In the painting Zone

Any artist will tell you there is no better place to be than the ZONE. This weekend I worked all sorts of hours and it felt like no time at all. I have been in the zone before but never this deep. Once out of it, I was confused and dazed. It was almost a scary feeling and if that is one of the side effects of deep zoning than I am willing to have more of it. Here are some of the pieces I created while in that zone. Tomorrow I will be adding the finishing touches on it and this piece called "The Ringmaster and his Prey" will be finished and in line behind the "Evil Clown" waiting to be hung in my new studio... I will announce more on that in the springtime. So many great things I have in store for my young readers this year!

Surrounded by friends

I have been blessed with so many close friends. I have had the same best friend since I was 7 years old and I have brand new friends that are wonderful. I even have friends that I run into every few years of my life and it always amazes me how our life paths continue to cross at different intersections. I am not sure if the full moon is wreaking havoc on me or if I am just super nostalgic but one thing I am sure of is that I am very happy with all of my friends.

Erin

I have been cheating...

Ok, its time to admit it. I have been cheating on Blogger and using wordpress. Truth is I miss my blogger account. I have been up to lots and would like to begin on blogger again. Not too sure why I can't decide on where to be on the web... must be my attention deficit kicking in. Below you can see my newest work, the evil ringmaster who lurks in the underground. Yes, he is from my upcoming novel and my illustrations are going to be quite different than my previous 3 children's books. This piece will actually have another character involved in it so keep your eyes open for it.

 Oh yes, I have been mulling over the idea to move into a retail/studio space where I can create my works and sell them. What do you think about this and also, if anyone has experiences like this to share then please comment. My heart is telling me to move out of my kitchen and into a space that I can dedicate to my work.

Until next post, I will be mulling...
Erin

Carnival Clown arises from the garbage heap in my novel!

Well here he is, the clown that rises from the garbage heap in my upcoming novel that is still without a name! I have to say this piece was lots of fun to do and I really stepped out of my normal comfort zone and tried new things for this guy but in the end I really enjoyed the finished piece. So much is going on in this novel I can't wait to hand it over to my readers. I only hope my writing meets their expectations. Going from a children's picture book series into a middle grade novel is quite a transition and it has been a long learning curve and exciting adventure! Enjoy meeting this guy while I race to finish his story.

Has it really been that long???

What an enjoyable weekend I had just painting my clown in my art studio by the pond.  I have to admit though, I had no idea how long it had been since posting to my sketchblog. Last May and the last posting I believe, I drew this clown. Since then, he has been written into my middle grade novel, which by the way is almost complete, and painted into a wonderful mixed-media piece. There is so much more to this piece and I will actually unveil it sometime this week. I plan to finish the entire work by Wednesday of this week so be sure to check back here to see the finished piece. The novel I have been working so hard on over the past year has inspired me to explore an entirely new genre of art which will also be explained in more detail just as soon as I figure out the details. I have so many wonderful ideas floating - no, more like flying - around my brain right now I can hardly keep up! Its exciting and exhausting at the same time. But just like any proper artist, I cave to my creativity and explore all of my ideas as my 'domestic' life falls apart around me. It's a good thing I have such supporting children who have learned to accept that the kitchen can sometimes become an art studio and that dinner can be fun eating picnic-style on the living room floor! My lovely boyfriend also has a world of patience with me as I get lost in my work and refuse to leave the house for an entire weekend. My family is not only understanding of my creative "condition" but they actually encourage me to paint and write  and are excited to see the next piece. I have to say I have been blessed.

My Evil Clown

My latest creation for my novel. I used my big drawing pad for this one too and I have to say, I love the 'kraft' paper look of it. It looks dirty and will fit right in with my 'trashy' novel. You will see where I am going with this soon don't worry ;)

I finally used real drawing pencils to shade and I found it is much easier. The set I used are called Mars Lumograph by Staedtler. There are 12 of them - 6B 5B 4B 3B 2B B HB F H 2H 3H 4H. I never realized what a difference the hardness of the graphite makes. I love it when I pick up a product that has been around forever and finally use it then say WOW at the potential it unlocks for me. It's one of those a-ha moments. I will continue to upload artwork from my 'trashy' novel. Hoping for some feedback though! Any silent lurkers out there please feel free to comment. I share with you to hear your opinions. Thanks for helping me out!

Erin

Today I learn to use a text editor named blogo...

I am posting to my blog tonight from a text editor on my desktop. Trying to see if its worth doing it this way or not. let me grab a picture I've drawn just to see how it goes up from here. This is a digital image I reworked for my lilycopublishing blog. I am publishing a new book this year and a couple next year so I am getting my company in order. Like the design?

Moving to an apartment...

Its been a long time since I posted - I just moved into a great new apartment with my family. I really needed to downsize. An entire house was way too much for me to keep up with - I mean really - I don't want to spend my days cleaning an entire house instead of drawing!

My new place has this wonderful view of a rushing river. With all the rain I have been watching the water rise and become more active. My drawing desk and art easel now face that beautiful view and if I open the window just a tiny bit I can hear the water running downstream. It is perfect.

Now the move is almost complete and I can get back to the work I love ... drawing, painting, and writing.

Keep your eyes out for my newest creations, they will be posted VERY soon!

Again, thanks so much for following my sketchblog.

Erin Whalen

Spring bug in the air

Hello peoples... so happy to say the spring bug is hitting Rhode Island. It has been a long winter! 60 degress today - I saw people outside with their rakes enjoying the day. Not me, I took my sketchbook outside instead of yard tools ;) ........

Sketches

Here is a sketch from my big sketchbook. I love this new sketchbook. It is nice and big 12 x15 I think with natural brown color paper. Fits great on my lap and is very sturdy hardcover that feels like a lap desk. This sketch here is rough right now but thought it would be good to post something because yes, it has been a while since my last post. 

Newest work...

Here is my newest mixed media. The joker representing the state of mind in America today. It seems like we are playing a game with our money in the government and soon it will be all play money. Who knows what is to come. What I do know is I am really enjoying this guy. I tried a new thing with this painting, I burnt some of the edges around the artwork underneath to create a dirty look. Let me know what you think!