Give Chapter Books a Try

June 12, 2019

Are you happy with your illustration career? Do you have any regrets? I certainly do... I have made many mistakes in my career! But there is one thing that I never expected doing and that I am very happy about: working on chapter books.

Back when I was starting out, creating picture books was the dream. Picture books are so clever, and beautiful, and full of possibilities… Oh, aren’t they gorgeous? I wished I could make my own.

These days I ask my students what’s their goal, and guess what they tell me... They want to make picture books!

But sometimes what might look like a detour is actually a step in the right direction. So even if working on chapter books is not where you imagined your career going, I'd suggest you give it a try. And here is why...

Illustration Is Not a Hobby

June 1, 2019

Illustration is NOT a hobby, it’s a job.

We live in an extremely visual culture, and illustration is an important industry. Without us books, wine labels, clothes, posters, kitchen towels, etc. would be blank.

We might enjoy our job, we might be passionate about it, but still... we need to make a living from it. That we have fun doesn’t mean we don’t deserve getting paid. This is hard to understand for many people, illustrators included!

The good thing is: realizing that something needs to change is the first step to fixing it. So let’s…

……………

La ilustración no es un hobby, es un trabajo.

Vivimos en una cultura extremadamente visual y la ilustración es una industria importante. Sin nosotros…

Blooming

May 17, 2019

I love Spring. It’s such a hopeful and beautiful season. And this Spring in California has been particularly gorgeous. The hills are green, there are flowers everywhere… and I feel like I’m blooming too!

It’s a lovely feeling, considering that the last three years have been difficult for me. Worked stoped being my priority… I’ve been focused on healing. I still am. That means my career has suffered a bit, and I’m working to make peace with that.

Now I want to draw more, to write more, to work on more books! I’m hoping to find my balance soon. I’m hoping I can take care of myself and I meet my goals. Do you have any tips to help me?

Photo by Portraits To The People & drawing by me.

P.S. If you want to hear the rest of the story, I have shared it on Instagram.

Books Are Magic

April 23, 2019

Happy World Book Day! ¡Feliz Día del libro!

Books were a fundamental part of my childhood. Growing up I didn’t always had friends… but I always had books, and for that, I’m grateful.

I’ve lost count of…

Find the Perfect Book for You

March 29, 2019

There is a question I get often: "Where can I find your books?" It's a fair thing to ask, considering I am terrible at updating my website. – Wait… What? I am actually updating my website right NOW!

Cheers! Claps! Standing ovation! (Yes, I am that excited.)

Okay, seriously… It has taken me 4 years to start updating my website. I’ve been working on it for the last couple of weeks and I’m only half-way done. But that’s okay… These last few years have been complicated, full of work and full of life. An outdated website is a small price to pay for that.

Now my website has a new & shiny BOOKS section, so finding my books will be easy-peasy! However, I am still writing this post because I want you to be able to find ANY book you want, not just mine (although, please… buy my books!). So these are some options…

Fighting Impostor Syndrome

January 29, 2019

I always told myself I was not a planner, I was a go-with-the-flow kind of gal. Planning was for accountants, not for artists. I now realize I was just scared... If you don’t plan, your plans CAN’T fail! Not the best strategy, but hey, it’s fool proof logic.

But three years ago I started planning, setting goals, writing to-do lists, doing self-evaluations… And I can’t begin to tell you what…

Wild Geese - A Tribute to Mary Oliver

January 19, 2019

A week ago I rediscovered a poem by Mary Oliver. It was a poem I already knew, but this time it held a different meaning for me: I was letting my body love what it loves. So I went home and started working on this piece.

Two days ago, Mary Oliver died. And I am grateful to whatever cosmic force guided me, I am grateful for the opportunity to hold her words close again, I am grateful her words found me when I needed them.

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting —
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

WILD GEESE, by Mary Oliver, 1986.

Picture Books I Love (Plus a Gift!)

April 24, 2018

Yesterday (April 23rd) was Word Book Day!

Books mean the world to me, so to celebrate this special day I want to share some picture books from my personal collection with you. I can't say these are my absolute favorite books, though... I'm terrible at picking favorites. In my heart there is enough room for mountains and mountains of books!

These are the last 10 picture books that I have read (or re-read for the hundred time) in English, Spanish and, as strange as it might sound, bug language. I hope that you'll check them out in your neighborhood bookstore or your public library. You won't regret it!

So here they are…