Sunday, February 27, 2011

Little Seed is 2!


The month of February marks Little Seed's second year - hurray! Thank you everyone for all your visits and encouraging comments...they make everything much more worthwhile!

Thank you!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Inspiration from: Children's Books

I recently began taking a children's illustration class at Art Center's night program, and though it's only the second week, I'm fascinated and inspired by all the children's books we're looking at. When I was a kid, I saw the illustrations, and either liked it/not - but seeing those same books again, and considering the technique, composition, design and style - I'm AMAZED!

Here are a few authors & illustrators that I found particularly inspiring:

The Wump World, Bill Peet
A favorite as a child, and the story's message still resonates as strongly. Love how Bill Peet creates his own creatures (love the little wumps!) or takes an ordinary animal and makes it extraordinary (The Whingdingdilly, The Spooky Tail of Prewitt Peacock).

The Octonauts, Meomi
Been a fan of Meomi for a while now, so of course I love their book. Though I'm more into hand-drawn styles using traditional mediums, the digital vector art in The Octonauts works so wonderfully. See more of Meomi's work on their website, and pet their narwhal.

William Joyce
Had the privilege of seeing his original illustrations at "The World of William Joyce" exhibit. The detail, clean renderings and near perfection of his work is simultaneously intimidating and inspiring.

Chris Van Allsburg
He has the amazing ability to turn the fantastic into reality with his photo-realistic renderings. Some of his published works include Jumanji and The Polar Express.

The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein
Admire his simple lines, minimal use of color and of course the story that has so much heart!

The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was not a trained illustrator (was an aviator), but his simple drawings convey so much personality and his words so much depth.


Now, what kind of children's book should Little Seed create? I have three ideas so far:
1. Extended Colors story that teaches children basic color theory
2. A collection of related stories (Rocco, Grady, etc.)
3. Set of mini books, each containing a Little Seed story

I need to have a dummy/mock-up by next class, so if there's an idea you like, please let me know!

Friday, February 11, 2011

Little Seed Valentines


With Valentine's Day approaching, Little Seed would like to give everyone free valentines! Just download, print (for best results, use off-white cover stock/card stock paper), cut, and share!

Download the PDF here

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Love is...

Love is...

This month's story, Love is..., is based on 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, which tells us what love is and how we should love.


Full story coming soon!