Tomie de Paola Award 2013

Phew! Feels like just yesterday that I was painting my entry for the Tomie dePaola Award for the SCBWI. But, alas, another year has flown by!
This year the idea was to choose from 3 classic titles and execute a passage in black and white. I was particularly more excited about this year's subject matter than last, and chose "The Yearling" by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.
While in college I became really comfortable using graphite to achieve pretty detailed drawings, so that's what I chose for this piece.

"Jody settled himself halfway up the live oak... The shade of the oak was cool... A light breeze moved through its leaves. Silence took over the scrub."

Alice's Adventures

I just finished up on a very exciting personal project! I loved being able to illustrate a childhood favorite that has stuck with me into my adult years. I did an Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass combo, using some inspiration from John Tenniel and also early Disney artwork for the movie--an ultra-saturated style that still influences me as well as the story. I definitely had to change up her hair and dress, I am a little tired of the blonde hair and white pinafore!

Some sketches, character studies.

ELY, The Iron Giant

So I cannot believe I have neglected my blog for so long! I find it strange that I haven't updated since my birthday last year. To make up for it, here is my senior thesis project, known as the ELY. 

I decided to do the children's story by Ted Hughes (Sylvia's Plath's former husband) originally published as The Iron Man, but to us Americans it's known as The Iron Giant. It think it's a beautiful story that truly allowed me to explore a wide array of picture-making possibilities. 

Although these paintings almost turned into my own "iron giant", I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out. Now if only I could do the whole book...

Peter & the Wolf

13 x 18

oil

Scuba Boy

oil

Jungle13.5 x 17oil