New! Printable Coloring Pages 🖤

I love to color!  

When 'Adult Coloring' became a socially acceptable, it made me feel so happy.  Not only do other adults enjoy using crayons, colored pencils, and markers (yay, not alone!) but the de-stressing and creative benefits of coloring are embraced by folks from all walks of life which is cool.

I love coloring so much - so of course I couldn't resist transforming some of my original art into coloring pages, which led me to design some original paper crafts like envelopes and paper dolls. 

Now that I have a small collection, I decided to make them available as printable downloads through my Etsy shop.

Each design is affordable, and you can print as many copies as you'd like.   

A PDF file is available immediately for download after purchase. 

I recommend printing on white card-stock for the best results, especially with the paper crafts to make them sturdy :)  

Florin, the Herbalist Cat Paper Doll

All coloring page PDFs arrive without the Midnight River watermark

You can find these coloring pages in my online shop 🖤 HERE 🖤

Thanks for stopping by Midnight River Press!  I'd love to hear what you think of my new coloring pages or what you think I should make next - more paper dolls, right? :)

I'll also be releasing some new coloring pages later this week (one of which is the paper doll shown above) AND my Goodreads giveaway ends later this week!  

Check out the widget at the top of the blog and click to enter a free autographed copy of 'The Last Cyclops' (ends Aug 10, 2017) 

Thanks again...  I hope you have a lovely week, full of color! 

🖤Sarah

  

🖤 RAPUNZEL 🖤

The MIDNIGHT RIVER edition of RAPUNZEL ... is here!

Illustrated edition of Rapunzel

I'm so excited to have published another illustrated book!

First Page with Floral Motif

I chose to illustrate the classic fairy tale of Rapunzel because I love the story, especially the magical and often-forgotten end.

I used an English translation from the original German which dates from 1884.  

This translation is widely used and retains the style of the authors, The Brothers Grimm.  It is also in the public domain so I could use it freely to create my illustrated edition of Rapunzel.

Floral Motifs

There are illustrations on almost every page ...

I hand drew each illustration in ink.  There are also decorative printer's ornaments that I drew throughout the text.

These drawings were scanned into my computer.  I then used Open Office to create the interior of my book.

I worked hard to make each page special!

The Enchanted Garden

Some pages have large, detailed illustrations ...

I especially loved drawing the Enchantress' Garden, full of rampion which proves irresistible to Rapunzel's pregnant mother.

These large illustrations are also available as printable coloring pages, color prints, and nice vinyl stickers in my Etsy shop.  

The Prince is Pierced by Thorns

... while others have spot illustration.

Since the story is nice and short, I stretched it out with lots of magical ink illustrations so you can savor the experience.  

My edition is 31 pages long and is in large print.  

I tried to make it perfect for both beginner readers and those that enjoy cool folksy art, fairy tales, or both.

From cover to cover, my Midnight River edition of Rapunzel was created with hopes of enchanting the reader and celebrating the magic of a timeless fairy tale.

I hope I succeeded!  Thanks for stopping by!

🖤You can find Rapunzel on Amazon or in my Etsy shop🖤

 

Welcome to Midnight River

Hi!  I'm Sarah of MIDNIGHT RIVER 

I'm excited to share my art and new projects with you through this blog!

I've been making art for years, but recently have started to self-publish illustrated books.  This is a path that feels so natural and right to me as a lifelong reader and lover of books.  I am so excited to see where this path leads me and decided to create a space for me to share about this new adventure.

Welcome to MIDNIGHT RIVER PRESS

This is where I'll be keeping you up to date on all my works-in-progress, including books and other illustrated publications.   

I thought a good way for me to introduce myself would be to show you some of my favorite things currently in my studio.

So ... Come on in... 

Tending Our Roots

I work from my home in Columbia, Missouri. 

My space isn't very large but I don't need much more than a small room to call my own.

And I've learned to make things work in a small space.

Part of my strategy has been to make small things!

Another strategy was to build some shelves to utilize vertical space.  

There are a few art supplies stored here, but these shelves are mostly crammed with things that I love: like my old Cherry Ames, Nancy Drew, and Trixie Belden books.  Lets not forget Laura Ingalls and Anne Shirley!

Other objects are sentimental, like the Jesus portrait from my Grandma, the woodburning by my father, and my husband's wedding portrait.

Its like being surrounded by loved ones when I create, including Trixie and the gang.

I am lucky to have a mother-in-law who is a beautiful and talented artist.

She made this portrait of my husband which I positioned near my studio window.  

It glows when the sun hits it! 

How wonderful to have art made by a loved one 🖤

This vintage Speedball magazine changed my life when I found it at age 11.

It apparently used to belong to my great-uncle, an artist whose work I've never seen.  

I used to meticulously copy from this sacred tome, fervidly believing I would be the girl who gain friends and admiration by ONLY writing in the script that had tiny roses worked into each letter.  Seriously.  

I am still fascinated by this piece of hand-lettering ephemera and I love having it now as an adult, in my own studio.

This wall is my favorite.

My sister made the doll head fetish which points to an assemblage of photos I've taken over the years around my home town.

The framed print is from my grandmother.  Story is, I used to tell her I wanted it when she died. Don't worry - she's still with us, although the Native American princess feeding a squirrel is now with me.

That's it for now - Thanks for stopping by my studio!  

I can't wait until next time;  I will be posting WAY more art and I'll tell you all about the next book being released by MIDNIGHT RIVER PRESS

Thanks again and see you soon! 

🖤 Sarah