Category: Art & Illustration

Posts about our illustrations and art.

August Wrap Up!

Published on by Hannah GreentreeLeave a comment

(Read on for details about our 50% closeout merch sale!)

What’s been going on at Whimsical with Micheline Ryckman? Well…

Writing

I’m still working on the Maiden Ship spinoff featuring Old Toff when he wasn’t so old! Also announced this month – I have a super secret project I’ve been working on with fellow author and friend Bryn Shutt! There’s not much I can share just yet, but I can tell you it’s a Sleeping Beauty retelling and we’ve teased some art of two characters on Instagram so far. Go check them out here and here.

Illustrating

I haven’t been able to do a lot of illustrating lately but that’s just par for the course when you live with chronic illness. Some days/weeks/months are better than others. I’m hopeful my arms will begin to feel better soon and I can get back to creating lots of fun character art for you all!

Publishing

We’re hard at work editing the upcoming book from our third author, Hayley Reese Chow. Still no details that can be revealed yet, only if you love sci-fi, keep your eyes peeled for updates because this is a book you will not want to miss! We Could be Villains by Megan McCullough is releasing in a little over a month, so don’t delay if you plan to preorder! It will be here before we know it!

Have you joined our Facebook group?

Are you in the FB group yet? If you’re not, you’re missing out on some fun things! This past month, we gave away ten sets of seconds/oopsies postcards. There will definitely be more in the future, so hurry on over and join us! We’ll also offer exclusive first looks and sneak peeks there that won’t be seen anywhere else.

JOIN HERE!

Reminder: WE COULD BE VILLAINS

We Could Be Villains by Megan McCullough releases in just 5 short weeks!! I can’t believe how quickly time has flown since we announced this fun superhero story back in the spring, but suddenly it’s almost here. If you haven’t preordered yet, time is running out!

Currently, only Kindle (e-book) format is available from Amazon, but after release day (Oct 3rd) you’ll be able to buy it in hardcover and paperback wordlwide. If you order from our shop website, the only option is paperback, BUT only orders from the shop include all the fun bonus items seen below, including a signed bookplate designed by Megan! Remember the shop prices are shown in CAD, not USD, and be sure to use a rep code to save yourself a little bit more! A link to all the current reps can be found a little further down in this newsletter.

Current W.I.P.
Anyone recognize these characters? This is my current Work In Progress, it’s a bit delayed because of my arm/health issues at the moment, but as soon as I am better again I’ll be finishing it!

Welcome, Fall Reps!
We just announced our 2022 Fall Rep team so go check out the new additions on Instagram and give them a warm whimsical welcome! Keep an eye out for their rep codes too!

Miscellaneous Merch Closeout!

There is a VERY limited stock left of the four products shown in the photos below. Since Whimsical Publishing is growing, we need to clear out this stock to make room for new, exciting products from our authors.

As an impromptu Labor Day weekend sale, these products are 50% OFF the lowest listed price. These will NOT be restocked once they’re gone, so if you’ve had your eye on something, get it quickly! Each item has less than 10 left in stock.

Use code CLEAROUT at checkout.

Hoping your Wednesday is full of goodness all!!!

JUNE WRAP-UP

Published on by Hannah GreentreeLeave a comment
From the desk of Micheline Ryckman

(Pssst! There’s a special offer just for newsletter/blog subscribers
at the end of this email!)

What’s been going on at Whimsical:
Writing

I’m currently working on a spin-off of The Maiden Ship, featuring one of its beloved characters in his younger years. Any guesses who this new story will be about?

Illustrating

I’ve been hard at work the past several months completing commissions and they are (almost) finally finished! Because of that, I’ve had little new art to share publicly but that will be changing soon! I’ve had quite a few fan arts and personal projects planned and I’m excited to make some progress on those! Commissions will be closed for a bit but I’m very excited for you to see what I have in the works.

Publishing

In case you missed the recent news, one of Whimsical Publishing’s books is being featured in Unplugged Book Box’s August YA Crate! The book will have a limited edition hardcover binding, gold embossing on the hardback, an exclusive just jacket with reverse artwork (artist TBA), exclusive professional STENCILED edges, and a digital signature! Check out the graphic below to order your copy!

More publishing news – eARCs were sent out for We Could Be Villains! We are so grateful to all our ARC readers and if you weren’t selected this time, please don’t be discouraged. I’d send one to everybody if I could. If you’re interested in becoming an ARC reader, check out the link in the menu above.

Click the image above to order the book-only option. For the full YA crate that includes the book + bookish items, click this link after July 6th when the August boxes go on sale!

COMING UP:

Click Image to order!

We Could Be Villains is still open for pre-order. Remember the pre-order incentives (including a signed bookplate) are only included in orders from here on my website. This superhero novel is perfect for fans of pop culture and comics, as well as theatre kids and anyone who loves to hate the perfect villain.

CURRENT WORK IN PROGRESS:

Do you recognize these two?
Did you know there’s a full line of birthstone bookmarks in the shop? Click the image of the bookmark to be taken to the listing! And as a special thank you exclusively for my newsletter/blog subscribers, you can use code PEARL to save 20% on birthstone bookmarks.

 

 

 

A TRIBUTE TO THOSE ON THE FRONT LINES OF THIS PANDEMIC!

Published on by Hannah GreentreeLeave a comment

This tribute of gratitude goes out to ALL of our front line heroes right now! I couldn’t perfectly represent all of you here in this art, but you know who you are! <3

To all our healthcare workers, doctors, nurses, care aids, scientists, first responders, firemen, paramedics, law enforcement, border guards, police, military, essential public servers, grocery store staff, pharmacists, janitors, factory workers, mail delivery staff, city service workers, child protection services, social service workers, uber and taxi drivers, truck drivers, and all those keeping us afloat like teachers, pastors, and people spreading positivity online… I know I’ve probably missed some of you, BUT WE ARE IMMENSELY GRATEFUL FOR YOU ALL!!! Thank you for keeping us going through this pandemic, you are REAL HEROES!

Show these heroes your gratitude and honour their sacrifice by staying home!

Vision vs Execution

Published on by Hannah GreentreeLeave a comment

“After a few months of practice, David lamented to his teacher, “But I can hear the music so much better in my head than I can get it out of my fingers.”

To which the Master replied, “What makes you think that ever changes?” “ ~ Art & Fear by David Bayles & Ted Orland

Yesterday I posted a portrait of my character, Sable, on IG and I hated it. I tried hard to convince myself to like it, but I couldn’t do it. She just did not look the same way she did in my head. It maddened me. I deleted it. And then today I started all over again. The portrait you see here is my fourth attempt at Sable. That’s right, yesterday was my third. She has been down right obstinate, and nearly impossible to capture.

If you are a creator, then I bet you too have faced this kind of frustration. Our vision rarely fits our execution. It’s like the image in our mind’s eye gets twisted, mucked up, and lost in translation. On rare occasions it manages to work out, but for the most part it’s much like Picasso said, “I begin with an idea, and then it becomes something else.”

Now, we can do one of three things with this experience; we can simply give up, we can try again (and again, and again in my case), or we can just accept what Picasso calls “something else” and move onto the next creation. Nowadays, option two and three is where I usually land, but in the past I have given up. I don’t recommend it. It’s important to realize that our vision (the picture in our head) is, as the Master said to his student above, always going to exceed our abilities. And, in the end, this is NOT a bad thing. Without this vision we would never improve. The vision pushes us beyond ourselves. It asks greater things of us each time we create. While we strive to reach it, we grow. And growth is good.

Am I completely satisfied with how Sable came out today? That’s a good question. Maybe… She’s a bit better, I think… Either way, she’s taught me a lot. 😉

Sable is an original character from my up coming novel, The Maiden Ship.