…for a dreary Thursday! This was a bday gift for my mom this year😁😘

…has waited a long time to meet you.

PS. I post things on the blog mostly to keep my website current for SEO purposes… If you want to see more stuff, head over to Instagram! Link on the bottom of the home page! @carmenwoodillustration

Drawing my feelings out. 

Self explanatory

Hi!

I’ve got to get back on my sketch blogging…I’m going to be stone-cold honest here, not because anyone except my sister looks at this, but because it helps my website’s SEO rankings. Oh god. And now what if a publisher looks at this and says, no way, this illustrator is too STONE COLD to be a cuddly picture book artist. Too…business minded. GROSS.

Welp, that’s me, so fuck off. HI BEEKS! ARE YOU STILL READING?

Here’s some art! In case you are actually not my sister, who has already seen this in person. Number 1 Fan privileges.

These are some arts I have made in preparation for the upcoming SCBWI Conference. The assignment was to pick a fairy tale and do some character sketches and a sample final art spread. I will finish the final art spread for the conference, where it will be critiqued by a professional children’s book publishing editor! Pretty neat, huh? I’M SCARED. I’ll have to get my critique attitude ready to go. Critique attitude means feeling voracious about improving my art, curious, and ready to learn. Versus my personal Carmen attitude, which gets scared and takes critique as a personal indictment of NOT GOOD ENOUGH PERSON. Critique attitude is a nice skill I have picked up over the years.

K, thanks for reading, BYE BEEKHI

…and nothing says love like a bowl of ramen given to you by magical foxes. UNLESS it’s a beautiful print or piece of custom art! I posted one 5″ x 7″ custom piece on the Etsy shop if you’re looking for a last minute gift idea – let me know your ideas quickly and I will get you some art! https://www.etsy.com/shop/cawillustrationshop?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Also, this piece. It is done in copic markers in my little red sketchbook, and I’m really excited about exploring this medium. It is an illustration of a scene in Kathryn Tanquary’s The Night Parade, an awesome middle grade novel for anyone who loves Japanese culture, magic, or Hayoa Miyazaki!

Heyo! Here’s the piece I just sent in for our MN Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators banner contest. (Unfortunately, only members can vote in the contest). And as my Tyler just pointed out, I should make this into bookmarks!