Here he comes to save the day - Mighty Ugh!
i used to believe
Have some time to waste? Check out this adorable site of things we believed as kids:
i used to believe
Too funny.
i used to believe
Too funny.
Illustration Friday, Theme: Black and White
Interesting theme this week. Of course, it could be interpreted as "black and white art," of which I have plenty. But I'll use it as an opportunity to show this piece. This is colored pencil on matt board from a photo we took on our honeymoon in Africa. This is a young Masai boy with his puppy. The first thing to know is, all animals love my husband. He has a catnip and rawhide aura or something. All animals love him, except for this puppy . . . who had never seen a white person before. He barked at my husband like he'd seen a ghost.
Barry Cunningham
The editor who discovered Harry Potter.
He was recently interviewed in an article for Fortune Magazine, "How I Make Decisions." Anastasia Suen turned me onto this in her mighty fine blog. The quote so entirely nails the purpose of children's literature, I want it somewhere where I can find it easily:
"I choose books purely based on what I believe children will react to. If you carry the child within you, that's what works. You need a real ability to feel the hope, wonder, burning sense of injustice, fear, or rage of childhood—an unfettered mind that still dreams, that goes with the truth of story. I absolutely bet on my confidence in what children will like." - Barry Cunningham
He was recently interviewed in an article for Fortune Magazine, "How I Make Decisions." Anastasia Suen turned me onto this in her mighty fine blog. The quote so entirely nails the purpose of children's literature, I want it somewhere where I can find it easily:
"I choose books purely based on what I believe children will react to. If you carry the child within you, that's what works. You need a real ability to feel the hope, wonder, burning sense of injustice, fear, or rage of childhood—an unfettered mind that still dreams, that goes with the truth of story. I absolutely bet on my confidence in what children will like." - Barry Cunningham
Illustration Friday, Theme: Summer
Well, we had a wedding this past weekend, and I'm only just now catching up. So Illustration Friday is now Illustration Tuesday for me.
This is a banner I created for downtown Chattanooga, TN several years ago. I believe they still use them. So if you're ever there and see my flags hanging all over town, let me know!
I am a Digital Artist
Well, too funny. Shortly after writing my last entry about digital art - a call for articles for/from illustrators was announced at SCBWI. So, I've combined my feelings with a bit of the history of digital art and my method (which is in my FAQs section of my website) into an article for "The Bulletin: Painting with Pixels." I've just heard that they will be bumping another article to fit mine into the next issue because it is exactly the kind of information they had in mind. Very cool.
illustration Friday, Theme: Digital
Okay, this may seem like a loose interpretation of "digital" at first glance, but this is one of the first pieces I did completely digitally. For decades I tried to find my medium: watercolors, colored pencils, markers, acrylics, you name it. How could I have known it just hadn't been invented yet? Yes, Painter came out probably ten years ago - but it wasn't until my Mac G5 that I felt I had a system that could truly handle that behemoth. So, once I started to get the hang of it, I swear to you, wings sprouted out of my back. Can I tell you what a relief it is to finally be able to express myself and get close to what I actually have in my head? I can finally achieve the translucency, saturation, and texture I've been striving for. Digital IS my medium - what a relief. Now I can just create.
Oh, btw, this is Fugel Nugel.
Random Happenings of Happiness
I had a huge crowd for story-time again today - I'm sad it was my last one for now. Since so many of the kids were in school during my first story-times, today I skipped a theme and just read some of my favorites. Once again, DON'T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS by Mo Willems was the biggest hit. At the end we sang the Bumble Bee song - by the second verse an older gentleman in the back was singing along the loudest. Gotta love it.
My book signing yesterday at the Mountain Scholar Bookstore was a complete success! If only they all went so well. I had a carpet full of kids to read THE PRINCE'S DIARY to. They loved looking for the mice I hid throughout the book. We sold scaads of books and I signed, signed, signed. What a great day.
I bought a new drawing pad too (small enough to draw while watching TV). Had to draw a flying pig don't ya know. Gotta draw flying pigs.
My book signing yesterday at the Mountain Scholar Bookstore was a complete success! If only they all went so well. I had a carpet full of kids to read THE PRINCE'S DIARY to. They loved looking for the mice I hid throughout the book. We sold scaads of books and I signed, signed, signed. What a great day.
I bought a new drawing pad too (small enough to draw while watching TV). Had to draw a flying pig don't ya know. Gotta draw flying pigs.
Illustration Friday, Theme: Envy
Wow, Friday snuck by me this week. I did this illustration quite a while ago for a story I wrote . . . which will probably never see the light of day: "Penny's Pink Opinion." This illustration has worked hard for me though. This is the piece that got me the "Featured Artist" gig several months back on the SCBWI website.
Star Wars Episode III
Just got back from seeing "Revenge of the Sith." Parts of the movie were very, VERY good. It was incredibly complex. Foreshadowing was done very well. There was no black and white - lots of grey, lots of mistakes made by "people" on all sides. The case for Anakin turning to the dark side WAS made - his confusion was palpable.His visions twisted tragically. The scene where he is so horribly disfigured is disturbing - truly - but is also wonderfully done.
However, parts of the movie didn't work. Unfortunately, some of those parts were key to the believability of the story. The scene where Anakin finally does go to the dark side was woefully underdone and unbelievable. The absolute, complete, and sudden change is too radical. He doesn't evolve into it, he is suddenly there. I didn't buy it. The time they should have spent making that scene more believable was wasted in a way too long battle scene between Obi-Wan and Anakin. Yes, that was pivitol too, but not nearly as important.
Then there were the little bugs, like Padmé giving birth to full grown babies (I'm talking, long out of the womb sized babies), when she is hardly five or six months pregnant.
The thing I found most amusing were the obvious references to the Bush administration: "If you are not with me, you are my enemy"; "So this is how liberty dies. With applause." Supposedly George Lucas wrote the lines long before he'd ever heard of George Bush. It's downright disturbing how well they fit as political satire.
So, overall, I'm torn. I thought this one was MUCH better than I & II, and it prepared wonderfully for the original, or number IV, which of course I'm dying to go back and watch. Did it really first come out in 1977? Gese, I'm getting old. It did not wow my socks off, which I was hoping it would do.
See it. Do see it. But don't set your expectations too high.
Storytime - Dragons, Dinosaurs, and Monsters
Wow. So I had 30 kids and 17 adults show up for story-time yesterday. What a crowd! Can't tell that school is out - ha. My "theme" was Dragons, Dinosaurs, and Monsters. I read several poems from THE DRAGONS ARE SINGING TONIGHT by Jack Prelutsky and Peter Sis, RAISING DRAGONS by Jerdine Nolen and Elise Primavera (had to reduce down some of the text in a few areas on that one - but what a great story), BUS-A-SAURUS BOP by Diane Z. Shore and David Clark was a HUGE hit, THE LAST BASSELOPE by Berkeley Breathed (again, I had to reduce down the text), OT: MRS. BIDDLEBOX by Linda Smith and Marla Frazee, and HOW DO DINOSAURS SAY GOOD NIGHT & HOW DO DINOSAURS GET WELL SOON? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague. I also handed out coloring pages of a dragon I'd drawn (which you can download for coloring by clicking on the image above). It went very well, and the kids had a blast. Since I'm now getting a slightly older crowd from school being out, I may forego a theme next week and just read some favorites. It will be my last story-time for now. :-(
Illustration Friday, Theme: Aquatic
I'm not sure I'm going to have time to take this all the way, so I'm posting it at this stage. I've wanted to draw Sea Monkeys for a while actually, so here's a great excuse. If I am able to render it fully, I'll post as it progresses.
Update: Okay, I was able to render it, so here is the final result.
I drew the sketch with pencil, scanned it in, laid in flat color in Photoshop, and rendered it in Painter. I then pulled it back into Photoshop for adjustments. I'm really trying to experiment with adding pattern and texture and downloaded a whole bunch of new brushes for Photoshop. I have to say, I'm not real excited about my options. Anyone know of a resource for brushes that make good (large) patterns?
Later: it occurred to me that I need to look into the "pattern nozzle" - I think that's what it's called. That might be what I need. Hm.
Storytime Yesterday
Yesterday's theme was "Animals" - leaning towards the more exotic. I read GIRAFFES CAN'T DANCE by Giles Andreae, MRS. CHICKEN AND THE HUNGRY CROCODILE by Won-Ldy Paye, I, CROCODILE by Fred Marcelllino, CAT YOU BETTER COME HOME by Garrison Keillor, and here was the big surprise - SKIPPYJON JONES by Judy Schachner. All of the books received smiles and intense interest, although I didn't get as much out loud laughter. The fun thing is, the kids are starting to know me and trust me. They've usually been several feet away, scattered on the carpet. Yesterday, they were all bunched up together at my feet. That was very cool.
But, for the big surprise. I had the library order in SKIPPYJON JONES because it looked interesting. Well the book is HILARIOUS! I read it several times out loud just to myself because it had me laughing so hard. I was worried it wouldn't make sense to the kids, it jumps around a bit, and the alliteration is to die for. Truly I'm not sure they did follow it, but the text is so fun (not easy) to read, and the rhythm SO great (and of course, you have to use a spanish accent) - it ended up being their favortie book that day.
Skippyjon Jones is a Siamese Cat who thinks he is a Chihuahua. He ends up in a spanish speaking world where he must save a whole bunch of other chihuahua's from a giant bumlebee who has eaten all their beans. Everything rhymes with "ito." Here is an example:
"¡Ay, caramba! Who goes there?" asked Skippyjon Jones.
"We go by the name of Los Chimichangos," growled Don Diego, the biggest of the small ones. "Who are you?"
"I am El Skippito, the great sword fighter," said Skippyjon Jones.
Then the smallest of the small ones spoke up.
"Why the maskito, dude?" asked Poquito Tito.
"I go incognito," said Skippito . . . etc.
I'm telling you, it's difficult to read out loud, but if you can nail it, it is hilarious!!
But, for the big surprise. I had the library order in SKIPPYJON JONES because it looked interesting. Well the book is HILARIOUS! I read it several times out loud just to myself because it had me laughing so hard. I was worried it wouldn't make sense to the kids, it jumps around a bit, and the alliteration is to die for. Truly I'm not sure they did follow it, but the text is so fun (not easy) to read, and the rhythm SO great (and of course, you have to use a spanish accent) - it ended up being their favortie book that day.
Skippyjon Jones is a Siamese Cat who thinks he is a Chihuahua. He ends up in a spanish speaking world where he must save a whole bunch of other chihuahua's from a giant bumlebee who has eaten all their beans. Everything rhymes with "ito." Here is an example:
"¡Ay, caramba! Who goes there?" asked Skippyjon Jones.
"We go by the name of Los Chimichangos," growled Don Diego, the biggest of the small ones. "Who are you?"
"I am El Skippito, the great sword fighter," said Skippyjon Jones.
Then the smallest of the small ones spoke up.
"Why the maskito, dude?" asked Poquito Tito.
"I go incognito," said Skippito . . . etc.
I'm telling you, it's difficult to read out loud, but if you can nail it, it is hilarious!!
Illustration Friday, Theme: Nourishment
This is an illustration from GLITTER GIRL AND THE CRAZY CHEESE written by Frank Hollon. It will be released by MacAdam/Cage Publishers this Fall. It's one child's challenge to find "nourishment" when the cheese on her sandwich gets up and starts walking around! It's a cute story. :)
Dreams of Space
This is a very cool site my hubbie found: DREAMS OF SPACE.
The site talks about the post WWII era when all eyes were on space travel. A flurry of literature for children was inspired by the possibilities of space travel and moon colonization. This website links to illustrations and book covers on the subject. It's interesting from several viewpoints. The art itself is often created using color plates with a very limited palette. The palette itself is interesting, lots of oranges, aquas, and blacks. And of course the subject matter which is sometimes somewhat comical. If you have some time to kill, have fun looking through everything.
My favorite, though, is the quote by my hero Carl Sagan: "The visions we offer our children shape the future. It matters what those visions are. Often they become self-fulfilling prophecies. Dreams are maps."
I hear ya Carl!
The site talks about the post WWII era when all eyes were on space travel. A flurry of literature for children was inspired by the possibilities of space travel and moon colonization. This website links to illustrations and book covers on the subject. It's interesting from several viewpoints. The art itself is often created using color plates with a very limited palette. The palette itself is interesting, lots of oranges, aquas, and blacks. And of course the subject matter which is sometimes somewhat comical. If you have some time to kill, have fun looking through everything.
My favorite, though, is the quote by my hero Carl Sagan: "The visions we offer our children shape the future. It matters what those visions are. Often they become self-fulfilling prophecies. Dreams are maps."
I hear ya Carl!
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