The Fiction Project - complete

I know I had promised (upon multiple occasions) that I would share with you the in progress works of my Fiction Project submission...and I failed, big time!  I worked so hard on what I was going to say, that when it came down to putting the actual words on paper with the illustrations, and finishing them...well let's just say I worked some long days and my hand is just finally recovering from all the writing...

so, since it's about 40 or so pages, I'm going to share with you in little chunks, the finished product :)

enjoy!  (you can click on the image to see it full sized)

What I'm Working on - the fiction project, continued

you know when you start something, and it seems like you'll have forever to finish it, leisurely and without having to rush through it...well now I'm feeling the pressure...I have 24 days to finish the Fiction Project! 

I have all my "Happy Thoughts" picked out...so now it's simply a matter of writing and illustrating my pages...no big deal, right?? 

so if you talk to me in the next three weeks, ask me how it's going...and make sure I'm making progress!  my little book is about to tour the country!

What I'm Working on - the fiction project

since I have just about 2 1/2 months until it's due, I thought I'd share a little of the brainstorming that I've been doing for my "Happy Thoughts" book that will be touring the country as part of the fiction project...

I of course made a list in one of my idea books...see photo below...but here are a few of the contenders to make it into the book!

*color combinations
     *rootbeer floats
*rain at night
     *tomato soup & grilled cheese sandwiches
*family traditions
     *pens of every color
*SNOW
     *giving yourself a manicure

now I get to write about them, draw some sketches to go with them, and bring it all to life!  it's very exciting...but of course the crazy in me wants to make detailed sketches before touching the pages of my Moleskine  journal...so much pressure!!  blank pages are so full of promise, but also so terrifying at the same time!

what I'm working on - the Fiction Project

okay, I'm not going to lie...I'm a little terrified and a little excited of this new project I'm taking on...but I am submitting a book to the Fiction Project! 

I stumbled upon the Art House Co-op's website while browsing through the blogs of some of my favorite illustrators who were participating in the Sketchbook Project...I was bummed to find out that I had missed out, and the deadline to be a part of it had passed, but upon further inspection I noticed that the site had other projects that were just beginning...

the part of me that loves to write and hopes very much someday to be a children's book author and illustrator was so intrigued by this Fiction Project, that I signed up immediately!  it's essentially the same as the Sketchbook Project, but instead of mostly drawings, this project revolves around words...

the description of the project, in their own words...

"Calling all authors, 'zine makers, comic-book writers, diarists, poets and storytellers: Our library needs your words!

The Fiction Project is an opportunity to tell stories in a different way by fusing text and visual art. Add your voice to this year's coast-to-coast tour and create new work grounded in the act of writing. After traveling across the country, the Fiction Project will enter into the Brooklyn Art Library's narrative collection, archiving your stories to share them with the public."

my book arrived last week, and I am just about to get started...each book has a theme, and the one I've chosen for mine...Happy Thoughts...

as I start to work on this project- which has to be totally complete by May 1st! - I will post the pages here on my blog :)

hopefully this is the start of a great new adventure, and will get my creative juices flowing...

oh and if you happen to live in: Brooklyn, NY San Francisco, CA Chicago, IL Seattle, WA Winter Park, FL  you can see the Fiction Project as it tours the country!