Illustrating with boundaries

October 4, 2012By Alice Ratterree

This past weekend, SCBWI Carolinas celebrated their 20th annual conference in Charlotte, NC. I love returning to the well. Inspiring keynotes and energizing breakouts filled our time for three whole days! Illustrators arrived early on Friday for an intensive session with the charming illustrator Priscilla Burris. We were given an assignment ahead of time which was: Characters … Read More

The two faces of Fear in artmaking

September 18, 2012By Alice Ratterree

A tip of the day from Art and Fear, by David Bayles and Ted Orland: “Fears about artmaking fall into two families: fears about yourself, and fears about your reception by others. In a general way, fears about yourself prevent you from doing your best work, while fears about your reception by others prevent you … Read More

P3: Month 1 retrospection

September 15, 2012By Alice Ratterree

Accountability drives the commitment to blogging daily practice. With accountability, I’m driven to make sure the Petite Painting Project keeps moving forward. After all, it’s OUT THERE, not just in my own world….PUBLIC. So here’s the honest truth: I confess and accept that I am human, and P3 will fall by the wayside from time … Read More

Freelancing: What’s in it for me?

September 7, 2012By Alice Ratterree

There are plenty of resources out there about how to put a price tag on our work. Some metric is lying around out there that perfectly calculates time spent on a project, education and training, taxes (eek!), and just good old fashioned supply and demand (although the truth is, as illustrators, we all offer something completely … Read More

Materials

August 29, 2012By Alice Ratterree

Materials, from Art and Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland “The materials of art, like the thumbnail sketch, seduce us with their potential. The texture of the paper, the smell of the paint, the weight of the stone – all cast hints and innuendoes, beckoning our fantasies…But where materials have potential, they also have … Read More

Doodle + Final

April 30, 2012By Alice Ratterree

This is just a doodle I created for my old blogger address as a visual to tell people that I am  now located here at aliceink.com. It was only meant to stay a rough, but I decided to flesh it out into a final spot art piece and submit it to SCBWI’s art spot column. I … Read More