Cece Bell

The best Itty Bitty review yet… with pictures!

Posted on August 10, 2010 by riddleburger

I recently received a package in the mail from some folks I’ve not met before, but would love to some day: Jack and his mama. Here’s what the letter said:

And here are some of the drawings that Jack and his mama sent:

My personal favorite drawing:

Plus more:

Thanks, Jack and his mama, for one of the best Itty Bitty reviews yet!

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OK, it’s not an illustration, but…

Posted on July 25, 2010 by riddleburger

it is a lovely review of Bee-Wigged from amazing author illustrator Niamh Sharkey in the Irish Times. Ms Sharkey says: “Cece Bell’s ink and acrylic illustrations perfectly capture this kooky tale.” Coming from an illustrator of Sharkey’s caliber, that’s good stuff. Thanks, Ms Sharkey! You can read about Sharkey’s other great picture book picks if you check out the article in full.

In the meantime…so, there’s no illustration this week. Chalk it up to a. summer laziness, b. an actual paying job, or c. summer laziness. Option “d”,” if there had been one, would also be summer laziness.

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Illustration of the Day to become Illustration of the Week

Posted on July 16, 2010 by riddleburger

The main reason I started the illustration of the day is because I was feeling sorry for myself. It felt like a long, long time had passed without me selling any new books. I wasn’t excited about drawing anymore — and I love to draw. So I came up with the Illustration of the Day to give me something fun to do, and to get me out of the doldrums. Those of you who have been faithful followers know the drill: I pull a slip of paper out of the “adjective cup,” and another slip of paper out of the “animal cup,” and then I have to draw a picture to go with whatever I pull out. I post the results on Facebook, on my online portfolio (www.cecebell.carbonmade.com), and on this website.

I gave myself a few limitations: the drawings must be done quickly (1.5 hours is ideal, definitely no more than 2 hours), all the pictures have to be the same size (5″ x 8″), and I can use only 2 colors of my choosing, plus black and white. I’ve been pleased with some of the results, disappointed with others. But the point was that I was drawing something new everyday.

The project has done a lot for me. It got me out of my feeling-sorry-for-myself funk. It’s given me new ideas for books. It’s shown me that a limited palette not only works, but is often more successful than my usual way (crazy colors, and all of ‘em). It’s proven to me that even though my life often feels overwhelmingly busy, I can still find at least one solid hour to create something new, every day. And best of all, the project has helped me reconnect with old friends, and helped me make new friends as well. Thanks to everyone who has sent me animals and adjectives to draw.

So, why am I stopping the dailies and moving to weeklies? I FINALLY SOLD A BOOK. And I need that one hour a day that I’ve carved out for the daily drawings to get to work on this book. There’s so much to be done. Plus, a much Bigger Project looms on the horizon….

I’ll miss the project a lot, except for lugging around my scanner on trips and vacations. I’m also a little disappointed that I didn’t make it to 365. But 106 drawings in 106 days is pretty good…and someday the weeklies will add up to 365, and we can all pretend that I did them all in the course of a year!

So, check in every Friday. I’ll have a new picture for you then. Same rules, so keep sending in your words. It might take longer, but it’ll still be fun.

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