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Thursday, January 13, 2011

ALA announces youth media awards

The ALA midwinter conference took place in San Diego this past weekend, and on Monday, the youth media awards were announced. Congratulations to this year's winners and honor books!
This list is taken from the ALA website:


John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature
“Moon over Manifest,” written by Clare Vanderpool, is the 2011 Newbery Medal winner. The book is published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.
Four Newbery Honor Books also were named: “Turtle in Paradise,” by Jennifer L. Holm and published by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.; “Heart of a Samurai,” written by Margi Preus and published by Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS; “Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night,” written by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Rick Allen and published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; and “One Crazy Summer,” by Rita Williams-Garcia and published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children
“A Sick Day for Amos McGee,” illustrated by Erin E. Stead, is the 2011 Caldecott Medal winner. The book was written by Philip C. Stead, and is a Neal Porter Book, published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing.
Two Caldecott Honor Books also were named: “Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave,” illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Laban Carrick Hill and published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.; and “Interrupting Chicken,” written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein and published by Candlewick Press.

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults
“Ship Breaker,” written by Paolo Bacigalupi, is the 2011 Printz Award winner. The book is published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Four Printz Honor Books also were named: “Stolen,” by Lucy Christopher and published by Chicken House, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.; “Please Ignore Vera Dietz,” by A.S. King and published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.; “Revolver,” by Marcus Sedgwick and published by Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of the Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group; and “Nothing,” by Janne Teller and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.

Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award recognizing an African American author of outstanding books for children and young adults
“One Crazy Summer,” written by Rita Williams-Garcia is the 2011 King Author Book winner. The book is published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Three King Author Honor Books were selected: “Lockdown,” by Walter Dean Myers and published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; “Ninth Ward,” by Jewell Parker Rhodes and published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.; and “Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty,” written by G. Neri, illustrated by Randy DuBurke and published by Lee & Low Books Inc.


Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award recognizing an African American illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults
“Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave,” illustrated by Bryan Collier, is the 2011 King Illustrator Book winner. The book was written by Laban Carrick Hill and published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc. One King Illustrator Honor Book was selected: “Jimi Sounds Like a Rainbow: A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix,” illustrated by Javaka Steptoe, written by Gary Golio and published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent (Author) Award
“Zora and Me,” written by Victoria Bond and T. R. Simon, is the 2011 Steptoe author winner. The book is published by Candlewick Press.



Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent (Illustrator) Award
“Seeds of Change,” illustrated by Sonia Lynn Sadler, is the 2011 Steptoe illustrator winner. The book is written by Jen Cullerton Johnson and published by Lee & Low Books Inc.

Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Practitioner Award for Lifetime Achievement
Dr. Henrietta Mays Smith is the winner of the 2011 Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Practitioner Award for Lifetime achievement. The award pays tribute to the quality and magnitude of beloved children’s author Virginia Hamilton’s contributions through her literature and advocacy for children and youth.

Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience
“The Pirate of Kindergarten,” written by George Ella Lyon, illustrated by Lynne Avril and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, wins the award for children ages 0 to 10.

“After Ever After,” written by Jordan Sonnenblick and published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., is the winner of the middle-school (ages 11-13).
The teen (ages 13-18) award winner is “Five Flavors of Dumb,” written by Antony John and published by Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences
“The Reapers Are the Angels: A Novel,” by Alden Bell, published by Holt Paperbacks, a division of Henry Holt and Company, LLC
“The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake: A Novel,” by Aimee Bender, published by Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc.
“The House of Tomorrow,” by Peter Bognanni, published by Amy Einhorn Books, an imprint of G.P. Putnam’s Sons, a division of the Penguin Group
“Room: A Novel,” by Emma Donoghue, published by Little, Brown and Company a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
“The Vanishing of Katharina Linden: A Novel,” by Helen Grant, published by Delacorte, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.
“The Radleys,” by Matt Haig, published by Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
“The Lock Artist,” by Steve Hamilton, published by Thomas Dunne Books for Minotaur Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press
“Girl in Translation,” by Jean Kwok, published by Riverhead Books, an imprint of the Penguin Group
“Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard,” by Liz Murray, published by Hyperion
“The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep and Never Had To,” by DC Pierson, published by Vintage Books, a division of Random House, Inc.

Andrew Carnegie Medal for excellence in children’s video
Paul R. Gagne and Melissa Reilly Ellard of Weston Woods, producers of “The Curious Garden,” are the Carnegie Medal winners. The video is based on the book of the same name, written and illustrated by Peter Brown, and is narrated by Katherine Kellgren, with music by David Mansfield.


Laura Ingalls Wilder Award honors an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made, over a period of years, a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children. The 2011 winner is Tomie dePaola, author and illustrator of over 200 books, including: “26 Fairmont Avenue” (Putnam, 1999), “The Legend of the Poinsettia” (Putnam, 1994), “Oliver Button Is a Sissy” (Harcourt, 1979) and “Strega Nona” (Prentice-Hall, 1975).

Margaret A. Edwards Award honors an author, as well as a specific body of his or her work, for significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature.
Sir Terry Pratchett is the 2011 Edwards Award winner. His books include: “The amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents,” “The Wee Free Men,” and “A Hat Full of Sky” published by HarperCollins Children’s Books; and “The Color of Magic,” “Guards! Guards!,” “Equal Rites,” “Going Postal,” “Small Gods,” and “Mort” all published by HarperCollins Publishers.

May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award recognizing an author, critic, librarian, historian or teacher of children’s literature, who then presents a lecture at a winning host site
Peter Sís will deliver the 2012 lecture. Born in Brno, Czechoslovakia, in 1949, Sís attended the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague and the Royal College of Art in London. He has lived in the United States since 1982. Sís was awarded the 2008 Robert F. Sibert Medal and has illustrated three Caldecott Honor books. Sís’ work is admired throughout the world, and in 2003 he was named MacArthur Fellow, an honor bestowed by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding children’s book translated from a language other than English and subsequently published in the United States
“A Time of Miracles” is the 2011 Batchelder Award winner. Originally published in French in 2009 as “Le Temps des Miracles,” the book was written by Anne-Laure Bondoux, translated by Y. Maudet, and published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.
Two Batchelder Honor Books also were selected: “Departure Time,” published by Namelos, written by Truus Matti and translated by Nancy Forest-Flier; and “Nothing,” published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, written by Janne Teller and translated by Martin Aitken.

Odyssey Award for best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States
“The True Meaning of Smekday,” produced by Listening Library, an imprint of Random House Audio Publishing Group, is the 2011 Odyssey Award winner. The book is written by Adam Rex and narrated by Bahni Turpin.
Four Odyssey Honor Recordings also were selected: “Alchemy and Meggy Swann,” produced by Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group, written by Karen Cushman and narrated by Katherine Kellgren; “The Knife of Never Letting Go,” produced by Candlewick on Brilliance Audio, an imprint of Brilliance Audio, written by Patrick Ness and narrated by Nick Podehl; “Revolution,” produced by Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group, written by Jennifer Donnelly and narrated by Emily Janice Card and Emma Bering; and “will grayson, will grayson,” produced by Brilliance Audio, written by John Green and David Levithan, and narrated by MacLeod Andrews and Nick Podehl.

Pura Belpré (Author) Award honoring a Latino writer whose children’s books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience
“The Dreamer,” written by Pam Muñoz Ryan, is the 2011 Belpré Author Award winner. The book is illustrated by Peter Sís and published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.
Three BelpréAuthor Honor Books were named: “¡Olé! Flamenco,” written and illustrated by George Ancona and published by Lee & Low Books Inc.; “The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette’s Journey to Cuba,” written by Margarita Engle and published by Henry Holt and Company, LLC; and “90 Miles to Havana,” written by Enrique Flores-Galbis and published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing.


Pura Belpré (Illustrator) Award honoring a Latino illustrator whose children’s books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience
“Grandma’s Gift,” illustrated and written by Eric Velasquez, is the 2011 Belpré Illustrator Award winner. The book is published by Walker Publishing Company, Inc., a division of Bloomsbury Publishing, Inc.
Three BelpréIllustrator Honor Books for illustration were selected: “Fiesta Babies,” illustrated by Amy Córdova, written by Carmen Tafolla and published by Tricycle Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.; “Me, Frida,” illustrated by David Diaz, written by Amy Novesky and published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS; “Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin,” illustrated and written by Duncan Tonatiuh and published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS.

Robert F. Sibert Medal for most distinguished informational book for children
“Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World’s Strangest Parrot,” written by Sy Montgomery, is the 2011 Sibert Award winner. The book features photographs by Nic Bishop and is published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Two Sibert Honor Book were named: “Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring,” written by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, illustrated by Brian Floca, a Neal Porter Book, published by Flash Point, an imprint ofRoaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing; “Lafayette and the American Revolution,” written by Russell Freedman and published by Holiday House.

Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award
“Almost Perfect,” written by Brian Katcher, published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc. is the winner of the 2011 Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award. The award is given annually to English-language children’s and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered experience.
Four honor books were selected: “will grayson, will grayson,” written by John Green and David Levithan and published by Dutton Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.; “Love Drugged,” written by James Klise and published by Flux, an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.; “Freaks and Revelations,” written by Davida Willis Hurwin and published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.; and “The Boy in the Dress,” written by David Walliams, illustrated by Quentin Blake and published by Penguin Young Readers Group.


Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished beginning reader book
“Bink and Gollie,” written by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee and illustrated by Tony Fucile is the 2011 Seuss Award winner. The book is published by Candlewick Press.
Two Geisel Honor Books were named: “Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same!” written and illustrated by Grace Lin and published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.; and “We Are in a Book!” written and illustrated by Mo Willems and published by Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group.

William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens
“The Freak Observer,” written by Blythe Woolston is the 2011 Morris Award winner. The book is published by Carolrhoda Lab, an imprint of Carolrhoda Books, a division of Lerner Publishing Group.
Four other books were finalists for the award: “Hush,” by Eishes Chayil and published by Walker Publishing Company, a division of Bloomsbury Publishing, Inc.; “Guardian of the Dead,” by Karen Healey and published by Little, Brown and Company/Hachette Book Group; “Hold Me Closer, Necromancer,” by Lish McBride and published by Henry Holt; and “Crossing the Tracks,” by Barbara Stuber and published by Margaret McElderry Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults during a November 1 – October 31 publishing year.
“Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing,” written by Ann Angel, is the 2011 Excellence winner. The book is published by Amulet/Abrams.
Four other books were finalists for the award:“They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group,” by Susan Campbell Bartoletti and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; “Spies of Mississippi: The True Story of the Spy Network that Tried to Destroy the Civil Rights Movement,” by Rick Bowers and published by National Geographic Society; “The Dark Game: True Spy Stories,” by Paul Janeczko and published by Candlewick Press; and “Every Bone Tells a Story: Hominin Discoveries, Deductions, and Debates,” by Jill Rubalcaba and Peter Robertshaw and published by Charlesbridge.
Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, ALA awards guide parents, educators, librarians and others in selecting the best materials for youth. Selected by judging committees of librarians and other children’s and young adult experts, the awards encourage original and creative work. For more information on the ALA youth media awards and notables, please visit the ALA website at www.ala.org.

Saturday, January 08, 2011

Sugar Hill

So, June noticed that I didn't post my project of working on the Sugar Hill project. She's right. On January 4th, I decided that I would start writing in a journal in the voice of one of the residents of Sugar Hill. So far I have written each day with a couple of sketches as well. I will post the first page of the journal and a sketch of its author. This is a tough one to share, because I would prefer not to post the writing. Maybe I could pick a sentence from each entry and include a little sketch.I think that would work.




Thursday, January 06, 2011

more minor improvements.


In photoshop, I tried to make the value changes I should have worked out in the painting.

Small changes. . .


Trying to unify this painting so it isn't so spotty. Improved??

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Better late then never.


This was supposed to be my Christmas card, but life happened and I only just finished it today. I could pretend I was incredibly organized and that I am going to use this next year, but I'd like to share it now, while we might still be thinking about the Christmas tree and gifts.

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

New blog

I am inspired by my friend Peggy to try something new. She has decided to do something creative each day for a full year. To keep her honest, she has a blog where she's recording what she's up to. The theme she chose was "birds". So far, her projects have been sewn. Check out this adorable embroidered needle case she made:

So, following in her footsteps, I have decided to challenge myself to my own 365 days of creativity. (sort of reminds me of the movie Julie and Julia where Julie cooked her way through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking cookbook) Last year, I started to work on a book project of my own. I have named the place where my characters live Sugar Hill, and each day I will do something to flesh out the little world of Sugar Hill. Day 1 was today. I will post something tomorrow.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Thank You!

This post is for Labadia family. Years ago they bought a snowflake that I painted and donated to Robert's Snow, a fundraiser to raise money for cancer research started by Grace Lin. Since Robert's Snow, I have published several more books. I was contacted recently by the Labadias about my most recent book. Around Thanksgiving they welcomed their grandchild, Vaughan Timothy Labadia, into the world. Congratulations Rick and Mary Ann, and thank you for your support!

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Blobman

Thomas made this short stop motion video with the help of an animation book he got for Christmas. Maybe if I can't be an animator, he can.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Enjoy this holiday season with some friends!
With best wishes, Liza

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Snow dogs





This is what it looks like if you love snow, but you're little and cold:This is what it looks like if you're not:

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Marcel the Shell with shoes on

This is just about the most adorable little shell I have ever seen.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

My new handbag

I will do just about anything to avoid doing some things. This is why I decided that I just had to make myself a felted sweater handbag yesterday while I should have been cleaning. I followed the instructions that I found on this great blog: The Inadvertent Farmer .
The whole thing took less than two hours and was very simple. I used my felting needle to tack things in place, but then needed to hand stitch as well. Definitely try this with any old sweaters you have hanging around.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

sketch, sketch, sketch. . .


That's all I have been doing these days. It feels wonderful to sit and draw, but I am ready to paint. Right now, I am working on illustrations for a children's Bible. In this sketch, Jesus is calming a storm.

Friday, November 12, 2010

work in progress


Here's a sketch I am working on. Spring mailer?? It's not like me to think ahead.

Monday, November 08, 2010

Kitchen finally done!


This was formerly our front hall and Tom's makeshift office.


This was the old kitchen and is now our family room.



This was our big project this summer. We moved our kitchen into the front hall, turned the kitchen into a family room, and redid the floor. It was a long haul, but thanks to a very hardworking and dedicated carpenter, we wrapped this up in September. I am just now putting pictures up for people who saw this in progress and want a peek at the finished product.
There's a little bit of distortion in the photos (I put them together as panorama in photoshop).
The family room is a sunny yellow and the kitchen is avocado. Thanks to Susan Sargeant for the color inspiration.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

revision


Oops. It turns out that no one knew what the purple cutout in the bow was. Thanks to Photoshop, I have now fixed it.
In case it is still not clear, this mouse lives in the wreath and she has cut fabric out of the bow on the wreath to make herself a dress. Let me know if this is still just a big mess.

with or without snow?

Sometimes it's hard to decide whether or not to add snow to my illustrations. Most of the time I like a painting better with it, but this time, those who have seen it so far prefer it without. What do you think?

with snow. . .
without. . .

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Happy Birthday Julia


My friend Julia and I spent the day together yesterday as parent volunteers on a field trip to Fort Ticonderoga. I am not sure I would have chosen to spend my birthday that way, but it was a beautiful day, and the kids were great. The foliage was perfect, and from the fort, which was set up high on a rise beside Lake Champlain, we could see for miles. Happy Birthday Julia!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Mary Had a Little Lamb


A little reader for this sweet nursery rhyme:

Friday, October 01, 2010

Great news!

October 1st, Kirkus reviewed our new book Ten on the Sled! It's such exciting news. Thank you Kirkus. I hope this book now finds its way into the hands of many little readers who can enjoy it. Here's what they had to say:

TEN ON THE SLED
Author: Norman, Kim
Illustrator: Woodruff, Liza

Review Date: October 1, 2010
Publisher:Sterling
Pages: 32
Price ( Hardback ): $14.95
Publication Date: October 1, 2010
ISBN ( Hardback ): 978-1-4027-7076-0
Category: Picture Books
Classification: Seasons

A caribou, polar bear, moose, wolf, walrus, squirrel, bighorn sheep, fox, hare and seal all pile onto a toboggan, beginning a North Country riff on the familiar chant: “There were TEN on the sled / and the caribou said, / ‘Slip over! Slide over!’ / So they all slid over, / and Seal spilled out.” One by one, the animals tumble off, each with a different active verb (Hare hops out, Sheep shoots out, Walrus whirls out, etc.). The final line of each stanza is printed with lively disorder, swooping, jumping and sliding on the page. Woodruff adds extra humor by collecting all of the fallen animals in an increasingly bigger snowball that rolls down the hill alongside the toboggan. What with animal identification, counting, vocabulary building and print awareness all scaffolded on a can’t-lose rhyme, this one’s a keeper. (Picture book. 3-6)

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Ten on the Sled due out October 5th!


I am counting the days until this book will be on the shelves. Kim Norman is the author of this fun story. I loved every minute of creating the illustrations for this book: researching the arctic animals, creating the characters, thinking about their relationships to one another, and even packing it up and putting it in the mail. I really hope kids will have a fun time reading it and looking at the pictures.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

A view into my studio

I have enjoyed in the past looking at photos of other artists studios. Many are very creative and interesting, giving a little insight into who that artist is as a person. I thought I would give you a glimpse inside my studio on a neat day (believe me when I say that it rarely is this neat). I am not sure what my space says about me. You can decide for yourself. If you are interested, you can read an interview with me and see more photos at From the Mixed-Up Files, the blog of Jennifer Berman.
This is where I work:
come on in!
where I cut paper:
where I draw:
where I waste time. . . I mean work on the computer:

my studio is the corner room of our house:
and, most importantly, my studio assistant Emerson.

Off the Mat Into the World


My friend Michelle, is a yoga teacher and outreach is a part of her practice. She is trying to raise money to go to Africa in 2011 to help orphaned children with AIDS. I have finished an image that she plans to use on tee-shirts and stationary. Check out this link for more information about the program: http://www.offthematintotheworld.org/

Monday, June 14, 2010

Birds


One thing I find difficult to draw is birds. I am listening to the birds sing right now. In fact, we have a purple finch nesting on a beam over the back porch, and I think it's the dad who is making all the racket. This reminded me that it would be good to practice drawing them. I think I will take out my sketchbook right now.

Monday, May 17, 2010

New Home Page Image



If anyone would like to weigh in on my new potential website (www.lizawoodruff.com) homepage image, I would be most appreciative. Thanks!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Monsters


I have been doodling monsters. Now to get them into a story. . .

Monday, May 10, 2010

Nature by Numbers

This movie shows the Fibonacci sequence, a series of numbers that follow a mathematical progression, in nature. Amazingly, the seeds of a sunflower, flowering of an artichoke and the lobes of a pine cone are arranged in the Fibonacci sequence.

Friday, May 07, 2010

A Fairy's Kitchen


This fairy is baking on a rainy day for a tea party with friends.

Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Emerging artist



I wanted to feature the art of an emerging artist who is working hard on a series of dinosaurs/monsters. Here are two examples of his fine work. Good job Thomas!!

Sprinkler


While at my parents' house, I had a chance to sketch something belonging to my mother. She has had this sprinkler since I was little and uses it to sprinkle water onto clothes before ironing them. It is a simple thing, but something about the thick green glass of the old Coke bottle and the dented aluminum cap strikes me as really homey and well used.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Snow!




The date is April 27th and we are getting snow. Luckily, I still have not changed my snow tires. The poor daffodils and tulips are looking kind of sad under their little blankets of snow. I am glad that I didn't put seeds in the garden yet either.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Pond Girl


I thought it was about time to put some drawings up, and watching that Quentin Blake video inspired me to take out my dip pen. I like to use a crowquill nib because it has a little flexibility, but not too much. This helps create all those nice scratchy lines.
My first sketch is of me when I was little. I used to spend as much time as I could at Gibson Pond, (incidentally named for illustrator Charles Dana Gibson- of Gibson Girls, who owned acreage and an elegant, but now crumbling, house up the road at 1200 Hope Street in Bristol) which was about a ten minute walk from my house. I loved to catch frogs, tadpoles, snakes and turtles, which I would bring home to my aquarium. My parents would usually let me keep them for a little while, and then I had to let them go. Things have come full circle and I am now able to go searching for tadpoles with my children, which makes me very happy.
Here's an older pond inspired illustration:

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Quentin Blake Video

In cleaning out my email inbox, I came upon a link to this video. Quentin Blake explains his process in creating two of his books, Clown and The Green Ship. He is one of my all time favorite illustrators, having illustrated many of my very favorite books written by Roald Dahl.
http://www.teachers.tv/videos/32976#share