Illustration Friday - "Swarm"

A swarm of winged ants!  From the book "Little Black Ant on Park Street".  You can order the book from Amazon here.  Thank you for visiting my blog.

SIGNED books make great GIFTS!

If you order any of the books I have illustrated (click the links on the right margin of this blog), I will personally sign a book plate and drop it in the mail to you in time for the holidays.  I am working on book plate designs for "The ABCs of Yoga for Kids", "Little Black Ant on Park Street", and "Champ's Story: Dogs Get Cancer Too!", and will post examples after the weekend.

Illustration Friday: "Trail"

After the little black ant discovers a plump, juicy caterpillar carcass....


she secretes a scent trail back to the colony....


so she and her nest mates will have food to feed the queens.

(Excerpted from "Little Black Ant on Park Street", written by Janet Halfmann, illustrated by ME :) and published by Soundprints Publishing.)

Illustration Friday: "Early"

"Early in the morning, the little black ant pokes up through the ground, eager to hunt for its food."


This is a spread I illustrated for the book "Little Black Ant on Park Street", part of the Smithsonian's Backyard Books series from Soundprints Publishing, 2010.

Look, Fan Mail!

This is so cute, I just had to share it with you! It came today from a friend in Nebraska whose kids love my book "Little Black Ant on Park Street". I decided to surprise them with the book in the mail last week, and today I was surprised with this sweet thank you note from them. Click the image to read what it says...

Illustration Friday - "subterranean"

Little black ants gnaw pieces from a plum caterpillar carcass to bring back to the anthill for the queens living underground....

From my latest illustrated book "Little Black Ant on Park Street", written by Janet Halfmann and published by Soundprints, now available and shipping from Amazon.com.

Illustration Friday - "Perspective"

It's amazing how different life appears through someone else's perspective.

This is the cover art from my latest children's book from Soundprints, "Little Black Ant on Park Street", written by Janet Halfmann.

Review of "Little Black Ant on Park Street"

I finally received my first sample copy of my newly illustrated book "Little Black Ant on Park Street" from Soundprints the other day.


Then I found this great review...Click here to read it!

Better in 2010

I'm really excited about children's book I am currently illustrating for Sylvan Dell Publishing, and written by Sherry North. It's called "Champ's Story: Dogs Get Cancer Too!"

When the folks at Sylvan Dell offered me the project, I skimmed the manuscript and admittedly I was a little disheartened. Having lost both my parents to cancer at a young age, I was not so sure I wanted this theme to creep back into my life in the form of a story about a little boy whose pet gets sick and has to endure chemotherapy treatments. I really had to think about it and pray about it and search my heart about whether this book was a good match for me. For those who don't know, children's books generally take anywhere from 6 months to a year to illustrate. They are all-consuming, at least for me, because I pour my heart and my passion into them. After sitting with my thoughts awhile, it began to become clear to me that the book was Divinely offered to me for a reason. I have great empathy for anyone going through such a difficult illness, whether they themselves or a loved one. I also sweetly love my dog, Sunshine, and could easily imagine how I would feel if I had to watch her endure treatments for cancer. It is my life experience, I believe, that is guiding me as lovingly I create each illustration for this book. I hope that the end result will touch many lives and help many children understand cancer and deal with their own treatments for the disease.

Here is a dramatic scene from the book Champ's Story: Dogs Get Cancer Too!".

Sylvan Dell Publishing has been wonderful to work for. They have given me quite a bit of creative freedom in how I have chosen to illustrate the book. It has been fun mixing media - watercolor, gouache, oil pastel, pastel pencil, and touches of colored pencil - to achieve the look I want. I like how I've been able to bring a softness to the illustrations through the mix of media. It's like getting paid to try something new with my art!

In other news, if your New Year's resolution for 2010 is to a better illustrator, please read my latest column in the SCBWI-IL's e-newsletter The Prairie Wind, appropriately titled "Your New Year’s Resolution: Become a Better Illustrator". I lay out a few tips, accompanied by examples from my latest children's book "Little Black Ant on Park Street", written by Janet Halfmann and published by Soundprints Publishing.

Illustration Friday - "Confined"

"The ants were confined to their colony until springtime, when they emerged one by one in search for food to bring back to the queens." (click on the image to make it larger)

You can order my book "Little black Ant on Park Street" (Soundprints Publishing, 2010) at Amazon.com. You can see more samples from inside the book by clicking here. Or visit my website.

"Little Black Ant" just released!!

In the springtime, little black ant leaves the colony in search for food.

Black ants are gathering nectar from the aphids in the rose garden.

Ant communication!

Flying ants leaving the nest in search of mates.



"Little Black Ant on Park Street" is FINALLY here! Here is what is available now...check Amazon.com: The paperback is a LARGE paperback (11.5" x 8.5") .
Also available in micro hardcover (5 7/8" x 4 3/4"), with or without a plush toy. Not sure when the collector's edition hardcover will be released. Also check Borders and B&N.

If you haven't taken a look at my website in a while, check it out. I am always changing it and adding fun new art stuff!

And the ants go marching...

Hey!! Just wanted to give you another sneak preview from my latest book "Little Black Ant on Park Street". This is just a "detail" of one of the spreads in the book. Still waiting...I think it will be out in December. I'll let you know when I know!

Little Black Ant on Park Street

After several delays, the new release date for my illustrated book "Little Black Ant on Park Street" (Soundprints Publishing) is December 2009. I took these photos of the spreads with a pocket camera, and will repost them when I get actually high quality scans. But I was so excited I just had to show you now! It was hard to choose only 2 spreads from the book, but I cannot give away the story. So until December, this will have to satisfy!

All Finished!

I just completed all of the interior spreads for the new children's book "Little Black Ant on Park Street", for the Smithsonian's Backyard Books series. Now I am just waiting to see if there are any revisions...as an illustrator, you always hope there are no revisions, but with 14 paintings, there are bound to be some. This was a 10 month long project, and I am so glad to be finished. The book is dedicated to my mom, whose presence I felt with me along the book's journey. You can watch for the book's release this fall. I will have more updates on my blog as I get more information on upcoming dates.

Here is the cover.


And here is a photo I took of the entire painting I made for the cover.