Cat Sketches

I have my first children's book commission. The author is a wonderful 72 year old lifetime educator. She's self-publishing which is an avenue many authors are taking these days. The title is A Grand Cat and it's based on the true story of Fred the cat.

Right now I'm developing the storyboard and book dummy. I'm also playing around with the style and look of the illustrations. The author has given me a free rein in both. Right now, I'm simply studying cats and their expressions and anatomy. Next, I tried drawing them without the photo references and attempted to draw a cat based on memory and characterization. Have much work to do before this feels more fluid and free.

Boat Art

I call this "boat art" because this piece is an example of the art I was working on last spring when I was traveling regularly to the mainland on the ferry. I found it was the perfect time to work on small pieces (this one is about 5"x6" right now) and helped make the time pass more quickly. I haven't been traveling on the boat much lately, so this piece kinda got buried. But I found it again recently and am planning on having it finished for Illuxcon.
-Sheila