tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31364265489212997102024-03-13T11:07:19.905-04:00It's a Hoot!my journey becoming a children's book illustratorMelanie Linden Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419860793924402792noreply@blogger.comBlogger187125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136426548921299710.post-49263647624242111542016-11-01T12:47:00.002-04:002016-11-01T12:47:51.553-04:00Busy, Busy, Busy!Hello, hello!
Today, when I realized I hadn't renewed my SCBWI membership since Who Knows When, I realized I also hadn't updated my blog in about two years. Holy moly!
Since my last blog post, a lot of Life changes have occurred. My husband and I had adopted two more shelter kitties (definitely an adjustment), purchased our first home (a new build, and wow was that ever a project), moved (neverMelanie Linden Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419860793924402792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136426548921299710.post-49389568471267909272014-05-08T20:28:00.001-04:002014-05-08T20:28:58.320-04:00YES, I'm Still Here!Hi There!
Just wanted to pop in and say "Hello!" as I'm busy working on a bunch of things all at once right now. These past few months I've been working on: logos, custom tees, Save the Dates, wedding invitations, classroom visits, blogging for Little Raindrop, writing and drawing for Little Raindrop, etc, etc, etc! Plus, I've been painting the house, finished putting together the Standing Melanie Linden Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419860793924402792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136426548921299710.post-27247477733298867552013-10-01T15:45:00.000-04:002013-10-01T15:45:00.510-04:00Recent Updates and #PiBoIdMo Strikes Again!
Art by Joyce Wan
Well, hello there!
It's been some time, which is my now usual thing lately. It's bad, I know. But I'm not going to fight it! Plus, if you've been paying attention, I'm keeping up with Little Raindrop's Blog on a regular basis. So that still counts as blogging, doesn't it? (I "help" Little Raindrop write his posts. His spelling is still on the elementary level!)
A couple of Melanie Linden Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419860793924402792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136426548921299710.post-61693864145269212572013-07-25T19:08:00.000-04:002013-07-25T19:08:16.072-04:00Book Review: "Johnny Graphic and the Etheric Bomb" by D.R. Martin #amreading
Hi! How has your summer been?
Mine has been BUSY. Full of work, work, work, and some more work. Ugh. But I am not really complaining, I'm just a little tired is all. Plus, I was able to have enough time here and there to finally finish up a great little book I had been reading! There is nothing like a good book to distract you from your boring everyday life. :)
Oh, oh, oh! Aaaand I have been Melanie Linden Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419860793924402792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136426548921299710.post-3686545300024030912013-05-28T20:04:00.000-04:002013-06-07T11:16:42.749-04:00Planning to be Creative! #timemanagementHi There!
I read this article the other day: "The Pace of Productivity and How to Master your Creative Routine" (thanks to a friend of mine who shared it!). It was interesting and inspiring, and it gave me a big enough nudge to evaluate my daily habits.
I waste SO much time.
I don't really mean to waste time. I have come to the point where I only blog about stuff I truly feel is importantMelanie Linden Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419860793924402792noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136426548921299710.post-61929482584562402632013-05-27T19:54:00.000-04:002013-05-27T19:54:03.383-04:00From Start to Finish: Froggie Birthday Invitation!
Hello hello!
Today I'm sharing my latest project: a birthday invitation for a cute little boy named Nathan!
Nathan's family has been friends with our family for ages, so when his mom decided she wanted a custom invitation made, she knew just where to turn. Originally, she was looking for something with Kermit the frog on it, as the character has a very special meaning to the family. We knewMelanie Linden Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419860793924402792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136426548921299710.post-59830714831509484592013-04-02T22:21:00.000-04:002013-04-02T22:21:48.898-04:00From Start to Finish: Dragon and Mouse! #fromstarttofinishHi There!
Today I am going to share with you a super secret project I've been working on for a bit... and I hadn't been able to talk about it until now! That's because this painting was a commission, and a surprise gift, for my cousin's girlfriend!
My cousin asked me to draw a picture of him (Dragon) and his (Mouse) girlfriend, to give to her for her birthday. I didn't quite make the timing cutMelanie Linden Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419860793924402792noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136426548921299710.post-84700229806243401902013-02-11T23:42:00.003-05:002013-02-11T23:42:46.918-05:00Other Ways I Spend My Time: Pin Collection Display Case!Hi!
I did another craft! I've been into the messy gluey stuff lately. What I made is more of a functional item than anything. But I had this problem, you see. I collect Disney pins (yep, I'm one of those, sorry to say) and I was having a hard time figuring out how to display them. Thanks to Pinterest, I got some neat ideas, and this is what I did!
First, I found just the right shadow Melanie Linden Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419860793924402792noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136426548921299710.post-61555588636249627662013-02-11T21:50:00.002-05:002013-02-11T21:50:55.994-05:00Other Ways I Spend My Time: #Disney Doodle Thank You Cards!Hey again!
You might have noticed, I (re)caught the Disney bug. I go through withdrawals and then I make up for lost time. I can't help myself- Disney has always been a HUGE inspiration for me as a child, a teen, and even now as an adult, I would consider myself lucky to be among the Disney artists and animators or even Imagineers.
Anyway, for my most recent trip to the World, I made Melanie Linden Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419860793924402792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136426548921299710.post-73394549336443866892013-02-11T20:02:00.001-05:002013-02-11T20:42:11.211-05:00Other Ways I Spend My Time: Holiday Crafting #Disney #ornaments*NOTE* I started writing this post a gazillion ages ago, and didn't finish it until now. So half of it is a bit out-dated. But I still like what I wrote, so I just left it the way it was!
Hello! Happy Holidays to you! :)
It's been a wicked (as we say in Rhode Island) busy holiday season for me this year, and even more so than usual! I've been working on my PiBoIdMo journal, one commission (as Melanie Linden Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419860793924402792noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136426548921299710.post-23792747825174458252013-02-08T17:44:00.000-05:002013-02-11T23:44:18.969-05:00Playing Catch(up) with Snowstorm Nemo!Hellllooo! It's been a while, hasn't it? :)
I love our tree in the front yard!
Well, as I live in New England, USA, we are sitting here in the middle of a lovely snow storm they named Nemo. It is downright nasty out there, and I'm hoping the power doesn't go out! But I'm not here to talk about the weather, I'm here to do some catching up! I have a post to write about my Christmas Melanie Linden Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419860793924402792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136426548921299710.post-22101839148586481412012-11-27T22:41:00.002-05:002012-11-27T22:41:28.728-05:00From Start to Finish: Peaceful PetsHere is my latest piece, From Start to Finish, destined for a friend's custom Christmas card! The animal portraits are based on a real cat and dog who ACTUALLY like to snuggle! Here they are in real life:
Image ©2012 Melanie Linden Chan
Image ©2012 Melanie Linden Chan
Image ©2012 Melanie Linden Chan
Aren't they the CUTEST?!?!
Anyway, my friend wanted something that conveyed peace, Melanie Linden Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419860793924402792noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136426548921299710.post-66456911131714198632012-10-27T16:06:00.003-04:002012-10-27T16:08:17.569-04:00#PiBoIdMo 2012 and #PiBoIdMoBrainFlush! and IDEAS!Hello! It's NOVEMBER again! (Well, almost.)
AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT NOVEMBER MEANS???
It's Picture Book Idea Month! Invented and hosted by the lovely Tara Lazar!
*ta daaaaaaaaa!!!* (this means, GO HERE ---> http://taralazar.com/)
It's a pledge, taken by writers, to come up with THIRTY (30) new picture book ideas, one for each day of the month of November. And we put them all Melanie Linden Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419860793924402792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136426548921299710.post-60963852350555342342012-10-11T22:25:00.001-04:002012-10-11T22:25:20.867-04:00Project In Progress: #Owl ArtHello!
I've been busy lately getting ready for the holiday season. "ALREADY?!?!" you say. Yes, already!
Firstly, I have been ordering prints of my work, matting and packaging them, so I may sell them in time for Christmas! I have plans to do a special Art Sale and Show at the family restaurant for November, and I'm just working out the details how I'm going to go about it. I will alsoMelanie Linden Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419860793924402792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136426548921299710.post-3527707381311176082012-10-04T13:16:00.000-04:002012-10-04T13:17:42.026-04:00Fall 2012 Postcard Mailer!Hi There!
The last time I sent out any postcards, it was WINTER of this year! Yes, it's been that long! And I don't think I even posted it on my blog. Shame on me. So here is last Winter's postcard I had sent out:
Art ©2011 Melanie Linden Chan
And THIS is the post card I am sending out for Fall of 2012:
Art ©2011 Melanie Linden Chan
I'm pretty happy with the Melanie Linden Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419860793924402792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136426548921299710.post-60582834444953406082012-09-28T01:25:00.001-04:002012-09-28T01:25:10.415-04:00In Memoriam: A Dumpling EulogyI've been trying to think of the best way to start this post, because there is just so much that I need to say, and I don't want to forget anything.
Perhaps that's just the point... not forgetting.
A week ago yesterday, someone who was very special to me passed away. Her name was Chunyu Chan, and she was my husband's grandmother. Some people may wonder how someone who grew up in a poor Melanie Linden Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419860793924402792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136426548921299710.post-26372669953712643192012-08-21T20:10:00.001-04:002012-08-21T20:10:39.719-04:00New #owl Sketches! As the summer is coming to a close, it suddenly hit me that the holidays will soon be upon us, and I thought, "UH OH."
Because it was in my plans to have a calendar full of new art for 2013! I haven't created anything frame-worthy for a while due to working on Little Raindrop's book, so it sort of feels like I haven't accomplished much this year.
Now I'm scrambling to get twelve new pieces Melanie Linden Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419860793924402792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136426548921299710.post-20340789765557855152012-08-06T19:12:00.001-04:002012-08-06T19:12:11.786-04:00Lessons From a Mouse (a famous one!)Hello hello!
As you've probably noticed...I've been away for a couple of weeks. Hubs and I were stocking up on rest and relaxation, good food, good company, and good fun in sunny California. We visited family in San Francisco, friends in Santa Barbara, drove through horrid traffic in LA, and hung out with a mouse in Anaheim! It was a fantastic trip, but I didn't leave without getting a Melanie Linden Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419860793924402792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136426548921299710.post-3718747649362676202012-07-17T16:22:00.001-04:002012-07-17T16:23:35.434-04:00Operation Work Office/Studio Space!Hello!
Two weeks ago, I talked about making some new goals for organizing my life. One of those goals includes organizing my life when I'm at work, off the clock, but working on other stuff. AKA "Work Studio Time."
Normally, I hide in the smallest dining room in our little restaurant, ear buds full of music, and work on Little Raindrop... whether it be editing, drawing, or researching. But a Melanie Linden Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419860793924402792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136426548921299710.post-56106671253247920802012-07-10T23:14:00.001-04:002012-07-10T23:14:38.018-04:00Doodle Fun: Stuff I Draw on People's Leftovers, Part 1I do this thing at my waitressing job, where I draw little doodles onto people's leftover boxes to surprise them when they get home and see it. And it occurred to me that I should be taking snapshots of such doodles, because I happen to like the things I have drawn. (I've missed some that I've drawn in the past, and it makes me sad!) So I have this album on my personal Facebook profile, called "(Melanie Linden Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419860793924402792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136426548921299710.post-48268669800120991222012-07-05T15:02:00.002-04:002012-07-05T15:02:52.166-04:00New Immediate Goals! #healthyequalshappyHi There!
Just the other day, I wrote this blog post to myself, and subsequently forgot to actually post it:
Hubs and I have plans for a trip to California, to visit family and friends at the end of July into early August.
As summer came along, my productivity on Little Raindrop has dwindled. Mainly because I've been bogged down by the messy house, the messy studio, and my messy health.
So Melanie Linden Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419860793924402792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136426548921299710.post-54331823724883545082012-06-26T17:14:00.000-04:002012-06-26T17:14:14.237-04:00Artist Spotlight: Matt D'Amico!Hello, Friends!
This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to attend an art show featuring my friend Matt D'Amico, and boy was it fun! I've known Matt for years, but I've never had the opportunity to see his work up close. He is a musician, a sculptor and a painter, though he mostly works in mixed media. His work is very abstract but chock full of emotion, feeling, and mystery. Melanie Linden Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419860793924402792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136426548921299710.post-41556257469604457082012-06-18T12:55:00.001-04:002012-06-18T12:55:15.664-04:00A Healthy Artist is a Happy Artist!Hello!
Today I'm going to talk about something extremely important for artists, writers, and all other beings with bodies: OUR HEALTH.
YUM!
I'm not usually the one to be super healthy. Rather, I'm the type that will eat breakfast for dinner or pie for breakfast. And I know of some artists who live off chocolate and caffeinated beverages all day long in order to get their work doneMelanie Linden Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419860793924402792noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136426548921299710.post-49495870599836655892012-06-14T12:24:00.001-04:002012-06-14T12:24:20.555-04:00Fan Mail from The Pro's!During the class visit with The Pro's, each of the kids handed me a letter! They had all written about how they can't wait to meet me, and little did they know it was going to be that very day! They were all so sweet, I'm just going to put them all here:
Ben asked me to autograph his Melanie Linden Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419860793924402792noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136426548921299710.post-1601985504624157222012-06-11T23:11:00.000-04:002012-06-11T23:11:39.550-04:00"Best Day Ever!" My First Class VisitHi there!
As I mentioned in my blog post last week, I got to finally meet Mr. H, author of Little Raindrop, and his classroom of third graders! The day before the actual visit, Mr. H gave me a tour of the school, introduced me to the school's turtles, and showed me the hallway walls decorated with turtles for Turtle Week! I even visited the Art Room and breathed in that old familiar smell of Melanie Linden Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01419860793924402792noreply@blogger.com0