Melissa Vandiver Art

Flyer with Blue Cypress Books at the top, a photo of a woman and the cover of a book called Real River Rats. Text says 11:30AM - 1PM Anna Romano Johnson PO-BOY FEST SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16. #booksky #kidlit #kidlitart #neworleans Art by New Orleans artist and illustrator Melissa Vandiver

New Orleans! If you're headed to Po-Boy Fest today, stop by Blue Cypress Books to get a signed copy of Real River Rats - written by Anna Romano Johnson and illustrated by me, yours truly! It's a chapter book for very early readers. I won't be there but you can say hi to Anna!

A black and tan puppy sitting in the sun on concrete in front of concrete stairs

Having a lot of trouble being motivated to potty in the morning because we like sunbathing so much!!

Thank you!

A black puppy leaning on a pillow and looking at the camera. #dogs #dogsky #dogsofbluesky

A black and tan puppy, sprawled out sleeping on an orange and blue blanket on a blue couch. #dogs #dogsky #dogsofbluesky

A black and tan puppy looking at the camera on a blue and orange blanket. #dogs #dogsky #dogsofbluesky

A black and tan puppy sitting on a man's lap. He's wearing jeans and sitting in a yellow chair. #dogs #dogsky #dogsofbluesky

We have a new family member and we have finally named her!

Introducing Large Marge! (I'm gonna call her Margie). She is some sort of dachshund+Chihuahua+??? mix. Very long wienerdog body though!

I can only catch a photo of her when she's doing lazy stuff but she's got big puppy energy 🤣

Sound up for puppy snores

Yeah she a real lounge dog

A black puppy leaning on a pillow and looking at the camera. #dogs #dogsky #dogsofbluesky

A black and tan puppy, sprawled out sleeping on an orange and blue blanket on a blue couch. #dogs #dogsky #dogsofbluesky

A black and tan puppy looking at the camera on a blue and orange blanket. #dogs #dogsky #dogsofbluesky

A black and tan puppy sitting on a man's lap. He's wearing jeans and sitting in a yellow chair. #dogs #dogsky #dogsofbluesky

We have a new family member and we have finally named her!

Introducing Large Marge! (I'm gonna call her Margie). She is some sort of dachshund+Chihuahua+??? mix. Very long wienerdog body though!

I can only catch a photo of her when she's doing lazy stuff but she's got big puppy energy 🤣

Lol yes it's relatable

Aww thanks roo

Pivot to video they said

A small dog lying on a placemat eating

My very special angel just laying in her wet food while she eats 🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠

Come support your favorite terrible parade this Friday, New Orleans!

The cover of a book with text From the Battlefields of France to Arlington National Cemetery, The Unknown Soldier's Journey Home. Written by Nancy Rust and Carol Stubbs, Illustrated by Melissa Vandiver. Illustration shows a military procession approaching the US Capitol building. Procession includes marine on foot and horseback accompanying a casket draped in the American flag with a bouquet of white flowers on top. The spectating crowd includes people looking somber and wearing dark colors, with a man and a woman wearing black and looking sad in front. The illustration shows a bee hanging out by some pink roses and a wooden sign that says "Peggy Martin's Garden." Illustration by New Orleans artist & illustrator Melissa Vandiver. #art #kidlit #kidlitart #kidlitartist #kidliillustration #dogs #blueskynightmarket #litsky #skylit #booksky #kidlitchat

Illustration of an overhead view in the Capitol Hill Rotunda of a crowd of people waiting in a line holding flowers and wearing dark colors. In the center is a casket draped in an American flag with flower laid all over it. A couple holds each other while placing a flower on the casket. The illustration shows a bee hanging out by some pink roses and a wooden sign that says "Peggy Martin's Garden." Illustration by New Orleans artist & illustrator Melissa Vandiver. #art #kidlit #kidlitart #kidlitartist #kidliillustration #dogs #blueskynightmarket #litsky #skylit #booksky #kidlitchat

An illustration of a red and white ship with an American flag tossing around in the ocean while a storm rages. Lightening and dark clouds and waves are everywhere. The illustration shows a bee hanging out by some pink roses and a wooden sign that says "Peggy Martin's Garden." Illustration by New Orleans artist & illustrator Melissa Vandiver. #art #kidlit #kidlitart #kidlitartist #kidliillustration #dogs #blueskynightmarket #litsky #skylit #booksky #kidlitchat

Illustration of a crowded scene of soldiers arriving home on trains and being greeted by their children, wives, and mothers. Soldiers in the background are leaning out train windows and getting onto the platform and smiling in waving. In the foreground, soldiers hug and kiss their loved ones. Featured in the front are an old woman and a little boy pointing at the crowd of soldiers, a young mother and child smiling as a soldier approaches them smiling, and a couple hugging. The illustration shows a bee hanging out by some pink roses and a wooden sign that says "Peggy Martin's Garden." Illustration by New Orleans artist & illustrator Melissa Vandiver. #art #kidlit #kidlitart #kidlitartist #kidliillustration #dogs #blueskynightmarket #litsky #skylit #booksky #kidlitchat

The Unknown Soldier's Journey Home, an educational nonfiction book about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, is a favorite of grandpas and gift shop shoppers. Nancy Rust & Carol Stubbs are retired teachers and love writing nonfiction for kids about complex topics. www.mvandiver-art.com/the-unknown-...

The cover of The Rose Without A Name, The Story of the Katrina Rose. By Nancy Rust & Carol Stubbs, illustrations by Melissa Vandiver. The illustration shows a bee hanging out by some pink roses and a wooden sign that says "Peggy Martin's Garden." Illustration by New Orleans artist & illustrator Melissa Vandiver. #art #kidlit #kidlitart #kidlitartist #kidliillustration #dogs #blueskynightmarket #litsky #skylit #booksky #kidlitchat

An illustration of a garden with an iron fence, a little yellow shed, a sign that says Peggy Martin's Garden, and hundreds of different colored roses - including one rose bush growing up with long vines over the shed. Illustration by New Orleans artist & illustrator Melissa Vandiver. #art #kidlit #kidlitart #kidlitartist #kidliillustration #dogs #blueskynightmarket #litsky #skylit #booksky #kidlitchat

Illustration of a smiling frog hanging out on some vines growing up an iron fence. Illustration by New Orleans artist & illustrator Melissa Vandiver. #art #kidlit #kidlitart #kidlitartist #kidliillustration #dogs #blueskynightmarket #litsky #skylit #booksky #kidlitchat

Illustration of a storm battering colorful coastal houses and trees with waves and wind. Shingles, leaves, and pieces of wood are blowing all around. Illustration by New Orleans artist & illustrator Melissa Vandiver. #art #kidlit #kidlitart #kidlitartist #kidliillustration #dogs #blueskynightmarket #litsky #skylit #booksky #kidlitchat

Back with more picture books from my portfolio! The Rose Without A Name, by Nancy Rust and Carol Stubbs, is a true story written from the perspective of the sole surviving plant in Peggy Martin's Katrina-ravaged garden - now a global symbol of resilience. www.mvandiver-art.com/the-rose-wit...

And he's done! The client wanted an impasto technique (where the paint is real thick and textured, think palette knife painting) and acrylics don't really do that. Rather than buying a whole set of heavy-bodied acrylics for just this painting, I used molding paste (sometimes called modeling paste)

New Orleans artist and illustrator Melissa Vandiver, wearing a blue shirt and painting apron, and blue glasses. She is holding a colorful watercolor portrait of a yellow lab. In the background is a green wall, paint bottles and paint brushes. #watercolor #art #blueskynightmarket #artyear #dogs #dogsofbluesky #dogssky #labsofbluesky

They say dogs aren't actually smiling when they look like they are to us humans but I don't believe them

Photo of a painting of a white dog on a reddish brown background, on an easel on a desk. By New Orleans artist and illustrator Melissa Vandiver. #petportrait #art #dogsky #dogsofbluesky

#wip #workinprogress

"Buddy"

Thank you

Flyer by yours truly 😘

Screenshot of a text containing an image of a puppy relaxing in someone's arms, and text that says Today 8:57 AM Good morning! I have approved your application and if you would like to move forward with adoption, we would love that. She is getting fixed in Tuesday and would be ready for pick up next weekend. Heart emoji

I'd like to announce my husband and I are with puppy

Screenshot of a text containing an image of a puppy relaxing in someone's arms, and text that says Today 8:57 AM Good morning! I have approved your application and if you would like to move forward with adoption, we would love that. She is getting fixed in Tuesday and would be ready for pick up next weekend. Heart emoji

I'd like to announce my husband and I are with puppy

An illustration featuring a swamp scene, a St. Charles Streetcar, and a Mardi Gras Parade. In the middle are the words Things That Geaux in the shape of the state of Louisiana. Illustration by New Orleans artist & illustrator Melissa Vandiver. #art #kidlit #kidlitart #kidlitartist #kidliillustration #dogs #blueskynightmarket #litsky #skylit #booksky

Illustration of the title page, featuring the words Things That Geaux above a seen from the Courir de Mardi Gras, a Cajun Mardi Gras tradition where you dress up in costumes and chase a chicken. In the background are lots of trees. Illustration by New Orleans artist & illustrator Melissa Vandiver. #art #kidlit #kidlitart #kidlitartist #kidliillustration #dogs #blueskynightmarket #litsky #skylit #booksky

An illustration featuring a swamp and grassy area, with several animals looking at the viewer, including an alligator turtle, a lizard, a few birds, a nutria, an otter, a possum, a Catahoula hound dog, a crawfish, a bee, a bear, dragonflies, and a Rougaroux. Illustration by New Orleans artist & illustrator Melissa Vandiver. #art #kidlit #kidlitart #kidlitartist #kidliillustration #dogs #blueskynightmarket #litsky #skylit #booksky

An illustration of a smiling alligator crawling into the water of a swamp, with cypress trees in the background, while the alligator looks at us. Illustration by New Orleans artist & illustrator Melissa Vandiver. #art #kidlit #kidlitart #kidlitartist #kidliillustration #dogs #blueskynightmarket #litsky #skylit #booksky

One of my earlier books was a book just for the Louisiana toddler: Things That Geaux (written by Scott & Tallulah Campbell). Teaching kids how to misspell things Cajun-ly www.arcadiapublishing.com/products/thi...

The cover of a book called the Octopus's Holiday: A Different Kind of Christmas Story, written by Paul Pycraft, illustrated by Melissa Vandiver. An orange Octopus with yellow spots and purple glasses and a yellow octopus with orange stripes and a red hat are on a snowy rooftop in an underwater town, throwing glowing orbs around with their many leggs. Behind them a town of underwater houses is lit up for Christmas. Illustration by New Orleans artist & illustrator Melissa Vandiver. #art #kidlit #kidlitart #kidlitartist #kidliillustration #dogs #blueskynightmarket #litsky #skylit #booksky

An illustration of an orange and pink octopus with yellow spots and purple glasses, smiling with two her legs folded near her face in anticipation. Behind her is a sandy ocean floor with plants and coral. Illustration by New Orleans artist & illustrator Melissa Vandiver. #art #kidlit #kidlitart #kidlitartist #kidliillustration #dogs #blueskynightmarket #litsky #skylit #booksky

An illustration of eight fish all looking happy and sentimental. The fish are all different colors. One is wearing pearls, and two are wearing hats. Behind them are their underwater houses with snowy roofs, glowing lights in windows, and wreaths on doors. Illustration by New Orleans artist & illustrator Melissa Vandiver. #art #kidlit #kidlitart #kidlitartist #kidliillustration #dogs #blueskynightmarket #litsky #skylit #booksky

An illustration of two octopuses picking up white stuff from an oyster b ed, and putting it into baskets. One is orange and pink with yellow spots, purple classes, and a yellow helmet. One is yellow and orange with orange stripes, a red helmet, and green goggles. Text on the pages says: Do you know about oyster snow? It's very rare. You see, everyone knows that oysters make pearls. But oyster snowflakes are harder to get. You can only get them once a year, before they turn into little pearl snowballs, and you have to tickle the oysters just right, behind the ear, before they'll let the snowflakes go. And who can tickle as well as an octopus? Shelly used her many arms to tickle and tickle, while Doris used her many arms to gather the snowflakes as the oysters laughed and laughed. While they gathered the snow, the friends sang a rare Christmas octopus song. It went, "O Spectacular O Tentacular, Illustration by New Orleans artist & illustrator Melissa Vandiver. #art #kidlit #kidlitart #kidlitartist #kidliillustration #dogs #blueskynightmarket #litsky #skylit #booksky

More picture book illustrations!

The Octopus's Holiday - a Christmas book for weirdos, by weirdos (written by Paul Pycraft) is a favorite of mine because the moral of the story is mind ya own damn business. www.mvandiver-art.com/the-octopuss...

Went and visited a puppy in Gulfport the other day. We are hoping to adopt her! Fingers crossed 🤞🤞🤞

Photo of a hand holding three small tubes of paint with a brown stripe on them, labeled Winsor & Newton Designer Gouache Burnt Sienna

Well score for me, I only ordered one of these and received three! Unfortunately I don't use this color much so I'm gonna have to uhh come up with a new aesthetic and a project to go with it to get through this

(If you're unfamiliar, gouache stretches really far so this is a lot of paint haha)

Thank you!

When you compare your art to what you see people posting, remember they're not showing you their failures. They're not even showing you their process most of the time! Not the full one anyway. You're not seeing the years of sketching and practicing. All the work they've done before is inside it.

Artists learn for their entire lives. What a gift! That humility mentioned in the quote is what allows us to do that. Even when you become confident in what you want to make, your artist's heart will be inspired and curious, leading you to new places. But this time you'll welcome failure.

And you WILL get over that hump where your hands couldn't keep up with your mind, I promise. Keep going. You will probably only notice when you look back at progress, because in the moment, no matter how much you improve you will always be looking to the next challenge. You'll always be tinkering

You *can* learn to relate to your failures academically. Plus if you just DO enough art, every single attempt will stop being so precious. Try starting each piece with the idea you might throw it in the trash (you can just do that!). Let it grow on you, rather than hoping it meets expectations.