Kidlit - Blog Posts
❁❀⋆Inktober 2022 ⋆❀❁
I don’t have anything new to post right now, so here are some drawings I made for inktober two years ago :D I’m still super proud of these honestly! In fact, I’m currently re-drawing the fairy one in full colour bc I really like the concept hehe ( = ⩊ = )
You can use these as colouring pages if you want! Just please tag me if you do! I’d be super happy to see what others make with these (✧ω✧)
✩₊˚.⋆ Give yourself time to recharge ⋆⁺₊✧
My oc Ellis taking a well deserved afternoon nap <3 he might be a little uncomfy but don’t worry, I’ll carry him to bed later
Now that I’m looking at this picture, I feel like in my art style he looks way younger than he’s supposed to be. I intended him to be in his twenties in this drawing… but… he almost looks like a little kid here. Maybe a tween, at best. I’m not very good at drawing adults yet :,) but I’ll do my best to learn how to do it! And then… then, I’ll be unstoppable.
A poster I made for a client weeks ago for a school musical! I edited the movie’s typeface to something more retro, & subdued the psychadelic 1970’s color palette. But I tried to keep the original zany tone of the story. I also had to keep that iconic purple!
Mr Coo is now in HD and on my website taking messages...feel free to drop me a line... #illustrationforchildren #cutepigeon #cutebird #kidlit #kidlitart #artoftheday #postpigeon #authorillustrator #artistsoninstagram #instaart #instaillustration #wip #crazybirdlady https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvl-ifuDkAA/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=2e96p6gzho7a
Wilhelm the Wolf likes to sing #illustration #childrensbook #wolf #wolfillustration #wolfcaricature #instaart #instaillustration #kidlitart #kidlit #authorillustrator #painting #watercolour #acoustic #illustratorsofinstagram #sketchbook #sketchaday2018 #illustration #illustrator
Rosa Illustration by Dazhkaclaire https://www.instagram.com/dazhkaclaire/
www.claireobrienillustration.com
Claire again.
I finally got around to reading Bird & Diz written by Gary Golio and illustrated by Ed Young!
And I have to say that I am amazed that this book didn’t win anything in the awards season this year! First of all, the illustrations are amazing. Ed Young’s use of color and motion with his mix of pastels, ink and water absolutely thrills me. You can feel the music of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie through Young’s illustrations. I felt like I was transported in among the lights and crowds of a stage watching Bird and Diz perform together. I have spent my morning listening to Bird and Diz at Carnegie Hall while I looked through the book again and again.
Golio and Young were obviously well paired for this book. Golio’s text and use of words are so delightfully in-sync with Young’s illustrations. Golio epitomizes the rhythm and sound of the music while also showing the playful nature of the back and forth between Charlie “Bird” Parker and John “Dizzy” Gillespie. His text trips nimbly between poetry, beboppin’ onomatopoeia and prose. And the whole book illustrates so beautifully and joyously that “Bird and Diz are friends... who play together just like kids.”
I absolutely love Bid & Diz. And I highly recommend that you go check it out at the library or get it from a bookstore. It will be worth your while!
Claire here!
Okay, so I have recently finished the lovely Kate Hattemer’s new YA novel The Land of 10,000 Madonnas.
It is about a group of 5 teenagers sent on a quest to Europe as a dying wish from their friend and cousin, Jesse, who died of a heart defect nearly a year previously. It is beautiful, sad, funny, bittersweet, and sometimes slightly gross. The gross factor is mostly due to Ben’s penchant for smoothies for every meal which sometimes include unusual choices for a liquefied meal.)
Kate’s sophomore novel reminded me a little bit of Maureen Johnson’s 13 Little Blue Envelopes. But I suppose that is more for the similarities between their teenaged characters going on trips across Europe after losing a loved one. I find Kate’s characters more real and relatable than Johnson’s. Cal, Trevor, Ben, Lillian, and Matt aren’t meant to discover some great and magical cure for their grief and then fall in love. They are and have been grieving. They deal with their grief on a daily basis and in myriad ways. And they are only beginning to come to terms with Jesse’s death. As teenagers, they are often prickly in their mourning, and don’t always agree. And like many teenagers I know, they do not say what they mean and feel immediately or clearly to each other. Hattemer’s portrayal and the perspectives she offers from her characters is one of her strengths in this book. They aren’t special in any extra way, they are normal, and they have been dealt a tragedy. And they react and exist accordingly.
The book did take me a little while to get through, but that is in part because I tend to be a distracted reader and also this is a book that will make you think and reflect. This is a novel that will be a good cathartic read. Hattemer made me tear up more than once while I was reading, but she brought me out on the brighter side at the end. I will be recommending this to fans of David Levithan, Maureen Johnson, Ava Dellaira, Emery Lord, and even John Green readers. I think that Kate Hattemer is going to be an author to keep an eye on and a voice to be heard in YA in the coming years.
Release date is April 19th 2016. I highly recommend it. And if you can, get it from a bricks and mortar bookstore or the library!
Hello! :) Bookwench #2 reporting in. Here’s a little about me...I’m Alia, I’m 27 years old and I love books, cake and Korean food. I used to be an elementary school teacher in Daegu, South Korea for about four years. Daegu is famous for being hot (it’s in a valley), has lots of great food and people there have the best Korean accent ( it’s like a tough southern accent). With a background in teaching and experience in children’s bookselling, my contributions to The Bookwenches will mostly be children’s literature related. I specialize in Picture Books. You have questions? I have answers. Need a suggestion? You got it. You like looking at pretty pictures?...WELL ME TOO! I also read quite a bit of middle grade and some YA. I like a little bit of everything; fantasy, historical fiction, sci-fi, fairy tale, realistic fiction, romance, coming of age novels, graphic novels etc. One of my favorite books of all time is Zel by Donna Jo Napoli. Like Tori, I like that medieval, princessy but AWESOME story stuff! In 2016, I’m looking forward to Sherman Alexie and Yuyi Morales’ new book Thunder Boy Jr. It’ll be Alexie’s first picture book!! If you don’t know him, just check out The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian. You won’t regret it. I’m also looking forward to Pugs of the Frozen North by Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre! You can also check me out at my blog readitrealgood.com and I have a twitter @readitrealgood. On my blog I share diverse and excellent reads. It’s intended to be a resource for people looking for great kids books, especially ones focusing on diversity. I also discuss diversity in literature and publishing and share my thoughts from time to time.
Nice to meet you...만나서 반갑습니다! 촣은 하루 되세요! ^_^
A small poem I wrote with an illustration 🐇 #art #sketch #illustrator #vector #artistmichi #bunny #rabbit #rabbitsoftheworld #childrensart #kidlit #childrensbook #child #rabbit #white #nature #cute #kite #fly #poem #childrenspoem #artistoninsta #love #inspiration
Another watercolor work. Tried something new bit not very happy with how it turned out to be 😢 #watercolor #aquarelle #girl #cat #catperson #catsofinstagram #lazy #relax #artistmichi #water #computer #hug #love #inspiration #floor #table #cute #childrensbook #kidlit #author #beauty #artistoninsta #tabby
So these (and several others) I made a year ago for a project that went nowhere, but I had fun drawing them and I love circus themed stuff like, someone hire me to draw circus ppl and acrobats