Wordless Wednesday SSssshhhhhhhhh !

- KAT -

Illustrating Childrens Books

Another  "Kat's Nature"  Adventure ? 

 Working at illustrating a children's book or two.

I choose to do them with watercolor paint 

and pen and ink lines to define the pictures.

pencil sketch of creeper

you know how kittens love to crawl into bags?

pencil sketch of Creeper singing

water color painting of Creeper singing

This has been fun and exciting and 

stressful and anxious times for me

because... 

I never have done anything like this before!

so please be kind!

I am lucky enough to have a friend who is a wonderful writer.

and a very nice person.

 I actually met up with Danny Langone through Facebook. 

 A friend of an old high school friend.

Danny Langone - author

 Danny's wife, Barb was a school mate of my older sister. 

We all grew up in "small town" Wisconsin...

...where everybody knows everybody.

 So we chatter back and forth,

usually just trying to make the other laugh

We have a similar sense of humor, 

although he has perfected his.

I eventually read a few of his published works,

"Keys to the Condo" - humorous poetry

"Flybait's Lament" - fiction novel

"Wilt's Hollow" - in the publishing process now

book jacket by Danny's daughter Kim

 I  absolutely loved reading them all.

Danny really has some enormous talent for telling stories, ticking the funny bone, and touching the heart.
(if you would like to read any of Danny's books let me know 
I can get you a signed copy for 20 dollars from him.)

 One day Danny simply asked if I would like to illustrate 

for a couple  of his children's books.

 He has been wanting to just go ahead and self publish

 for a long time now. 

 After I overcame my,

 "I can't do something that important," feeling...

... I told him I would love to illustrate his books.  

The first book is titled simply,

 "Creeper"

 and the second book is titled

 "Percy" 

 Creeper is an adventurous cat.

 Percy is a hungry little field mouse.

  Both books are lovely, witty, poetic songs.

  Danny  happily reads his poems to 

school children, in his hometown

and they always enjoy that. 

So he had the idea to just go ahead

 and publish some children's books.  

we are doing the self- publish "thing" .

After graphic artist,

Kimberly Langone

gets it all organized for us,

we shall have a book or two to peddle.

according to Google images
this is what a book peddler looks like! Yikes

Another adventure for me!

I look forward to that very much, actually.

of course my grand-daughter. Jillian 

will get the very first copy!

Jillian ...she calls me "Gam-gam"
Yep she stole my old Gammy heart the moment i laid eyes on her!

hugs to you
KAT
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Red-bellied Woodpecker Visit

 Hello There Red!

Here are a few photos of a Red-Bellied Woodpecker that comes here in the spring and summer.  He is bigger than the little downy woodpeckers that I have spied this winter, eating suet.  This guy likes the bird seed that I put out in the feeder.  He will eat with all the other birds without fighting, as you can see.  He does have an impressive beak, don't you think?  But, I would love to see one of those Pillated Woodpeckers that can be twice this guys size.., I've heard.  Spring has sprung a bit but the chill is still lingering.  I hope the snow that we are expecting tonight won't chase this gorgeous woodpecker away.

I am all moved into my new art studio that I share with a fellow artist.  Lisa is an abstract, colorful artist and we are very similar in our likes and attitudes.  She loves texture in her art also!

I'm working on a children 's book, drawing lots of  illustrations for a friends book about a cat named Creeper. His name is Danny Langone and he has the blog titled, "Ta-duhhh" over in my linked blogs that I follow.  He is  a very talented and witty author and a good person.  Check out his blog. and his books.  I am fine tuning the pictures a bit right now and trying out different painting styles .  I would like to try water-coloring the illustrations.

also... I am loving the fun of using my silicone nature molds of turtles, frogs, bees, butterflies.  I have tried making them look metallic in finishing them but colorful (green, blue, purple, orange)   and adding them to hair pins, necklaces, pins. 

Time to get to work.  I have a lot to get going on.


be back soon!    KAT

After Thanksgiving Weekend..there will be work work and more work

Thanksgiving is over..it was nice, peaceful and included no traveling hours on the road, thank goodness. I did miss the hubbub of family and the delicious concoctions of my brother -in-law, Don. but for once Thanksgiving was unstressed and relaxing. Now on to December. I finished the cat portrait for Mary ( neighbor girl) and she'll be coming by to pick it up this week. I hope she approves of the painting of their beloved and now gone Zinney. Zinney was her moms cat and this painting of her is for Mary's mom. I think that is very special and sweet of Mary. The etsy.com shop is going very slow so far. Orders dribble in from time to time...I wish it would be a little more successful because i would really like to be able to continue it. But we shall see about that. Sometimes I think I am concentrating on these birds and cats too much and I need to take time to just do art ...like landscapes and modern art like I really want to be doing. I was hoping this little stuff on etsy would help finance the big serious painting. May take a year or so to get that going I think after all is said and done. I'm just very impatient. ..and I tend to get carried away I am going to enter some of my recent art work in a contest...run by the city of Loveland Ohio , Chamber of Commerce. It is actually a Valentine design Contest. all entries have to be flat ( 2 dimensional) and the art has to be related to love and valentines day. Dead line is Dec 3rd (that's Friday, by god! I designed and had my husband make a bird house out of some wood and bark and paint. It turned out better than I expected...so it may be used in a photo for the Valentine design, along with two cardinals kissing. It has to include the phrase, "There is nothing in this world so sweet as love" I would appreciate any comments on this contest. The winner relieves design credit on the back of the 2011 Valentine Cards and recognition at various promotional events. Wish me luck...I have to strike gold one of these days..She muttered as she rode off toward the hills on her trusty mule, Bessy-Mae. to be continued...

So far the cat portrait is still a pencil drawing. I keep making little changes. I'm creating a portrait for a friends' daughter. It's going to be a Christmas present from the daughter to her mom. No pressure here, right? I hope I can do a really sweet job for her. then it is back to getting prepared for another art sale open house, actually a pretty fun wing-ding of a party. I'm getting excited about December and all the fun it will be. Time to drag out the decorations, lights, cookie cutters, and the singing snow man.

Peek-a-boo and Gabby.

Peek-a-boo is goofy and Gabby is the princess. I love it! I have a commission to paint two cat pet portraits for a nice lady I was connected with through my ETSY.com site . I'm so excited to be starting the paintings. So excited that I started them both at the same time. I go back and forth between them. doing a little on Gabby, then a little on Peek-a-boo. Of course Peek-a-boo is my favorite. This is a sweet cuddly cat that has a brain injury as I am told by her owner. But she is goofy and cuddly and loving. That is exactly how I wish all people could be. Well Ill post when I have finished...Got to get back to work. here is a pic of the cats...So Cute