August 29, 2013
January 19, 2013
Starred Review From Kirkus!
TOOHOT? TOO COLD? Keeping Body Temperature Just Right
KIRKUS
A fascinating and thorough look at how both animals and humans regulate their body temperatures.
Beginning with the difference between warmblooded and coldblooded species (the terms endothermic and ectothermic are introduced but not used), Arnold devotes spreads to such topics as muscle movements, sweating, the shrinking and expanding of blood vessels in the skin, fat, body coverings, and the size and shape of an animal. Behavior can also affect body temperature: animals or humans can seek/avoid the sun or a breeze, cool off or warm up with water, find shelter, or hibernate/estivate/migrate. The one misstep is a minor quibble—a sentence incorrectly states that “No animal can live if its body temperature falls below freezing.” The copyright page lists the illustrations as having been done in watercolor and Photoshop, but readers would be hard-pressed to see any evidence of digital artwork here. The spreads and spot illustrations have that blurry, batik quality of watercolors that lends itself so well to nature scenes, while the insets are well-delineated, allowing readers to understand the structures discussed in the text. Every animal is labeled, making this a great jumping-off point for further research into readers’ favorites. A glossary and author’s note round out the text.
A stellar addition to a rather empty shelf. (Nonfiction. 6-10)
Pub Date: Feb. 1st, 2013
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online:
Dec. 26th, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15th, 2013
December 18, 2012
November 03, 2012
July 02, 2012
Little bouquet of wild arctic buttercups, picked by my daughter. Summer is here at last!
April 05, 2012
testing typepad app...
March 24, 2012
Curious characters
A sketch from a while ago. I like these characters, although not sure yet who they are or what the story is.
February 13, 2012
Geisha: watercolor sketch
The reference for this was a vintage black and white photo. I used a different brush than I'm used to, but that was kind of fun.
*When frost comes to the fall tundra*
It's been so long since I've posted on this blog! Partly because I've been using facebook more, and partly I suppose because I've been busy finishing a book illustration project. I'd like to get back in the routine here, though! In the meantime, here is a quick sketch I drew and painted the other day.
August 07, 2011
night kitty
I have had this half finished cat picture sitting on my shelf for over a year. Today I had some time to myself and felt inspired to work on it again. It is inspired by a cat I loved, who actually was a manx and had that little bob tail, but the picture just needed to have the tail so I'll have to do another one of Bird (yes I named my cat Bird) some other day. So I took it from daytime to night time, and had tons of fun working on it both in acrylics and then in Photoshop.
July 26, 2011
Lucky
This book is quite possibly my best thrift store find ever! I love, love, love the artwork. Printmaking is something I really want to learn in the near future.
April 11, 2011
February 08, 2011
Website update
Hello! I updated my website! There is some new work and some you've seen here on the blog before. I used carbonmade, which was very easy to use. I'd recommend it if you are looking for a simple way to display your work online. There are also some really fun portfolios to look through. I eventually want a more personalized site, but for now it will work.
I've been happily working on sketches for a new children's book! It involves drawing lots of different animal species which is so much fun.
January 24, 2011
I saw this graffiti in southern Idaho over the holidays.
The artists must have been excited to have these fresh white trains as canvases.
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