My very own Manuscript Catalogue...

I took some time today to go through ALL my WORD DOCs and file folders filled with completed, partial and developing manuscripts...

THE RESULT: 20 COMPLETED Picture Book MSs

26 PARTIAL/DEVELOPING MSs

I am quite excited. The downside to that number is, when you approach an editor and/or agent, they would like to see your (sometimes top 3) strongest piece. Well, that  is such a subjective call... it could potentially take me the next 400 years to circulate these one by one and wait the 4-6 months for a response.

Have you ever had an editor or agent sit down with you with ALL your ideas? Do you need to have at least ONE published book under your belt before anyone will devote that kind of time to your projects?

What are your thoughts and insights?

NEW Coloring/Activity Page

Feel free to COPY and PRINT... just send me a pic of what your child creates!

Kids T-shirt Line...CLEAN!

I had an epiphany last week...

CLEAN!

a kids' clothing line...
simple black line design on white Ts that champion staying "CLEAN" ...
in EVERY sense of the word ...
body, mind, spirit, environment, words, actions, etc....

the monster won't be part of the CLEAN line... was just for fun!
the other design says, "i'm treasured"

Summer Coloring Pages - Original MKB Designs

 

LunchBagArt...

Some of these photos were taken with my cell phone right before they were stuffed with lunches so I apologize for the clarity.

These have become quite the hot commodity at my kids' middle school...I even have teachers asking for custom ones! How fun! It puts a little bit of a crunch in my morning while trying to get three kids off to school (b/c having an artist brain does not lend itself well to preparing ahead of time...that's not how my muse works! LOL!) but it's worth the stories and smiles they come home with!

I only wish I would have started taking pictures of them at the beginning of the year...there's about 150+ of them floating through a recycling plant somewhere.

...stay tuned for more...

I'm planning on illustrating a wordless story on the ones for the rest of the year! From beginning to end. Can you see the lunch table 'chomping at the bit' to see the rest of the story each day?!

More from my art desk...

So, it's FRIDAY, my house is filthy but I have been painting!

Here are some things I have been working on...

This is a commissioned collage for an office manager recently diagnosed with adult ADD!

This is Jasmine...not sure what I am doing with her, yet, but I had a blast getting to know her!

This is Antoinette...she is celebrating herself!

From my art desk...

I have been working on a couple things simultaneously and those things have been keeping me from blogging regularly...both HERE and on my OTHER BLOG.

I have devised a giant list of WHO I will be sending my latest manuscripts to...and then my printer ran out of ink and for some UNKNOWN reason, Kodak ink is NOT something that is carried by Office Max OR WalMart...grrrrr!

I have been working on a commissioned piece that is a collaged scene using "Benny" as the main focal point. Someone on Facebook saw him and had recently been diagnosed with adult ADD and thought a scene of Benny in an office would be PERFECT for her to giggle at while she was working in HER office.

And of course, I have been drawing and doodling in my sketchbooks.

I have also been doing a lot of reading on mixed media art. I used to do mixed media and somehow got out of it. But after chatting with Judy Schachner at the last SCBWI conference I was inspired to start it again. She gains most of her inspiration for SkippyJon Jones while creating beautiful mixed media projects. She had some with her and they were amazing!

I found a new MIXED MEDIA magazine with an interactive website and I am addicted!

So, back to work! Headed to my desk to organize my acrylic paints in my NEW organizer and get started on  a wood block collage piece!

Pictures to come!

p*e*a*c*e