the final is done

Pin It Now!   Over last weekend I was able to get this one done:)  Once the face finally started working for me, it all finished up fine.  Not sure what to call it since it's not from a real story.  I'd love any suggestions.  This one is horizontal so it could be a wraparound cover (did I already explain that?)  Now I'm looking forward to getting going on the next one.  It's only in the thumbnailing stage right now though.

  In other news, I'm looking forward to attending Illustrator's Day coming up in November.  It's an SCBWI annual event for SoCal.  They always get some great speakers and I can get my portfolio reviewed by an industry professional--intimidating but exciting:)  I just wish my portfolio was a little more consistent, but I'm in this in-between stage while I'm creating this new series of covers.  I'm really working hard to let it "flow" on these covers I'm creating this year (I think that's oxymoronic somehow :).  Anyway, I tend to get overly self-critical when I work on my art and sometimes forget to ENJOY myself in this creative process.  It really works better when I can manage to find that "zone" where I relax and just let the illustration process flow without too much constant analysis!  That's the trick, isn't it :)