JEN KELLER ART

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!

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!