not going to lie...

I am a bit delirious. It is way past my bedtime and there are plenty of snores filling the house. I think my best bet is to get up and draw another one or two tomorrow. I am at 13 pages of illustration. Tomorrow, I will have them scanned. Then, I will place pages along with the illustrations. Currently, I need one or two pages to sketch out until it is ready. Wish me luck! Thank you, everyone, for your support. It is quite an undertaking to write and illustrate a book. Sunday is the deadline....tick tock!

progression thus far....

Please not that these are not scanned images. They are not great quality. I need to see what I am putting together. I am a visual person. It helps me get an idea of where I need to fill in. I am also able to adjust the manuscript and pictures to fit together for the final project...but my eyes are killing me right now and I need more coffee.....

a sketching I will go....

Illustrating is a long process. Lots of circles, lines, triangles, and other shapes are drawn and erased. Then, i draw over it and start creating the shape. This pic is far from done, but here we can see Andy going a different way than the other ants. Andy gets lost and friends will help him find his way.

Andy the Ant picks up around

Little leaves that fall on the ground.

He is small and strong

And marches all wrong.

Hey, Andy! You are going the wrong way.

Stop. You are lost. Can you find home today?

Andy has a couple woodland friends. Meet Andy, Lilly, and Benny. 

Tick tock

So I am trying to put this together. I keep scrapping sketches because they are not perfect. I can create my vision better with the use of a paintbrush. Everything starts with a sketch. I have to remind myself that this is a "work in progress" grant. It isn't the judgement of a final product. Part of what I love is the detail with use of color. We all have our strengths. My husband has had a photoshop program installed on this computer for me. I am trying to use it to crop, adjust color, and add text. Below is my first attempt. The sketch is incomplete, but you get the idea.
Luckily, I have a book from the library. It is a bit ancient, but helps with the storyboarding required for the grant. Luckily, I have a super hero on hand who guides me in the destruction of self doubt. Wow. That little voice is a killer. Onward and upward. :)Still aspiring...

a little "thank you"!

Thank you, all, for sharing and liking my author page on Face book. It is such an honor to have support from friends, family, acquaintances, and people I don't know. D-day is the 30th. I still have a lot of work to do. Sometimes when you are stuck, inspiration can be found in the earliest of works. I have gone back to my manuscript and am editing some issues. I am excited to get my little ant story out there!
Enjoy the first day of spring and don't let the Krumpies catch you by surprise. They hide about in bushes and trees. They can bounce, pounce, and nip your knees. Pick up your trash, pretty please!

starting another page....

sketching away...

Now to add some color and a little bit of color. This is my favorite part!Color above is just the base. I detail after the illustration color is finished.

the stem detail took a lot longer than I anticipated...So much work to do. 

The mushroom top took 5 different paint colors and 3 brushes to get the texture I was looking for. This was my first attempt at illustrating a mushroom. Just like I imagined it! Tomorrow, I will try to finish this page. Goodnight! I will continue to add the progressive pics tomorrow to this post.

The clover is taking longer than I expected...but it is adding the whimsical touch that I am looking for.

And this page is done. That took a lot longer than anticipated. I am sure I will find some more little  areas that  need a little extra detail.

Here is one page completed.

Below is a progression of what I have been working on today. Illustrating is hard work. This is where Bug and Bumble are flying Andy over the water. Not finished, but you can see the work in progress. I love my bee! :)

up, up , up the little bugs go! Hang on, Andy!

 Here is the link to a portfolio online that I have with SCBWI:
http://www.scbwi.org/Illustrators-Gallery.aspx?i=3020449645070508