new assignment

The big news this week is that I got a new assignment! And it's something of a rush job. The truth is that I love deadlines... It's not that I'm not able to work without them; it's more that the fact that the thing has to get done, period, provides me with the ability to make decisions quickly and not agonize so. I find that I am always confident that I will find the solution, I will do it, and do it well... because I have to. The end. There is a sense of fluidity and smoothness. So, I've already come up with and suggested a few concepts, now I'm preparing some rough sketches that I will scan and send tomorrow. The whole thing has to be done by Wednesday.
I also joined SCBWI this week. It seems quite worthwhile. There are numerous forums (including critiques and manuscript/illustration exchange) and regional conferences (including a big one in Bologna). It can only be helpful to me to connect to other artists in the field.

This weekend I will be busy working on the assignment, the new theme for IF, and I must update various of the sites and forums I've joined. I've been meaning for some time to put together submission packages for various childrens' magazines/publishers but also to remind various mags that I'd queried earlier of my existence. I am torn (as always) between wanting to do it now (the sooner the better, you've waited too long already!) and waiting until I have just a few more work samples to replace those that I previously liked but that seem to have fallen out of favour... whine, whine, complain. that's all for now. In any case nothing will be done before next week.