Celebrating Costume Designer Edith Head

October 28, 2022

Hola calabacita, do you believe in the power of Fall? I do. I think Autumn always brings big shifts into my life.

There is a Fall song my toddler loves: we shake an apple tree as hard as we can until, one by one, all the apples fall. I feel like that tree. A lot of shaking, a lot of old "truths" falling down. And while I'm feeling a little shaken up, I'm also hopeful that letting go will make space for new growth. I can't wait to see how that reflects on my work.

Speaking of new things... My book Dressing Up the Stars, written by Jeanne Walker-Harvey, came out a few weeks ago! Very timely, I might add, since today October 28th is the birthday of costume designer Edith Head.

Book News - A Book for Babies. A Book Full of Leaves

September 14, 2020

Hola caracola,

As I mentioned in my last post, it’s been hard to celebrate the good things happening in these crazy times. But I’m making an effort to focus on gratitude and joy. So I’m here to share some very good book news!

My first book for babies…

Celebrating the Moon (with a New Picture Book)

July 23, 2019

To celebrate the 50 anniversary of the Moon landing, let me introduce my latest picture book!

THE USBORNE BOOK OF THE MOON was written by Laura Cowan, designed by Zoe Wray and illustrated by me. (By the way, Zoe and her team did a fantastic work making the cover look shiny, sparkly and beautiful… Look for the book in your favorite bookstore to truly appreciate the effect!)

This was my first non-fiction picture book, and I must say…

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...

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…

Cover Reveal: One Snowy Day

April 16, 2018

TACHÁN! Here is the cover for One Snowy Day!

I'm using the Spanish translation of ta-dah because it sound more intense, and I'm *that* excited about this book! The story, written by Diana Murray, is super fun. It's also a pleasure to read aloud. In fact, I have read aloud it for my cat many times while working on the illustrations. Unfortunately, my cat doesn't seem to care about snow.

Diana M. shares the inspiration behind the book...

Pressing Pause To Move Forward

April 21, 2017

There is a comment I hear from time to time, and it always cracks me up: "hey, you have been posting a lot of new art on Instagram... you must be really busy!". Oh no, if I have time to be posting frequently on social media, then you can know for sure that I'm not THAT busy.

Do you know when I'm REALLY busy? When I'm invisible. When you don't hear from me because I don't write new blog posts, update my website or share sketches on Instagram. When I'm working on the weekends despite my never-work-on-weekends rule.

You might have noticed I've been a bit absent lately, and that's because I have tons of work! I'm illustrating two new books...

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Hay un comentario que oigo de vez en cuando y siempre me hace mucha gracia: "oye, has estado subiendo un montón de ilustraciones nuevas a Instagram... ¡debes estar ocupadísima!". Oh no, si tengo tiempo para pasar el rato en las redes sociales, puedes estar segura de que no estoy TAN ocupada.

¿Sabes cuando estoy REALMENTE ocupada? Cuando soy invisible. Cuando no sabes nada de mi porque he dejado de escribir artículos, actualizar mi web o compartir bocetos en Instagram. Cuando estoy trabajando los fines de semana a pesar de mi regla de no trabajar en sábado y domingo.

Tal vez hayas notado que he estado un poco ausente últimamente, precisamente porque ¡tengo mucho trabajo! Estoy ilustrando dos nuevos libros...

Illustration & Writing Resources - 11

February 10, 2017

Hello! Welcome to my blog and to my latest list of resources for writers and illustrators!

But before, I have some news for my followers in California: I'll be teaching a WORKSHOP on February 18th at Spark Arts Gallery in San Francisco (more info here: Anatomy of a Picture Book - A Book Making Workshop); and I'm part of the 28th Annual Children's Book Illustrator Show at Sun Gallery in Hayward (from Feb 19th to March 25th, Artist Reception and Book Signing on Saturday February 11th).

All right, now we can go back to the resources:

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¡Hola! ¡Bienvenidos a mi blog y a mi lista de recursos para escritores e ilustradores!

Pero antes de empezar, tengo algunas noticias para mis seguidores en California: voy a enseñar un TALLER el 18 de febrero en una galería de arte en San Francisco (más información aquí: Anatomy of a Picture Book - A Book Making Workshop); y formo parte de la 28th Exposición Anual de Libros Infantiles Ilustrados en la Galería Sun en Hayward (del 19 de febrero al 25 de marzo; la recepción y firma de libros será el sábado 11 de febrero).

Vale, ya podemos volver a eso de los recursos: