What's with all the silence

I have done so much NOT posting these past few months, and have watched many others do the same.  Is it a move to Twitter or Facebook?  Is it boredom or the ever-present "I don't have anything interesting to say" dilemma?  Well for me it's the "I have too much to do" syndrome keeping me away from the computer for any kind of fun. 

Since I got to keep my job, I'm busier than ever at work, which is both good and bad. I have not been able to cut back but am going to discuss it with my boss next week. 

And since I was preparing for a year to have my "dessert" career and am a carry-it-thru person, I'm working on the Children's books project many many hours.  I took a digital art class so that I could learn how to do the project on the computer.  I found that the digital process can be helpful to me to set up color schemes, and play with options but is not yet the absolute medium that I want to use.  It took me a few weeks to realize that, and in that time I was avoiding the computer, avoiding working on the book and worried that I had lost interest.  It wasn't until I sat down with my watercolors and started painting that I realized "gee, that digital illustration had me stressed out".  To be fair, I'm not good enough yet with Photoshot to do a really good job. I also realized that if I want to do the colors on the computer, then I have to plan for that from the very beginning of the work - its important for sanity and making a good job of it. 

Animal Wednesday? What's that??? All my animals are on my iphone camera - waiting for their turn in the sun.   Walking in the morning?  Who's kidding who?  I love it and just started again yesterday but until then it's been jump out of bed, go to work, come home and work on the darn book. 

I think I'm getting close to finished thank goodness.  I have all my 28 pages drawn and mostly colored. I have my text written. I have my cover page and endpapers designed.  Once I finish the coloring I have to marry the two by scanning in the pages, and adding the text.    Then a good printing and color copies to send out into the world.  And from what I hear, be ready for many many rejections and when someone does take you on...be prepared to be paid a tiny tiny amount.   Why would anyone do this?  To tell you the truth...it's fun.  I like pulling it all together, I like having a character come to life. I like the feel of the paper and the watercolors, and seeing a nice pile of work getting ready to go out into the world. It doesn't really matter to me if it gets published or not, if no one wants it I'll publish it myself for the kids in my family.  I have more stories in my head and ways to make it easier to draw them all out.   I have made a good friend in my instructor (Ilse Plume) who is lovely, warm, delightful and very talented.  I've met some lovely people in the class, and am going to miss them all when the class ends. 

Once it's all ready to be shown I will set up a private site for friends to view the work - and will ask for specific emails so that I can share with only my trusted online crowd.  I'd love everyone's feedback, and comments.  

So that's where I am at.  I estimate that I have about 2 more weeks of work to do before it's ready for prime time. If I focused and worked on it 12 hours/day, I could get it all done in about 3 - 4 full days, but that's not gonna happen.  

So...that's my excuse for the week.  I'll keep you updated