More warm ups

Warm up sketches

Often I like to sketch "warm-up" drawings before doing "serious" drawings. Shakes the cobwebs off, reminds me how to coordinate my hand/eyes/brain.

Sometimes I use photo references to get started, sometimes not. Here's one from a stock photo reference, of a preteen girl with her guitar:

The Horn Book!

LUCKY BEANS by Becky Birtha was reviewed in the May/June issue of the Horn Book!
It was written by Susan Dove Lemke, which feels like coming full circle, because it was an article written by her in the Horn Book called "The Faces in Picture Books" years ago that sparked me into launching a career as a children's book illustrator.

NESCBWI Conference

For an event I wasn't ready for, it was a whirlwind of fun, learning and inspiration. Anindita and Greg, with all the volunteers did an awesome job. It was neat to see my art on the big screen, too. :) Surprisingly, we've now outgrown even this new conference space. I wonder if we'll end up in or near Boston...which would be an awesome experience, especially with all the excellent restaurants so close to each other.

I wish I could have gone to more than one workshop! A device where you can be two places at once...hmmm...didn't work out too well for Hermione. Oh well.

Major highlights would be getting portfolio feedback. (Not pictured) Interestingly, I heard the same comments from published professionals and green newbies, so the truth is the truth! My "favorite" pieces don't necessarily work in this current portfolio, time to retire them!

The illustrator academy was such fun! It was a rare treat to see behind-the-scenes sketches and book dummies. I also wished I could have seen every portolio critique instead of those just at my table.

I also hoped we'd have more time to work on improving sequencing from the homework assignment. Four hours sounds like a long time, but it flies by. Watching the progression of David Costello's book was wonderful, very eye-opening. What a treat!  Speaking of treats...the food was just okay...so how did I gain four pounds???

NESCBWI Conference!

It's this weekend! I'm glad it will be raining...that way I won't feel guilty about not spending time in the garden...:) It's tough to  balance two passions like those.

Doodle and Squeak drawings

Dancer

Nez Perce Illustration

Memories - warm toned

Adopted sibling rivalry

In this illustration, I wanted to tell a story of parents who already have an adopted child, and have adopted another. Clearly the boy isn't happy about it at first, but his little sister reaches out and warms his heart. I love the colors on this - working on the experimental Strathmore paper which I seem to like better than the expensive Fabriano.

Sadness

"If it should be....
If it should be that I grow frail and weak,
and pain should keep me from my sleep,
then you must do what must be done,
for we know this last battle can't be won.

You will be sad, I understand,
but don't let grief then stay your hand,
for this day, more than the rest,
your love and friendship must stand the test.

We've had so many happy years,
what is to come can hold no fears.
Would you want me to suffer? So,
when the time comes, please let me go.

Take me where my needs they'll tend,
only stay with me until the end,
and hold me firm and speak to me,
until my eyes no longer see.

It is a kindness that you do to me,
although my tail its last has waved,
from pain and suffering I have been saved.

Do not grieve, it should be you,
who must decide this thing to do.
We've been so close, we two these years,
Don't let your heart hold any tears."

-- by Julia Napier, copyright 1999

Email trouble...

If anyone has tried to contact me through the email link on my (sadly neglected) website, I have been having trouble with that address. Please try nickietart at yahoo dot com if you've been trying to reach me. Art buyers can try reaching my agent, Chris Tugeau, at chris@catugeau.com.

Sorry, and thanks!

Wheaton People!

Wheaton did a nice profile, you can see the photos and interview here.

"Multicultural" Fantasy art

Having heard about the new publishing company Tu Publishing, I was so excited and was gearing up to send along a submission of my favorite fantasy artwork. Unfortunately, I was also working away at my latest book, and put the project aside. Now I've heard the news that Lee and Low acquired Tu and now it's called Tu Books! I was delighted, having worked with Lee and Low on NO MUSH TODAY and am still working on new art for a fantasy submission. They are looking for middle grade & YA right now, not picture books so I have time. Meanwhile, I've updated the fantasy page on my blog, here's the link: http://nicoletadgell.blogspot.com/2008/11/fantasy-art.html

I've always enjoyed fantasy. I loved to "pretend", I loved fairies and elves. I read voraciously when I was a kid, and when a teen I would lose myself in the worlds of McCaffery, Tolkien, Weiss & Hickman. I watched Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, and so many more. And I didn't realize until much later how few of the characters looked like me, or how much it would hurt to have that unspoken "this isn't for you" message. Well, it's becoming more and more for you...for everyone. Imagination is not limited to ethnicity or skin color, wealth or poverty.

Blue Rose Girls: Welcome TU Books!

Blue Rose Girls: Welcome TU Books!

Lucky Beans is on 7-Imp!

I had fun visiting with the folks at Seven Impossible Things! Check out the blog.

Blue Rose Girls: entropy

Blue Rose Girls: entropy

Shabby Chic Sis!

My sister's fledgling blog My Shabby Streamside Studio has been 'discovered' by one of the biggest 'shabby decorating' blogs in the US!  Please use the link below to see it.

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/2010/02/let-me-introduce-you.html

hand study

Found this...from when I was in a watercolor class at the Worcester Art Museum.

Found

Found some art I had done a long time ago...it's undated so I don't know when. Probably 2002-2005. Anyway...I did these on a different kind of paper. I think it was a strathmore watercolor pad - student grade. But I really love the way the color sits on the paper more than the expensive "artist-grade" Fabriano artistico I'm using now. I'll have to get another pad and experiment some more.

 

quick inkies

Found some old sketches, decided to play with the ink pens...keeping it loose. Some were really small - 2".

Hermit Thrush!

Wow!! A confirmed sighting of a hermit thrush in our yard yesterday! I had glimpsed them in the past, but never got a good enough look to be sure. Confused as to why they are here now, having read that they don't come into our area until April. I do so hope that they build a nest or at least SING this spring! I love their song. Haunting, echoey, spiritual.

pretty fairy!

Kirkus Reviews LUCKY BEANS!

Amazing as it is to even get your book reviewed, it's even more amazing to get favorable ones from sources like Kirkus. I'm chuffed!

Kirkus Reviews, Feb. 1

Birtha, Becky
LUCKY BEANS
Illus. by Nicole Tadgell

History proves cyclical with this story of an African-American family living through the Great Depression. “Marshall didn’t feel so lucky. The elbows of his jacket were worn almost all the way through. Dad had been out of work for months, and there was no money.” The story, however, is not one of depression. The family works together to survive and finds moments of love, appreciation and sheer happiness. This moving tale not only relates a little history but also some math, as Marshall helps his mother estimate the number of beans in the furniture-store jar and ultimately wins a new sewing machine, which helps alleviate their dire financial situation. Tadgell’s watercolor illustrations move the story and stir readers’ emotions. A two-page spread of the contestants in the store teaches readers everything they need to know about the characters without a letter of text. Many children today can relate to the family’s challenges, which makes the timing of this picture book sadly relevant. (author’s note) (Picture-book. 5-12)

School Library Journal Review

Yayy! Another nice review:

BIRTHA, Becky. Lucky Beans. illus. by Nicole Tadgell. unpaged. CIP. Albert Whitman. Mar. 2010. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8075-4782-3. LC 2009023901.
Gr 2-4–Money is tight during the Great Depression, and Marshall is tired of eating beans for dinner every night. When a local shopkeeper announces a contest to win a new sewing machine, he seizes the opportunity to make his Ma’s dreams come true. The catch is that to win it, he has to guess how many beans are in a jar. Birtha effortlessly describes how Marshall and his mother use math to find their answer. Young readers thus will discover fun, realistic applications for the estimating and multiplication skills they learn in their classrooms. Math is not the only subject in Birtha’s lively lesson plan, though. She also confronts the racism of the 1930s when a white girl tells African-American Marshall that he might not be allowed to enter the contest because “only white ladies can win contests.” An author’s note provides a brief description of the Great Depression and anecdotes from the author’s family history. Tadgell’s colorful illustrations, many full page, give the book an old-fashioned feel and include many period details, strengthening the text’s usefulness for social-studies classes. Children will appreciate the story’s humor and happy ending. Lucky Beans can be used across the curriculum to educate while it entertains. Ideal for classrooms and school libraries, it’s also a strong choice for public libraries.–Mary Landrum, Lexington Public Library, KY

Lucky Beans Booklist Review

Booklist Advanced Review – Uncorrected Proof
Issue: February 1, 2010
Lucky Beans.
Birtha, Becky (Author), Tadgell, Nicole (Illustrator)
Mar 2010. 32 p. Albert Whitman, hardcover, $16.99. (9780807547823).

Math and wry comedy mix in this lively historical story based on Birtha’s grandmother’s memories of life
during the Depression. Young Marshall describes his African American family’s hardship when Dad loses
his job and then his relatives crowd into Marshall’s room. Worst of all are the beans Ma constantly cooks.
Then a local furniture store makes an exciting offer: whoever guesses the number of beans in a huge jar on
display will win a new sewing machine. If only Marshall could win the prize for Ma so that she could earn
money by sewing. He works out a system to estimate (not guess) by counting the number of beans that fill
a quart jar, and how many quarts fill up a crock . . . and his formula works! The expressive watercolor
paintings show both the racism that Marshall and his family endure as well as his final triumph, and
Tadgell folds in humor, as Marshall faces what looks like a lifetime supply of beans. An informative final
note fills in more about the era’s history.

— Hazel Rochman

Lucky Beans by Becky Birtha

 

Here it is at last! LUCKY BEANS by Becky Birtha.

Published by Albert Whitman & Co. Spring 2010

And here's a lovely review in the Horn Book.

ALA!

Wow, I'm going to be at the American Library Association's Annual Winter Meeting on Sunday in Boston, signing copies of my newest book LUCKY BEANS by Becky Birtha at the Albert Whitman booth.
I've never been to ALA and I'm looking forward to meeting people!

New art...or oldie but goodie?

I'll be participating in some upcoming promotions with my agent, so of course I'm back to my fighting my nemesis: deciding which piece to put in! Do I find an older piece, maybe done for another client? Or do I create something new? So in my search of archived art, I came across these pieces which viewers may not have seen:

Coming soon!

The F&Gs for LUCKY BEANS by Becky Birtha came in yesterday! (For those se of you who don't know, F&G stands for "folds and gathers" and is an unbound copy of a book)

It's my newest book coming out this Spring from Albert Whitman & Co. As with many of the books I illustrate, I have lots of mixed feelings while I work on the art - ranging from elation to despair! This particular book takes place during the depression, so I needed to do a lot of careful research.

I also like to challenge myself, so I drew scenes with more perspective, and layering. It was very difficult! So when I was finished with this one, I really wasn't happy. It wasn't perfect, it wasn't what I saw in my head. Months later, I'm seeing it again for the first time in context - words and pictures, trimmed and folded.

It really works, and looks nice! The team at Albert Whitman was great to work with, as well. Kudos to them! Hopefully the book will receive good reviews, too. :)