Penelope's Garden Coloring Book Video Review

Thank you Jennifer Shaffer Art and Reviews for the lovely video review of PENELOPE'S GARDEN! Click below to watch.

Happy coloring everyone!

You can buy PENELOPE'S GARDEN right HERE

PENELOPE'S GARDEN is a #1 Hot New Release on Amazon

Penelope's Garden is climbing the charts.

Jump aboard the slightly spooky, very cutie coloring train. Buy now! Penelope is a perfect Halloween present for the little ones.

Have fun and thank you!

CLICK HERE to buy!

ENJOY!! Happy Halloween!

Drawing vs. Writing--Which One is YOUR Thing?

As an author and artist I spend much of my day either imagining then sketching images, or thinking about a story and then writing it down before it fades into the ether.

Someone asked me recently which I prefer to do, and initially I was a bit befuddled. I've been doing both since I was a young child (like most authors and artists) and had to really think.

But I have an answer.

If I had to do ONLY one for the rest of my life, I would have to choose writing. 

My posts and pages on Facebook and my blog are filled with my art, but I get a more fulfilling buzz from words. The images are great attention getters, and I am happy to share them.

I find drawing satisfying, especially when the picture is done. I can hold a conversation while I draw, and funny enough even watch TV (something I rarely do anyway). But there is something missing.

When I write I am almost completely absorbed. Time flies, and I get the feeling I am a bit lost, which I love. I get to create worlds and people, and it feels like a special privilege. It is magic.

My stories are almost never exactly right on first draft, and I even like the rewrite part--it feels like a puzzle, and each fix feels like another reward.

I usually have ideas to go with the stories--what the people look like, the settings, and I am happy to sketch them out, but once that part is finished there is a pull, and it is usually another story clawing its way to the surface.

Creepy Carrots--I am in love with the illustrations by Peter Brown. Peter, if you are reading, boy do I have a book for you!

 It would be a wonderful thing to write a story and have a fantastic artist flesh it out and make it a thing of beauty. I recently did some sketches of one of my characters and a wonderful artist did them in digital, and I was amazed. I have every digital do-dad there is, but I can't recreate what she did.

That is not to say that I will never write a book and illustrate it myself, but from now on I will really think it over, and if my art fits, then it's off to the races, but if I think someone else could elevate my books and stories even more, then I will gratefully turn it over to another more suited talent, and anxiously wait for the stunning results.

We can't be and do everything--we have to pick OUR thing and run with it. Get better at it, then eventually get great.

This realization was freedom to me, and I have renewed energy about my work that I haven't had for some time.

Disney had it right when Elsa sang Let It Go.

xo

Art and Meditation

I have a friend who always tells me that I should meditate. She tells me it does many wondrous things.

I don't disbelieve her, but whenever I try it sometimes feels like overkill.

Most people can meditate, and I wondered why I had such an issue, and why I felt so antsy.

I think I have an answer.

When I am drawing I have to focus. I do not like having conversations, or even recording myself when I am doing serious work. Music is OK, but that is about it for input. 

I think art is my meditation.

Big Sister Goes to School

I do not think of problems, solutions, people, money, or any other worldly problems--I just draw. It is rhythmic, peaceful, and time stands still.

It is a separateness from reality and a bit of a delve into magic.

This week I looked at a deck of tarot cards drawn by artist James Eads. I was shuffling and the High Priestess card fell out. The High Priestess is the card of the subconscious, where ideas and creativity are first conceived.

We need to listen to our intuition and meditate in our own way. Some go outside and say nature is their church. Some meditate. I do art. Maybe you do too.

Stay tuned. I am in the process of creating a book just for artists. We are a special breed. We should not forget that.

xo 

Happy Squirrel Appreciation Day! (With a Visit from Willow)

I was excited to find out that today is Squirrel Appreciation Day because I love the zesty little guys. 

I have been feeding a squirrel I named Sandy (after the squirrel on Spongebob Squarepants) every day on my back deck for years. She comes to visit several times a week, and if I leave my screen opened long enough she comes right in. I started giving her food down by the trees now because I don't want her to go into someone's house who is not as happy to see her as I am.

Another reason I like today is because I am godmother to a very wonderful squirrel named Willow.

Willow happy at home munching a branch.

Willow fell from a tree when he was only a few weeks old and was lucky enough to be brought to a licensed animal rehabber named Brooklyn. 

Almost four years later he is an adult fox squirrel who weighs almost four pounds, and lives cage free in Brooklyn's home. He is completely potty trained and eats everything from tree branches from the yard to sweet potatoes, and the occasional Oreo. He is an unbelievable handful and also almost unbelievably smart. Willow has his own Facebook group--you can visit HERE.

This drawing of Willow was featured at Galleria West in New Jersey. He's quite a beautiful creature--very symmetrical and lovely to behold--kind of the Brad Pitt of squirrels according to his mama.

There is never a dull moment with Willow, and I am happy there is a special day to celebrate squirrels. 

Although I think Brooklyn would say every day is Squirrel Appreciation Day at her house.

xo

I hope you share today's video, How to Draw Willow the Squirrel with a young person who is interested in art--and maybe squirrels.

Don't forget to enter to win the JETPENS brush sampler HERE!!

Win all five! Contest ends January 31.

Music by Harrison.
Happy Boy - Harrison
https://soundcloud.com/harrison_music...


Drawn with Pentel pocket brush pen.

Make a FLIP BOOK for HALLOWEEN

Kids love Halloween, crafts, and movies.

Here is a craft that combines all three!

All you need for this craft is:

One book of Post-It notes

A pen

A backdrop light source (I used my iPhone)

First decide what your mini movie will be about. (Keep it simple.)

Then draw your first frame on the LAST page of the Post-It notes. 

Your next page will have to be very similar except for a slight change, you can start showing any action here in a very small way.

(Here the ghost starts to pop out.)

The next frame he pops out a tiny bit more. (Notice the grave stays the same. I traced the grave using my iPhone to back light the image in each frame.)

Make your character move only a tiny bit in each frame. (You can check to make sure by using the iPhone here also. I went to the NOTES page and started on a new page because it is blank and bright.)

Keep changing your picture a tiny bit at a time until you have an image for each Post-It.

When you are done drawing, start at the back and flip through the pages. Watch the action!

It is a bit easier to do if you keep your images either in one corner or across the bottom of the pages.

Have fun!!

Why We Need to be Ferocious

Somewhere along the way we lost a bit of our ferociousness. 

We overthink, partially to save ourselves potential pain. We plan and do what we can to avoid repeating the same mistakes we made before, and call it wisdom.

And it is.

But is it always the right thing?

Watch a child for a bit.

They do not hesitate to jump off the top bunk.

Yup, they get hurt sometimes--but they also get the experience. They flew through the air for that second. And even though they may have gotten a bruise or two, they may do it again, because it was worth it.

They are brave and daring little renegades, knowing that a choice they make may cause them temporary pain.

We are so used to being comfortable. We have sold out for a soft and fluffy day on the couch.

So maybe, once in a while, follow in the footsteps of a fierce little outlaw and become a revolutionary.

You just might find your wings.

xo 

KIDS! Make a 3D Hand!

3D art is so cool.

Just a quick post to show you how to do a really cool and quick drawing of your hand--in 3D~!!

You'll need:

~ Paper

~ A ruler

~ Several markers (thicker is better for colors, and one thin black) Colored pencils will work fine too.

Watch the vid and have fun!!

It really does look like a hand is under the paper. Feel free to send me pix of your artwork.

Another version:

Scary Books and KIDS!

When I was in grammar school I loved Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Middle school had me interested in a book called The Active Enzyme, Lemon-Freshened, Junior High School Witch, and high school found me sleeping at the foot of my parent's bed after reading The Exorcist and The Amityville Horror.

My son had a fascination with the Bone series, and my friend's daughter insisted on reading more Neil Gaiman even after Coraline rendered her an insomniac for months.

What is it in horror and the paranormal that intrigues us, even as children?

I am not implying that everyone loves to be scared, but there is surely an attraction.

Another friend's son, at six, filled up her queue at Blockbuster Video with enough Frankenstein and Dracula films to keep them viewing for months. This kid couldn't figure out how to unlock the front door, but he could figure out the computer AND the DVR when he wanted to watch a scary film.

My son read Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark when he was in middle school. He told me it was silly, until he read The Wendigo, then it was nightlights on for a few weeks. 

We were terrified reading shivery, scary stuff as kids, and our kids want those same delightful chills now.

Of course they will read the same things we did like The Witches by Roald  Dahl, all the Goosebumps books, The House With a Clock in its Walls, and Bunnicula, but I've also heard of a few new thrillers. 

For there youngest set there is The Monster at the End of this Book, featuring a Sesame Street favorite, Grover. There is nothing there that will really scare even the smallest of kids, but the idea is exciting to them. 

Middle-grade kids will like The Last Apprentice, a creepy tale of  ghost and witch hunting. Monstrumologist, a Gothic, Dickens-like book about a scientist and his apprentice who find and identify, (and kill if necessary) a variety of monsters, will appeal to the slightly older horror reading aficionados. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is also very popular with high school kids. In fact that book was popular with everyone last year. 

We know kids love horror, and I think I might know why. Kids are relatively powerless. They are told what to do and when to do it, and are afraid of many things--the dark, their closets, mean kids, and even school.

When they read a horror book they meet monsters, crazy teachers, witches, ghosts, and goblins. They get involved in tales about getting lost, eaten, and haunted. Sure they get scared--but they all survive. Every time a kid finishes a scary book they come out the other end, maybe a bit frazzled and scared, but basically unscathed. AND they have slayed a dragon, faced the monster in the closet, and come face to face with their fears, and WON.

Of course we want to protect our kids and keep them safe, but these dark books help our kids meet their own personal monsters--and be the victor! 

So turn down the lights, open your books, and get ready for a night of shivery and spooky fun. There is more to horror than meets the eye!

Quick How To lesson for the kids who love Where the Wild Things Are!

Favorite Children's Books

This isn' going to be a long post, just wanted to share that I recently took a poll and asked what people loved to read when they were children.

They told me about their favorite books, series, and comics.

Although I was not surprised by the likes of Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, or Charlotte's Web by E.B. White, and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, I did get some answers that threw me for a loop. 

For instance, many people said they loved Edgar Allen Poe, even as a child. Now I was raised watching Frankenstein and Dracula so that was not a big deal for ME, but I had no idea that it was so commonplace across the board. 

A few other faves were Winnie the Pooh, The Giving Tree, anything by Roald Dahl, and the Bunnicula series. 

Here are some other's that were mentioned:

~ Nate the Great
~ Babar
~ The Diary of Anne Frank
~ Harold and the Purple Crayon
~ Pat the Bunny
~ Narnia
~ Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys
~ Stuart Little

There were plenty more, but rather than list them all, I'd rather hear what YOU loved as a child, and why.

Looking forward to hearing!! xo

Featured at the Eric Carle Museum of Storybook Art

Being featured at The Eric Carle Museum of Storybook Art was a very proud day. David Rowinski, author of The Open Pillow and I were guests for Special Story Day--David read the book and I did an art lesson. 

We signed the book of artists that had been featured there in the past--our names are now with Tomie DePaolo, Eric Carle, and many others. We were thrilled.

Please visit the Eric Carle Museum page: http://www.carlemuseum.org/

Scroll to bottom of page to see my illustrations in The Open Pillow, a children's book written by David Rowinski, that was featured at the museum last August:  http://www.carlemuseum.org/Programs_Events/Upcoming/#E1679



Penelope's Garden Coloring Book~~COMING SOON!

Penelope the Witch in her garden.

Penelope the witch is visited by her friend Heather, a famous author who sells her books at The Black Hat Bookstore--and can only speak in RHYME!

After Penelope and Heather harvest the Love Heart Daisies they go and visit Wiser's Bookstore and talk to the old wizard Aleister Wiser to see if they can break the rhyming curse put upon Heather by Merlin hundreds of years before.

Will they be able to get the ingredients from the goblin who lives next door? Or will the creature that is growling in the bushes get them before they can run home to safety...

Read and color Penelope's Garden Coloring Book and join the OUT OF THIS WORLD Art by YOU Coloring Club on Facebook today. See your pictures posted and win fun prizes :) https://www.facebook.com/groups/478108415587906/?fref=ts