Brandon Reese's CAVE DADA

When I moved to South Carolina, I joined a local Illustrators' Critique Group. During normal times, we meet once a month at the Barnes & Noble in Charlotte. It's been so nice to find like-minded peeps so easily in my new home. Happily, one of them, Brandon Reese, is celebrating the release of his new picture book, CAVE DADA (Chronicle Books). Not only did I ask him to come talk to us about it, the other members of our critique group created tribute illustrations, their own interpretations of Cave Dada to help celebrate! So, read on and enjoy! e: Welcome Brandon! What was your creative process/medium for CAVE DADA, can you walk us through it?
Brandon: All of my stories start out with a drawing or idea in my sketchbook. If that drawing or idea sparks a narrative, I just let my mind wander. Once I’ve figured out a solid beginning, middle, and end… I’ll then type up all my notes in Text Edit or an email to myself and print them. I’ll fold up those notes and keep them in my sketchbook. I’ll edit and refine the writing on that printout and continue to make sketches. It’s back and forth like that until I feel I have a solid manuscript. It’s at this point when I share with my agent. If she likes it, I figure out the pagination and work up a dummy and a few sample spreads. Then hopefully we can go out with on submission!


e: What was your path to publication?
Brandon: My path to publication is not a unique one. Like many author/illustrators, I started out as a graphic designer. Eventually I found work as an art director for a small kid’s magazine. It paid the bills but it wasn’t my passion. I wanted to be a picture book author and illustrator. As art director I would assign myself illustrations in the magazine. This helped to build up my skills and portfolio. Around this time I was also participating in Illustration Friday. That was a big help too. Eventually, I started getting illustration work from kids magazines, music albums, toys, etc. I was now a skilled illustrator but I was missing the writing component. So, in 2013 I attended my first SCBWI conference. That’s when I finally started to get some traction. At that conference I met my first agent and an editor who gave me my first book illustration assignment.
The case of the book has an inset image... e: Wow - sounds like you and I were on very similar paths! Is there a unique or funny story behind the creation of CAVE DADA?
Brandon: Hmm. I remember another author/illustrator friend of mine (Jenn Bower) was working on a story about a kid with a pet rock. In the story, the kid would drag the rock around on a leash. I told Jenn it would be funny if she drew sparks coming up from the rock as she dragged it. I stole my own idea and put it in CAVE DADA! 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?
Brandon: Heart Art is an illustration that immediately hits you with an emotional gut punch. It tells a story. Makes you happy. Makes you sad. Makes you think. e: How do you advertise yourself (or do you)?
Brandon: Sometimes I’ll send out postcards to art directors… but I’ve gotten really slack about that the past few years. I mostly just update my site and hope I have repeat visitors! e: What is your favorite or most challenging part of being a creator?
Brandon: My favorite part of being a creator is the problem-solving. When you work and work on a story and just isn’t coming together… then POW! Inspiration strikes. It’s magical! e: OMG! I have to ask you about that Frankenstein in your studio!
Brandon: Aren’t they great! They are bootleg reproductions of an old Jack Davis door poster from the 70s. I found them on ebay and for some reason the guy sent two instead of one. (Right click to see the ad larger.)
Tribute image by Christopher Doehling
e: Fantastic! Is there something in particular about CAVE DADA you hope readers will take away with them, perhaps something that isn’t immediately obvious?
Brandon: I just want it to be a funny and fun read. I want parents and kids to perfect their caveman voices! IT FUN. :)
Tribute image by Hilde Deprez
e: What are you working on next or what would be your dream project?
Brandon: I’d love to do something in the vein of Edward Gorey or Charles Addams. Something a bit spooky!

e: I'd love to see that! You'll have to come back to visit! Meanwhile, here are more tribute images from our Illustrators' Critique Group:
Tribute image by Dy English


Tribute image by Jonathan Rosenbaum


Tribute image by LeighAnneCarter


Tribute image by Matthew Myers


Tribute image by Matt Metzgar


Tribute image by Zoe Ranucci


Tribute image by Ashley Belote


Tribute image by Jolenna Mapes

Coloring Page Tuesday - Face Mask

     Imagine being a kid and suddenly seeing all the adults covered in face masks. I imagine it might be a little unsettling! But face masks don't have to be scary. Let your kid color their ideal face mask to make them seem a little more friendly. Click the image to open the full-sized coloring page.
CLICK HERE for more coloring pages.
     Remember, I create my coloring pages to draw your attention to my books! For instance, I'm celebrating the new illustrated (by me) edition of A BIRD ON WATER STREET! My debut novel won me "Georgia Author of the Year!"
Booklist said it's "A book deserving of a wide readership, recommended for all libraries."
If my news and images add value to your life, won't you please

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

     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.

Winthrop University during the 1918 Spanish Influenza

Winthrop University Director of the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections, Gina Price White, recently put together a fascinating summary of how Rock Hill and Winthrop University fared during the 1918 pandemic of Spanish Influenza. With her permission, I am sharing her research. It's a fascinating glimpse into history, although some of the reactions to the flu then feel uncomfortably similar to what we're going through now with Covid-19. Many thanks to Gina for putting this together!

Tillman Hall, 1916
Winthrop and the Influenza Pandemic of 1918
Gina Price White
Director of Archives and Special Collections
Louise Pettus Archives
      During the last year of the Great War (World War I) the nations of the world were caught up in an influenza pandemic that was unprecedented until the current 2020 COVID-19. In 1918, the influenza began in the spring but did not hit hard until the fall of 1918. Between September and November an extremely lethal strain of influenza raced around the planet. It would kill between twenty and forty million people worldwide by the following spring. More Americans died of this pandemic than were killed in World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam combined. The influenza strain became known as the Spanish flu and reached nearly every country on the map—whatever place could be reached via ships, cars, trucks, or trains.


Students in front of Tillman Hall, 1918
      The pandemic did not pass over South Carolina. By mid-October 1918, South Carolina had reported approximately 50,000 cases. By the time the pandemic subsided, South Carolina had over 14, 000 deaths from complications associated with the influenza—mainly pneumonia. In the first few months of 1919, the cases of influenza were disappearing and mortality rates fell back to normal. However, in late January quarantines were set up in 12 counties including Newberry, Greenville, Oconee, and Union in the Upstate upon reappearance of the virus.

      Rock Hill and York County were not immune to the effects in the fall of 1918 and early 1919. Schools were closed in mid-October 1918 but re-opened in mid-November. Newspapers informed citizens that in January 1919 more than 260 cases had been reported in Rock Hill with 66 of those cases among school children and that the disease appeared to be steadily on the increase. The York Church Home Orphanage reported 23 cases among their residents and the Travora Cotton Mill on Congress Street in York suspended operation on January 27, 1919 due to influenza. By early spring the crisis seemed to be waning.


Faculty in front of Tillman Hall, 1918
      According to reports, Winthrop was not excessively affected by the pandemic. Winthrop Training School closed along with Rock Hill schools in mid-October and re-opened on November 11. The Winthrop Weekly News reported on November 1, 1918 that the “strict quarantine which has been observed at Winthrop will be modified next week. Students living in the city, and those who have been detained in more distant parts of the State, will be allowed to resume their duties at the college upon presentation of a physician’s certificate stating that there have been no cases of influenza in their families in the past 10 days. Winthrop has been fortunate in missing influenza and while, it is desired that students return, every precaution will be taken.”

      Winthrop president D. B. Johnson reported to the Board of Trustees on March 28, 1919 that in November there had been a few cases of influenza among the Winthrop students “but when the college closed on Dec. 20th for the Christmas holidays, there was not a single case.” He reported that after the students returned from the holidays only a few mild cases of influenza developed and there was no interruption of college work.


President D.B. Johnson in 1920
      At the next meeting of the Board of Trustees on June 4, 1919, Pres. Johnson reported that there were no serious results from influenza at Winthrop. There were a few teachers who had to leave because of ill health in their families or because of their own ill health but he did not say whether that was due solely to influenza. A Chester News item noted that Miss Emma Thomson (Winthrop Class of 1911) a teacher in the Chester SC schools and daughter of Professor J. W. Thomson (Professor of Education, Bible, Pedagogics, Ethics, Psychology, and Dean of the College—1898-1930) was at Prof. Thomson’s home recovering from influenza in January 1919.


President's Report, 1919
      Pres. Johnson told the Board in June that Winthrop’s extension work for the benefit of schools, teachers, and the people beyond the campus throughout the state was interrupted somewhat by the influenza quarantine but had broadened and strengthened nonetheless. Also, during the spring of 1919, Johnson had a “moving picture” taken of the students to be shown to the people who cannot come to the college in person. That film is titled “Winthrop Day-By-Day”. At the Commencement ceremony in June 1919, 200 students graduated with degrees.

      Perhaps Winthrop was spared greater suffering from influenza because Winthrop rules in the early part of the 20th century, during normal times not just during a pandemic, did not allow students to leave campus without permission. Permission was not often granted. They did not travel extensively nor did they congregate with large crowds who were not students. Most students attended church services each Sunday in Rock Hill but during the worst part of the crisis, they did not leave campus at all. The practice of isolation seems to have been a mitigating factor in the spread of influenza at Winthrop in 1918 and early 1919. Check out the fire-drill at the 8:00 marker - it's a trip!

Winthrop Virtual Open House

VIDEO: Expanding card tutorial for children

Hazel Terry is one of the the most creative people I know. She lives in Scotland and keeps several blogs, including one of my faves, The Art Room Plant. Hazel came up with these adorable folding cards a few years back and now she's sharing how to make them. If you want a fun activity - this is a great one!

VIDEO: Philip Stead on how he made IN MY GARDEN

Caldecott-winner Philip Stead is known for his beautiful print techniques. Lucky for us, he's shared his latest technique for his new book, IN MY GARDEN. What a treat! Click the image to watch on Youtube.

VIDEOS: A miss-mash of fun videos from the week

Need some uplifting music? This has been floating around at the University of Glasgow:
"Stay The !@#* At Home" by Samuel L. Jackson

Wash your hands - Bollywood style... This charming article from the BBC talks about how cultures around the world are adjusting to life with Coved-19. But what I enjoyed most about it was the link to this video of police from the Kerala Police Department in India teaching locals about washing their hands - with a Bollywood dance. Click the image to watch at BBC: Meanwhile, in Scotland, these brilliant guys came up with a #CovidCaleigh.

I don't know about you, but I have loved the videos being shared by the various aquariums around the country of their residents getting out and about. Here's a sweet one of a sea lion going on a grand adventure. Click the image to watch on Bored Panda.

Friday Links List and Illustrators' Treehouse News - 3 April 2020

From PW: Obituary: Tomie dePaula We've lost one of our greats. From SLJ: The Children's Literature Community Reacts to the Passing of Tomie DePaula.

From SCBWI: Digital Directory for Remote Learning Resources (My Coloring Page Tuesday is in there!)

From The FCBG: Talking is Not My Thing! - The inspiration for my book about being non-verbal

Do you know about BINC? Book Industry Charitable Foundation, because "1 in 5 booksellers has experienced a financial emergency in the last two years." That said...

From KGW8 News: Powell's Books rehires over 100 [correction: 40+] employees after surge of online orders

From PW: PubWest to Amazon: Publishing Needs Your Help

From NewYork: 20 of the Best Children’s Books for Uncertain Times

From SLJ: For Wizards in Confinement, “Harry Potter at Home” Offers Activities, a Free Ebook and Audiobook and Dav Pilkey, Dolly Parton, and LeVar Burton Offer Stay-at-Home Activities, Read-Alouds

From The Guardian: #Notmymermaid: the Disney row is ridiculous – who knows what mermaids look like?

From JK Rowling: Bringing Hogwarts to You (at home)

From SLJ: 5 Podcasts on Kids & Tech Use Your Patrons Could Use Right Now

From PW: Unemployed NYC Booksellers Launch Online Bookstore and Diamond Halts Shipments of New Comics to Comics Shops and EIBF Asks Governments to Protect Bookstores

From Shelf Awareness: 'I'm Afraid of Falling in Love with Delivering Books'

From SLJ: 28 Excellent Titles | Starred Reviews, March 2020 and Makers Step Up To Help With Personal Protective Equipment Shortage for Healthcare Workers

From Myth and Moor: Jane Yolen: The Everyday-ness of Writing




ILLUSTRATORS' TREEHOUSE NEWS

From the Illustrators Partnership: Summary of Relief for Visual Artists available under CARES Act If you are losing income as a result of Covid-19, consider applying! Also American Artists' Petition to Congress PLEASE SIGN!

From The Art Room Plant: Hazel Terry is a working artist and has been sharing so many fun, creative projects during this down time. Such as...
A Never Ending Story Book


From Muddy Colors: My favorite blog has had some awesome offerings of late as well. Such as...
The Virtual Illustration Academy
Making Monsters with Justin Gerard

Surviving Freelance Illustration
Directors on the Art of Storyboarding
More Fun With Cards
How to Emulate Oil Painting with Your Computer

From The Bookseller: Marotta launches NHS colouring download also Scholastic rolls out 25th anniversary illustrated Norther Lights

From The Art Newspaper: US Artists need a federal bailout now: Congress needs to protect this country’s creative workforce

From the NYT: The Merry-go-round stopped. What Kind of Art will Emerge? The pandemic has not only shut down museums and galleries. It has canceled an entire way of life for contemporary artists — and forces a reconsideration of what all that flying was good for.

From PW: A Look Inside the 21st Century Comics Shop

Are you familiar with the artwork by the Philadelphia Wireman? What story!

From The Art Room Plant: Hiroko Kubota III


From Nathan Bransford: Only show characters crying when they’re truly at their wits’ end

From Longwinded One: Episode 114: A Conversation with Dr. Dimitra Fimi

From Bleeding Cool: Comprehensive Rundown of Every Comic Book Publisher's Current Status

From CommArts: Brian Rea An East Coast transplant headed west to explore the evolving landscape of illustration.
and Graphic Journalism


From BBC News: David Hockney shares exclusive art from Normandy, as 'a respite from the news'

From FB: A quick video on Catherine Rayner and her recent work - amazing watercolorist!

From The NYT: The Spiky Blob Seen Around the World: How C.D.C. medical illustrators created the coronavirus pandemic’s most iconic image.

From CGSociety: Andromeda Design Contest Results

From The Mint: Making: Abstract Shaving Cream Prints

From CBC: How do you price a work of art? Veteran illustrator Anita Kunz has advice for a younger generation

From SLJ: Investigating coronavirus media messages through magazine covers

From SCBWI-British Isles: ILLUSTRATION FEATURE Artwork size and the printed page

From the WHO (World Health Organization): Global Call to Creatives: An Open Brief from the United Nations

From The Fanatic: Publisher Weekly's Graphic Novel Newsletter You might want to subscribe!



OFF TOPIC BUT INTERESTING
On YouTube: PSA Safe Grocery Shopping in Covid-19 Pandemic

From NPR: 'Panic-gogy': Teaching Online Classes During the Coronavirus Pandemic

From Chronicle Vitae: How to Recover the Joy of Teaching After an Online Pivot and Going Online in a Hurry: What to Do and Where to Start

From How-To Geek: The Best Ways to Scan a Document Using Your Phone or Tablet

From The New Yorker: Quarantine Tips from My Cat

From The University of Edinburgh: MOOCs On Demand: FREE SHORT ONLINE COURSES

From Unicef: How teenagers can protect their mental health during coronavirus (COVID-19)

From CNBC: How to host a Zoom call like a pro

From GoodNewsNetwork: Stalking Lions, Pandas, and Penguins During Your Social Distancing With These 10 Awesome Animal Livestreams

Cale Atkinson's UNICORNS 101

I was a total unicorn nut when I was a kid, how about you? So, this handy, dandy book that contains all you would ever want to know about unicorns would have been right up my alley. It's called UNICORNS 101 by Cale Atkinson. He stopped by to tell us more about it! e: Hi Cale! Why unicorns?
Cale: The real question is why not Unicorns?! There was only so long I could resist telling a story about the world’s most magical fictitiously fantastic animal. Being able to draw them wearing smart lab coats was the icing on the unicorn cake. e: Did you know that unicorns are the national animal of Scotland?
Cale: I did not know that! Though in all honesty, if I were to imagine where a real unicorn would be found, Scotland would be the place! I will also now forever imagine unicorns speaking in a Scottish accent.

e: What was your creative process/medium for Unicorns 101, can you walk us through it?
Cale: There was a lot of sweets and caffeine involved to really get inside the mind of a Unicorn. Once I felt I was high enough on sugar it was time to hit the notebook. Since Unicorns 101 is a book filled with unicorn facts, it meant I needed to come up with as much random unicorn knowledge as possible, and then cut it down to the best of the best for the book. My process was lots of scribbling of notes and doodles to figure out what may work as a fact or section. One of the unforeseen challenges that came later was figuring out how to present all the information on each page in a way that didn’t completely overwhelm the reader. I tried to keep things very sectional, so that we could cut, add, or rearrange areas quite easily, without breaking apart the whole book. The art itself was done digitally, with the intention to make things read as clear and funny as possible! I felt that going in a more simple/cartoon art direction worked better for a book with this amount of content. e: This is a wild book - are you wild too?
Cale: I am certainly a little wild, I think anyone trying to be an author or illustrator has to be a bit untameable!

e: I so agree. What was your path to publication?
Cale: Every book I’ve written has come about a little bit differently. For Unicorns 101, I was actually contacted by my published Doubleday after they randomly came across a picture I had illustrated years before of a group of unicorn scientists. We had a few conversations on what direction we could take a book of these silly professors, and it was their gem of an idea to format it as a ‘non-fiction’ educational book on unicorns. I ran with the idea, wrote out my first draft and here we are! Hooray!
e: Is there a unique or funny story behind the creation of Unicorns 101?
Cale: Working as an author/illustrator there are always many bizarre and absurd conversations you have with your editor, and Unicorns 101 was no exception! Serious debates on Unicorn poop, rainbow farts, and just how much glitter is too much? (The correct answer is there is never enough.) 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?
Cale: For myself a lot of what I would call ‘Heart Art’ stems from the genuine intention the artist brings to the work. While it’s hard to pinpoint, I feel artwork created with passion and love will always contain an extra layer of depth and magic. e: How do you advertise yourself (or do you)?
Cale: I do try and promote my work where I can, such as the social media channels (twitter and instagram). Otherwise I leave selling my books in the very capable hands of my publishers marketing department. e: What is your favorite or most challenging part of being a creator?
Cale: I feel my favorite and the most challenging parts are one and the same for me. I love coming up with new ideas and trying new things. Taking these new ideas or techniques, and trying to put them down on paper or turn them into something pleasant is a different story! I find writing unspeakably challenging, but the reward of finally wrangling out the right words to tell your story makes it all worth it. e: Is there something in particular about Unicorns 101 you hope readers will take away with them, perhaps something that isn’t immediately obvious?
Cale: Aside from learning all the wild and wacky facts of unicorns, I hope that this book may spark readers to be interested in reading and learning about non fantasy animals in our world. In my opinion real animals are just as fantastic and magical as unicorns. e: What are you working on next or what would be your dream project?
Cale: I’m happy to report that along with a couple books I illustrated, I have a sequel to Unicorns 101 coming later this year! ‘Monsters 101’ is coming to bring you all the gruesome and fun facts related to all monsters, known and unknown!
      I am also excited to be currently working on a sequel to my picture book ‘Sir Simon: Super Scarer’. This continuation is going to be in a slightly different format than the original, being a short graphic novel. I can’t wait to share more adventures of Simon and Chester. Being able to tell more of my own stories is always a dream, but also being able to collaborate with others is something I look to do more of.