The Year of the BUN Coloring Book by Dea Lenihan-- COMING SOON!

The Chinese New Year is celebrated on January 22nd this year, and the Year of the Rabbit will begin.

In honor of this auspicious celebration, my next coloring book, The YEAR OF THE BUN, will be released on that very day.

Filled with bunnies, fairies, and of course, Buns, this book is special because it introduces the Buns best friends, the Mims. Tiny mushrooms of all shapes and sizes, the Mims are always there when the Buns need a friend, and a partner for some mischief.

THE YEAR OF THE BUN will be available where all amazing books are sold.

Here is the cover! 

Molly Shipton, Secret Actress COVER REVEAL

There was a time when girls were not allowed to be actors on the Shakespearean stage, but Molly Shipton broke the rules! MOLLY SHIPTON, SECRET ACTRESS, by Sheri Graubert, will be on presale soon.

Here is the cover I designed, hope you like!

COVER REVEAL

 I am happy to announce the cover reveal of AMERICAN PIE, a book by Lynne Marie that I illustrated.

Watson the wombat can't wait to celebrate his first 4th of July in the USA, but can one wombat make a parade, a picnic, or apple pie? With no apples? Watson's quest for apples brings everything he wanted and more in this sweet celebration of American and friendships.

You can preorder this fun-filled book HERE, for the April 14 release.

xo

Van Gogh Starry Night Oil Paint on Easter Egg

Happy Easter!

This year I finally tried to poke holes in the egg, empty the contents, and paint on it with oil paint. I had so much fun painting a tiny version of Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh with Van Gogh Oil Paints and a set of micro brushes.

I hope you all have a happy and healthy Easter. Enjoy the video. xo

 

I AM A WRITER Planner

 The I am a writer Planner is already popular--and it is still on presale!

Click here to preorder

After revisiting a downloaded writer's planner from 2018, my friend and writing partner Judy was pleased to see how focused she was and how much she accomplished. She realized she enjoyed the visual and the inspirational quotes in the planner.

She also noticed there were areas on the preprinted planner that had nothing to do with writing, like house keeping tasks and health habits. She scratched them out and replaced them with her own writing-based versions.

She called me to see if I could customize a two-page planner spread that she could print out for the coming year. 

Of course I could do that!

Within 24 hours, the idea evolved into a writing planner that we were both excited to use. Then we decided to bring it to the printer--because it was just too good to keep for ourselves.

We created this planner based solely on writing activity, after all, who wants to think about those dirty dishes in the sink or how many glasses of water you've consumed when you're spending time with your muse?

How It Works for You

*Use the Numbered Header Lines to list your top three writing focuses for the week.
*Use corresponding Numbered Boxes for your week's action steps based on writing focuses.
*Use Weekly Calendar for writing/submission deadlines, critique meetings, webinar conferences, etc.
*The Idea Catcher Page holds your new thoughts for titles, themes and story premises.
*Use Brainstorming Page to jot down all your amazing insights and inspirations.
*Record the dates and topics of the Brainstorming and Index Pages in the index.
*Pleasing and uplifting visuals and weekly inspirational quotes.

Click here to learn more

Finally! We have a place to keep our writing information.
Each book is shipped with star stickers to reward yourself when you finish a task. Larger butterfly stickers give you that dopamine hit and reward when you finish a larger project like a manuscript or submission.

110 pages.

This item ships from a non-smoking home.

Comparing Castle Art 120 Colored Pencil Set to Arteza 120 Colored Pencils

Arteza came out of nowhere with a pretty good set of colored pencils, and quickly followed with a storehouse of other art supplies including paints, paper and markers.

Castle Art has oil based colored pencils with a price that can't be beat.

I've used them both at different times in my coloring videos, and have been asked by many viewers which set I prefer. 

To find the answer I made a video comparing the pencils as I used them. They are similar in several ways:

• They are more transparent than more expensive brands
• They are both creamy and hold a point very well.
• They both work very well for the price. 

They differ in a few ways also:

• Arteza barrels are thicker.
• Castle Arts feel a bit dryer--more like Polychromos.
• Arteza is a bit creamier--more like Prismacolors.

There are more similarities and differences that I talk about in this comprehensive video. Arteza has a color chart on their tin, and since Castle Arts had none I made my own, and it is available to download below the video on YouTube.

 Enjoy! Let me know which set YOU prefer.

TOP FIVE Colored Pencil Blending Mistakes

 There are many types of colored pencils on the market. From the cheapest to almost-crazy expensive, they have one thing in common--to get good results they need to be blended. But it is not as easy as it seems!

Watch this video to see the most common colored pencil blending mistakes, and how easy it is to avoid them.

(This image is from my coloring book EVERYDAY MAGIC. Buy Artist's Edition on ETSY.)