Inking In and Other Updates

I’m left handed so I’m used to getting ink on my hand, but I don’t get much of that when I’m inking in a digital image.

What do I mean by inking in?

Inking to me means drawing over my messy pencil lines with, hopefully, smooth black lines. It’s kinda the difference between pencil drawings and comics. It’s important, but does take a lot longer then I usually expect.

So far, I like the way the images I’m working on are coming together.

 Photo Credit: RBolance via Compfight cc


Photo Credit: RBolance via Compfight cc

I’ve also been taking a blogging course called The Art of Blogging by a lady I’ve followed for a while, Alisa Burke. On a side note, her name is really said “Alyssa”, and here I’ve been saying it “A-lisa” for years and now it’s stuck. Oh well.

The course has been interesting, except for the deep questions about myself I’m supposed to ask. Like what do I want my blog’s purpose to be? I’ve never done very well with those sorts of things, or quizzes for that matter. I’m usually a little bit of everything.

The plus side of the course though is it’s got my mind working over time on ideas, including ways I can improve the pictures I take, because frankly — they could use a little help.

If you’re a blogger how did you decide what to consistently write about?

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Unplug that – Metal Thing!

Oh, my love/hate relationship with everything social media and electrical.

mustache-mac-decal

Sold on Etsy by TheManicMoose

I’m frankly a learning nut and love what I can discover and do online, but so often it takes over what I’m actually supposed to be doing. Which is why I’m now trying to consider a timer my best friend. I just can’t look at it. Then I feel the moments slipping away.

It didn’t feel like that as a kid. Time stretched out in front of me, and it felt like I had endless amounts of time to play or read, with an occasional movie. It was special for me to imagine and create worlds and stories, but I find the more I look at other stories — the more I’m inspired — but for some reason I take less time to write and create what my imagination comes up with.

I think that’s why this video by Random House that I found over at Alicia Padron’s blog connected with me.

It’s not just kids that need the reminder to unplug and play. How many times do I chill out in the evening over just one Youtube video — sorry that’s not even possible. Youtube videos are worse then potato chips.

How often? Way to much.

I think I need to go back to scheduling computer time instead of doing it all the time. That way I can have more time to imagine, which is why I love being a writer anyway.

Goal… find consistent time to unplug and imagine!

How do you find time to play/dream/imagine? Do you schedule it or work it in whenever you have a chance?

See ya next week!

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Picture Book Update

Well, next month my picture book is coming out and have I been learning a lot about self-publishing lately. I must say there’s more then I ever knew (or expected) to it. It’s been quite a learning experience, including having to redo my art a couple times.

Can anyone tell me why computers decide to randomly loose things?

Yeah, I know it might just be me, but i have to tell you that sometimes I think my computer’s hiding stuff on me.

Anyway. It’s all coming together amid writing, fixing,  and twiddling my thumbs while I wait for proofs somehow it’s all getting done.

peanuts-writing-is-hard-work

belongs to Charles Schultz

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When Self-Publishing Gets You Down

by mintyfresh

caption mine, photo by mintyfresh

Well, self publishing my picture book – which comes out later this month (Yay!) – has been an exercise in patience and has stretched my knowledge to the max. I’ll admit there were a couple times I wanted to pull my hair out, but in the end it’s been worth it.

Yes I’m still surprised I feel that way. But then it all comes back to how crazy I am about books. And that makes perfect sense.

So what do you do when you feel down about your writing or illustrating?

Watch this cute song by Sue Fliess — seriously it made my day that much better.  (Thanks Sue!)

Still down?

Then take a moment and watch Nathalie Lussier’s video on feeling like you should give up.

Feeling better? I hoped you would. That’s one of the best parts about the internet all of us who are in the same boat can connect — an knowing there are people working through the same things I am makes me feel a ton better.

By the way. I misspelled illustrating as luustrating and spell check wants to know if I meant strangulating — creepy how a program can guess how you feel when your computer keeps hanging up.

What helps most when you feel like quitting?

Picture from flickr by mintyfresh.

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