the little painters

One of my latest paintings based on some of my childhood memories and wishes (I always wanted a doggie!). My initial sketch for it too...

shot in the dark sneak peek

I'm so excited about "Shot in the Dark" the animated music video project I had the privilege to work on with Chinese Takeout Films. The animation stage is just about wrapped, and I was blown away by the sweet nuances in expression and emotion in our little bee character, thanks to our talented animator Abe Dieckman! Little bee is absolutely adorable as she is coming to life, and we we cant wait to unveil the finished video!

my art on Liberty water bottles!

Liberty bottle works, a company not too far from my hometown in WA, is making these great aluminum water bottles with cool art on them, including my own design, yay! They gave me a sample which I carry everywhere now. I can't wait for these water bottles to get made and and out in stores by 2014!

also in green!

my original art drawn with pen & ink, then scanned into illustrator

Storybook Opera Illustrations

My latest project was illustrating two opera posters for Solo Opera's Storybook Opera series, featuring the children's operas Chip and His Dog, and Hansel and Gretel. Fairytales! I did the illustrations as well as the design for the posters. It was quite a process from initial sketches to the final pieces, and I'm so happy with how they came together. Here's the final illustrations and some of the earlier sketches.

storybook concept sketch

Chip & His Dog sketch

Hansel & Gretel sketch

happy september

Happy September, I cant believe its the beginning of fall already. My flowers are dying down a little and all the grass is a shimmering golden color. Soon it will be time for apple pie!

new painting: the star gazers . . .

the star gazers

Global Talent Search Round1: Journal Design

I just submitted my entry into the Lilla Rogers Global Talent Search. The assignment was to create a journal cover with the theme "playground"as if PaperChase was my client. Here's what I came up with. I tried to push myself as much as possible to come up with an appealing design for kids, that was both bright and colorful, yet still had a hand drawn feeling. I did the characters in watercolor and ink, and the background is digital. Now just waiting to see if I make it into the top 50!!

Lilla Rogers Global Talent Search

I just entered the Global Talent Search competition to be represented by Lilla Rogers, international art representatives! So excited and nervous to be competing next to a ton of very talented artists worldwide, there will only be ONE person who wins aahck!! But I thought this would be a great chance to get my work out there more, and do some professional assignments at the same time to build my portfolio.

The first creative brief has just been posted, and I'm off to do some art! wish me luck...

Shot in the Dark: Art

I've been working on some pre-production art for Tragic Gadget's animated music video"Shot in the Dark" with Chinese Takeout Films. Here's some of my latest sketches, for the characters and critters that appear throughout. Its so much fun to see these drawing come to life, and have personality. Were pretty excited to be working on this, and cant wait to share it when its done.

the main characters

ideas for the little girl who owns the flower

bugs and butterflies

Animated Short with Chinese Takeout Films & Tragic Gadget on Indiegogo!

Tragic Gadget an LA based band, is gearing up to create their first music video. It's going to be an animated short for their song "Shot In the Dark" about a young bee who falls hopelessly in love with a flower. I'm excited to be a part of the animation process again, working on character design and production art with Chinese Takeout Films, the talented Tim Hahn & Abe Dieckman.

They launched an Indiegogo campaign to fund the production, and we need your help, we want to see this animated short happen! Thanks for your support, and share with your friends!

Contribute to "Shot in the Dark" Animated Short on Indiegogo

lovestruck bee

some initial character design

Fairytale Princess Art Giveaway!

Enter to WIN one of my fairytale Art Prints and Card sets! For details go to the Epicurean Crafter blog to enter.

One lucky winner will receive an 11x14 art print, and card set, which includes 6 blank cards, 2 of each painting: Little Mermaid, Cinderella & Bella Luce.

Good luck!
Pamela

Quigley the Caterpillar got Top App of the Week!

Quigley the Caterpillar just got onto the #1 APP OF THE WEEK on iHeartThisApp.com!! Thank you everyone for your votes and support! It's exciting to get some buzz going for the app, which after all the work we put in we are very proud of! If you haven't had a chance yet to purchase it:

download, on the iTunes app store here 

or purchase on Amazon for kindle fire here

princess time

Quigley the Caterpillar available for i-Pad!

Happy Hungry Caterpillar Day! Im thrilled to announce that "Quigley the Caterpillar" by Erin Turnley, illustrated by me, Pamela Goodman, and published by Nation9  has now officially launched and available for the i-pad! 

Click here for Quigley the Caterpillar on the iTunes app store. 

You can also get it for the kindle fire, from the Amazon app store.

Quigley the Caterpillar was also featured on iHeartThisApp today! Give it a "heart" if you like this app, which I hope you do! The more hearts the more chances it can win App of the week!

                                                                                

Quigley the Caterpillar now on Amazon!

Quigley is out and alive! Check out my first illustrated and animated e-book app "Quigley the Caterpillar" by Erin Turnley on Amazon. Soon to come on the i-pad in the Apple bookstore.

happy valentines day!

Puffers first kiss! This was an idea I had on valentines day but didnt get to it til now, a few days later. Love to all!

Hula friends

Aloha! My husband Luke and I just got back from our honeymoon in Hawaii, and Im already missing it! Lazy warm beaches, snorkeling with tons of fish, dolphins and sea turtles! An amazing hike on the Kalalau trail in Kauai, and just absorbing the beauty and peace of the ocean and tropical paradise... ahhh... perfect! heres a little painting I just finished of how I feel, still in Hawaiian time :)

Quigley is coming soon!

I'm working on a new project for ebook publisher Nation9, it's going to be an interactive e-book for kids called "Quigley the Caterpillar" by Erin Turnley. Heres a sneak peak! coming soon in early spring 2013...

Happy New Year 2013!

last mini painting of the year, and ready for all things fresh and new! 

Cirque du Johnson!

I recently had a fun illustration commission for the Johnson family, with all four family members plus their pets in a circus act! I had lots of fun vintage circus reference, and got in the mood painting to circus music (John Phillip Sousa!) Heres a little bit from my process, from sketches to the finished painting. It was a challenge to get all the figures into one composition, but I'm happy with how it came together. They used this as their Christmas card!

Bella & Luci ebook in the Apple Bookstore

My book Bella and Luci's Fantastic, Amazing, Magical Adventure was just accepted into the Apple Bookstore as an e-book! You can buy a copy for your i-pad/i-phone here on i-tunes.

to Bear's great delight...

Interview with LeUyen Pham

I had a chance to interview one of my favorite children's illustrators, LeUyen Pham. Her artwork is full of life and energy, and always great expressive characters. I was very inspired by her journey, and motivated to keep on going! Check out her work on her website www.leuyenpham.com


Pamela: What was your journey like to children's book illustration?

Uyen:     I was approached by an art director from Harcourt books when I was a student.  He kept me in mind for a project, and when I was a year out of school, he contacted me.  I was working in animation at the time, so the project he gave me had to be done on my spare time.  It was a chapter book (a book cover with 8 interior black and white illustrations).  I thought I did a horrible job, but he loved something about the cover, and recommended me for a picture book a year later.  I finished that book in a year, and they liked it so well that they offered me three more manuscripts.  Since then, I’ve worked pretty steadily.  I only started self-promoting after 9/11 -- the publishing industry came to a stand still (as did most businesses in new york), and I had to rejump my career.  I’d only had 7 books at the time, so I really had to reinvent self.  But since then, knock on wood, I’ve kept steadily busy.

Pamela:  What is a typical day like for you as a freelance illustrator?

Uyen:    Wake up, have breakfast with the kids, send them off to school, spend an hour cruising internet, answering mail, etc, work steadily from 10-4, walk to pick up son from kindergarten, spend time with family until their bedtime, then back to work if I'm on a deadline, until the wee hours of the morning.  When I'm not on deadline, I can relax in the evening!

Pamela:  Do you have any special places you go for inspiration?

Uyen:    I always get inspired when I'm out talking a walk, or when I go to bookstores.  Occasionally I’m inspired by my  kids (they're 2 and 5, so they're just the right age!)

Pamela:  How long does it usually take for you to illustrate a picture book?

Uyen:    I’m pretty fast, but it depends on the style of the book.  The longest I’ve spent on a picture book was maybe 9 months, but I’m always doing other projects at the same time.  The fastest I’ve spent on a picture book was a month.  Average, from start to finish, is about three months.  But I do lots of different kinds, and I’m constantly overlapping.  For instance, I spent three years on a 450 page graphic novel, but then spent three weeks on a 200-page chapter book.

Pamela: What kinds of self-promotion do you do, and how often?

Uyen:    I don't self promote any more, believe it or not.  When I first started, I sent out just ten mailers, these intricate little books that I sewed together myself, and sent them to ten publishers I really liked.  I got call backs from almost all of them, and since then, I don't send out mailers anymore.  What I DO like to send, though, are little Christmas presents, or Halloween cards, things like that.  Last year I sent my publishers mugs with my drawings on them.  The year before I made calendars, and the year before that I wrote a little story.

Pamela: What advice would you give to an emerging children's book illustrator (like me!)? 

Uyen:    Keep at it!  Draw what you love, not what you think others will like or what's in vogue.  Attend conferences, and try to meet as many editors and art directors as you can!  Write your own stories, if you can, and illustrate them.  But mostly, be informed!  Buy the book "children's writers and illustrators market", and read it from cover to cover.  It tells you how to submit manuscripts, how to put together book dummies, who works where, what each publishing house likes to see, everything.  I used it when I first started out, and I still refer it to everyone!

Pamela:  Thank you for your time Uyen!

Uyen:      Best of luck to you!  It’s a lovely business once you get in! Cheers!

Snow White & Rose Red

Another one of my daily paintings turned into this little one. . . Snow White and Rose Red out for a reading picnic with Bear.