A New Year, A New book! Welcome to the process of Picture Book Illustration.

Well it is a new year full of possibilities and new challenges. I am in the middle of a brand new project with Pajama Press and Victoria Allenby. Our new picture book is scheduled to release spring 2016 and I have approximately six weeks or less to produce my finished art from my linears! I am so excited.

 I have been working on my roughs for a little bit. Juggling a toddler and a picture book is a little challenging but I wouldn't have it any other way. I thought it might be nice to share the process of how a book is illustrated. The final art is the last stage of the creative process for the illustrator. 

Stage One - researching & keeping track of your references

 Wow the internet and blogs and pinterest boards are really helpful tool for an illustrator. I would have loved to have these things in college. Gone are the days when I would be locked down in the Toronto Reference Library trying to find great original sources! I love libraries but they are tricky to navigate sometimes and only open at certain times. I don't miss photocopies either! What a fortune I spent.

I have two research sites where I bookmark and document everything that I have used, looked at, watched or read. All of my visual reference is saved for the future. Nothing is created in a vacuum and plagiarism is a serious thing. I always remember to account for my sources. I use hundreds of photos to create my reference drawings which I then base my character sketches on. If my publisher ever requests to see my references this makes it really easy. They can just visit my blog! A rhinoceros is quite something to wrap your brain around and this is how I've managed it.

My blogger research site was the first place that I began bookmarking helpful videos and tidbits.  blackrhinocerosjournal.blog.com I love the format of blogger but then I just started pining things because it is so much faster. To check out my pinterest board visit: Tara's Rhino Rumpus Research. I hope you enjoy and learning about these wonderful creatures too! Please enjoy.

Big News! Nat's In the Bag! - Learning Partnership's Welcome to Kindergarten Program

Nat The Cat is part of the Learning Partnership Welcome to Kindergarten Package! So thrilling. My biggest hope has always been for my books to reach children that may never have any. Nat The Cat Can Sleep Like That is doing exactly that! Our book is in the resource package given to every family that participates in this program. Thank you Learning Partnership!

To find out more about this program and how to get your community involved follow this link. The Learning Partnership Resource Kit