Thursday, August 2, 2012

Moving Right Along...

  Have you ever had one of those thoughts that sticks with you and just won't go away?  On a whim, I recently started touring the Fort Worth area looking for a possible location for an art studio.  Just to be clear, this was, and is, a totally unattainable goal at this point.  It was just fun to consider the possibilities.

  I drove around looking at old retail spaces, abandoned warehouses, and dilapidated shacks.  All the while, my mind was covering over the broken windows and bad paint with possibilities.  At one point, I came across an empty lot, but on this lot was one big tree surrounded by some smaller ones.  Out of nowhere, all of these boyhood dreams came flooding in.  What a great spot for a tree house!!  It could have a rope ladder, a tire swing, secret entrances (too much Three Investigators growing up, I guess), a skylight, and a flat screen for my PS3 (of course).  Then I started imagining how cool it would be to have a tree house studio as an adult.

  Of course, while the boy in me clung to the fun aspects of a tree house, the man would like it to be state-of-the-art! (Remember, I'm still dreaming at this point.)  So it would have to be insulated, air conditioned, bug proof, well-lit, and spacious.  Who wouldn't want to work in such a fun environment?!

  Well, before long, reality set in, so I wiped the drool from my chin and moved along.  Since then, though, the idea of a tree house studio has stayed with me.  I decided that if I can't have it in reality, I can at least have it on paper!  So Kinsy McVay Creations was discarded (pretty unimaginative name, anyway), and TreeHouse Illustration was born. Besides the change in appearance and name, though, not much else has changed.  It still just me plugging along, making some art, and writing a book or two along the way.  I hope that you have a chance to visit my new site and shoot me your comments.  I always enjoy hearing from you!

  Got any ideas stuck in your brain?  Get them out here.  I'd love to hear them!

-Kinsy

Monday, July 9, 2012

Art - How I Love the Process!

One of my all-time favorite things about art is seeing how it is created.  I am enthralled by the creative process and love to see how each artist gets from a blank paper or canvas to a finished masterpiece.  Every once in a while, I will jump on YouTube and just watch some people create, while I stare and drool.  Not only does it inspire and amaze me, but I also usually pick up some tricks of the trade!  :)

Below is a short little video of one of my more recent illustrations.  It is the cover of Amanda M. Thrasher's new book, The Ghost of Whispering Willow.  In the video, you will see how the illustration went from pencil, to charcoal, to chalk pastels. 

Have any of you made an art demo video?  I'd LOVE to see it!

-Kinsy

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Wow!  It is incredibly easy to fall behind on things!  It's been nearly 9 months since I last updated this blog... Yikes!  Well, I guess it's time to get updated, then.

I am extremely pleased to announce the re-release of my children's book, Just Line Around!  Thanks to the great folks over at CreateSpace, Stew is as good as ever and now available at a huge reduction in price.  The new retail is only $7.50 compared to the original release price of $18.50!!  For right now, it is available only through the CreateSpace Store, but will be out there online very soon.

In addition, within the next month or so, Just Line Around will be available in Spanish.  Look for Entres Lineas very soon!  :)

Happy creating this summer!  I'd love to see any cool art projects you see or do...

-Kinsy