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Welcome to my blog , The Hare Illustratère. I'll be posting about my art process and journey as an illustrator/author here.

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Sunday, May 14, 2023

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:

 


Saturday, April 29, 2023

May 2023 Holidays & Special Events

 Military Spouse Appreciation Day - May 12



Mother's Day - May 14

If Mom loves Florals - See ALL my Floral Art Prints Here



Shavuot - May 25


Memorial Day- May 29
Graduation
See All my Graduation Cards

 Wedding & Anniversary
See ALL my Congratulations on your Wedding Cards

See ALL my Anniversary Cards



You can find me at:
Website: dianadelosh.com
Instagram: @dtdelosh
Post: @dtdelosh

Check out my illustrations on products at:

Sunday, April 16, 2023

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:
 


  

Thursday, March 30, 2023

Productive Procrastination

Concept is like that rare elusive bird you've finally glimpsed  but of course it's gone into the dark forest. Do you dare go after it? Turning that concept into a tangible thing is like stepping into a forest, full of shadows and possibilities. There are no clear paths BUT if you thrash about you may find your way through. 

Where middles are where you've got your bearings. You may even see your path out of the forest to where that rare elusive bird is posing waiting for you to take it's picture. It's just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other until finally, Snap!

If you're like me, you prefer the phase after most of the messy explorations been done. Which is why I did not dive back into my BIG Project or start this other idea, both of which I'd been itching to do while I was trying to finish the important MUST DO NOW life thingy.


Big Project - rough rough roughs - thinking and sketching.

NEW PB Concept - EEEK! All those blank boxes. (See ThumbNailer in side bar)

Instead I worked on something that I put aside a few years ago. This piece just needed some hand lettering and then I could add it to my budding Surface Design Portfolio. But why now? Because it had a clear next step and the end was in sight. Plus I was lured by the idea that it will only take a second and then we'll begin one of the other projects, maybe even do a bit of both. A warm up project. HA! Needless to say it took more than half a day as I needed to change the size, tweak the art and do a bunch of loose hand lettering, to get just the right balance of carefree and legible. Well, at least it was productive procrastination.

Beware the rabbit hole: It'll be quick - just takes a few seconds.

Sip Breathe Repeat, 2 Chawans, Japanese Tea Cups  - © Diana Ting Delosh, Ink,watercolor, pencil, digital - this piece is available for licensing.


You can find me at:
Website: dianadelosh.com
Instagram: @dtdelosh
Post: @dtdelosh

Check out my illustrations on products at: