Handmade Paper Craft Flowers

Brighten up dark winter days with paper craft flowers that dazzle!

First, I created a geometric flower template in three sizes in Adobe Illustrator. This program makes it super easy to line up or center shapes.

Next, I cut out the flower shapes on different handmade papers that I bought at art and craft stores. I painted and stamped patterns in acrylic ink on some of the papers to add a dark blue color. Then I layered a bunch of cut-out flowers from small-medium-large. The flower layers are sandwiched between two, one-inch wooden beads to hold the flower together. Each flower is taped and glued to a wooden dowel and placed in a pot.

Organizing Art Supplies - Soft Pastels

I create my artwork primarily in acrylic paint. But I often use additional mediums such as pastels and Caran d’Ache crayons to add to my painting on Arches Cold Press 140 lb. watercolor paper. One of the joys of working with traditional mediums is opening the boxes and seeing the supplies shine like little jewels. The pastels are neatly packaged in small boxes and lovingly protected with foam.

While storing one box is not a big deal, what do you do when you have a lot of different brands, box sizes, and box shapes? I found these IRIS USA clear flat 5x7” photo storage boxes for storing my pastels, watercolors, and oil pastels. Now I can store the same amount of multi-media supplies in 1/3 of the previous space.

Be still, my beating heart. I can’t wait to make some new art!

FIVE STAR REVIEW

The picture book, THE GOAT THAT ATE THE REMOTE by Eunice Pera Hafemeister and illustrated by Alicia Schwab has been awarded a five-star-review!

Buy this book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Itasca Books

https://www.readerviews.com/
The Goat that Ate the Remote
Eunice Pera Hafemeister
Beaver’s Pond Press (2024)
ISBN: 978-1643439778
Reviewed by Lindsay DeRollo for Reader Views (12/2024)
5*- A Humorous and Lighthearted Story

“The Goat that Ate the Remote” by Eunice Pera Hafemeister is a humorous and lighthearted story about a young goat named Gertie and her very strange (and silly!) discovery. Gertie isn’t feeling well one day, so her family takes her into the living room corner to relax and recover while they watch TV. Yet every time someone begins to enjoy watching their favorite TV show, Gertie hiccups, and the channel changes on its own. What’s wrong with the TV...or, more likely, what’s wrong with Gertie? They’re in for a big surprise!

What a cute story! Author Eunice Pera Hafemeister does a stellar job of getting across the sweet message of this book in a comical way that children can understand. Always show kindness to someone (especially when they’re not feeling well) and be a helping hand. Make sure they get plenty of rest when they are sick in a quiet and comfortable setting. If strange things ever begin to happen (like the TV channels changing by themselves!), ask a grown-up for help. Lastly, a good laugh is always a pleasant relief in any type of situation (and a great story to tell!).

The characters in this story are very friendly, authentic, and relatable. They illustrate a wonderfully warm family connection. Gertie is a spirited young goat that her family is very lucky to have! Her vibrant personality truly takes center stage, which is also evident in her bright and animated facial expressions throughout the story. Children will adore the cute and colorful illustrations that will draw them right into the story.

The setting of the story is very natural and serene, beautifully illustrated by Alicia Schwab. It made me feel like I was right there in the countryside atmosphere and the warmth of their home. My favorite part of the story is when Gertie hiccups and they all solve the mystery at the end with a good laugh (and who doesn’t enjoy a good laugh with family?).

I highly recommend “The Goat that Ate the Remote” by Eunice Pera Hafemeister to children ages four and up to read and enjoy. This book is geared towards children of all backgrounds. I guarantee you they will love this heartwarming and entertaining story and will want to read it again and again.

Fabric Succulents

Most of the time I create artwork on watercolor paper. But, sometimes it’s fun to apply color to a 3-D surface. I found a simple pattern online, but instead of using traditional green hues, I picked a multicolored pallet. I think they turned out very fun!

Playing with Liquid Frisket

I love, love, love painting with acrylic paint and inks as a water medium. Acrylic paint is a versatile medium that can be applied opaque like gouache or in translucent washes like watercolor. But one tool in my kit that I’ve avoided is liquid frisket. It’s a stinky, gooey gum media that you paint onto watercolor paper to temporarily mask the white color so you can paint in continuous strokes over that area. But thanks to Ohn Mar Win’s class, I learned how to master the techniques and avoid the problems this medium creates, such as glued-up brushes, lumpy linework, and tools that don’t work for an application.

Now that I have the right strategy, it’s fun! And I will use it again.

This masking technique brings back memories of my early years when my mom used to make batik paintings on fabric. The batik technique involves melting beeswax on a hotplate and using a special tool to draw and drip hot wax onto the surface of the fabric. After the wax cools, the fabric is dyed with color.

Thankfully, she closely guarded her workspace so none of us toddlers got scalded. But I loved the soothing smell of hot beeswax and how the brilliant hues bleed into one another.

Folktale Week 2025

Check out my lineup of FOLKTALE WEEK images this year. I absolutely love illustration folktales. I like creepy stories, sweet stories, and whimsical, magical stories.

Witch from DWARFNOSE, JACK THE GIANT KILLER, THE MAGICIAN’S HORSE, and THE RED SHOES.

THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN, THE UGLY DUCKLING, GOOD LITTLE HENRY, and WHO KILLED COCK ROBIN?

Book Awards - LITE: The High Treason Incident

We're flying high! Our #MG #book, LITE THE HIGH TREASON INCIDENT, has won 4 awards!

Available at: Bookshop, B&N, Amazon, and Itasca Books

http://www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=2516

https://moonbeamawards.com/107/2024

https://www.storymonstersbookawards.com/purple-dragonfly-winners/purple-2024

https://www.agrobertsauthor.com/

https://www.aliciaschwab.com/

Kamala Harris Books

Thank you, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris! #vote

ICON12 Notes on AI

We are in unsetteling times. AI is stealing art from creators to give away for free to anyone. Here are some notes from Rebecca Blake’s presentation, Advocacy In the Age of AI, at ICON12 the Illustration Conference on July 12th, 2024. I recommend inviting Rebecca Blake to be your next speaker.

Generative AI is causing artist advocates to rethink the fundamentals of how we advocate for our rights: the right to control our work, be treated fairly, and protect our integrity.—Rebecca Blake

Advocacy
in the age
of aI

by Rebecca Blake

(The image here was made by a real human, Asahi Nagata.)

ICON12 Conference Art by Asahi Nagata

Image Overload

“In 150 YEARS, about 15 billion photos have been taken.

In ONE YEAR, over 150 billion AI IMAGES have been generated.”
source: Everypixel

AI Image Generators

• +34 million AI images generated per day.

• 31% think GEN AI art is as good as human-created.

• 34% think AI-generated art is better than human-created.

• 36% of gaming studios use AI image generators.

Where do these images come from?

Computers are NOT creative, humans are. These images ARE MADE BY HUMANS. Or they are derivative creations of images originally made by humans. The images that AI uses to generate new images are stolen from artists’ online portfolios and social media posts. Those images were not taken with consent. We artists are putting our images online because the industry demands that we have an online presence to get hired for work.

Advocacy in the Age of AI

“A letter was sent to each of these ORG’s to insist AI NOT be allowed into their competitions:

• Society of Illustrators

• American Illustration

• Communication Arts

• Spectrum Fantastic Art

• 3x3

• Creative Quarterly

• Society of Illustrators, LA

• World Illustration Awards

• Applied Arts Awards

• Circle Foundation For The Arts

• AIGA

• National Cartoonist Society

• The Norman Rockwell Museum

Follow these artists, who are in the trenches against AI on X (formerly Twitter):

• Karla Ortiz @kortizart

• Reid Southen @Rahll

• Corey Brickley @CoreyBrickley

• Neil Turkwitz @neilturkewitz

Copyright Law Explained

https://copyrightalliance.org/education/copyright-law-explained/

Court

These artists have taken Midjourney, DeviantArt, and StabilityA.I. to court, suing them for copyright infringement:

• Karla Ortiz

• Sarah Andersen

• Kelly McKernan

• Hawke Southworth

• Grzegorz Ruthkowski

• Gregory Manchess

• Gerald Brom

• Jingna Zhang

• Julia Kaye

• Adam Ellis

In court they must prove:

• Are the Gen AI outputs sufficiently similar to the original artwork?

• Is using images for machine learning a fair use?

• Were copies of images made in creating the training dataset?

How to Protect Your Copyright

Register all your art at https://www.copyright.gov/registration

Glaze: https://glaze.cs.uchicago.edu/

Nightshade your artwork: https://youtu.be/r7FQIjBIUVk

Carl Seibert Solutions (links)

Go to this website for tons more information: https://www.carlseibert.com/guild/

Embed Your Metadata

https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/image-license-metadata

“When you specify image metadata, Google Images can show more details about the image, such as who the creator is, how people can use an image, and credit information. For example, providing licensing information can make the image eligible for the Licensable badge, which provides a link to the license and more detail on how someone can use the image.”–Google

ICON 12

I learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed myself at ICON12 at MIA in Minneapolis, MN!

Here are some key takeaways:

John Hendrix, Washington State University, St. Louis, MS

Dynamic husband and wife team: Rudy Gutierrez and DK Dyson

Even tough my photo caught these two with their eyes closed, this was an envigorating finish to a wonderful conference. Rudy Gutierrez shared images about his amazing illustration career and DK Dyson sang and shared insightful knowledge.

Advocate for yourself

• Invoice immediately.

• Don’t burn bridges; it’s a small industry.

• Take breaks: every 20 minutes focus on something distant for 20 seconds.

• Meander down different paths to try new things.

It was refreshing to hear several presenters discuss and showcase “mental health” and “burnout” in their presentations. You can’t do good work if you don’t take care of your brain and body.

• What are your rituals for self-care?

• How do you find a balance between work/life?

• How do you build resilience?

Happy Father's Day

https://www.aliciaschwab.com/media-kit-unicycle-dad

Cara APP - Social Media for Artist's

I’ve joined yet another new social media site, CARA. Follow me @aschwabart.

SLJ: HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

School Library Journal: 9 Board Books and Picture Books About Daddy and Me for Father’s Day and Beyond

“From going to work in faraway or dangerous jobs to walking with their kids around the neighborhood or reading bedtime stories, these fathers offer support and encouragement and set an example for their kids. As Father's Day approaches, or all year long, share these titles with little ones and families to recognize the important role Dad plays in their lives.”—School Library Journal Reviews

“Unicycle Dad by Sarah Hovorka. illus. by Alicia Schwab. Amicus Ink. ISBN 9781681529028. 
K-Gr 2–Revolving around a father-daughter relationship, this touching tale adeptly relates the challenges of learning to ride a unicycle to the broader struggles in the father and daughter’s life. 

VERDICT A heartwarming story of family resilience and an empowering narrative about overcoming obstacles—a valuable addition to any collection.” —School Library Journal Reviews

CanvasRebel with Alicia Schwab

Read all about my CanvasRebel interview here: https://canvasrebel.com/meet-alicia-schwab/

Maria Marshall - Picture Book Buzz

In May 2024, Sarah Hovorka and I had an interview with Maria Marshall. I really enjoyed this interview and the added questions about how we enjoy the great outdoors. Check out our interview here: https://www.mariacmarshall.com/single-post/the-picture-book-buzz-interview-w-sarah-hovorka-and-alicia-schwab

Order this book! Amazon | IndieBound.org | Bookshop.org | Amicus Ink

Lions, Tigers, and Bears—oh, my!

I’m super excited for my book launch next week for UNICYCLE DAD, by Sarah Hovorka and Alicia Schwab, published by Amicus Ink March 12, 2024.

I made new business cards, stickers and bookmarks.

UPCOMING BOOK SIGNING & SALES

March 16, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Rosemount Writers Festival in Rosemount, MN. Book signing and sale.

March 23, 10:30-Noon, UNICYCLE DAD, Alicia Schwab: Book signing and storytime at Red Balloon Bookshop, 891 Grand Avenue, St Paul, MN 55105

More great reviews here!

Unicycle Dad Book Launch: Red Balloon Bookshop March 23, 2024

Red Balloon is excited to welcome local illustrator Alicia Schwab for a special storytime in honor of her new picture book, Unicycle Dad!

Sarah cooks, takes care of her brother, and does homework on her own, while her single dad is at work or school. Based on the author's childhood, Unicycle Dad shares the inherent struggles and quiet joys of a single-parent, impoverished household. Join Alicia Schwab for a read-aloud of Unicycle Dad, a drawing demonstration, and snacks!

To attend: This event is open to the public, but registration helps us when considering spatial constraints. You can register through March 23, 9:00am and order a copy of the book below. Extra copies of Unicycle Dad will be available for purchase during the event.

Signing Guidelines: Following the event, Alicia Schwab will sign and personalize copies of the book. If you would prefer not to stay for the signing portion, Red Balloon is happy to have your books signed and personalized for you and will contact you when they're ready to be picked up.

Accessibility: Red Balloon Bookshop is wheelchair accessible and has a handicap parking spot directly behind our store. If you have a disability or medical condition and have questions about or need other specific accommodations, please email events@redballoonbookshop.com or call 651-224-8320.

Alicia Schwab (a-LEE-sha SHH-wab) (she/her/hers) is an award-winning illustrator of books in multiple genres. Alicia is an advocate of autism and learning differences, and specializes in books about characters who conquer adversity. She speaks on various topics at bookstores, schools, libraries, conferences, and book festivals.

Sarah Hovorka is an author of picture books, novels and short stories for all ages. She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and the California Writers Club. Sarah lives with her husband and her three sons in California.

8th Annual Rosemount Writers Festival and Book Fair

On March 16th, 2024, I will be at the Steeple Center in Rosemount, MN, selling my books at the Rosemount Writers Festival and Book Fair. 9 a.m. —4:30 p.m.

You can read more about the Festival at the Patch.com

From the picture book UNICYCLE DAD, written by Sarah Hovorka and illustrated by Alicia Schwab.

I illustrated three new books out in 2024:

UNICYCLE DAD, written by Sarah Hovorka

THE GOAT THAT ATE THE REMOTE, written by Eunice Hafemeister

THE FORGOTTEN DOORWAY, written by A. G. Roberts

I hope to see you there!

To arrange an interview with Alicia or to request review copies of any of her books, please contact ::
Rachel M. Anderson, Marketing & PR Consultant/Publicist
RMA PUBLICITY :: 952-240-2513 :: rachel@rmapublicity.com

SLJ - Review for Uncle Dad, by Sarah Hovorka and Alicia Schwab

UNICYCLE DAD

A touching tale based on the author’s childhood experience. The narrative, revolving around a father-daughter relationship, adeptly relates the challenges of learning to ride a unicycle to the broader struggles in the father and daughter’s life. As the story unfolds, readers discover the family’s low-income status and the father’s journey to obtain his high school degree while navigating the responsibilities of single parenthood. Hovorka introduces many poignant moments, including her father’s graduation and subsequent disappointment at work resulting in him needing a second job, that showcase the harsh realities of financial struggles. The children adapt to his increased workload, with the daughter taking on more responsibilities at home. Schwab’s illustrations add a simple and realistic charm to the narrative. This book skillfully captures the emotions and challenges faced by the characters, making the story accessible and engaging for young readers.

VERDICT

A heartwarming story of family resilience and an empowering narrative about overcoming obstacles—a valuable addition to any collection. —School Library Journal

Guest Blogger: Writer's Rumpus

https://writersrumpus.com/2024/02/09/embracing-connection-the-joy-of-returning-to-in-person-conferences/

EMBRACING CONNECTION: THE JOY OF RETURNING TO IN-PERSON CONFERENCES

This article (by Carrie Pearson) describes how we are beyond the Pandemic era of ZOOM-only conferences. Unfortunately, that isn’t entirely the case for me but I appreciate being included in two of the images in the post. I will be cheering on the SCBWI Conference goers from my home studio.

In 2019, I won the PEOPLES CHOICE AWARD (Honorable Mention) at the SCBWI Marvelous Midwest Conference.

The SCBWI Marvelous Midwest conference theme in 2019 was, “County Fair”. Here I am with my good friends: Jonathan Bing and Louise Aamodt wearing our costumes for the festivities. We had a ball!