This is my journey in creating concepts, writing, illustrating, finding a literary agent, and becoming a published children's book author and illustrator for the picture book genre.

Saturday, November 16, 2013

in the works...


Sorry for the delay in posting lately. I have been very busy trying to figure out a way to set up a web page with Wordpress. It is not very CDunbridge friendly. It brings about a ton of frustration and is a virtual time suck. That being said, it is going to be fabulous when it is done. I am also working on a new story about a dog. I am using the tools that I gained at the conference. Really, I am quite lucky to be able to draw and write. It really helps the writing process. I sketched out the main character for my inspiration. I have been reading a lot about breed selective legislation, pound pooches, and what their futures hold (if any). This is my driving force for my story. When inspiration hits, go with it! It has his hard.. I continue to sit on the Andy story and Super brothers Adventure Club and will work on it in the near future, but for now I am cultivating my inspiration. SCBWI southern breeze region has a great set up for critique groups. I think I may have found an online one that may work for my needs. Finding an illustrator group is too difficult. For now, I write!!!

I am still working on some Christmas illustrations for friends, but I am waiting for a photoshop program to incorporate my wacom tablet. Has anyone tried Paint.net? I am struggling with the page and how to load it without picking up an ad instead of paint. net. If you have any input or tools that are helpful, I would love to hear about it!
Until then, still aspiring!
CDunbridge

Friday, November 8, 2013

the to-do list


the to-do list is huge. Artistic ability comes with a clean house for me. I now have a wacom 3 intuous tablet and am very excited to see what it can do. On my desk, I have illustrations that inspire me. I have 5 Serendipity books, my Emily post books for adults and kids, books on illustrations of faeries and other forest creatures, and my collection of SCBWI magazines. So, before I begin with the art, I must first clean the house. Then I am going to fix my domain to a server with a dear friend, Ray Hill's help. Watch out, world. I am learning from you and my aspirations are still huge. They say it takes a village...Well, yes. I concur. My mom is huge support of my aspirations.  My mother in law, Vicki, is a constant inspiration and huge support, My husband who placates my need to share every doodle or story idea. A mentor of sorts that has no idea that he is that to me whom resides in my state. He offers critiques that inspire and help me expand the way I view my artistic world. Then there are the friends. Without them, I would be lost. I have never been one for accepting support, but I have learned that nothing is ever completed to its fullest potential independently. It takes a village. I love my village. Thank you, Village.

Still aspiring,
Cassaundra Dunbridge

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

the domain project

I must admit that I am a bit gun shy when it comes to the world of technology. It took me a long time to feel comfortable with setting up my blog. Although an aspiring author and illustrator can't hide behind blogspot forever. It is time to buy my own domain and create a website that is everything I want it to be. I have purchased the domain, www.cdunbridge.com . Now comes the fun. What do I do from there??? Well, I am starting to research web site builder sites to create  my perfect web site and portfolio. I have a Wacom tablet coming this week to help expand my illustration abilities. Technology progress is happening. One thing that I took from my previous conference was to measure your progress. Are you plateauing or progressing? A year ago, an agent changed my life. She gave me time. Her time was a catalyst for new adventures. From those new adventures, my art has grown 10 fold. I have taken a class on children's story writing, applied for a grant, entered my work for cover illustration, and more. Now mind you, I have not won a grant or received the cover illustration spot light, but I put my work out there. My work was on display at an illustrator gallery and I received some great feedback. Life is a school and I am forever the willing student. I am very excited to take on the domain project and see what I can bring to it.