Illustration Friday Topic- Toy

This is an image that I did with a story in mind. Imagine exploring your town on the back of your stuffed purple elephant (with wings) toy.

NEW E-BOOK IS OUT! animals MUST BE is now available.

I am really excited to announce that my new e-book animals MUST BE is now available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. This has been in the works for a while, and was a (rather long) labor of love. I enjoy painting animals, and this book is full of them. A special thanks goes to my wonderful writing critique group.
What's really great about the Amazon and Barnes and Noble sites is that they have apps, so that the book can be put on other devices as well as Kindle and Nook. The apps make it possible to put them on pcs, phones, droid devices and i-pads.This whole technical adventure has been interesting. I am now delving into the world of marketing. I am a cave (studio) dwelling creature, so this is a new thing for me. I am always open to creative ideas regarding this and welcome any input. It is a challenge, but it's also great to learn new things.

Illustration Friday Topic- Cultivate

I love the variety and colors of tulips. They are my favorite flower and are such a wonderful beginning to the season of
beginnings, Spring. They are also really great to paint.

Flag Samples Came

I just got my spring flag and mailbox cover samples. Now it feels like Spring!

Illustration Friday Topic- Danger

This is a painting of a young elephant seal. One of the writers in my critique group wrote a great story about this adorable creature and I was inspired. One of the grave dangers for them are sharks. There is a place in California, Ana Nuevo where you can go and see these extraordinary creatures. It is incredible.Here's a link to the park. http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1115

Amanda and Max, Friends Blog Article

There is a really great article about my e-book, Amanda and Max, Friends on the Kate Harper Design Blog.
http://kateharperblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/how-to-publish-childrens-e-book-one.html

illustration Friday Topic-Swarm 2

After seeing my bees posted I was informed that I probably had something better to fit the topic. It was suggested that I post the koi fish painting I have. It is truly a swarm. This is an oil painting on Masonite. I love the brilliant color and textures of these fish. It was an exercise for me regarding how water works and light and how things look under water.

Illustration Friday Topic-Swarm

Okay, technically this isn't exactly a swarm, but they are bees and bees do swarm. I think if these bees did, it would only be to give you honey.

Illustration Friday Topic-layers

I've been busy working on a new book, so I thought I'd pull this image out of the archives.One of the first things I think of with the word layers is onions. I did this painting after buying these beautiful onions at the farmers market. It's oils on canvas. I just loved the colors in these and enjoyed painting and eating them!

Amanda and Max Friends is an E-book

Amanda and Max Friends is now an e-book for young children. It is about an orange tabby cat and a wee dachshund pup exploring what it is to be a friend. I am really excited about this. I have been reading about all the changes that are happening in the book industry and this seemed like the right thing for me to do. The book is priced at $2.99 so that it will be inexpensive for parents to put on their reading devices for kids. I think this would be great if you are traveling with a young child instead of bringing a ton of books along.I am also starting a blog that will be in the voice of Amanda and Max with hopefully fun things for kids. I plan on putting coloring pages up. The first thing I did was an interview. The address for the new blog is http://amandaandmax.blogspot.com/. I will keep you all posted on how this venture is going.

Illustration Friday Topic-reverse

Hey, does this thing go in reverse? Just playing around with creating a character in watercolor.

Illustration Friday Topic-chicken

The chicken dances alone at this ho down. Does that mean he's doing the chicken dance? I did this image a while ago just for fun.

Illustration Friday Topic-Resolutions

My resolution is to eat at least 1 vegetable a day. Does tomato sauce on pizza count? This image is oils on canvas. I was interested in doing something with a strong light source and a mix of the warms and cools in colors that work together.

Illustration Friday Topic-Winter

I did this image a while ago. A bit of a whimsical take on winter and all the little creatures that inhabit the landscape. Our winter is a bit different. We are getting rain. Winter means green. I did however live in the white stuff for quite a few years. I like looking at pictures of it. Happy Holidays to all.