A look at 2006...

(watercolor, pen and ink, pencil, marker)

This is an illustration submission I did back in January 2006 for an Orthodox book publisher. It was my first experience submitting work for a children's book! Just seven months after graduating from college with my art degree (and working in retail, thankyouverymuch) I realized that a career in art required lots of initiative, networking and "putting myself out there."

This was my first official submission for a children's book. Now I look back and I see things I'd change... I learned a lot of "dos" and "don't" about what I wanted my style to be like. Heck, I'm STILL learning :) But it was a good exercise in motivation, taking a stab, making baby steps (hopefully, prayerfully) in the right direction.