I had to get this entry out early because I'm heading out on another short vacation into the hills of New England. I love it at this time of year, driving through the Berkshires, stopping in cozy cafes for lattes, and browsing lazily in bookstores. We plan stop for dinner in beautiful Williamstown, hit their fabulous bookstore and then stay in a cabin at the top of a valley overlooking North Adams. The next day we'll tour my favourite museum the Mass Moca, and later take a meandering drive, stopping in Shelburne Falls and Northhampton (more bookstores and cafes and home to illustrator Eric Carle), and hopefully have time to visit The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art before landing at a campground for a large family wedding party!

I hope you enjoy the new format. I have not yet decided how it will evolve, whether I will do more frequent postings (which a lot of you have been asking for). My dilemma is that I don't want to take energy away from my existing projects, and posting once a month has been quite doable thus far. But I really like the blog format and Movable Type (once I got past the learning curve.)
note: Update your bookmarks!

********************************
New Stuff...
...you can now leave comments, just scroll down to the bottom of the post!
...for all you budding illustrators out there I have added a section called
How to Start Out as an Illustrator-promotion basics. Including my little soapbox rant about awards annuals.
...my recommended reading page has also been updated and given a new look .

Working on...
...this website...negotiating for book illustrations...drawing for fun!

Reading...
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (for the bookclub). Roy's writing makes my head spin, (in a good way). I found it hard going at first with so many characters, until someone from the group said, 'just get to the halfway point', and she was right. A sample:

"A carbreeze blew. Greentrees and telephone poles flew past the windows. Still birds slid by on moving wires, like unclaimed bagage at the airport. A pale daymoon hung hugely in the sky and went where they went. As big as the belly of a beer-drinking man."

Grateful for...
The wonderful email that it flowing in about the book every day, thank-you. I am overwhelmed by your comments (several have made me cry). Truly, I had no idea.

Enjoying...
...comic artist Craig Thompson. I must get his new book "Blankets".
...Linotte.
...Penelope's blog I love her simple illos.
...Luc Latulippe has some excellent Tips & Tutorials for illustrators.

Films I recommend:
...Chicago. My mother's dancing style was greatly influenced by Bob Fosse technique, (she was a part time dance teacher while I was growing up). So naturally it became the basis for much of my training as well. While it is not necessarily true to Fosse in many respects, it has such great energy. The dance numbers leave you breathless.

Researching...
...recipes for camping.

creatively yours,
Keri