As most people know these last few years have been difficult ones, especially for those of us in the arts. Thanks to the generous support of the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County 2023 ARPA Independent Artist Grant I have been able to continue to do what I love, painting for a living! Thank you ACAAC! To discover more about the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County and the impact of the arts on Anne Arundel County, visit acaac.org
Page Street Kids revealed my newest book cover today!
This is the adorably funny picture book IF YOU EVER MEET A SKELETON by @rebeccaevansart, illustrated by @katrinartworks, on sale July 20, 2021!
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Skeletons might seem frightening, but if you look closer, there’s nothing much to fear. They can’t run fast, they’re terrible at hide-and-seek, and they’re scared of everything. When a group of trick-or-treaters runs into an actual skeleton on an enchanted Halloween night, they do whatever they can get away. But what does the skeleton really want? What if they’re just looking for a friend?
Today I’m excited to announce the release of “Is 2 A Lot?” written by Annie Watson, Illustrated by Rebecca Evans, Published by Tilbury House Publishers.
Two is not a lot of pennies, but it is a lot of smelly skunks. Ten is not a lot of popcorn pieces, but it is a lot of chomping dinosaurs. One thousand is not a lot of grains of sand, but it is a lot of hot air balloons!
While Joey’s mom explains the context of numbers in vivid ways, Joey’s imagination transforms their ordinary car ride into a magical odyssey through a land of make-believe.
Is Two a Lot? is a wonderfully charming and authentic exchange between mother and child. Annie Watson’s story makes numbers tangible, and Rebecca Evans’s illustrations bring them to life.full color
To purchase please click HERE
To read the excellent Kirkus review click HERE
For teacher and parent resources, lesson plans, coloring pages, crafts, please click HERE
I’m so excited to announce I’ve just joined forces with Essie White at Storm Literary. Essie is an amazing kind and hard-working woman and I count myself lucky to have her as my new Agent. I look forward to a wonderful relationship and hope we accomplish many great things together!
For all work inquiries please contact Essie White at Storm Literary stormliteraryagency@gmail.com
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators MD/DE/WV Region is hosting a Bookfair at Barnes & Noble this December!
Shop at Barnes & Noble, either in-store or online, between December 13 and December 20, and present them with our flyer or Bookfair ID number (12278941), and SCBWI MD/DE/WV will receive a portion of the sales.
Workshops and events for kids and families:
5-5:45 PM: Writing workshop for children and teens with Meg Eden, author (Post-High School Reality Quest)
5:45-6:30 PM: Illustration workshop for children and teens with Rebecca Evans, author/illustrator (Someday I’ll Fly, Friends in Fur Coats, The Shopkeeper’s Bear, The Good Things)
6:30-8 PM: Games with Authors: Play book bingo, pin the book on the shelf, crazy guessing games, and more with local authors:
Veronica Bartles (The Princess and the Frogs, Twelve Steps)
Barbara Carney-Coston (To the Copper Country)
Lulu Delacre (Olinguito from A to Z! Unveiling the Cloud Forest, Us, in Progress)
Leigh Goff (Bewitching Hannah, Disenchanted)
Kathy MacMillan (Sword and Verse, Little Hands and Big Hands)
Liz Reed (Sweet Competition)
Laura Shovan (The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary)
I thought you all might like to see some of my art process in fast-forward. Enjoy, and watch out for the sharks!
It’s a READ LOCAL Party for my book, SOMEDAY I’LL FLY (Red Engine Press)—come out and play! Celebrate the start of the Read Local Challenge, a reading incentive program for children featuring local authors and illustrators. Join us for crafts, snacks, and a presentation by Rebecca Evans, author of Someday I’ll Fly. View our event page for more details: https://www.aacpl.net/events/read-local-kick-party-101350
Who knows what may be lurking in the library shadows…
Recently my friend and fellow illustrator Alice Ratterree mentioned that she had begun a mentorship with the awe inspiring EB Lewis. She was enjoying the one-on-one class so much that I just had to check out what she was talking about. Mr. Lewis offers one-on-one tutoring sessions for a very reasonable fee and I right away snapped up the opportunity to work with a true master of watercolor. My experience with Mr. Lewis has been wonderful, I’m learning new things every week and I can’t wait to see what I learn next! Here’s a little taste of what we’re doing. Mr. Lewis saw my small black and white sketch of a boy and alligator and liked the drawing, he suggested we work on it and take it to a painting.
So, I painted it… and he didn’t really like my painting (that’s one thing I LOVE about Mr. Lewis, he doesn’t just tell me it’s good if it’s not, he tells me why he doesn’t like it and makes me do it over again). His critique, too flat, not enough depth, not looking at good enough resource…
He suggested I go back to the black and white, make some changes and try a fully rendered pencil drawing… so I did…
Then he suggested painting over my pencil, to see what happened. He liked this one better, but his critique was that there was a background and foreground but that there was no middle ground and he felt I was still just “coloring” with my watercolors. Plus the pencil muddied things up too much. As usual he was right.
Try number four, he liked it! Now there’s foreground, middle ground and background and I’m not just coloring with my paints, I’m using them as watercolors should be used!
Yay for EB Lewis and his wonderful mentor program. I’m continuing my work with him and can’t wait to see where I end up!