Illustration Friday: Insect

My all time favorite insect is the firefly!

Scary Story

I used to loooove ghost stories and sleepovers. I still love ghost stories (true ones).

Classroom Counting

I'm happy with this one. For one thing, I tackled a lot of things that usually give me a lot of difficulty - namely drawing people around tables, and interiors. One day I won't have to think about the technical side of things, and I can concentrate just on the subject and idea I want to get across. Won't that be nice?

Is That.....BONO?!

When I was in highschool, I was known for my complete and utter obsession over U2, specifically Bono. Their posters were all over my locker, binders,etc.. any art I did in art class always had something to do with them or their music. My bedroom was wallpapered corner to corner (not one inch of wall showing) with their mugs. Then when I went to college I started a U2 cover band and played the drumset.

Although I have lightened up on the memorabilia a great deal, I'm still very passionate about their music. So when I was told to illustrate bedroom w/ a rock poster for my first illustration gig (early reader) over a year ago, I couldn't help myself...

Sledding

I could draw snow scenes all day and would love illustrate a snow book of some sort--talk about pure heaven!

For John

This is for my brother John, the pilot. Happy early birthday! We bought lots of fun stuff for you at the mall today, hope you like it. Be on the lookout for a huge box with embarrassing things written on it. :-D (heh heh..)

When I Was Three

When I was three I had a friend
Who asked me why bananas bend,
I told him why, but now I'm four,
I'm not so sure.....

-Richard Edwards

From The Past

I started this little wordless story called "The Magic Puddle" a few years ago. The boy was supposed to fall into a strange world underwater after jumping into the puddle, but I never finished it. Typical of me, I started finding things I didn't like about the drawings, and lost the creative flow. Perfect is the enemy of good right? Looking back on this though, it does hold a little spark that I missed by being too hard on myself. Sorry for the load time on this:

THE MAGIC PUDDLE (unfinished)

Wait Up!

I spent a lot of time as a kid trying to keep up with my two older brothers. In fact, to this day, I still feel like this.

Illustration Friday Theme: Tea

Some days, a nice hot cup of tea is about as important to drawing as my paint brushes and pencils.

Train - Final

Waffles and Honey Final

Waffles and Honey - Adobe Photoshop edit

Okay here I moved the Papa bear back from the table, and drew a "perfect" ellipse with the circle tool. With all that was going on with the characters I was having a hard time visualizing the surface of the table correctly. I would be quite the unhappy camper if I completed this illustration and found out the table surface was off. Even back in college my art teacher was appalled at my inability to draw straight ellipses in my paintings.

Waffles and Honey Sketch

Well I'm back from my trip, and now can use my trusty scanner :-D My agent (Cornell & McCarthy) is creating a new website for our online portfolios, so am trying to get some new pieces in. Hopefully this will be one of them!

Spring Garden

I have Spring Fever already!

A Dog's Welcome

I'm still in Norfolk and will be heading home on Thursday--really miss my dog! In fact, she will probably give me a warm greeting not unlike the one above!

Winter Cave

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, I've been out of town (and still am out of town) the last few days visiting my family. Since I found a little time to draw, and brought along my laptop, here's a new drawing. No trusty scanner to make a good clean scan so this digital photo will have to do until I am back home. The illustration is for one of the monthly SCBWI (society of children's book writers and illustrators) contests. The short story is about a boy who is caught in a winter storm while walking home from school. The boy runs into a cave and sees a... (you make something up obviously). Very fun subject! I'll take a better scan of it when I get home of course before it's sent off for the contest.

Story Time

Rain Dance

Vagabonds

Roar!

This unfortunately is going to be the last of the tighter style I've been trying. As some of you all know, I have tendonitis in my right wrist, and this definitely brought out the aches and pains. So I will have to go back to the looser stuff. Ah well.... Mary Engelbreit had a great card where a sign pointed down one path, and another sign pointed down a different path - the latter sign said, "No longer an option."

Illustration Friday Theme: Simple2

I have read several articles stating that the key to happiness is to feel gratitude for even the simplest things in life. Go ahead and give it a try. Here's one such article:

Wellness

Snow Angel

It's snowing today - yay! And I'm snowed in with all my art stuff. What to do? ;-) The title of this drawing reminds me of a funny story. I was on a softball team called The Angels back when I was 9 or 10 and at our second practice, our new uniforms were passed out. Well they looked lovely, but there was one problem. They all said "The Angles" on the back instead of "Angels". I can laugh with a good conscience because I know darn well that I could have done the exact same thing. I'm a terrible speller.

Illustration Friday Theme: Simple

Henry The Simpleton:

Illustration Friday : Chair2

Beach

Flowers

Cat Attack

Ice Cream Pig

A True Story

Sugar doesn't make me feel too good, so most of the time I don't eat desserts etc... but one night, Ding Dongs entered the house hold, and I was under the spell of those sexy, delectable chocolate morsels. I only ate a couple and that was throughout one day, but boy did that splurge not agree with me. My head swam for quite a while. Although, I'd be a flat-out dirty liar if I said it wasn't worth it!

Professor Owl 2

Professor Owl

What I Drew In Church Today

I discovered something interesting while I sat doodling in church during the sermon. Well...actually I discovered two things. One, the act of drawing actually shuts off my mind and helps me pay better attention. Without drawing, my mind wanders off to things like, "I have drawings due tomorrow, do I have enough fed-ex folders? What if I get to the fed-ex drop off, and all the labels and folders are gone because someone is always swiping like ten of them at a time, when they don't even need them." And then the sermon's over, and I don't remember a thing about it. So drawing makes me a better listener. The 2nd thing I discovered as that the Minister DOES notice that you are looking down and drawing even though you are ALL the way in the back, and little does he know you are doing it for his benefit, so that you don't miss one important point he makes. Ah well....

Ice Skating

Illustration Friday: Chair

The Naughty Chair

“To the naughty chair!”
My mother said
“To the naughty chair!”
My father said

Then I sat down
No books no toys
Couldn’t say a word
Or make a noise

So I closed my eyes
And rolled them ‘round
Now my chair is green
Instead of brown

by: Paige Keiser

Emma and Dad

My sis-in-law sent this adorable photo today and I just loved the body language between my brother (Emma's Da') and Emma. I HAD to illustrate it! It's now after 2am, and I have an early morning tomorrow, but it was worth it to burn a little midnight oil and finish it up. This is also a good example of how to use a reference photo. Cutting out the extra, and leaving the essence of the idea. So here is the photo of my niece, with the illustration beside it.

Hurry Up Dear Spring

Singing in the Rain

Lost AGAIN!

My scanner is not picking up some of these Doc Martin's colors. Grrrr.... I might have to just stick with watercolors for online pieces.

Anywho, these pieces are all for my online portfolios. I have one on my paigekeiser.com site, one on picture-book, and one on childrensillustrators.com ( which I won't be renewing..). After I get my 12 or so strong pieces, I'm sending off a postcard with my best piece. After that, I'm going to work on my picture book manuscript/dummy, and send off some illustrated poems to Ladybug magazine. (GASP) Yep lots to do, and meanwhile I will also be juggling the assigments that keep me fed and watered.

The Present

Pass the Syrup Please

I decided to illustrate a scene from one of my favorite James Marshall books. Can anyone guess what story it is? I took come creative liberties though and had the breakfast take place at the turtle's house instead of the moose. That way I could add the little "tortoise and hare" reference. I get a big kick out of adding little references and inside jokes to my drawings. I don't know why.