Self Portrait

Ink and watercolour on Arches hot press watercolour paper

Yep, I really am that organized.

Woof.

Got my second proof for Binksie and Bep in the mail today!
The first proof I received didn't have any words in it-- apparently a glitch with the program I was using to make my PDF-- and instead had strange dots. The color was also a problem, with my clunky and ignorant attempts at converting my RGB images into CMYK for printing, and one of my illustrations.... well, it just wasn't working out.
So! Back to the drawing board.

I used a different program (Scribus is my new best friend!) and this proof looked so much better!
...until about half-way through the story. That's when things got interesting and bilingual. Somehow someone else's book was inserted-- backwards no less-- right in the middle of my own. The adventures of Binksie and Bep were interrupted by a story of a dog, told in English and Italian. I now know what attenti al cane means! :-P

It was funny, and as I need to make a few minor changes anyway, no great loss. :-)

A bland little entry plus a new little painting

Spent most of the day painting, trying to ignore a splitting headache, and listening to The Mysterious Benedict Society. The story is over, my headache remains, and this painting is complete.

Imagine the air in early spring: warm, but with a bite to it still, and that indescribable scent which is part mud and damp earth, part sprouting things, and completely wonderful.

Early Spring Full Moon, 7"x5" watercolor, copyright 2011 Hannah C. Heyer

Book Progress

My eyes are red from staring at a computer screen for too long! :-P But I think, I hope, I'm nearing the end. I'm still working on the editing and formatting of my book, including the cover.
While it would have been nice to be done sooner, the longer I'm taking with this, the better it's getting. Little extras have been added, fonts tweaked, scans improved, and ideas developed. I've still got a mountain of work to do, but real progress has been made, and that feels so good.
This is what the title page looks like at the moment:

Grand Plans in Spring

We shall build a fort
of sticks and twine and nails.

We'll live on gooseberries
and applesauce sandwiches,
and drink from a brook
(once we've discovered one!)

Our bare feet will grow tough as leather
and we will scoff at wearing shoes!
One of us may spend a summer with a thorn in her foot as a result...

Copyright 2011 Hannah C. Heyer
Girl with a Hammer, 9x12" Ink and Watercolour

Just for fun...

I drew this out last night, and painted it today.
What can I say? Sometimes it's fun to interpret on paper the jolly times children have in play. We may only see a clothes basket and some string, but really it's an adventure on the high seas!

At Sea, 9 x 12", Ink and Watercolour

"The flour was sort-of measured...

...an egg (or three) thrown in..."

I've been working on the boring and tedious aspects of my little book: formatting in preparation for printing. This is all new territory for me, and it gets a little overwhelming at times. I'm not a big fan of computer work!
However, there are delicious smells coming from the kitchen, and I've heard rumors of a cream-pie contest. It's going to be a very white Christmas; the snow has been falling all day, and my dad is out on his tractor clearing the driveway. And I'm looking forward to seeing most of my family this weekend!

I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Christmas!

December Wind

December Wind, 5 x 7" watercolour painting

For the better part of this week I've been bent over my work, adding color to my illustrations, working on a few small watercolours, trying to get as much work done as possible during the short daylight hours.
I really don't like this lack of sunshine. Or the cold! But Winter does have a beauty all its own.
Most of the Midwest is digging out from a blizzard, and the wind is still blowing-- hard!
I'm thankful I don't have to be out in it, but I'm glad I can look out at it. In awe.

"He brings the wind out of His treasuries..."

Little Dinosaur

Finished up a little ink and watercolour illustration I started during my visit with my sister's family earlier this year.
My niece loves dinosaurs.
She also likes to blow bubbles in milk when her mum's not looking.

More Illustrating Progress

Bep's turn to get some color...
And some glasses too!


:-)

Quiet Time

Quiet Time, 7 x 5" watercolour on cotton paper

I miss these people.
I did this painting earlier this year, during my stay in Australia with my sister and her family. I was fiddling around with my watercolour paints at the table when they settled down to read. (The book is The Jesus Storybook Bible, in case you were curious :-) )

I just noticed the beautiful afternoon light coming in from the window, the long legs of my little nephew who's growing up so quickly, and petite niece with her big personality and sleepy eyes.
I began it then and there, and though they had long since run off to play by the time I finished, I hope I managed to capture a little bit of the moment.
Special thanks to my brother-in-law for pointing out that the chair had a handle for the footrest. Details! ;-)