Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing

The Lobster Lady

Posted by on Jun 23, 2023 in Children's Book Illustration, Drawing, Illustration, Pastels, Peaks Island, Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing, The Lobster Lady | 4 comments

Ahoy, it’s me, the Bluffer. Last summer I hiked up this trail in the White Mountains, thinking of my looming deadline for The Lobster Lady by Alexandra S. D. Hinrichs. It was a challenging time, juggling two book deadlines at once for the first time in my career. This sign spoke to my doubts about my ability to capture the iconic Virginia Oliver, aka the Lobster Lady. When Charlesbridge art director, Kristen Nobles, contacted me about the assignment in early 2022, I was ecstatic about the opportunity to illustrate a picture book biography about the oldest person lobstering in Maine,...

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Picture Book at Maine College of Art

Posted by on Mar 6, 2018 in Illustration, Maine College of Art, Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing | 6 comments

It feels like the blink of an eye, but we’re already at mid semester in IL 310, The Picture Book course I’m leading at Maine College of Art. We began with a snow day, and we’ve been catching up ever since. I lugged in a suitcase of children’s books, my absolute favorite topic. I am completely jazzed to have the jazzy Liz Long as my teaching assistant! She is an alum in MECA’s IL program and a recent graduate of MECA’s MAT program. She, too, came armed with a batch of favorites plus stories of her blooming career. We discussed what makes good picture books...

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Postcards from the Rock

Posted by on Aug 31, 2017 in Book: Tiger Boy, Curious City, Drawing, Illustration, Illustration Institute, Maine College of Art, Peaks Island, Portland Stage Company, Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing, Publisher: Tilbury House | 1 comment

I have always been a snail mailer. Even when I was growing up at the Red Doors Motel, I cultivated pen pals. Creating post card promotions as an illustrator is one occupational hazard that I enjoy. These are just a handful from many years of mailing out samples. Here’s the scoop behind my most recent postcard, Summer in the Slow Lane. I’ve always hankered for little campers and the time to take road trips. I made a sketch on the ferry one day based on a photo I took a few years ago on the way to Stonington, Maine. Kirsten Cappy happily modeled inside this camper we spied for sale...

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Ocean Park

Posted by on Aug 20, 2017 in Book: Here Come the Humpbacks, Children's Book Illustration, Drawing, Illustration, Pastels, Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing, Travels | 5 comments

I first visited Ocean Park in 2013 and delighted in the warm community there. Last week I returned to meet new friends and share a bit of my world and working methods. I spoke in Jordan Hall, and was surprised when Daisy, my daughter who inspires much of my work, showed up with her friend Jonathan, who has spent many fond summers at Ocean Park. I included this series of photos to show my process of creating a single illustration for Here Come the Humpbacks! by April Pulley Sayre. First I sketch into the layout provided by the publisher’s designer, in this case Martha Sikkema of...

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Story & Craft

Posted by on Aug 11, 2017 in Book: Here Come the Humpbacks, Book: Porcupine's Promenade, Book: Seven Days of Daisy, Children's Book Illustration, Drawing, Illustration, Illustration Institute, Peaks Island, Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing, School Visits | 1 comment

This summer my cup runneth over with kidlit elixirs. I was pleased as punch to share in one of Pat Crowley Rockwell’s Story and Craft adventures at the Peaks Island library. She is an esteemed educator, the Assistant Principal at King Middle School, and a passionate advocate of children’s books and reading to kids. She featured A Porcupine’s Promenade by Lyn Smith, how could I not join in? After she read the story, I shared my little pencil dummy and showed one of the original drawings. Kids like to touch the rough sanded paper I use for my pastels. Plus, Pat’s...

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Bounty

Posted by on Sep 7, 2016 in Book: John Muir Wrestles a Waterfall, Children's Book Illustration, Drawing, Illustration, Maine College of Art, Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing | 3 comments

What an honor to be included in the 2016 Biennial Faculty Exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art! The catalog’s cover (designed by Nicole Holmes ’14) is a detail from Treppenhaus, an oil painting by Hilary Irons. Guest Curator Sage Lewis writes “Artists have a deep and often private relationship with their subject matter before it becomes public. It develops and changes over time as life experience, research, and inspiration comingle with the handling of materials, the recording of images, and the reading of texts. As I was selecting work...

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