SCBWI Conference Notes + Work In-Progress

The Annual SCBWI Conference in Los Angeles took place last weekend and I was there. The keynote speakers included luminaries such as Judy Blume, Gary Paulsen and Richard Peck, as well as more contemporary voices such as Laurie Halse Anderson and Libba Bray. And what stood out to me at the end was that all of them essentially said the very same things, albeit in their own way, to all of us sitting on the edges of our seats and leaning forward so eagerly.

1) Writing and illustrating in terrifying. So take heart, you are not the only one to feel this way.

2) You must dig down deep into your own truth. This is where your authentic voice and your personal, yet universal, story are.

3) Your path as a writer and/or illustrator is long. Your progress along your path is not a sprint. It is a marathon.

4) Your path as a writer and/or illustrator is distinctly unique to you. It is not possible to follow in anyone else's footsteps.

5) Writing and illustrating is lonely, because at the end of the day it's just you and a piece of blank paper. But thank goodness SCBWI is there for company in your downtime!

For me personally, these messages vacillate between being inspiring and being demoralizing. Nonetheless, I have returned to my studio and below is the progress I've made. Good night and good luck!

Transportation Zoo palette & color beginnings.

Fleshing out the cars and trucks.

Getting a sense of the background colors.

Just about ready to start putting it all together...

Super Hoot's First Product Placement!

My husband, Chris, is a movie poster designer. An awesome movie poster designer! (if I do say so myself). And below is a super cool video of him describing the creative process he went thru while making the horror movie poster "Father's Day." Plus, Super Hoot makes its first product placement appearance! Check out Chris's smokin' flameball T-shirt. Enjoy the show!

NEW Product Development at Super Hoot!

Creating new products for my Etsy store Super Hoot is one of my favorite ways to spend a day in the studio! Currently, I am hard at work developing a super comfy, super styling pair of all-purpose pants for babies & toddlers. I've got a bunch of awesome fabrics and a little 2-year old product tester—this is fun! Below is a sneak peek...

Bold, graphic and adorable - perfect fabric for Super Hoot!

Sewing baby pants.

Adding a signature Super Hoot collage "patch" to baby pants.

Peace, love and polka dots.

Finished peace, love and polka dot pants!

These pants are perfect for playtime!

And for snack time!

And for anytime, all the time!

3-Headed Rock n' Roll Monster

Gallery Opening

I'd like to invite you attend the opening of the group show Chain Letters at the Shoshana Wayne Gallery at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica this Saturday night, July 23rd., from 6-8pm! Inclusion in the show is based on an invitation from a fellow artist who admires your work. The invitations were send out as chain letters, which reached out to countless artists over the last 30 days. I have a piece in this show, thanks to my lovely friend, Karyn Raz (visit her fabulous work at www.karynraz.com). I am so excited to see the work created for this show and hope I see you there!

www.shoshanawayne.com

I Adore Etsy: Three Shops I Love

I adore Etsy! Not only do I sell my own artwork and embellished apparel on etsy (visit me at www.superhoot.etsy.com!), I also shop on Etsy. It is a fantastic thrill to browse the work of fellow creatives (many of whom are also mamas dividing their time between babies & artistic pursuits!) and to be inspired by their entreprenuial spirits. I am constantly falling in love with all the unique, beautiful items for sale that are produced on such small, individual scales. I always feel like my etsy purchases are extra-super-duper special and that’s because they are!

This cake stand inspires me to make yellow cake with chocolate frosting. 

This berry bowl is perfect for summer's bounty of strawberries. Yum!

Today I’d like to share three of my most favorite Etsy stores with you! The first is a lovely little shop called Jeanette Zeis Ceramics. You can visit them at www.vesselsandwares.etsy.com. Jeanette hand-makes the most gorgeous pottery, everything from cake & cupcake stands (I am a gigantic cupcake fan and these are sooooo cute!) to dinnerware to hanging fruit baskets. It is my personal contention that not only should your food be beautiful, your dishes should be too!

Gorgeous breezy seafoam green dream.

Modern hippie casual is lovely.


Another of my most favorite Etsy stores is Thaitee. This shop, based out of Thailand, is a community effort that produces the most comfortable clothes ever! You can visit them at www.thaitee.etsy.com. I have about five pairs of Thai fisherman pants that I wear daily. They are soft and casual, but yet, are also fashionable, and come in a variety of single colors and bright Asian patterns. As you may already know, Thai fisherman pants are always one size fits all—that’s how they are designed. The great thing about this is that you truly do not need to try these on before buying, making them a safe bet every time (which is nice since they ship from halfway around the world!) As a mama on-the-go, I think these are so perfect!

Hummingbird recipe cards add sunshine to any kitchen.

Rock on, little squirrel dude!


Lastly, I love shopping at www.boygirlparty.etsy.com. This store is a quirky gift shop featuring the artwork of the talented artist, Susie Ghahremani. You can find everything here from T-shirts & hoodies to art prints & magnets to recipe cards & jewelry to bookplates & notepads. If you need to get a friend a birthday gift or even a little something special for yourself, this is the place to be. Its’ got it all, and it all is super cute and funky—one-of-a-kind. Plus, I love squirrels, and Susie draws the most fantastic little squirrel character playing a guitar. I’ve got a magnet of him on my fridge!

Happy shopping, friends! I hope you find something you love (and can’t resist buying!) on Etsy!

Chain Letter Artwork In-Progress

I'm very excited to have been invited to participate in the group show "Chain Letter" at the Shoshana Wayne Gallery. The show opens on Saturday, July 23rd. and I'm working hard to have a new piece ready for the show! The new piece is a sculptural artwork in the vein of Joseph Cornell. It is two sided: one side featuring warm tones in the sky, the other side featuring cool tones in the ocean. Both are joined by a string of letters, a chain of letters. Be sure to stay tuned to Bird Meets Worm for more details on the show and for pics of the finished piece!

Warm Bird Sky In-Progress

Detail (tweet, tweet)

Cool Octopus Ocean In-Progress

Detail (bubble, bubble)