Happy Summer! In the spirit of ‘taking it easy’, I’m only sharing a How-to-Draw printable, not a writing prompt sheet. I would suggest going outside after drawing your Bald Eagles and looking up, trying to see what cool birds you can spot if you take the time to look.
One of the things I love about living in New Hampshire is the connection to nature in my daily life. I’m always catching a glimpse of big birds, interesting animal tracks in the yard, or wild berries growing somewhere new on my daily walks. This spring and summer I’ve managed to spot a lot of Bald Eagles, so it felt like a good fit for this month’s How-To-Draw printable - but also, Nina Crittenden suggested it. Thanks, Nina! I had just been researching them a day before seeing a woman pulled over on the side of the highway with her camera out, pointed up. It wasn’t a giant Bald Eagle nest, but it was an Osprey nest (almost as big!) with his/her head popping out the top. Amazing!
Mini Doodles are out in the world now - hooray! I had a great first event at Water Street Bookstore in Exeter, NH (signed books available now). I only have a few events this summer, you can read more about them here. If you were a giveaway winner last month, I’m SO sorry for the wait. Sometimes artist copies get delayed but as soon as mine arrive I will be sending your books ASAP.
I also finished a first pass at a new picture book story and sent it off to my agent. I was ‘supposed’ to be working on another story, but I just caught a wave of inspiration and couldn’t stop until it was a real thing (and not just a nagging idea). I had to sneak it in between a whole flurry of smaller projects, but I’m so glad that I did. This career has been way more of a juggling act than I was expecting - having a new book release, with events, plus freelance work means that it can be hard to prioritize working on new books. I’ve learned the hard way that it’s critical to make the time for new ideas to keep the calendar active a year or two down the road!
I’ve managed to take two fun trips since my last newsletter. First, our family went to NYC for several days. It was our kids’ first visit so we did a lot of basic sightseeing, went to the American Natural History Museum, walked the High Line, and caught the show SIX on Broadway. Then last week, my daughter and I popped up to Boothbay Harbor in Maine for two days to finally see Thomas Dambo’s trolls at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. They were incredible to see in person. My daughter liked the trolls but sort of fell in love with the frog pond.
Also, don’t miss this Saturday’s free Introvert Drawing Club. Beth Spencer hosts this lovely (and quiet) drawing sessions. They’ve been brilliant at getting me to loosen up and work more colorfully in my sketchbook. I’m co-hosting the session this weekend, and the theme is VINTAGE TOYS. I had so much fun digging through my childhood treasures and capturing fun scenes for us to draw. Read more here.
Thank you for this newsletter! I attempted at drawing bald eagles all over my sketchbook! :)