Thursday, December 17, 2015

Winter is here!


     It is finally cold in California, and El NiƱo is expected this winter. This means lots of rain, and hopefully the end (or at least some relief) to our drought! But, sadly, no snow here, so I'll just have to create it in my art. Enjoy the wintery weather, wherever you are!


Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Happy Book Birthday to The Coal Thief!


     I am SO very excited to let you all know that The Coal Thief is out today!

     This book was started a few years ago with author, Alane Adams, who based the book after stories her father would tell her about his boyhood living on a Pennsylvania farm in the 1920s. The book is the first in a series of historical picture books (and the next book is already finished!), and has won the 2015 IPPY Award for Children's Picture Books (All Ages), the 2015 Moonbeam Book Awards SILVER - Picture Book - All Ages (The Coal Thief), and is a Finalist in the 2015 USA Best Book Awards - Children's Picture Book - Hardcover Category. PHEW!!


     To purchase a book, visit www.laurengallegos.com, and I will send you a signed copy! If you want to share on social media, be sure to #thecoalthief.


"The Coal Thief ... reminds readers of two of life’s most important concerns: the love between a parent and child and the value of integrity. It is the story of a child’s error in judgment, lessons learned, and the growth of character." – The Children's Writer's Guild
"Illustrator Lauren Gallegos captures the atmosphere of a small coal mining town of the twenties so well, that you will be checking your hands for coal dust as you turn the pages. Even Georgie’s freckles suggest a powdering of coal, and her lovely artwork brings to life an era long gone." – The Children's Writer's Guild

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Happy Halloween!


Happy Halloween! Make some Trick-or-Treating buddies, and be safe out there!


Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Kobee Manatee Book 2: Award and Teachers Guide


Two updates for Kobee Manatee Book 2:

Kobee Manatee Book 2 has a FREE Teacher’s Guide available on my website. Tell all your teacher friends and learn all about weather and so much more!

Kobee also recently won the Silver Medal (Children's Adventure Categ.) in the Readers' Favorite Int'l Book Awards! YAY!








Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Kobee Manatee: A Wild Weather Adventure...Now Available!


I am pleased to announce that Kobee Manatee: A Wild Weather Adventure is now available! This is the second book in a series of educational books, and this one is all about weather!

Kobee Manatee wants to surprise his sister Kim, who lives in the Bahamas, on her birthday. But it won't be easy to get there from Key West, Florida. Kobee has to travel across the mighty Atlantic Ocean and into the strong Gulf Stream current. Not only that – it's hurricane season!
Can Kobee and his friends Tess and Pablo travel safely through all of the wild tropical weather coming their way? A thrilling tale loaded with surprises, fun, and exciting facts all about weather.



"A rare children's book that gives kids a colorful learning adventure and some weather fun facts parents will enjoy too." - Rob Marciano | ABC News Senior Meteorologist

"This vibrantly illustrated and amusing adventure will make learning about weather feel incidental." - ForeWord Clarion Reviews

"An appealing picture book distinguished by its colorful images, creatively distilled meteorological facts, and simple but dynamic storytelling." - Kirkus Reviews




 


Order your copy now! Price above includes tax and shipping costs.

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Kobee Manatee on PW cover



Kobee Manatee Book 2 has made the cover of Publishers Weekly! So very cool to see it there!


Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Intellectual Hospitality Editorial Piece


     Another project I worked on a few months ago was an editorial piece for APU Life Magazine, from Azusa Pacific University here in California. I am privileged to have become friends with the graphic designer of this magazine and she found a special article for me to illustrate. I don't know if I have ever made an editorial piece for a paid gig, but it was great to do something other than Children's Book art for awhile. Fun stuff!


School Nutrition Menu Brochure


     A few months ago I worked on a project that was different than what I usually do. And I did it in a medium that I don't usually work in. It was a nice change of pace and a nice challenge to tackle.

     Using Adobe Illustrator I created some small vector illustrations to be used in a School Nutrition Menu Brochure. These ended up being very small images since most of the space was needed to inform parents of meal choices, but I still had fun! I used their school mascot (bulldogs) and created some characters out of them. The first image will be used on a very large banner in front of the school to promote the Nutrition Program and are known as "The Power Pups". And then the school plans to have a different theme for these characters each year. This year was "On The Farm". Below are a few pieces made for the brochure.









Thursday, July 9, 2015

New Project Announcement!


I can officially let you all know that I am working on a Board Book (my first board book!) called PIGS CAN'T FLY. The book will be out in time for Christmas and will be accompanied by an Augmented Reality App.

Keep your eye on Social Media for sketches and updates on this project.


Kali's Regress Cover Reveal


     I am pleased to announce that KALI'S REGRESS is now available for FREE on Smashwords.com. Get it now, while you can! This is the second book in the trilogy, the first book being THE MAHOGANY DOOR. I hope you all enjoy, I had a lot of fun making the cover artwork!


Friday, May 22, 2015

The Coal Thief wins IPPY Bronze Award


THE COAL THIEF has won the 2015 Bronze IPPY Award for Children's Books!!





THE COAL THIEF, written by Alane Adams, says:
I wrote The Coal Thief after hearing my father tell stories of his childhood growing up in Pennsylvania in the 1920s. It was a great way to honor his experiences and tell a story that children today can engage in and enjoy. In the story, Georgie wakes up to a freezing cold morning only to discover there’s no coal left to heat the kitchen. When his friend Harley shows up to take him on an adventure, Georgie discovers what it means to give back to others. 



The IPPY Award, now in its 19th year, honors the best in independently published titles from around the world annually. Its goal: to bring greater recognition to outstanding works that have been independently published. To learn more about the IPPY, visit their site.


 Illustrator Lauren Gallegos (left), The Original Coal Thief, a.k.a Alane's Dad (middle), and Author Alane Adams (left). Celebrating the IPPY award with lunch.


Look for THE COAL THIEF to be available for pre-order soon ahead of an official November 2015 launch.

Also look for THE EGG THIEF, set to be released in 2016.



Saturday, April 4, 2015

The Runaway


     I have a some new pieces I have been working on recently. Not sure where the idea came from, but I wanted to include a touch of Spring, and some girly-ness...but not TOO much.

     I grew up with the saying that "April showers bring May flowers". Sometimes you need to wait through the tough stuff to get the greatness at the end. Delayed satisfaction, if you will. I don't mean to say this in relation to the little narrative...just a thought that went through my head as I made these.

     In the case of my narrative, sometimes things aren't as bad as they seem. California officially declared a drought recently. I can't remember the last time we had a good rain, let alone a rainy season. Our Winter felt like Summer and Spring is already shaping up to feel like an even hotter Summer. Sometimes life needs some variety, you know? But then I see the news and how the entire rest of the country is buried under snow, and all the terrible things that come with that. And I realize that heat isn't all that bad really...

     So until the next real rain, I will get lost in my own rainy world that I created for Frances (that's what my husband named the little girl) and find joy in that.

     Happy Easter, Happy Spring, and enjoy the May flowers to come.









Monday, March 30, 2015

CSUF Art Show Reception


     Thank you to everyone who came out to my Art Show at CSUF yesterday! I appreciate all of your support and friendship!!






Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Books and Bits: Solo Art Show


I am so very honored to have another opportunity to display my art at Cal State Fullerton! This will be my third time having a solo art show, thanks to the wonderful people organizing the Art-4-Health show that takes place every year in the Student Health Center at CSUF.

The art is currently on display in the Titan Student Union, Chapman Atrium, and will remain up through the end of April.  I will also be having a reception on March 29th, from 1pm to 5pm. If you are in the area, please stop by any time to say hello. Bring friends and family. All are welcome!

This art show contains some artwork from recently completed books, The Coal Thief and Kobee Manatee (Book 2), as well as some personal art projects that are still being developed.

I'm so excited to share this work with everyone, so please stop by if you can!




Sunday, February 15, 2015

Valentine's Day Poem


     My husband and I agreed to write each other a poem every Valentine's Day, however bad it is, to vary our creative expressions, and so we'll have 100 poems on our 50th anniversary. They are meant for just our eyes, but he told me I should share mine.

     We don't set aside a lot of time to write these, and with all the other things going on in our lives, we don't really have the time anyway. So mine was done in just a few hours. I've already found some typos, and from a literary stand point, I know it has problems. But that's not really the point for me and my husband. So I'm posting it as it is.

     The idea is based on our current life situation, (as some of you are aware of) of being in a place of waiting...and waiting...and waiting for a change that we have no control over. It's pretty frustrating.

     Being a visual artist, I don't have a lot of training in The Art of the Word. It's a huge stress for me to put this out in the world. I feel like I am way more exposed than I do when I show my art. But this poem has given me some inspiration, so I might end up making some paintings to go with it, as a personal project. We will see how much time I have...In the meantime, happy sailing!


Our Ship Full Of Dreams

High up in the heavens, in a stale sea of mist
I wait, poised in my boat.
Packed heavy with my dream maps,
The vessel rigidly sits afloat.
Not a ripple or wave for miles around.
I listen for voices, but all is quiet and strange.
The mighty sails sleep like a hollow phantom
Waiting for the winds of change.

I know all my maps by heart,
All I can do is read them over, and over again.
Sometimes new dreams emerge from old ones
So I’ll draw a new map, now and then.
But what good is a dream map
With no way of setting sail?
So I wait, and I sit, and I dream
Until, “Ahoy there!” I spy a mate through the foggy vail.

“Climb aboard, sailor!
I see you have fists full of dreams.
We’ll wait for the winds together,
They will come, as hopeless as it seems.
I’ll show you my maps if you show me yours.
I believe I have a map just like that one,
But I’ve never seen this one before,
It sure looks fun.”
Soon we started to merge our dreams,
And reams of new maps covered the floor.
They were bigger, and grander, and mightier,
Than any dream I’d penned before.

The maps piled higher and higher,
And the boat began to creak,
But we just kept dreaming,
As the maps formed a mountainous peak.
As we scribbled and giggled
Over our best idea yet,
We felt a light breath brush our cheeks,
And as the sun came up, all the sails were set.

Suddenly, the winds of change tossed the boat
Launching us into flight.
The radiant sun, our beacon
After that long, dark night.
The wind stung my eyes.
So I squinted passed the bow.
“But where are we going?” I asked,
“What happens now?”
You opened up a scroll.
“The voyage will be treacherous and unknown
But our dreams will be our guide,
Wherever we are blown.”