Fish on a Dish

Another painting inspired by the illustration in vintage cookbooks. A very festive fish. You can see how he looks on a wall at My Good Babushka! Where there are also other very affordable retro cookery paintings.

Paper Moon

I started illustration 13 and finished illustration 12. I'm getting closer to that half way point, which I think will be illustration 17.

Paper Moon

Some mixed up progress. The pair emerge into a new landscape, they see a mysterious cottage, they go inside.

Paper Moon

Some pictures you have seen before, a little more fleshed out and decided. I am projecting this project will be finished by mid-summer. I think I have broken the story down into 35-38 illustrations. I may change it a little as I go along. I am furiously querying agents and hoping that someone may be able to place my story, or any of my stories, with a publisher. Keep your fingers crossed for us. If nothing pans out, I will still have this story available for my ardent admirers!

I don't like to post a lot of private information but maybe a little bit of back story might be appropriate. We have had a rough few years, my husband lost his job, then we lost our home. Now my husband has found a job, but at a very reduced salary. I have been a stay-at-home mom for several years now, and with the meager skills I have, it is hard to see how I will be able to contribute to our economic picture. So I am doing the only thing I'm even a little bit good at, and I'm going to keep doing it until it works! If you are a new reader, I hope you will be my fan and cheer us along. I'm doing this to get a better life for my children, and I think that is something a lot of people can relate to.

Paper Moon

Getting the bones for illustrations three and four onto the page. Our heroine begins to feel some compassion for the little moonboy, she is going to help him look for something!

Paper Moon

More work on my illustrations for The Boy From A Paper Moon. It's a very traditional type fairy tale which I hope will be enjoyed by all ages.

Paper Moon

Starting to put the flesh onto the bones of the second illustration. The confrontation.

After Dinner Diversion nos. 11 and 12

I am a little bit short of the midway point, but as I explained yesterday, this project is going to go on the shelf for a bit while I work on my family friendly fairy tale. I feel a little bad leaving it half-finished, but I promise to finish it before the end of the year.

After Dinner Diversion nos. 9 and 10

There are more happenings at our Dinner Party. The doctor, maybe, has gotten fresh with the young miss. The rest of the company dreads the widow's casserole. Even though these are comic looking characters, as you may have guessed, this story will soon take a dark turn.

Just recently I've been challenged to write a story suitable for a general audience, and though it was very tough, I think I pulled it off. I will soon be putting The After Dinner Diversion on the back burner and focusing my attention on making the best illustrations possible for my new fairy tale for a general audience. I hope you will not be too irked by this detour. I will return to After Dinner now and again, and fully intend to complete it by the end of this year.

Anatomists and some After Dinner Diversion

After Dinner Diversion Numbers five and six.



Some details of my Three Anatomists painting.

After Dinner Diversion No. 4

Back to the story I was illustrating- The After Dinner Diversion of Miss Tangerine Broom. It is a murder mystery at a dinner party. The guests are arriving.
The eminent doctor and his Mrs. arrive at the dinner party.

Holiday Story. The end.

The very last illustration is finished. I hope you have enjoyed this series of illustration, and perhaps piqued your interest enough to pick up the book!
It's called "The Holiday Story" and the link is at the right!

Holiday Story no. 22

Slowly bringing the last illustration into focus. Suddenly that hanging garlic reminds me of a noose.

Holiday Story no. 21

The destruction.

Holiday Story nos. 20 and 22

This is it! I am putting the paint down on number 22, the end illustration. Here is how number 20 panned out. It is the most violent illustration in the story. I have led you down dark hallways, I have shown you knives, and I have promised you blood. Now, it is delivered.