Trust me! It was just like birth'n a baby.
Wish I had the energy to say more about it other than "IT's HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I have to admit I am beaming like a proud mama. Just a bit.
I knew I couldn't fail myself again by not rising up to this year's challenge. I've watched from the sidelines for the last two. And, boy, did Tomie dePaola ever throw me for a loop. We had three titles to choose from: "The Yearling," "Little Women," and "Tom Sawyer." AND it had to be completed in black & white. (Have I told you that I stink at working with values?)
I picked the title I felt worked best with my personality and style - and wouldn't make me sob like a blubbering idiot when it came to selecting my passage. So - TOM SAWYER it was.
I had my thirteen year old dog-ear passages she thought met my next set of criteria: movement & humor.
As is my way I THOUGHT about composition a lot once the passage was selected. As I thought I worked on PiBoIdMo ideas during November, I had a crisis of style that month too. I wrote a mission statement and adamantly researched vintage/retro children's books to remind myself of what I loved most about illustrated picture books. I started do draw without references other than my own mind's eye...and I stopped apologizing about how I drew or wondering 'is this right?'
I honed my paint palette to vintage Sears paint colors, I winnowed my Photoshop brushes to only the few I used constantly, I OWNED my angled shapes, I started to doubt myself less, I started to HAVE FUN!!!!! I knew instantly when the composition didn't click and I began to make intuitive changes. I also allowed imperfect bobbles slide...
I may not win, but feel like I've already WON the biggest award of all...breaking through what has been holding me back - myself.
There are lots fantastic entries this year. Check them out at the Unofficial Gallery of the Tomie dePaola Award 2013
