Diane deGroat

Apr 5, 20244 min read

Illustrating a Travel Journal

Unlike a personal diary, a travel journal can be used for reference and for sharing. It's also handy when your memory fails and Google...

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Diane deGroat

Oct 15, 202311 min read

Illustrating For a Celebrity

I first learned about Ree Drummond—The Pioneer Woman—when I was asked to illustrate her children’s book series about her lovable dog,...

104 views2 comments

Diane deGroat

Apr 12, 20235 min read

Becoming Ambidextrous

I am weirdly fascinated by handwriting. It amazes me how differently each person writes, while no one even thinks about how unique they...

193 views5 comments

Using The Whole Book Approach With Robo-Kid

Diane deGroat

Mar 11, 20233 min read

Using The Whole Book Approach With Robo-Kid

The Whole Book Approach to story time reading was developed by Megan Dowd Lambert in association with the Eric Carle Museum of Picture...

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7. Working (and playing) with AI as a Tool for Illustration

Diane deGroat

Dec 5, 20225 min read

7. Working (and playing) with AI as a Tool for Illustration

It seems like more and more people are using Artificial Intelligence to generate images, now that it is accessible to anyone with an...

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Finding and Using Reference Material For Your Art

Diane deGroat

Nov 3, 20226 min read

Finding and Using Reference Material For Your Art

Even the best artists use reference material sometimes. I’d have to be Michelangelo to be able to draw everything out of my head,...

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Diane deGroat

Aug 3, 20223 min read

Combining Digital and Watercolor Art

The Adventures of Robo-Kid combines charcoal with digital coloring. But I’ve also combined Photoshop with watercolor in a different way....

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Diane deGroat

Jun 5, 20223 min read

Illustrating With Digital Art

The first book that I illustrated completely digitally is "Dogs Don’t Brush Their Teeth".

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Diane deGroat

Apr 28, 20223 min read

Robo-Kid: The Cover Design

When I was ready to start the final art for The Adventures of Robo-Kid, the editors asked that I do the cover art first so they could...

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Robo-Kid: Combining Charcoal and digital art

Diane deGroat

Mar 1, 20223 min read

Robo-Kid: Combining Charcoal and digital art

My latest book, The Adventures of Robo-Kid was a whole new format for me—a crossover between a picture book and a graphic novel....

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Diane deGroat

Feb 15, 20224 min read

Robo-Kid: How a Book is Born.

Now for something completely different. Look at the above image. The Adventures of Robo-Kid doesn’t look like a Diane deGroat book, does...

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Home: Blog2

The Story Behind the Stories

This space will be used as a venue for me to give some (hopefully) interesting information about creating children’s books. I’m starting off with my new book, The Adventures of Robo-Kid, and will expand to include other books and authors. Email me for topic suggestions, and I’ll accommodate wherever possible. Enjoy!

- Diane deGroat

www.dianedegroat.com

info@dianedegroat.com