gulp*

Hope that you are doing well! Have a wonderful day! Love, Nina

Spiffy

2011-03-14T13:34:00.010-05:00

Hello, There! There has been a lot going on at my house as of late. I read a post over at Andi Butler's blog and it put a little idea in the back of my mind. A short while later, I got a catalog in the mail and saw this lovely green cabinet. It snowballed a little from there into a couple new pieces of furniture and much-needed new carpeting for our four-season porch (my "studio" is tucked away in a corner). Here are some pics for you:

The green cabinet replaced an old sideboard that I had been using to store supplies. Much more storage space. Didn't take any photos of *inside* the cabinet because I still have some organizing to do... Things are almost back to normal around here.The cabinet is almost the exact same shade of green as the wall color. Cool, huh?Here is my new little bookshelf! I parked it right behind a chair and it actually helps frame my space. Just finished reading Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer Holm, it was spunky and charming. I loved it.The new carpet is Gordy and Gus Gus approved! They are becoming better friends every day. This is just about the cutest picture ever! I am excited to create more art in our spiffy "new" porch! Getting ready for a new postcard mailer... Thanks for reading! Happy Monday!

Ice, Ice, Baby!

2011-03-04T10:21:00.004-06:00

A lovely Mom friend asked me if I would make a little logo for her son's hockey team. I really enjoy using a limited palette, and it was fun to drop in color in photoshop for a little change of pace... In other news, my little "studio" space is getting a wee upgrade! Will post pics as soon as all the changes take place. Hope that everything is great with you, thank you for visiting! Have a groovy weekend!!!

Toad Stool

2011-02-22T14:20:00.004-06:00

Here is a new coloring page for the kiddies (just click and print)! I took this coloring page with me this past Saturday on an outing with The Ink Well Foundation to Children's Hospital in St. Paul. It was a real honor to be there with such amazing artists and such incredible kids! You can view some of the photos here. A very special thank you to Elizabeth Winter for asking me to be a part of such a wonderful organization! Looking forward to the next one! :)

Noteworthy

2011-02-16T10:04:00.011-06:00

This past weekend I attended the Minnesota Association of Veterinary Technicians annual convention. My notes were un-conventional. Hahhahaha! Here is a sampling. I heard somewhere that doodling whilst listening to lectures helps you better remember information, though I can't recall specifically where I heard that. Hmmm.... It was a great convention, it is always so great to see great friends and learn all about internal parasites!

Floss daily people! Flossing saves lives!!!Random poetry attempt...I luv that little nematode! Seriously, parasitology is very fascinating!In Other News:I was lucky to do my very first book reading last Friday night to the cute kids at Jefferson Elementary. Boy, was I nervous... There were a handful of kids who listened to me read Cedric and the Dragon while they worked on coloring pages. It was really cute. After I finished the book, a sweet girl named Bailey gave me the page she colored. That was my very favorite part!!! They had a drawing to win a copy of the dragon book and it went to a lovely young lady named Crickett. Many, many thanks to Kelly Martin and everyone at Jefferson Elementary for inviting me to be a part of I Love To Read Month!

Deer Valentine,

2011-02-14T17:35:00.002-06:00

Will you be mine?

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Groundhog Day

2011-02-02T20:26:00.014-06:00

Happy Groundhog Day! So, I have been getting to know a lot of amazing and talented folks through the magic of the interwebs, and one of these people is Andi Butler (please go to her website to see her gorgeous artwork and follow her on twitter while you are at it). She mentioned that she made some Star Wars cupcakes one day and they totally blew my mind! (check them out here). Amazing, right? Being the wonderful gal that she is, she told me about this cookbook:With a kid birthday around the corner, the firefly birthday cake (page 80) was chosen as my first attempt at creating a fancy cake with chocolate decorations. This cookbook is great, easy to follow, and full of great photographs. I made the chocolate fireflies a week ahead of time:

This photo documents me attempting to be organized! hee heeYou melt candy chocolate and then pipe it onto parchment paper to create the chocolate decorations. Andi makes it look SO EASY!!! Luckily, the firefly designs I attempted were relatively simple and the chocolate reheats easily. It was tricky, but fun, and got a little easier as time wore on. After the designs are drawn out, I melted white chocolate and colored it, and filled in the firefly bodies. Oh, and I threw in a few hearts and butterflies for extra practice.They kind of look like a mess from the working side, but are awfully cool when you flip them over...A little firefly army! They are really delicious, btw!Andi told me that she usually makes the italian meringue buttercream icing, so that is what I did, too (page 37). Here is the meringue before all the butter went in... it was SO dreamy! I had to take a photo of all of the marvelous swirls. It had a sweet and delicate flavor, but wasn't TOO sweet...Here is the finished cake. Two leveled vanilla cakes with a layer of chocolate buttercream, too. I still cannot believe I made this cake. It didn't turn out as beautifully as the one in the cookbook, but that was okay with me. The kids *really* loved the fireflies the most. I just really love that I was lucky to have found a wonderful new friend who has inspired me to stretch my wings and fly a little.Thank you, Andi!

Illustration Friday: Chicken

2011-01-19T14:16:00.006-06:00

Special thanks to the fabulous Jannie Ho for inspiring us all to get in touch with our inner chickens!!! BawkBawkBawk!!!

p.s. I added the Peace Chicken to my imagekind shop! :)

A Dear Sketch

2011-01-13T10:56:00.006-06:00

This is something new that I am working on. For some reason I have been seeing lots of toadstools lately and thought it might be fun to draw a few... Hope that you are doing well! There is a Picture Book Dummy Challenge going on that I am going to participate in, so that should be pretty fun. Looking forward to inking this one. See you soon!

Hello, 2011!

2011-01-02T17:05:00.004-06:00

Last year is all tied up with a bow. This New Year is full of possibility and promise. Just finished writing a big long list of the things I'd like to accomplish this year.... what's on your list?

Here's to 2011! Cheers!!!

Snail Mail

2010-12-17T15:58:00.005-06:00

Look at my new cute return address label! I ordered a bunch of them from Stand Out Stickers and they turned out beautifully! A snail for snail mail! hee heeThe stickers were a great way to spruce up my new promotional mailer (and spare people from trying to read my handwriting). The woodland theme was rounded out by awesome evergreen stamps from the post office. This is the first time I have not sent out a postcard, and I thought a nice vellum envelope would be fun to give folks a peek at the illo before they even open up the card. It is a good feeling to have all the cards in the mail and on their merry way! Just in case I don't blog again before the New Year, here's wishing you all the best for a safe and happy holiday season! :)

My First Interview

2010-12-12T22:23:00.006-06:00

I was just thrilled when the lovely ladies over at The Sketchables invited me to do an interview, and they posted it yesterday! Hooray! My sincerest thanks to Kelly, Heather, Diandra, Joy, and Priscilla for being so amazing and inspiring. What a wonderful group of gifted artists! They are as kind as they are talented, and I feel honored to know them. :)

Oh, and in "Minnesota Blizzard News," we figure that we ended up with about 15 inches of snow in our neck of the woods! Hope you all had a great weekend!

Readmill

2010-12-03T08:22:00.013-06:00

My New Year's Resolution was to read more books, specifically for myself. I am very proud to report that I have read five books this year! Cool, right? :) We read picture books by the boatload at my house and are starting to read some middle grade (and YA for me). Books for grown-ups have their appeal, of course, and I have some in the queue. As anyone who knows me knows, I am generally sunny. Writing in-depth, thoughtful, comprehensive book reviews would be pretty pointless because giving glowing reviews is pretty much all I'd want to do... so here are the books I read this year and a little bit about why I loved them:

The Art and Flair of Mary Blair was a wonderful biography. Her work was brilliant, vivid, and inspired (and I never read biographies).
Thirteen Reasons Why had me wanting to find out what would happen next, and not wanting to find out what would happen next... and wanting my kids to never grow up.
I sat down with The Invention of Hugo Cabret one lovely afternoon when my kids were getting along famously and devoured it. It is absolutely magical.

Shiver is a book for all your senses. Well-written and compelling. I can't wait to read the sequel.
Stargirl was fantastic. The last book that made me cry when I read it was Little Women, and that says a lot.

Oh, I bet you are wondering what Readmill is all about... I started reading books while walking on the treadmill! It has been working out great! 2 mph is a great speed to read (so the book doesn't bounce around too much). Don't worry, I promise not to ever walk and knit! Hahaha

The Week In Review

2010-12-02T14:44:00.010-06:00

Hello, Hello! The beautiful painting I won from Bonnie Adamson arrived this week! Isn't it lovely! I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Bonnie over in twitterland. She is a very kind lady and an extremely talented illustrator. Please go here and here and here to see all of the cool things that she has been up to! Thank you, Bonnie!!!
Here is my newest sketch for the Sketchbook Project. More bugs! (click to see larger)
Also, I can knit now! I ordered a knitting board over a year ago and re-discovered it a month ago when we lost power for a couple days. Knitting was always something I wanted to learn how to do. Learning to knit the traditional way will have to wait for another day! Here are a few pics of the process:
You wind the yarn back and forth along the nails in an alternating fashion and use the hook dealie
to lift the bottom yarn loop over the upper loop. I think they have tutorials on the website...
It isn't really tricky and the stockinette stitch looks really nice on both sides.
This is how it looks from the top before you wind the yarn around another time (and this is a good example of why I don't write directions for a living- ha!).
Here is the scarf! You finish it off with a crochet hook, and if I could do this you could for sure! Pretty fun! This scarf is going to be a gift for my husband, who really is the best guy ever. Back before I was a Mom, I used to cross stitch a bunch. It is fun to have something crafty to do again that is easy to pick up, work on for a bit, and put aside again. Hope this finds you well! Thanks for stopping by! :)

Prints Charming

2010-11-26T16:30:00.003-06:00

They are having a sale on the imagekind website right now through midnight on Monday, November 29th. Prints of my work are available, along with artwork by the talented Alicia Padrón, Angela Matteson, Vittoria Faruffini, John Rocco, and Megan Coyle just to name a few...

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Enjoy your weekend!

I See Me!

2010-11-21T10:05:00.007-06:00

The Holidays are coming up quickly! I am getting excited to bake rolls and pies for Thanksgiving, and thought it would be cool to share a great some great gift ideas with you guys! My friend (since 7th grade!), Jen Dewing, has written these three books for I See Me! (a Minnesota publisher of fantastic personalized books for kids). A Christmas Bear for Me and Who Loves Me? both won Mom's Choice Gold awards this year! I cannot adequately express how impressed and amazed I am by my friend, Jen. She is compassionate, driven, giving, funny, kind, spunky, talented, and completely adorable. You would just love her! A Hanukkah Bear for Me and A Christmas Bear for Me are both filled with Wilson Ong's gorgeous illustrations, and Who Loves Me? is perfectly paired with Maria Carluccio's playful artwork.

Dear Wilson and Maria,

Your work is amazing.

Love, Nina
I See Me! is offering a FREE SHIPPING promotion on all personalized children's books through November 29th. Just enter coupon code FSR795 at check out! Happy Shopping!!!

And the Winner Is...

2010-11-12T07:11:00.007-06:00

Diandra Mae!!! Diandra is a very talented illustrator who also happens to be the Illustrator Coordinator for the Houston SCBWI. Her artwork is filled with endearing characters, vibrant colors, and a silly charm that I just love! You can see her work on her website and blog, visit her over with The Sketchables, or catch up with her on twitter. I feel very happy to know her, though we have yet to meet in person... hope to someday! Congrats, Diandra! :)

Since I have two little assistants, I thought it would be nice to have an additional prize!
A little pack of Nina Notecards! And the winner is:
Yay, Michelle! Michelle Kondrich makes her art with intricate lines and fills it with depth and humor. One of her short stories was just featured in 8: A Kids Book Anthology! You can see her artwork at her website, blog, and follow her on twitter. She is a wonderful gal! Hooray, Michelle!

Thank you Alicia, Julissa, Heidi, Casey, Jenie, Susan, Jen, Karrie, m.b., Alissa, Diandra, Loni, Michelle H., Daun, Karen, Mark, Sarah, Steve, Kurtis, Mrs. Duff, Lynn, Aimee, Erica, Jackie, Nicole, Michelle K., Angie, Andi, Nicki, and Shawn for throwing your names in the hat!!! You are all wonderful! Crossing my fingers that I'll get to illustrate another book someday so I can have another giveaway! ;) I cannot thank you enough! All my very best, Nina

Friday Giveaway

2010-11-04T16:14:00.005-05:00

Hello, There! It is time to have a fun book giveaway! If you would like to win a signed copy of Cedric and the Dragon, leave a comment on this post (along with your email address). I'll pull names out of a hat next Friday morning (November 12th) and announce the winner! *YAY*

[Here are the details that would be covered by a fast-talker if this was on tv or radio: One comment per person and make said comment by Midnight on Thursday the 11th of November. ] GOOD LUCK!!!

My Sketchbook Project is coming along... Here are two new spreads. It isn't RAINING Dogs & Cats, it is REIGNING Dogs & Cats! Hahahaaaa

KidLitCon, Murals, and Book Fairs (oh, my)

2010-10-26T08:57:00.013-05:00

Hello, Hello! This blog post is full of words and pictures! Here goes:

I was lucky to attend Kidlit Con this past Saturday in Minneapolis. Wow. Just wow. I don't really know how I could sum it up... There are a lot of folks doing a far better job at recapping it at the Kidlit Con blog, so check it out if you get a chance. The best part of it for me was actually meeting a lot of the people I have only known online. The kid book community is amazing, so many smart, funny, talented people. I have just been plodding along as a new illustrator and had honestly not realized how huge the community is: teachers, writers, librarians, publicists, editors, illustrators, agents, publishers, parents, bloggers who just love kid books... it is pretty amazing. Also feel very relieved that reviewing books is not a must for every blogger. This was great to hear b/c I'm a pretty awful book reviewer. I pretty much love all the books I read and that doesn't make for interesting reviews. Might try putting together a list of books I like, an informal blog interview, or a giveaway sometime soon! Won't even attempt to mention all the great people I met at Kidlit Con, just feel very inspired to be a part of such a terrific community! On to the mural...

Here you can see I have been busy outlining my sketches in Mouse Ears (DC4B-10-5).
Gordy and the Unicorn are beginning to take shape. We decided to make all the flowers Sunny Spot (DC1B-10-5) and Sleeping Beauty Pink (DC2C-30-3). Oh, and the blue sky and green grass and trees are Mickey Sailor and Apple Orchard and Friendly Forest (same as in the other room). The yellow closet is Bee A Friend (DC1C-20-4).
The Unicorn's coat took two coats of Clock Strikes 12 (DC2A-20-1) and Gordy's coat is Honey Butter (320C-3).
As requested, there is a Mother Bunny with baby buns.
I was particularly proud of this part. Here is a baby bunny and when you open the door...
you see the cat! The Mother bunny is in Buzz Beta Sector (DC1A-50-2) and the babies are in Honey Butter. My kids both love the sleeping baby bunny the most!
Here is a view of the whole wall that will also hold a dresser, bookshelf, and quilt rack.
Look! A baby fox! (Donald Orange, DC1C-60-3)
The unicorn's mane and tail are a combination of Powdered Blush (130C-1), Cafe Pink (130C-2), and Oh Bother Blue (DC3C-30-3). Bunny, fox, and unicorn ears and noses are all a mix of Cafe Pink and Powdered Blush. Ready for the big reveal?
It is such a good feeling to have the kids in their own rooms again (Gus the cat is happy, too)! They are very happy, and we have almost gotten everything back where it is supposed to be (I will move the bookcases back in today and fill them back up with all of their books). This was a good experience for me, I had never worked on such a grand scale before. All told, I think I put in about 33 hours into this mural. :) Thank you all so much for your interest and encouragement, it made it really fun for me because I was excited to show all of you as much as I was excited to finish for the kids! Good times!
Lastly, Christina Rodriguez and I had a good time at the Twin Cities Festival of Books two weekends ago. I can honestly say it was really overwhelming, but getting to spend the day with Christina was fun. What a long post! Sheesh! Thank you for reading the whole thing! Stay tuned, my next blog post will be a giveaway!

Illustration Friday: Spooky

2010-10-21T14:03:00.004-05:00

It is always nice to go trick-or-treating with your Mummy...

Here is a page for boys and ghouls to color!

Happy Halloween!

Bang! Smash! CRASH!

2010-10-15T10:17:00.002-05:00

Meet Lieutenant Gwynne! He plays the cymbals proudly for Colonel Windpipe's Musical Brigade! He inspired me to make a little coloring page for all the cymbal playing penguin loving kids out there! Crayons and markers are much quieter than cymbals! Yay!

Tomorrow I will be participating in my first ever Book Fair (EEK!) with my dear friend Christina Rodriguez. We will be at the Elva Resa table at the Twin Cities Book Festival. If you are there, be sure to stop by and say "Hi!" We will have coloring pages, books, and mints!

Twin Cities Book Festival
Date: Saturday, October 16^th 2010
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Location: Minneapolis Community and Technical College, 1501 Hennepin Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN 55403

Hodgepodge

2010-10-05T14:06:00.012-05:00

Hello, Hello! Look at Baby Gordy! It is almost his birthday! On October 9th he will be ONE! His favorite time of year has arrived: our backyard has turned into an all-you-can-eat leaf buffet! This past Saturday was the Minnesota SCBWI Fall Conference. It was really fantastic. After handling all of the conference registration it was fun to see folks walk in that morning and see their smiling faces (although I felt like a nerd behind the desk). Jay Asher, the author of Thirteen Reasons Why, was our keynote speaker that morning and he shared his journey to publication with us. He is an excellent and engaging speaker, and also a very nice guy! Jay also talked to us about injecting suspense into any novel, which was super interesting. My plan is to file it away in my brain in case I ever decide to write anything... The rest of the conference was great: it was fun to listen to all of the speakers and try to let it all soak in. My portfolio review was with Janet DeCarlo of Storybook Arts. She is just the nicest lady ever! I had a review with her 3 years ago and couldn't believe that she even remembered me! It was great to have the opportunity to thank her for all of the great advice she gave me years ago. She was very kind and gave me a lot of great ideas for new things to add to my portfolio. It was just wonderful! That was probably my favorite part of the conference. I also got to listen to editors Heather Alexander and Jordan Brown give their impressions of the first pages of manuscripts submitted by conference attendees. It was wildly entertaining to hear what they had to say after these pages were read aloud to the lot of us. It was a great conference and the weather was gorgeous. Minnesota is absolutely beautiful in the fall! Oh, and Susan Marie Swanson read a quote by Naomi Shihab Nye in her keynote speech that really stuck with me:

"Be modest, brave, and hopeful forever." How lovely!
Onto Mural no. 2! We began with painting the blue sky and green grass (same colors as the other room). Actually, my husband did all of the painting... Isn't he great!?!
Better than Astroturf!
Grab your sunglasses! The closet is very, very YELLOW!!!
Here I am drawing on the wall again... Let the painting begin!!!

Yesterday was the first day of a little gallery show I am in with a bunch of great art friends: Barb Björnson, Anne Adix Fabie, Alicia Schwab, Sharon Wagner, and Sara Weingartner. Our art will be at the Good Samaritan Society (Westview Acres Apartment & Assisted Living Home, 433 W. 5th St., Waconia, MN 55387) until the end of the year. Such fun!

A Peek at Mural 2

2010-09-22T08:25:00.003-05:00

Happy Wednesday! Thought I'd quickly post the little sketches I did for Mural 2 (including a unicorn I drew a while back that never found a home!). I was instructed to include (along with the unicorn), a baby fox, Baby Gordy, Gus the cat, and a mother bunny and some baby bunnies. My client is adorable and infinitely patient (as I finished her sister's room a good month ago), so it is nice that we are moving forward again. Sending off my registration today for KidLit Con 2010 that will be here in Minneapolis on October 23, so that will be cool. I am busy now printing up new art samples for my portfolio so it will be extra spiffy for my portfolio review on Oct 2 at the MNSCBWI Fall Conference. It is nice that the more conferences I attend, the less jittery I feel beforehand. I still end up with a ooey gooey brain when the conference is over, but I recover more quickly now. :) It is so great to get all that great information, to hear amazing and talented speakers, to walk away feeling so inspired! And so fun to spend a day with kid book friends!!!!

The Sketchbook Project

2010-09-16T10:39:00.005-05:00

Very excited to share the beginning of my Sketchbook Project with you! "It's Raining Dogs and Cats" was the theme that I chose, and I'll be posting pages as I make progress. Be prepared, my odd sense of humor has just found an appropriate venue! :)
And so it begins...

My Little Studio

2010-08-30T13:01:00.004-05:00

This post is to celebrate the simple joy of a clean desk! Such possibility! The space! WOW!

These are silhouettes of my daughters that I did back in 2007 when they were 2ish and 4ish. (Visit Mr. Yen's shop to see some of his stunning papercuts, his work is absolutely brilliant!)
This is something I have been sketching lately. It is from the cover of my all-time favorite children's book from when I was a kid (The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes, written by DuBose Heyward and illustrated by Marjorie Flack). My Mom used to sit me down with art books when I was a kid to have me learn from the greats and stretch my skills and imagination. I had forgotten how fun and challenging it was! And who doesn't love drawing bunnies??? The kiddies are excited for school to start next week and I am mentally preparing myself to dive into Mural 2 and the Sketchbook Project and working on my book dummies and handling registration for the MNSCBWI Fall Conference and sending out a new postcard and having a fun giveaway on the ol' blog. Also, I now have 3 illustrations up on Project OpenBook that you could vote on if you haven't already: Lost and Found, Book Club, and On Cloud Nine (written by my wonderful friend, Jen, who I have been friends with since meeting in 7th grade english class with Mr. Stokes!!!).

Nature Boy

2010-08-26T08:39:00.003-05:00

Thought it might be nice to post something different today and share a little more than what I just finished working on...
There are a few songs that I have been listening to a lot lately that have really touched a chord with me (pun intended). This version of Nat King Cole's Nature Boy by Pomplamoose is simply perfect (I just love her voice). "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." How wonderful is that?

Learnalilgivinanlovin by Gotye is another song that I just adore.

Miracles by Jeremy Messersmith is another favorite. I just really love to listen to music while I draw and paint. It really makes me happy. My husband is a soccer fan, so I also love to listen to Bobby McMahon and Jeremy St. Louis on the Fox Soccer Channel (since my studio is really just a desk in our porch) and now seem to have a teensy crush on José Mourinho.

Guess that's all. I have really been feeling grateful for so many things lately. Thankful for my wonderful family and amazing friends, and that I can be home with my kiddies and draw a little, too. Still can't believe I illustrated a book. That was one of the things I always hoped would happen when I was young, but never actually thought it would. I feel like I should have written "Dear Diary" at the top of this post! Dang! My heart is on my sleeve, always. It does get cold in Minnesota, so layering helps! Sending you all much love and happiness! nvc

Mural One=Done!!!

2010-08-22T23:26:00.002-05:00

Hope you read the previous mural post because I am jumping right back in where we left off last... The big horse (Lily) took a little while to paint (Pooh Bear Yellow, DC1A-30-2). I accidentally painted her ears and muzzle the same color as the purple flowers (A Wave of the Wand, DC2A-20-2) and was thinking it looked awful until I painted over it (ha). The other flowers are Oh Bother Blue (DC3C-30-3) and the centers are Sunny Spot (DC1B-10-5). Oh, the black paint is Mouse Ears (DC4B-10-5). The nice folks at Home Depot mixed up all the colors with the Behr Premium Plus Ultra paint (has the primer baked in). THAT was a HUGE time saver.
And here is the stable. The horse on the left will be white and Honey Butter (320C-3), the horse on the right is a mystery. Oooo... Trees are Friendly Forest (DC4B-60-5) and I have a sneaking suspicion that there was not primer in the paint...
Gave Lily a nice pink for her ears and muzzle (Powdered Blush, 130C-1) and started painting her mane white (took quite a few coats to cover up the green grass).
And now for the big reveal: Lily out to pasture next to the closet (same color as the purple flowers).
The stable (Owls House, DC2C-80-4) with Mirabelle and Patches. Oh, the tree trunk is Buzz Beta Sector, (DC1A-50-2).
This is the wall opposite the big horse in all it's glory!
The bedroom door with Gus and Gordy off in the distance.
The mare is a mixture of Owls House and Buzz Beta Sector. Her name is Daisy and the foal is Prancer.
Gordy and Gus Gus.
Here we leave the room and get ready to move next door for the "Nature Room with a Unicorn!" Oh, and I kept track of the time we spent painting just for kicks, and I logged in about 30 hours and Alex probably painted for about 6. I am happy with how it turned out and the kids love it, so it's all good! Thanks to everyone who has been cheering me on, it really helped a ton! I'd also like to thank my friend Linnell (who is an amazing artist and muralist), who was kind enough to give me the skinny on what kind of paint to buy!

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

2010-08-16T10:04:00.000-05:00

My daughter's elementary school was looking for silent auction items for their spring fundraiser, so I thought I'd donate a painting. There was no way of knowing what I'd end up drawing, so it was super cool to find out I'd be making a portrait of a darling little girl! I traded my black ink for brown and had so much fun making the stripes and swirls and flowers!

p.s. I met this little girl and her lovely mother in person, and must admit that this painting doesn't do her justice... she is impossibly cute!!! :)

The Mural Project: Part One

2010-08-10T14:58:00.015-05:00

Thanks for tuning in! This is going to be lengthy post, so be sure you have a comfy chair and a refreshing beverage... This all began when my oldest daughter asked if we could re-paint her room. Sounded simple enough, and then I shot myself in the foot and asked if she would like a mural...

I work in ink and watercolors. I love how I can be precise with my linework and work on small pieces of paper and then add lovely watercolor washes. The painting you see above is in acrylics, which I really don't "get." There are artists out there who do amazing work with acrylics, the way they blend colors and create their mystical paintings. My work ends up very folk-art like, as you can see, and this is why I tip my hat to them and stick with my watercolors.

So, we did some brainstorming and I did some sketches and submitted them for approval and then we began on "The Horse Room."
The walls had been a light purple, here you can see the blue sky (Mickey Sailor DC3A-60-1).
My wonderful husband kindly offered to help me paint the sky and the grass (Apple Orchard 430B-5). People probably don't really care what the colors are, so I'll move on...
Alex brought home this cool projector thingy from work, and it worked great.
As you can see on the screen, it was getting a little late... I kinda felt like a vandal drawing on the walls. I got detention once for being late to band practice. Oh, yeah. That's right!
We now have a mare and foal out to pasture
and baby Gordy!
I tried something wild and crazy and painted with the kids in the room with me. They took some photos, and played "Paint Store" (apparently, the customer is not always right at the paint store).
There was a puppy playing the didj
and the Zsu-Zsu pets made a cameo appearance!
Oooh, a floating legless horse!
Last night I finished the barn and added a few more flowers.
Took the day off today because I have a sore throat and a wee fever. Starting to feel a little better and hope to get back to painting tomorrow. My goal is to have everything finished by Sunday so we can get rolling on "The Nature Room with a Unicorn."

My Kids Draw and Cook

2010-08-08T20:44:00.005-05:00

Proud Parent Post: These are the recipes Hana and Marnie submitted for Kids Draw and Cook (from the awesome folks who brought us They Draw and Cook). I submitted my cherry cobbler recipe a while back... It was SO fun to see the kids jump up and down and squeal with delight when their recipes were posted. Totally Adorable!

Dragon Coloring Page

2010-08-02T08:09:00.004-05:00

Happy Monday! How are ya!?! I was lucky enough to chat with Elizabeth Raum, the author of Cedric and the Dragon, this weekend. She has a couple book events coming up and was wondering if I would make a dragon coloring page! So fun! (Click on it to enlarge and/or print!)

The reviews are already rolling in:

"I think it's great!" (my five-year-old)

"It's very cute and very, very fun to color!" (my seven-year-old)

This week, we have a break from summer camp, so I hope to make more progress on mural number one and have a portrait to finish. Hope all is well on your end! Happy Coloring!!!

Kaleidoscope

2010-07-30T14:13:00.003-05:00

This is a painting I just finished for our friends' darling baby girl (the little story goes counterclockwise from the bottom right corner). In other news: my wonderful husband has helped me paint the blue sky and green grass for mural number one, and I hope to get the design transferred to the walls this weekend. I am also making a coloring page for Cedric and the Dragon, a portrait of a darling two-year-old girl, and need to mail out my last two cards that sold on Ripple (thank you Shawn and Faith)! I am sure that I am forgetting something... Many thanks to all of you out there who take the time to stop by my little blog! I'll have a little more time when the kids go back to school, so stay tuned because I am planning my first giveaway! I'll give you a hint: It will be a signed copy of Cedric and the Dragon! ;)

Another Ripple

2010-07-25T14:03:00.005-05:00

This dolphin is up for grabs today on Ripple (they have raised over $9K so far)! Amazing!!!
I believe these sea stars are still available, too! I have a few new things that I hope to post eventually... including sketches from a trip to the zoo and a new painting I did for my friends' baby! Hope you are all having a great weekend!

What About Cedric?

2010-07-11T20:49:00.005-05:00

What About Bob? is one of my all-time favorite movies. Ever. It is so classic. I have probably watched it too many times to admit, and even have a picture of myself by Lake Winnipesaukee. To celebrate my very first book, these photos seem only fitting. I like to imagine Dr. Leo Marvin referring to it as "a groundbreaking new book" and Bob "baby-stepping" to it. There are two kinds of people in this world: those who like Neil Diamond, and those who don't...
Also pretty sure I would freeze up in an interview like Dr. Marvin did. Oh, here is a link to purchase your very own "Don't Hassle Me, I'm Local" t-shirt (I still need to order one)! Hope you are having a nice summer, even if you have to be tethered to the mast of the boat to go sailing! Ahoy!

p.s. just added some art to the imagekind website in case anyone would like to purchase a print of my artwork. There is a button on the left sidebar that says "BUY MY ARTWORK!" which is not the way I would phrase it exactly. I'd say something like "Take a peek and think about it. Thank you very much!"

Third Time's a Charm

2010-06-23T16:11:00.017-05:00

These are the barnyard friends that I happened upon one day while sketching. What is it with me and cats lately? So, I think to myself that it might be fun to finish it.

My five-year-old was happy to color it, too! SO CUTE!!!

So, I inked it and painted it and hated it. Nothing looked right from the get-go. I was going to try something new and paint with brown, orange, and blue. Yuk. Someone else would have done this brilliantly. You can kind of tell that I gave up on it early and didn't care how it was looking and wrote all over it. Back to the drawing board...

This was attempt number two. I decided to make this a b&w illustration, but didn't realize I had messed up my linework (by the cat's tail) until after I painted it. In the spirit of recycling, I repurposed the paper (A & B) to make some art for Ripple (have you been there yet? It is way awesome!). I used C and c and * to make chicken, cat, and random paint stickers with the awesome sticker maker my wonderful friend, Karen, gave me!

The third time was a charm! So, here is the final result! It inspired me to write the following poem:

Book Club

The finest book they'd ever seen.

They all agreed.

Too bad they couldn't read.

More Ripples

2010-06-15T23:49:00.005-05:00

Ripple is making waves! Over $2,700 raised so far!! Holy Mackerel!!!

Here are some new paintings that could be yours for 10 clams apiece:

Shooting Stars, Star Fish, and Super Stars

MNSCBWI Summer Workshop

2010-06-14T08:44:00.003-05:00

There is a great workshop coming up this Saturday at Elva Resa Publishing! We will learn all about the publication process at small presses. Elva Resa has published a couple books with the lovely Christina Rodriguez (The Wishing Tree and My Dad's Deployment). Their imprint, Alma Little, published Cedric and the Dragon this June! It was such an honor to work with the folks at Elva Resa. They were so supportive and kind, I feel very fortunate that they took a chance on me and gave me such a fantastic opportunity! Hope to see you there!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

noon-3pm

Elva Resa Publishing

1890 Wooddale Drive, Suite 100

Woodbury, MN 55125

$25 members/ $35 non-members

Lost and Found

2010-06-10T08:58:00.004-05:00

Here is something new I drew for Project OpenBook. It is an amazing collaborative effort to create poems and illustrations to help young girls in Nepal. The poem I illustrated is called Lost and Found and you can even vote on it if you'd like to! It was so fun to work in black and white! Quiet joy. Blissful, even. I absolutely loved it! If you feel like contributing a poem or illustrating one, check it out! Happy Thursday!!!

p.s. Kelly Light's Ripple project is making waves! Over $500 raised so far to help wildlife!

Ripple

2010-06-07T15:53:00.005-05:00

Head on over to Ripple, a blog started by the fabulous Kelly Light. She wanted to make a difference for all the wildlife affected by the devastating gulf oil spill. Artists are donating works that you can purchase for $10 to help support relief efforts. Every little bit counts! These are the wee paintings I contributed with original titles such as: Blue Crab, Blue Bird, and Blue Turtle.

This Bird Has Flown

2010-05-31T15:51:00.005-05:00

Today is Cedric and the Dragon's birthday!

I have to say that I feel a little bit like I did when my oldest went off to kindergarten: happy, excited, and a little nervous... I hope the book does okay out there and makes some new friends! Thank you all so much for your kindness and support, it has meant the world to me!!!

Love, Nina

I Draw and Cook

2010-05-17T16:25:00.009-05:00

This is the recipe I just submitted to They Draw and Cook (click the image to see it full-size). It was incredibly fun to mix two of my favorite things: drawing and baking! Look at the cherry cobbler pictured below! It was pretty tasty, if I do say so myself... or you could always ask my neighbor, Mary, who I gave a bowl to as she was driving to see one of her grandkids play soccer or something last summer...