Lesley Breen Withrow

Great Reviews for my Children's Book App!

2011-12-29T15:02:00.004-05:00

I am so happy to see the great reviews that the 12 Days of Christmas, children's book app, I illustrated for Polk Street Press got!

Featured in Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly – This Week in Apps

★★★★ from Common Sense Media and SmartAppsForKids.com

“Polk Street Press has taken its turn with the old chestnut, providing cute animated vignettes to go along with the lyrics. Withrow’s colorful and charming illustrations are animated just enough to keep little eyes engaged.” – Kirkus Reviews

“The video recording that kids can create of themselves singing along with the song is a fun, holiday-spirit option to share with grandparents or friends” – Common Sense Media

Christmas Box Cards

2011-12-22T13:05:00.003-05:00

Recently, I had the pleasure of working on two sets of Christmas boxed cards for Gartner Greetings. They were so much fun to design and paint. I cannot wait to see them printed!

©Gartner Greeting - greeting card rights

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and best wishes from my house to yours!

12 Days of Christmas: Children's Book Holiday App

2011-12-07T10:36:00.002-05:00

Polk Street Press has a wonderful video about the children's book/holiday app I illustrated for them. It's great to see a child using it and having so much fun!

12 Days of Christmas children's book app published by Polk Street Press -aka- My first children's book app!

2011-12-06T00:29:00.016-05:00

I am excited to announce that I have illustrated my first children's book app called Sing along with 12 Days of Christmas, published by Polk Street Press. Polk Street Press is a new publisher that is focusing on creating innovative digital experiences for kids. I enjoyed working with them on this project and am thrilled to see my art come to life!

My partridge art animated. A sneak peek of one of the animations in this fun children's book/holiday app (p.s.-this is low resolution)

12 Days of Christmas children's book app. Published by Polk Street Press, illustrated by Lesley Breen Withrow

My app in the apple iTunes store!

Here's some my art that you can see in this children's book app. It's fun to watch the characters move!

Lastly, here's some information about this app.

Sing along with 12 Days of Christmas

This innovative take on the Christmas classic is sure to get you into the holiday spirit! Create your own Christmas videos as you sing along to this original arrangement. Play along to practice counting down from 12 as you discover each gift from your true love. Gorgeously illustrated and fun, 12 Days of Christmas will delight children ages 4 to 104!

FEATURES

Create your own holiday recordings to share with friends and family
iPad2 users can create videos of their singalongs to easily share via facebook or email. All users can record their own audio versions to personalize the singalong. Share the excitement of the season with everyone you know!

Gorgeous animated illustrations by award-winning artist Lesley Breen Withrow

Sing along as turtle doves snuggle, ladies dance and pipers play. There’s always more to enjoy in every scene.

Play along while reinforcing counting skills

Practice counting down from twelve as you tap along with each verse. Can you get it right every time?

What a great way to get into the holiday mood!

Library of the Early Mind available to purchase

2011-11-28T10:41:00.002-05:00

(art by Jason May)

My husband, Steven Withrow, is co-producer of a film called Library of the Early Mind, which explores the world of children's books. Before now you could only see the film at designated screenings. It is now available to purchase! Yay!

If you would like to see the film, you have two options. You can purchase the hard copies which will be available on December 1st, or you can view the film as a digital download. To find out more about how to purchase/view the film click here: How to view/purchase Library of the Early Mind.

In this film you will see some children's book greats, like Chris Van Allsburg ('Polar Express'), Jerry Pinkney ('The Lion and the Mouse'), Daniel Handler (aka 'Lemony Snicket'), Lois Lowry ('The Giver'), R.L. Stine ('Goosebumps'), Jeff Kinney ('Diary of a Wimpy Kid'), Mo Willems (Knuffle Bunny'), Jane Yolen (author of more than 300 books), Norton Juster ('The Phantom Tollbooth'), Peter H. Reynolds ('Someday'), Brian Selznick ('Hugo Cabret'), Jack Gantos ('Rotton Ralph') and many, many more!

I am very proud of Steve for all the hard work he has put into this film. I was lucky to be able to help out with it here and there and to meet some of these wonderful children's book author's and illustrators. My daughter and I even got to be in the film! It's a true labor of love. So, if you love children's books, this is a must see!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2011-11-23T09:25:00.001-05:00

©Gartner Greetings (greeting card rights)

Understanding Intellectual Property

2011-11-10T10:33:00.002-05:00

(click on picture to read article on Design Sponge site)

My sisiter-in-law, Kelli Proia, who is the Pricipal attorney at IP in Focus in Massachusetts wrote this wonderful article for Design Sponge called Understanding Intellectual Property. It's a must read, loaded with lots of great information... especially for those of us trying to understand contracts. Enjoy!

Happy Halloween!!!

2011-11-01T01:52:00.002-04:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween!

©Gartner Greetings (greeting card rights)

Under the Sea

2011-10-27T11:23:00.001-04:00

©Gartner Greeting - (greeting card rights)

It has busy around here lately. My daughter just started Kindergarten and now it's almost Halloween!!! Where has the time gone? Here's one of my favorite cards that recently illustrated for Gartner Greetings. Who wouldn't love painting fish and kids and submarines all day!

Take time for something sweet

2011-08-16T00:21:00.000-04:00

©Gartner Greetings

It's been a fun and busy summer for me! Hard to believe it's almost over. Unfortunately, I haven't been posting to my blog as often as I'd like. Tisk, tisk! Here's to a new start.

Memory Match Catch - innovative KIDS

2011-06-05T23:47:00.004-04:00

Memory Match Catch - A game I illustrated for innovative KIDS

Here's a video about a children's game I illustrated for innovative KIDS called 'Memory Match Catch'. It's a part of their Soft Shapes line. This match game is for bath time and has 20 colorful fish with 10 different patterns and a net for kids to catch them with. They can match the patterns and collect them in the supplied mesh bag or stick them on the tub wall. We just got the game and my 5 year old daughter loves it! She even likes to use it outside of the tub. It's so fun to illustrate a toy and then see my daughter playing with it! And, I've always been a big memory match game fan, so I am having fun playing it with her too.

Trip to NYC Stationary and Surtex Show

2011-05-31T13:12:00.005-04:00

I went to the Stationary and Surtex show in New York City a couple of weeks ago and had a great time. I haven't been to the show in a quite a few years, so it was nice to go again. I really enjoyed looking at the booths, trends, and it was great to see some familiar faces too! I was happy to see my book, Tooth Fairy Tales - My record of each lost tooth at the Potter Style Booth, and it was also very cool to see my snail notecards at the Papyrus store on 5th Avenue!

My Book is in the middle of the second shelf up from the bottom.

It was so fun to see my notecards there!

Baby Boy Card- Elephant and Bird

2011-04-11T23:43:00.002-04:00

©Gartner Greetings

I went to a friends baby shower this weekend, which was really fun. It's always exciting to welcome a new little life into the world! Here's a card I illustrated a little while ago that is fitting for the occasion. I can't wait to meet their little boy, who'll be arriving at the end of May or early June.

Little Bird

2011-04-05T17:19:00.003-04:00

©Gartner Greetings

Here's a bird that enjoyed painting for a greeting card I recently illustrated. I've noticed lately that I just love painting birds!

Birthday Fun!

2011-04-03T21:55:00.002-04:00

©Gartner Greetings

My 5 year old daughter got invited to a friends birthday party this weekend. Lots of of crafts, dressing up as princesses and strawberry cupcakes. Nothing can put a smile on my face as fast as little kids giggling. It was fun!

Little Friends Book -Oxford University Press

2011-03-04T15:18:00.005-05:00

I recently got samples for an educational book and flash cards that I illustrated for Oxford University Press UK. The book is called 'Little Friends', and it's being published world wide. Little Friends is a British English course for very young children who do not read and write yet. My illustrations are interspersed throughout the book along with another illustrators'. Here's a sampling of some of my art that's in the book. It's great to see it in print!

©Oxford University Press

Happy March!

2011-03-03T10:00:00.001-05:00

Here's a couple of birds to wish you a happy March!

©Lesley Breen Withrow

Bear with Balloons

2011-02-17T12:57:00.000-05:00

It's a beautiful day today. Sunny and warm, a nice change from all the snow and ice we've been having all winter. Hopefully Spring is on the way!

©Gartner Greetings

Poe and Lovecraft Meet in Providence, 1909

2011-02-15T12:18:00.005-05:00

Here's an illustration I did of Edgar Allen Poe (one of my favorite writers). My husband, Steve, wrote a poem to go along with it. It was nice to collaborate. Hope you enjoy!

©Lesley Breen Withrow

Poe and Lovecraft Meet in Providence, 1909

By Steven Withrow

The Athenaeum’s doors were locked

For after hours. The idled ghosts

Of Model T’s at hitching posts

Resembled resting mares. They’d walked

Down separate steps, from different gates,

Alarumed out of iron sleep

By bells, an interview to keep,

A night’s commingling of their fates.

The Athenaeum’s reading room

Was dark, the hooded lamps lit low,

And Lovecraft, young still, begged of Poe,

“What eldritch summoning of doom,

What cosmic rite, has fetched you here?

I’d passed out, my new poem complete,

And soon awoke on Angell Street!”

He leaned in, offered Poe his ear.

The pale anachronism shook

His wild-haired—was it eyeless?—head,

A forceful gesture for the dead,

And fingered toward a black-bound book

That lingered on a higher shelf,

Its spine read Necronomicon,

And Lovecraft stood, but Poe was gone.

He’d face the grimoire by himself.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T12:03:00.001-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

©Gartner Greetings

My cat loves Valentines' Day!

2011-02-13T00:09:00.001-05:00

©Lesley Breen Withrow

I found my cat Desi, playing with my daughter's Valentine's Day hearts. Guess she's excited about the holiday too!

Almost Valentine's Day!

2011-02-09T12:36:00.002-05:00

Less than a week until Valentines Day!

Baby Giraffe

2011-02-04T14:37:00.001-05:00

Here's a recent illustration I really enjoyed creating!

©Gartner Greetings

Butterflies

2011-01-27T15:50:00.005-05:00

Here's a snippit of some butterflies I illustrated for a greeting card. It makes me feel like Spring is in the air, even when we had 10 inches of snow last night. A girl can dream!

©Gartner Greetings

Mice watering flowers

2011-01-04T11:19:00.000-05:00

©Gartner Greetings

Here's a snippet of some cute little mice I drew for a greeting card last year. Reminds me of a Spring day!

Happy Holiday's

2010-12-28T13:04:00.003-05:00

Hope everyone had a nice holiday! Our was a nice one. A real white Christmas too with a blizzard following the holiday.

©Gartner Greetings

The Holiday Season

2010-11-30T09:56:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again. Holiday music, Christmas trees, snowman and hot chocolate. No snow here yet, but I'm sure it won't be long!

©Gartner Greetings

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T15:15:00.000-05:00

It's Thanksgiving here again in the U.S. Time for good food, family and giving thanks. Hope you all have a great one!

©Lesley Breen Withrow

Tooth Fairy Tales - My Record of Each Lost Tooth

2010-11-15T16:12:00.001-05:00

I recently got a copy of my book Tooth Fairy Tales - My Record of Each Lost Tooth. It's a journal book published by Potter Style (an imprint of Random House) for children and their parents to document when a child looses their teeth. I Illustrated all the art for this book as well as the lettering.

Here's the cover with the pocket peeking thru the central die cut window.

And halftone endpapers and pocket for the Tooth Fairy to leave a gift.

Here's one of the inside pages where you can write.

Here's another inside page where you can write and add a photo.

Here's the back cover.

Ironically, my daughter just lost her first tooth and we got to use it! Yay!

R. Michelson Gallery's 21st annual Children's Illustration Show

2010-11-09T12:33:00.002-05:00

Steve, Marin and I had a great time this weekend at the R. Michelson Gallery's 21st annual Children's Illustration Show in Norhampton, MA. Here's a pic of some of the great author's and illustrator's who attended. Jane Yolen, Mo Willems, Tony Diterlizzi, Angela Diterlizzi, Barry Moser, Jane Dyer, Diane deGroat, Wendel Minor, Jarret Krosoczka, Scott Fischer, Raul Colon, Rebecca Guay, Gary Lippincott, David Milgrim, Norton Juster, Richard Michelson and many more. It was an amazing group of author's and illustrators and I feel so proud to be in the photo with them all!

Philosophy Friday - Halloween!!!

2010-10-29T13:48:00.002-04:00

Where there is no imagination there is no horror.

~Arthur Conan Doyle, Sr.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

©Lesley Breen Withrow

Library Of the Early Mind - Premiere Screening at Harvard's Askwith Forum

2010-10-20T13:47:00.005-04:00

I had a wonderful time last night at the Premiere screening at Harvard of my husbands film about children's books called Library of the Early Mind. It was great to see the film on the big screen and to be able to watch it with an audience. The panel discussion that followed with Lois Lowry, Leslea Newman, Jerry Pinkney, Padma Venkatraman, Roger Sutton and the filmmakers Edward J. Delaney and Steven Withrow was engaging. I'll post some pictures from the night soon.

What are they looking it?

2010-10-13T16:08:00.003-04:00

©Lesley Breen Withrow

Here's a snippit of a self-promotional illustration I am working on. What do you think they are looking at? A statue, a ghost, a giant bunny!? No. But come back and you'll get to see soon!

Kissing Elephants

2010-10-12T10:13:00.000-04:00

©Lesley Breen Withrow

What's better on a Tuesday morning than drawing a couple of cute kissing elephants? Happy Tuesday!

Philosophy Friday

2010-10-01T12:52:00.008-04:00

©Lesley Breen Withrow

As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.
-Henry David Thoreau

I love Henry David Thoreau's mind set and have so many quotes of his that I would love to share. This quote is one that I had not read before and found particularly interesting. Seems to me that there is a lot of truth in 'we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives'. Above is a cropped sample of some European houses I illustrated for a picture book biography that I am working on and hoping to get published. Here's to making even deeper footprints! Have a great weekend.

Cute Kitty Cat

2010-09-29T14:30:00.001-04:00

©Oxford University Press, UK

Here's a cute kitty cat that I illustrated for an Oxford University Press course book earlier this year. My daughter's favorite stuffed animal is a gray striped tiger cat named Tito, so of course I just had to get him into the book!

Preview Screening of Library of the Early Mind

2010-09-27T23:58:00.000-04:00

Last weekend my husband, Steven Withrow, daughter and I drove down to Alexandria, Virginia for a preview screening of the film Library of the Early Mind, (which my husband is co-producer of). The screening was a part of the first annual Alexandria Story Festival benefitting a great organization, Wright to Read, and was held at an amazing children’s bookstore, Hooray for Books. The screening went well and the panel discussion following was lively. It was a real pleasure to meet authors Lezlie Evans and Melissa Thomson, as well as the organizer, Leigh Hoyer and her team, and the staff of Hooray for Books. It was a wonderful trip and a real joy for us to to attend it as a family!

Philosophy Friday

2010-09-24T13:27:00.004-04:00

©Lesley Breen Withrow

We are what we repeatedly do. - Aristotle

Hope you have a great weekend!

Yellow Flower Pattern

2010-09-23T16:20:00.004-04:00

©Lesley Breen Withrow

What a beautiful summer-like day it is here today in New England. I know that there are not too many of these days ahead, so it's time to enjoy it while you can!

Angel

2010-09-15T14:51:00.000-04:00

©Gartner Greetings

Happy Wednesday! It's a beautiful day here. Hope you are enjoying yours.

Philosophy Friday

2010-09-10T13:50:00.007-04:00

Here's a quote I like and part of a pattern I designed on a card for Gartner Greetings. Have a great weekend!

©Gartner Greetings

Men always love what is good or what they find good; it is in judging what is good that they go wrong.

-Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Pen and Ink

2010-09-07T10:56:00.001-04:00

©Lesley Breen Withrow

Here is a pen and ink drawing I created a while ago but recently found. I decided to add some more details, like the wallpaper. I use so much color in most of my art these days, and I love color, but I equally have always loved black and white and grays. I find that this love also extends to b&w movies too (I am an old movie buff) and to rainy days. Yup, I love the look of the gray sky right before it rains! I'll be sure to share more of my black and white linework form time to time too. I created this piece with a mystery in mind!

Happy Birthday to Marin!

2010-08-31T15:00:00.004-04:00

©Lesley Breen Withrow

Today is my daughter's 5th birthday! We had a great party for her over the weekend with family and friends. She has been enjoying eating the leftover cake and playing with her presents the last few days. It's hard to believe that it's been 5 years since my little girl was born. But I am happy to say that I haven't missed a moment and am looking forward to many more. Love you, Marin!

Philosophy Friday

2010-08-27T13:57:00.006-04:00

I love Friday's, philosophy and quotes that inspire. So here's my first Philosophy Friday. Enjoy!

-To teach how to live with uncertainty, yet without being paralyzed by hesitation, is perhaps the chief thing that philosophy can do. ~Bertrand Russell

©Gartner Greetings

(Art from a Mother's Day card I illustrated for Gartner Greetings)

Circle Patterns

2010-08-25T14:03:00.003-04:00

©Lesley Breen Withrow

I got re-inspired to create more patterns the other day while visiting a local sewing store with my mom. I loved seeing all the fabrics and patterns and COLORS! So fun and beautiful. Here's a fun pattern I recently made of some circles with different textures and patterns.

Snail Pattern

2010-08-23T00:08:00.002-04:00

©Lesley Breen Withrow

Here's a snippet of a repeat pattern I created a little while ago containing these cute little snails, bugs, flowers and leaves. I have been getting back into sewing again, something I enjoyed to do as a kid. I would love to see these patterns as a kids fabric someday!

Butterflies

2010-07-09T15:16:00.003-04:00

©Lesley Breen Withrow

Lots of hot weather her in the North East lately! I've been enjoying being busy with greeting card work lately, but have been slacking on updating blog. So, here is a piece I created a little while back that I thought would be nice to share. Reminds me of those slightly cooler, but warm, spring days.

Library of the Early Mind - Trailer

2010-06-27T22:15:00.002-04:00

My husband, Steven Withrow, has been working as the co-producer on an independent documentary film this past year, and they just released the first of several short trailers! The film is called 'Library of the Early Mind' and it's a feature-length documentary about children's literature. So, if you have an interest in children's books, this is a must see.

Summer is on the way!

2010-05-28T10:57:00.004-04:00

©Lesley Breen Withrow

It certainly has felt like summer this week with a couple of 90 degree days here in New England! This illustration I made of the beach reminds me of home. I grew-up on Cape Cod and used to work at a snack bar on the beach and even drove an ice cream truck one summer! This was my view for most of those days. I am looking forward to visiting there soon. Happy Memorial Day everyone!

Fun pattern

2010-05-21T05:41:00.001-04:00

©Lesley Breen Withrow

Here's a pattern I elaborated upon recently. It was fun adding new elements to it.

A Christmas Pattern in Spring?

2010-04-20T17:40:00.002-04:00

©Lesley Breen Withrow

I've been illustrating a lot of Christmas/Holiday cards lately. Here's a pattern I used on part of a card. 'Tis the time of year to make holiday art, so it can be printed and on the shelves in time! ho, ho, ho!

Tooth Fairy Tales - My Record of Each Lost Tooth

2010-04-08T16:15:00.005-04:00

It's nice to see the tooth fairy diary I illustrated Tooth Fairy Tales - My Record of Each Lost Tooth for Potter Style (an imprint of Random House) is already available for pre-orders! It's coming out August 10th of this year and I can't wait to see the printed version of it. It's a part of the Potter Style Summer 2010 catalog which is available on-line and is beautifully designed. So check it out if you have a moment.

A Pattern for Spring

2010-03-23T12:52:00.000-04:00

©Lesley Breen Withrow

Here's a snippet of a fun new pattern I just created! It makes me think of Spring flowers and sun.

Feather of Memory

2010-03-14T14:25:00.005-04:00

©Gary McCluskey

Check out my husband, Steven Withrow's, new project called Feather's of Memory. He is writing a verse novel about a futuristic time-traveler. He's also been recording it into audio files so you can choose to read and/or listen to it weekly as the story unfolds. Pretty cool! Also, the fabulous art above of the time ship was illustrated by my talented friend, Gary McCluskey.

THE FEATHER OF MEMORY -- a verse novella

The Feather of Memory, my first experiment in writing a short novel in verse for young adults, will make its official debut on Monday, March 15th, the Ides of March, a date that plays an important part in the story. The series will update weekly until the story is completed.

The main narrative will be written in blank verse -- unrhymed iambic pentameter -- and each installment will also include an audio file of me reading the poem aloud.

Hope you'll come along for the ride, add it to your blog reader or bookmarks, and help spread the word!

Children's Illustration - Step by Step tutorial

2010-03-09T13:07:00.005-05:00

Unfortunately, you cannot show most illustrations that you are working on due to contracts and all so I try to create some art just for promotion. Here is a step by step of an illustration I made of two small cats baking cookies in a kitchen. Yum, I could go for some cookie dough right now. Hope you enjoy!

This is a sketch with pencil or pen on paper. I then scan it into the computer and don't worry too much about the quality of the scan because it is just so I can get an idea what I want to paint.

Next I open the art in a program called Painter. There I use the oil and or real bristle brush to paint the basic colors and shapes of the art. Painter is a fabulous program. I am able to achieve the look (paint strokes, blending texture, etc.) of real paints. In this step I try to capture the expressions on the cats faces keeping them as lively as they are in the sketch. I also make choices about what colors I want to use. I decide to paint bold colors with the understanding that the green table top will be used as an underpainting.

Then I like to save my art as a flat file and bring it into Photoshop. For me, this is where the real 'magic' happens. Here I like to add lots of texture and patterns to my art. Photoshop is the perfect program for this. For example, In this step I added a scan of some wood I have, to create a wooden table top.

Next, I refine my wooden table top texture and trim around the art to create a soft irregular border. I add more art, like the cookie sheets, cookies etc.

Here I refine the art even more. Adding more elements but more importantly I start to bring depth to the art by adding shadows and highlights. As you may notice, the cats look more rounded. I added blush to their cheeks too as well as some white lines to the wood table pattern. I continue to add lots of details too, like the recipe card, bag of flour and broken eggs and a subtle dot pattern to the background.

Now I added a white line shelf in the background . I continue to add more shadows and highlights and textures.

Finally, I adjust the white line shelf more, changing the scrolls at the top to a clock. I think this looks more refined and gives an element that I am looking for. It's nice working digitally because changing something like that is easy but would be much more complicated if I was working reflectively. I add the stripes to the cats and continue to bring out the shadows and highlights until I am happy. Then wha-la! I am done.

©Lesley Breen Withrow

Buggies

2010-03-03T14:37:00.004-05:00

©Oxford University Press

Here's a snippet from a piece of art I'm working on. Gotta love drawing colorful bugs!

Happy belated Valentine's Day!

2010-02-16T13:16:00.003-05:00

©Lesley Breen Withrow

Here's another card I illustrated for Gartner Greetings. The dark title, subtitle and line work are in pink foil and there is a jewel attachment on the woman's finger which looks like a diamond ring. I figured the art is kind of fitting for Valentine's Day even though it's an anniversary card. Hope everyone had a nice holiday!

Nice review of or book!

2010-02-12T01:58:00.002-05:00

Steve and I were happy to see this nice review that our publisher shared with us about our book "Illustrating Children's Picture Books ." The review was in the UK magazine 'Photoshop Creative.'

My Greeting Card Collection - Sharing the Faith

2010-02-02T15:30:00.002-05:00

©Gartner Greetings

I illustrated and planned the subject matter for this religious greeting card collection called 'Sharing the Faith' from Gartner Greetings (an imprint of Gartner Studios ). It's a beautiful collection that has a soft natural look, lots of textures and patterns and up-lifting verses that tie in well with the art. It's a 40 card collection that I shared with another fabulous illustrator and was a joy to work on. All the images above are my illustrations.

Seven Impossible Things - Interview with Literary Agent Steven Malk

2010-01-28T13:23:00.004-05:00

My husband, Steven Withrow, has a new interview online with children's book agent Steven Malk. It's a great read!

Birthday Card

2010-01-15T14:31:00.003-05:00

©Gartner Greetings

I just got a bunch of samples of cards I have illustrated! It is always so exciting to get samples and see what the product looks like in it's final form. I love to feel the quality of the paper and how the values like foil, virko, glitter, die cut, attachments, etc. look when on the card. Here's a three panel full color card I illustrated for Gartner Greetings. I like how all three panels were filled with full color illustrations. You can't see it here, but what looks like black line work around the art and the copy is actually shiny pink foil. It adds a nice touch. Stayed tuned for more samples!

A Christmas Toy Story Show - At Contrapose Dance

2009-12-16T12:20:00.008-05:00

©Lesley Breen Withrow

It's that time of year again! Time for Christmas, snow and ballet shows, like the Nutcracker. But I know of an even better Christmas show that is local (if you are in the Massachusettes, Rhode Island area) at Contrapose Dance. Contrapose Dance is a fabulous dance company started by my friend Courtney Peix. They are having 'A Christmas Toy Story Show ' in Bridgewater (Bridgewater State College) is this Saturday at 5:30 and Sunday at 3:00. It is a great show that is very family friendly (even for young kids) and you get to see the dancers up close which is just amazing to me! It's 1 hour long, and features a cast of 37 dancers (7 amazing professionals, 30 students). So, if you're in the area and you are looking for a wonderful Christmas show, this is a great one.

Also, I illustrated the poster for the this show last year, but just adjusted it a little bit for this years show. Adding my new logo and some new information and a few new swirls. Happy Holidays and hope to see you there!

See Steven Withrow's first "Fieldnote" on Seven Impossible Things!

2009-12-15T14:31:00.012-05:00

My husband, Steven Withrow, is now a contributing monthly writer for the amazing children's book blog Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. His first "fieldnote" is about art director and children's book designer Susan M. Sherman. Check it out, it's a great read with lots of insight and art!

Next month he'll be interviewing children's book agent Steven Malk.

The Boy Who Wanted Wings

2009-12-14T11:08:00.008-05:00

This past summer I illustrated the story The Boy Who Wanted Wings for the magazine Angels on Earth. Angels on Earth is owned by Guideposts, which creates spiritual magazines. This is an inspirational Christmas story written by Patricia Gaddis-Clark, and is well worth the read. It was a joy to illustrate too! I know it was intended for print, but I am glad to see it on-line as well. Enjoy!

The Holiday Mood

2009-12-09T15:50:00.002-05:00

Today I woke up to a ton of snow on the ground. What a surprise it was! Unfortunately, it turned over to rain and now it is a slushy mess. But, the snow has helped to put me in the holiday mood. Well, the snow and the Christmas tree we just put up! There are no gifts under it right now and I'm not sure if we'll ever has as many gifts as those under the tree I illustrated. Ha! But that's okay.

My Process of creating Mixed Media children's art

2009-12-02T14:01:00.008-05:00

In this post I thought I would show you a bit how I work from sketch to finished art.

1. Here's my sketch

2. Next I lay down the foundation colors and start to fill in different elements of the art.

3. Once the initial art colors and characters are painted, I like to bring the art into Photoshop where I add lots of the details, textures and patterns. I have a large library of textures and patterns that I have created on paper using paints and scratchboard and pen and ink, etc. I have also been known to scan fabrics, newspapers, buttons, really what ever I think I can use in my art. It's a lot of fun creating those different textures and patterns and once I scan it into the computer I can use it multiple times because it's now a computer file.

4. And here is the final art with all the details, textures and patterns added in in place. But wait, there's one more addition to this piece!

5. I decided to add a border all around it. This was a border I created by hand and scanned/manipulated in the computer. Hope you had fun seeing a bit of my working process!

Profile of my husband, Steven Withrow, at Seven Impossible Things!

2009-11-30T11:25:00.008-05:00

Jules Danielson has invited Steve to contribute monthly "Fieldnotes" to her amazing children's book blog, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. He'll be posting a regular interview/feature with a children's publishing professional -- starting December 15th with art director and book designer Susan M. Sherman.

Here's the fun profile of Steve -- with plenty of pictures and a poem -- up today. Check it out!

Illustrating Children's Picture Books Arrives!

2009-11-17T00:44:00.004-05:00

Steve and I recently received our first advance copy of Illustrating Children's Picture Books from Roto Vision in the UK. It was great to finally see it in print and to hold it in our hands. It's a nice square shape and size and is well designed. It will be available in December but you can place pre-orders on Amazon.com already. Here a few sneek peaks!

R. Michelson Galleries - 20th Annual Children's Illustration Show

2009-11-11T17:14:00.006-05:00

On Sunday, Steve and I went to the R. Michelson Galleries in Northhampton, MA for the 20th Annual Children's Illustration Show. The R. Michelson Galleries is a beautiful place and the show features incredible children's art from some of the top illustrators. We got to be in the same company of some wonderful people in the childrens book field. Jane Yolen, Norton Juster, Barry Moser, Leslea Newman, Mo Willems, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Mordicai Gerstien, Richard Michelson, Jane Dyer, and Anna Alter to name a few. They were also auctioning some original children's art for Reader to Reader, a public charity dedicated to bringing books, free of charge, to needy schools and public libraries across the United States. The Children's Illustration Show will be hanging until January 31, 2010 and it's definitely worth the trip! We got to explore downtown Northhampton a bit too. What a cool creative community it is there!

R. Michelson Galleries - Northhampton, MA

20th Annual Children's Illustration Show

Jane Yolen receiving the second annual Norton Juster Award

for service to the world of Children's Literature.

Illustrators and writers line up to take the annual picture!

Norton Juster and Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Mo Willems art in the exhibit

What a great day!

Elephant Parade

2009-11-05T12:23:00.001-05:00

Here's a snippit from an elephant pattern I am working on.

Illustration Friday - Fast

2009-10-28T15:54:00.001-04:00

I always like go fast when I'm ice skating... maybe a bit faster than I am supposed to! But it's fun.

Almost Halloween!

2009-10-26T11:24:00.002-04:00

The leaves are falling, the days are getting shorter and

Halloween is close by!

Lady Bugs

2009-10-07T21:52:00.006-04:00

I have been noticing lately little ladybugs clinging to the outside of my windows trying to hang onto the last bit of warmth of the season. So, here's a snippit of art I made as a part of a card collection last year that featured these beautiful little bugs.

Also, below is a haiku that my husband, Steven, wrote about them. You can find more of his fabulous poetry on his blog Crackles of Speech.

Twin lady beetles
Climbing the winter window --
Come back, warm red June!

IF-Pattern

2009-10-01T17:36:00.002-04:00

Here's a patterned filled greeting card I made for a card collection last year. Seems like a good fit for this weeks Illustration Friday topic!

So long summer

2009-10-01T12:44:00.001-04:00

The leaves are now starting to fall and the weather is getting colder here in New England. The summer is now officially over, but here's some art that will help you remember those fun, warm summer days!

Halloween

2009-09-29T12:03:00.003-04:00

Here's a pencil drawing I recently made of my daughter Marin and her friend Riley in there Halloween costumes from last year. It's hard to believe that time is almost here again! It was fun to draw them and capture their personalities. For me, it makes a moment in time even more memorable and special when I capture it in a drawing.

New Cover: Illustrating Children's Picture Books

2009-09-16T13:15:00.005-04:00

Steven and I are very excited to share with you a fun new cover for our upcoming book, Illustrating Children's Picture Books , which will be published around the world this December. The cover features my art (the pouting girl), along with characters created by Polly Dunbar (the kneeling child) and Miriam Latimer (the leaping tiger) -- both brilliant artists and storytellers from the UK. It's so wonderful to see the book come together and I can't wait to see a printed copy in December!

2009-09-14T10:39:00.000-04:00

My daughter, Marin, had her 4th birthday party recently and I made her a big ladybug cake with complimentary flower cupcakes. She got a special little ladybug cupcake just for her too. It was fun to put my art ability into cake decorating. I admire the professional cake decorators out there. What an amazing skill that is. It was truly a labor of love for me. My mother made her birthday dress from fabric my grandmother had left over before she passed away last year. It was very sentimental and the dress looked incredible on Marin! My mother didn't even use a pattern for the dress. She creates and rearranges things as she goes. What an wonderful artist she is. Here's to another fun filled year!

Loving the Weather

2009-09-03T11:18:00.004-04:00

What a beautiful day it is again here in New England! Here's some art I created for a greeting card that reminds me of the wonderful weather we are having. I hope it stays like this for a little while longer.

Happy Birthday Marin!

2009-08-31T14:32:00.002-04:00

Today is my daughter's 4th birthday! We had a wonderful birthday party for her yesterday and she got all the Smurfs and My Little Ponies that she had been dreaming of! (Including Papa Smurf and Smurfette). It's funny, because those are the same gifts I dreamed of getting back in the day. Gotta love retro!

Ted Kennedy

2009-08-28T12:14:00.004-04:00

I couldn't make it up to the Kennedy Library in Boston today to give my respects to Senator Ted Kennedy who is lying in repose there. So, I thought I would post a sketch I drew of him as my remembrance. Growing up on Cape Cod, the Kennedy's were always close by. I got the pleasure of seeing Ted years ago in Hyannis Port. I was on a boat heading over to Martha's Vineyard and he sailed by on his sail boat and waved. Ted Kennedy was an incredible public servant who had done a lot of good for the little guys and will be greatly missed.
©Lesley Breen Withrow

Greeting Cards

2009-08-26T17:17:00.002-04:00

I've been busy creating greeting cards and so I thought I'd show a sampling of them. They are filled with my painterly textures and patterns. So much fun to make!

Secrets of Digital Animation

2009-08-23T22:05:00.002-04:00

My husband, Steven Withrow , has a new book that just came out called Secrets of Digital Animation from RotoVision and Rockport Publishers. It's an incredible book featuring some amazing animators.

Secrets of Digital Animation sets out to demonstrate and showcase a range of cutting-edge work, new techniques, and influential practitioners within all forms of contemporary animation, from anime to flashware, and from animated shorts to machinima, offering creative hints and tips from the genre masters. This book offers young practitioners, and those interested in broadening their skills, an insider’s view of the fast evolving work of animation; showcasing professionals and their creations, working methods, and inspiration, along with jargon-busting explanations and easy to follow demonstrations. Stunning examples of finished work are shown alongside conceptual drawings and works in progress. The book contains practical advice and case studies that explore the professional techniques behind designing innovative characters and fantastical worlds, and bringing them to life.

2009-08-18T14:32:00.007-04:00

©Lesley Breen Withrow
Here's a snippet of some illustrations I have been working on while trying to beat the summer heat. I can't complain though... it's nice to see that summer is finally here in New England!

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

2009-08-10T15:57:00.007-04:00

My husband, daughter and I went to visit The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art a couple weeks ago and had a wonderful time. It is a great place for kids and an inspiration for us writers and illustrators. We got to see original art of Eric Carle's The Hungry Caterpillar, (which just turned 40!) as well as an assortment of Ernest Shepard's pen and ink and pencil art from Winnie-the-Pooh and Tomie DePaola's original picture book art and oil paintings. We also had fun reading books, and making art out of tissue paper, like Eric Carle does. It was a great trip for us all, even Tito had fun. That's Marin's little gray tiger kitty that she's had since she was a baby (you can see him helping my daughter out with her tissue paper art).

My Note Cards at the Papyrus Store

2009-07-22T16:10:00.003-04:00

I saw my snail note card set at the local Papyrus store. How fun! It was great to see it amongst all their other products.

Calculator book

2009-07-14T12:23:00.008-04:00

©Lesley Breen Withrow
Here's a page from an educational novelty book that I illustrated this year. It comes with a calculator and instructs kids how to add, subtract, multiply and divide. It will be available in early 2010 from Tormont. How exciting!

Muffin

2009-07-09T12:57:00.005-04:00

©Lesley Breen Withrow
Here's a photo of an acrylic 24x36 painting I made several years back of my husband's family cat. Her name was Muffin and she was a surly, grumpy old cat but we all loved her for her honesty. She lived a long life of 21 years! Go figure. What a beautiful calico she was. I just had to paint her!

Portrait Drawing

2009-07-08T00:10:00.004-04:00

©Lesley Breen Withrow
(Excuse the glare on the image)
Here's a portrait I drew last year while visiting a class at the Falmouth Artists Guild on Cape Cod (my home town). They were located in a basement for a while until their new building was built. I haven't gotten a chance to visit yet, but it looks amazing! I love portrait and figure drawing and getting the time to draw a figure from real life is one of my great joys. Unfortunately, I don't get much time to fit that into my schedule these days, but I savor it when I do!

New Logo

2009-07-06T13:57:00.003-04:00

I created a new logo!

ABC's

2009-06-23T23:05:00.003-04:00

Rainy Day

2009-06-22T15:00:00.004-04:00

©Lesley Breen Withrow
Well, it's another rainy day here in New England. Where is that sunny June weather? Here are some flowers to brighten the day.

Pinks and Reds

2009-06-10T17:42:00.011-04:00

©Lesley Breen Withrow
I had lunch today with some artists friends. It was fun and inspirational! What a great thing to do on a gloomy, rainy day. I've recently found out how to add blogs to my gmail reader and since then I have been adding a gazillion blogs to it. I love it! It keeps them organized and tells me when someone posts something new. It's like having the most amazing magazine subscription, tailored just to what I want to read. I am hoping to post art on my blog at least once a week. We'll see if I can do it. I know how exciting it is to see other peoples posts, so I'd like to do that for my readers... if you're out there. :)
Here's a couple pieces of art I've recently created. Lots of reds and pinks!

Our Book! Illustrating Children's Picturebooks

2009-05-17T17:02:00.006-04:00

My amazing writer husband, Steven Withrow, (author of: Toon Art, Webcomics, Character Design for Graphic Novels, Vector Graphics and Illustration and Secrets of Digital Animation) and I are working on a book called 'Illustrating Children's Picturebooks'. This book contains tutorials, case studies, know-how's and lots of inspiration! We have gotten to connect with some amazing people in the field and are delighted to work together on a book as a husband and wife team. Amazon.com recently added our book on it's lists page, so check it out! How cool! It will be available for purchase in December ... just in time for the holidays! But they are already accepting pre-orders, so you can get yours today.

2009-05-02T15:57:00.005-04:00

©Lesley Breen Withrow
My new note card set of cute little retro colored snails is now available on the Papyrus website! What a pleasant sight to see.

Happy Earth Day!

2009-04-22T23:04:00.004-04:00

©Lesley Breen Withrow
Here's the art for a card I recently illustrated. I love creating the textures and patterns and the little birds too. A perfect look for Spring!

For the love of patterns!

2009-04-15T14:03:00.007-04:00

©Lesley Breen Withrow
I love textures and patterns so it was fun to create this colorful art of teacups on a table. Hope you all can take a tea break (or coffee, water whatever you want break) and enjoy the day!

Yummy Icecream

2009-03-27T14:31:00.002-04:00

Here's some new art of mine. Looking forward to those Spring and Summer days!

Bee's

2009-02-18T02:08:00.005-05:00

Bedtime

2009-02-17T04:29:00.005-05:00