My 1st magazine illustrations

February 22, 2010 shall go down in the history of my life as a momentous day. I've had my first taste of opening the mailbox, finding a magazine and turning to the page that says "Illustrations by Katie McDee" and you know what? I LIKE IT. I might just be addicted to this feeling.

Ever since I as a kid I dreamt of having my art in the Friend Magazine (an LDS children's publication) and because of this, I had hesitated contacting the art director for fear of being rejected. Well, a couple months ago I decided, enough is enough. No more of this "fear of failure" stuff. You won't get anywhere if you don't try, right? Right. So I cold called and emailed and low and behold he liked my work! 2 months later I had fulfilled a childhood dream and believe you me, there's nothing better than that.

If there's been anything you've been wanting to do, but too nervous to try.... DO IT! I highly recommend it :)

dog blog

I was organizing files tonight and came across some dog sketches I did a few years ago and I thought I'd share them. woof.

'Worst Babysitters Ever' is MINE! Bwa ah ah.

Back in December I participated in an art auction for the Hey You Guys charity event and it was an awesome experience. I'm hoping to get another invite next year [hint hint]. Not only was it so fun to see Ghostbusters on the big screen, but some GB fans showed up in full-on realistic looking gear with detailed packs and jumpsuits, AND a modernized Ecto-1. I met some great artists, reconnected with old friends and to top it all off, fell in love.


There was a piece based off of Labyrinth called 'Worst Babysitters Ever' by Bill Robinson. I bid, and I bid, and I bid the house down. That piece is mine and now hanging in my house. what what!

Illustration Friday - Clumsy

Who's clumsier than Humpty Dumpty? I can't think of anybody. Except maybe Martin Short from the movie Pure Luck? Hmm, maybe.

Do you know someone clumsier than Humpty Dumpty? Are YOU clumsier than Humpty Dumpty? If so, let's not hang out . . . ever.

"Into the garbage chute, flyboy."

Would anyone like a Star Wars coloring page? It's printer friendly and ready for some crayons. Let your midichlorians go nuts.

RNArrr! Bootylicious

...and his noble steed

Yesterday I had a lot of fun. A friend asked me to create a caricature for one of his coworkers based on the knight in shining armor motif.

More Bunnies!

About a year ago I was commissioned to paint a 'Thank You" card for MHoponHop, (they're a non-sports trading card dealer on ebay) And I was so pleased when they asked me to do another one. I love rabbids. Super fun!

2010... starting over again

It's a new year and with it come dreams and goals. One of my many aspirations for this year is to draw more and post more often. Sound like a good idea? I think so too :) I'm looking to sketch something, anything that's not project/work related, every day and allow myself the time to work on personal projects. It is so easy to just work on the gigs that pay and then go out and play, don't you think? I've had a few book ideas that haven't gotten to the dummy stage yet, so that's a big goal this year. I'm going to redesign my website and add a store for originals, prints and (hopefully) some merchandise. Big plans!

In addition to professional goals I've got a couple others in the mix. As with 98% of the population, I'm going to eat better. I've cut out soda, (and that was tough, let me tell ya. Mexican food is just not the same without a coke) and have started eating more fruits and veggies and meals at regular intervals. I know this might sound a silly resolution, but you're talking to a girl who can forget to eat all day. It's not good for the ol' immune system.

I'm also going to go to an acupuncturist this year. The idea of becoming a human cactus scares me a little, so I'm going to try it! I'm going to take accordion lessons and learn how to screen print. I've decided it's time to go to Europe so I'm already planning an August trip. And lastly, I'd like to buy a house.

I'm gonna sweep the leg right out from under 2010. Watch out, 2010 is gonna be off the hook!

So, what are YOUR dreams and goals for 2010??

Ho Ho, Ha Ha

A friend of mine asked if I'd illustrated her family's Christmas card this year. Of course! Especially when she told me how she wanted her family portrayed. She asked for her husband, sister and herself sitting angelically peaceful next to a Christmas tree with her 3 yr old daughter strapped to the top dressed like an angel. LOL, so funny.

Guys With Books

Who got to meet David Shannon, Jon Scieszka, Adam Rex and Mac Barnett? That's right, I DID. And 4 nicer guys with books you shall never meet. I found out they were in San Diego about 45 minutes beforehand and I raced down to La Jolla to see them in action. They put on a fantastic presentation full of reading (but more like acting out) their books, cracking jokes and drawing crazy animal mash-ups suggested by the kids. If you ever get a chance to go to one of their presentations, I highly recommend!

Star Wars... in color!

Just painted up some of my favorite Star Wars characters and thought I'd share them with you!

Inconceivable!

If you're in Pasadena on Sat. Dec. 5th You should come join me and a bunch of awesome people at the Rialto Theater for the Hey You Guys charity event. Doors open at 6pm and at 7 there will be a screening of Ghostbusters! "When someone asks you if you're a God, you say YES." Also, there's an auction of original artwork inspired by everyone's favorite childhood movies. I'm so glad I was asked to create a piece for this great cause! All proceeds go to benefit Donor's Choose, an online charity helps teachers keep the arts alive in schools. Pretty great, huh? I'm really looking forward to it.

Use your words

Thought you might enjoy seeing this simple words puzzle set I designed/illustrated about 10 months ago. I love this kind of project. The art director basically calls me up and says, "draw a bunch of cute animals and objects... annnnnd go!" I love it, too much fun.

If you'd like to check them out on Lakeshore's website (click here and enter FF288 in the search field).

RNArrr! Walk that thar plank

Pirate may have won this time, but Ninja will have the last laugh. Oh. Yes. He. Will.

RNArrr! Life's a beach.

Meet RNArrr!

Have you ever wondered what Robots, Ninjas and Pirates do when on vacation? How do they rest and relax? Their lives can't be filled with adventure, mayhem and villainy 24/7! No no, indeed they cannot.

After much beard scratching, technobabbling and sword dueling, RNArrr! have decided that this wench can tag along and document their leisurely outings. Isn't that nice of them? Whether on holiday, surfing at the beach or jetsetting around the world, I'll be there to give YOU, the viewer, the inside scoop. Yo ho ho!

Design Inspiration Interview

There's this great site called Design Inspiration, ever heard of it? It's dedicated to interviewing professional designers and illustrators. It's really a fantastic place to learn about different creative types and find out how and why they do what they do. You can't even imagine how excited I was when Jeff Andrews asked if I'd be interested in being interviewed. Heck yes, Jeff! If you'd like to check it out and learn a little bit more about me, just click here!

Mission Viejo Readers Festival

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the Mission Viejo Readers Festival. What a wonderful event! Free to the public, presenting authors and illustrators, vendor booths, people dressed up as classic literature characters walking around and great food.

My friends from Studio 5 made an awesome presentation and had a sweet booth set up. I was honored to be invited with my pal Ken Min to join them at their booth to draw illos for the kids. Sitting beside great illustrators and interacting with kids and parents was so fun. It took me back to my time drawing caricatures at Legoland, (though this time I didn't have to dress like a pirate, haha).

Check out the members of Studio 5! Marilyn Scott-Waters, Bob Singer, J.H. Everett, Andrew Mitchell, JR Johnson,

Invasive Species

I've heard that younger siblings can be horrible pests. I'm the baby of the family so I couldn't tell you if that's true. Wait... that means I'm the pesky critter. Huh. Well? Yeah, I guess that's pretty accurate, LOL.