Wacom Bamboo!

To an artist, drawing is sometimes the most daily activity that you will do. It allows you to observe and record the world around you. But there is more to drawing than the traditional way of pencil or pen on paper. That way is by means of drawing straight into your computer via a digital tablet. As an artist who uses both traditional ways of creating art and also digitally, I have found that being proficient in both ways is a must for creating the images that are required in my changing illustration projects. I know it is hard to imagine for a lot of people that you can sketch directly into your graphics program, but that is because using a mouse often will leave a person more frustrated than necessary. In order to recreate the same feeling and look of traditional ways, you should invest in a good digital tablet.



For me, that has been with a Wacom Intous tablet that has treated me really well over the last three years. It has a great 12" x 9" sized drawing surface that allows for the thickness of the line on the screen to be directly related to how hard I press on the tablet. Even though this is a bulky tablet, having it next to my desktop when needed is invaluable. There is one problem though. Recently I purchased a Macbook Pro laptop to use while I am away from the studio. The problem with that is my Wacom Intous is much larger than my laptop and doesn't fit in my case. So, I decided to get a new little tablet that would be portable, yet very productive for me on the go. That tablet was the Wacom Bamboo. It has a small imprint and has a 5" x 4" drawing surface. Even though it is small, it still packs a punch with 512 levels of sensitivity on the pen and the eraser. So it still gives you great line quality and response. Plus at $99, it is very affordable for something that will assist you so much. So with that, I am anxious to dig into the new tablet and put it through its steps. PS, if you are wondering what is the best program to use with the digital tablet, it would definitely be Adobe Photoshop. I am currently running Photoshop CS3 and love it! In the images that you can see, you will definitely see the size difference in the silver Bamboo and the bluish Intous.

Illustration Friday: "Primitive"

Who said primitive people didn't care how they looked!

The Bird Shaman to be released June 2

Hello Everyone. Hope springtime has got everyone excited. I know I am anxious to sit on the back patio and enjoy the summer evenings again. I just came across the news that a book that I illustrated the cover for is going to be released June 2 of this year. "The Bird Shaman" by Judith Moffett is volume III in the Holy Ground Trilogy and was a lot of fun working on the cover. To read more about the book and the series visit her website and check it out.

In "The Sick Bug" world, I am continuing to paint the illustrations and am having a lot of fun bringing the bugs and Tess to life. Stay tuned for more images to come of her.

Illustration Friday - "Fail"

I guess I failed at keeping it safe and sound.

Meet Tess!

After talking about the new children's book for a while now, it is time that you meet Tess. Tess is the character for my new children's book titled "The Sick Bug" which was written by Susie Bazil. Susie's amazing story that she has written captures Tess's imagination in the journey of figuring out what a sick bug looks like and how she needs to get rid of it. This is a story that will be a great read for all of your little ones out there (and the pictures won't be that bad either!) Look for more information about "The Sick Bug" which is being published by Beavers Pond Press and should be out later this summer.

MNSCBWI Spring workshop

Illustration by Christina Rodriguez 2008

Hello everyone.  Sorry for the absence in posts lately.  I have been busy working away in the studio and hadn't realized that I last posted a week ago.  Crazy how time just flies by.  The good news is that the studio work has been going great and should be done with the cover illustration of the children's book by Tuesday.  Then it is just finishing up the rest of the illustrations and hopefully get them all done by the end of April. 

As for a little something different, I wanted to mention that a fellow MNSCBWI  and CBIG member is going to be doing a workshop at the end of the month.  Sara is a great artist and designer and this is poised to be a really educational workshop.  I am definitely going to try and make it. For more information you can go to MNSCBWI website   

Saturday, April 26, 2008, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Ridgedale Public Libary, 12601 Ridgedale Dr., Minnetonka, 55305
Register at the door: $25 MNSCBWI members, $35 non-members
Light refreshments will be served.

Graphic designer and illustrator Sara Weingartner will:

Take you through the basic principles and rules of graphic design.

Teach you about easy-to-read and highly effective layouts.

Show you how to choose complementary typefaces for your illustrations.

Highlight popular design elements for your business cards, postcards, and other promotional pieces.

Show how to positively impact art directors and editors with design-savvy promotional materials.

Following Sara’s presentation, participants are invited to share their own promotional materials for group critique. This is a great opportunity for all writers and illustrators, both published and unpublished, to get feedback on their business cards, postcards, bookmarks, buttons, and other innovative marketing concepts.