An Introduction to Sarah Pecorino

Hi there.  I am Sarah Pecorino, the newest member of Smells Like Crayons.  I'm so happy to be part of a very talented collective of artists.  Since this is my introductory blog post I think it suits the event to give you an introduction to Me.   (Thanks to the illustrators group We Love to Illustrate for the great bio questions).

1. What’s your illustration background?

I have a BFA in Studio Art from Endicott College.  I have been working on my illustration career since second grade.  I declared in the "about the author" section of one of my self-published duct-tape-binding books that I would become a children's illustrator. 

2. Where do you live?

A little town called Auburn, New Hampshire.  Thirty minutes from the seacoast, forty-five minutes from the mountains, and fifty minutes form downtown Boston.  I can't really complain.

Home Sweet Home, 2007

3. What are your sources of inspiration?

My one year old son, nature, and all of the other amazing illustrators out there. 

4. What are your favorite techniques?

My style has made a gradual progression to its current state.  For a long time I worked with Prismacolor colored pencil, and then added Prismacolor markers to fill in ground.  I would use the blender to bleed the markers and make a smoother transition between colors.  When I illustrated "Ugly as a Toad" I drew my sketches on one sheet of paper, then on my light board placed a sheet of marker paper over it and made the color elements.  I then combined them digitally.  Since then, and with the purchase of a used Wacom tablet, I have scanned my original sketches, edited them as needed in Photoshop, and colored them digitally.  I love being able to adjust colors and "UNDO" as often as needed (which is a lot).

5. Do you have a favorite food?

I love a big plateful of grilled veggies with pesto, but I have a severe soft spot for good 'ole creamy ice cream, preferably with home made hot fudge.  (One of the best places ever for ice cream is nestled in the woods of Granville, MA, The Gran-Val Scoop.  I highly recommend it.  Also, I'd recommend Captain Dusty's in several locations on the North Shore of Boston, including my favorite spot - see #7).  Oh, and sushi.  I L-O-V-E sushi.

 

6. What’s your most productive time of the day?

Since I have a full time job, and a little guy, I work between 8pm and 12am, so those HAVE to be my most productive hours. 

7. Do you have a favorite place?

Singing Beach in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA.  My husband and I lived in town and I would run to the beach nearly every morning.  It's also there that he proposed to me!  It you ever want to live in the cutest most warmhearted town, I would send you to Manchester-by-the-Sea, but be sure to bring a big check with you.  The houses are enormous, beautiful, and mighty expensive.  If I ever, or should I say WHEN, I make it big we want to move back there. 

8. What are your future illustration goals?

I plan to break into freelance illustration full time and illustrate more children's books.  I'd love to come up with my own story and illustrate it. That would be pretty cool.

You can find me on my website sarahpecorino.blogspot.com, Flickr, or Facebook.

from "Sadie & Rosebud" by Mary LaFleur Langdon

Vita Mechachonis

Hi Everyone! My name is Vita Mechachonis, and yes I too am an illustrator! I live in Portsmouth, NH, and I love it here on the seacoast. I like walking out my door and smelling the deliciously salty sea air. I love freshly baked carob brownies, and avacados - but not together. I'm addicted to yoga, and I have freckles and fair skin. I have the most perfect well-behaved loyal mutt in the world, and two beautiful nieces, who even though are just babies, already have me wrapped around their little fingers. I'm really into listening to books on cd while I work, or pandora.com, since my stereo at home is the same one I got for my 18th birthday, and doesn't get the greatest reception. One of my goals for the somewhat near-future is to illustrate a children's book - though really I'm thinking a little older...maybe a chapter book would be a good place to start. I have a wonderful agent who gets me work, and also helps me license out my art to manufacturers of any and everything... paper goods, apparel, fabric, etc. I am so happy Smells Like Crayons is on the web, and to be in such a wonderful group with such inspirational women.

Michelle Henninger

I'm really excited that the "Smells Like Crayons" blog is up and running. Yahoooooo and Heeeee Hawwww!!! This is a wonderful group to be a part of, and I'm really glad that I can call these talented women my friends.

My name is Michelle Henninger. I live in Nashua, NH, and I love to draw. Ask my kids. Ask my husband. Ask my dog. I always have a pencil in my hand. I adore the work of R.W. Alley, and Marla Frazee. They have an amazing way of capturing gesture and expression in the simplest of lines. They are amazing! "I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy!" I won the NESCBWI 2009 Ann Barrow Illustrator scholarship, I've been a regular contributor to Stories for Children Magazine, and my work has been seen in the SCBWI Bulletin from time to time.

What else can I tell you about myself, hmmmm.... I love SmartWool (I'm always cold), Oreo cookies are my guilty pleasure (I never dunk them in milk though.... bleuch), Stick It and Chocolat are tied for my favorite movie, I can't live without my cuppa(s) (PG Tips only, thank you very much!) and did I mention that I love to draw?