And to All a Good Knight!

The book event was a great success! Meeting Elizabeth in person was a real treat, she just couldn't be sweeter!
The room was full of adorable kids. Here are the backs of some of their heads as Betty read to them from Cedric and the Dragon. Note to reader: I barely moved during the whole thing, I felt like the little bunny who freezes in the grass and just hopes no one sees her. haha
Look at these young artists! After I showed them how to draw the dragon from the book (you can see a bit of it on the dry erase board), they gave it a go. Brace yourselves, people. The following photos are just a sampling of the incredibly fierce and adorable dragons that the kids created. Special thanks to everyone who joined us on our fun dragon day! Thank you!!!

Book Event

If you are looking for something fun to do with your kids tomorrow afternoon (and will be in the state of Minnesota), join Elizabeth Raum and myself at the Elva Resa office in Woodbury, MN from 2-3pm. Elizabeth will read Cedric and the Dragon and talk about the book and I will talk about drawing dragons. More info can be found at the Elva Resa website (click here).

Dragon Fly

If you have recently found yourself thinking, "Gee, I sure wish I had a dragon flying across my desktop," this is the post for you. I was inspired by Ingvard the Terrible, a fierce and talented artist (who kindly gave me the skinny on making wallpaper). Visit his blog, follow him on twitter, and check him out on facebook because he is the coolest! This is also a new one for me because I plunked this painting right on top of a photo I snapped of blue summer sky and happy clouds. You can download this wallpaper over at my flickr set. Have a groovy day while you're at it!

Father's Day

Happy (almost) Father's Day to all the Great Dads out there!!! Sending a great big thank you to the lovely ladies over at The Sketchables for inviting me to contribute this seahorse sketch!!!

In other news: my fam just returned from a fun trip to Disney World, summer vacation has begun, I have a new project in the works, and Cedric and the Dragon was just honored with a Mom's Choice Gold Award! Hooray!!! You still have time to win a copy of the book (signed by Betty and myself) if you hop on over to facebook and "like" Cedric! The two lucky winners will be announced on June 18th! Happy Summer!!! :)

Cedric and the Giveaway

Hello, Friends! To celebrate the 1 year anniversary of Cedric and the Dragon being published, Betty Raum and I are hosting a giveaway on facebook. All you need to do is "like" Cedric and The Dragon by June 18th for a chance to win one of two books signed by the both of us. Fun, right?

Happy Reading!!! Happy Drawing!!! Happy Writing!!! Happy June!!!

Noteworthy

This past weekend I attended the Minnesota Association of Veterinary Technicians annual convention. My notes were un-conventional. Hahhahaha! Here is a sampling. I heard somewhere that doodling whilst listening to lectures helps you better remember information, though I can't recall specifically where I heard that. Hmmm.... It was a great convention, it is always so great to see great friends and learn all about internal parasites!

Floss daily people! Flossing saves lives!!!Random poetry attempt...I luv that little nematode! Seriously, parasitology is very fascinating!In Other News:I was lucky to do my very first book reading last Friday night to the cute kids at Jefferson Elementary. Boy, was I nervous... There were a handful of kids who listened to me read Cedric and the Dragon while they worked on coloring pages. It was really cute. After I finished the book, a sweet girl named Bailey gave me the page she colored. That was my very favorite part!!! They had a drawing to win a copy of the dragon book and it went to a lovely young lady named Crickett. Many, many thanks to Kelly Martin and everyone at Jefferson Elementary for inviting me to be a part of I Love To Read Month!

And the Winner Is...

Diandra Mae!!! Diandra is a very talented illustrator who also happens to be the Illustrator Coordinator for the Houston SCBWI. Her artwork is filled with endearing characters, vibrant colors, and a silly charm that I just love! You can see her work on her website and blog, visit her over with The Sketchables, or catch up with her on twitter. I feel very happy to know her, though we have yet to meet in person... hope to someday! Congrats, Diandra! :)

Since I have two little assistants, I thought it would be nice to have an additional prize!
A little pack of Nina Notecards! And the winner is:
Yay, Michelle! Michelle Kondrich makes her art with intricate lines and fills it with depth and humor. One of her short stories was just featured in 8: A Kids Book Anthology! You can see her artwork at her website, blog, and follow her on twitter. She is a wonderful gal! Hooray, Michelle!

Thank you Alicia, Julissa, Heidi, Casey, Jenie, Susan, Jen, Karrie, m.b., Alissa, Diandra, Loni, Michelle H., Daun, Karen, Mark, Sarah, Steve, Kurtis, Mrs. Duff, Lynn, Aimee, Erica, Jackie, Nicole, Michelle K., Angie, Andi, Nicki, and Shawn for throwing your names in the hat!!! You are all wonderful! Crossing my fingers that I'll get to illustrate another book someday so I can have another giveaway! ;) I cannot thank you enough! All my very best, Nina

Friday Giveaway

Hello, There! It is time to have a fun book giveaway! If you would like to win a signed copy of Cedric and the Dragon, leave a comment on this post (along with your email address). I'll pull names out of a hat next Friday morning (November 12th) and announce the winner! *YAY*

[Here are the details that would be covered by a fast-talker if this was on tv or radio: One comment per person and make said comment by Midnight on Thursday the 11th of November. ] GOOD LUCK!!!

My Sketchbook Project is coming along... Here are two new spreads. It isn't RAINING Dogs & Cats, it is REIGNING Dogs & Cats! Hahahaaaa

Dragon Coloring Page

Happy Monday! How are ya!?! I was lucky enough to chat with Elizabeth Raum, the author of Cedric and the Dragon, this weekend. She has a couple book events coming up and was wondering if I would make a dragon coloring page! So fun! (Click on it to enlarge and/or print!)

The reviews are already rolling in:

"I think it's great!" (my five-year-old)

"It's very cute and very, very fun to color!" (my seven-year-old)

This week, we have a break from summer camp, so I hope to make more progress on mural number one and have a portrait to finish. Hope all is well on your end! Happy Coloring!!!

Kaleidoscope

This is a painting I just finished for our friends' darling baby girl (the little story goes counterclockwise from the bottom right corner). In other news: my wonderful husband has helped me paint the blue sky and green grass for mural number one, and I hope to get the design transferred to the walls this weekend. I am also making a coloring page for Cedric and the Dragon, a portrait of a darling two-year-old girl, and need to mail out my last two cards that sold on Ripple (thank you Shawn and Faith)! I am sure that I am forgetting something... Many thanks to all of you out there who take the time to stop by my little blog! I'll have a little more time when the kids go back to school, so stay tuned because I am planning my first giveaway! I'll give you a hint: It will be a signed copy of Cedric and the Dragon! ;)

What About Cedric?

What About Bob? is one of my all-time favorite movies. Ever. It is so classic. I have probably watched it too many times to admit, and even have a picture of myself by Lake Winnipesaukee. To celebrate my very first book, these photos seem only fitting. I like to imagine Dr. Leo Marvin referring to it as "a groundbreaking new book" and Bob "baby-stepping" to it. There are two kinds of people in this world: those who like Neil Diamond, and those who don't...
Also pretty sure I would freeze up in an interview like Dr. Marvin did. Oh, here is a link to purchase your very own "Don't Hassle Me, I'm Local" t-shirt (I still need to order one)! Hope you are having a nice summer, even if you have to be tethered to the mast of the boat to go sailing! Ahoy!

p.s. just added some art to the imagekind website in case anyone would like to purchase a print of my artwork. There is a button on the left sidebar that says "BUY MY ARTWORK!" which is not the way I would phrase it exactly. I'd say something like "Take a peek and think about it. Thank you very much!"

MNSCBWI Summer Workshop

There is a great workshop coming up this Saturday at Elva Resa Publishing! We will learn all about the publication process at small presses. Elva Resa has published a couple books with the lovely Christina Rodriguez (The Wishing Tree and My Dad's Deployment). Their imprint, Alma Little, published Cedric and the Dragon this June! It was such an honor to work with the folks at Elva Resa. They were so supportive and kind, I feel very fortunate that they took a chance on me and gave me such a fantastic opportunity! Hope to see you there!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

noon-3pm

Elva Resa Publishing

1890 Wooddale Drive, Suite 100

Woodbury, MN 55125

$25 members/ $35 non-members

This Bird Has Flown

Today is Cedric and the Dragon's birthday!

I have to say that I feel a little bit like I did when my oldest went off to kindergarten: happy, excited, and a little nervous... I hope the book does okay out there and makes some new friends! Thank you all so much for your kindness and support, it has meant the world to me!!!

Love, Nina

Cedric and the Dragon

Here is the announcement I made for my new baby! Cedric and the Dragon was written by Elizabeth Raum and will be published by Alma Little in June. I always wanted to illustrate a children's book for kids when I was a kid, still can't believe it really happened. Thank you all for your kind words and support! I'd also like to wish Super Sonic Sara a Very Happy Birthday!

DUCK!!!

This is a bit from my new postcard (ordered Monday). Hoping they put some luck in the ink when it goes to print! Since finishing my last illustration class, I have been busy scanning in new art to go up on my website, still working on my book dummies, and am contemplating farming out greeting card printing instead of doing it at home (the good folks at Your Art's Desire in Minnetonka, MN sell a few of my greeting cards, along with framing all of my artwork!). Also, I found out that the official release date of my book, Cedric and the Dragon, will be June 1st! There is even a teensy blurb about the book in the Publisher's Weekly spring announcement issue (scroll down to Elva Resa Publishing/Alma Little)! It is really starting to seem real!!! Hope that all is well with you!