Picture This

I finally got some time to rework my website and make this Monday and Marketing Monday. I took some inspiration from reading Holli Conger's blog A Girl Who Creates . Great stuff on her site. She is posting for every day in Dec. a tip on illustration biz. I find it really inspiring and motivating. I feel like in the past I've been really spotty when it comes to promoting my work. I'm going to try and do at least one thing each Monday to promote my work. I think this rework in my site Nancy Miller Illustration makes it clearer that I work in pastels as a children's market illustrator. I also updated my portfolio images. I combined some pages to make it cleaner. Oops! Forgot to embed the fonts. I checked it on my other computer and realized what I'd forgotten. Fixed it.

Here's my illustration friday piece for winter. I used this illo for a promo card last xmas.

This didn't turn out as well as I would have liked but it was a final assignment for the illustration course. I enjoy Poe and read him during Halloween. Not fond of color pencils. I find them to be a lot of work. My original sample for this piece was stronger.

Completed a finished illustration for the Pol Turgeon technique.

Did some samples of various flowers from the course I took. Some better than others. Used techniques from Mark English and CF Payne.

Nice to get some additional web coverage from the Southern Breeze Illustrators Corner .Wonderful showcase of Southern Illustrators.

Can't wait to finish class so I can get back to work on my next book project. It's been so busy trying to keep up with work and class.

I never got spam before but boy is it racking up these spam comments from other countries.

Had to try a new technique. Try Pol Turgeon's. He's a great illustrator, but boy does the stuff he uses stink to high heaven. Just the smell of the L&B cracking varnish just about did me in. It's made out of ox bile. Ugh. When you cover your painting with it and use a blow dryer it creates some amazing cracks on the top. After that he goes back in with oil paint and rubs it off. The oil paint stays in the cracks so you can see them. It was interesting. Here's a close up of the cracks: The cracking varnish costs about $9 for a small bottle. Lefranc & Beourgeois. They also make an aging varnish but I really didn't think it made that much of a difference. Could have saved $9.

I am such a creature of habit. Working in a different materials besides pastels is like having my teeth pulled. Figuratively. After working in acrylics which I haven't done in 13 years it made me appreciate my pastels even more. I'll be glad when I can get back to my pastel for the next picture book.

I started a graduate course for my masters. I realize after starting it that I'd rather be spending the time and energy to finish books. I think after this one course I'll be back to focusing on my illustration work more. I may think about other programs that may suit my focus.

I'm looking forward to a local library visit for the month of June. I'd say this is my first visit with a drawing demo and art project for the kids. Should be fun!

I'm so glad I got the chance to participate in the Southern Breeze Illustrator Show at the Little Shop of Stories. I couldn't make it in person but it looks like everyone had a great time.

It's hard to get noticed in the biz. I guess what I mean is even when I tell book stores, schools, and libraries that I'm available for signings and visits they think I'm a nut job. I speak to them on the phone, meet in person and send letters. No luck. It took me 3 months to get a book signing with a major chain. Took 3 months of persistence to get the visit at a library. Which I'm exciting about the library visit. It's a chance to hone my skills at working a crowd. It's also a chance to give back as a volunteer. My local library has provided the majority of my language art tie in w/my Kindergarten curriculum. Children at that age just love to be read to. As long as the book is interesting the kids they listen. Use the silly voices for each character if it's appropriate. The kids like it. Cuts down on behavior problems in the first 10 min. of class. I've been checking out other children's book illustrators/authors site to see how the handle such eve...

Read Across America is starting March 2nd, Dr. Suess' birthday! Some great free stuff on the National Education Associations Site.

I thought this was interesting you can make your widgets at Widget Box . Nice.

Got a good review on the first picture book I illustrated from the Christian Children's Book Review Blog .You have to scroll down to see it. Here's a screen shot of it.

I have a NYC friend of mine that just saw the exhibit and loved it. Check out the online MOMA site if you can't make the exhibit.

A good read for Martin Luther King Holiday. This picture-book biography provides an ideal introduction to this leader and his works. Juxtaposing original text with quotes from King's writing and speeches, Rappaport's (Escape from Slavery) narrative offers a pastiche of scenes from King's life, beginning with his childhood experience of seeing "White Only" signs sprinkled throughout his hometown. He questions his mother about their meaning, and she assures him, "You are as good as anyone." Listening to his father preach, the boy asserts that "When I grow up, I'm going to get big words, too." Rappaport also touches upon King's role in the Montgomery bus strike that followed Rosa Park's 1955 arrest for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger and his subsequent efforts as a civil rights crusader. After briefly describing the circumstances of his death, the story concludes, quite abruptly, with the statement, "His big word...

This is an illustration I did for Summer Shorts Anthology. It's a scan from the book. It was a poem about having to go on the high dive. With all the other kids waiting behind you. I'd feel confine if I was afraid of the height and had only 1 way out.

Berry Blue Haiku Berry Blue Haiku is a quarterly digital magazine focusing on haiku for kids of all ages. In each issue, we will bring you contests, articles, lessons, as well as puzzles with haiku/senryu related-fun. If you are a writer or an illustrator, please familiarize yourself with our submission guidelines before submitting. If you still have questions after reviewing our guidelines, please contact us at berrybluehaiku (at) gmail (dot) com (email must be formatted properly to function). Our first issue is due out in June 2010. **Submission guidelines may change without notice.

I made some New Year's Resolutions to try and blog more. I was doing pretty well when I first started this blog but things got busy like family, school, work and freelancing. This year I'm going to make time for it. Plus be healthier when I freelance. I get so wrapped up into a project I forget to move. By the end of illustrating a book I feel like a slug. Not a good feeling. Plus I'd like to to do a mailing at least 2x a year and work up to quarterly. Make some tunnel books out of my illustrations. Also try and create a new illustration style that might work in more markets.

Love the work of this book artist: Andrea Dezso . Amazing tunnel books.

I've been thinking about how I can make some more tunnel books. I'd like to make some out of my illustrations from the picture books.Especially after seeing the work of Chuck Miley . He's makes tunnel books and pop-ups from classical children's book stories.

I geek my local library and love the renewal process! Visit the GeekTheLibrary site to geek what your interested in. Here's an additional sketch with the two owls reading.

I finally got up and decided I need to sell some of my original art on www.nmillerillustration.etsy.com . Please check it out!