I know. I've been told it isn't typical for it to rain almost continually in Paris, but hey, I lived there for about six weeks and it was overcast and rained almost the whole time, and that was in August and September. I don't want to date myself, so I won't mention the year. Let's just say that it was a while back :)
This morning it's raining in Missouri. This isn't all bad. Can I take the kids to the beach today? No, obviously not, but hey, my windows are open and the AC is off so I'm saving on my electric bill. I've learned to appreciate the small miracles in life.
I'm sitting here across from the love of my life, drinking coffee, wanting a baguette or chocolate-filled croissant (pain au chocolat) something terrible. Maybe later in the day I'll be able to get one.
I want to walk through the Jardin du Luxembourg, umbrella in hand, eating chocolate. I miss ducking into one beautiful church after another as I made my way across the Latin Quarter in the rain, trying to stay dry while seeing the best free tourist attractions the city had to offer.
One day, but not today. For now, I'll have to be content blogging about it, and if you live there, feel free to tweet me photos from the beautiful city from time to time. They're always appreciated.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Monday, July 29, 2013
Illustrating Kids Books
I'm fortunate. A dear friend illustrated my first kids' book for me and did a fantastic job. Here, you can check out Dragon at the Cabin. It's a humorous book about stranger safety and the pictures are fun to look at.
I digress. You see, I've written four more rhyming picture books and they're complete, awaiting illustrations. And I don't want to burden a friend with the work required to illustrate an additional four books, but I also need to get them published, so I'm working on the "do it yourself" path.
I'm artistic. Really, I am. Throughout my home you can find the collection of framed art work which I did, admittedly, back in high school (and I'm not going to state how long ago that was) but regardless, it's nice to look at.
"What's the problem then?" You may be asking yourself. It's one thing to do art that flows and is asymmetrical. That's what I'm pretty good at. Drawing characters, rotating the same figure, making eyes the same size, keeping the proportions of the body in line while the character moves--that's all much more difficult for me.
I'm making use of my public library. I've checked out numerous books on how to draw and I'm going through them trying this technique and that. I do believe that the age old saying, "Practice makes perfect," usually holds true, so I soldier on. Eventually, I'm certain, I'll get the hang of this, but until then, I'll keep practicing. One day, the books will be finished, and you'll find my new releases on Amazon.
I digress. You see, I've written four more rhyming picture books and they're complete, awaiting illustrations. And I don't want to burden a friend with the work required to illustrate an additional four books, but I also need to get them published, so I'm working on the "do it yourself" path.
I'm artistic. Really, I am. Throughout my home you can find the collection of framed art work which I did, admittedly, back in high school (and I'm not going to state how long ago that was) but regardless, it's nice to look at.
"What's the problem then?" You may be asking yourself. It's one thing to do art that flows and is asymmetrical. That's what I'm pretty good at. Drawing characters, rotating the same figure, making eyes the same size, keeping the proportions of the body in line while the character moves--that's all much more difficult for me.
I'm making use of my public library. I've checked out numerous books on how to draw and I'm going through them trying this technique and that. I do believe that the age old saying, "Practice makes perfect," usually holds true, so I soldier on. Eventually, I'm certain, I'll get the hang of this, but until then, I'll keep practicing. One day, the books will be finished, and you'll find my new releases on Amazon.
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