Projects. Process. Progress. So as a number of people wanted to know, "just how in the world does she do this?" I figured I'd periodically do a brain dump and explain to the best of my ability, how it is I do what I do. Currently, I have these projects on board:

Illustrating Spirit House (completed last week)

Illustrating Spirits Unwrapped, cool fiction collection

Making three puppets for the kids (Sophie is 2/26; Petey and Angela are 3/3 and their big birthday shindig is this weekend)

Making snowglobe party favors for said party

Overhaul and redesign of Paul's site in time for spring recitals

New prints/items in my store

Possible site redesign for me to focus more on illustration

Knit kitty cat hat for nephew Jude (done)

Wedding present for Snowflake (and HA! I'm not going to describe it, S., you and Lucky will have to wait till you see it, hee hee hee)

All of these items need to be completed before MAY. The way that I'm doing it is mainly by doing two things: 1. I keep lists of every single little thing that I can think of that needs to be done for the project. I do this on my Handspring, but you could do it on a calendar or piece of paper or whatever. I assign dates for everything. That way, I don't spend all my time now working on Paul's site, because I know I'm not starting on that until the end of March. I concentrate on the things that need to get done this week. SARK calls these teeny little lists "micromovements" and I've also heard them called "baby steps." But this way when I have only 5 minutes to spare, I don't waste my time wondering what to work on; I have a list right there of what needs doing. And it also serves to not stress me out, because I've spread out tasks over a length of time and I'm not going to wake up one morning and go, "AAAAAAAGH! I need to have 4 illustrations and a cover done tomorrow!" I'm on top of it all. 2. I never turn off the creative flow. I read a wonderful quote on the Illustration Friday forums: joe, the novelist, tells how he doesn't suffer from writer's block. growing up, joe's dad, the mason, would come from the quarry and joe would rub his shoulders and make him dinner. never once did joe's dad come hime and say, "well, joe, today i just couldn't do it - i couldn't cut the stone, because i had a bad case of cutter's block." joe understood that it was his dad's job to cut the stone, and when joe sits down to work on his writing, he knows that his job is to write. so he writes. I make the most of every single second I have. The instant I put the kiddies down for a nap, or to bed for the night, I start working on my art. If I'm in a full-on, painting mood, I work on that. If I'm listening with one ear for someone to wake up and I know I don't have much time, I do research for my illustrations, call printers to see who has a large-format scanner, scan in and clean up artwork, or exchange emails with other artists. At night, when I know I have a few hours, I'm all prepared to draw because I already did the research I needed. And when I'm too tired to draw and I'm afraid I'll mess things up, I knit or work on those scans again. And I'm very happy with the work I've been doing - I feel proud of it because it's well-researched, well-thought out, well-executed. It doesn't tire me out; it exhilarates me. Of course there's more to it than this, but that's all I have time for now... the puppets are calling me and I need to do some sewing. :)

Illustration Friday: Flight Because some days the only way to get anywhere is to gather up the pieces and try again.

I have a lot of projects in the works right now. So here's my question for today: Do you want to hear about projects as they're in progress so that you can hear about the work/creative process? Or do you want to be surprised and just see the finished project? Or could you really care less about it all? :)

Spirit House. (fantastic news, part two) I'm super-excited to be a part of the new upcoming anthology, Spirit House. All proceeds from the sales of the books go to tsunami victims. Illustrations by me, lots of good stuff from a dedicated group of writers, including this talented guy. If you missed out on the artwork auction in January, you can still help out and get a little art as well. You can learn more or order a copy here. The graphic above is a linkback icon, should you feel so inclined, please feel free to post it and spread the love! Just right-click and save, and link to http://spirithouse.5u.com.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Fantastic news, part one. I've been featured in the April issue of the national art magazine, Artist's Sketchbook ! I've known about it since October, but had no idea when it would actually be in. It's in the Inspirations column, a nice place to be. Believe it or not, there are several other bits of exciting news coming... this is just the beginning. Special thanks to 'Toine who found it almost as it hit the newsstands.

Ash Wednesday is in 2 days. Since I feel like all of 2004 was my own personal Lent, I'm looking for suggestions on what to do this Lenten season that are more meaningful than giving up donuts. Thoughts? +++++++++ Thanks for all the suggestions - I've decided use a great book I have called Vision 2000: Praying the Scripture in a Contemporary Way, (the site) and do a reading/meditation from it each day. I try to light a candle and sit in as much silence as I can get when I do it. I figure for everything God gave me in my life, it's pretty sad if I can't give him 10 minutes, no matter how busy my day is. And I also love Journey to the Cross, thanks for the suggestion, Rich!

Illustration Friday: Friendship (starring Sophie and Lambie) "What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?" "Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real." "Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit. "Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt." "Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?" "It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand." ~ from The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams. But you already knew that. Note: Another from the Elena archives; I apologize, but I have really exciting projects I'm right in the middle of and this week I couldn't do a new illo, though I really wanted to. I have been blessed with some of the truest and most wonderful friends a girl could ever hope to have, and I will write more about them later (and illustrate, too, I hope). And I will also share some great news soon. (And NO, it's not a baby!)

Our love will shine on forever.* My husband Paul has quite a romantic soul. Our engagement, 9 years ago today, still makes me weak-kneed to remember... It was a Friday night in February; and I thought we were going to his mom’s for dinner. It wasn’t until we arrived at our church instead that I realized something unusual was going to happen that night. He unlocked the doors of the darkened church, and led me down the aisle to the first pew where we first met when we both joined the choir. Arranged in front of the church were his guitar and a music stand. He serenaded me with a song he had written specifically for us, just for that night. On the music stand were the words of the song, matted and in a beautiful frame. When the song was finished, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! I was so overcome, I said, "Sure!" instead of Yes, a fact I get teased about to this day. (I did eventually say yes!) He then said we weren’t done yet – we had to return the keys to the church to a priest who was a very good friend of ours. He gave us a special blessing that night, and was the one who married us a year later. And then, there in the parking lot, Paul said, "There’s more…" I didn’t think I could take any more! We were off to a B&B by the shore, driving through a snowstorm to get there. I’ll never forget the look on the owners’ faces when they threw open the door and shouted, "She said yes! Congratulations!" We were all snowy and freezing and in love and everyone was just as starry-eyed for us as we were. And yet, even after that tremendous engagement, I can honestly say it’s only gotten better and better. Nine years later, we have the twins and Sophie, and my definition of romance has expanded to encompass all sorts of things. In past weekends, Paul did 9 loads of laundry (including mine!), folded and put them all away, watched the kids so I could nap, made dinner, and then encouraged me to have time to do artwork in the evening. And I find that incredibly romantic. *from the song Paul wrote and serenaded me with on our engagement

Just plain funny. What's making me laugh today: the Six Patron Saints of Graphic Design (I need to light a candle to St. Concepta) and ze frank's Communications #1 guide to the hidden language of punctuation. Good stuff.

Illustration Friday: Gluttony I am probably in the minority, but I really dislike amusement parks. All I can think of when I see commercials for Disneyworld/land/Six Flags/whatever is that there are millions of people starving in the world, and what the world doesn't need is one more rollercoaster or another person dressed up as a cartoon character who can't talk, but waves its hands around and pretends to giggle by putting its gloved hands over its permanently open mouth. I understand people need to unwind and have fun, and that's fine if you like all that. I just don't. It seems like such an advertisement for excess, and it's my personal "ick". I'm sure that says something about me, but I don't know what.

Words of wisdom from my brother: The moral of the story is pray for the right thing. Sometimes, instead of praying for the cup to be passed from your lips, you have to pray for the ability to chug without choking. I'm working on so many varied projects that truly excite me right now, and I will be doing some serious chugging! If you're reading this, please say a prayer that I can give everything my very best shot. And then I'll make sure I share images of the work I've been doing so you can see where those prayers are going. More writings from people I actually know: * 'Toine (aforementioned brother) * Jon (very talented writer friend) * Kevin (very talented artist friend) * Jen (lovely SIL)

Song birds. At times God puts us through the discipline of darkness to teach us to heed Him. Song birds are taught to sing in the dark, and we are put into the shadow of God's hand until we learn to hear him... Watch where God puts you into darkness, and when you are there keep your mouth shut. Are you in the dark just now in your circumstances, or in your life with God? Then remain quiet... When you are in the dark, listen, and God will give you a very precious message for someone else when you get into the light. ~ Oswald Chambers

Illustration Friday: Seasons I like to draw birds. Coloring them in is kind of theraputic, much like graph paper used to be for me in high school. They all start out pretty much the same, but then a little color, a little detail here and there transforms them into unique creatures. I want to sew birdie-shaped pillows, fit them together to make a tesselated pattern for material, have them march along in a border for the twins' room. Maybe sew stuffed animals - a whole bunch of different colored ones. They're just fun for me and a way to jump-start my imagination. (Plus, it's hard to mess them up!) There's no wrong way to paint a bird. You can see more birds here (scroll to the very bottom) and here and here.

Using my power for good. Well, the auction is officially over, and the talented and very generous Kelly is the proud owner of the "Relief" painting! $375 will be donated to UNICEF, which is so much more than I ever dreamed I could do on my own. Thank you, Kelly, and everyone who donated! And now, for all of you who donated, wanted to, or just like the picture: here is brand-new wallpaper to help remind you of how simple it can be to use your talents - whatever they may be - for good. 800 x 600 | 1024 x 768

In my spare time.... ;) I created a "flower" for Building Letters Magazine's Tsunami issue. Building Letters is a magazine by designers, and raises money for selected charities through its sales. They were looking for designers to make a flower that will be used in a font that they'll include on disk with the issue. Kudos to the marvelously talented Cin for providing the link!

Illustration Friday: Balance (keep going, there are two this week) My life is all about balance. I don't like to call it that; I would rather call it everything working in harmony because balance sounds to me like too much of a juggling act. Which, believe me, it is anyway. I seem to have learned how to have quality time for my family, working, cooking healthy meals for the week, and creative time (without which I would, definitely and beyond a shadow of a doubt, curl up and die). I learned the hard way, but it's ingrained now. The Lord of Green Well, I did my original painting, and then I read this marvelous blog entry from A Cup Of Rich... he notes that a calendar he has equates green with balance. "I could use a lot of that peace, balance, harmony, and restoration right now. And if green is all those things, then Jesus is the Lord of Green." God, I love that! The entry says it 9 gazillion times better than I do... please check it out (it's been inspiring me all week!) ....................................... Two days left in the auction! 100% of the profits go to UNICEF to benefit the tsunami victims.

Working From Home - A Short Poem The following is a note I sent to my co-workers last week when the weather was icky. It's icy and slick out; I wanted to mention That working from home today is my intention. Think of me while you're going for coffee outside And the rain and the sleet makes you run fast inside - Or commuting to far-off wild places like Brooklyn Or Westmont, New Jersey or downtown Metuchen And it's raining and wet and you stifle a sneeze And you hope you don't catch a cold there in the breeze While I'm sitting here snug with a slice of fresh bread That I programmed to bake while I snuggled in bed And it beeped me at 7 when it was done baking And it mixed with the smells of the fire Paul is making. So I'm sitting here working, just a regular gal, On Mutts stuff and graphics and pages for Sal. You can Skype me, IM me, or talk to me live By phoning at xxx-xxx5. ....................................... Thanks to everyone who has bid on or promoted my auction... I'm delightfully stunned by the response. And still 4 days to go! Makes me wish I had done this kind of thing sooner.

The auction's back up! Okay, it's up and running through January 16th... you can place your bids here. And now it's all official and everything. Phew.

Illustration Friday: Disaster Relief (detail above) I will be auctioning off the original watercolour painting and will donate 100% of the proceeds to the tsunami relief efforts. The illustration measures 9"x12" and is painted on acid free, 90 lb cold press watercolour paper. You can see the full version of "Relief" here. UPDATE #2: For those coming directly from Illustration Friday, the good news is that the auction is back up! You can see it here.