Month: June 2007

First Review for Looking for Loons

| kirsti

Book Review

Looking for Loons, (Jennifer Lloyd auth., Kirsti Anne Wakelin illust., published by Simply Read Books) won’t be out until the fall, but was reviewed from the proofs in the Quill & Quire.

excerpt from the Q&Q, July/August 2007, page 68:

Vancouver illustrator Kirsti Anne Wakelin’s luminous watercolours are an excellent match for the natural beauty of the tale’s setting. Glowing reds, oranges, and golds fill the double-page spreads.

-Jessica Kelley, a youth librarian from Vancouver living in Fresno, California

For this and other reviews of new Canadian (and international) books – both kidlit and adult – pick up a July/August copy of the Quill & Quire, Canada’s Magazine of Book News and Reviews.

EDIT: the review is now up on the Quill & Quire site.

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Book Sneak Peek ~ Draw, Redraw, Paint, Redraw

| kirsti

Draw, Redraw, paint, redraw

A lot of reworking goes on at various stages of the illustration process. If I’m working in oil, it happens a lot during the painting process. If it bugs me, it gets scribbled over until it bugs me a little less. It’s inevitable that some things will never be quite right – but there’s a printing schedule to adhere to so stuff has to be pried out of my hands and shipped out the door at some point.

The colours in this photo are a bit grey. It’s a much cheerier palette in person. Let’s hope that comes through in the final scans.

This is another detail from a page in the current book-in-progress.

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UBC Farm Market

| kirsti

UBC Farm Market Produce

We visited the UBC Farm Market today and bought a handful of produce including garlic scapes which I’ve never used before. I had no idea there was a market out there – and I had no idea how large the farm was until we visited today.

Tucked away down a tree-lined road, the farm is complete with chickens (the fresh eggs are popular and sell out fast in the morning). Actually, we got there a bit late for most things but went home with a modest selection and a determination to get there a little earlier next time for the strawberries and eggs.

The market runs Saturdays from June to October from 9 – 1pm. More info on the UBC Farm website.

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MS Bike Tour ~ We Did It!

| kirsti

CRW_2781.jpg

I just got back from Calgary where I participated in the Rona MS Bike Tour with my boyfriend and his family. It’s a cause that’s very close to both of us – members of both our families have MS.

I hadn’t done a lot of biking prior to the ride and was a little worried about how I’d manage the 160km. Though I was more concerned with how bruised my bum was going to be after the first day than how sore and tired my muscles would be. And as it turned out, despite padded bike shorts and a padded bike seat cover, I’m still nursing what appears to be a bruised tailbone. Getting back on the bike on the second and final day of the ride was excruciating. However, I rode the entire thing. I even made it up all the hills. If one thinks ‘prairie’ means there is no hills, one would be wrong. The gently rolling landscape is all but gentle and rolling when on a bike.

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