open sesame! book deal

I feel incredibly lucky to announce that I've sold another book, Open Sesame!, in a two-book deal to Penguin/Grosset & Dunlap. Think Press Here, but with magic tricks! I have to give a big thank you to my little brother, Jett, who helped inspire this book. We read all the Harry Potter books together earlier this year and called each other every night to talk about them--our own personal book club! It was through these chats that the idea for this book came to be. And Thank you to my wonderful agent, Michelle Witte, and my once-again editor, Eve Adler.

soundtrack to my life

One reason why movies are so awesome are the soundtracks. Cooking dinner in a silent kitchen in real life--kind of boring. But cooking dinner in a movie with an Italian song in the background--you're a chef and your food tastes amazing. I have legitimately always wished music would play during different scenes of my life, which is why I'm that crazy person who carries her speakers everywhere to play music on outings. This is my go-to playlist that makes me smile.

illustration rejects

I have FINISHED editing my very last book--hooray!!! There were, I swear, a hundred outtakes for each book and lots of illustrations were sadly cut. But I've kept them all and am posting a few of the rejects here. To see more illustrations, head over to my website, ashleyevanson.com.

To pre-order the Hello, World books, click here.

is this the real life? is this just fantasy?

^^ Can it be true?! Are these books really on Amazon for pre-order?! My HELLO, WORLD book series will be released October 20 from Penguin and I'm having an out-of-body experience over here. They're releasing four books in one season: Paris, London, San Francisco, and New York, and in the words of my agent Michelle, "The crashing noise you just heard was Ashley collapsing from exhaustion." Haha it's slightly true, but I wouldn't trade it for the world! 

P.S. A big thanks to Johnny, my momma, and my babies for being so forgiving while I work. I hope their early memories of me are of us reading these books together and not me hunched over a computer in my smelly sweats with dirty dishes piled up around me. (It's a very glamorous lifestyle.) ^^

new york, new york

New York, New York

I go through a lot of drafts working on my children's book series, which is normal with any editing process. But it's still hard because I really like some of the art and it will never get used. This piece was a draft for the NYC Colors book and I thought I'd share it as a sort of preview to the books coming out this fall. (Unless, of course, this is against the rules and my agent has me take it down...)

© 2015 Ashley Evanson, All Rights Reserved

san fran facade

San Francisco Facade

^^ If you flipped through the photos on my phone you'd see a whole slew of doors, windows, and architectural details from around the city. If you stop and really look, it is the most beautifully designed city. I could draw it all day. ^^

© 2014 Ashley Evanson, All Rights Reserved

one face, two face, pirate face, who face

^^ I'm not exactly camera shy, but I do always feel kind of dumb holding a phone out in front of myself and posing. However, when your little girls want to play a game taking funny photos of you guys, why not? These are my kind of selfies. ^^

   

  

  

this video changed my life!

^^ I have never felt more understood or loved than after watching this video. I'm so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who knows and cares for each of us individually.

Today I had a conversation with a friend about our daily schedules and what it's like when our husbands come home and ask what we did all day. For me, sometimes I feel like I have nothing to tell him--made food, cleaned disasters, folded laundry, kept two children alive--and like I have nothing physical to show for my day. And then there are days where our activities sound really glamorous--went to the beach, walked to the bakery, visited the museum--but in all honesty, the beach was spent running the whole time to keep kids from drowning, the bakery was met with a meltdown and stealing the other's donut, and the museum lasted ten minutes because the kids kept escaping the stroller and running for the artwork. It wasn't so glamorous in the details.

But then this video put it all into perspective. You never know how your small actions might help someone else. Maybe my day wasn't so pointless after all, or maybe the frustration I feel like all the time is worth it if I did one small, good thing that day. Thank you for this video! And to all the moms out there, you might not know it, but you are doing a good job! ^^

new illustration website!

^^ Thank you to everyone for the love and congrats on my upcoming books. I have such rockstar friends that sure know how to make a person feel good.

So, in addition to my children's books, I've been illustrating in my free time (and nap time, and breakfast, lunch, and dinner time), and finally have something to show for it--my new illustration website! My agent suggested I create one, making this whole publishing process even crazier and exciting. After hours of trying to figure out how to create a website and wanting to pull my hair out, it's finally up and live. And now that it is, I'm kind of horrified that someone will look at it and actually contact me. I still have no idea what I'm doing and I'm scared people will figure that out, too. I need my safety blanket of anonymity! ^^

Take a looksie at ashleyevanson.com

some very big news!

^^ I have been keeping a secret for some time now and I'm so excited to finally be sharing it! I feel so lucky to announce that I will be publishing a children's book series with Penguin Random House! There's not a set release date, but we predict they'll hit bookshelves by winter 2015. 

I feel so grateful for my husband, Johnny, who has come home many times to a disastrous house, no food, piles of laundry, and found me glued to the computer working on my books. Not to mention our poor kids who have learned quite well to fend for themselves. [On a side note: my neglect has produced some fantastic photos for my "what motherhood is REALLY like" posts.]

I feel like I've been guided through this whole process and kind of stumbled upon the right websites, emailed the right people at the right time, and really lucked out with finding the perfect agency who helped me land this book deal. I don't typically get spiritual on my blog, but I would be wrong not to acknowledge my Heavenly Fathered who I know had a hand in this and I feel so grateful for his love and guidance.

Anyway, I'll continue to update my blog on the progress of my books, and I've actually got another project in the works that I hope I'll be announcing later next week. Good things are happening! ^^

prima ballerina

^^ Prima Ballerina ^^

Want to know something cheesy? So many nights I dream that I'm a ballerina and can do a thousand pirouettes in a row without falling. And then I wake up and I'm sad because I can barely touch my toes. But this little ballerina makes me happy.

© 2014 Ashley Evanson, All Rights Reserved

seven years of happiness

WARNING: Picture overload! 

Seven years of marriage has been really good to Johnny and me. We've been lucky enough go through the ups and downs together, having the other one to cry to or laugh to (or at). I can't believe we've had two girls, one dog, traveled the world, lived in my mom's basement, lived in San Francisco, graduated from college, gone back to college for a career change, let him fly me in an airplane like the first time I met him, left him to go to BYU-Hawaii when we were engaged...it seems like we've done it all! But I know this is just the beginning of our lives together and I can't wait to see what's next. Love you, Babe.

^^ Baby Johnny and Ashley! ^^

^^ BYU-Hawaii where I left him for my "studies" ^^

^^ Animals on the dance floor ^^

^^ Halloween costumes are the greatest. We never miss a chance to dress up. ^^