I had never heard of a Barreleye Fish when I received the manuscript for If You Lived in the Sea, Who Would You Be? Now I know a lot about this creature, so I’m sharing it with you.
For every one of my books, I start with creating a color palette. I use watercolors because they are so easy to blend and experiment with. You can see that I have a lot of colors on hand, but I tend to pick 3 main colors, and some extras that will be useful in small … More Color Palette
When I received the manuscript for If You Lived in the Sea, Who Would You Be?, I counted about 30 animals. I had to find their scientific names so I could portray them accurately and put them in their natural habitats. For example, West Indian Manatees (Trichechus manatus) can live in Florida, in shallow water, … More Illustrating 58 Species!
#5 Flying Fish leaping out of the water to avoid getting eaten by a dolphin. #4 Elephant Seals at Point Reyes National Seashore during the mating season. #3 Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasses cleaning a Moray Eel’s face and teeth. #2 Baby Leatherback Turtles scampering out to sea. #1 Anglerfish attracting Lanternfish with her glowing lure.
Thank you to Marlo Garnsworthy for creating this beautiful video! (icebirdstudio.com)
Download a free Beaver and Otter coloring page!
Book covers are important and a challenge to design. They have to be attractive, expressive, and include the main characters in action. We want kids and parents to notice a beautiful book on a shelf, pick it up, and wonder what’s inside. My Designer guided me through numerous versions of the cover illustration for Beaver … More Beaver & Otter: Cover Design
Thought I’d show some sketches from Beaver and Otter Get Along… (Sort Of).
In June of last year, I stayed for a week in the old farmhouse at the Trail Wood Sanctuary. The property was once home to nature writer Edwin Way Teale and his wife Nellie, and was donated by Nellie to the Connecticut Audubon Society in Pomfret. The farmhouse has been preserved, just as the Teales … More Trail Wood Artist Residency
Meg Sodano - Illustration & Design 