American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression

During Book Expo, there will be an auction to benefit ABFFE.  Here's a little blurb from their website:

The Annual Children’s Book Art Silent Auction and Reception has been a highlight of children’s programming at BookExpo America for the last 19 years. This event offers a unique opportunity to buy beautiful, original art in children’s literature from leading, award-winning artists and illustrators of children’s books and a chance to socialize with friends from around the country, while supporting the all-important efforts opposing the censorship of children’s books and authors nationwide. This is a highly anticipated and fun event on the industry’s social calendar, and the only annual event where the entire children’s book industry is in the same room, including booksellers, publishers, authors, artists, illustrators, other industry professionals, and fans of illustrated children’s books and supporters of the free speech rights of young readers.

This year there is a special tribute to Maurice Sendak.  His book In the Night Kitchen was challenged and banned by many libraries.  As many of you know, Sandak died this past year.  It was a great loss for the children's book community.  The auction will have a section of tribute art in his honor.  I hoped to convey his peaceful departure with my piece.  A line from his book Where the Wild Things Are stuck in my mind at the time of his death.  "Oh please don't go -  we'll eat you up - we love you so!"

This is my tribute.  I worry that it is more like a copy than my own interpretation, but  I have looked at this book so many times throughout my life that when I picked up my pencils and paintbrush to begin, this is just what came out.  I hope my contribution will help with the fight against book censorship.

Which cover?

I am working on the final piece for my latest project: the cover.  I have provided the publisher with two options. 
The first is perfectly nice, and the sketch itself is a little more polished:

However, the second has a little more going on.  I love the idea of including a piece of torn notebook paper under the title of the book:

What do YOU think?

In the beginning. . .

there was light:

A Gift for Mom

This little girl is shopping for a Mother's Day gift.  This was for an educational job I just completed.

What's the worst smell of all?

The smell of your teacher's perfume, of course! 

Look for my illustrations in David Greenberg's new book of poetry, title TBA, coming fall 2013.  He is the author of many fun books, but Skunks! (2003, Little, Brown & Co, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger) is one of my personal favorites.  His poetry is hilarious.  It was as much fun to illustrate this book as it was to read the poems over and over.  

The Next Big Thing: A Global Blog Tour

I am participating in a global blog tour to bring awareness to authors and illustrators and the books that they are working on.  A big thanks to my friend Michelle Edwards, who tagged me for participation.  I will answer some questions that focus on my new book and then tag two other friends, author/illustrators Maggie Smith and Anik McGrory.  Definitely check out the work of all three of these talented women.

1) What is the working title of your next book?
If It's Snowy and You Know It, Clap Your Paws, written by Kim Norman, illustrated by me
published 10/1/2013

2) Where did the idea come from for the book?
Kim and I did another book together called Ten on a Sled, which featured these same characters on a wild sled ride. The words for that book were inspired by the children's song, "Ten on the Bed".  The book was fun and Kim and I both wanted another adventure for this group of characters.  Kim worked her magic on another old favorite "If You're Happy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands", and voila. (I make it sound simple, but I know it's not)

3) What genre does your book fall under?
If It's Snowy and You Know It, Clap Your Paws is a picture book

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Well this is kind of complicated, so I will stick to the major players.
The polar bear: motherly and besotted by caribou = Meryl Streep
caribou: all business, sometimes enjoys the attention of the polar bear =Daniel Day Lewis
moose: zany and fun = John Cleese
squirrel: goofy adventurer = Owen Wilson
I'm sure there must be a role in there for Ryan Gosling.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
In a twist on the old favorite song, "If You're Happy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands", ten arctic animals' romp in the snow leads them to an icy adventure they'll need some extra help solving.

6) Who is publishing your book?
Sterling Publishers

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
Well, I really don't know, since I was not responsible for that part of the book.  Any amount of time was too long for me, because I couldn't wait to get started on the pictures.

 8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Caralyn Beuhner's SNOWMEN AT NIGHT

 9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I am adapting this question to suit an illustrator (and aspiring author).  My answer is my own children, and children that I observe every day.  They are always doing hilarious things that inspire what I draw.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?
In addition to the original cast of ten from our first book, I have added a funny little little character that sneaks his way into the pack.  You'll have to check him out and see what adventure he has planned for himself.

Thanks for visiting.  Next week, head on over to learn about Anik and Maggie's latest books.

Anik McGrory:

Maggie Smith:

book cover

I am working on a cover to pull together my latest personal project, Emerson Barks.

And here it is in color:

New Educational job

Here's the cover sketch for a cute story I am working on:

and another interior:

Still life

I thought I would take a stab at a loose watercolor still life painting.  I'm going to keep practicing

POSTPONED: February Art show in Bristol, Rhode Island

THIS SHOW HAS BEEN POSTPONED.  NEW DATE TBA.

I will be showing some of my illustrations at the Alta Luna gallery in Bristol, RI.  This is fairly new for me, and I will be in the company of two fantastic children's book illustators:

Mary Jane Begin

 

R W Alley

Publisher's Weekly Blog

Elizabeth Bluemle, author of the Shelftalker Publisher's Weekly Blog, visited my studio before Thanksgiving and wrote about it.  Her entry gives a little sneak peek of the "sequel" to Ten on the Sled, called If It's Snowy and You Know It Clap Your Paws.  Thank you Elizabeth for such a great write up.  http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/shelftalker/?p=9805

oops

This is Emerson when he says uh-oh.

bark, Bark, BARK!

Sometimes I think our dog barks just for the joy of it.

Reading with friends

What's better than being read to on a chilly day? 

PiBoIdMo

What is PiBoIdMo? Here's Tara Lazar's description from her blog:

What is PiBoIdMo? Why, it’s Picture Book Idea Month!
The concept is to create 30 picture book ideas in 30 days. You don’t have to write a manuscript (but you can if the mood strikes). You don’t need potential best-seller ideas.
You might think of a clever title. Or a name for a character. Or just a silly thing like “purple polka-dot pony.” The object is to heighten your picture-book-idea-generating senses. Ideas may build upon other ideas and your list of potential stories will grow stronger as the days pass.
Daily blog posts by picture book authors, illustrators, editors and other kidlit professionals will help inspire you. By the end of the month, you’ll have a fat file of ideas to spark new stories.

I did this last year and an entire month of coming up with picture book ideas was a really great way to spark creativity.

So, click on the link and join me in a month of picture books.

Killing creativity in education

Not only is this TED talk very funny, but it points out that we are doing our children a disservice by pushing math and science and leaving the arts behind.  Where will innovation come from without a strong emphasis on self expression and creativity?
I am beginning to see a change in the approach in our elementary school with the introduction of the theory of multiple intelligences. It's nice to know that children are being encouraged to appreciate the differences they see in themselves and each another.

someone's been eating homework. . .

What does your dog do when left home alone?  Our dogs just bark.  Thank goodness for that.

so very tired. . .

A nap would be nice.

warm up drawing

Here's a drawing of Rammy, the hungry ram that lives next to my mother-in-law.  I'll post a photo that was taken just before I ran for my life away from him. 

England

Though I should really be posting some artwork, I thought it would be fun to post some photos of our recent trip to England.  We visited Tom's mother and attended his sister's wedding.  We had a great time meeting more family.  I have lost count of cousins by now, but there were many more over there.  We even gained three new cousins after the wedding.
We started our journey in Oxford.
Here we are punting:

Then we went north to Binham, which is a tiny village in Norfolk.

We stayed in Tom's mother's cottage, Priory Cottage, which is hundreds of years old.

  Here it is, just across the street from the old priory:

The cottage is very charming.  The outside walls are made of flint, and the garden is walled in.

Tom's mother has quite a green thumb.
This gate reminded me of the book The Secret Garden:

The cottages throughout the village are equally charming:

Not too far from Binham is a fishing village called Wells-Next-the-Sea.  We really enjoyed our time on the beach, even taking a dip in the North Sea:

People buy  or rent beach huts that sit on the edge of the beach where they keep their chairs and beach toys.  They are painted bright colors.  We were able to use Carolyn's old hut, lent to us by her friends, the new owners:

After a week, it was time to head back to Oxford for the wedding.  The bride and groom were both remarkably calm.  Many of their friends and family pitched in to help with the details.  The five children particularly impressed me with all their effort.The wedding took place in the church that C.S. Lewis attended.  He is buried in the little graveyard beside the church:

The day after the wedding, we had a nice lunch with more cousins in another lovely village.  I wish that some of these cousins lived closer, as I am sure the kids would all have so much fun together.  We will just have to look forward to our next visit.  
We continued on to London, where we tried to see as much as we could.
Hamley's, a seven story toy store:

The London Eye:

Big Ben:

The Tower of London:

Tower Bridge:

It was amazing, and I am exhausted.  Now I have unpacking and laundry to do, but as I shake the sand out of our bags and clothes, I will  have some very nice memories.