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.

Hoppy Bunny Day!

Bunny Dance Hoppy Easter
© Diana Ting Delosh
 Ink & Watercolor

cards:  www.gcuniverse.com/dianascards
prints: wingedrabbit.imagekind.com
gifts: www.zazzle.com/deloshdesigns*

Garden Fresh Grilled Cheese- TDAC/KRAFT illustrated Recipe contest

Garden Fresh Grilled Cheese - TDAC Kraft Contest entry
© Diana Ting Delosh
Ink, watercolor and photoshop

You can See this image BIG at TDAC site

I've been eyeing  theydrawandcook.com for about a year now, drooling over the gorgeous ingenious recipe illustrations and telling myself one day I'll do one. When along came the Kraft recipe contest. Which meant I didn't have to come up with a recipe to illustrate - I just had to illustrate 1 of the recipes from the Kraft collection. After all while I'll admit I cook, I'd much rather draw.

I had a lot of fun creating my entry for the TDAC KRAFT Contest.  Coming up with the story behind the layout: Bunny Dreams of Garden Fresh Grilled Cheese. Drawing the ingredients and having fun with the hand lettered title. Even putting together all the ink & watercolored elements in Photoshop. I wanted my illo, including the type to be light hearted and springy.

Creating this illo reminded me that I used to do B&W spot art for Food & Wine and Cuisine Magazines. I'd love to get a freelance project illustrating food or doing some organic hand lettering. Food for thought as to new applications for my style.

Keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be one of the 6 winners but I'm not holding my breath. There are 175 illustrated recipe entries. Just take a gander at the mouth watering competition at kraftcontest.

Seasons - Gallery Connect March Show

Seasons © Diana Ting Delosh, Ink and watercolor on watercolor paper.
art size aprox 13.5 x 8.25
Original art - Price $200
Giclée Art Print - HERE

Seasons is inspired by the Bible passage, "For every season there is a purpose under heaven...", Ecclesiastes 3:1 This piece was created specifically for the Gallery Connect Children's Book Illustrators Show.  We were allowed to exhibit up to three pieces. One of the 3 must be Bible related. Below are my two other pieces.

Big Bear Little Bunny © Diana Ting Delosh
Ink and Watercolor
Original Art -Not for Sale
Giclée Art Prints* are available HERE

Bird & Mouse © Diana Ting Delosh Ink & Watercolor
Original art -Not for Sale
Giclée Art Prints* - HERE 

This show, organized by Deborah Cuneo, features the work of 14 illustrators. They are, in random order:  Deborah Cuneo, DianaTing Delosh, Leeza Hernandez,  Teresa Tyler, Diane Allison, Penny Weber, Laura Goetz, Maxine Lu, Donna Miskend, Beth Bogert, Cheryl Taborsky, Barbara Mason Rast, Roberta M. Rivera, Amal.   The show will run for the month of March.

Gallery Connect is run by the C3 Church and is in the Rainbow Chimes building.

320 Broadway/Greenlawn Rd., Huntington, NY 11743

631-271-0272

- see http://www.c3churchli.com/events/ for more info.

*Giclée Art Prints are available at my Winged Rabbit Gallery. They come in a various sizes from Petite to humongous - paper choices... Prices vary according to your selections. Custom framing is also available. 

NOTE: As 12 of the above illustrators are members of CBIG some of the work will be posted on the CBIG Blogzine: cbig-nyc.blogspot.com.