rough draft for a PB dummy

Here's one that I'm still working on for a PB dummy of my own. It's still rough, but I'm going to go to the National Zoo on Saturday with my husband and kids and get some real photos. (I need some good ones of monkeys)

Blogging Misadventures

I just lost all of my blog and website links as I was trying to change the template for this blog.....g-r-o-o-a-n......
If you don't see a blog or website that was formerly here, that's the reason......gotta go put them all back up again.

Some Noteworthy Books

I found out about an excellent book called Illustrating Children's Books: Creating Pictures for Publication by Martin Salisbury' It's full of different styles, techniques and explanations about what goes into illustrating Picture Books for children. I just ordered it. (I'm a bookaholic....especially when it comes to art books, and picture books.) Salisbury is an Australian illustrator. Here's a review of the book.
Another of the books I found in the library was The Watertower by Gary Crew. Interestingly enough, he's also from Australia. The book won the Picture Book of the Year from the Children's Book Council of Australia. It captured my attention because of it's unusual format. (I'd actually thought of using the format myself in one of my PB ideas, but wasn't sure it would be accepted. Now I plan to use it). Check the book out to see it's format and wonderful illustrations by Steven Woolman.
The third book is King Matt The First, and was actually originally published in Polish in 1923, and is written by Janusz Korczak. He was an amazing man. This version has an intro by Esme Raji Codell. In it, a child king introduces reforms to give the same rights as adults.
Here's another cachibachi for you...
This is one of my all time favorite resources. It's at About.com and comes to your email inbox regularly if you sign up for it. It's a regular update about what's new with children's books. Elizabeth Kennedy writes it.

Kindred spirits in Illustration and Writing

Last night I had the joy of being able to get together with a children's illustrator, who not only creates beautiful illustrations, but is a wonderful person and lives in the same town!
I hope you all don't get too jealous, knowing how rare that is, but I'm thrilled. Here is a sample of Margriet's work. She recently had a booksigning for her two newly published books (she did the illos) in our town, and we found out that we shared a few common friends in town. It's a small world.
One of the toughest parts of being a freelance artist/writer is finding others who share the same goals and struggles. I've met hundreds of children's authors and illustrators online in the yahoo children's writers and illustrators groups. I'm eternally grateful for them. I'll put links up to some of those online groups soon, but I'm still figuring the links out here (I'm not html savy)
I would never have persevered to this point, or dared to try breaking into the children's publishing markets without the encouragement, motivation, tips and inspiration from the generous and talented people I've met online.
I even had the chance to meet several of them in person in NYC at the SCBWI conference there this past February! What a joy!
If you're feeling lonely as a children's illustrator or writer, I encourage you to join the online lists available, and find some online critque groups. I also highly recommend the Society of Children's Writers and Illustrators. The national group is well run, and overflows with generous, talented writers and illustrators. The local chapters are sometimes even better, since there are opportunites to meet editors, authors, illustrators and agents face to face and have portfolio and manuscript critiques done. Here in the Mid-Atlantic region we always have incredible conferences. I'll write more about that later though.

Portrait I just finished

Here's a portrait I just finished for a client. It is a colored pencil portrait done on canson paper. I love using neutral toned canson paper for colored pencil work. It's 16" x 21"
They loved it (whew..you never know with portraits!)
I just found an amazing book done in the graphic novel format. It is called Alia's Mission
Saving the Books of Iraq and is written and illustrated by Mark Allan Stamaty. It is a true story about the chief librarian of the Central Library in Basra, Iraq. The GN format used is wonderful for young children, and the inspiring story makes it an incredible book.

Anastasia Suen's Create-Relate Blog

Check out this blog. Not only does Anastasia teach amazing online classes for children's writers, but her blog is always hopping.
Don't miss the blogs she has listed full of children's writers and illustrator's blogs!

Welcome to Cachibachis!

Welcome to my blog, Cachibachis!
Cachibachis is a Spanish slang term for odds and ends, whimsical notions, and tiny interesting items. I hope you'll find those here.
I'll blog about the craft of writing and illustrating children's books, magazines and publications.
Join in with any info, questions, comments you'd like to post, or good links on the biz of children's writing and illustrating.
I plan to post interesting links to good kid's books, illustrators, links to other illustrators and writers and other cachibachis I find around the web and offline.
I'll post links to pertinent websites that have info about writing and illustrating for kids publications.
Amy Moreno