🍁Spooky season is almost here, and so is our agency’s Fall Art Blast! 🍂✨ Meet this brave kiddo and the not-so-scary monster in their closet! 👒 Title: They Only Come Out at Night Medium: colored pencils on black paper #kidlit #kidlitart 🎨

Summer Solstice has finally come, and it's time to cool off with some ice cream. #KansasCity is blistering hot right now, but a towering cone of creamy scoops would certainly help take the edge off. Title: A Summer Dream #bombayinks #childrensbookillustration #kidlitart 🎨#illustrations

🥳 Happy Book Birthday to Katie Finds Her Voice! 🎉✨ I’m so excited to see this story, written by the wonderful Amy McCoy, out in the world today! Loved illustrating Katie's journey and can't wait for readers to experience her story! #BookBirthday #Illustration #PictureBook #kidlit #kidlitart 🎨

It's the Holiday season! ❄️Hope everyone living in a cold climate is staying toasty and warm! Sharing my illustration for Bradford Literary's Winter Art Blast ⛄️❄️ Title: "Found Family Festivities" Media: Watercolor ink and digital editing #scbwi #illustrators #kidlitart 🎨 #kidlit

Get ready, #skypitch is happening on Wednesday. boringstorybook.com/skypitch/

"Fall Moods" by @heatherbell37.bsky.social 🎒 Heather is available as: an author-illustrator or illustrator Focuses: picture books and graphic novels (open to all #kidlit projects, including, board books, cover art, MG) Rep: @kaitlynleann17.bsky.social Website: heatherbellbooks.com #kidlitart

🥳 #NationalPictureBookDay @ginasoldano.bsky.social @tracycgold.bsky.social @judithvaldesb.bsky.social @writerjolene.bsky.social @viviankirkfield.bsky.social @heatherbell37.bsky.social @jilldanabooks.bsky.social @bonniekelso.bsky.social @lisaljrogers.bsky.social @lynnbbooks.bsky.social

It's SUMMER! So, here's my illustration for our agency's Art Blast going out next week. Whether you have fireflies or click beetles where you live, summertime is the best time for catching summer night's winged lights. Title: Catching Hope #bombayinks #kidlitart 🎨 #kidlit #illustrator

#kidlitzombieweek starts Monday! Do you have manuscripts you thought were dead? Join us to bring those zombies back to life w/ blog posts, discussions, & of course #prizes! Check all the details out here: sites.google.com/u/0/d/1uPxbh... Share and tag all your #amwriting #amrevising #kidlit friends

Today is our agency's Spring Art Blast! Here's my piece. Title: "Make the Morning Last" ... a little nod to Simon and Garfunkel on this gorgeous spring morning🌞 🌱🌷 #kidlitart 🎨 #scbwiillustrators #illustration

Happy #KidLitArtPostcard day from my creative spark! I love portraying diverse characters and different perspectives in PBs, CBs, and MGs, and love exploring the magic in everyday life. ✨🎨 Website:  heatherbellbooks.com Rep’d: Kaitlyn Sanchez at Bradford Literary   #kidlit #kidlitart #illustration

My newest commission painting in honor of a gorgeous pup who has crossed the rainbow bridge 🌈 🐕‍🦺 🎨 #petportrait #artist

youtu.be/lxBrtswO_TE?... My book comes out in 2️⃣ weeks and I have a trailer! Am I excited? Yes! 🎬 #kidlitchat

The 2024 Queer Kidlit Mentors are posted! We have mentors for PB (manuscript or dummy), GN (script or pages) CB, MG, YA, and illustrator portfolios Applications for this program will be open on January 10th. Thank you for sharing to help spread the word! #Kidlit queerkidlit.weebly.com

#Gratitude We felt the love & can’t wait to share more #kidlit joy in 2024 @judithvaldesb.bsky.social @heatherbell37.bsky.social @mollycranch.bsky.social @lisaljrogers.bsky.social @writerjolene.bsky.social @authoranita.bsky.social @viviankirkfield.bsky.social @jilldanabooks.bsky.social

Exciting news! We’re bringing our beloved #KidLitArt chat over to BlueSky in 2024! Stay tuned & please follow @kidlitart.bsky.social for updates to come! #KidLit

There's only about a day left in the auction and, alas, this morning there were still no bids, so I bid on myself, lest WNDB lose out on the minimum donation. I do enjoying talking to myself, but, also, I would genuinely love to talk to you! I invite you to outbid me! Give WNDB your $upport! 💙❤️

❄️I never saw snow until I moved away for college, and I spent literal hours lying on my dorm bunk staring at it falling when it finally came 😻 "Let it Snow" 🎨 #kidlitart #scbwi #illustrator

Got a bit sidetracked, but may I present—#inkvember 27 and 28. See? I didn't totally forget about these kids and their adventures. Drawing Prompts: Beast and Sparkle #kidlitart 🎨

November always seems to be chockful of commission work and other things, so I haven't tried it yet. But I am curious how others feel about it. It seems like a good way to encourage butt in chair. #middlegrade

I can only speak to this for picture books for which I've done many! 😜 But I have not done a whole rewrite for #middlegrade and even hearing others around me working on one causes me to break out in a sweat 😆

Still finishing up #inktober prompts...er....#inkvember 😅... Here's a whole bunch in one, the story is almost done: Daily Drawing Prompts: Scratchy, Celestial, Shallow, Dangerous, and Remove from days 22-26. #kidlitart 🎨 #illustrator www.instagram.com/heather.bell...

Teachers, librarians, educators, parents, & readers! It’s #giveaway time! I need to find these 18 middle-grade illustrated/graphic novels a new home! FOLLOW, ❤️, and RT/QT or Comment+Tag a friend to enter for a chance to add these great books 📚 to your collection! Winner selected 11/5.

Not sure if it's a hack or just a way to postpone getting down to the actual art, but when I have issues getting a sketch to look how I want, I switch mediums (sketchbook-pen, pencil, then iPad, and maybe Photoshop)...see what works best or hope that along the journey one will just work. #kidlitchat

The journey is almost over! Here's a piece for #Inktober days 20 and 21. Daily Drawing Prompts: Frost and Chains 🎨 *mini-movie @ www.instagram.com/heather.bell... #kidlitart #childrensillustration #scbwi

So, other things took priority making #inktober day 19 incredibly late. But...I can't let time stop me...which means? Here we come #inkvember!!! 😅😆 Daily Drawing Prompt: Plump...and pie is something I'll happily get plump on—any day. #kidlitart 🎨

I’m so proud that Simply Skye has made a list like this. These are the kinds of lists schools should be making, not books to ban. Representation matters! @heatherbell37.bsky.social www.autostraddle.com/10-picture-b...

Today's combo is for #Inktober days 14-18. Daily Drawing Prompts: Castle, Dagger, Angel, Demon, and Saddle. 🕌🎨 Less than half a month to go! 😸 #kidlitart #inktober2023 #scbwi #childrensbookillustration www.instagram.com/heather.bell...

For illustrations I have tons of folders and subfolders. Depending on the project, most of the folders are time based (September B/W Spreads, etc.). Each category has a list of versions (in case a file becomes corrupt or I make a change that I regret (or aren't sure if I want to keep). #kidlitchat

Happy Friday! Here's a combo for #Inktober days 11-13. The Drawing Prompts were: Wander, Spicy, and Rise. "Spicy" threw me for a bit, but then I remembered—cayenne pepper stalks have always been faster growers than giant bean stalks. 😜🌶️ #kidlitart #childrensillustration 🎨#scbwi

Decided to combine #Inktober Days 7, 8, 9, and 10. 😅 So, here are the Drawing Prompts: Drip, Toad, Bounce, and Fortune!🎨 And head over to my Instagram for mini-movies with each one 😆 www.instagram.com/heather.bell... #kidlitart #kidlit #scbwi #scbwiillustrators #graphicnovelart #childrensbooks

"Technically" I finished this just minutes before midnight (which means I made it in time) but was too tired to post 😅 So, better late than never? Days 5 and 6: #inktober Drawing Prompts: Map and Golden #kidlitart #illustrator #scbwi

Today’s #ILoveMyLibrary books by my PictureBookGold pals Anita Crawford Clark Vivian Kirkfield Songju Ma Daemicke @judithvaldesb.bsky.social @heatherbell37.bsky.social @pamelamorganwrites.bsky.social

Looks like I'll have to skip a day (or a few) of the #Inktober drawing prompts (ya know, because of that "life" thing). But here's Day 4: Drawing Prompt "Dodge" from #inktober2023 There are also mini-videos for each one. You can check 'em out here: www.instagram.com/heather.bell... #kidlitart

Day 3: Drawing Prompt is "Path" from #Inktober #inktober2023path #scbwiartober #kidart #kidlitart #childrensbookillustration #kcartists

Today is Day 2: Drawing Prompts are "Spiders" from #inktober and "Mystery" from #scbwiArtober by #scbwi #inktober2023day2 #inktober2023spiders #scbwiartobermystery #kidart #kidlitart #childrensbookillustration

All three of the PBs I’ve illustrated have been dedicated to my kiddo (and one to kid thing and my partner). So far they’ve been related to the book in one way or another. #MiddleGrade

Writing—not so much, but I did take a bunch of MG/YA webinar notes this week. 😝 So, plans are on the making! And working on Inktober drawings to try to get some new work together. #MiddleGrade

When someone follows me on Bluesky and I follow them back, I always try to like or repost one of their unique posts…it’s my social media equivalent of bringing baked goods to welcome a new neighbor 💙

October means #inktober, #artober, and ALL the Autumn Art challenges. Doubt I’ll keep up, but at least going to try. Today is Day 1: Prompts are "Dream" from #inktober and "Fur" from #scbwiArtober by #scbwi #inktober2023day1 #inktober2023dream #kidlitart #picturebookart #childrensillustration

*Updated* Why I'm On Bluesky (and my personal take on social media for the kidlit community right now): debbieohi.com/2023/09/soci... Includes quick tips for newbies, links to community connect threads & custom feeds, my new approach to social media.

Introduce yourself with some jobs you've done apart from what you do now. -School Bus Driver -Art Teacher for Adults with Developmental Disabilities -Program Manager -Pierogi Maker -Waiter -Line Cook -Soda Jerk -Cashier -Barista -Secretary

Not exactly "celebration": As usual, the bus is packed. Mark finds a spot immediately. His rowdy 5th-grade friends practically cheer the arrival of their king. I try squeezing in next to a 4th grader, but Nat calls me. She’s kicked the twins out of their seats so we can sit together.  #MiddleGrade

The only books of mine that have been published (as illustrator) are PBs. For those, I've done bookmarks and stickers mostly. Also, teacher guides and some activities (coloring pages, crosswords, etc.). #MiddleGrade

The first day of #Autumn is tomorrow! And Fall is my all time favorite season 🍁 Here’s a piece I painted for our agency’s Fall Art Blast. Title: A Perfect Pumpkin Picking Day Medium: pen and Bombay ink with digital touch up #kidlitart

Here are step-by-step guides with screenshots on "How to make your own Art Feed" and "How to make a Pinned Post." Please share with art friends! ✨ #kidlitart Art Feed Guide: docs.google.com/document/d/1... Pinned Post Guide: docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Today’s #ILoveMyLibrary post 2️⃣ books from my hold shelf! SIMPLY SKYE by @pamelamorganwrites.bsky.social @heatherbell37.bsky.social and TU YOUYOU by Songju Daemicke & Lin #kidlit

For those of you who don't know me, I host a KidLit Events Calendar list on my website with seminars, classes, webinars, retreats, and all kinds of activities available for KidLit authors and illustrators. Check it out at carolynbfraiser.com/kidlit/