Illustrating children's books

My friend, Isabelle, told me about a publisher who is accepting submissions for illustrations for children's books...I am working on one of my own (bunnies, hand-painted black-and-white-someday....someday), but I decided to dig out a few of my drawings, and photograph them for submission..who knows...In today's economy, when noone is building high-end homes (which is what I specialize(d) in..(builders would buy my time, and give it to their clients to start their homes...saved a few marriages that way)..anyway, one has to diversify...In fact, on Tuesday, a woman is coming to interview me for a local magazine regarding my floorcloths...hey, free marketing...one never knows..but, I digress.
This pen-and-ink pointalistic drawing was fun...I like repetitive movement with my hands..it soothes the savage beast within me (funny, when I look in the mirror, I don't see a savage beast, but it's sometimes there..this calms me)...making little, teeny-tiny dots for hours on end is fun???

This cow was done in markers...I later did it on fabric and made a pillow out of it for a little friend of mine...He loved that cow pillow...wonder whatever happened to it...

Again with the details and repetitive movement..if you double-click on the image, you will see how much detail there is. One doesn't have to be obsessive-compulsive to be an artist/designer, but it helps...In real life..not so much..

I saw this photograph and just had to draw it....all these have been sitting in a portfolio in my closet for years...when I lived in North Carolina, I submitted these for a position with the state historical society as an illustrator..they lost their funding, and that was that (they had hired me)...such is life..maybe they will come in handy now..who knows? Maybe that's my new mantra: "Who Knows"????

This graphite drawing was from a postcard (okay, pencil), but now there are woodless, graphite pencils that I just love..in fact, I am finishing up a drawing of a nude, but think it might not be appropriate to submit for children's books??? Back to the drawing - I am one-quarter Cherokee, and the older I get, the more I am drawn to (no pun intended) my heritage....Funny, when we lived in Oklahoma on Indian Land, I was ashamed of it...now, very proud..Things change.

So, there it is...makes me want to do some more..but, I need to finish the nude first...