Train--Illustration Friday

Hope everyone is enjoying the spring weather! Not super warm today, but sunny and everything is greening up!

The Tire Swing

This is the black and white version of this week's Illustration Friday prompt. I posted the finished version on my blog, just pencil on paper.

 I hope everyone is enjoying the pleasant autumn weather this Veteran's Day!

Picking Pumpkins

I posted this image on my blog last week for Illustration Friday's theme of the week---"water". While the weather has been very pleasant the past few days, it seems like we've had a lot of rain this month. It's hard to believe how fast the month is flying by, and how early the sun is setting.

IF: Obsession

What person (or monster) wouldn't be a little obsessed with a cake like this?

He's a friend of the other monsters I sketched and posted on my blog here.
Maybe now I'll be able to get over my color commitment fear and get them finished!

A sketch for IF "cultivate"

Been working on this week's Illustration Friday theme---cultivate. Here's the black and white version before I added watercolor. The finished piece is on my blog, "just pencil on paper."
Hope everyone is enjoying the first day of Spring! Too bad a little bit of snow is in the forecast here.

Illustration Friday - Resolution

One of my resolutions for 2011 is to complete the Sketchbook Project. I will be working on it intensely to meet the deadline. I'd love to hear from you if you are doing the project. Here are a few more pages:

Illustration Friday - Prehistoric

Ella knew that her mother would not understand.   She would come up with some motherly words of wisdom like "Ella, we don't bring stray mammoth's home with us, do we dear?" or "How would you feel if you were a mammoth; would you want to be trapped inside or allowed to roam free?"  She said the very same thing last week when Ella brought home a lizard she found on her way home from school.   But this was different.  How could she possibly turn Rocky away?  He was so fuzzy and cute.  It's not every day a kid finds an actual mammoth.  Especially since they are supposed to be prehistoric or something.  Now... if she could just fit him in her closet.


To see to original sketch, click here.

Illustration Friday - Spooky

I love Halloween. What are you gonna be?

Illustration Friday: Transportation

I drew this little bear a while ago.  He's inspired by my little (or not so little) brother who was, and still is, a big fan of anything with wheels.  You can see the original sketch at my blog: sarahpecorino.blogspot.com.

Illustration Friday - Artificial

I swim at 8:00 am everyday, like clockwork.  During summer vacation, I bring my girls. We've worked out a deal:  if they sit through my workout, they get to play at the playground for an equal amount of time.  After all, fair is fair.

This past Thursday, there were two other little girls on the playground.  A serious game of tag ensued, and the resulting giggles were wonderful.  Just as the other girls had to leave, I noticed that the youngest of the new playmates had an prosthetic hand.

I found it so refreshing that the difference wasn't a big deal.  There was no pointing, or whispering or any such thing that you often see adults do.  Their main concern was who was "it" in their game of tag.  They did ask about it on the way home, but as soon as I told them about the many possible reasons someone might have an artificial limb, they were satisfied and the rest of the conversation reverted back to how much fun the game of tag was.

When I read that this week's Illustration Friday prompt was "artificial," it was my girls who suggested that I do a drawing of someone like the little girl from the playground.  This is what I've sketched so far. 

While we try to teach our children all about life, 

it's our children who teach us what life is all about.

~ Author unknown

Gina Perry

I was long overdue for a fresh self-portrait, and what better time to do so than kicking off a shiny-new blog! I thought it also fit really well with this week's IF theme, Renewal. My name is Gina Perry and I work as an illustrator from my home in New Hampshire. I'm learning to balance work and life (on one hip, see above!) and hope to someday be a published author/illustrator of children's books. I've had a lot of interesting detours along the way to this career, but I finally feel like I'm on track. That doesn't make the journey any easier and the women in this group have been my beacons since 2002. Now that we're online as a group I hope we can, in our own unique voices, be a support to fellow illustrators. So hello 2010, and hello Smells Like Crayons!