Coloring Page Tuesday - Budding Scientist

     Have you got a budding scientist in your family?
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     I create my coloring pages to draw your attention to my books! For instance...
my latest picture book, Crow Not Crow - written by New York Times Best-selling author Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple.
     Kirkus calls it "a solid choice for introducing the hobby [birdwatching] to younger readers."
      Also, A Bird on Water Street is now available in Chinese!
      
     I create my coloring pages for teachers, librarians, booksellers, and parents to enjoy for free with their children, but you can also purchase rights to an image for commercial use, please contact me. If you have questions about usage, please visit my Angel Policy page.

Lunch with friends

It was a beautiful Saturday in Edinburgh and we got together with friends at our local French restaurant, L'escargot Bleu (The Blue Snail) for lunch.
I had the fish rillettes and fish soup, which was to die for.
The others had blood sausage and beef, with cherries soaked in kir for dessert. Lovely! We sat in the room next to the kitchen where we could watch the chef at work.
And next to the window with a view of the gorgeous spring day (here's Connie).
On the way back, I had to take photos of the cherry trees in blossom.
And yet another found item placed strategically for the owner to find when they wander back by. It seemed fitting that they were sunglasses this time - the 'cherry' on top of the sunny day!
I'm still gathering images of my lost/found items which you can view on my Instagram page.

VIDEO: The Moon

There's a great article at the Good News Network about a man who is lugging around a high-end telescope so that people can look at the moon.
Their reactions are priceless - what a fantastic way to instill wonder in our precious world and beyond!

VIDEO: See a NASA Physicist's Incredible Origami

This is so cool! Who would ever think that Origami would have some practical and visionary applications? Click the video to have a watch on YouTube:

Susan Stockdale's FABULOUS FISHES

Susan Stockdale and I have a very close mutual friend and have emailed for years, so it's about time I have her here on the blog to celebrate her many works! Welcome, Susan!
e: What is your creative process/medium, can you walk us through it?
Susan:
Since I create nonfiction picture books, I always begin by researching my topic. Once I’ve gathered my information, I begin writing by finding a syncopated rhythm that serves as an ”anchor” for my rhyme scheme. Here is the intro to Fabulous Fishes:
“Round fish,
clownfish,
fish that like to hide.
Striped fish,
spiked fish,
fish that leap and glide.”
      After finalizing my poem, I write an addendum in which I provide more information about my subjects and include thumbnail illustrations of them.
      I always consult with scientists to vet my text for accuracy. I worked with ichthyologists at the Shedd Aquarium, the National Museum of Natural History and the Monterey Bay Aquarium on this book.
      Once my manuscript is finalized, my illustration process begins. I work at a drafting table in my home studio, which has great natural light.
      I use photo references of my subjects and their habitats and view them in nature when possible. I saw many of the fishes in this book while snorkeling in Belize.
      I create many pencil sketches and select the drawing I like best. Meanwhile, I submit my final drawings to experts for their feedback and make any necessary changes.
      I then trace my drawing onto Bristol paper. For each color, I apply at least three layers of acrylic paint to give the image a flat, silkscreen-like appearance.
      Having worked as a textile designer, I delight in finding and dramatizing patterns in everything I paint.
      I always end my books with children engaged with their theme in some fun way.
e: What was your path to publication?
Susan:
When I started out, I took out a library book to learn how to make a book! It taught me how to create a dummy. I submitted five of them to prospective agents, and one agreed to represent me. (She still does.) She secured a contract for my first book, Some Sleep Standing Up, with Simon and Schuster. I remember jumping up and down in my kitchen when she told me this news.
e: Is there a unique or funny story behind the creation of your story?
Susan:
Fabulous Fishes was inspired by my encounter with a porcupine fish during a snorkeling trip. Feeling threatened, it inflated itself into a big, round ball right before my eyes. It was such a surprising and dazzling moment. I painted the fish just as I remembered seeing it.

e: What do you think makes an illustration magical, what I call "Heart Art” - the sort that makes a reader want to come back to look again and again?
Susan:
My recipe for a magical illustration is a glorious and original combination of pattern, color, and exquisite detail – the kind that makes a child notice the spot of turquoise inside a peacock’s feather or the hair-thin spines of a lionfish.

e: How do you advertise yourself?
Susan:
Though I promote myself through standard social media platforms, I have found that presentations are the most effective. So, I’m always researching opportunities to participate in conferences and festivals. My program proposals have resulted in some great presentation gigs in places like Hawaii, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Presenting at the International School of Brussels

e: What is your favorite or most challenging part of being a creator?
Susan:
I love the surprises that come with research. When I wrote the line “fish that hitch a ride” for Fabulous Fishes, I had no idea if fish actually did that. Then I learned that remoras do! They attach the suction cups on the heads to whale sharks and hitch a ride. They also eat the whale shark’s leftover plankton.
     My biggest challenge is not to sacrifice content or sound contrived when writing my rhyme schemes. I always want them to flow naturally and easily.

e: Is there something in particular about this story you hope readers will take away with them, perhaps something that isn’t immediately obvious?
Susan:
I credit curriculum manager Teresa Naley for suggesting that Fabulous Fishes can be used to help children explore differences. She writes “Difference is inherent to being human, yet it causes so much strife in our world. In the context of Fabulous Fishes, the reader learns that fish can be round, striped, spiked, speckled, and spotted, among other things, yet at the end of the day, they are all fish and they all call the same place home."

e: What are you working on next or what would be your dream project?
Susan:
I’m creating a book about birds for publication in 2021. It will include this painting of a Royal Flycatcher.
      Thank you for this opportunity to talk about Fabulous Fishes in your wonderful blog!

e: My pleasure, Susan! Lovely to finally have you on!

Coloring Page Tuesday - Owl Mystery

     Have you read a good whooooo done it lately?
CLICK HERE for more coloring pages.
If you use my coloring pages often, please...

Just love this one image? Consider a one-time donation...

CLICK HERE to sign up to receive alerts when a new coloring page is posted each week.

     I create my coloring pages to draw your attention to my books! For instance...
my latest picture book, Crow Not Crow - written by New York Times Best-selling author Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple.
     Kirkus calls it "a solid choice for introducing the hobby [birdwatching] to younger readers."
      Also, A Bird on Water Street is now available in Chinese!
      
     I create my coloring pages for teachers, librarians, booksellers, and parents to enjoy for free with their children, but you can also purchase rights to an image for commercial use, please contact me. If you have questions about usage, please visit my Angel Policy page.

e was at Winthrop University!

Did you figure out where I was last week? I had the great honor to travel to Winthrop University in South Carolina to meet and talk to the design/illustration students and faculty there.
Winthrop is a medium-sized, public university in the gorgeous little town of Rock Hill, just south of Charlotte, North Carolina. It couldn't have been a better weekend as the dogwoods and azaleas were in full bloom, the sky was a perfect blue, and the weather was warm enough for students and doggies to simply hang out.
The campus is absolutely lovely - especially Hardin Garden.
The design of the garden is based on the Golden Ratio, so makes a wonderful learning demonstration.
I had the great pleasure to have David 'Doc' Brown as my guide. Doc created the illustration program as it is now, based on narrative illustration. His program is a writer/illustrator's DREAM, covering things like fairytales & folktales, heroes & anti-heroes, and sequential illustration. We met several years ago at an SCBWI conference, so were very much of like minds. I got to hang out with several of his classes, including print-making and portrait painting.
And I got to see the graduating students' exit show. Here they are posing with Doc around their show's poster. What a great group of talented people!
The university rolled out the red carpet for me and I felt so loved there - I met several people I hope will become friends. Truly, it was a truly wonderful visit and I hope to go back. If you're not familiar with Winthrop University, check it out. They're doing some pretty special things there.

VIDEO: Seth Godin's "Your Job is to Make Art"

He's a marketing guru, yes, but his bigger message is how to live a spectacular life. Every minute of this is worth listening to.

Spotted in Edinburgh

The weather in Edinburgh this weekend is gorgeous and as I happily wandered about in it, I spotted some happy things I wanted to share. For instance, this Little Free Library.
Or the new graffiti I spotted in the tunnel on the way to the grocery store.
Or this groovy chair at the National Museum of Scotland.
Fun, eh?