Fur Real. Art, adventures, off-grid living. For real.
A Heartwarming Book Launch
On a chilly October evening, our community gathered together to celebrate the launch of The Great Apple Caper. Sparkling wine was poured, delicious food was shared, and stacks of freshly printed books found their way into eager hands. I even did a reading of the first ten pages — a moment that felt both nerve-wracking…
The books have arrived!!!
To be honest, there were moments I wondered if I’d ever reach the end—but then, one day, I checked off the very last box on my illustration list. After a big push in late July and early August, the artwork was complete—finished a couple of months ahead of schedule. Looking at the calendar—and factoring in…
Ball Fetching Must Wait
I’ve fallen regrettably behind on blog posts. Life got busy, and then it tipped right over into chaos. Between the day job’s tight deadlines, family emergencies, and another health scare for Henry, my book updates ended up taking a backseat. The good news? I never lost momentum with the artwork. I grabbed every scrap of…
Meet the Villains Part 2: The Furry (and Flippered) Felons
Next on the suspect list: the river otters. These slippery troublemakers are always stirring things up. They’ve clashed with the island dogs before, and their chaotic ways make them perfect culprits for a juicy orchard crime. River otters are spirited residents of the Gulf Islands, often seen darting along rocky shores or venturing inland through…
Meet the Villains Part 1: the Winged Outlaws
When I first dreamed up the idea of creating another children’s book, I pictured my dog Henry as the star—navigating the forests, shores, and bluffs of the Gulf Islands, and crossing paths with the wildlife that calls this place home. The real-life mystery of the missing apples on Sidney Island turned out to be the…
45 Dogs in 28 Days
My schedule has me committed to complete one page per week. In order to streamline the amount of work and try to save a bit of time, I decided to attack two double page spreads (total of 4 pages) all at once. Each included a large number of dogs with many repeated on both spreads.…
A visit to the Island
We recently had a spring visit to the Island. Henry and I hiked every single day on the beautiful trails in search of camas lilies and other wildflowers. He found a ball, I found inspiration. He had ocean swims and long runs, I rested and worked on the book in front of the campfire. It…
Slowly, but surely…
I feel like I am drawing ALL the time. I suppose that between my day job and working on the book, then yes, I am sitting in front of my tablet and iPad a lot. With Henry getting surgery 10 days ago, we have been laying low (he’s on full rest for a few weeks)…
Colour testing
I have learned the hard way that colour displayed on your screen is very different from the final print product. Paper doesn’t have the light that shines through devices and therefore artwork often appears much darker once printed. Since about 30% of The Great Apple Caper takes place at night, I figured it would be…
A raven’s perspective
A quick post to share the back cover art. I may still add a few touch ups… not sure about a white background. I may also revise the text. But you will get the general idea. While working on the draft art and story, I thought it would be fun if I began adding ravens…
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