It's All About THAT DOG!
Our Spirited Little Dog
Let me tell you about our little dog, Windry. She is something else!
From the moment we got her, she challenged and delighted us. She is a beauty from all angles. I wanted to capture her bold personality and stunning looks in a book for my son, but just knew I had to share her with the rest of the world.
I was first drawn to the Shiba Inu because of its fox-like beauty. But after learning about their traits and meeting a neighborhood Shiba Inu, Kai, I knew we had to have one of our own. The Shiba Inu, a Japanese breed, is known for its high intelligence, alertness, playfulness and cat-like behaviors. Shiba Inus are extremely strong willed and have high prey drives. They are dainty, yet bold, and are so entertaining to watch, but be aware - they are equally challenging.
The idea for a book about her started simmering in my mind when Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, was popular. I have his books and was interested in his teaching, but I did everything 'wrong'. She, or I, was the poster child for what Cesar says shouldn't happen. She liked to challenge everything we said (a trait Shiba Inu's are known for). The more calm and assertive I tried to be, the more she did the opposite. She definitely had her own ideas for who is the boss and how things should be, and she made that known. I liked to imagine what SHE was thinking in those instances and that is how the idea of this book came to be.
I love this little girl so much and am so grateful for her company. She is currently fifteen years old and nearing the end, so I wanted to make sure to capture her spirit on paper. I have other books planned in this series, and hopefully she can continue to entertain us all, long after she has left this Earth.
The Artwork
I like to illustrate things that are close to my heart. This recent picture book, "THAT DOG Is Something Else!" is my homage to the beauty of the breed and the love for our family pet. I have adored Windry, for her skills and giant personality and wanted to document her challenging behaviors in a personal keepsake for our son, but wanted to share the story with others. I always say that she is so beautiful to look at because of her color, silhouette, proportions and grace; from every angle she is a work of art. I created the illustrations in two different mediums to show the contrast between what is happening, to what we imagine Windry is thinking. For the drawings, I used Prismacolor Premiere Colored Pencils on Bee Company Brown Recycled Sketchbook paper. The paintings were done with gouache on Arches Watercolour Paper.
This is my first book in which I both wrote and illustrated. I have other books published which I illustrated but this is the first in which I wrote, drew, painted, and layed-out the design and type . . . everything. It's my baby! Since it is self-published, if I can recover the cost to produce this first one, that will go toward the cost of printing the second in the series, then third, and so on.
About The Book
This is a story about seeing the behaviors of our little dog from a different perspective. I wrote this story about my own sassy Shiba Inu, Windry, who is as challenging as she is entertaining. Written from the point of view of our son describing what his dog is doing compared to what he imagines she is thinking. Windry shows off all her skills as she imagines she is a sled dog, a mountain climber, a race car driver, a hunter, a gymnast, and more. Once you get to know her, you, too, will have to say "THAT DOG is something else!"
Books being created in THAT DOG series:
THAT DOG Is Something Else! My Skillful Shiba Inu
Who Does THAT DOG Think She is? My Talented Shiba Inu
THAT DOG Sure Reminds Me of Something! My Remarkable Shiba Inu
Is THAT DOG Really A Cat? My Cat-like Shiba Inu
I'm Going To Miss THAT DOG! My Aging Shiba Inu
Let me tell you about our little dog, Windry. She is something else!
From the moment we got her, she challenged and delighted us. She is a beauty from all angles. I wanted to capture her bold personality and stunning looks in a book for my son, but just knew I had to share her with the rest of the world.
I was first drawn to the Shiba Inu because of its fox-like beauty. But after learning about their traits and meeting a neighborhood Shiba Inu, Kai, I knew we had to have one of our own. The Shiba Inu, a Japanese breed, is known for its high intelligence, alertness, playfulness and cat-like behaviors. Shiba Inus are extremely strong willed and have high prey drives. They are dainty, yet bold, and are so entertaining to watch, but be aware - they are equally challenging.
The idea for a book about her started simmering in my mind when Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, was popular. I have his books and was interested in his teaching, but I did everything 'wrong'. She, or I, was the poster child for what Cesar says shouldn't happen. She liked to challenge everything we said (a trait Shiba Inu's are known for). The more calm and assertive I tried to be, the more she did the opposite. She definitely had her own ideas for who is the boss and how things should be, and she made that known. I liked to imagine what SHE was thinking in those instances and that is how the idea of this book came to be.
I love this little girl so much and am so grateful for her company. She is currently fifteen years old and nearing the end, so I wanted to make sure to capture her spirit on paper. I have other books planned in this series, and hopefully she can continue to entertain us all, long after she has left this Earth.
The Artwork
I like to illustrate things that are close to my heart. This recent picture book, "THAT DOG Is Something Else!" is my homage to the beauty of the breed and the love for our family pet. I have adored Windry, for her skills and giant personality and wanted to document her challenging behaviors in a personal keepsake for our son, but wanted to share the story with others. I always say that she is so beautiful to look at because of her color, silhouette, proportions and grace; from every angle she is a work of art. I created the illustrations in two different mediums to show the contrast between what is happening, to what we imagine Windry is thinking. For the drawings, I used Prismacolor Premiere Colored Pencils on Bee Company Brown Recycled Sketchbook paper. The paintings were done with gouache on Arches Watercolour Paper.
This is my first book in which I both wrote and illustrated. I have other books published which I illustrated but this is the first in which I wrote, drew, painted, and layed-out the design and type . . . everything. It's my baby! Since it is self-published, if I can recover the cost to produce this first one, that will go toward the cost of printing the second in the series, then third, and so on.
About The Book
This is a story about seeing the behaviors of our little dog from a different perspective. I wrote this story about my own sassy Shiba Inu, Windry, who is as challenging as she is entertaining. Written from the point of view of our son describing what his dog is doing compared to what he imagines she is thinking. Windry shows off all her skills as she imagines she is a sled dog, a mountain climber, a race car driver, a hunter, a gymnast, and more. Once you get to know her, you, too, will have to say "THAT DOG is something else!"
Books being created in THAT DOG series:
THAT DOG Is Something Else! My Skillful Shiba Inu
Who Does THAT DOG Think She is? My Talented Shiba Inu
THAT DOG Sure Reminds Me of Something! My Remarkable Shiba Inu
Is THAT DOG Really A Cat? My Cat-like Shiba Inu
I'm Going To Miss THAT DOG! My Aging Shiba Inu
What's Coming Up Next?
This is what I am working on now. Windry has MANY more skills, talents, and adventures she wants to share with you!