So... I've been horribly neglecting this blog in recent...months, and now is a good excuse to get back into it. Yesterday was my first day of Oatley Academy Live!, a school created by Disney artist Chris Oatley to help struggling artist's in all facets of their creative journey. Just in the past 12 hours I've learned a lot and gotten some great insights, and most of all, it's so great to feel like I'M NOT ALONE!!! 

It's been a struggle for a while now to maintain working 2, sometimes 3 minimum wage jobs 45+ hours a week and also have time and energy left over to spend on my art. My art career got pushed the wayside, and I've been battling with feeling like a failure and "is it even worth it to keep trying?" "I'm never going to make it," "My stuff will never be good enough and I just don't have the time to improve it," "I'm never going to make any kind of decent money." Joining into the OA has shown me that not only are there tons of other people out there feeling the same way as me and struggling with the same demons, but also that there are plenty of VERY successful people out there who went through this same ordeal and came through to the other side. And these are the people who are teaching these classes and providing us with the tools to climb that mountain of artistic self-loathing, bad self-esteem, and all around despair, and come out on top.

 The goal of OA Live! is for us to come up with and most importantly COMPLETE a personal project. Part of my struggle is being indecisive and jumping around from thing to thing and project to project before I ever finish anything, so this will definitely be a good challenge for me. 

Above is my first homework assignment. I couldn't post it in the forum without having it hosted on a website, hence my return to the blogosphere! (Spell check recognizes blogosphere as a real word, whaaaaat?!) It was pretty helpful and insightful for me to lay out, and also made me realize my abilities need some serious work. We'll see where this journey takes me!

A little teaser...

My blogs have been lacking lately, but trust me when I say it's not for lack of work! I've been drawing and painting my booty off working on The Mermaid and the Moon with Get Out Books. My deadline is two weeks away, and after that it's marketing, marketing, marketing before it's released this fall! I can't wait to see it in print. There's not much I can post yet, but I do have a few teasers that I can show you in the meantime. Enjoy! 

Moon's and Mermaids

Tax season is over which means one of my four jobs has come to an end, leaving me time to finally get started on "The Mermaid and the Moon," written by Susan Pace Koch and published by Get Out Books. I wanted to do a practice run/color study before I get started on the actual watercolor pieces, and below is the finished product. I was fortunate enough to have it be selected to be shown in AAU Children's Book Gallery show at Tr!ckster Gallery in Berkeley, starting May 3rd! 

Marnie the Mermaid Character Designs

I'm getting started on my very first book! Here are some of the character designs for "The Mermaid and the Moon," written by Susan Pace Koch and illustrated by yours truly. Pick your favorite! 

©Tracie Timmer 2014, All Rights Reserved. 

SCBWI Masthead Contest!

So this one was tricky… Website mastheads obviously have pretty thin dimensions, and within those I had to include imagery from Contra Costa, Alameda, Marin, and Napa counties. And also had to include kids in some way and incorporate the idea behind the Society of Children's Book Writer's and Illustrator's. Also had to include that big long title that you see in the image, and be able to make a smaller logo out of it, phew! So the idea I came up with was to have some kids painting a mural of the Bay Area.

In other news, I'm currently in the process of signing my first book contract! Look for "The Mermaid and the Moon," Written by Susan Pace Koch and illustrated by yours truly, Fall 2014!!

I've been working on a commission for someone who wanted to give his new bride a short 8-page book about their relationship as a wedding gift. I've devoted about two hours to each piece, so their all relatively quick digital illustrations. Here's what I've come up with so far:

From doing these pieces I've learned that I still have A LOT to learn when it comes to color, and I struggle a lot with drawing people in different poses, especially on a limited time-table. I really wish I lived in the city still so I could make it to the quick studies workshops. More to come soon!

My first CTN

Well! I survived my first CTN, and what an awesome experience it was. It was both awe-inspiring and overwhelming to be surrounded by so many amazing artists that I have studied and looked-up to for several years now. I wracked up the nerve to ask Steven Silver for a portfolio review (all while trying not to act too starstruck and awkward), and he was super nice and gave me a very straight-forward and helpful critique. I stood mere feet away from both Brittney Lee and Sean Galloway, and despite numerous attempts to edge my way in to chat/get a portfolio review, they were both (understandably) swamped with people doing the exact same thing as me. Did manage to snag me this Brittney Lee print though :) It was a tough call choosing between this or a mermaid print (if you know me you'd know I harbor a lifetime love of all things mermaid, thanks Disney). It's a testament to how much I miss San Francisco that I chose this one.

One of the first things we did upon arrival was go to Alina Chau's watercolor demo. She chose a model from the crowd, and thanks to my lacy, texture-y shirt, she chose me! She just happened to also choose my friend Joie Brown for her gesture sketch drawing. Aren't we special! Here's some of her beautiful work. 

I was also lucky enough to get a fast pass to the Drew Struzen panel. If you think you have no clue who Drew Struzen is, check yo'self. He's the guy who painted pretty much every illustrated movie poster/cover ever made. Think Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Basically, he's a living legend, and I got to sit through an illuminating Q&A with him. Sadly, his panel overlapped with Claire Keane's panel and Lorelay Bove's demo… Next year! 

Got in trouble for taking this pic…. worth it! 

I got to meet so many awesome people just walking around all the booths, and it was also like a mini AAU reunion with all the former classmates and teachers that I ran into. Miss those guys. Here's sampling of the many business cards I managed to snag. 

Until next year CTN!