Well, I've been away from my blog for over a year now and a lot has happened.
The biggest thing to change with my work has been the addition of the digital medium to my practice. It's kind of revolutionized it. Not only can I work faster, but better. Yes, not only can I do three times as much work in the same space of time, but I can get back to some of the "details" that I'd let slide when my eyesight began to tank a few years ago. This became especially noticeable in the botanical work, where detail and accuracy is super important. The ability to "zoom" in on the image (without using a lens) made all the difference. (Thanks, Wacom!!) You can see more of the Old Farmer's Almanac 2016 Garden Calendar on my website.
Working digitally meant that text, font, speech bubbles, layout, etc., was super easy. Since I did all but write it, I needed as much help as I could possibly get. 100+ pages is a lot of work, but it was well worth it. Additionally, the experience of it all taught me so much about the genre and how it works.
But wait~ there's more! I "inherited" a pottery studio from a wonderful friend of mine. Elva and her husband John were moving and didn't want to take the studio with them. Elva is a potter and a poet with a doctorate in psychology (and a practice) and John is a writer-historian, professor emeritus in philosophy, and both are just amazingly wonderful people. They both have published books, which you can find here: Elva's book; John's book. (I drew the illustrations for Elva's book.) Well, you can imagine the fun I've been having with the pottery studio and the clay. Here's just a sample from the summer's play:
The biggest thing to change with my work has been the addition of the digital medium to my practice. It's kind of revolutionized it. Not only can I work faster, but better. Yes, not only can I do three times as much work in the same space of time, but I can get back to some of the "details" that I'd let slide when my eyesight began to tank a few years ago. This became especially noticeable in the botanical work, where detail and accuracy is super important. The ability to "zoom" in on the image (without using a lens) made all the difference. (Thanks, Wacom!!) You can see more of the Old Farmer's Almanac 2016 Garden Calendar on my website.
Yep, digital rocks. (Yankee Publishing Co., /Kristin Kest)
Additionally, I made my first foray into the kids' graphic novel genre with New Worlds Publishing Co's, Lost In Dreams, Book 1, which is now out in ComiXology here.
Lost In Dreams: the adventures of a girl and her dad in the world between dreams.
Pirates, monsters, robots, spaceships, hints of demons, etc., what's not to like?
But wait~ there's more! I "inherited" a pottery studio from a wonderful friend of mine. Elva and her husband John were moving and didn't want to take the studio with them. Elva is a potter and a poet with a doctorate in psychology (and a practice) and John is a writer-historian, professor emeritus in philosophy, and both are just amazingly wonderful people. They both have published books, which you can find here: Elva's book; John's book. (I drew the illustrations for Elva's book.) Well, you can imagine the fun I've been having with the pottery studio and the clay. Here's just a sample from the summer's play:
Suspicious looking little fellas...
Another friend and I are going to be seeking local craft places to sell our wares in 2016. I am really looking forward to all of the possibilities!
