Kickstarting Ellen and the Winter Wolves was quite the exhausting undertaking, so getting the last supporters’ book in the mail was a relief. I’m really happy with how the book turned out and how it was received (people either liked it or refrained from telling me they didn’t), but after five months of all things Ellen, I’m excited to move on to other projects. (In case you missed the Kickstarter and wish you hadn’t, Ellen and the Winter Wolves is available in the Rabbit Room Store.)
I hadn’t painted much since September, so after the Kickstarter responsibilities ran their course, I started a new piece. It’s so good to paint again! It’s called Cloak of Feathers and Leaves and is 30”x40” so it’ll take a while to finish. Here are some of the leaves that I’ve been working on this week. I look forward to sharing the finished painting with you all.
Another project that I’ve begun is a picture book collaboration with Doug McKelvey. He’s written a beautiful little story called The Wishes of the Fish King, which means (among other things) I’m painting fish for the first time in my life. Here are some sketches that I’ve worked up.
I really love this story. When Doug first emailed it to me I read it five or six times, transfixed by the imagery. I can’t wait to wade into the illustrations. We’re planning on crowdfunding it sometime in the spring, so keep an eye out for updates and the finished image of the Fish King.