Brooke B.

The Fisherman

2012-02-10T09:34:00.004-07:00

I hope you're having a cheerier day than this poor fellow. I'm feeling quite cheery today, as tomorrow morning my husband and I are heading to California where we will stroll on the beach, go to art museums, eat some good food, and celebrate our niece's fifth birthday (and Valentine's Day) at Disneyland. I'm sure a good time will be had by all. I hope you have a good weekend too!

Chef

2012-02-06T16:14:00.001-07:00

Bernadette

2012-02-03T10:00:00.002-07:00

Work in progress...

2012-02-01T11:07:00.003-07:00

Here's a peak at a portfolio piece I've been working on.

Also, I added some Valentine note cards to my Etsy shop.

And just in case you missed it the other day, here's a link to videos of Stephen Colbert interviewing Maurice Sendak.

2012 Fairytale Project: January

2012-01-31T09:27:00.007-07:00

Here's my first illustration for the 2012 Fairytale Project. January, check!

I must admit that it didn't turn out quite how I envisioned it. At the suggestion of my critique group I'm going to darken the background on the left and I'm not quite sure if its finished besides that. But it was fun to draw a new kind of character and to wrestle with the shadow under the bridge (which I think I might have to wrestle with some more).

For February... Snow White.

Illustration Friday: Forward

2012-01-30T11:40:00.005-07:00

I thought that this illustration might work for this week's Illustration Friday prompt. I hope you all had a good weekend!

Black and White illustration

2012-01-27T10:17:00.001-07:00

Valentines!

2012-01-26T13:22:00.006-07:00

If you head on over to Between the End Pages you can download a pdf of four different valentines. Print them out and spread some Valentine cheer! And look for Tina's valentines too. They're wonderful!!

Weekend Sketches and an interview...

2012-01-23T09:53:00.004-07:00

I spent the weekend nursing a cold and drawing character sketches for an elderly fisherman type fellow.

Despite my yucky cold I felt rather cheery on Saturday because I was featured on Kathy Temean's blog for "Illustrator Saturday". Thank you Kathy! You can read the interview here.

2012 Fairytale Project...

2012-01-18T09:39:00.005-07:00

Last week I mentioned in my list of goals that I'm going to be working on a fairytale project this year. I was inspired by other artist's blog projects, especially Abigail Halpin's "1000 cups of coffee", so I decided to set a goal for myself. And by telling all of you about this goal, and by posting the results on my blog, I'm held more accountable than I would be if I just kept it to myself.

So, my plan is to do one illustration from a different fairytale every month for a year. Now, I realize that this isn't the most ambitious of goals. But its much more manageable than my original plan (which was to create 3 or 4 finished illustrations from the same fairytale each month, in addition to the other projects I'm working on). And by the end of the year I'll have 12 new fairytale based illustrations, which is pretty cool.

So here are my main goals for this project...

1. explore characters that I don't normally draw (like witches and trolls).

2. work on creating stronger contrast in my illustrations (I struggle with creating darks and would really like to remedy this).

3. use line more effectively (like to create textures and contrast).

4. have fun, feel free to play and experiment.

So, here goes!

To start the year off I've chosen "Three Billy Goats Gruff". Here's an in-progress image. I'll post the finished illustration by the end of the month.

Also, I have a short list of fairytales that I'd like to do, but I would very much appreciate your suggestions. Please and Thank you. :)

I Want to be an Artist

2012-01-16T11:26:00.008-07:00

My parents have been cleaning out their basement and this weekend they gave me several folders containing school projects from my childhood days.

Its strange and wonderful to read thoughts and stories written by my child self. Apparently I was really into the Easter Bunny. And there seem to be quite a few stories about talking bears. Maybe there's the seed of a picture book idea within these childhood papers.

Based on the page above, it seems that my 9 year old self would be pretty happy with how life has turned out... except for the "Animals Art" shop... haven't quite gotten around to that... yet.

Painting

2012-01-12T14:52:00.002-07:00

Live Joyfully

2012-01-10T10:35:00.005-07:00

I'm very excited to announce that I am now represented by Teresa Kietlinski of Prospect Agency. Woot! I'm so happy to be starting out the new year with this good news and I'm really looking forward to working with Teresa.

I think good things are in store for 2012.

Here are some of my goals and plans for this year....

1. Spend less time lurking on twitter and more time drawing and painting.

2. Put more effort into my Etsy shop and add new items (like gift tags, note cards, and prints of illustrations) on a regular basis.

3. The 2012 Fairytale project (which I'll tell you more about next week).

4. Spend more time outside with my husband, hiking and running and camping.

5. Live more joyfully. Which maybe sounds kind of cheezy. But the other day I was reading about how our thoughts rule our emotions and our emotions rule us. So by thinking positive thoughts, we will feel more joyful. So that's what I'm going to do.

I hope the new year is off to a good start for you! What are some of your plans and goals for this year?

Happy New Year!

2012-01-05T11:57:00.000-07:00

Silent Night...

2011-12-21T17:03:00.004-07:00

I hope that your weekend will be calm and bright and full of joy and cookies and fun.

If you visit Between the End Pages, you can see my illustration for this month's theme, "A Christmas Carol".

Also, I'm going to take a vacation from the internet for a week or two. So, I'll see you next year friends! Cheers and Happy Holidays!

Illustration Friday: Separated

2011-12-13T10:01:00.002-07:00

And the winner is.....

2011-12-08T09:29:00.014-07:00

Thank you so much to everyone who entered my Thank You Giveaway! It made me feel so cheery to read your favorite things about the holidays! Last night, I put everyone's name in my winter hat and pulled out three names. The grand prize winner is....

Congratulations Monica!! I'll be sending you a set of Winter Birds note cards and you can choose any item you like from my Etsy shop. Monica's favorite things about the holidays are listening to the soundtrack of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and drinking hot chocolate. Mmmm... Today would be a good day for hot chocolate, especially peppermint hot chocolate. In my family, its not really Christmas until we've listened to the John Denver and the Muppets Christmas album a few times.

The two runners up are....

Congratulations Emily S. and Jeanie W!

If Monica, Emily and Jeanie will please email me at BrookeBoyntonHughes (at) gmail (dot) com with your addresses (and Monica, with your Etsy item of choice), I'll get your prizes in the mail right away.

Thank you again for entering my giveaway, and thank you especially for taking the time to visit my blog. Cheers!

Illustration Friday: Brigade

2011-12-06T16:48:00.004-07:00

I've been reading Wildwood, written by Colin Meloy, with illustrations by Carson Ellis. Ms. Ellis' illustrations are really wonderful and suit the book perfectly, but seeing as Wildwood is a novel, there are many many characters and scenes that aren't illustrated. I've been loving imagining the fantastical characters and scenes of Mr. Meloy's story. So, when I saw that this week's word was "brigade" I immediately thought of Wildwood's army of coyotes. My original sketch for this involved several coyotes marching, but then I remembered that I had to make dinner and do laundry and make phone calls and work on other illustrations... so instead, here's this guy, an officer in the coyote brigade.

Work in progress...

2011-12-02T15:01:00.006-07:00

Another bear taking a stroll.

And if you head over to Between the End Pages, you can see my illustration of a robot bear.

Also, there are still a few more days left to enter my giveaway if you're in the market for some free "Winter Birds" note cards.

Oh, and one more thing... Did you see this interview a few days ago with Abigail Halpin? Her art is delightful and so is her interview.

I hope you have a happy weekend! The husband and I are going to get our Christmas tree and do some holiday decorating. Bring on the egg nog! (er... soy nog.)

Illustration Friday: Round

2011-11-30T12:58:00.005-07:00

Someday I'd like to live in a house with round windows. Also, I'm hosting a giveaway. Maybe you'd like to enter?

Giveaway!

2011-11-28T16:02:00.013-07:00

Many, many weeks ago I mentioned that I would soon be adding lots of items to my Etsy shop. "Soon" turned out to be not so soon at all. But, I'm happy to say that my Etsy shop now has several new illustrations, as well as a set of notecards for sale. Click here to take a peek.

Also, as a means of saying thank you for visiting my blog, I'm hosting a giveaway! To enter, be a public follower of my blog and leave a comment on this post. (Any kind of comment will do, but I'd like to suggest that you mention one of your favorite things about the holiday season. Its easy to get to feeling bogged down and stressed out during this time of year, so maybe it would be good to take a moment to remember the wonderful things about the holidays.) I'll put the names in a hat and on Wednesday, December 7th, I'll choose a grand prize winner, as well as two runners up.

The Grand Prize is a set of 6 Winter Birds notecards, as well as the choice of any one item from my Etsy shop. The two runners up will receive a copy of my 5" x 7" Red Jacket illustration.

I'll also be sending a set of Winter Birds notecards to Maria Bogade, who suggested that the little birdies would make a nice card design.

I hope that you're all enjoying the winter season. Thank you for visiting my blog!

Giving Thanks

2011-11-22T12:39:00.009-07:00

This year I'm especially thankful for a few things... My very supportive husband (this will be our first holiday season as a married couple), the wood burning stove that helps to keep our home toasty and our heating bill very, very low, my mom and dad and family, James the cat and Domino the dog, Holbein watercolor paints, snowy days, and the recent addition of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine to Netflix instant streaming (Yep. I'm thankful for Star Trek). And pie. I really like pie. Especially pecan.

And I'm also very thankful to you, for visiting my blog and keeping me company on the interweb. And as a means of saying thank you, I'll soon be hosting a give away. Come back next week to find out the details. And in the meantime, I hope that you get to eat as much turkey and mashed potatoes and pie as you like. And most of all, I hope that you have a very happy Thanksgiving and that you will be reminded of all of the things that you are thankful for.

Winter Birds

2011-11-16T17:18:00.002-07:00

Illustration Friday: Silent

2011-11-15T09:37:00.004-07:00

Illustration Friday: Stripes

2011-11-09T11:37:00.006-07:00

Mama, Papa, and Baby Bear went out for one last stroll in the snow before settling in for the long winter.

Work in progress...

2011-11-07T11:14:00.002-07:00

Mr. James P. Fox

2011-11-02T15:29:00.007-06:00

October sure flew on by. Halloween came and went as I laid on the couch under a pile of blankets, nursing a 100 degree fever. So no Halloween festivities or spooky Halloween blog posts for me.

But my fever is gone and a new month is here. Instead of something spooky, here's Mr. James P. Fox on his way to work. I hope you've had a good November so far. It's lovely and snowy here today. Things are looking up.

Red Jacket

2011-10-28T10:58:00.000-06:00

Monday

2011-10-24T11:15:00.001-06:00

Hear hear!

2011-10-21T10:15:00.004-06:00

Click on the image to read this really great proclamation about picture books, signed by Mac Barnett, Dan Santat, Sophie Blackall, and lots of other great kidlit people. It made my day! (You can also click here to see it.)

Alice

2011-10-19T09:48:00.001-06:00

Emma and Mr. Knightly

2011-10-17T10:10:00.003-06:00

I watched Emma over the weekend. So enjoyable. I also did lots of little experiments on watercolor paper.

For years I've been using illustration board to do my watercolor illustrations. I can't remember exactly why I started using illustration board, but lately I haven't been terribly fond of it. And after I watched Marla Frazee's demonstration on stretching watercolor paper at the SCBWI Summer Conference, I felt inspired. So I ordered some lovely, bright white Arches watercolor paper from Dick Blick... And I am in love.

"Oh how the paint flows evenly over the paper!" I said to my husband. "Oh how my pencil glides over the creamy surface!" I declared. He smiled wanly, in an attempt to show understanding. But alas, he couldn't really, truly share in my excitement. But surely YOU, dear friend, will understand the magic of finding just the right new art supply?

Oh watercolor paper, you are the Mr. Knightly to my Emma... it took a little while, but now I finally see how wonderful you are. *sigh*

Hello Friday!

2011-10-14T11:18:00.003-06:00

"Hooray for Autumn!" said Little Witch

2011-10-12T11:50:00.002-06:00

Snow White sketches

2011-10-10T11:41:00.003-06:00

I've been mulling over an idea for a personal project having to do with fairytales... more on that another day. In the meantime, I was trying to figure out what Snow White might look like.

Also, head on over to Between the End Pages to see my "Scribble Off" version of "Song" (as well as a photo of 13 year old me in a cowboy hat) and Jill's super spectacular Lion Mask!!

Millicent Margot McDoodle

2011-10-05T09:47:00.003-06:00

This is Millicent. You might remember her from such blog posts as "Zombies are the worst and other conference notes". Millicent is one tough cookie. I've grown quite fond of her and her no nonsense ways.

Little Eleanor

2011-10-04T09:43:00.004-06:00

I've spruced up my website a bit, especially the links page, where you can see another version of plucky Little Eleanor.

Cats... and other news

2011-09-28T13:37:00.011-06:00

Last weekend we had our 4 year old niece over for a slumber party. And we drew Cats! Hanging out with an awesome 4 year old is a pretty great way to spend a day, especially if you get to draw cats. We also went to the farmer's market, ate cupcakes, had a rousing game of hide and seek, and played with princess stickers. A very good time was had by all.

And, just in case you missed it last week, here's a really wonderful interview with Maurice Sendak on npr.

And one more thing... pop on over to Between the End Pages if you'd like to see my version of September's theme, "Ocean Voyage", as well as some news about Marsha Riti's cute new book, The Picky Little Witch.

Hansel and Gretel Re-do...

2011-09-23T16:20:00.029-06:00

Happy Monday to you! After having a portfolio critique with Adam Rex, I decided to re-do a couple of my portfolio pieces, starting with Hansel and Gretel. I used the same basic composition, but wanted to try to create a stronger sense of light. Adam suggested that maybe Hansel and Gretel should be in the dark of the forest, about to step out into the sunshine. I also wanted to change the characters to make their poses less stiff.

The original piece is above. Below are the steps I took to get to the new illustration (not including a few thumbnails and the pencil drawing) as well as the finished image:

And here's the final image. Pen and ink, watercolor, colored pencil, and a wee bit of tweaking in photoshop.

So that's what I worked on last week. This week I'll be finishing up my "Ocean Voyage" illustration for the group blog. If you haven't visited Between the End Pages yet, please stop by and say hello!

Go Boldly

2011-09-20T09:08:00.002-06:00

Zombies are the worst... and other conference notes

2011-09-19T09:21:00.008-06:00

This past weekend I attended the SCBWI Rocky Mountain Chapter Annual Conference. I got to hang out with my friend, Jill Bergman, which was great! I also got to meet the lovely and talented Erika Barriga in person for the first time. Its always nice to meet internet friends in real life.

I had a portfolio critique with the very smart and funny, Adam Rex. Its strange and wonderful how sometimes a single sentence, or even just a few words, can trigger a flurry of small epiphanies. That's what happened when I met with Mr. Rex. Now I'm full of vim and vigor and new ideas.

So, I saw my good friend, met some very friendly folks, and had a really helpful critique. But, perhaps most importantly, I seem to have gained a handle on a long held phobia of mine. You see, I am terrified of zombies. Yes, its true. And yes, I know its highly irrational. Vampires? Mummies? Werewolves? Amusing perhaps, but not terrifying. But zombies? Seeing a picture of a zombie makes my blood pressure rise. Just thinking about zombies makes my palms sweat. And the noise they make... oh dear god...the noise...*shutter*.

But this weekend I purchased Adam Rex's book, Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich. In it there is a comic strip called "Zombie Zombie" that totally cracked me up and left me feeling rather fond of the two featured zombies. I suddenly found myself doodling the living dead.

So, zombies, I'm still not ready to watch your movies. Just thinking of your creepy moaning, not to mention the fact that you want to eat my brain, makes me queasy. But it turns out that I think you're kind of fun to draw.

Maybe now the Zombie Apocalypse dreams that I have on a regular basis won't seem quite so terrifying. Thank you Adam Rex. Thanks for the great critique and for helping me to see that zombies aren't as scary as I thought.

Freckled girls

2011-09-13T11:25:00.000-06:00

Jelly and Jill

2011-09-07T11:12:00.003-06:00

Ready for fall...

2011-09-02T09:19:00.004-06:00

I woke up this morning to find that there was a bit of a chill in the air. The summer has been lovely. Hot, but lovely. And now I am ready for fall. For crisp, cool days and golden aspen leaves. Sigh. Hello Fall.

In the next week or two I'll be adding a heap of new things to my Etsy shop. Stay tuned!

And most importantly, a small town library in the Adirondacks needs our help. Please click her e to find out more.

Gathering mushrooms

2011-09-01T14:27:00.003-06:00

Little Mouse

2011-08-30T10:26:00.001-06:00

Illustration Friday: Disguise

2011-08-29T15:16:00.001-06:00

Hello Weekend!

2011-08-26T16:57:00.006-06:00

This weekend will entail time in the mountains, knitting, hiking, and a highly
anticipated chocolate croissant. Woot!

Hm...

2011-08-22T15:11:00.002-06:00

Hear ye! Hear ye!

2011-08-19T10:28:00.005-06:00

I'd like to introduce a new group blog! Marsha Riti, Jill Bergman, Tina Kugler and I, have joined forces to form "Between the End Pages". We'll choose a theme to illustrate each month, as well as posting news and other interesting tid bits. August is "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod" month. Come take a gander if you please...

School Time

2011-08-18T18:01:00.001-06:00

Oh. I see.

2011-08-15T10:39:00.002-06:00

Fox and Bear

2011-08-12T11:46:00.001-06:00

After the Conference....

2011-08-11T12:07:00.009-06:00

My husband and I got home from L.A. yesterday. When I finally made it to bed at about 2am, I was exhausted but I couldn't sleep. I was too excited. My mind was too busy processing this past weekend.

There are lots of tidbits that I took away from the conference, but there are two ideas that are burning in my heart.

The first is that I'm in love with books again. Don't get me wrong, I've always been in love with books. I wouldn't be pursuing this particular career path if I wasn't. But after listening to amazing keynote speeches by Bruce Coville, Libba Bray, David Small, Gary Paulsen, Judy Blume (!), Richard Peck, (and others) and after an especially inspiring breakout session with Marla Frazee and Allyn Johnston, I am wildly, deeply, passionately in love with books again. I was reminded over and over of all that a good book can do for a child. And I am in love.

The second idea is something that I already knew, but that I needed to be reminded of. And that is that we have to do the work. We aspiring illustrators and authors must go above and beyond. We must be persistent and dedicated. We must be bold. I haven't felt especially bold in the past, but today I am brimming with boldness. The kind of boldness that burns quietly and will help me to persist through rejection.

Something else I discovered at the conference is that my darn social awkwardness has gotten a wee bit out of control. It seems that the last few months of sitting alone in my basement studio, often going days without having an actual conversation with anyone but my husband and my cat, have taken their toll. I'm pretty sure that I was inadvertently a bit rude to a few people.

Often, when I meet someone whose work I admire, I revert to highschool. They are the cool, popular, friendly, pretty girl, and I wear a head gear to class and am obsessed with Dungeons and Dragons. Kelly Light, you are the much loved prom queen, I'm in the chess club. Therefore when I wanted to tell you how much I like your "Smiley Family" project, and to chat with you about art, I stared nervously at my sketchbook instead. Stephanie Roth Sisson, sorry that I ran off without finishing our conversation. I would have liked to chat with you more. Angela Matteson, it was so nice to finally meet you in person! I'm sorry for nearly running you over on the way out of the illustrator's intensive. Dang it. Also, I over think things, so maybe these people didn't even notice.

I occassionally managed to work through the awkward and made some new friends, like Jessica Bagley and Lisa Anchin. Hooray for new friends!

The conference was wonderful and I am ready to work. To really hunker down and work. So, that's what I'm going to do now. But first, I wrote down lots of quotes over the weekend. Here are some of my favorites...

Libba Bray:
"Embrace the suck"
"Getting it wrong is a necessary part of getting it right"
"Avoid the quicksand of irrational fear"

Judy Blume:
"It never gets any easier"

Richard Jesse Watson:
"Some of the best things come out of play"

Gary Paulsen:
"Its like Mardi Gras, but I didn't see any breasts"
"Reading became a way to breathe for me"
"I will write til I die"

Richard Peck:
"Read like the wolf eats"

And here are some of my "notes"...

Feather Hat

2011-08-01T15:27:00.001-06:00

L.A, updated web portfolio, and Etsy!

2011-07-26T09:26:00.009-06:00

Here's a detail of the illustration I'm working on today... one of the last pieces to make it into my portfolio before I head to the conference in L.A. next week. Wait a minute... next week!?!?!!! Holy cow.... seriously? Yikes!

I've added some new pieces to my portfolio. You can see them here.

And in other exciting news... My brother opened a cool new Etsy shop called Verge and Foliot. He has some really beautiful things for sale that would make great gifts, especially for guys! Check it out!

Mustache

2011-07-22T10:06:00.003-06:00

Happy Friday from this mustachioed fellow and me!

Teapot hat

2011-07-18T11:00:00.000-06:00

Detail of a work in progress...

2011-07-17T15:09:00.001-06:00

Illustration Friday: Stay

2011-07-13T16:37:00.001-06:00

Quentin does not intend to stay at home this summer. He has places to go.

Bear's Fine Books

2011-07-08T09:49:00.003-06:00

Happy Friday to you! Here's the finished version of the work in progress I posted a few days ago. (At least, I think its finished).

On another note, I just finished reading YA author, Carolyn Mackler's book, "The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things". A great read! I saw her speak at the SCBWI summer conference last year and she was delightful!

I hope you enjoy your weekend! Perhaps a trip to the book store is in order?

It's raining, it's pouring...

2011-07-07T10:31:00.003-06:00

A bit of inspiration...

2011-07-06T16:14:00.006-06:00

I am so very smitten with the illustrations of Holly Hobbie and Julia Denos! And also with the new chalk pastels and tubes of Holbein watercolors that I bought over the weekend. I took this photo of yarn in Peru... such great colors! (And they're all made using natural dyes). The bowl at the top of the photo is full of little beetles that are used to make red dye.

Illustration Friday: Remedy

2011-07-05T12:01:00.004-06:00

Work in progress...

2011-06-28T20:58:00.002-06:00

Lady in a hat...

2011-06-23T13:55:00.000-06:00

Museum sketches...

2011-06-20T11:41:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I went to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science with my cousins, who were visiting from Florida, and my mom and dad. I managed to sneak in some quick sketches.

I think I'll have to head back to the Museum sometime soon to do a longer drawing of the Red Hartebeest. He's such an unusual looking fellow, with his very long face and spiraling horns. Read more about him here.

Skippity doo!

2011-06-15T13:56:00.001-06:00

Getting ready for the SCBWI Summer Conference in L.A. Woot!!

Illustration Friday: Swept

2011-06-14T13:32:00.005-06:00

Here's a portfolio piece I'm working on about a girl who gets swept away by a mysterious wind.

images copyright Brooke Boynton Hughes 2011

Hello Monday

2011-06-13T12:59:00.000-06:00

Sketches from Peru

2011-06-08T09:36:00.011-06:00

Happy Wednesday to you!

Here are some sketches from our honeymoon in Peru.

I wish that I was a words person so that I could do justice to all of the weird, funny, beautiful things that happened... but sadly, I am only a pictures kind of a person. So these sketches will have to suffice.

Although, I will say that we saw Andean condors (they have a wingspan of 3 meters!), lots of llamas, several white caiman, a baby howler monkey, and a snail the size of a man's fist. We met a lot of really wonderful, friendly, interesting people. And we ate LOTS of delicious food... lomo saltado, fresh squeezed orange and mango juice, and cuy (aka, guinea pig). Oh, and potatoes. Peru is the birth place of potatoes.

Illustration Friday: Shadows

2011-06-07T12:07:00.004-06:00

"Words are but the vague shadows of the volumes we mean.
Little audible links, they are, chaining together great
inaudible feelings and purposes."

-Theodore Dreiser

Airport Sketches

2011-06-06T09:12:00.006-06:00

International Airports are great places for people watching. There were so many interesting faces of all different kinds in both the Lima and Houston airports. And since we had long layovers I had lots of time to observe my fellow travelers.

Now that I'm home I realize that I've been neglecting a bountiful source of inspiration. While I sit alone in my basement studio, doodling and trying to come up with interesting characters, there's a world full of fascinating faces just a bike ride away, just waiting to be turned into storybook heroines and candy giving witches, bike messengers and shopkeepers, monsters and kings.

So I resolve to spend more time out in the world, observing the folks of my town, and taking advantage of the inspiration that I'd forgotten was there. Maybe I'll even head to the airport once in awhile.

2011-06-03T15:47:00.000-06:00

Another sketch from the flight home

Home Sweet Home...

2011-06-02T12:02:00.004-06:00

I'm home. sigh. It feels good to be home. Hello iced coffee! Hello fresh veggies! Hello Kitty cat! Hello blog!!

Here's one of the many sketches I did during one of our two very long layovers (the first one was 10 hours and the 2nd was about 5 hours) on our trip home from Peru.

I have many more sketches to share (and maybe some photos and stories too)... but those will have to wait a day or two. For now I have to tackle the pre-wedding catastrophe that is our house and my studio. I hope you are well my friends. See you again very soon...

See you again soon!!

2011-05-05T19:49:00.003-06:00

This Sunday I'm getting married... Hooray!! And then we're off to Peru for 3 weeks. I hope I'll have some interesting images to share with you when I get back. :) Enjoy the rest of May!

Four years old...

2011-04-13T16:54:00.011-06:00

To live a creative life we must lose the fear of being wrong."
- Joseph Chilton Pearce

In February I visited my grandparents in Florida. They gave me this drawing that I did when I was four. Its been a long time since I drew with the same sort of freedom that I had when I was little. I put this drawing up on my bulletin board to help remind me to be free in my art making.... something that I struggle with. Julia Denos' illustrations have a lovely, carefree quality that I am very fond of. I can't wait to get her new book, Just Being Audrey.

When visiting my grandparents I also got to look through lots of their photos that I had never seen before. Here are a few of my favorites...

This is my grandma, Lee, sitting in my grandpa's army truck that he put her name on. Romantic, no?

2011-04-10T11:06:00.000-06:00

Illustration Friday: Toy

2011-03-29T12:03:00.000-06:00

Illustration Friday: Cultivate

2011-03-24T11:55:00.002-06:00

Wedding Bells...

2011-03-22T13:26:00.008-06:00

Even though my blog banner and website say "Brooke Boynton Hughes", the "Hughes" part won't be official until May 8th. Here's the design I did for our save-the-date card. Its sort of strange to take on a new name after having been just Brooke Boynton for the last 30 years. But I can't wait to be Mrs. Hughes. :)

To find some inspiration for the save-the-date design I decided to take a cue from my ancestors. I googled photos of traditional Norwegian wedding clothes. I love the exciting head dress veils that the brides wear, and their lovely corsages, and of course their always stoic expressions.

2011-03-18T15:27:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday! Enjoy your weekend :)

2011-03-15T15:58:00.002-06:00

Illustration Friday: Stir

2011-03-14T12:29:00.001-06:00

Feeling the stir of spring...

Art for Japan

2011-03-14T09:37:00.003-06:00

Meg Hunt has a great idea to help raise money for Japan. Please check out her blog, Show and Tell, to see what you can do.

Illustration Friday: Warning

2011-03-08T11:04:00.002-07:00

She did not heed her mother's warning. Oh dear.

Monday...

2011-03-07T09:43:00.004-07:00

Hello! Or should I say, Hola! I've started Spanish lessons with a very nice lady named Kim, and while my Spanish is still mucho rusty, I am very much enjoying dusting off my old high school Espanol. And I'm sure it will come in handy when my fiance and I head to Peru for our honeymoon in a couple of months!

Between wedding planning, internet troubles, and the expiration of my photoshop trial, things have been a bit nutty 'round here as well as artistically unproductive. But a real live, full version of photoshop is now up and running, the internet troubles seem to be resolved (if only temporarily), and wedding planning is... well... its on the back burner for today. One can only make so many flower, decoration, hair accessories, seating arrangement decisions in one week.

So, here's a quick color sketch I did for a portfolio piece I'm working on. Once the illustration is complete I'll post the process from thumbnail to finished product.

I hope that you enjoy your Monday as much as it is humanly possible to enjoy a Monday. I find that a nice hot cup of chai tea helps.

Hooray!!

2011-02-23T09:05:00.002-07:00

I am fortunate enough to be in a critique group with the very talented Marsha Riti, and I am proud to announce that she received the grand prize in the portfolio contest of the Austin SCBWI conference. Hip-hip-hooray!! Congratulations Marsha!! Check out Marsha's work here.

Illustration Friday: Layer

2011-02-18T17:02:00.004-07:00

Its important to dress in layers when going outside in Colorado as you never can tell what the weather will do, especially in spring. Oh spring, won't you come out to play? I'm tired of the cold. I'm ready to trade in my hot tea for a nice cold iced coffee.

Rose

2011-02-17T11:50:00.001-07:00

Illustration Friday: Surrender

2011-02-01T10:39:00.001-07:00

Beth

2011-01-31T14:44:00.003-07:00

Monday greetings!! This series of lady portraits will soon be a set of prints in my Etsy shop. Also, I've updated my website portfolio... got rid of the old things and added some new. Please check it out here.

Its snowing and icy here today. I think its time to make a nice, hot cup of tea.

Julianne

2011-01-19T09:05:00.000-07:00

Illustration Friday: Chicken

2011-01-18T15:43:00.001-07:00

Monster Thursday

2011-01-13T11:17:00.003-07:00

This is Alice Monster. She's a gemini. Her hobbies include tree climbing, bird watching, and throwing tea parties. She's especially fond of cabbage.

Illustration Friday: Deja Vu

2011-01-12T11:36:00.005-07:00

Er... I'm not sure that this fits exactly for this week's prompt.
But, here it is anyways. :)

A new January

2011-01-11T17:26:00.009-07:00

"You can't plow a field by turning it over in your mind." -Irish proverb

I stumbled across that saying years ago and it has traveled with me, scrawled on a scrap of paper, from the bulletin board of my tiny apartment in Austin, TX, to my even tinier apartments in Brooklyn and Manhattan, and now to the bulletin board of my slightly less tiny home in Colorado.

I've always enjoyed imagining my life as a children's book illustrator. Its easy to IMAGINE making beautiful illustrations and beautfiul books and having a big, busy, successful career. But the DOING... sometimes the doing requires a bit of a nudge from that scrap of paper.

And now, after being laid off at the beginning of December due to the sluggish economy...Now, at the beginning of another year...Now, more than ever, is the time for doing.

So here's to new beginnings and joyful days. Here's to "plowing the field" for real.

Happy New Year!

On the first day of Christmas...

2010-12-21T13:59:00.001-07:00

Illustration Friday: Mail

2010-12-21T10:07:00.003-07:00

This is Shirley the Christmas Elf. Her job is to help Santa sort through all of his mail. I'm sure she must know what she's doing, she was promoted to head mail elf after all. But I think maybe she needs to come up with a new system.... maybe a big wheely cart or some different bins or something. Just sayin.

Christmas Cards on Etsy

2010-12-07T17:48:00.002-07:00

I've added a set of Holiday cards to my Etsy shop. Check it out here.

Its chilly on the front range of Colorado, but no snow. Sad. I like the snow. I think I'll go outside and do a little snow dance.