Kaaren Poole

my garden's gift of a spring bouquet of sweet peas, daffodils, yarrow, and rose A few days ago I noticed the first sweet pea blossom of...

art journal spread of fanciful tropical birds inspired by Otomi embroidery This art journal spread came into being last Sunday. It was a...

I’m always amazed at the intensity of color many colored pencil artists achieve. I’ve never been able to do that, and I’m not sure why. A...

Here are my finished three bunnies, but it took a while to get here! When I don’t have energy for anything else, it seems that I can find...

After interrupting myself with a few other projects, I got back to my fox, sparrow, and flowers this week, and it’s finished! Those...

After a little side trail about chinoiserie, I returned to my latest art journal spread with my original intention—a profusion of frames....

I thought I’d continue to work on my fox and florals painting and that that’s what I’d be posting about this week. But instead,...

Here’s a new project I’ve been working on. I began it a few weeks ago with a drawing. I’d been watching a few videos by Suzanne Allard....

The parakeets find the perfect camouflage among the colorful tropical foliage. Don’t they look happy? Appropriately, this journal spread...

It took a lot of creative courage, but I finally got to adding the first stage of the flowers to my portrait of Nikki. As I said last...

I started this piece with great enthusiasm, but it was soon replaced by dismay. It was to be a great new adventure. But after this start,...

I’ve been working on illustrations for my next Milkweed Christmas book and wondered if you’d be interested in seeing and hearing how an...

I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised to encounter trouble once I ventured outside my color comfort zone. Purple, red, and orange: what...

With this drawing, I was trying to accomplish a full value range with pencil, and I think I succeeded. There are areas that are the...

I was enjoying drawing with Ida Anderson Lang’s 2025 New Year’s Drawing Retreat so much that I just kept on drawing after the retreat was...

I incorporated a few new things in my latest art journal spread, "Hares and Moon." It’s graphite pencil and collage, where the collage...

I’m giving myself a treat these nine days! I’ve joined Ida Anderson Lang’s 2025 New Year’s Drawing Retreat and am really enjoying it, as...

For years—even decades—I’ve been dreaming of making a mouse house for a Christmas decoration and I’ve finally done it. Almost! I was on...

Last week I posted the first part of a very short story (which I call a “vignette”) along with its illustration. Here’s the second and...

Some months ago I felt burned out on writing and illustrating books. The writing would take at least three months, but often much more....