pencil led

enjoy the season!

2011-12-21T11:21:00.000-06:00

Hope your holidays are full of merrymaking!

So much news to share!

2011-11-02T16:46:00.002-05:00

Rosie Sprout receives a star from Publishers Weekly!

★ “An accomplished debut….Wortche possesses both a refreshing directness and a willingness to trust her readers... This impressive new author is well served by Barton (Mine!), whose digital classroom sketches convey a tumult of emotion and have just the right amounts of energy and vulnerability.”
Publishers Weekly, October 24, 2011

Thank you, PW!

Rosie Sprout's Time to Shine by Allison Wortche, pictures by Patrice Barton, Alfred A. Knopf, on sale Dec. 13, 2011

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MINE! was accepted into the Society of Illustrators Original Art Exhibit 2011! Many Thanks to the jury! I'm delighted and honored and... okay, I cried a little bit when I heard the news. :) I traveled to NY with my best friend and fellow illustrator Laura Logan for the opening... just WOW! And bonus! We met and had lunch with all the folks from Random House/Knopf that I have been working with - what a wonderful, fun group!! So many memories to treasure forever!

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Karen Henry Clark, author of Sweet Moon Baby has two author events this month. Wish I could go!

November 4, Friday at 10:30 AM
Barnes & Noble
HarMar Mall
2100 N. Snelling Ave.
Roseville, MN 55113

November 12, Saturday at !:00 PM
The Bookcase
607 E. Lake St.
Wayzata, MN 55391

Sweet Moon Baby Trailer!

2011-09-28T15:25:00.002-05:00

Book trailer by Dan Prozinski / Durable Images Inc. Isn't it lovely? Dan is a freelance graphic artist, song writer and musician living in Minneapolis. He's also a friend of the author Karen Henry Clark, who asked him if he would be interested in making this trailer. So glad he said yes!

come and meet Karen Henry Clark!

2011-07-12T10:34:00.001-05:00

Come and meet the lovely author, Karen Henry Clark at a Sweet Moon Baby book signing! She'll read Sweet Moon Baby and talk about her experience of writing it. Also, there will be activities for children.

This Saturday, July 16th, 10:00 am.
The Blue Manatee Children's Bookstore
3054 Madison RoadCincinnati
OH 45209

For a little warm up before you meet Karen on Saturday:
click here for an inspiring interview with Karen on the blog Two Writing Teachers
and here for a terrific review of Sweet Moon Baby by Terry Hong of Bookdragon, of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program.

a new picture book~

2011-03-08T15:36:00.003-06:00

~ coming this June. Story by the wonderful Shutta Crum, published by Knopf. This was such a fun story to illustrate - toddlers, toys, troubles, triumphs and one puppy. Oh, and there are only two and one half words. And yes, one of the words is MINE!

warm wishes!

2010-12-22T16:24:00.001-06:00

May the spirit of the season fill you with peace, love and joy.

Cynsations!

2010-11-18T11:52:00.002-06:00

I have a guest post on the Cynsations blog today! You can check it out HERE. Thank you, Cynthia, for the opportunity to share my thoughts!

I was nervous about the guest post... just a skosh. :)

special delivery...

2010-11-10T14:37:00.007-06:00

... an invitation for you!

Come and celebrate the release of Sweet Moon Baby

with the author, Karen Henry Clark!

This Sunday, November 14th, 2:00 pm.

The Red Balloon Bookshop

891 Grand Avenue

St. Paul, MN

I live 1,044 miles away, so I will be there in spirit only.

Hmm... unless I can hitch a ride with a peacock!

her journey begins...

2010-10-16T13:40:00.004-05:00

from Sweet Moon Baby, by Karen Henry Clark.

a kindhearted panda...

2010-09-12T19:48:00.004-05:00

One character from Sweet Moon Baby, by Karen Henry Clark.

sweet treat!

2010-09-03T11:55:00.003-05:00

A sweet surprise from my wonderful editor at Alfred A. Knopf arrived yesterday - two copies of Sweet Moon Baby. Oh my goodness, I'm so excited!

It's an absolutely lovely adoption tale written by Karen Henry Clark. Illustrating it was a gift indeed!

The release date is November 9, 2010. Easy for me to remember - it's my son's birthday! :)

waiting room doodle

2010-08-25T11:08:00.002-05:00

baby

2010-08-08T23:08:00.003-05:00

Layla...

2010-08-03T23:16:00.006-05:00

...a character study.
Layla, Queen of Hearts, by Glenda Millard
Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2010

sketching bliss!

2010-07-24T22:52:00.011-05:00

Have you visited the delightful new blog, The Sketchables? Too fun! Five very talented illustrators celebrate the art of sketching. Members are Heather Powers, Kelly Light, Priscilla Burris, Diandra Mae, and Joy Steuerwald.

And **more fun** they invited me to participate in a sketch interview. I know! I was so excited! You can see it here. Thanks Sketchables, I had a blast!

thank you!

2010-07-23T22:10:00.004-05:00

Thank you everyone for all the nice comments about The Looking Book!

This sweetie is Shane, reading her copy of The Looking Book with her new pair of "lookers", both gifts from her great grandmother. How cute is that?

The book is doing well! It's a Children's Book of the Month Club Selection and a Sierra Club recommended nature book for kids, 2009.

coming this fall

2009-07-14T10:30:00.003-05:00

My advance copy arrived! I'm really tickled with how nice it turned out. The designer, Eve DeGrie, was a treat to work with, and what a great job she did! Thanks again, Eve!

pumpkins

2008-11-03T17:00:00.000-06:00

The Best Mariachi in the World - pbj spotlight

2008-10-06T16:06:00.005-05:00

Another pbj spotlight! This week we are celebrating with the mucho talented illustrator Dani Jones on her newest release - The Best Mariachi in the World, written by J.D. Smith and published by Raven Tree Press. We will be interviewing Dani all week. And yes! There's more! Dani has kindly offered a signed copy of her book to one lucky visitor. So, be sure to visit the pbj blog to enjoy the interview and for a chance to win!

book celebration!

2008-09-22T19:19:00.003-05:00

This week at the pbj's, we're celebrating the publication of I Love You All Year Round, a pop up book written by Shella Shubuck and illustrated by our own Alicia Padron. Beautiful work, Ali! Congratulations!

For a chance to win a signed copy and to join in the fun, come visit our blog ! Woohoo!!

warm up sketch

2008-09-11T18:41:00.000-05:00

Raucous Royals - pbj spotlight

2008-09-01T09:22:00.003-05:00

Exciting news to share! This week on the pbj blog, we are spotlighting Carlyn Beccia and her new book, The Raucous Royals. We'll be interviewing her all week. And yes, there's more! She is offering a signed copy of her book. Click here for a chance to win.

midnight snack

2008-02-11T10:17:00.001-06:00

This is from a sweet story I illustrated for Ladybug magazine. It's in this February's issue.

blue barrette

2008-01-25T11:59:00.000-06:00

You're invited!

2008-01-07T08:24:00.000-06:00

Come join the Picture Book Junkies in celebrating Kathy Weller's beautiful new book The Months! Click here for details.

merry christmas!

2007-12-21T09:38:00.001-06:00

bff

2007-11-02T21:47:00.000-05:00

happy halloween!

2007-10-29T09:22:00.000-05:00

You're invited!

2007-10-21T20:14:00.001-05:00

click here for details

illustration friday - poem

2007-07-21T11:46:00.000-05:00

Tagged!

2007-07-02T18:53:00.001-05:00

My blogamigo Steph has tagged me. Since I'm the "It Girl" now (hee hee), here's eight things you may not know about me:

1) I once parachuted.
2) I love the ocean.
3) I'm a huge fan of college basketball. I love it so much that it should count for two things on my list. ha!
4) I read every night.
5) Pumpkin is my favorite flavor. Pies, empanadas, ravioli, yum.
6) I enjoy refinishing furniture. I'm beginning work on my grandfather's roll top desk this summer.
7) I'm 5' 8" (Okay I lied, I'm only 5' 2") but in my imagination, I'm 6' 3" and I can slam dunk.
8) I spend a lot of my time barefooted.

We did this a few weeks ago on our pbj blog. Then Janee tagged the Picture Bookies as well. If you'd like to see more, check us out!

summertime

2007-06-21T11:59:00.001-05:00

It's here! Happy first day of summer, everyone.

pb junkies blog

2007-05-09T09:35:00.000-05:00

Our critique group has started a blog:

pb junkies

It serves as an extension to our online group and website. Please stop by to visit and comment! It's a public blog and we look forward to hearing from more picture book junkies!

joy joy joy

2007-04-19T09:34:00.000-05:00

This little guy is from a picture book I just finished for QED Publishing. He reminds me of my son as a toddler who would sing, "Joy, joy, joy, joy down in me heart!" as he tore thru the house on his trike.

Here's a portrait I did of my son. It's from a snapshot taken while he was actually riding his trike and singing. Joy indeed!

spring!

2007-04-05T23:42:00.000-05:00

My spring postcard. Thanks for the kind words, guys!

Smiling

2007-03-07T10:16:00.000-06:00

Another little face from my postcard. I'm smiling too. It's a beautiful day and I have time for a walk with Clara (our doggy).

hi there

2007-02-23T11:46:00.000-06:00

Finally dusting the cobwebs off my blog. I've been working hard, but nothing I can share yet. But I can share this little guy. He is from a promotional postcard I just finished. Hope it prints well!

blue

2006-11-26T20:26:00.000-06:00

chores!

2006-10-15T23:34:00.000-05:00

Like these two kiddos, I've had a few jobs to finish. I'm sooo looking forward to this week. I finally have time for some sketching and stretching!

one happy heifer

2006-09-29T10:09:00.000-05:00

comfy

2006-08-25T12:05:00.000-05:00

Some people just know how to live.

smiling

2006-08-22T20:18:00.000-05:00

fun news!

2006-08-07T21:17:00.000-05:00

Some of my pbj buddies and I entered the SmartWriters.com W.I.N. competition, and we all won! We entered the picture book cover illustration category. My entry, Mark's marks took first place, a sweet surprise! Congrats to my buds Paige, Roz, and Heather and all the other W.I.N.ners! (click here to see the winning entries)

PBJ theme - Sea

2006-07-21T09:57:00.000-05:00

Not sure how this little bear ended up in the sea, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't on purpose. This month's picture book junkie word challenge is "sea."
You can find more fun pbj sea images here:
Laura Logan
Roz Fulcher
Paige Keiser
Heather Powers

unfriendly sun

2006-07-19T23:02:00.000-05:00

It was 101 today. Very unfriendly. This angry little sun is a spot illustration for some workbooks I'm currently illustrating. And it was a good day to stay inside (with the air conditioning) and draw!

bakers

2006-07-11T22:18:00.000-05:00

Summer!

2006-06-22T18:17:00.000-05:00

Illustration Friday: Dance

2006-06-16T20:34:00.000-05:00

These happy dancers are from a poster I had the pleasure of illustrating last week. I love jobs like this!
Illustration Friday

it's juicy outside!

2006-05-05T09:45:00.000-05:00

PBJ theme - growth

2006-04-30T10:54:00.000-05:00

The Picture Book Junkies have started a monthly illustration challenge. It's a fun way to try new things and keep growing. Coincidentally, this month's theme was "growth."
Here are some more PBJ entries:
Laura Logan
Janee Trasler
Roz Fulcher
Paige Keiser
Heather Powers

coziness

2006-04-19T22:09:00.000-05:00

making marks

2006-04-12T07:06:00.000-05:00

What's this?

2006-04-05T13:01:00.000-05:00

KP's buzzer beater

2006-03-24T10:44:00.000-06:00

Great game, Horns!

blustery day

2006-03-19T11:41:00.000-06:00

The 102nd dalmatian

2006-03-17T14:48:00.000-06:00

Illustration Friday: Insect

2006-03-05T13:33:00.000-06:00

Don't let 'em bug ya....
Illustration Friday

winter? can't be!

2006-03-02T20:22:00.000-06:00

It was 87 degrees here today. Where are my flip flops?

Meggie, oops, I mean Belle

2006-02-22T17:01:00.000-06:00

Please note, after viewing "The Beauty and the Beast" the child formerly known as Meggie now prefers to go by "Belle." Thank you.

best advice project

2006-02-18T16:52:00.000-06:00

Here's my submission for Penelope's "The Best Advice I Ever Got" Project. There are lots of really fun submissions, go check it out!

happy dance!

2006-02-16T22:00:00.000-06:00

I'm doing a happy dance for my amigos today. I love it when good things happen to good people! (These little feet belong to a rough I drew today. The art director liked 'em. Onward!)

boy, they grow fast

2006-02-14T22:52:00.000-06:00

I aged the two kiddos from the previous post. Just a little bit. Now they fit the assignment! This color rough is due tomorrow. We'll see how it flies.

finding characters

2006-02-14T22:25:00.000-06:00

I really like these two. Unfortunately, they are too young for the illustration I'm working on now. I'll save them for another day. Looking forward to meeting them!

sand castles

2006-01-29T12:44:00.000-06:00

Here is a peek at a cover illustration I just completed. Wish I was there!

first post

2006-01-17T01:55:00.000-06:00

Welcome!