Sunday 16 December 2012

Illustration Friday : SNOW


























Piles of snow.. glowing lights.. two horses..  Taken from "The Gift of The Ladybug" book, written by Carole Amber 
and illustrated by me, on December last year..


Friday 14 December 2012

Illustration Friday : EXPLORE






































Alright... enjoy your time exploring my planet... but please behave yourselves or you won't get any pocket money!

Monday 3 December 2012

Illustration Friday : Stretch


Turtle and the monkey are stretching out to plant the banana trees on the back yard. Way to go guys!!

Sunday 18 November 2012

Sakadang Monyet and Sakadang Kuya at KL Children Festival 2012!


My panel at KL Children Festival 2012 at The University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur from 1st October to 6th  October 2012. First time attempt using acrylic base medium on wood panel...working a bit, uhm so slow....but hey, there's always a first time for everything!

IF ZOOM !


Wahoooo..!! Monkey and the Turtle are sliding down the hill on the dried palm leaf...

Friday 9 November 2012

Saturday 6 October 2012

Fun fact about Author and Illustrator



And what's the fun fact about the author and the illustrator? it's having fun!! Yay!!:D
Yeah, what can be more fun than sitting on the table discussing all pages of story and illos of the book we are working on.
Datin Rossiti actually is the first author and the project owner I met in person so far after last 8 books I've illustrated. Like I wanted so much to meet Carole Amber of " TheGift of The Ladybug" from Ohio US, the best way we can meet is on skype. Well, it can be considered as face to face, but through cyber world. And conversating through email with Alexander Zaslavski of "Emma and The Tooth Fairy" from NYC-US, so was with Rani Fitriani Ishak, Fani Aprina Ahmadi of " Wa Shulhu Khoir, Dan Berdamai itu Baik" from Bandung Indonesia. Meeting in person or through internet are great ways to discuss about the work in making children book since we can discuss and  communicate about the content and of how we want the book to be understood by the reader or the book it self to speak and stand. One different experience was in 1999, I have had illustrated  series of 5 books for a publishing house in Jakarta and i hardly met or chat with the author, but luckily the editor of the book has manage to substitutes for the author and to communicate the book.



When it is so ordinary...

As everybody has their own dreams, mine is to make my own books. I have been trying with positive energy to make some, but then they all just ended up stacked deep in my shelf, half finished.

"The naughty cats" 2010

"The strayed cats" 2011

"Pasar" 2011

"Turtle and the silly monkey" 2012

They look so ordinary... I need to find my signature identity...
But hey! Let's do it! That's the challenge my GURU, Bapak Yusof Gajah asked me to find! :D






Friday 5 October 2012

Emma and The Tooth Fairy at Amazon.com

When the accident happened


A big drop of masking fluid sloped on my almost ready painted illo. Yup! Where else the panic attacks if not came straight in to me! But right after my conscious is back, I realize that it's not worthed to panicked, that slob was not a biggie. Just peel it off gently after it was perfectly dried on all it's surface. In the process a little hint of water color came off as it stuck on the layer of dry masking fluid, but since 90% of the color still remain on the paper, so again it's not a biggie.


Come to think of it, actually it was kind of a fun interesting accident! ha!


And the day ended up gloriously like the scene of a cowboy galloping on his horse heading to the golden sun set...  THE END ;)

Friday 27 July 2012

Ngabuburit!



Ngabuburit = Waiting for break fasting time.
Back to my childhood time... when the western movie series "Bonanza" and "The Little House on The Prairie" were shown on TV. They inspire kids from places where you can still find banana trees around to play cowboys vs indians, along with horses and rifles made of banana leaves. It was one of many awesome games to play during the Ramadhan festive season!
You can make your own horse and rifle by following the instructions on the picture I made.... Enjoy! ;)

Wednesday 25 July 2012

"Keok"

Pasar 'Kopro' Jakarta back in the early 80's.. when mothers still had the privilege to get a 'real fresh' chicken, and children could found out from what creature does 'ayam goreng' come from.. "KEOK!"

Saturday 14 July 2012

Working with the Image palette

page 11-12
Exploring Bubble's under water world.
Bubble lives in a beautiful crystal clear pond, in an imaginary world. My first attempt coloring the last pages 19-20 failed (I am not kinda person working in order from first page to the last page in finishing stage :). It was frustrating trying to find the right image of the page, then ending up with me made the over do coloring, to the dull colors... 


So I tucked the dull 19-20 pages on the magnet board, leave it hanging for a while. And then for the first time in my illustrating work, I made the image palette, for Children Book. And you know what, it's wicked! :D
The image palette becomes a guide for me to grip the feeling of the page, and also as the color's guidance... it's simple and easy.


Well, actually working with the image board is not a new thing for me back then. I used to do the same method in my design jobs. And now I am happy to use the same method in illustrating children book!:)


The Image pictures for page 11-12




Tuesday 19 June 2012

Beautiful Bubble

Yes Bubble is a beautiful fish who is too proud and too vain, but in the end she turns to a beautiful fish inside and out. 
Bubble should be so cute, beautiful, one guppy that children will not forget, and who children couldn't resist to cuddle with.
And looking at my first drawing of Bubble, I don't think she's that different than any other guppies in the whole fresh water zone. It is just one ordinary guppy with heavy eyelash.. So, I went with  the 'so cute and so cuddly Bubble', like this one:

Isn't she cute!? I love this one!... but come to think of it, in her cuddly-cuteness she is not that breathtakingly beautiful...


Ahh... nah...not this one...
Hahahaha...she looks too naughty!
Yeah well, the search for the RIGHT Bubble still continues...

Guppy lives in the sea? oh please...XD




Okay, guppies are not salt water creature, they live happily in the fresh water... :D

Bubble The Beautiful Fish

New book project by Datin Rossiti Aishah Rashidi from Shah Alam Malaysia.
The story is about a beautiful guppy fish named Bubble.
Here's the book's review:


Don’t we all like to be praised? well, Bubble the beautiful fish is no exception. But sometimes, some of us think too much about our appearance. Looking into the mirror is something everyone likes to do but the true reflection of us is what we do and not how we look like. Let's see if Bubble realizes this in time to save her friendship with others who thought she’s just beautiful on the outside but is too proud and too vain.


Bubble is a resemblance of a beautiful guppy, who looks arrogant and with eyelashes. My first attempt to illustrate her just comes up with this image:


Following this illustration, Datin Rossiti made a little note saying that guppies live in the fresh water, so no corals should be added. 
Whoopsie Daisy!! hehe... *blush*

Saturday 16 June 2012

And happiness is...


Mirror mirror

Emma with a poem...:D



Swinging around

One illustration from Emma and The Tooth Fairy that goes well with one of the classic (my favorite) Indonesian children song. My mom used to sing this song when i was little, and now i sing this beautiful ryme song for my children. Love it!


Friday 15 June 2012

Tooth Fairy





Sometimes an idea just pops up instantly when i put a pencil on my hand. Like when i drew a sample character of Emma and the tooth fairy. I felt that it would be fun to dress them up with similar outfits. The fairy will mimic every fashion style of Emma's.




Alex loved the idea, but unfortunetely the tooth fairy just had a short visit to Emma. There is no chance of changing clothes sessions. So, after i had some chats with Alex, we decided just to change the fairy's outfit gradually. It started with the same pattern with Emma's pajamas and then it changed its style and color after every page. Quite fun i guess..:))

Thursday 14 June 2012

Emma and The Tooth Fairy

Beware for those who does not love brushing teeth! Your teeth will start
changing colors, from white to creamy, to yellow and then to black due to you not brushing, and ended up with having toothache like Emma...
But lucky to Emma, the tooth fairy appeared from Emma's wardrobe and gave her a chance and return her teeth but under condition that Emma will always brush her teeth...^_^





This children story book is a wonderful project of Alexader Zaslavsky from New York City USA.
His messege of this book is basically to promote brushing teeth to the little ones (age 3 to 6).
Alex said that he based the story on his daugthter. He wanted to help her realize that brushing teeth is important and need to give her a little push.
The idea of the story is that there is a pretty girl named Emma, who is very nice (everyone's princess!) but at times a bit naughty. But regardless, people love her. One thing that she does not like is brushing teeth. Following her ignorance of taking care of her teeth, naturally comes the teeth problems, which make her upset and cry. This is the time when the tooth fairy will appear from Emma's wardrobe and give her a chance and return her teeth but under the condition that Emma will always brush her teeth.






The ambience in Emma's bed room : PINKY feeling! ^_^
Why pink! haha... I've got so much influenced by my 3 years old daughter pinky color status. And Alex is okay with my picking color, so there it is now, Emma in pink bed room! fun!


One of the scene of page 11.
I put here Alex's suggestion for illustration on page 11:


On page 11, the fairy will tell Emma: “I can see why you are upset - you are no longer a princess!”
(Emma looking down to the floor, puddle of tears, illustrate fairy pointing at a “reminder bubble for Emma” with pretty Emma playing with family smiling at her. Fairy can have a somewhat stern look on her face. Evi, I will need your creative part here so that we do not stay in Emma room but move about. Perhaps we can view Emma from the back, walking down a long corridor of her house with the fairy hovering above her and pointing at the bubble. I am open to another setting of your choice that may better suit the plot in order to avoid repeating the same setting. Also as I mentioned above with your idea, fairy's clothes/colors should change)



 I have a concept that the communication between autor and illustrator is the important part of visual prosess in the making of children's book. Lucky me I've been working with some wonderful authors who give me a huge space to explore my creativity and for me to dig the ideas for the book. And that is one of the best part of making illustated book, for me.. ^_*

Vicious Bee!!

Hey!! What happened with this little bee's fingers??


Oh I c... 'somebody' tried to make this cute creature looks more vicious.... LOL!

FIRST LOOK session at The Asian Festifal of Children's Content AFCC

First Look-Illustration Critique Panel at AFCC Singapore 28 May 2012
My 6 illustrations among 42 others from 7 illustrators have been reviewed and commented on by a panel of international publishing experts.
Chaired by Kathleen Ahrens, International Regional Advisor Chair, SCBWI, Hongkong.





Being commented by these three represented critique panelists was a huge experience for me. 

Btw, in the evening after the SCBWI dinner, I had to go back to our hotel in Johor Baru. Crossing the Singapore-Malaysia border with pack of bags and sleeping Aruna (my 6 yo boy) on my shoulder while running like an idiot with my husband and our two other children trying to catch the bus back to Johor Baru was a real crazy experience that i don't recomend for anybody with children to do so.... but I kept smiling.... that's weird O_o.... but that's the spirit that I got from that wonderful First Look session!!! waahooo...!!!XD

The Critique Panelists:
Leonard Marcus, Historian & Critic, USA.
Sayoni Basu, Duckbill Books, India.
Naomi Kojima, Author/Illustrator, Japan.
One comment from Sayoni Basu about font for one illustrator was: "Please don't use Comic Sans, I hate comic sans." And later I found out that comic sans font has a groupy who hates it! You can find many of them in you tube :D