It doesn't feel like we've had a proper summer here so far this year. When the sun does come out we have to make the most of the opportunity to enjoy the heat outside. Although I much prefer sunshine to rain, it has been a blessing to have bursts of rain a few days every week as that means we avoid droughts and water restrictions.

Because of the many earthquakes around Christchurch in the last year or so, some of the water reservoirs were damaged and the city's capacity for holding the necessary huge amounts of water for its population is limited. In the long run it's good that there we haven't had a long hot summer - that's what I tell myself anyway.

There was a few beautiful fine days last week and on one of them, I decided that the driveway could do with some bright designs and drawings. The rest of my siblings thought that was a great idea- they actually made it outside and started on their pictures before me!
Before long numerous colourful doodles and patterns appeared on the concrete. As the drawings progressed, quite a lot of the pastels we were using made their way onto the limbs and faces of the artists. Some of the boys were beginning to take on a distinctly blue tinge by the time we finished.

I was attracted to the fuchsia flowers that were growing in the garden alongside the driveway and attempted to draw one with oil pastels.

The others each created circular designs with chalk pastels. Here are some photos of the afternoon.

The new issue of The School Library (New Zealand online newsletter for schools across the country) has just come out. I've been waiting for this issue for a couple of months because I was hoping that it would review 'Custard and Carriages'. Back in October I sent a copy of the book to the reviewer of the newsletter and then just had to wait. Finally I received an attachment of the newest issue and yes! my book is in it. Check it out for yourself.

Those last two illustrations are proving to be very difficult. I've written out the text, and although it still needs changing and editing, I know the general direction of the story. But trying to finish the final pictures is hard. It's not that the process of drawing is the problem - it's figuring out how the illustration is going to look in the first place.
 The way I've worked with all the previous pictures, has been to find a photo that I want to use as a reference, then edit or crop the image until I'm happy with the composition and then start on drawing the illustration. I'm not good at working from my imagination - that's why it has been so wonderful for me to have access to a variety of family photos.

Sometimes I get to the point where I'm itching to start drawing but don't know what to produce when I sit down at the desk. That feeling was creeping up on me the other day.  I desperately wanted to play around with my pastels to create something, but still didn't know how to tackle those final illustrations. I was given a new set of pastels for Christmas and the bright new colours were tempting me to try them out.

Before I started I knew that it needed to be a quick drawing, full of colour and movement. Sketching a pain-stakingly detailed pencil portrait was just not going to work on this occassion. I found a photo in one of my DK children's books and clipped it onto my desk. It took me about three and a half hours spread over two or three days to complete the picture - for me that is fast!

 

When I look at this picture, I see all the places that aren't quite finished or could have been done better - but it captures the vibrancy and colour that I was after, so I'm pleased with it.Don't know if it will help me to attack those last remain illustrations though...

It was a busy day yesterday with several appointments at preschools to promote 'Custard and Carriages'. As I'm not naturally inclined towards public speaking or trying to talk up my product, I do get very nervous before these sort of meetings. But I made it to all the preschools on my list for the day and each person I talked with at the various centres was encouraging and was impressed with the book. It is such a boost to hear that people actually like it. Plus the managers of some of the centres gave me ideas for further promotion which I am very grateful for. Every little bit helps!

While the marketing side of things is beneficial and necessary, it does mean that the time I spend on my next book is limited. And, sometimes I just lack the motivation to sit down at the desk and draw. However, 10 of the illustrations for my second picture book are completed and number 11 is almost finished too. The text is still taking some time to work through. I know the general idea of how I want the story to unfold, but getting the exact words down on paper is the hard part. So far there have been about four attempts at writing the text each a little different from the last. I'm still not sure which version I like best or which one to work on further - but that's where a manuscript assessor is helpful!

Here are some of the photos that I'm using as references for the illustrations, plus my grandmother has sent me a stack of photos from her own albums for me to use.

 

 

Summer at the farm - awesome!!

SUMMER!!

One of the benefits of working from home is that I can arrange my schedule to include maximum outdoor enjoyment. This morning I was lying in the tent that is set up in our backyard, while I revised/edited my writing projects. Perfect spot!

Early last week - I forget which day - we all went out to a local fishing spot with several large ponds full of trout and salmon. Only children under the age of 17 are allowed to fish there, so I couldn't have a go. Instead I took a camera and explored the surrounding area. The day was particularly hot - towering trees shelter the grounds and bushes and other smaller shrubs grow up around the ponds, so there was barely a breath of wind.  While we were fishing, a number of other groups of young fishermen and women circulated around the lakes, but I didn't see anyone actually catching anything.
One of my brothers told me afterwards that the group who was fishing in the spot where we set up landed a fish just before he got his line in the water. Maybe they caught the only fish in that pond. Anyway, I enjoyed myself!

While reading a post by my friend Allie last night, I was reminded of something that has been on my mind for a while. Namely, that great writers don't tend to have fantastic lives. What's with that? Why were so many of them depressed or suicidal or mentally unstable? Is it a conditon of creativity that you must have a miserable life? I sure hope not.

Although I haven't actually read any of Elizabeth Gilbert's books, I've listened to a few of her talks via the internet. One of these talks (given at a TED conference) focused on this very issue of creative greatness equaling depression and misery. Her take on the topic was contrary to this assumption. She argued that one does not have to live in a state of despair for some sort of creativity to flow out of one's work. The TED website describes her 20min talk:  Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It is certainly worth watching.

Long time - no post. That's sort of what happens when I go on holiday... normal activities tend to fall by the wayside. We had a very quiet Christmas by our usual standards; Christmas lunch was a picnic in one of the local parks with some of our family from Christchurch. Mum and Dad were able to try out their brand new deck chairs at the park and they proved to be very popular. We need more! Two chairs don't go very far between 7-11 people! Here is my youngest brother practising with his Christmas present at the park.

A few days later, we all took off in different directions. My parents and three younger brothers travelled to the West Coast in order to do some maintenance work on our old house. I decided that didn't sound like much of a holiday, so instead I drove up to Nelson. The rest of the family joined me three days later and we had a wonderful time with family. While away, I tried my hand at sketching the side of a building (that sounds boring doesn't it?) from a photograph book that I borrowed from the library. I worked on it over most of the week and just managed to finish it before leaving for home.
Just as I'm posting this photo tonight, I've realised there is a bit of the drawing that isn't completed - how annoying.

The only real downside of the trip for me was that after spending most of an afternoon at Rabbit Island (popular local beach), I noticed that something had caused a red rash on my lower left leg. When I woke the next morning, there were two large swellings on my leg which made it difficult and painful for me to walk. They looked like bites of some sort, but I'm not entirely sure what they were - possibly an allergic reaction from some grass at the beach?
Anyway, as the day progressed the swelling seemed to get worse and every time I tried to stand up or shuffle along the floor, a painful tingling sensation would race through my leg. I ended up spending most of the day sitting on the couch with my red swollen leg resting on a chair and covered in wet flannels. With the aid of antihistamines, (which we eventually managed to track down even though it was a public holiday - long story) the swelling abated.
By the time we had to drive back home, two days later, the rash had reduced enough for me to travel comfortably, although it still itched something terrible. It's all back to normal now though. And no, I don't have any photos of my swollen leg - you will have to use your imagination!