Explore the magic of Easter with our enchanting Easter Bunny Story. Immerse yourself in a delightful tale filled with joy and surprises.
絵本作家いぬいさえこのWebサイト。近著にメッセージ絵本『きみのことがだいすき』『きみのそばにいるよ』（パイ・インターナショナル）。「絵でこころに寄り添うこと」を大切に、小さな生きものたちの絵をお届けしています。
Sometimes when I think I want to draw I'll find myself doing absolutely everything I can think of to put off the moment of starting to work. I make another cup of tea. I find a telephone call that must be made, a letter or an email that must be answered. I sharpen pencils. I look at the plant on the windowsill and decide that this is just the time to water it, or fertilize it, or prune it. Maybe it's even time to repot it. So I hunt for the houseplant book or search online where it says severely that this kind of plant enjoys being pot-bound and should never be repotted. Then I might turn to the jars of brushes and pens on my drawing table, and find that some of the pens are drying out, so of course those must be sorted out.. Far too often I find a book to read until it's time to do some other practical task - like making dinner. The drawing has been put off to another day, days that have added up to weeks this winter. A week or so ago I came across the relatively recent illustrations Inga Moore made for 'The Wind in the Willows'. Her work isn't too easy to find online since she has no web page and tends to be reclusive. I did find a very well written article about her here. According to reviews I've read of it the book has been seriously abridged but I'm thinking of buying a copy for the 100+ illustrations. I can always read the unabridged book we have here while I look at her pictures. I may just give up sharpening my pencils for good.. or maybe not. The reward of art is in being able to spend time in that world apart from the world we know. ♡
In this week's blog we bring you marvelous 1:12 scale art dolls, fantasy figures and fairies, leather accessories, dummy board figures, and more. Carla Gaustad has been a dealer at Good Sam for more than twenty years. She specializes in unique handcrafted miniatures by the finest international artisans of our day. The photos below are of pieces that Carla has brought to the show in years past. Be sure to stop by her table in the fall to see what's new. [email protected] Elaborately costumed aristocratic French ladies (1750-1795). The royal wedding couple. Handcrafted dollies and standing screen. 1940s Hollywood lady in white satin gown by Janet Middlebrook. Lady Sheep in beige lace and Lady Mouse in white lace. Badger, Mole and Ratty from "Wind in the Willows" (1908) by Annie Willis of Fine Design, England.
Artist Chris Dunn
Ah, Redwall. Where various species of bipedal animals eat copious amounts of food. Seriously, there's like a feast and banquet i...
絵本作家いぬいさえこのWebサイト。近著にメッセージ絵本『きみのことがだいすき』『きみのそばにいるよ』（パイ・インターナショナル）。「絵でこころに寄り添うこと」を大切に、小さな生きものたちの絵をお届けしています。
I feel like I'm blowng the dust off this blog, polishing my spectacles, and thumbing through its pages to see where I last posted... December 2020?!!! Oh dear. In explanation I use this blog to post my thoughts and process on painting, and Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for promotion. Over the last year and a half I've been so busy, I've barely been able to look around and post something meaningful, until now. As part of my Kickstarter campaign to gather pre-orders for my fully illustrated edition of 'The Wind in the Willows' (take a look), I have been creating 15 small watercolours for those lucky backers who snapped them up in the first few days of the Kickstarter launch. I also managed to make a time lapse video painting Ratty, start to finish. Many people ask me about my technique, hopefully this video will give you some pointers. At the beginning I start with my basic linework (which has been slightly erased with a putty rubber). Then I add an underpainting of cobalt blue and cadmium red mixed together. Those colours create a dull violet, perfect for cast shadows on a warm day (complimentary to yellow ochre). Once the underpainting is dry enough, I add local colours and then start to build up deeper tones and details all over. Lots of work is required on the fur to give Ratty a nice texture, but I have to be careful not to overwork his shirt and trousers, which is easy to do with transparent watercolour. The red chequer for the basket liner is left until last, because I want to build up all the tonal values first and then let it influence the layer of red watercolour. I do this with all patterned fabrics. Here are the other character paintings, all taken from scenes in the book:
'The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home'. This is the well known opening line from Kenneth Grahame's 'The Wind in the Willows'. First published in 1908 it is now a much loved children's classic. In my last blog post I promised to tell you more about the book that is wonderfully illustrated by Inga Moore. The book begins with the Mole painting his ceiling. After a while he grows tired and throws down his brush. There is a hint of spring in the air so he scrambles up his dark tunnel and out into the fresh spring air. Without further thought the Mole heads off into the countryside. Eventually he reaches a meandering river and beside it sits a snug little dwelling-place. This is the home of the Water Rat and the two animals quickly become friends and enjoy a happy summer together fishing and having adventures up and down the riverbank. One of their acquaintances is Mr Toad (we'll see more of him later!) As days grow shorter and winter approaches the Mole grows restless and foolishly ventures alone into the Wild Wood. His mission is to find the home of the much respected but elusive Mr Badger. But he soon becomes lost and very frightened and is eventually rescued by his friend the Rat. The two head for home but the snow falls thicker and faster and it is soon evident that they have lost their way. Suddenly the Mole stumbles on an object that is protruding from the snow. It is a door scraper and of course where there's a door scraper there must be door. So the two exhausted animals start to scrape away the snow and soon find a bell-pull. After ringing the bell they wait patiently and eventually hear distant footsteps from inside. The door slowly opens and there stands Mr Badger. He invites them inside, bathes the cut on the Mole's leg, gives them a hearty meal and then gives them both a cosy bed for the night. The following morning the friends find two hungry hedgehogs sitting at the table eating bowls of porridge given to them by the kindly Badger. With Christmas approaching it is time to return to the Riverbank. They pass through snowy villages and cross freezing fields. On the way the Mole calls at his old home and although a humble dwelling they spend some time there and enjoy Christmas carol singing in the company of little field mice. The story starts quite gently but then it continues apace with lots of adventures for the Riverbank folk. Mr Toad is the centre of everyone's attention. He steals a car, drives it recklessly and is caught by the police. To escape from prison he dresses as a washer-woman and is again pursued by the police. And so the Toad's adventures continue. Whilst the foolish animal has been away his grand house 'Toad Hall' has been taken over by weasels, stoats and ferrets from the Wild Wood. It is thought the Toad might have lost his house for ever but with Mr Badger's expert knowledge of underground tunnels the four friends are able to enter the house undetected and they pounce upon the unsuspecting weasels who are holding a party. The mighty Badger with whiskers bristling waves his great cudgel and rushes towards the ferrets at the dining table. With noisy whoops and shrieks the Rat, the Mole and Mr Toad join the attack and the terrified ferrets make their escape. In five minutes the room is cleared and through the broken window panes the shrieks of the escaping intruders can be clearly heard. At long last the friends can dine with the now (hopefully) reformed Mr Toad, who is happy to be back in his much loved ancestral home. If you are familiar with 'The Wind in the Willows' you will know that I have only covered a small part of this much loved story. My main aim of this post was was to show you some of Inga Moore's superbly evocative illustrations. This is a large book measuring 29cm x 21cm. In full colour throughout there are almost 100 illustrations on the 182 pages. It is essentially a book for children but will appeal to all ages. I should point out that the original text by Grahame has been abridged in places to allow for the many illustrations. A children's classic beautifully illustrated by Inga Moore.
Two lovely vintage children's books written by the Danish-American writer Else Holmelund Minarik. The illustrations are by Maurice Sendak, who's most famous for his book 'Where the wild things are'.
from the book: "Little fur Family"
Jake's voice has a different sound. Other critters won't come around. But he is sweet and only wants to play. Will others start to see him that way? Follow Jake, a sweet, kind, and misunderstood dog as he tries to make friends despite his differences.Meet critters of all kinds while getting to know Jake. Jake loves to swim, hike, and play, but when he realizes he's lonely a true friend comes to his aid. Soon others find friendship and understanding filling this tale with heart and hope. Looking for books about Diversity & Friendship? Jake the Growling Dog is fun-loving tale about kindness, acceptance, friendship, and diversity. Author and licensed school counselor, Samantha Shannon, and Illustrator and art educator, Kerrie Joyce, spotlight Jake, who is different the other dogs and critters. With a little help and understanding, the others learn to love Jake despite his differences. This timely story is packed with tons of fun, while also educating our little ones about friendship and how to be kind to others. Includes a loving kindness and mindfulness activity for families, counselors, and schools Along with Jake's story, this picture book also includes a loving-kindness activity to promote character education, mindfulness, and gratitude. The activity is for families, schools, and counselors to reduce stress and bring families closer together while encouraging acts of kindness, forgiveness, and gratitude.A Positive Story to Promote EmpathyJake's story encourages children to be kind, to find the good in all things and the power of gratitude, and to accept others who are different from them in a subtle, sweet, and impactful way. Product DetailsISBN-13: 9780998405377 Media Type: Hardcover Publisher: Rawlings Books LLC Publication Date: 05-19-2019 Pages: 32 Product Dimensions: 8.50h x 8.50w x 0.25d Age Range: 4 - 11 Years Series: Jake the Growling DogAbout the Author Shannon, Samantha: - Samantha Shannon is a best-selling author and licensed educational counselor who uses her educational background, love for nature, and experience aiding in the emotional social development of children to create fun and impactful books. Samantha has also published multiple books under her pen name, Parker Sinclair, in the fantasy and YA genres. Visit: parkersinclair.net & jakethegrowlingdog.com for more information or find all books on Amazon and IngramSpark. Samantha's love for creatures great and small has led her to incorporate animals in all of the books, from eagles to cheetahs! Throughout her life, Samantha's family has always included a dog, and they've always been more than pets. They were fur-brothers, sisters, and babies. When Samantha had her first child in 2009, she wanted to write a picture book based on her sister's dog, Jake. While visiting her sister in the Pacific Northwest, Samantha realized that Jake growled all the time. He growled while playing frisbee, getting an ear rub, running, and even when he was sleeping! Despite his unusual choice of noisemaking, Jake is a sweet dog, which makes him the perfect character for a children's picture book. With Samantha's background in educational counseling, Jake's first story includes a character education & loving-kindness activity for families, schools, & counselors. Jake's story speaks to all of us about accepting, and appreciating, the differences in others--both caring attitudes we need in our diverse and beautiful world.
Illustration by Chris Dunn
image size 5×7 inches watercolor on paper unframed
