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Painting the day away + SDCC

I’m working on a soon to be announced picture book. It’s my first time making a book with watercolor, ink and color pencil. It’s simultaneously exciting and terrifying.

It’s also meditative. Calming. I sit away from a screen, in front of a window where squirrels and birds frolic among the trees. I sometimes lose myself in a pattern or color mixing and forget to eat. I forget the hour. I’m consumed by making art.

I make a lot of mistakes. I smear ink, paint inside the lines and it’s less polished. Those mistakes could be fixed on a digital page. But there’s a charm in it. In a painting, minor mistakes add life and warmth.

As I paint, I allow my mind to wander, resettle and focus. Writing, drawing, promoting and earning a living wage as an author is hard. I plan my work years in advance. I often feel that my schedule and demands are non-stop.

But making this book with a brush in hand feels decadent.

And I am full of gratitude.

Speaking of non-stop schedules, I will be at San Diego Comicon this weekend promoting Super Boba Café! My panels and ARC signings are below.

After Comicon I am away for most of August so I won’t update for a long stretch. I’ll be back in Sept with more.

Until then, happy summer!

What will my story be COVER

What Will My Story Be?

I’m happy to share the cover of my forthcoming debut written and illustrated picture book, What will my story be? It’s about a girl who’s inspired to pursue her own storytelling because of her aunties. Each auntie comes from a different place in the world and contributes to the girl’s sense of wonder and creativity. It’s a poem honoring the relationship of our chosen families and their impact on our hopes and dreams. It will be out this October and is now available for pre-order.

I hope you and yours are safe.

Kong and Me

Kong and Me

My picture book, KONG AND ME, written by Kiki Thorpe, releases soon (March 30th)!

I love work where I can grow and this book was definitely a joy to make. You can pre-order now. Thank you, always, for your support.

I hope you’re warm and safe.

Homeschool

It’s a little wild around here!

I am excited to share some good news – my picture book deal with Viking Children’s books has been announced. WHAT WILL MY STORY BE? will be my debut as a picture book author AND illustrator. I cannot wait to share this story about fostering creativity and storytelling in a young brown girl’s world and the importances of chosen families. 2021 cannot come soon enough (for multiple reasons!)

Also, I wanted to share my podcast conversation with my former art teacher and amazing artist, John Wentz. If you want to hear about my early career pursuing a stubborn dream with zero skills and connections, have a listen.

Stay safe and well, everyone!

If you can, please shop to support or send $ to paypal.me/EverydayLoveArt 

Thank you!

a fierce thanks

Thank you to the folks who’ve sent me messages and shared I will be Fierce with kids. Illustrating this book was a huge challenge as the text is powerful but not clearly visual. I revised sketches many times in order to match Bea Birdsong’s words with a strong visual story about a girl facing the challenges of her day. The positive response makes it worth it!

Here are some interior spreads – the librarian is based off my kid’s favorite story time librarian!

Thank you and I hope you have a lovely week!

i will be fierce + more

The cover for our forthcoming picture book, I WILL BE FIERCE, written by Bea Birdsong and illustrated by me is out! The book will be available May 2019.

Meanwhile my schedule for New York Comicon is shaping up, I will be speaking on a few panels as well as participating in a stellar group signing at Books of Wonder on Friday October 5th. I will be with Luke Pearson, Kazu Kibuishi, Molly Ostertag and many more. Find all the details here.

And lastly I’m happy to share that we’ve added all over print pillows and totes to the site! They’re great quality and made in the USA.

I hope you have a great week!