I made this for Joyce

Mel

This is Mel. I have been busy working on a little book about him.
He is quite a character.

Notes

This past weekend I was at the 38th Annual MAVT Convention.  I became a certified veterinary technician in 1997 and worked as a tech until we had our youngest and I became a stay-at-home mom.  I find myself feeling like I am between worlds now: I can't take my pets to work with me anymore and have to go to the vet as a civilian, and I still consider myself a new illustrator and am trying to learn and grow and enjoy the journey without having any expectations...  My hope is that my love for animals is evident in my work and that it also informs it. Even though it can feel pretty weird sometimes, the upshot is that I have been very fortunate to work in fields filled with compassionate, intelligent, and amazing people. For that I will always be grateful.

Flying Mermaid

My youngest asked me to draw a flying mermaid a while ago, and this is what I came up with... Wouldn't it be wonderful to fly? My head has been in the clouds a little bit lately, my book dummy is really (finally!) starting to come together and I am just having the most fun working on it. Wishing you clear skies and calm seas! nvc

SWISH!

Hey, There! There is another music book out there with little Nina pictures in it!

Spoiler Alert: Book 1 includes a little love story between a charming young squirrel and a lovely pig.  There will be seven books in the Energize Your Fingers Every Day series and I have had the most fun illustrating the first three, looking forward to working on the next four. 

Flip

Pancakes=Happiness

What's a Liebster?

The talented and adorable Jessica Freeburg surprised me with a Liebster the other day. Thanks, Jess! I still don't know what the heck a Liebster is, but it was super nice of Jessica to honor me with one. So, what I need to do is post 11 random facts about myself, answer the 11 questions that Jessica asked me, then nominate 11 blogs for zee Liebster. Here goes...

Eleven Random Nina Facts:

1)  I didn't have a middle name until I got married.
2)  Can't wait for season 3 of Downton Abbey to begin.
3)  My first car was a 1980 Plymouth Champ.
4)  My blood type is O negative.
5)  I haven't ever traveled outside of the United States.
6)  Cooking isn't my favorite, but I love to bake!
7)  If I had superpowers, I'd love to be able to fly and talk to animals.
8)  Last concert I attended: Jeremy Messersmith.
9)  I don't care for fancy herbal teas.
10) Still hope to have my own horse someday.
11) I collected postage stamps when I was a kid.

Eleven Questions from Jessica:

1) What did you want to be when you grew up?
     A jockey, a marine biologist, and/or a veterinarian.
2) Who was your celebrity crush as a kid?
     Luke Skywalker
3) Favorite movie?
    White Christmas, Married to the Mob, How to Murder Your Wife, Rear Window, What About Bob?
     (sorry, it was hard to just choose one!)
4) Favorite book/author/illustrator?

     Owl at Home, written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel

5) Do you believe in ghosts? Why or why not?

     I think I do, but haven't ever met one. We had a lot of forks go missing at our old house...

6) What is your stupid human trick?

     Making up an endless stream of puns.

7) If you could go back in time and tell your teenage self one thing, what would it be?

     Don't take Mom's grocery-getter for your driving test, you'll knock down cones and fail!

8) Most embarrassing moment?

     I have a few, but they don't bear repeating...

9) What’s the one thing you’d most like to be remembered for when you’re gone (you know, dead…sorry, kind of morbid, but it’s a deep thought kind of question).

     I think it would just be nice to be remembered at all...

10) Do you talk to yourself (out loud, when no one else is around)?

     Yes. Most commonly heard saying, "Ah, whoops!"

11) What is your favorite guilty pleasure?

     Cheetos and Dr. Pepper.

Now I'd like to nominate these talented bloggers with Liebsters of their very own:

Anne Adix Fabie
Sharon Wagner
Barb Björnson
Sara Weingartner
Andi Butler
Michaele Razi
Jenn Bower
Jez Tuya
Tina Kügler
Shirley Ng-Benitez
Michelle Henninger