It All Starts with a Sketch

It's good to keep a sketch book. I have several. It's even better to sketch everyday. I don't but I'm trying to do more of that. By sketch book  and sketching, I'm referring to the messy kind of sketches not those gorgeous finished looking art pieces being shared online where artists humble brag calling them mere sketches. My sketches are the messy, imperfect barely readable kind. They help me record thoughts and ideas for possible future use. Sometimes it's random scenes in real life - like people waiting for  the train. Sometimes it's photographs that make my heart skip a beat. In this case, I'm going for the heart and not the actual photo details. Other times it's for research as in how many fingers and toes does a possum have.

 

My May #KidLitArtPostcard © Diana Ting Delosh

I keep several sketch books: several for home in various shapes and sizes, a tiny one that fits in my pocket book, one in my tote bag. I like the sketch books with meh paper. I find I'm not afraid to ruin them. Some people like the fancy sketch books with wonderful paper. I love the feel of those BUT I find them inhibiting. I do have a few that have good watercolor paper and have used them but not as much as my "cheap" paper ones. 

 

3 Kids Reading © Diana Ting Delosh

Ball point pen Sketch

Recently I was saved by my sketch booking. I wanted a fresh grey scale illustration to add to my Promo Page and also for the May #KidLitArtPostcard. I happened to flip through one of my sketch books and came across a suitable sketch to work up.

And voila I had a piece I could add to my B&W Promo Page as well as something I could tweak for my portfolio and my digital postcard. I'll be sharing my B&W Promo page at a later date.

 

 3 Kids Reading © Diana Ting Delosh 

Ink,  Grey wash, pencil

You can find me at:

Website: dianadelosh.com

Instagram: @dtdelosh

Post: @dtdelosh

Check out my illustrations on products at:

Greeting Cards: greetingcarduniverse.com/dianascards

Gifts: zazzle.com/deloshdesigns*

Art Prints: wingedrabbit.imagekind.com

 

KidLitArtPostcard 2023, Jan - April

 The first trimester of 2023 is behind us and so far I've kept my promise to myself to have a "New" #KidLitArtPostcard for each month.  Although I must say the first Thursday of each month keeps coming by faster and faster and I have almost been caught short.  Here they are in order:

January: A Panda Panda illustration from my picture book dummy that I had not used for a previous KidLitArtPostcard. Whew!

February: My spread from Elinor Glad to be Together Family by Susan Layne. Coming out later this year. Thankfully, I had asked the publisher if it would be OK to share some of the art ahead of the actual publication date and they agreed.

March: An illustration sparked by the February SCBWI #DrawThis prompt, Worm's View. I didn't finish this illustration for February 20, BUT I finished it in time to Post as my March KidLitArtPostcard.

April: This one was a doozy as my brain was on other things and I found myself a few days before KidLitArtPostcard day without anything. EEEK! But I was able to come up with something and squeak it in to post on the day! When in doubt put wings on it: A Winged Lion and his Boy. But it was nerve wracking!

So what's the fuss you ask? It keeps me on my toes as far as always creating goes. It gives me something new to feed the social media beasts. Another benefit is that I have a selection of digital postcards that I can send out to prospective art directors/editors. If they're looking for greyscale chapter book fantasy art - got it. Whimsical bug world art -got that too. And the arts ready to send - it already has all my details on them.

Hm-m-m Thursday May 4 is coming up. I better start thinking about my next KidLitArt Postcard.

You can find me at:

Website: dianadelosh.com

Instagram: @dtdelosh

Post: @dtdelosh

Check out my illustrations on products at:

Greeting Cards: greetingcarduniverse.com/dianascards

Gifts: zazzle.com/deloshdesigns*

Art Prints: wingedrabbit.imagekind.com

 

  

January KidLit Art Postcard

Panda Crack, from picture book dummy, Panda Panda - © Diana Ting Delosh

Ink with brush, Photoshop with Wacom.

Here's my first #kidlitartpostcard and #cbigArtShare for 2023! #KidLitArtPostcard Day is on the first Thursday of each month. Illustrators post their digital postcards on Twitter and Instagram giving art directors, editors and industry professionals a specific day to look. The next KidLitArtPostcard will be on Thursday, February 2 - better get creating.

Last year I committed to designing a different postcard layout for each month. This year I plan on doing the same. The challenge is to create art that you're proud of BUT also work that you can show now. Which means creating personal work on top of commissioned work. Unfortunately, most client work can not be shown until it's published unless you have special permission.

Below is a round up of last years posts. Beginning with Elephant and Meerkat Friends for January  and ending with a Mermaid Melange for December 2022.

Thanks for looking. I hope you enjoyed the show.

Read more About KidLitArtPostcard HERE

Web: dianadelosh.com

Instagram: @dtdelosh

Post: @dtdelosh

Check out my shops:

Greeting Cards: greetingcarduniverse.com/dianascards

Gifts: zazzle.com/deloshdesigns*

Art Prints: wingedrabbit.imagekind.com

Happy #KidLitArtPostcard Day!

 

 Here's a melange of my illustrations for the December KidLitArtPostcard. I'm an illustrator and I'm in the process of wrapping up one project and on the hunt for something fun, full of sweet animals and maybe even a touch of magic.

 

If this was a normal day I'd be posting this on Twitter, Instagram and Hive  -but it is not. And apparently there is something wrong with my key board because all the lower case "Ys" are missing. HA! I also managed to somehow anger the Chief Twitterer cause my account got suspended for???? And I just tried posting on Hive but that site seems to be quite problematic and I can't post an image right now. So I'm down to one working social media site. sigh.

 

Just discovered that it must be just a blogger problem because when I go to preview this post there are too many lower case y's all over the place. Think I caught all the errant y's. So please excuse the whining. Now I'm going to do some sketching at my drawing board and away from the computer.

So how's your December 1st going? Hope it's less problematic then mine.

Web: dianadelosh.com

Instagram: @dtdelosh

also  @dtdelosh at Hive

Check out my shops:

Greeting Cards: greetingcarduniverse.com/dianascards

Gifts: zazzle.com/deloshdesigns*

Art Prints: wingedrabbit.imagekind.com

April: KidLitArtPostcard: Kazu

Kazu, Fox girl character © Diana Ting Delosh

One of my  goals for 2022 is to post a #KitLitArtPostcard post every month on Twitter.  Here's my April digital postcard. That means designing 12 different digital postcards for 2022. Which will give me a range of designs to send out to Art Directors and editors when I do an e- mailing.

Rules for myself are: 

• Preferably fresh, recent illustration.

• Has to be an illustration I've never used for a KitLitArtPostcard.

• Post on the Day, the earlier the better.

The pros of creating digital postcards are many.  It's free and you can tailor your design to the recipient. No Printing costs. No stamps. No address labels. No waste. 

The cons: It's harder to get email addresses for art directors and  editors. Hence why #KidLitArtPostcard is such a genius idea for kidlit artists.

#KidLitArtPostcard created by Gina Perry, @ginamarieperry, last spring for illustrators to promote their art on Twitter since the pandemic made snail mailing postcards problematic. Illustrators create a digital postcard and post it on the 1st Thursday of the month on Twitter and now even on Instagram.

My Feb #KidLitArtPostcard Twitter post

Dragon Egg, Mandrake Root © Diana Ting Delosh

Web: dianadelosh.com

twitter: @dtdelosh

Instagram: @dtdelosh

Check out my shops:

Greeting Cards: greetingcarduniverse.com/dianascards

Gifts: zazzle.com/deloshdesigns*

Art Prints: wingedrabbit.imagekind.com