Update from Dear Japan: App is released on iTunes store® on 2012.3.11

Ooooooh how exciting!!I just got a letter from Art Ehon 
I'm so proud I took part in this worthy cause & its been so great to see it take form & finally be released!
Well done to ArtEhon!
 http://en.art-ehon.com/dear-japan/index.php
 

"Dear Picture Book Artists,

It is with great pleasure that we announce the release of "Dear JAPAN"

app on Apple's iTunes store on March 11, 2012, on the first anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

All 136 illustrations and messages sent by those of you who had kindly supported our cause are included in this app, and a part of sale will go towards the relief organizations to help support the reconstruction efforts.

A year has passed since this catastrophic event has befallen us, but still a great deal more of time, effort, and support need to go into those afflicted regions.

If you have an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, please let us know, and we will make an arrangement to allow you one download of the app.

"Dear JAPAN" illustrations and messages have already been shown in libraries, schools, and exhibitions in various locations in Japan, including the afflicted regions. We intend to continue organizing charity events and activities so that we can share your messages with a greater audience.

For details of our past and upcoming activities, please see:

We would be most grateful if you would help support our endeavor by forwarding the attached press release to your friends, family, and colleagues.

Thanking you for all your support in the past year, and with our kindest regards,

Tomoko Yamamoto

President

Art Ehon, Ltd."

My first Digital Book!!!!

Wow!!!!
It's finally happened!
After 3 months of hard work,research and painting,collecting patterns and textures(which by the way I managed to erase off of my photoshop...but thats another story)
Enid Richemont, a well known and published Author from the UK,and I  worked together through uTales collaborations,Enid was great to work with!
I am very proud to show you our lovely book called 'More'
I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed illustrating it!
and of course because its an eBook I could 'play' around with all kinds of interesting sounds & actions.uTales has a very user friendly program and made it great fun...so you can hear magic,animal sounds ,rain and the Maharajah can actually have a temper tantrum!

I thank Enid for her contstant support, motivation, advice and compassion!
and uTales for bringing us together!
may it go many places!!!!

The cover of MORE

A collection of pictures from our book MORE
http://utales.com/books/more

Ebooks for kids - MORE - uTales

Ebooks for kids - MORE - uTales

Liebster Blog Award

A huge thank you goes out to the wonderful & talented Sandra Hershenson for awarding me the Liebster Blog Award!!
Liebster is a German word meaning dearest, and the award is given to up-and-coming bloggers with less than 200 followers.
The origins of the Liebster Blog award are somewhat unclear but the general consensus is that it originated in Germany, Liebster meaning favorite or dearest, to showcase bloggers with fewer than 200 followers. Upon accepting the award the recipient must then pass it on to five more blogs of note.

If you receive the award, you should:
1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top five picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Hope that the people you’ve sent the award to forward it to their five favourite bloggers and keep it going!
This is the nice side of a chain letter. It’s always good to be appreciated and too often we are all quick to criticise and slow to praise. So here are some virtual pats on the back to five of my favourite bloggers.

I am awarding the Liebster Award to the following blogs:
1. Sandra Hershenson a special friend and the author of a fantastic book that we are doing together!
2. Rebecca Bermeister a great friend ,wonderful woman and a fantastic writter!!!
3.Miss Marple's Musings for a wonderful blog & interviews a different artist every Wednesday!
4.Marjorie van Heerden  an amazing South African Illusrator & author who inspired me to become an illustrator!
5.Enid Richemont  a long-established UK children's author,with whom I have had the honour & pleasure of working together with on an eBook for uTales.


We are supposed to add 5 interesting facts about ourselves...phew the pressure's on!
here goes:
1.Although all my life I dreamed to be a kindergarten teacher I studied to become a Textile Designer and today I illustrate kiddies books!you never quiet know where life will take you!an amazing journey!
2.I can't spell to save my life!(as you have by no doubt already realised!)
3.I can never quiet get rid of the ever-growing mountain of washing!
4.I'm blessed with 4 glorious kids!and each one has a different colour hair
5.my cat loves eating cucumbers

uTales -The Friendship Alphabet

Wow this was a wonderful experience! I belong to a group called uTales started by Nils von Heijne.It has over 200 members and is very welcoming,caring,warm and helpful.It is composed of writers & illustrators & together we collaborate to make absolutely amazing books!

Anders Lindholm started the idea of doing an ABC book together authors & illustrators.I ,for some reason had it in my mind to do W but it was already taken so I thought I'd missed out!

Then Sandra Hershenson author(and friend) asked me if I'd like to illustrate "A" with her!I was chuffed! I must confess a little scared too -its the first letter & if its not good will people carry on reading?the pressure was on!

The whole process was lead & guided on uTales & it was sooo exciting to see how we all came together!Everybody was so helpful and supportive!Over 30 different illustrators & writers from more than 15 countries came togeter to write 1 book!Simply amazing!and whats more the proceedes go to Pencils of Promise to build new schools in developing countries.

Sandi wrote a lovely poem for A with children whos names all sarted with A ...and I thought it would be fun to make them animals so began the alligator,ape,armadillo & antelope.Ofcourse the ants had to join in all the fun!See if you can spot some more words starting with "A"

Amy ,Alex ,Adam & Annie skipping about!

 





 I am so greatful to Sandi for giving me a  part in this wonderful adventure and look forward to our next book coming out!keep posted guys !its going to be fab!

Ok so did you find 9 more?

anklet ,almond blossom ,apple ,autumn leaves ,Africa ,apron ,All Stars ,artist ,acorn
you see all the other illusrations and buy  this wonderful book at:
http://utales.com/books/the-friendship-alphabet
I have met so many very  special people on uTales !what a wonderful site!

Miss Marple's Musings

http://joannamarple.com/?p=2769
wow how cool is this!!!
my first interview!
what fun!
thanks Joanna
lots of blessings!!

"Milly"

Wow!my very first hard cover printed book!Its finally been published!...
A bit dissapionted in myself for not standing up for my opinion,because now I have a book out there for the world to that could have been better....but well, one learns lessons in life!


 Hopefully the rest of my techniques & colour make up for the crazy eyes!

The cover




Milly's daughter,all grown up



Milly passing her special gift to the next generation