Illustration Friday: Green

Sunny Green 

I haven't had a chance to participate in Illustration Friday for a while. I couldn't pass up on the prompt word, Green. So, as I took a few moments to relax between deadlines and paint play in my iPad Pro with Procreate and my finger and this pretty scene of rolling green hills is what came out. And a castle is always fun, and a warm, bright sun, yeah. So, there you have it, Sunny Green.

What do you think of when you hear the word Green?

©2018 Traci Van Wagoner

Good News -- The Mermaid's Gift

I am thrilled to share the news that I have been contracted by Pelican Publishing to illustrate a new picture book, The Mermaid's Gift by Claudia Cangilla McAdams. I'm very excited to be involved in helping to bring this story to life. Here is a sneak peek for you.

The Mermaid's Gift is a legend of a hungry village who received the gift of lace from a mermaid.


The woman of the village of Burano use the mermaid's gift as a pattern to create their famous and beautiful lace.


I've really enjoyed picking up a pencil again to sketch out this book. I usually sketch in ink, but for this book, I want a more realistic feel with moody undertones and pencil worked best. I am looking forward to painting. I will be painting these in Photoshop with my own paper, textures, and brushes. I love being able to use my traditional media training to paint on the computer. Stay tuned to see the progress of this book which is due out in the fall of 2015.