New Laces in Old Sneakers

Picture book dummy in progress

2011-01-14T07:36:00.001-08:00

2011-01-09T15:41:00.000-08:00

a recent illustration I did for Little North Carolina board book. This illustration is done in watercolor on 300lb. hot press w/ a touch of pastel. I love to draw horses!

tardy Christmas card!

2011-01-09T15:31:00.000-08:00

here is the final art for my Christmas card. oh, still sending them out....a little late!

Merry Christmas

2011-01-05T12:28:00.001-08:00

A little late. . .

2010-12-13T09:39:00.001-08:00

Here is the sketch for our family Christmas card. Finished art is at the printers. Time is running out!

Gathering

2010-11-25T04:42:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Early Snow

2010-11-19T05:36:00.000-08:00

Something new..

Home

2010-11-18T06:39:00.000-08:00

I created scores of images for my new book, A Knitter's Home Companion. Mostly they were for me to help understand the story I was trying to tell and to cheer me on through the long writing process. In the end, only three of those illustrations made it into the book. Lately I have reviewing and recycling them. This one is now on my new website. The home page, of course.

Bailey Boy

2010-11-15T11:56:00.000-08:00

Here is a quick thank you card I made last night.

work in progress

2010-11-11T09:40:00.000-08:00

Here's a sketch that I am working on. I am thinking about making a few changes and painting it just for myself.

endpapers, before and after...

2010-11-11T04:54:00.000-08:00

Hi Folks! Thought I would post a before and after illustration. First the rough sketch I started with. Then following, the finished art. This illustration will be 1/2 of the endpapers for My Cat, Coon Cat, to be released, spring 2011. I can't wait!

another holiday promo card

2010-11-03T16:54:00.001-07:00

I put this up on my own blog, but I thought it would be cool next to Amy's to show how two people can interpret the same thing so differently.

Holiday promo card

2010-11-01T11:56:00.000-07:00

Love working in gouache!

2010-11-01T09:53:00.000-07:00

I recently scanned and submitted my sketches for Little North Carolina board book. Here are the sketches for the "hint" and "answer" pages for Eastern Box Turtle. Box turtles love snacking on mushrooms, foliage, berries, slugs and snails! Mmmmmm...delish!

2010-10-28T16:02:00.000-07:00

Hi All~
After many months of not posting I am ready to jump in again! I've been busy with several illustration projects for the past 12 months or so. One of the projects I have been working on is a series of board books for Sleeping Bear Press. This is the LITTLE State Series. I made my debut as a PB writer with LITTLE MAINE which I also illustrated. Since Little Maine I have also illustrated Little Pennsylvania, Little New York, and Little South Carolina.
Here is a sketch for Little North Carolina which I am currently working on.
The Little series have fun rhyming riddles with illustrated hints and answer page. Lots of fun for interactive reading with toddlers through 6.

Digital play in corel painter.

2010-02-04T13:09:00.000-08:00

OOOO! This is fun!

Bunnies

2010-02-04T05:21:00.000-08:00

My old friends Violet and Tigerlily. They used to be mice but now they're seeing what it is like to be bunnies!

from long ago and far away

2010-01-28T15:13:00.001-08:00

Greetings to all! With some help from Photoshop and an very old photo, I looked back to an early birthday. This week I celebrated a momentous one!

Soon maybe, I will have some book news. Nearing the end on the knitting book.

illustration Friday: Clumsy

2010-01-22T08:13:00.000-08:00

I can't figure out how to post on IF site, so I thought I would put my sketch up here.

Toad sketches

2010-01-22T07:55:00.001-08:00

2009-12-16T10:46:00.000-08:00

Here's a little mouse ornament I made for my niece Sara. I made the mouse by needle felting wool and her little cradle is made of a milkweed pod.

Edna the procupine

2009-12-07T03:21:00.000-08:00

This is the holiday card I created for www.yorkcenterforwildlife.org A wonderful organization that rehabilitates injured or orphaned animals. They also educate the public and present to schools.

Edna is a very special Porcupine.
Happy Holidays Edna!

another springtime scene!

2009-11-18T18:49:00.001-08:00

here's another from Little New York.

garden flowers

2009-11-18T18:40:00.000-08:00

an illo from Little New York board book that I just finished up. Copy will go in the middle. I'll have to post this again in the spring when it will be a bit more seasonal!

sideways seal!

2009-10-12T14:58:00.000-07:00

still haven't figured out why this guy ends up sideways when i post. anyway, sealy is another piece from Little Maine board book published by Sleeping Bear Press.

sideways bear!

2009-10-11T18:11:00.000-07:00

ok fellow bloggers...i can't seem to get some of my art work going in the right direction! i am impatient with this stuff!
anyway...here is a Maine black bear from my upcoming board book, Little Maine. this new series from Sleeping Bear press will start with a few being released in the spring.
Little Maine will be one of them....I am working on others for spring release.

Something new

2009-09-14T12:03:00.000-07:00

I am trying my had at being digital, sort of. I drew this then scanned it and colored it in photoshop. For some reason it is looking a little washed out here from how it looked when I did it... hmm.

Fowl Friday

2009-07-10T14:58:00.000-07:00

An image, rough and tumble. Posted.

Echo Museum sketch

2009-06-29T12:24:00.000-07:00

This is a pen and ink I did this winter and just went back into it with color.

Early Morning Illustrator's Friday

2009-06-05T05:39:00.000-07:00

It's been a while. I've been busy working on THE BOOK. Up very early this morning to see husband and middle daughter off to Chicago, and couldn't go to back to sleep. So went to work on this sketch. Now, Yawn. I'm ready for a nap, but thought I'd share this with you all.
Happy Friday!

the Pet Parade!

2009-06-04T14:19:00.000-07:00

this is one piece but i scanned it in two...it was done early spring.

Into the Hermitage

2009-05-31T07:39:00.000-07:00

I am obsessed with this blog. I couldn't live this way, but still there is something so appealing about her life..

http://intothehermitage.blogspot.com/

Teaparty

2009-05-20T12:28:00.000-07:00

After the wonderful Teaparty at The Flying Pig bookstore
last weekend, Arugula expressed her thanks..

girl at the seashore....

2009-05-15T09:15:00.000-07:00

i hope i'm not repeating myself with this drawing....

any way...have been updating my website...i now have a portfolio page...yay! still working on updating the rest!

jeannie

patterns

2009-05-11T17:44:00.000-07:00

I've been figuring out how to make repeat patterns... It is so fun!

girl and collie

2009-05-11T10:34:00.001-07:00

another for the same piece

watching from window

2009-05-11T10:29:00.000-07:00

a small b&w i did for a possible job...

Jane Clark Brown

2009-05-01T07:20:00.001-07:00

I just found out that Jane Clark Brown, illustrator of the Marvin books, passed away in January. I met Jane at a Camp Hochelaga reunion. She was a tireless worker for Camp, and even at the reunion, I watched her pull a weed here and there. At Hochelaga, in the the new library, in the new Lodge, that she had worked hard to get built, we sat and talked about children's books, editors and illustrations. I was so looking forward to having another time like that with her at 90th reunion this summer.

Jane Clark Brown, Hochelaga Girl, you will be missed.

chick a deee deee deeeeeeeee!

2009-04-18T03:55:00.001-07:00

2009-04-15T06:54:00.000-07:00

I am done designing the magazine and have some time to draw. Here I am preparing lunch.

sketch for early reader

2009-04-14T03:37:00.000-07:00

2009-03-19T06:30:00.001-07:00

I finally had an opportunity to get some painting done. Here Little Bo Peep is waking up from a little nap.

towm meeting

2009-03-03T08:31:00.000-08:00

Well, here's one thing that's probably keeping Sarah, Amy and me busy today: town meeting. I took my sketchbook because I am not knitting anything right now. It was interesting and heated at times, but most of all amazing to see that this kind of community decision making based on spoken "yea or nay" vote can still work.

Kid doodles

2009-02-28T06:24:00.000-08:00

I have been playing around with some doodles. This is how I have been entertaining myself in the evenings (if I am not knitting.)

Pat The Bunny- Ilustrators Friday

2009-02-27T13:41:00.000-08:00

Hey, it's lonely here. Where are the rest of you? Spring fever in the East?A sketch from my California trip. .

My kids love the book, Pat The Bunny. Yesterday while reading through Leonard Marcus's book, The Golden Legacy, I found this picture of Nancy Kunhardt holding the knitted rabbit which inspired her mother Dorothy to write the book. I loved the little girl in her wooly snowy suit, holding her wooly rabbit. I am a bit nostalgic today about little girls and baby book , as my oldest, my first baby turns 22 tomorrow. Happy Birthday, Meera!

This is a double post. It also appears on my other blog

Friday Valentine

2009-02-13T12:12:00.000-08:00

I have been toying with a Valentine idea all week. I wanted to post one on my new blog. (excuse the double posting, is that like double dipping?)

My friend Nor gave me this red and white Hungarian embroidered pillow. I decided to play with the design. I would like to refine it a bit more. I tried to just give myself 30 minutes to sketch a post. Ah, well.

rework

2009-02-11T18:00:00.000-08:00

I've been bugged by this drawing and decided to have another go at it. Probably my last. I love how Photoshop lets me reinvent my work, without losing the orginal.

Sheep in the Forest

2009-02-10T13:34:00.000-08:00

I tried a new technique sort of like the one we learned from Mary Jane Begin at KW. I like how it's a lot different than my other work. Very fun!

2009-02-06T10:40:00.000-08:00

Illustration Friday

Ok. Let's all try.

Here's a sketch I did today. Just playing again. Trying to see what I can do with Photoshop and also wheter I can begin to move my work in different directions. It's rough and crude, but man was it fun. Will work more on it.

Hey Liza, the challenge's on. There are still hours left in Friday.

Also, new essay on Lion Brand, Valentines for All.

And a new blog, Pens and Needles.

Ta Da!

2009-02-03T12:50:00.000-08:00

It seems like she's been around forever already
but today is Arugula's official debut!

The knitter and the woodpecker

2009-02-02T10:46:00.000-08:00

I'm working on an essay about knitting for the woodpecker in our backyard. I've been itchy to draw so did some illustratios/sketches to push me along.

2009-01-26T17:15:00.001-08:00

Here's a promo piece that I did. Our guinea pigs Snowflake and Marshmallow modeled for me.

Sketchbook "conglomeration"

2009-01-19T13:48:00.000-08:00

I went through my sketchbook last week and put together some bits from it into one picture.

2009-01-09T04:57:00.001-08:00

Here's one more that I did at the last minute to add to the previous sample:

2009-01-07T21:42:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Here's to good times with friends. . .

Echo Center

2009-01-01T12:53:00.000-08:00

So I did go and spend some time this week sketching at the Echo in Burlington. The bull frog is awesome.

my winter image

2008-12-19T10:34:00.000-08:00

OOps That was the wrong one, the unfinished card

2008-12-12T16:12:00.001-08:00

You can download the image if you like from their website.

Lion Brand Card

2008-12-12T16:10:00.001-08:00

2008-12-05T17:18:00.000-08:00

I had a rough afternoon when the kids stayed home and had friends over. I think I had to sketch something like this to get it out of my system.

A Tuesday sketch

2008-12-02T12:52:00.000-08:00

Today I needed a break. This is playing with a tiny, and I mean tiny, sketch I made weeks ago on a walk.

telemarking santa mouse

2008-11-29T03:29:00.000-08:00

Holiday sheep

2008-11-25T13:45:00.000-08:00

Snow or no snow?

2008-11-22T17:09:00.000-08:00

I am wondering if you all might weigh in. Snow or no snow. What do you think?
I have done the snow with the computer, so it's not permanent.

alef-bet

2008-11-12T17:28:00.000-08:00

My book Alef-Bet is coming back in print this spring! Thought you might like to see one of the illustrations. I did these in 1993. It brings me back to the time when my kids were small...

chippy

2008-11-12T15:42:00.000-08:00

mouse in a tea cup....

2008-10-08T15:48:00.000-07:00

Friday Fun

2008-09-26T13:39:00.001-07:00

I'm still playing. I started to fool around with a looser style this winter. Just playing and maybe, it will take me somewhere.

For those inclined new essay in this weeks newsletter
http://cache.lionbrand.com/cgi-bin/lionbrand/displayCustomerProjects.fcgi?projectKey=41963&displayType=lit

Well, time to visit the writing table and make some scratch marks.

New Years

2008-09-23T12:00:00.001-07:00

Monday night starts the Jewish New Year. I thought I'd cend an ecard out. I've been warming up for the illustrations I will do in the new book. After a long walk this morning, a beautiful almost fall day, I decided to just play. I had planned to use drawing below, but I was having too much fun with this one.

a day at the beach in Maine......

2008-09-11T05:20:00.000-07:00

i designed several cards and prints for a local festival this summer...this is one of them. fun but a lot of work!

baby boy mouseling......

2008-09-09T18:47:00.000-07:00

2008-09-09T18:35:00.000-07:00

Here's another piece from the book I'm working on. I am getting into it now!

Alphabet "O"

2008-09-09T06:06:00.000-07:00

I've been working on my sea life alphabet and I am up to "Q."

Friday sketch

2008-08-08T15:24:00.000-07:00

I've been drawing my way around stories these days. Here's a sketch from one of the dummies I've been playing with.

Outside concert sketch

2008-07-25T05:24:00.000-07:00

I brought my sketchbook down to a Battery Park concert last week. The sun was setting and the lake was calm and beautiful!

Finally Arugula!

2008-07-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

I'm done with my book and it is time to clean up around here!

More sketches/doodles

2008-07-10T16:18:00.000-07:00

These are my chickens, guinea hens and rooster (and Pat.)

Friday

2008-06-20T08:33:00.001-07:00

I've been watching Amy and Sarah posting and planning on doing the same. It's been a veryhard and strange time here for the last few weeks. The river has finally crested and now all is being focused on getting things cleaned up and back to normal. I wrote a piece about the flood for Lion Brand. http://cache.lionbrand.com/cgi-bin/lionbrand/displayCustomerProjects.fcgi?projectKey=40025&displayType=story

But this morning, before, I did any other work, I gave myself permission to play and draw a bit. I scanned in a page of sketches, turned up the music, tuned out the outside and played in Photoshop. Humbly yours, M.

sketches

2008-06-04T05:36:00.001-07:00

I've been sketching more at my friend's farm.

Math Fun Covers

2008-05-23T09:14:00.001-07:00

The covers for the Math Fun books that I was working on
all winter are up on Amazon (that was fast!).

They took a few liberties--changing some colors,
flipping images and whatnot-- but then, this was never
meant to be fine art so I'm not going to be bothered by it.

Spring and motherhood

2008-05-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

It's time to update the website. I thought I would send out a mailer to make the announcement. Here's the image:

"Fool" tarot card...sort of

2008-05-12T14:24:00.000-07:00

This started out as a tarot card and turned into a collage. I did a school visit today and since I didn't have any deadlines, decided to do this to decompress.

Gardening?

2008-05-02T15:20:00.000-07:00

I threw a handful of beans across a clearing in the front yard, scarlet runners from last year's plant. I'm testing the Jack and the Beanstalk story. Hoping to heaven, I'll find the hen that lays the golden eggs.

"before" picture of Mac!

2008-04-29T09:37:00.001-07:00

This is my daughter Sophie's cat Macaroni. Brother of Tortillini, Ziti and Noodles.

Mac has been known to house his very own "micro habitat/environment" on his tummy, in all that fur. His tummy habitat has been home to slugs, earth worms, thistles, pine needles...well you get the picture!

Mac now gets a "spring cleaning cut" at this time of year. This is an illustration of "before spring cleaning".

Stay tuned for "after spring cleaning" !

Kazoo & Koi

2008-04-25T10:18:00.000-07:00

Sketchbook watercolor

More Math Fun

2008-04-18T13:11:00.000-07:00

Last week I finally finished the last of the three Math Fun
books I've been working on since January for Picture-Window
Books. It was a fun job but I'm glad to be done with it!

Chicken Man

2008-04-18T10:40:00.001-07:00

Deep in Israel's Jezreel Valley, lived a man known to his mother as Rody and to all the rest of Kibbutz Hanan as Chicken Man.

CHICKEN MAN, winner of the National Jewish Book Award and my first trade picture book

is back in print. It's based loosely on my experiences working on Kibbutz Mizra.

My friend Rodney worked in the kibbutz chicken coop. He told me all about the chickens,

especially Clara, a chick on the third floor, who wasn't like the others. He lovingly

imitated her nervouse wobble and cluck. I envied Rodney. The chicken coop seemed like

friendly, funny place to work.

I had been working in some very boring and unappealing places like the cemetery and

laundry (diaper section, don't ask.) A family crisis forced Rodney to return home to South

Africa and I begged to take his place in the chicken coop. When I read the work list

and learned that I had been given his job, I was ecstatic.

The next day, wearing Rodney's old hat, his long sleeved shirt, and his rubber boots, I

stood in front of the four-story kibbutz chicken coop eager to begin work. I was soon to

enter scared ground. The enchanted chicken coop.

Haim, the kibbutznik in charge of training me, took me to the chicken coop's elevator.

Together we rode up to the fourth floor, where the oldest and sickest chickens resided. A

dead chicken was in our path.

Haim picked it up. "Happens." He shrugged.

Not in Rodney's stories, I thought.

The other floors of the chicken coop were very noisy. The chickens pecked and poked

and were unwilling to move, making it impossible for me to gather their eggs.

"Sometimes you have to push the chickens off. Like this," said Haim.

It looked to me like Haim was hurling a chicken across the room.

"Doesn't that hurt the chickens?" I asked.

"They don't mind it," he said. "See. Then you take the eggs."

My head itched under my hat. My hand was already covered with scratches from the

pecking chickens. My nose was rebelling against the pungent air. I stood still a moment

and then I knew. Every part of my body knew. The chicken coop was a terrible place to

work. I thought about Rodney and his stories about Clara and the other chicks and

smiled. Rodney was a great storyteller and a great teacher.

I learned that day there in a four-story chicken coop, on Kibbutz Mizra in the

Jezreel Valley, that even amid hurling chickens, piles of hay and eggs, flying chicken feathers and

sticky chicken droppings, noisy clucking and pecking, there were stories to be found.

2008-04-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

Just found this cool photo from our trip. Can you see the moon? It was taken from under the Eiffel Tower.

Matthew and Tall Rabbit.

2008-04-18T07:47:00.000-07:00

This is a detail of my favorite page of Matthew and Tall Rabbit by Susan Meyer, which should be out May 1st, Down East Books.It's about a little boy's first camping trip.

2008-04-18T07:38:00.000-07:00

I finally found a use for my old National Geographics as reference. It was worth saving them all those years. Here's the last piece from my latest project that goes along with my previous post.

trying again with the puppet link

2008-04-13T10:17:00.000-07:00

Okay.

Looks like the link I posted was more like a partial link. Here's the whole one.

http://www.youtube.com/swf/l.swf?video_id=4hHKvVU9fmY&rel=1&eurl=http%3A//www.puppetspuppets.com/

2008-04-12T15:21:00.000-07:00

Check out this! My middle daughter helped our good friend, and puppeteer Monica Leo post her work on youtube.
o_id=4hHKvVU9fmY&rel=1&eurl=http%3A//www.puppetspuppets.com/

Graphic Essay

2008-04-11T13:35:00.000-07:00

I had hoped to create a new image each week. I may still do this, but probably not today. This image is part of a graphic essay I just finished for Lion Brand. My first. It was fun to do, but took quite a while for me to figure out all the technical stuff. I think I'd like to try and do more of this kind of writing and illustrating. It is an extension of the illustrations I did for my Jackson Friends books.

Amy is my inspiration for the "knitting spring." Her yarn. We did a yarn exchange and what she sent me, what she hand dyed was so glorious that I really did feel like I was knitting spring.

And one last bit of news. A pod cast with yours truly. Talking about my favorite subjects; children's books, family and knitting.

http://yarncraft.lionbrand.com/2008/04/08/yarncraft-episode-13-yarncrafting-with-kids-top-5-kid-friendly-patterns/

testing 1,2,3

2008-04-07T17:31:00.001-07:00

bear with me, i'm a brand new blogger!

About 2 years ago I had the pleasure of visiting the Island of Frenchboro off of the coast of Maine. I did an illustrator residency program for 2 days at Frenchboro's one room school house. The 15 children were wonderful along with the two teachers. This is a pastel sketch I did for the school as a memento of my visit. I hope to go back again....it was a wonderful experience.

ok, i did it! i'm no longer brand new blogger!

Jeannie

Studio hens

2008-04-03T07:33:00.003-07:00

They don't lay eggs but they are very quiet when I am trying to concentrate!

chimps

2008-03-31T12:01:00.000-07:00

This job is one of my last minute details to wrap up before we leave. I wanted to share the color version before I send it off.

Cats and links..

2008-03-30T11:40:00.000-07:00

The thrill of the Math Fun books that I have been
working on is waning, but with only 8 spreads to go, I
hope to be done in the next week or so.

Meanwhile, I thought I'd give links to a few blogs
that I love to kill time with when I really should be
working.

http://allaroundus.blogspot.com/
I love her work, and her life seems so idyllic to me.

http://www.anniepatterson.typepad.com/
She is an illustrator in Alaska. When it is cold and miserable
here I look at her blog and feel warmer. Although it is so starkly beautiful.

http://kitchen-notebook.blogspot.com/
Not an illustrator, but a food writer in France. Reading her blog is like taking a
little vacation.

Anyway, back to work... and taxes..

Greetings from the heartland!

2008-03-24T12:22:00.001-07:00

This is card I did for Lion Brand Yarn Company.For Valentines Day. Drawn in Photoshop. It's available on their website in a pdf /card format.

http://cache.lionbrand.com/downloadableCards.html

It's fun to see other's work posted. Thanks for inviting me to join the group.

I'm going to try and use this as an opportunity to do so new work that explores ideas I have been thinking about. Hearing Vera Williams talk about her work and studying her books again, finding the joy and the color has made me want to play with images. And now that I have figured out how to post. I think I'm ready.

Greetings.

2008-03-21T13:53:00.000-07:00

Thank you Sarah for the invitation to join this blog and to Amy for putting it together. I am always happy to meet more children's book folks.
Amy, I finished the toy box image we each had to do. I'll post it along with a sketch from a magazine job I am working on.

Hogarth

2008-03-21T07:54:00.000-07:00