Explore Native Americans - Intro & Chapter One

I just finished my first batch of black & white pieces for the new book in the EXPLORE! series with Nomad Press about Native Americans. I have to say the one thing I'm loving about working in educational illustration is the fact that I'm actually learning, too! This first batch includes the title page, the introduction and first chapter about the Northeast Woodland Native Americans.

Every bit of this subject is so interesting I find myself diving so far into the research end of the process that it's hard to come back out!

So here's a little taste of the more than 20 illustrations I've done so far for the book. The art director had mentioned they really liked the black & white line work on my website, but the book called for a greyscale look. Since I prefer painting over working digitally, I just added a little shading with some light washes to create the needed look.

This is only the beginning...there are 5 more chapters to go!

Somebody to Love...

This is a little piece I just did for a private bridal client's Save-the-Dates. The wedding will be taking place in a city park in July - so we thought a little squirrel love would give just the hint of summertime fun the bride was looking for!

Here's hoping everyone has someone special in their life - be it friends, family, or their very own special squirrel. :-) Happy Valentine's Day!

Explore Native Americans!

Here's a sneak peak of a few images featured on the cover of a new title in the Explore Series I'm working on with Nomad Press. I find Native American culture fascinating and I'm very excited to be working on a book to help educate kids about it!

This work is a little different than my normal color work due to the requirements of the series, but it was fun to experiment more with digital illustration!

A New Look!

I thought I'd freshen up the old blog as a good start to 2012 with a few new illustrations and a whole new look! Enjoy!

A little fun fact: Everything I have in my avatar is actually in my studio! (and YES - that is Dogs Playing Poker behind me!!) :-)

Goodbye 2011: The Year of the Sketchbook

Saying goodbye to 2011 I thought I'd take a moment to reflect upon the artist's diary: The Sketchbook! One thing I tried to do this year was always have a sketchbook with me to enhance my life drawing. I know a lot of artists have that one special book that goes with them everywhere. I do love shopping, so I'm always a sucker for a new sketchbook. It's one of my favorite accessories! So... I have A LOT of different books that I trade in and out with me depending on where I'm going, what I'm doing, and of course, what bag I'm carrying.

When I travel for specific sketch trips (like the zoo or nature centers) I have a little bag with a lot of different medium ranging from watercolor pencils, to pens, to a variety of pencils. However in my everyday purses I try to limit those pieces in order to save room, and also to challenge myself. I thought it would be fun to reflect upon my "year of life drawing" beyond the exotic animals I tend to post, and just take a small peak at the everyday life sketches I've gathered. (Remember - to see the sketchbook sample pages larger click on them! You can even enlarge them more with the magnify glass tool if it's available!)

I love to look at people and try to sneak a peak at who they are, what they're doing and where they are. This is tricky because those pesky buggers tend to move as much as the animals! Especially if they feel like you are looking at them. I like using the micron pen for people because I can get an impression really quickly, and work on my stylization as well. I also like wearing sunglasses because then you can't tell that I'm staring at you! (mwah ha ha!)

The one thing I don't do a lot, but I am trying to get better at, is sketching environments & scenery. I'm finding that an environment can tell a story just as well and the characters in it. I have no real medium preference for this, but this year I tended to lean towards pen & marker a little more (again - light and small and easy to take to the park) Here's a small sample of a few environments that made impressions on me this year.

Last (but never least) are my animals. Outside of the zoo, I'm left to render and work on my two favorite animals - dogs and horses. I've starting to take up riding again, and I realized that just like practicing my posting and cantering, in order to be good at drawing horses I needed to practice drawing them as well! Nothing beats observing and drawing from life when it comes to this. And dogs, well... I can never get tired of drawing those guys. My final farewell to 2011 I leave you with a sampling of the domesticated animals roaming in my sketchbook.

Here's to more sketchbooks, more sketches, and more fun in 2012!

A Gift for the Holidays

"It isn't the size of the gift that matters, but the size of the heart that gives it."

--Eileen Elias Freeman (from The Angels' Little Instruction Book)

My horse character was so moved by the farm dog bringing a carrot to him, that he had to reciprocate the act. (Or perhaps I fell so madly in love with these new characters in my head that I couldn't leave them for one illustration alone!)

Here's hoping everyone has a wonderful holiday season with an endless supply of tennis balls, carrots, and love for all the characters in your heads and in your lives. :-)

JenKellerArt Cards: Open for Business!

I'm happy to announce the re-opening of my Etsy Shop and introducing my first set of Holiday Cards for sale! Last year, my holiday promotional postcard got such a positive reaction from dog lovers, I decided to create two different cards stemming from the artwork.

My first card features the Canine Carolers! This is a full color greeting card with a simple but fun greeting inside (Happy Howl-i-days!). Some of my "fans" might recognize a few of those canine faces!

The second card is a smaller and a more simple card. Designed to be a little more subdued, it's printed on textured heavyweight paper to echo the graphite sketch feel of the artwork. This one also has a special greeting on the inside! I think it would be a great little gift card for your canine's holiday presents or the dog lover in the family.

If you live in the Bay Area, some of these cards will also be for sale at the Palo Alto Humane Society's Art Gallery in Menlo Park (Peninsula/South Bay) and at Dog Bone Alley Pet Boutique in Alameda (East Bay). They have also been sponsored on one of my favorite dog blogs: Dog Art Today! As my card collection grows I hope the locations will grow, too...

In addition to my Holiday Cards, I am still offering custom artwork for weddings, showers, save-the-dates, and other occasions as requested. Check out my Etsy Shop for more information!