From Jen's Pen...

Beware the Wolf!

2012-01-22T23:24:00.000-05:00

"Beware the wolf in sheep's clothing" - loosely paraphrased.
See the idiomatic origin.
This illustration is based on an image I did for the FoldedWord
to help them promote the poem "Little Red" by Jessie Carty.
I retained the right to use the image in my portfolio so decided to play
around with it a bit &
work further with my painting technique.

"Love will find a way through paths where wolves fear to prey." - Lord Byron

2012 - Year of the Dragon!

2012-01-15T16:22:00.002-05:00

Dragon Play © Jennifer Noel Bower 2012

I am back!

I missed ya'll!

Happy New Year 2012.

This year is gonna be all about breathing fire & having a ball doing so.

A Happy Holiday Hiatus

2011-12-14T11:57:00.001-05:00

I will be back in 2012, The Year of the Dragon!

In the meantime I am wishing you and yours the very best this season of glad tidings has to offer.

My heart is filled with gratitude for the wonderful gift of friendship you offer me here &

For God's gift of creative expression.

From my family to yours, Merry Christmas!!!

Please VOTE 4 ME!

2011-12-08T12:28:00.001-05:00

**VOTING IS NOW CLOSED - thank you for all the support & congratulations to

Snowy Apple by Sara Zampedri**

I made the final 30 cut in the YouBeauty.com & They Draw & Cook "Eat Pretty for the Holidays!" recipe contest and now it all boils down to popular vote by leaving a comment for your favorite recipe on the youbeauty.com link.

Pretty Please!!!!!! If you truly think mine is the ROCKING-est EVER, please vote for mine. If not PLEASE vote for another and support with your enthusiasm all those hard working artists out there.

GAH *jumps* So excited!!!!!

Sunday Sketches (on Monday) :)

2011-12-05T01:19:00.001-05:00

Just a sleepless night character study. Here is the finished piece & my slightly looser mock-up.

She needs a name. Got any suggestions?

Eat Pretty Contest

2011-11-28T22:36:00.001-05:00

THEY DRAW & COOK is hosting another contest, sponsored by YouBeauty.com!

The deadline is Sunday, December 4th, 2011

so there is still time for you to dust off your favorite holiday beauty recipe

and submit!

I have been dying to participate. Salli & Nate host such a fun site full of fabulously illustrated recipes from artists around the world. Check them out & good luck!

Sunday Sketches - Sketchbook Dump

2011-11-27T09:37:00.000-05:00

Just some doodles done over the holidays...

Experimenting!

2011-11-16T00:43:00.001-05:00

I keep trying on new hats
trying to make peace with a style.
My style...

I loved what was emerging out of my last project.
I didn't want to let go of that look
or my old look either...

so I mashed up the two!
I don't know, what do you think?
Does it look like ME?

Silent!

2011-11-13T15:41:00.001-05:00

Just a quick little silly card for Christmas this year. I am sure Santa loves the silence afforded him on "Boxing Day!"

Done!!!!!!!

2011-11-07T16:13:00.000-05:00

Image from "Dead Glass" published by Folded Word due out in 2012

And, apparently so is he? Maybe? Hard to believe this project began in August. Now what?

I See...

2011-10-28T11:12:00.003-04:00

the forest through the trees...I am almost there...almost done...only a few more images to complete! I've learned much working on this project - most importantly, that pushing oneself is a good thing. I am becoming fearless which is making me feel boundless...

A few months ago I'd no idea how I was going to complete this project. Today I realize it is by drawing one line at a time.

You Are Not Alone...

2011-10-26T09:47:00.002-04:00

Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo.

My blogger friend, Leen Christens, shared this amazing video by IRA GLASS. I know I am right where I need to be...and I just need to keep doing the work. I am watching this everyday so that I remember I am not alone & quitting is NOT an option.

Mini Progress Report

2011-10-24T09:05:00.000-04:00

Why is it always easier to work on personal projects vs. the paid ones?

It can be paralyzing. But this weekend I buckled down and just focused on one line at a time for the chapbook project due the end of the month. The biggest lesson I learned this week was to print out images as I worked on them. A downside to digital work is the habit of getting lulled by the intangible on the screen. Pixels on paper translate quite differently. Once I realized how SMALL the finals were going to be I quit obsessing over miniscule details, the mind stopped spinning and a rhythm developed...

...along with a sense of accomplishment. I've a few more of these tiny illos to complete, but now it is fun and feels less daunting. Personal projects are holding idle and waiting their turn in November.

Sorry about the picture quality...blogging from my Blackberry :)

So - which do you find easier to work on, the personal projects or the paid ones; and why?

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Yin Yang

2011-10-18T10:01:00.000-04:00

We are the yin and the yang of the creative process.
Cynthia Weil

I am still here. Just working on something new. New style (not that I've given up the old) for a project due in November for a January release. It is fun looking for the positives in the negatives and pushing my comfort zone.

That's My Folio - Featured Artist

2011-10-10T11:01:00.000-04:00

A few months back I put my portfolio up on That's My Folio & now I am the featured artist. WOW!
What a feeling. Thank you, Patrick and Lanette! You guys really do go above and beyond to help out the growing illustrator.

Hibernate!

2011-10-05T22:36:00.000-04:00

I've heard blue bearies are out of season!
Have you?
Time to cuddle down with something warm and cozy.

I'd like to give a very special thank you to Melissa T Liban. I met Missy through Illustration Friday & Sunday Sketches. Her unique style caught my eye, especially Pete & Doris, but it was her generosity and spirit that begged me to follow from week to week, along with her passion and drive.
Missy is hosting weekly "Becoming a Children's Illustrator" series. I always learn the most by reading about others; and how kind is it of Missy to share her own personal blog in this way, showcasing other illustrators. I love hearing their stories. It makes me feel less alone in this journey

Missy was gracious enough to let me be her first guinea pig for the series. She did an awesome job pulling it all together.
I know she would love for other illustrators to contribute, so please drop her a line if you are interested.
Thank you, Missy!

My First Conference Recap

2011-10-04T10:08:00.003-04:00

Sketch and base layer of paint on masonite

Hard to believe it has been over a week since I attended the SCBWI Carolina's Conference. At the closing keynote Bonnie Adamson, our fabulous Regional Coordinator, suggested we all take a few days and let stuff simmer and settle. Boy, was she ever right. It has taken me this long to regroup, reorder, re-prioritize, and quite honestly gain a modicum of confidence back.

It's not that attending a conference squashes your confidence it is just an energizing and yet humbling experience, especially for an introvert like me. One can't help but to be left with this overwhelming thought: "I HAVE SO MUCH WORK TO DO!"

If you are really serious about this industry join SCBWI. Don't delay. It is a network of seasoned professionals and newbies all with a shared passion for telling wonderful stories and I don't think you will find another industry where everyone, EVERYONE is so willing to share their experience, strength and hope.

The reason why I don't work in acrylics but it did help me to think about how I work in Photoshop.

I've really struggled with how best to put into words all that I took away from this event. So I hope you don't mind the bullet points:

ILLUSTRATOR'S INTENSIVE with DAVID DIAZ:

1. Work loose to tight - by starting out too tight you tend to limit your ideas. Make tracing paper you friend.

2. Every illustration should show action, reaction, interaction.

3. Experiment, but don't put it into your portfolio until you are certain it is a style you want to work in.

WRITING FUNNY FOR MG with Katy Kelly, author of the "Mellonhead" & "Lucy Rose" series

1. Write notes to yourself asking this question - "what do I want to have happen?"

2. Write/draw the things you are interested in. Your passion will propel the piece. Kids can smell a fraud.

3. Be an eavesdropper - Write down funny/odds things people say or do. Use them as inspiration.

AGENTS PANEL:

1. BE UNIQUE

2. BE UNIQUE

3. BE UNIQUE

* truly a recurring theme throughout the weekend. Don't try to write like J.K. Rowling or paint like David Catrow, work naturally and organically to find your unique voice.

MARIETTA ZACKER, agent - KEYNOTE ADDRESS:

1. Don't be in a rush to get your product out there. STIR, STIR, STIR until it is 'just the right temperature.'

2. "Authentic Voice" - find the stories, truths, conflicts, emotions that are true to you.

3. Make images that tell their own story.

JENN BAILY - SOCIAL MEDIA:

1. Use your own name so that people can find you and connect.

2. Make your goal to inform, entertain or inspire.

3. The more active you are on the internet the higher your ranking will be on the search engines.

MY PORTFOLIO REVIEW:

1. I have a deft handling of the medium I use.

2. Vintage look ala Mary Blair (can I tell you I about fell out of my chair)

3. Focus on the 'tween' market because those were my strongest pieces.

PICTURE BOOK PANEL:

1. Be aware of changing trends in tone and mood.

2. There will always be a market for beautiful and compelling work.

3. Art Directors like seeing promo cards but also spend a good part of their day on the internet looking for new talent. Illustration Mundo is a free showcase site that many in the industry use for their searches.

PORTFOLIO CREATION BY DAVID DIAZ:

1. Portfolio is really a way for you to manage the direction of your work and talent.

2. Ask yourself, "Would you be willing to gamble $300,000 on your work?" If you have a piece in your portfolio that says NO, take it out.

3. Don't let the medium confuse the message: In my case he said, "Just because Photoshop offers you a limitless variety of textures you don't need to use them all. Retro/Vintage is about simplification. Own that style."

Ah, WOW!!!!! There is so much MORE. Everyone said over and over again Practice, Patience and Persistence.

So I began with a list of what I love to draw & a collection of drawing exercises. The month of October is all about me getting into the habit of drawing something daily. Here is my starter list:

1. My dog, Rufus, who in the midst of all this conference prep and attendance became gravely ill. Kidney failure. He is stable now and eating again, and we take life day by day - as it should be.

2. 'Tweeners' - probably because I have one, and they are so full of attitude and snark. Great for emoting expressions, plus I love their experiments in style.
3. Animals - I LOVE them all, I need to draw more of them more often.
4. Fairy Tales - maybe I should reinvent them for the modern age.
5. Birds - I am totally fascinated by birds - we have 2 in our home. Crows, chickens, geese and parakeets are my favorites.
6. Anything equestrian or pertaining to farm life.
7. My two Grams, polar opposites, and their farm houses: One built in 1839, the other a converted Main Line Philly horse barn.
8. Geeks and Freaks - probably because I am one.
9. Shoes - I love them, especially BOOTS. I would wear them year round if the weather allowed. it was also my daughter's first word.
10. Anything vintage, retro and sort of cartoon like.

In summation, I think the BIGGEST take away for me were the wonderful friendships I developed: Thank you Stacy, Deb, Alice, Meredith & our illustrious leader David. Watch out world, The Doodleheads are one day going to take this industry by storm
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

My Sunday Attempt At Character Design...

2011-09-18T21:01:00.000-04:00

I swear to gawd, I don't think I have showered in a month trying to get ready for this conference...

Just some last minute stuff as I scramble to round out my portfolio. I don't know the first thing about character development and I was afraid my portfolio was going to look like a one hit wonder...so here is my first try at it.

Just some girl. My daughter told me what the kids should wear.

Middle School.

My daughter says I got it right.

I am looking at it and realizing, I'VE FORGOTTEN ALL THE JEWELRY....oh, well...after 10 hours in the studio today banging this out from sketch to done I guess it is expected that I would forget something.

She ended up in this

My mom chairs the Birthday committee at my daughter's school...so this little do-dah will appear on the bulletin board each month.

I've been so long at the computer my butt is numb

and I am hungry.

Happy Sunday Sketches everyone!

I will check ya'll out on Monday!

Second Thoughts?

2011-09-15T23:11:00.000-04:00

Love is hard.
So is art.
Sometimes.

I tried something new here. Can you figure it out?

IF - Boundaries

2011-09-14T09:25:00.000-04:00

We have set boundaries at our house.
No texting, phones, & obnoxious technology allowed during family time.
Sadly, I am most often the guilty party.

This is also my "First Impressions" piece for the upcoming SCBWI Carolinas Regional Conference. It will be reviewed by Lucy Cummins, Senior AD for Simon & Schuster. No pressure there, right?

So, what are your first impressions of this piece? I would love to hear: good, bad or indifferent.

Be blessed and happy creating.

IF - Mysterious

2011-09-03T20:35:00.001-04:00

The DO-OVER based on comments to the original below! Thanks again for all the feedback...

BOO!
(the original, prior to edits above)

SPOOKY work...

2011-08-27T19:43:00.001-04:00


© Jennifer Noel Bower 2011 - "Jack"

Hello JACK-O-LANTERN!!!!

I love learning and reading about where our traditions come from. Ever wonder why we carve pumpkins and stick candles in them for halloween?

It's still a work in progress...and it's taking insufferably long because I struggle with how exactly to handle color at night AND because I am doing a lot of experimenting and pushing my style to see exactly where I might take it.

What do ya'll think? What is working? What isn't?

I still need to lay in the devil dude (see sketch below) but then I am wondering if I should add other little things like:

spiders

webs

a burning candle on the grave

glowing eyeballs peering from the darkness somewhere

a worm poking out of the grave

RIP on the headstone...

IDK! What do you think?

I hope all of my bloggie friends in the NE are staying safe while Tropical Storm Irene batters their coast. Here in the Piedmont of NC it is one of the most glorious Sunday mornings I've seen in a while. After the hurricane hit out coast it pulled in the most beautiful Carolina blue skies.

Be sure to check out the other wonderful participants of Sophia's Sunday Sketches over at Blue Chair Diary, and many thanks to Heather for hosting the last few weeks.

Sunday Sketches - Stuffage

2011-08-21T02:02:00.000-04:00

#iheartdesign

Here is some stuffage I've been working on in preparation for the upcoming Regional SCBWI Conference. *have I mentioned 1,000,000,000,000,000 times yet that this is my first time attending???..............................and I am nervous???????????????????*

So this week I finished:

BRAND SPANKING NEW (ahem...well updated after ya'll's valuable feedback 2 weeks ago) PROMO CARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Front..............................&.....................................................Back

I've also been UPDATING some portfolio pieces that just weren't sitting right with me!

OLD ONE


NEW ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Old One!

NEW ONE!!!! :)

And, finally..................another little sneak peek at the "first impressions" piece I finally completed...this is only 1/3 of the bigger picture. Remember the mom from last week? She is in here too!

So, that's been about it for me! I still have so much more to do! But I am loving every minute of all the hard work, but not loving the really late nights. It is 2 a.m. on Sunday morning, here! HAPPY SUNDAY SKETCHES! Please be sure to visit Heather, she is doing such a wonderful thing by hosting SS again this week.

I will be around to see ya'll after a much needed sleep (ing)(in). *But, first I am going to raid some leftover pancakes.*

An Award & A WIP!!!!!

2011-08-10T22:46:00.001-04:00

Hi ya and a happy Thursday to you! WOW!!! So many exciting things going on! It sure has made for a happy sunshiney week. The other day, Michele of Mushroom Tender stopped by with a cheerful greeting and a sunshine award for me. I was surprised and very flattered to receive the award. I truly admire Michele for her work, her spirit and the wonderful energy she shares in the blogging world.

Michele's an illustrator who crafts the most amazing and vibrantly beautiful watercolor pieces. She creates everything from children's picture art, to charming landscapes, to lavender so detailed you can almost smell their scent. Every time I open one of her posts I am always blow away by her skill and craftsmanship with the medium. I'm glad to have met her through blogging and appreciate the award she shared with me. Stop by her blog and say "Hello!"

The rules for receiving the award:
- Thank the person who gave you the award.
- Write a post about it.
- Answer the questions below.
- Pass it on to 10 bloggers who you think really deserve it and send them a message to let them know.

My unofficial answers to The questions (as assisted by my daughter):
01. My favorite color: Orange - of the salmon to melon variety
02. My favorite animal: HORSES (and then RUFUS my dog)!
03. My favorite number: #3 - it is biblical
04. My favorite non-alcoholic drink: Diet Dr. Pepper
05. Facebook or Twitter? BOTH (and Google+) - I am a mess!
06. My passion: My daughter, working with horses & illustration!
07. Getting or giving presents? Making them
08. My favorite pattern: hmmmmmm...plaid flannel? (that's my daughter's fav)
09. My favorite day of the week: SATURDAYS! That is when I go out to the barn and ride
10. My favorite flower: Gardenia

Do you know these Sunshine Award winners? I think I follow close to 200 bloggers now who are all creative, talented and DRIVEN. It was hard to choose only 10 so I hope you enjoy visiting the ones I picked.

10 Favorite Bloggers: (In no particular order AND I TRIED TO PICK THOSE NOT PICKED BY OTHERS OR WHOM I HAVEN'T PICKED BEFORE!!!!!!)
Jennifer from Studiojru
Michaele from RaziInk
Penelope from Nothing Worth Stealing
Amariah Rauscher
Chasing the Crayon
Ted Blackman from Crotchety Comics
Doodlestreet
Lucy Boden Illustration
Malka from Malka's Magic Pen
Brad Renner from Toast Without Butter

*phew* That was some hard work...speaking of - here is what I've been working on this week. She is about 1/8 of the bigger picture I am trying to complete for First Impressions at the conference...hmmmmmmmmmmmm. I wonder what she might be holding?

A Thank You & A Showcase Feature

2011-08-09T10:13:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who offered their comments and feedback on the promo card. I have a lot to work on after pondering your suggestions over the weekend. Several of you said "SORRY" after leaving your ideas. Please don't be sorry! If I didn't genuinely want your opinions I would not have asked.

YOU ALL MAKE ME A BETTER ILLUSTRATOR!!!!!! Thank you!

And in other wonderful news: Sunshine Smiles Publications, UK has featured my work in a illustrator showcase. Can we say FLATTERED!!!!!!! There are some really amazing artists featured there. I am humbled to be in their company. If you haven't seen SSP before, check them out. They truly celebrate the art of publishing and promoting children's books.