A Plethora of Pugs!

©Kathleen Rietz
Yesterday I was contacted by a publisher who saw my work and is interested in possibly having me illustrate a children's picture book about pugs. Because I did not have any pugs in my portfolio, I did a few sketches last night to email to the publisher. I sketched so many pugs I thought I might turn into one. These dogs are so ugly, they're CUTE! I think that is why they are so popular now. They always look to me like someone hit them in the face with a hot iron skillet. In an adorable sort of way...of course.

Feast or Famine

© Kathleen Rietz
LOL...I have 36 sketches due on Monday. They are for a text book assignment I am working on. There are actually 3 batches of 36 illustrations (108 in all), which I will be taking from concept to finished pen & ink from now through mid January. Seems like a long time, right? No, not really. If you freelence, you know how much waiting you have to do in this business....waiting for assignments, waiting for approvals, waiting. And people will of course be celebrating the holidays and coming and going...one of my deadlines is the Wedensday of Thanksgiving week; another is January 2nd, whether anyone is in the office to give approvals or receive my work or not. But you know what? I love it. When I have projects, I am happy. Maybe sleep deprived. Maybe a little stinky. But ultimately...HAPPY. So if I miss a couple of Illustration Fridays or seem to disappear now and then, you'll know I am just finally....busy again. : ) By the way, you can see my Illustration Friday entry "scales" if you scroll down the page a little...I actually completed it last week, but it seems to fit the topic nicely. Have a good weekend, fellow bloggers! - kate : )

Illustration Friday - "Hats"

© Kathleen Rietz
A preliminary line drawing is all I have time for this week. I do hope to develop the composition and turn it into a painting when I find time to illustrate again. It is a grandmother and baby going for a train ride, both wearing their hats. I have to think about what she will be looking at outside the train window...

Illustration Friday -"Scales"

© Kathleen Rietz
A new sample piece for my portfolio. And it happened to fit Friday's topic rather nicely.

Hey, visit my new blog!

Joan Yoshioka and I now have a collaborative blog called Potluck Sunday, where we share our creative odds and ends that did not make it onto our personal blogs, but we feel deserve a spotlight in cyberspace. We plan on sharing our photos, stories, artwork....a little of this, a little of that. Check it out.

Random Fact #7: "Yikes!"

For some reason, when I was 4 years of age, I had an awareness of animals with big snapping teeth, and I had a need to work out this issue on paper. I believe it may have been because our daschund, Hilda, did not like children and had to make her point clear to me and my tiny probing fingers using her teeth. I think the picture drawn in green crayon accurately illustrates what Hilda's demeanor was like most of the time. I also believe the creature chasing the person up a tree is a dinosaur, and the picture of the fish with big teeth is a shark. I remember being very impressed with these animals as a girl. Click the pictures to get a better view.