Fox Promo Postcard

Just sent out a batch of my latest postcard design. I actually had these printed up for me to hand out at the 2013 NJ SCBWI June Conference and at the 2013 July NY SCBWI Illustrator workshop* - so a few of you out there may be familiar with my Fox promo postcard already. This card features my current favorite ink and watercolor illustration. On the back I have a sample of my illustrated type something new that I've been exploring.

I chose the LARGE postcard size because the proportions of my illustration fit on the large card with very little cropping. As I was already splurging on the oversized postcard I decided to go cheap on the back and picked a line art image. I had ordered 250 Fox Promo cards, enough for handouts for both  events with enough leftover for my second mailing of 2013. I'm really happy with how the printing came out and the usual fast service at VistaPrint.com .

Front of postcard - Ink & watercolor © Diana Ting Delosh

Back of Postcard - hand inked decorative type © Diana Ting Delosh

Now that the Fox promo cards  have finally been sent out, I should start thinking of what will be on my next card. Better get cracking on new illos. Need a new darling - fast. Geez this promo thing never ends - just goes round and round.

*I've been meaning to write a blog post about my experiences at these two SCBWI events. I promise I'll get to it soon. Really.

The Happy Birthday Book & Three Blind Mice

I'm happy to belatedly announce that  2 e-book apps that I illustrated have been published by Farfaria

The Happy Birthday Book E-Book App written by Olivia Grey came out in April 2013. There are many ways to say happy birthday.  On each page of this book is a different country and how they say Happy birthday in that country. I chose to illustrate this book by picking a different animal to represent each country and wherever possible to show the special way that country celebrates birthdays. I was surprised to discover that some countries traditionally did not acknowledge individual birthdays but now have adopted many of our birthday customs.

The Happy Birthday Book
cover art

On page 4, for the country, China -  I chose to illustrate a Panda Bear standing in front of a bamboo forest, holding a plate piled high with the traditional chinese peach shaped birthday buns. The steamed buns are filled with sweet black bean paste - yum.

Page 4 - China

Three Blind Mice e-book app written by John W. Ivimey and illustrated by moi, Diana Ting Delosh was published by Farfaria in June 2013. Actually the art for this book was inked and watercolored in 2012, my Mother Goose year.

Three Blind Mice
book cover

 This is the complete tale of the Three Blind Mice, from the day they walk out of their front door on the search for adventure to the ill- fated meeting with the Farmer's wife and her kitchen knife and afterwards. Yes , there is a happy ending for the mice after all.

Page1

The Next Big Thing!

The Next Big Thing! Is a blog tour that gives authors and illustrators a chance to share their work, and then tag others to share theirs.  Each blogger answers the same ten questions. The tour started in Australia, and has spread worldwide.  I was ‘tagged’ by the wonderful illustrator, Nancy Donniger that I met through the CBIG.  Please check out her blog, http://www.donigerillustration.com/blog.  Her Next Big Thing! post is about her book, Lemonade: and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word, written by Bob Raczka that has recently come out in paperback. She painted the illustrations with black ink and wash accented with red watercolor wash.  At the end of this post, I will tag Children’s Book Illustrators/Writers: Ginger Nielson and Barbara DiLorenzo for your next stops on the tour.  And now, my answers to the ten questions!

1) What is the working title of your next book?

I am currently working on my picture book dummy, Robin.

2) Where did the idea come from for the book?
A few summers ago, my hubbie and I noticed a a robin fledgling with a hurt wing in our backyard. We watched it as it grew chubbier and hoped that the wing would heal naturally. After each summer storm we would look for the fledgling and usually we found it hopping and pecking underneath the azaleas. I was getting very attached to my baby bird. Unfortunately, towards the end of that summer we had a really nasty storm and the fledgling didn't make it. Cruel nature. My Robin story is my alternate ending to that summer.

3) What genre does your book fall under?
Fiction, picture book, animals.

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Actors for Voices: Someone young, not bratty voice that embodies the curious, smart, optimistic nature of Robin.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A young bird can't fly but figures out how to thrive and survive without flying south for the winter.

6) Who is publishing your book?
No one, yet. This is my current Work-in Progress, a story that I'm writing and illustrating. I am still working on the dummy art and tweaking the story. Currently the dummy consists of 2 finished illustrations and the rest are sketches. I'd like to have at least 2 more finished illustrations in it before it starts officially making the rounds.

7) How long did it take you to write and illustrate the first draft of the story?
Hard to say as it's been worked on between paying assignments and other projects - I'd say a few months - including incubation periods. My process involves switching between writing  and doodling, than revising and sketches etc. 

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I googled picture books with disabled main characters and most seemed to be about people with disabilities.  Main characters that are different just seemed too broad a category. Then I came across my kid's favorite book as a child, Leo the Lop by Stephen Cosgrove illustrated by Robin James, about a rabbit with extra long ears.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?
The original Robin. I've got a soft spot for underdogs. Please see my answer to question #2

10) What else about the book project might pique the reader's interest?
I'm hoping my ink & watercolor illustrations.

Next stops on this tour are:

Ginger Nielson
gingerpixels.blogspot.com

Barbara DiLorenzo
barbaradilorenzo.blogspot.com

Hoppy Easter

© Diana Ting Delosh
This ink & watercolor illo was originally created for the Year of the Hare but I think this white hare holding a magnolia branch as a staff can double as a Easter rabbit.

Wishing everyone a Happy Easter and  much spring hoppiness.

CAKE+HAT Twoodle

CAKE + HAT - Pen sketch © Diana Ting Delosh

Estella thought her latest creation, the Gateaux-Chapeau was the best thing since sliced bread. (Please excuse her french.) She was sure all eyes would be on her at the spring parade. Best of all, if she got a bit hungry while strutting in the parade she could always have a quick nibble. 

The 2 Twoodle words supplied this week as the inspiration behind the above Tweet/Doodle are:
CAKE by moi. Please follow @dtdelosh
HAT by the amazing illustrator, Anita Solver . Please follow @solver

So what the heck am I chatting about???? Well it's an illustrators weekly game on wednesday. Please read the previous post. If you're on twitter search #Twoodle and see some very amusing and amazing illos and of course join in the fun.

#Twoodle - Carrot+Custard

Bunny has made a big bowl of her fave dessert - carrot custard. She can't wait to dig in. M-m-m-m-m.
This is an quick pen sketch digitally colored in Photoshop. © Diana Ting Delosh

Here's my 1st Twoodle using the words; CARROT @DiandraMae and CUSTARD @johnlechner.

So what's a twoodle? A twoodle is a tweet/doodle. More specifically it's a fun Twitter activity started by the illustrator, Alicia Padron last wednesday. Please read more HERE to find out more and to particpate. And if you're on Twitter please go to #Twoodle to see all the wonderful twoodles being posted today.

So what's the purpose - none other then the best reason - for fun.

2013 New Year - new possibilities

Here I sit with my brand new wall and weekly  calendars, happily anticipating the future that the pages represent. The possibilities of what's to come and what I can accomplish in 2013. Which brings me to that annual tradition of making goals and resolutions. And yes there is a difference between goals and resolutions. Goals are where you want to be by the end of the year. Resolutions are HOW you plan to achieve your goals. 

2013 Animal Fair Calendar by deloshdesigns
Look at other Animals Calendars at zazzle.com

The problem with goals is that if your's are like mine: make gazillion dollars or get a big fat contract with dream client, unfortunately reaching said goal is not 100% within your control. You can not wish it to come true. Sadly other parties have a big say in whether you get that dream assignment so you make mucho bucks etc. Goals are only your north star. Something to focus on so you don't get lost.

Resolutions on the other hand, are something you have control over. Here are mine for 2013:

• Create 10 pitch-ready projects

• Pitch/Submit to 10 different places

• Send out 6 promo-postcard mailings

• Create Seasonal products for my POD stores 2 - 3 months ahead

• Series of Grimm's fairytale inspired illos

• Illustrated type -perhaps a series of sayings or famous quotes

I could go on and on but I think that's plenty to work on as well as plenty of fodder for future blog posts.

IF GLOW & Mother Goose Re-imagined Exhibit

This is going to be a dual purpose post. Firstly - here's my illo for this weeks IllustrationFriday prompt - GLOW. Secondly - I am currently in a CBIG group show - Mother Goose Re-Imagined at the Flinn Gallery in Greenwich CT. The show runs from December 6th to January 16th 2013. Twinkle Twinkle Elephant Star also happens to be one of the 3 illos I have on exhibit.

Twinkle Twinkle Elephant Star
© Diana Ting Delosh
Ink & Watercolor

Elephant and bird stroll on the savanna at night. Guided only by the glow of their candles and one twinkling little star. The ideal of this illustration was inspired by the Mother Goose rhyme, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and my desire to do an elephant. It was created from sketch to finish during the 13 day power outage caused by Super Storm Sandy.

3 Bold Mice
© Diana Ting Delosh
Ink & Watercolor

Three bold mice see how they sing! This illo was created inspite of the original Mother Goose rhyme, Three Blind Mice wherein the poor mice are blinded by brambles, driven crazy by their misfortunes, and had their tails cut off by the farmer's wife. By the way, notice how bright this piece is? Well this was the first piece I painted after the power came back. Tah Dah... and behold there was light and much rejoicing! 

Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater
© Diana Ting Delosh
Ink & Watercolor

And finally my third piece, Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater was created last spring. I had previously blogged about the work in progress.

Hoppy Holidays!

Ugly Christmas sweater Bunny
© Diana Ting Delosh
Ink & Watercolor illustration

Wishing All Much Hoppiness!

PiBoIdMo 2012 - better late then never

YUP I'm a PIBOIDMO-er again. 30 picture book Ideas in the 30 days of November. As this is my third year doing this challenge begun by Tara Lazar I had been looking forward to it since October. In fact I signed-up for it almost as soon as you could this year. And then didn't do much about it assuming I had time to gather my index cards and write a blog post on it etc. Then Sandy hit on monday, Oct 29th and I lost power for 13 days which taught me a few things about my creative process.

Ok OK  - I know you don't need electricity to think or write down your ideas on index cards etc. And sure I even got to read an inspirational post or 2 on PIBOIDMO when I was at a lucky friend 's home with a generator. So why couldn't I even gather my index cards and a pen and just begin? I mean I wasn't one of the unfortunates that was totally displaced. I was just inconvenienced and uncomfortable for 13 days.

Apparently my muse decided to go on vacation to a more convenient and warmer locale. It seems I needed to not be worried to be creative. Whether it be about my cat's meds going bad along with the food Or if I could gas up so I could get to my friend's. We won't even get into my fear of not meeting deadlines. There was also the shortage of available daylight hours.  Showed me how much my strategy for getting things done depended on electricity. This is not to say I got nothing done. I was able to do the traditional watercoloring part of an illustration job and a new piece from sketch to finished art for an upcoming group show.  However the difference is that both these concepts had been thought out before and PIBOIDMO was challenging me to come up with concepts. Apparently until I got my power back, I couldn't relax enough to let my mind wander off and come back with good or bad ideas. I was stuck in the here and now with no time leftover for daydreaming.

Glad to report that on the last and 30th day of PIBOIDMO I finally caught up and completed the challenge. YAY - I have 31 ideas and who knows how many more I'll have before the day is up. True most of them are plain silly but they all still count. By the way, I'm already looking forward to next year.

Published - Farmer's Field of Gold

  
Cover and Page 9 illustrations by Diana Ting Delosh
- The Farmer's Field of Gold
© Farfaria

I'm happy to announce that another of my illustration project from last spring has now been published. THE FARMER'S FIELD OF GOLD, written by Brett Hendricks and illustrated by yours truly, has been released by Farfaria as a book app for the I-Pad.

Once Upon a Midnight - Illustrated Title Type Process

One of my hush hush projects is in the final stages and with permission from the author, Kelly Morrison Handerhan, I thought I'd give you a sneak peek by showing you how I designed the illustrated title type.

I could've used type that's available on my computer for commercial usage But the title of this project is very evocative, ONCE UPON A MIDNIGHT. OOH this title is begging for some special treatment. So I begin to doodle and refine. And Hem and haw. Type Style - small caps, all caps, upper and lower case?  Should I add crows? Will they read as crows or just look like blobs?

Decided against crows - too busy. Went with All Caps as I felt the small caps had too much white space between the lines and lowercase letters didn't seem to work as well.  Refined the sketch. Enlarged sketch, transferred to paper via my lightbox and then the inking begins. I use a rapidiograph pen for inking and scan.

Voila - here it is in place on the wrap-around cover art. Once Upon a Midnight is about Andy the Pug on a midnight romp. We just loaded this book project to CreateSpace.com and we can't wait until it's in the marketplace.

Once Upon A Midnight Book Cover art for a story by Kelly Morrison Handerhan
 with cover and interior pages illustrated by Diana Ting Delosh.
Copyrighted material!!!!
For info about Andy please see www.facebook.com/andy.pug.9
You may Now order Once Upon A Midnight on Amazon

Moon Dancing Bunnies win Design of the Day!

Turned on the computer this morning to the lovely news that my latest design, Mid Autumn Moon Festival Dancing Bunnies card was awarded the Design of the Day by Greeting Card Universe. YAY! I think I'll do a hoppy dance myself. Thanks GCU!

For this design, I have a group of rabbits doing a hoppy dance under a very full autumnal moon. The moon is a pale yellow to balance against the pale to medium browns of the hares. The art is created with ink, watercolor and Photoshop.  I don't know if real rabbits dance in the moonlight but I do see more of them on moon lit nights.

The Harvest Moon Festival is a Chinese holiday celebrated on the fullest moon of the year in September or October. Sometimes the moon even has a golden autumn glow to it. Rabbits in Chinese mythology are associated with the moon. Sometimes the hare is is said to be living on the moon under a tree, where he must make medicine for the princess that also lives on the moon. Sometimes he is shown pounding medicine with his mortar and pestle. In other stories the hare lives on the earth and gazes up at the moon where the princess lives. It is celebrated today by eating moon cakes and visiting family.

FYI - the Autumn Moon Festival or just Harvest Moon festival is celebrated this year on September 30th on the full moon of course. If you want to see the inside of the card or to purchase please just click on the card image. If you want to see my other card designs go to gcuniverse.com/DianasCards

Children's Literary Salon in Retrospect: Illustration on June 2, 2012 | The New York Public Library

Earlier this summer I and my fellow CBIG officers were panelists at the New York Public Library, speaking about what we love: illustration and the Childrens' Book Illustrators Group. Read all about it in this nifty article!

Children's Literary Salon in Retrospect: Illustration on June 2, 2012 | The New York Public Library

A Ghost of a Wedding Cake

A Ghost of a Wedding Cake
© Diana Ting Delosh
Black Medium Point Bic® Pen 

Miss Havisham's wedding cake has been standing as it was the day she was jilted. Over the years the frosting has hardened and now the cake is inhabited by spiders, centipedes, noseeums, rats, ants and is festooned in cobwebs and dead roses. A ghost of a wedding cake for a ghost of  bride. This illustration is inspired by the Charles Dickens novel, Great Expectations.

Something about Dickens made me think of doing a black and white illo. Originally I thought of using my trusty double zero rapidiograph pen to ink and brush on a wash but then I thought how well a ball point pen could do whisper thin lines -great for cobwebs. That clinched it. I decided to use a Black Medium Point Bic® Pen as my medium. I frequently use ball point pens to sketch with as they're just so handy and flexible. Depending on your pressure and the tooth of the paper you can get a variety of strokes from barely there to bold black. However using this as my medium on a Finished piece of art required me to shift my perspective on this everyday tool. I mean was it really OK? Sure it was fine for impromptu sketches but serious, planned, finished art? Sure, I mean why not? What do you think?

The above illo is in the CBIG Illustration Exhibit, A Celebration of Dickens in Pictures at the Yonkers Riverfront Library Gallery. The show will run from August 25th to October 31st, 2012.  The artists reception will be on September 13th. For a complete schedule of events for this show please visit cbig-nycexhibits.blogspot.com/ .

If you can't make it to the show my fellow exhibitors and I  will also be posting the art over on cbig-nyc.blogspot.com during the run of the show.

IF: BOUNCE!

Dancing Bunnies
ink and watercolor
© Diana Ting Delosh

Dancing bunnies don't just hop
They stand on their toes and twirl, twirl, twirl.
And If they fall they Bounce right back.

Here's my entry for the illustrationfriday.com weekly illo prompt.

Here's to bouncing back from all the missteps and mishaps that life throws at us.

PumpkinEater Promo Postcard

July2012 Postcard front & Back
Art on Front is © Diana Ting Delosh
Art on Back is from An Armful of Acorns © Farfaria
NOTE: I've smudged out some info out of privacy concerns
  

Opted to try the BIG postcard size for my latest postcard campaign. From what I have read on various sites and have heard from other illustrators/art directors and editors - the Big size stands out amongst all the postcards they receive. At almost double the size of the standard size postcard it had better.  They're just shy of 5.5 x 8.5 inches.

I had these printed via VistaPrint.com and as they were running a sale - even printing in color on both sides did not bust my budget. I must say I'm really pleased with how bright and vivid the colors are. Now postage of course is the 1st class rate so that did tack a bit more to the price. Is it worth it? I hope so, however as I just mailed these out it's too early to say. I am keeping my fingers crossed that they get noticed and pinned to that coveted bulletin board. I can even dream that they lead to an actual assignment.

Any other news? Well lots but unfortunately it's all still hush hush.

Mr & Mrs. Pumpkineater

Mr. & Mrs. Peter Pumpkineater,
© Diana Ting Delosh, Ink & Watercolor

Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater
had a wife  and couldn't keep her.
He put her in a pumpkin shell
and there he kept her very well.

Tah Dah! Here's the finished painting for Mr. & Mrs. Pumpkineater. Please view the previous post if you'd like to see the Work-In-Progress steps.

This painting will be part of a CBIG Mother Goose Exhibit, Dec 2012 - Jan 2013. Where all the original art will be for sale. Which sounds lovely except as I was watercoloring, I realized this meant I had to be extra careful as I didn't have Photoshop to fall back on to clean up any slips or drips. While the "hand of the artist" and slight human imperfections are fine - This would be it. What you see is what you get...But matted and framed of course.

I will still clean up the original art file in PS so I can make this image available as giclée art prints, cards  and possibly other  products.  It's a bit horrifying what imperfections appear when you blow up the 600 dpi scan to 200 percent. Splotches and stray marks appear that aren't seen by the naked eye on the original but somehow are there on the file and need to be cleaned up while leaving the human brushstrokes and quirky line and marks that gives it the charm of hand drawn and painted art.

In case you were wondering - the original physical art may be sold etc. BUT the COPYRIGHT still remains the property of the CREATOR unless it is specifically and formally transferred or licensed or sold.

Details about the CBIG Mother Goose show will be posted closer to the show date.

W-I-P: Mr & Mrs. P. Pumpkin Eater

It's been awhile since I last posted on this blog. I've been busy with commissioned illustrations this spring (YAY!) but of course that means I can't blog about it - yet (Sigh). However I can share the Work-in-Progress of some personal work. I'm working on a series of Mother Goose images for an upcoming CBIG Group show.

Sketch for the 1st illo - for the Mother Goose nursery rhyme: Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater. 

Here's the ink for Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater.

Yup - I'm depicting Peter and wife as mice. What else eats pumpkins and can live very well in one? I know: chipmunks, snails, perhaps a small bird or even a toad, etc. but this is my illo so I'm doing Mice.  Next question - to dress or not dress the mice? Well if they can get married and set-up house in a  pumpkin shell they can wear clothes. 

 ... And the finished watercolored version will be coming soon.

Spring Cleaning - Website

Been busy spiffing up my DianaDelosh.com website. Added BOOKS, FOOD and TYPE to my Portfolio sections. As well as put the links to my online shops at the top of each page. Still deciding if I should have a FAQ page. Hoping these changes make my illustration website more user friendly. Please take a gander at my New and Improved site.