Writing and illustrating my first picture book has got me in a dizzy. Did you know a group of zebras is called a dazzle? It took me 3 tries to get this scene right.
I loved painting every one of them until I realized it wasn’t gonna work out anymore.. the tragedy of starting all over again!! but greatness is found in the process..
Pretty amazing I think, to see my effort pictorially depicted, getting better and better with every try. If only I could be moved like this when trying to see the improvements in the other areas of my life.
Plumbing disaster at the Art Gallery of Hamilton this April, there’s a snake in the pipes! Do u know any well-to-do plumber/snake charmers ?? 🪠🐍
Painted in 2019, just before the pandemic, this will be the snake’s first public debut. Alongside the Chinese New Year of the snake and more specifically the wood snake, characterized by the colour green, in the year 2025, this event only happens once every 60 years!! -the real reason I took this year to fish it out of the basement, restretch it and apply with it to this years Hamilton Art Gallery Show and Sale and it got in! I’m showing 2 other monster works and 2 smaller ones as well, all public debuts.
@at_theagh @agh_art_sales
Opening Reception April 24, 5 to 9PM (cash bar)
April 23 Private viewings 9AM to 9PM April 24 Opening 5PM to 9PM April 25 11AM to 6PM April 26 + 27 11AM to 5PM (both days)
Working on my first children’s book I am both writing and illustrating. The ideas are all there I just need to organize them in a coherent manner that’s not terrible. I contacted about 5 publishers so far, so I figure I’ll just keep at it, trying to space them out a bit so I can improve my pitch and not burn myself out too hard. All I have to do is keep at it and don’t give up which makes for another great title for another children’s book idea. The creation part: the writing, drawing and colouring come super easy fun though!!
Also, I’m going to be in the Art Gallery Of Hamilton Show and Sale this year. Somewhere in a board room downtown they are humming and hawing over which they will select this year.
Will they pick the giant snake to show for the Chinese zodiac year of the green snake 2025? It only occurs every 60 years!
Or will they lean into the Made In Canada theme with The Big Goose?!!
Or do we want something to mark the year we’ve had with the total solar eclipse of maximum totality?!
Or maybe they prefer the latest in Ugly Animals In Cute Outfits??!
Would this make a good illustration for a Children’s picture book?
Currently writing and illustrating my first picture book. Everyone says I’d be really good at this but I’ve never done it before so I’m just stumbling my way into it. It’s a different way of working, worrying about feedback from editors, how I’m going to get it published and accepting that it could just be a big financial flop.
It’s the journey, not the destination. I’m learning a lot. Just got into paint markers, I never got into them cause I figured they’d be costly and I never believed my art was worth it but I’m 40 now and I’m turning a new page in how I view things. I am worth it! Also I just discovered you can actually refill them yourself saving me so much time and money. I didn’t realize how much I held myself back.
Anyway I love how convenient they are, and they are odourless, so I can use them around my toddlers, and now I can get them in any colour of the rainbow now that I’ve discovered you can actually mix your own paint and put them into the pen. They pack up easily and quickly! Very little cleanup involved. I would happily accept a sponsorship from POSCA
If you know a publisher or agent who might be interested, or maybe you want to order an advanced copy yourself, drop me an email lisangart@hotmail.com
I finished illustrating the book for the Canadian Constitution Foundation! The publisher “loved the work and is excited.” Slotted to come out this Autumn, more on that later.
In the meantime I’ve decided it’s time I write and illustrate my own children’s book. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and everyone thinks I’d be good at, but also something I’ve never done before.
At the moment I’ve narrowed down my 5 ideas to 2 stories and edited them both down to 700 to 800 words each.
I had a mega talk about rejection with my therapist yesterday. I tend to squirrel projects away, giving up on them long before they get made.
So I’m putting together the Lisa Ng Art Picture Book Pitch Packet. The average publisher takes 4 to 6 weeks for a response, some 6 months. So I’m going to share my pitch packet NOW, while I finish the book and wait for a response, and if I don’t hear anything by then, then I can consider self publishing.
It’s a different way of working I’m not used to, having to fill the time while waiting for a response. The good news is I have a Pandora’s box of ideas, so I can just keep cooking up more projects while I wait.
All I need is to find 13 publishers that might respond. I chose 13 because that’s how many Harry Potter took, the first 12 didn’t think there was any money in children’s books, they were wrong.
The Lisa Ng Art Picture Book Pitch Packet will contain:
Gordon Ghons acrylic on canvas 16 x 20 inches Sold but prints available.
I’m not gonna pretend I understand what’s going on with the American Tariffs but we’ve always known it’s best to buy Canadian, buy local. Re-introducing Canada’s solution to buying local, is my portrait of Gordon Ghons! Canadian cousin and brother from another mother to America’s most beloved contemporary Artist Jasper Johns! Half majority and half minority, born citizen of Canada, decked out in Canadian colours, show your support and like this post! Eh!
If you could make your pet understand one thing, what would it be?
Indoor Chameleon In Blue acrylic on canvas 12 x 9 x 1.5 inches $400 CAD
Let me start by saying I have 0 pets, but I got 2 toddlers who are just as messy! In the midst of the screaming, crying chaos, all I want them to know when things get crazy is that I love them, I am in no way the perfect mommy, but I am absolutely trying my best. I hope that they will always know that well into their adult lives when they begin to unravel where I messed up, and all parents mess up one way or another -builds character! I also hope that despite any expectations I may or may not have of them, I hope they live happy, fulfilling lives as good people, and that in whatever they do, whether they succeed or fail, I hope that they appreciate the journey, try their best, and I will be proud. #mommy #babyshower
Star Nosed Mole In A Tutu acrylic on canvas 9 x 12 x 1.5 inches $400 CAD
Nobody ever talks about the importance of fun, but I can’t paint enough of it. Don’t underestimate the importance of Fun. It helps you learn, it makes things enjoyable, and it helps all of us to get along. I grew up under strict conditions, fun was not to be had on the schedule. So much of fun is being able to express yourself, dabble in the activities you enjoy, and sharing that joy with others! It is the golden ticket to a good life. If you are having fun, you are winning at life. Everybody knows I paint for fun but did you know these 5 additional hidden hobbies of mine as outlined by the 5 Ugly Animals In Cute Outfits paintings below:
Dancing: I love dancing! I remember prancing around as a kid giggling my face off and being told to REIGN IT IN all the time. My parents enrolled me in ballet, most likely to correct my posture and put some structure and discipline into it, 2 very not fun things. I dropped out soon after and didn’t dance for along time until I discovered hip hop and breakdancing in my teens. Most people don’t know but I was an avid breaker in my middle school to high school years, and even got into raver culture a bit, had the PHAT pants and everything!
Consuming Content: Which in my day was reading books and watching movies. Now it’s phone scrolling. These days it’s mostly how to parent toddlers, trying to not re-create my husband and I’s crappy childhoods, which maybe is not a true source of fun, but definitely heading into a better direction! but when I have a good chunk of time, I love a good TV binge. At the moment I am getting into Squid Game and watching Parenthood. Timeless classics for me are Wes Anderson films, most notably, The Budapest Hotel, a movie around a painting: Boy With Apple, as cleverly depicted here:
Probocis Monkey In A Suit acrylic on canvas 9 x 12 x 1.5 inches SOLD
Music/Being Naked: Well that goes hand in hand with dancing. I listen to a lot of music painting, at work and driving around for work too. I dabbled in a little piano and guitar as a kid, but these days I mostly just build 100 song playlists on my Spotify under the username Furry Lisa. OK I don’t spend THAT much time being naked, but fun fact: I once did a performance art piece in the nude, back in my art school days. It was probably nerve wrecking and not super fun and yet at the same time, the experience brought me a level a confidence and compassion I never thought I had & that’s just one of the things you can learn whilst having fun in art school.
Naked Mole Rat In A Cardigan acrylic on canvas9 x 12 x 1.5 inches $400 CAD
Swimming: The only exercise I don’t hate. I grew up swimming laps everyday and I still like to if i have the opportunity. I like how I never feel sweaty swimming, and my body feels sore in just the right places. I like to catch my laps first thing in the morning when I can just ride that wave of endorphins the rest of the day.
Wolffish In Fishnet acrylic on canvas 9 x 12 x 1.5 inches SOLD
Playing: As adults I think we forget to play. All our recreational hobbies and interests generally revolve around mastering a skill or interest, which is fine, but it neglects the opportunity, almost expectations for failure like play does. Play means things don’t have to be perfect and so long as you are having fun, you’re doing great! It means you are approaching something new, exploring and discovering. There’s nothing more boring, or un-fun about doing the same thing a million times over when you are already good at it, I think. These days you’ll find me playing with my kids, building awkward snowmen in the backyard, baking ugly cookies and lopsided pizzas, fiddling with crayons, stickers, sticky goo and my favourite, googly eyes, Pom poms, and glitter. #fun #play
Marabous Stork In Fur acrylic on canvas 9 x 12 x 1.5 inches SOLD
Sandy Warhol acrylic on canvas 20 x 16 x 1.5 inches 2016 In private collection.
It’s winter and it is soup season. Everybody knows about Andy Warhol’s soup cans but do they know about my alias from 2016, Sandy Warhol who does paintings of soup?
Cream of Class acrylic on canvas 20 x 16 x 1.6 inches 2016 In private collection.
My new favourite soup is Costco chicken noodle where I shred up a Costco chicken and add mushy carrot and celery, chicken broth and macaroni, and if you want to go all out, CORN!!! In my family, corn is the magic ingredient. It goes on anything from pizza, tacos, ramen to spaghetti and most definitely in soup.
What are your favourite go to soups and does anyone want a Costco chicken noodle soup painting commission or other? Maybe one of a secret family soup recipe passed down from generations? It would make a great family heirloom/ family dining room or kitchen area painting! #soup #inspiring
Crocodile Couch acrylic on canvas 12 x 9 x 1.5 inches 2024 $400 CAD
I’ve loved art since I could hold a crayon 🖍️. I had to struggle to be one and I still do, not the art making part, but the career part. As a little girl my parents discouraged it, it’s not very practical for putting food on the table, it’s true, but despite that I insisted, it’s crucial for my psyche. I need art like I need air.
Growing up I looked up to characters like Leonardo Da Vinci, an artist and a scientist, he did it all. I wanted to have my starving artist cake and eat it too. These days I hold 4 jobs. I’m a nurse, a mom to two toddlers, a painter and now illustrating my first children’s book with the Canadian Constitution Foundation.
Maybe we shouldn’t limit ourselves to merely dream jobs but a dream life. Just because we want to be one thing doesn’t mean we can’t also be and achieve other things. Sometimes achieving at the one thing means being able to pick up skills to really do the one thing how you really wanted to do it. #dreamjob #dreamlife
LISA NG ART 