Go Bananas!

Change in Blog Format

2012-01-23T10:56:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

As busy as we all are these days, we likely do not have time to partipciate in a monthly illustration challenge. Also, we may want more than a month to work on a fully-realized illustration that is worthy of our portfolio. For these reasons, we are changing the format of the challenge on this blog.

We are now going to be illustration passages from well-known children's books. The challenge will take place every three months, starting this January. I'll post up the passage and illustrators will have three months to work on the peice. Email me at any time during those three months with your illustration, and I'll post it up on the blog.

I hope you all have fun with this new format! Feedback and suggestion for future story ideas are welcome. So, here goes... looking forward to seeing all your illustrations!
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January- March 30th, 2012 challenge:

Excerpt from Sleeping Beauty, Grimm's Fairy Tale version - translated by Margaret Hunt.

In a little room sat an old woman with a spindle, busily spinning her flax. The old woman was so deaf that she had never heard the King's command that all spindles should be destroyed.
"Good morning, Granny," said the Princess, "what are you doing?"
"I am spinning," said the old woman.
"What is the thing that whirls round so merrily?" asked the Princess and she took the spindle and tried to spin too.
But she had scarcely touched the spindle when it pricked her finger. At that moment she fell upon the bed which was standing near and lay still in a deep sleep.
The King, Queen and servants had all started their morning routines and right in the midst of them fell asleep too. The horses fell asleep in the stable, the dogs in the yard, the doves on the roof and the flies on the wall. Even the fire in the hearth grew still and went to sleep. The kitchen maid, who sat with a chicken before her, ready to pluck its feathers, fell asleep. The cook was in the midst of scolding the kitchen boy for a mess he'd made but they both fell fast asleep. The wind died down and on the trees in front of the castle not a leaf stirred.
Round the castle a hedge of brier roses began to grow up. Every year it grew higher until at last nothing could be seen of the sleeping castle.

January Meetup

2012-01-16T10:19:00.001-08:00

This month, we are meeting this Saturday Jan. 21st at 1pm in Gastownat the Steamclock (305 water st.), do some sketching of old buildings, then go to Opus. If it's raining, we'll just meet at the waves coffee on Hastings and Richards and chat and then go to Opus.

January theme: Fish out of water

2012-01-02T11:13:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Happy New Year!

We'll be starting off 2012 with a challenge called: "Fish out of water". So go ahead, and see what you can do with this theme. Let me know if you have any questions about how the challenge works!

Best,

Shantala Robinson
Illustrator Coordinator
SCBWI Canada West

Helena Juhasz- 12 Days of Christmas

2011-12-23T19:40:00.000-08:00

The Twelve Days of Christmas

2011-12-04T21:44:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

The next challenge for this blog is "The Twelve Days of Christmas."
So get in the spirit of the season and start illustrating!

New illustrators are always welcome. Just email me at shantalaillustration@gmail.com if you'd like to participate.

Cheers,

Shantala Robinson

Shantala Robinson: A Time to Remember

2011-11-22T13:59:00.001-08:00

www.shantalarobinson.com

Helena Juhasz- A Time to Remember...

2011-11-22T11:50:00.000-08:00

helenajuhaszillustration.blogspot.com

November challenge and event

2011-11-07T11:52:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

The November theme for illustration on this blog is "A time to remember...". Please send me anything old or new that fits this theme!

Also, on November 13, we will be having our third sketchcrawl. We'll go to Gastown this time, to do some sketching of old buildings. We'll meet on the corner of Cambie and Water St. by the steam clock at 10:30am. From there, we'll do some walking around and sketching for about an hour to an hour and a half. From there, those of us who wish, can head to the nearby Opus Art store (207 W Hastings St) to stock up on supplies!

If it's raining, we'll postpone until November 20th. I'll send out an email to confirm. Please email me to let me know if you're attending and that way, we'll know who to wait for.

Cheers,

Shantala Robinson
SCBWI Canada West Illustrator Coordinator

Helena Juhasz- March of Monsters

2011-11-01T17:13:00.000-07:00

helenajuhaszillustration.blogspot.com

October theme

2011-10-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Sorry for the October theme being late! It is: "Ghostly encounters". So, if you have any Hallowe'en-themed illustrations, please send them to me!

We also had a sketchcrawl in early October, and the images from that will be posted soon!

-Shantala

Alissa Staples: My homework isn't done because I had to fight a lion to get it back

2011-09-14T10:57:00.000-07:00

http://alissastaples.com

Shantala Robinson: An Elephant Stole My Homework

2011-09-12T23:23:00.000-07:00

www.shantalarobinson.com
http://shantalaillustration.blogspot.com/

My Dog Ate My Homework (And Other Excuses)

2011-09-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

It's September and time to our monthly illustration challenge again!
Since kids are going back to school, we have a school-themed challenge: "My dog ate my homework (and other excuses)."

Children can come up with the craziest reasons for not doing homework... sometimes they can be real, but sometimes they involve more imagination than reality. The challenge is to depict one of these excuses. Be as inventive as a kid would, and let your imagination fly away!

Just email me the jpeg by the end of September, and I'll post it up with your name and a link to your website/blog/twitter/facebook page.

Cheers,

Shantala Robinson
Illustrator Coordinator
SCBWI Canada West

Maplewood Farms Sketchcrawl

2011-07-25T11:56:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

On Sunday July 24th, some members of our group met at Maplewood farms in North Vancouver for sketchcrawl. We had a blast going around and drawing the animals and people at the farm. Check out some of our drawings!

Nuala O'Seasnain

Theresa Henry-Smith

Alissa Staples

Shantala Robinson

Summer!

2011-07-06T17:01:00.001-07:00

Hi All,

We are suspending the illustration challenges for the summer, and substituting it with sketchcrawls!

Our first sketchcrawl will be at Maplewood Farms in North Vancouver on July 24th at 11am.

Please email me for more details (shantalaillustration@gmail.com)!

Stay tuned for images from the sketchcrawl here!

Shantala

June Theme: Picnic

2011-06-03T23:21:00.000-07:00

The nights are long, the temperature is edging upwards, and people are emerging from their homes to bask in the sunshine... it's almost summer!

So, our theme for June is ... "Picnic".

Have fun and take this one wherever your imagination goes!

SCBWI Canada West Conference

2011-06-03T23:19:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

On May 28th we had our SCBWI Canada West conference. We heard talks from a lot of informative speakers. Among them was Teresa Bubela, artistic director from Orca Book Publishers, who gave a fantastic talk especially for illustrators. Illustrators were also able to do some creative exercises which Teresa critiqued for us. All in all, it was a great conference!

Shantala

A Whale of a Surprise by Shantala Robinson

2011-05-09T20:25:00.000-07:00

www.shantalarobinson.com
http://shantalaillustration.blogspot.com/

Preschool Playground! by Kelly Yarocki

2011-05-09T10:08:00.000-07:00

http://mamastorytime.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=lf#!/pages/Kelly-Yarocki/165564293502116

May Challenge: Playground

2011-05-02T11:25:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

It's time for our May Challenge. The theme is "Playground." Let your imaginations play!

Also, don't forget our regional conference on May 28th. See here for more info: http://www.scbwicanada.org/west/events.html There is a special illustrator assignment this year for those who wish to participate! Please email me (info@shantalalrobinson.com) for more information.

Darryl W. Funk- Easter Island Surprise!

2011-04-14T12:56:00.000-07:00

http://darrylwfunk.wordpress.com/

April Challenge: Surprise!

2011-04-05T10:41:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Sorry for the delay in getting the new challenge out there. The April challenge will be "Surprise!"
This should be a fun one- take it in any direction you want! You have until April 30th!

Best,

Shantala

Shantala Robinson- Lion or Lamb?

2011-03-15T17:08:00.000-07:00

Lamb!

www.shantalarobinson.com
http://shantalaillustration.blogspot.com/

Kelly Yarocki- Lion or Lamb?

2011-03-09T15:18:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we have to bravely step into our 'lion' suit to stand up for ourselves and our peers! Sometimes we need to decide if we will be one of the herd or if we going to step up and 'roar!' :)

http://mamastorytime.blogspot.com/

Lion or Lamb?

2011-03-03T18:55:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Happy Spring (sort of)!

The new concept for March comes from the saying, "In like a lion, out like a lamb." It refers to the weather, but interpret it how you may!

The title is "Lion or Lamb?"

Cheers,

Shantala Robninson

First Love - Irish Churcher

2011-02-22T17:56:00.000-08:00

Iris Churcher

Illustrator, Designer, Educator
email: irischurcher@shaw.ca
website: http://www.flyingbetty.ca/
blog: http://irischurcher.wordpress.com/

First Love - Luciana Azevedo

2011-02-22T13:45:00.000-08:00

http://www.lalelilolu-illustration.com/

First Love- Kelly Yarocki

2011-02-21T15:16:00.000-08:00

First Love- Shantala Robinson

2011-02-15T20:31:00.001-08:00

www.shantalarobinson.com

First Love- Raymond K Nakamura

2011-02-14T11:43:00.000-08:00

Raymond Nakamura

raymondsbrain@gmail.com

www.raymondsbrain.com

February Challenge

2011-02-01T14:11:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

The February challenge is.... "First Love".

Please also note a new addition to this blog. At the bottom of the first page is a google calendar of illustration-related events that are taking place around the Vancouver area. Please check back frequently as more events are being added all the time. If you have any thing you'd like to add to it, please let me know! You can sync this calendar with yours, if you have a gmail.

Cheers, and happy drawing!

Shantala Robinson

Illustrator Coordinator- SCBWI West

New Beginnings by Raymond K. Nakamura

2011-01-03T11:26:00.000-08:00

Raymond K. Nakamura

Head of Raymond's Brain

raymondsbrain@gmail.com
www.raymondsbrain.com

January Challenge: "New Beginnings"

2011-01-01T17:34:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Happy New Year! I hope you are all eager to start the year with some illustration!

The theme for January 2011 is "New Beginnings."

Enjoy the challenge.

Sincerely,

Shantala Robinson
Illustrator Coordinator
SCBWI Canada West

Darryl Funk- Winter Wonderland

2010-12-17T08:36:00.000-08:00

www.darrylwfunk.wordpress.com

Shantala Robinson- Winter Wonderland

2010-12-10T16:30:00.000-08:00

www.shantalarobinson.com
http://shantalaillustration.blogspot.com/

Winter Wonderland

2010-12-01T13:26:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

I imagine things are getting very busy for all at this time of year, with parties, shopping, baking, and all-around merry-making! But, if you have time, and would like to submit an illustration, our theme for the month of December is "Winter Wonderland." A simple theme, and you can take it in any direction you like. Please note that you can submit an illustration that you already have in your portfolio; it doesn't have to be new.

You do not have to be an SCBWI member to submit an illustration. But only SCBWI members can have their bio up in the members section.

If you have any questions, please email me (shantalaillustration@gmail.com or shantalaamrita@gmail.com)

Happy Holidays!

Shantala Robinson

Iris Churcher- When I imagined... with thanks to Cicley Mary Barker

2010-11-30T12:02:00.001-08:00

Shantala Robinson- When I Was a Little Girl...

2010-11-29T17:56:00.000-08:00

... I rode a horse to school!

Darryl Funk- "When I was a Boy..."

2010-11-22T09:46:00.000-08:00

www.darrylwfunk.wordpress.com

When I was a little girl... by Luciana Azevedo

2010-11-04T12:33:00.000-07:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9004310@N06/

November Challenge

2010-11-02T19:29:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody!

Thanks for checking out our illustration blog, and for all the great contributions.

We're now moving on to November- a time when Remembrance day makes many of us turn our thoughts to times past. Often, children hear about the past (whether real or fantastical) from their grandparents. In keeping with this theme, the challenge this month is to illustrate the phrase, "When I was a little boy/girl..." I'll leave it to you to finish the sentence. Or interpret it any way you want!

Things That Go Bump in the Night- Iris Churcher

2010-10-19T10:20:00.000-07:00

Iris Churcher
Illustrator, Designer, Educator
irischurcher@shaw.ca
http://www.flyingbetty.ca/
http://www.islandillustrators.org/

Things That Go Bump in the Night- Wendy Tsao

2010-10-19T10:18:00.001-07:00

Wendy Tsao http://www.flickr.com/photos/8815378@N04/

Things That Go Bump in the Night- Alissa Staples

2010-10-15T09:18:00.000-07:00

Things That Go Bump in the Night- Rebekah Joy Plett

2010-10-13T16:52:00.000-07:00

Things That Go Bump in the Night- Shantala Robinson

2010-10-13T16:50:00.001-07:00

Things That Go Bump in the Night

2010-10-08T09:13:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone and welcome to the launch of our site- where we go bananas over illustration! At the beginning of each month, a phrase, saying, or word will be posted here and the challenge is for us to illustrate on that theme. If you would like to participate, please email Shantala Robinson, Illustrator Coordinator, SCBWI- Canada West, at info@shantalarobinson.com

This month, because of Hallowe'en, the theme is "Things that go bump in the night."

Scot Ritchie

From Scot Ritchie's Ghouliest Ever Puzzle Book (Little Hare Books)
www.scotritchie.com