Rozzie Land

Thank You & Happy New Year

Just wanted to post the last time for 2004. Thank you all for the comments that you leave. It is so exciting for me to receive them and know that someone is actually visiting. Keeps me inspired and motivated.  I hope you all have a fabulous and safe new years eve tonight and wish you all the best in 2005. Here's a cyber "klink" of my glass to you!~ Roz

Illustration Friday- MAGIC

Illustration Friday is here again and the theme is "magic" I thought I'd show you a piece that I did several years ago that I thought was appropriate. This was created when I first got interested in illustration. I took an on line course by Susan Hartung and this was one of the assignments....to create a magical scene from a story passage she provided.  I would highly recommend this class if you are interested in becoming an illustrator. Be warned, she is a tough cookie but boy is she spot on. I learned so much from her and probably the best thing was the experience of having someone evaluate my pieces and critique. That was one of the hardest things for me initially...to show my work and have it judged.

This piece for instance....I was in a crit group and I got the thumbs up from all of the members. They absolutely loved it and couldn't wait for me to submit and see what she (susan) had to say.  I was so proud...one of the best pieces I'd done so far! (did any of you watch "a christmas story" and how proud Ralphie was with his term paper about the rifle he wants to get?? That was me, imagining a glowing report . A+ A+ A+ !!)

NOT...she absolutely butchered it to pieces.  She really hated it, it was obvious.  I was gutted to say the least.  You want to know what she said, right? Okay, it's been a few years so I'll paraphrase...

The doorway to the hole , definitely didn't read well to her. muddy colors of the hole (yes it's supposed to be a cave) would have been better in blues and purples. Box colors overworked. mass of frogs disappearing into the background , not effective. And the scarf flying out of the box was terrible...looked more like a flying carpet.

That tough critique helped me in so many ways, I can't tell you. I hadn't had a "real" assignment from a publisher yet and this really helped prepare me. No matter how wonderful you may think a piece is, there are going to be people that don't. You can't please everyone  all of the time and the trick is  to detach yourself enough from a piece and remember that you are providing a service.

Just recently I finished a book for an educational publisher and the AD drew right over the top of each frog that I had drawn. That was a tough one to swallow but again has helped me grow as an illustrator.  ( I still like my froggies better but that's not the point).

Happy illustrating!

New Year pondering

Wow, I can't believe it's nearly here, a new year. I so love christmas but I equally enjoy this time of pondering and preparing for what lies ahead for the next 12 months. A clean slate of potential and possibilities! I have so many hopes and dreams. It's no secret, the main one is the same as the past 4 years... to become a successful children's book illustrator. I want it so much I ache. And you know what's strange is I really can't put a finger on 'why' when people ask.  I just know that I love everything about it. Creating art to help bring words to life for small children makes me feel complete, satisfied. I don't know how else to explain it!

I have always been creative and was even writing/illustrating my own books as a child but I think I took my artistic side for granted. I didn't grow up knowing that this is what I wanted to do with my life like so many others.   It wasn't until after I was married with children that I discovered the world of freelance illustration. Really, I should say it found me.  It's a long story but after we got our first computer a friend of mine (children's author) knew i enjoyed drawing and found a ton of on line illustration lists for me to join. Oh my gosh...I thought I'd died and gone to heaven....kindred spirits under the tips of my fingers.  I was home!

My biggest mental obstacle ,though,was that I hadn't gone to school to get an art degree. I felt 'less than'. That was until I met Elaine Garvin, my dear friend and mentor. I can't end this year without telling you about her.

She was a successful children's book illustrator with 20+ books under her belt. She was well respected in the children's book illustration community and made it her mission to help aspiring illustrators . I idolized this woman. She drew how I WISHED that I could and on top of it all , she was self taught. She made me see that it was possible and believed in me before I ever could.  I was blessed to learn from her for nearly 5 years.  Lainey passed away unexpectedly this summer. It was devasting for all of us that knew her. What a void there has been without her here. I have felt so lost without my anchor to guide me. Yes, I relied on her heavily and she knew it. I liked to make her proud of me if that makes any sense.  I wanted to prove to her that all her effort helping me was appreciated,that it wasn't in vain.  I miss her laugh and I miss her humour.  There's so much I want to tell you about her....just know that she was wonderful.

We are so blessed to have this venue to network together! Being a freelancer can be a very isolating experience. And not all husbands ,wives and friends  really 'get you' as much as they try to, bless 'em. On these lists you can talk til your blue in the face with others about the ups and downs of freelancing and never tire of it. That's such a gift isn't it? The friends you are making through these blogs and online are not accidental. Cherish the people that are put in your path to guide and support you. I know that you do.  And equally know that you are affecting someone in a positive way by your support and sharing of experiences.

Lainey I miss you so much. I'm not going to tell you goodbye. Instead I'm going to believe that you are still cheering me on as I continue on this magical,frustrating, invigorating, windy path to fulfilling my dream.

So New year...come on ....I'm armed and ready!

Happy Birthday

Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you! I'd like to introduce you to my baby, Valentine. It's her 1 yr birthday today. See how she lets me hold her like a baby? She started doing this when she was really small and still insists on being in my lap 52 pounds later! I love her to bits but I'll be honest and tell you there have been a number of occasions that she nearly ended up in the pound !!! Ironically it was hubby that 'talked me down' when I went crazy over ANOTHER brand new shoe demolished. You see, we had agreed NO MORE PETS and I went back on that agreement. We had decided to go a few years pet free but when our 14yr old yorkshire terrier past away last year all those grand plans flew right out the window and I found myself online hunting for MY perfect puppy.  It didn't take long and I found this picture online . WARNING: I do not recommend buying a dog online without 'meeting' it first.

It wasn't 'smart' but I did it anyway. I honestly tried to not want her...but it didn't work and I drove 3 hours to pick her up. Driving home with her I began to cry  because I realized that It was going to be just like having a baby in the house.  "WHAT HAVE I DONE???" I have three kids so I can say that ...it REALLY is similiar to having a baby. But for a puppy she has been amazingly well behaved...and smart...oh she is so smart....and funny, I've never met a dog with such character!  okay.... I'll shut up now.

Long story short....Valentine is still with us and she is just like her name...a true valentine. And I know this because she even has hubby wrapped around her finger.  Like I said earlier , he saved her from being sent away more times than I can count!!  So ,happy birthday, my sweet val !  We love you.

Merry Christmas!

I can't believe it's already here, can you? Are you ready? I think we are. We just need to wrap... nothing major. NOT !...three kids..it's pretty major haha. The kids really enjoy opening on christmas eve, so we'll do that again this year and then see what santa brings christmas morning. They are absolutely pinging off the walls with excitement! Remember those days? Oh I miss the excitement of seeing what santa had brought. I'll never forget the year I walked down the hallway and found a barbie townhouse waiting for me...it even had an elevator that worked by pulling on a string. Oh , now that is living!

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and that santa brings you what you ask for this year. I'm asking for a big book contract to come my way for a story I've written and illustrated.  SANTA, I've been a good girl this year, HONEST!!

Blessings to all that are reading this. Love to my buds and to new ones in the future! ~ Roz

Illustration Friday-HOME

I'm cheating on this weeks illustration Friday theme, "HOME". Friday is Christmas eve and family starts arriving TOMORROW so I know there won't be any time to focus on creating anything fresh. So here it is....an illo of a farmer enjoying his jukebox while Luke and  Duke (pig and mule) look on. This is from a book I did for the educational market recently, "Luke & Duke".  What's more fun than enjoying some good music in the privacy of your own home! I've been known to do a jig like this when I think no one is looking.   =O)  I think I'm going to buy myself the soundtrack from ELF this week. I was going to get it for my daughter (xmas gift)who's eight and is really into music , PERIOD . She has scavenged all of our Christmas Cd's (she even found an old "New Kids on the Block" Xmas CD. WHAT WAS I THINKING???!) and plays them in her room. Anyway, think I'll buy it for myself instead!! ~Roz

Pb&J

Anyone who knows me well, knows how important I feel it is to have a strong support network. This illustration world can really take its toll on your self confidence if you're not very careful.  I have personally found it CRUCIAL to be in regular contact with people striving in the same profession.  Recently some friends of mine and I formed an online critique group that focuses on both writing and illustrating for the Picture Book Market. We named the group Pb & J.  Picture Book Junkies...because that's what we are! We brainstorm over manuscripts,illustrations, websites  and marketing goals. Over on the sidebar you can view the websites of some of these members. I'm so fortunate to be surrounded by such talented ladies. If you aren't in a critique group, I encourage you to join or form one of your own. Support is a powerful tool.

Illustration Friday- Adoption

     If you haven't discovered Illustration Friday  yet, you're in for a treat.  It's an online venue to participate weekly by creating an image where a 'theme' is provided. This past Friday, the theme was "adoption". My automatic thought was a child with a puppy but I tried to push myself and think of opposite attraction. For illustration work I use felt but I'm trying to learn how to create artwork digitally , maybe with the 'felt' feel. This is going to take a while! I am working in photoshop. The more I learn, the more I love it! This is my second attempt at working from start to finish with the computer. Most of this image, I used scanned in felt and fabric. The goal was to NOT have an outline but I started running out of time and really wanted to participate. I think this weekly challenge will be a great place for me to play and experiment.  ~ Roz

Fair Is Fair

I guess I'll start by saying "hiya" and "welcome" to anyone visiting! My name is Rozalind but you can call me Roz. Close friends and family call me Rozzie.   I am a freelance illustrator for the children's market. This is my first attempt at having a blog and I'm not so sure what direction it will take. But I hope you'll join me in the "land of Roz" where hedgehogs talk, froggies dance and piggies sing!