Balloon Lift Off

Happy Friday! Inspiration struck early this week for this week's colour_collective with the prompt color Portland Orange. Balloons! High in the sky with a kid holding on and being lifted into the blue.  This is about how it unfolded for me as I painted this in Procreate. I started with a dark blue background, then with a big, blocky brush I splotted on orange, red balloons in a new layer. Some green below, some lighter blue, a swath of sidewalk, a girl holding onto the balloons, then, of course 'cause there's always gotta be a dog, her pup standing beside her all concerned. Mostly I painted this with my finger, but the Apple Pencil came in handy with adding the final details, which is what was missing in my paint play before on the old iPad with no pencil.

I had a ton of fun painting this. I hope it brings you some joy viewing it. Have a great weekend filled with balloons and good times!

©2017 Traci Van Wagoner, all rights reserved

Love

This week's Illustration Friday prompt is LOVE. We could all use more love right now. The power of love can save the world. So, go out and love everyone.

©2017 Traci Van Wagoner, LOVE

Hug More

With all the craziness going on in the world and with an uncertain future looming in America with a President Elect who is woefully unprepared and unable to govern himself, let alone a country, I have painted. We need love. We need diversity. We need understanding and empathy.

We need hugs.

Please hug someone today and bring a smile, a spark of hope, or a moment of peace and understanding. It is a small world after all and love makes it go around.

Tameka's New Dress Cover Reveal!

Ta da! I'm happy to be able to share with you all the final cover for Tameka's New Dress written by Ronnie Sidney II, illustrated by me, Traci Van Wagoner, and designed by my husband and partner, Kurt Keller. This is a touching story and has been a very interesting book to illustrate. I wanted capture the mood and progression of Tameka's self-confidence growing throughout the book with my colors, leading up to her getting her beautiful new and colorful dress as you see on the cover.

Tameka's New Dress by Ronnie Sidney II, illustrated by Traci Van Wagoner

Book Summary

When you’re the new girl in school it can be a little scary. It’s even tougher when your parents aren’t there to help. Some of the kids might be friendly but what about that mean girl who’s always picking on you? The author brings up the subjects of childhood trauma, parental substance abuse, kinship care and bullying with a gentle touch suitable for even the youngest children. Tameka's New Dress shines a light on these tough things and lays them out on the table to talk about. He also presents us with a strong girl in Tameka, who not only finds adults who can and do support her, but also finds a way to confront her bullies without becoming a bully herself. Real tips for real life situations are presented here – just what real little children need - a great addition to the library shelves.


Tameka's New Dress is the second graphic novel in the Nelson Beats the Odds series.

To preorder your copy visit http://www.creative-medicine.com/tameka-s-new-dress.html


About the Author

Ronnie Nelson Sidney, II, MSW was raised in Tappahannock, VA, and attended Essex County Public Schools (ECPS). While attending ECPS, he spent several years in special education after being diagnosed with a learning disability. The stigmatization of special education created a lack of interest in school. Nevertheless, he graduated from Essex High School in 2001, but with a 1.8 GPA. With limited options regarding four-year colleges, he enrolled at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Richmond, VA. The following year, he transferred to and completed studies at Old Dominion University, in Norfolk, VA. After several years of hard work, he was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services in 2006.

Ronnie's early academic challenges ignited a passion within him to pursue social justice and to work with youth. He has spent over eight years in the mental health and academic counseling fields and currently works as an outpatient therapist at the Middle Peninsula-Northern Neck Community Services Board (MP-NNCSB). Ronnie is an active member of the Richmond Association of Black Social Workers (RABSW). He founded Creative Medicine: Healing Through Words, an expressive writing program for offenders. He implemented the program at the Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, Virginia for six months before expanding the program into an LLC. The company's mission is to improve participants' social, emotional, and physical health through therapeutic writing and dialogue. For more information, visit the author's website at www.creative-medicine.com. 

Behind the Scenes
 
And now, some of my illustration process for creating the cover art.

pencil sketching

Two sketch versions

Final sketch

Final cover art

To see more of my artwork and some sneak peeks of interior illustrations for this book, follow me on Facebook and visit my website to see more of my art and more books I've illustrated.

Thank you for visiting. I hope you have enjoyed my creative journey with creating Tameka's cover, and I hope you will buy the book and share in her journey as well. I would love to hear your thoughts about the book, about my process, or about your experiences that are similar to Tameka's.