JEN KELLER ART

Memorial Day holiday weekend always marks the end of spring and the beginning of summer! In order to celebrate the coming months I thought I'd share my most recent wedding invitation with custom artwork done for a private client. Wishing everyone a fantastic summer full of fun, love, and everything in between...!

So I was planning on doing a post this morning about some of my new work, but it just didn't seem right considering the events that have recently transpired.  Maurice Sendak, one of the most influential writer/illustrators of the childrens literature world, passed away today. Maurice Sendak: 1928 - 2012 I don't believe I need to list a catalogue of great things Maurice Sendak did, because if you are reading this you undoubtedly are already a fan, or at least know of his work.  Mr. Sendak was nothing if not cutting edge, dark, with a twist of lighthearted fun.  In a portfolio review I had at my first SCBWI conference a book designer from Simon & Schuster told me that elements of my work had a darkness to it.  She went on to say that Maurice Sendak had recently given a talk and believed that this was an element missing from current picture books. Children liked to be scared and know at the end that they will be okay.  I was so flattered by this...

This past weekend I was lucky enough to attend a horse clinic run by world class horseman and clinician, Buck Brannaman.  For anybody out there who hasn't heard of Buck, you should get yourself in front of a TV and watch the 2011 documentary made about him.  You don't have to be a horse lover to appreciate it, it's more about being human than anything.  Here's a little taste.... That being said - I'm sure you're wondering - what does this have to do with your artwork? Well, I truly believe that inspiration comes from all sorts of different places and this week my inspiration happens to come from a cowboy and the four legged friends he helps.  I came to the clinic armed with my sketchpad and prismacolors - ready to tackle some animal life drawing and to continue to hone my equine drawing skills (along with absorbing as much horseman knowledge that I could).  I love horses and have been riding for awhile, but I'...

Wow! I can't believe it's been more than a month since my last post....! Time does certainly fly. Well, despite the fact that I haven't posted lately, I have been staying out of trouble and keeping busy :-). In between deadlines for my current educational project and a few pieces for some private clients, I am also working on my writing. One of my motivational projects happens to include being a participant in the 12 x 12 in 2012 Project. Hosted by blogger, Julie Hedlund , the challenge is to complete a brand new picture book draft for each month of 2012. It's a little daunting, but there is a supportive Facebook Group with access to so much information my brain nearly explodes every time I log on! Along with my fabulous local critique group, this challenge has really kept me sharp and prevented me from letting all of those sparks and concepts from just fading into the sunset. In addition to this truly global project, I have given myself a personal goal - characte...

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!

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!