One of my goals for 2019 is to make some significant progress on my children's books and illustrations. So, as a professional step, I have just (yesterday!) joined the Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). I have put off this decision because I thought I wouldn't have enough…
When you only have little talent or responsibility, you might look up to someone who has more. You might feel jealous or unhappy, thinking that a "next level" would make you more successful in some way. I'm not a super-famous artist (yet), but even now I can tell you that…
Act I: The Adventure begins I was driving back to school on the highway. It was a Monday afternoon, and it was an easy ride. Nothing special, apart from an insignificant drizzle. When suddenly, the windshield wipers decided to start an arm wrestling competition with me as their captive audience.…
I told you about the steps I go through to write stories. Idea, Brainstorming, Outline, First Draft, Editing. And I'm not "done", sure enough, I will have to do some more edits eventually. But I think the story is ready to share with you. Tell me what you think, or…
I am writing a new children's story called "Gary's Noodles". I first went from the basic idea to an "outline". Here's what I did next: Step 4: First Draft When you have a rough idea where you are going with your story, you can start actually writing. Some people swear…
I like to teach. I like to write. And I like meeting family and new people. But doing all these things in one weekend is a lot of work. Now, I am resting from the events of the past 2 days. Visiting my parents. Greeting my brother who was in…
I told you in the last post that I wanted to write a new children's story. And just for fun, I thought I could show my writing process. This is obviously not the only way to write, but it's based on research from writing vlogs, articles and personal experience. Step…
I will start school this coming week. It's already my 3rd year at seminary. Time flies! That means learning for school. Less time for art. But I will try to continue with the anatomy courses and teach a handful of workshops. I also am starting to write a new children's…
Coming Up: I will get to teach an art workshop on Saturday! There are 14 people signed up, and the topic is "creativity in the church": We will learn that everybody is creative in some way because we are made in the image of a creative God. Creativity is applicable…
I would like to take the opportunity to recap the year, and thank those of you who followed along with me. Thank you to everyone who supports me, in what ever way. Everyone who comments, likes and shares my work, online or in real life, that really means something to…
Today I went to a critique group for children's book authors/illustrators in Stuttgart for the first time. I had connected to them via facebook and was excited for the day ahead. I had bought the train ticket, made sure I was at the station early and that I had everything…
I am working on a project about a girl in Vietnam. She's the girl in the green shirt, and the current illustration shows her family pictures. I am simultaneously trying to finish up the illustrations for my story "When you get Yourself a Dinosaur". My goal is to finish them…
I started my studies in theology a couple of weeks ago. The classes are really interesting and I already have some great new friends. But I also am keeping up the art side of things, even if I'd like to do more. Here are some updates: The Kasperle mask turned…
To summon up last week: I was in Bavaria for 5 days on a retreat (Monday-Friday), and moved to Ewersbach in Hessen on Saturday. The reasons for this are that I am now a theology student, and the school is in the little town of Ewersbach. The retreat was a…
I started sketching for my story "Chasing Chickens", getting some ideas in for the main characters. The chickens are loose! But why, what do they want, and how do you get them back to the farm? After chasing the chickens all over town, it turns out they're on strike! When…