Hey everyone!

I'm Anna- a nerdy, Harry Potter obsessed, animal loving, clumsy, hard working plant mother and book enthusiast.
Since I plan on teaching more on SVS, I thought it would be a good time to tell you guys a bit about who I am!

I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. I attended the Art Institute of Portland where I got the privilege of learning from both @Lee-White and @davidhohn (Hey guys! Thanks for being amazing!)
After graduating I worked as a concept artist for mobile games while creating personal work in every spare moment. The first class that I taught at SVS was the painting process for this piece-

I fell into the habit of painting fantasy portraits around that time. I didn't know exactly where I fit into the art world, so I just kept going with what I knew I could handle (and was popular online).

Painting these was a lot of fun, but I felt a lack of momentum in my career.
I started to take small steps toward children's publishing by creating spot illustrations, hoping that it would move me in the right direction.

After almost 5 years in the game industry, I applied to the Adobe Creative Residency and magically got accepted!

The Residency began in May of last year, and it feels like a lifetime ago. Lee has been mentoring me through transition into becoming a children's book author/illustrator.

This summer I'll be teaching a 9 week live course on character design here on SVS!

I can't wait to work closely with more artists and create some amazing characters. It's gonna be a lot of work and a lot of fun!
I'm always thinking of new ideas for classes, but I'd love to hear what you guys would like to see as well!

Whew! Thanks for reading all that.
I would love to get to know you guys better and become one with the forums, so please tell me something about yourself in the comments!
Have a great day!

I happened to be working on a night time piece before even knowing the theme! It was fun to practice hand lettering!

I have this moment of anticipation and dread when ever Lee mentions me in the podcast. He was so nice!! Fantastic podcast, as always. I'm going to set an alarm for 6 months to remind myself to listen to it again. The beginning reminded me of a quote I heard at SCBWI , "a goal without a plan is just a dream, and we aren't making dreams come true, we're making books." Loved the ca-meow from the kitties!
For reference, here's some of the work from the Harry Potter cover.

@Chip-Valecek
Hey Chip!
I want a dog sooooooo badly!! Now that I'm working from home I'm dying for a companion with some great energy, but alas, my apartment is barely enough to fit me and my husband. Someday I'll have a yard, and on that day I'm going to get all the pets!
Horror & cute/fuzzy! What a match made in heaven! Haha, I love the diversity. I actually have tentacles my current project. They are pretty dang fun, and a great way to lead the eye around a piece.

@LauraA I was lucky enough to stumble into Lee's class in college. I think more pro artists are considering mentoring as a means of supplemental income, so it's a win win for all artists. I would suggest asking around and maybe proposing a time/$ balance to one of your favorite artists, and suggesting a specific aspect of your learning that you want to work on could help them understand what they'd be getting into.

@Heather-Boyd
Hey Heather!
I think everyone feels the pull of different styles and work at some point. I think you should follow what you love the most and keep doing what you're doing! There are more and more artists creating their own market these days, so you never know where you'll find your place in the long run.

@Jonas-Zavacky I'm really digging this layout. My eye goes to the white shape against the black opening and the black figure is a close second read. I love how you handled the clumps of foliage in your color rough- the patterning of your lines made it feel detailed while keeping it loose. I can't wait to see how this develops!

@Kevin-Longueil
Thank you! It took a lot of work like Lee said.
It was a perfect example of how important it is to have a mentor, without him I would have been happy to make a super boring cover.
Thinking about how my process has changed - it involves a lot more ideation and a lot less drawing than it used to. It also yields better work!

@MichaelaH
Thanks so much!
I had a ton of fun using saturated colors. The mushroom one was a total experiment with glow. I love bio luminescent plants, so obviously there had to be a pretty glowy lady among them, haha!

Wooooow!! These are seriously fantastic covers- great job to everyone. Covers are such a specific challenge, and you all brought a lot of skill and imagination to your designs. I can't wait to see what comes next!

@Lee-White I absolutely love the idea of a shared shop! Does this mean David and Will are moving to Tennessee?

I happened to be working on a night time piece before even knowing the theme! It was fun to practice hand lettering!

Wooooow!! These are seriously fantastic covers- great job to everyone. Covers are such a specific challenge, and you all brought a lot of skill and imagination to your designs. I can't wait to see what comes next!

@Lee-White
It's all thanks to you! :smiling_face_with_open_mouth_closed_eyes:

@Heather-Boyd
Hey Heather!
I think everyone feels the pull of different styles and work at some point. I think you should follow what you love the most and keep doing what you're doing! There are more and more artists creating their own market these days, so you never know where you'll find your place in the long run.

@evilrobot
That's a great skill to hone! There are some tricks that animators use to map out proportions and features. It's really hard to just wing it and for the character to look the same all the time!

@davidhohn David!! Thank you so much, that means a lot!

@LauraA
Haha, I'm a southern belle in disguise!
Thanks for joining the Twitch crew, Laura! I'll definitely make it to Italy someday, and the same goes to you if you're in Portland.

@StudioLooong
Looooooooooooooooooooooooong!!
Check it out, we're on SVS! Cross platform friendship, that's what this internet life is all about! :smiling_face_with_open_mouth_closed_eyes:

@demotlj
Thank you so much, Laurie - you're way too kind!
I love that you're so engaged with everything going on here.
We're on opposite sides of the country, but I definitely feel that winter slog. The days are getting warmer here and I feel like life is finally starting again!

I'm really looking forward to the class and definitely want to keep teaching!