Our sunny day continues in Newhaven

From Leith, our walk wound around to Newhaven. This is the old fishing warf overlooking the Firth of Forth. You know you're there when you come to the charming marina.     A lovely sidewalk takes you along the old dock buildings.From there you can look back to the wee town of Newhaven. It's lovely and there's a great breakfast place we often choose as a destination, Porto & Fi. But, we'd already eaten in Leith and our tummies were full. So we walked out past the marina. The jut out offers an amazing view of the firth - we sat and soaked up the sun for a while.And enjoyed the view.That's the Kingdom of Fife on the far side.
     Finally, it was time to get back. I got this one last shot of Stan on our way.      We stopped for tea at The Starbank Inn, another fave, to fortify us for the 2-mile walk home. Yes, I was a wee bit sore by the end of it all, but gads, what a fabulous day!

VIDEO: Overwatch Dragons

This is a gorgeous animation - Overwatch Dragons by Roberto Ortiz. Click to watch at CG Society:

A sunny day in Leith

We've had a wonderful streak of amazing weather here in Edinburgh lately. About 65°F (18°C) with no humidity. It makes for absolute perfection. Stan and I had to get out in it! So the other day we did our big loop. We take the converted railway trails (to walking trails) out to Leith then circle around through Newhaven and back home again. Without tangents, which of course, there are tangents, it's seven miles. First, Leith...
     I've shared photos of Leith with you before HERE and HERE. We love this little port town.
     For this trip, we had a slight mission. A friend of ours created a fundraiser for the Scottish Book Trust, 100 Bookpeeps. Readers take photos of themselves with their favorite books and make a small donation for the privilege. We had to share my novel, A BIRD ON WATER STREET! But where better than on Water Street? There happens to be one in Leith. So that was our first destination.     Our second destination was to get a better photo of the Dazzle Ship.     Have you heard of these? It's apparently a real thing. Ships were painted during WWII to throw off locators trying to figure out which direction ships were going or how far away they were. This one was recently painted by artist Ciara Phillips for the Edinburgh Arts Festival. Last time we were in Leith with friends, it was windy and rainy and I didn't get a good shot. Remedied!
     That done, we went to lunch at Tapa. It was an OMG sort of meal and we'll be taking our friend Melissa Libby (Atlanta restaurant promoter) there when she comes to visit soon. Stan said the Spanish guy at the next table claimed it was the best tapas restaurant in the UK. I agree!
     Afterwards, we wandered about. Y'know how in the states old hotels will claim 'George Washington slept here'? They do that here too, but the dates are slightly more remarkable. Yeah, that says "Mary Queen of Scots, 1561"! Here is the garden she walked through. Can't you see her there?     We also discovered several new restaurants we want to try and Tom Kitchin's Michelin Starred restaurant "the Kitchin." That one might have to wait for a book to sell.
     From there, we walked to Newhaven...

Friday Linky List - 19 August 2016

From The New Yorker: (Children's) Books Just for Grown-Ups (retitled classics)

From PW: Holiday House Changes Hands

From There's a Book for That: Big Questions: Picture Books That Inspire Philosophical Discussion #pb10fro10 2016

From CNN Style: This lab is capturing pollution and turning it into paint - very cool!

From SLJ: How Canada Publishes So Many Diverse Children's Books

From The Scottish Book Trust: How Picture Books Can Help Us Make Sense of the World

From The Society of Illustrators: The Original Art 2016 36th Annual Exhibition

From Noblemania (via Fuse #8): Guess the kidlit desks contest - fascinating peek at people's creative work places!

Mike Curato's LITTLE ELLIOT BIG FUN

Do you remember LITTLE ELLIOT BIG CITY by Mike Curato? Well, Little Elliot has a new adventure in LITTLE ELLIOT BIG FUN! Mike stopped by to answer some questions about it... e: What is your creative process, can you walk us through it, and what is your medium?
Mike: Usually, when I begin a book, I start with sketches of Elliot in various situations. Then, I start writing about each drawing that stands out to me. I go back and forth until a story starts forming. I don’t really set out with a theme in mind, I arrive there through the process. As in life, we don’t know what some experiences are about until we have some distance from it. Then, we can see the full picture and say, “Oh! That’s why I went through all of that! Life was teaching me X lesson.” Once I feel confident that my story has a beginning, middle and end, I start sharing it with my editor, Laura Godwin. We go back and forth with ideas for how to tighten up the book. To make my illustrations, I draw with pencil on paper, scan, and color digitally. Also, I spend a huge amount of time doing research. The Little Elliot books all take place in late 1930s New York, so I try to be as authentic as possible.

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?
Mike: I think Heart Art is that element of an illustration that cannot be said with words (the whole reason why we need illustrations to accompany a text). A good illustration speaks directly to the soul. It’s a vulnerable truth that tells the viewer that someone else understands what they’ve been through and how they feel, much like music. This isn’t something one learns. It’s the result of the artist searching for the right visual elements that stir something in their being. It’s the part of the illustration that isn’t technical, but is more unto a sixth sense.

e: What was your path to publication?
Mike: I went to Syracuse University’s illustration program from 1999-2003, where I realized that I wanted to focus on picture book making. After graduation, I tried to break into publishing on and off for ten years, working as a graphic designer in the meantime. In 2012, I attended the SCBWI winter conference in NYC, where I was fortunate enough to win the portfolio showcase. In most of the illustrations in my portfolio, I featured a character I had been drawing for years, a small polka-dotted elephant. Brenda Bowen (who is now my agent) slipped her card into the portfolio. The next day, I received emails and phone calls from several publishers inquiring about who this elephant was and what was his story. By summer, Little Elliot went to auction and found a home with Henry Holt Books for Young Readers at Macmillan.

e: What is your favorite or most challenging part of being a creator?
Mike: I think my favorite part of being a creator is that magical moment when I am able to make something that makes me happy. I don’t mean that in a prideful way, it is more about witnessing the Art Heart that you were just asking about. I have a poet friend who once told me that when she’s performing, it’s her time to talk to God, and everyone else gets to watch. It’s a feeling that’s worth its weight in gold.
     Click the image to see Mike's studio larger in a new window.
e: Is there something in particular about this story you hope readers will take away with them, perhaps something that isn’t immediately obvious?
Mike: For me, the book is about confronting fears, and how to be a good friend to someone who is afraid. Life is full of scary rides, but when friends stick together, they can get through them.

Click the image below to see a GIF of Mike's process:

MA Illustration Show

I'm doing an MFA in Illustration at the University of Edinburgh. That means four semesters split by a summer off in-between. It worked perfectly with my summer teaching at Hollins University. Also available would have been an MA in Illustration, which is three straight semesters. Several of my fellow students went this route and recently had their graduation show in the main court of the Edinburgh College of Art.     I'm so glad I returned to Scotland in time for opening night - which was crazy busy and I didn't get a single photo of! But I went back a few days later to share these photos with you.

They even set up a table to sell items from their presentation items - posters, postcards, cards, prints, etc. Katy Wiedemann was manning the table when I stopped by.Katy is an anatomical illustrator. If you know anything about that, you know she has to be crazy good. Which she is. Here was her final presentation. And here's her website.Another presentation I'm sharing is Karin Eremia's.Most of these students will now be leaving us, heading out into the world on their own new adventures. But Karin may stick around for a PhD as well, so she and I may be able to hang out a while longer. Yay!
     The show included both the Graphic Design and Illustration MA students. Since we share a studio, the gang has become pretty tight.
Photo credit to Dan Lester.Here are the illustration students specifically, Lily (China), Karin (Romania), Eve (France), Ailsa (England), Kelsey (US), and Katy (US).
Photo credit to Dan Lester. Congratulations to all, it's been awesome to get to know you. I wish you all much success and happiness! And I'll be close behind you - next May...

Coloring Page Tuesday - Tiger and Mouse

     I've been having a lot of fun with crosshatching of late. This one is begging for some orange though - want to help? Also, what do you suppose they're talking about?
     CLICK HERE for more coloring pages!
     CLICK HERE to sign up to receive alerts when a new coloring page is posted each week and... Please check out my books! Especially...
my debut novel, A BIRD ON WATER STREET - winner of six literary awards. Click the cover to learn more!
     When the birds return to Water Street, will anyone be left to hear them sing? A miner's strike allows green and growing things to return to the Red Hills, but that same strike may force residents to seek new homes and livelihoods elsewhere. Follow the story of Jack Hicks as he struggles to hold onto everything he loves most.
     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.

The Burryman Found!

Continuing my story... Friday, Stan and I took a mini-adventure to South Queenferry and Port Edgar to take part in an annual ritual - The Burryman Festival. Each year a locally-born man is covered in burrs - these things:and paraded through the streets. (He's also wearing one of Scotland's flags as a sash - the Rampant Lion.) The entire journey, he is given money and plied with whisky to ease his suffering. Here he is heading into The Hawes Inn.And inside where he had to sip whisky through a straw. You gotta feel for this guy. I'm not sure why somebody would put themselves through this ordeal.Because ordeal it is - once covered in burrs, his arms are held away from his body with flower-covered poles. Even his face is covered, so he has minders, as he awkwardly walks seven miles through the port town (which takes about nine hours) all for good luck.A small group of people follow along cheering, "Hip-hip-hooray, it's the Burryman Day!" A bagpipe even joined in at one point. But like I mentioned, this is not a well-known tradition and its shocking how small the crowds are. All the better for those of us enjoying the day. The Burryman is said to be the Scottish version of a Green Man ritual - which potentially goes back to the 1000s. Although in fact, nobody remembers how the tradition began, or why. (History from this region is often pagan or druid-based and they didn't have a written history.) According to Wikipedia, it's thought to have originated in the 1600s and there are similar-ish rituals all over the UK, such as "Buckie on the Moray Firth and Fraserburgh, to 'raise the herring' when there had been a poor fishing season; the Whittlesea Straw Bear and the Castleton Garland King (and perhaps even the Jack in the green) in England." It's thought that the tradition is meant to ward off evil spirits. Or that it is a symbol of rebirth and fertility, like the Green Man. Whatever the reason, it's a good excuse to play and act silly....And boy does this guy earn the respect of his neighbors - they actually had to cut the burrs off of him at the end of the day. Surely, some good luck was earned! I like to think a little bit of it rubbed off too, as I returned home with a burr stuck on my cap.
     If you ever make it to Edinburgh in the second week of August, this is a quirky tradition to be a part of. I'm glad we went!

A mini-adventure to South Queensferry continued...

As I mentioned yesterday, we headed out in search of the Burryman, an annual festival in the small town of Queensferry. After lunch at Port Edgar, we headed east along the coast into Queensferry proper. This is an adorable and picturesque town and was worth the trip on its own.
Hey Stan, Blythe - smile!
How's this for your local bookstore?I'm dying to go back to try out some of the restaurants there. Can you imagine the view while eating your spaghetti at la barca? Truly, Queensferry is so picturesque, I got a little snap-happy. When we got thirsty, we dropped into The Ferry Tap - another spot to try for lunch next visit. It looked good!Despite celebrating the Burryman every year, the event is not well-known and is mainly celebrated by residents of Queensferry. They do it right, though. They assign a "Ferry Queen," choose a May Queen and Green Man, and they even bring in a carnival, which sits just down the coast towards the Forth Rail Bridge.It was a wild thing to experience in the middle of our search.
We hooked up with another friend, David as we sought out the burr-covered man.Happily, our search finally paid off. We found the Burryman! Next...

VIDEO: Judy Ruth Cummins' A HUNGRY LION

Judy Ruth spoke at one of our SCBWI conferences a few years ago and we just loved her. SO excited to hear this talented art director has her own book out now! Click the image to watch her create an illustration for the book on YouTube under "A Hungry Lion or a Dwindling Assortment of Animals by Lucy Ruth Cummins":

A mini-adventure to South Queensferry

Friday, Stan and I met up with our friend Blythe to head to South Queensferry in search of The Burryman. More on him soon... first, we had to get there.
     Queensferry is still technically part of Edinburgh, although it took a quick train ride from Waverly Station to get to this sweet little ferry town. We caught up with Blythe in Haymarket and together, we arrived in Queensferry to a quick walk into town. We could have taken the main road, but we decided to cut through my park, which led through some lovely woods.Out the other end, we made it to Queensferry proper. Here are Stan and Blythe on the walk into town.Queensferry is exactly that - the crossing point over the Firth of Forth for hundreds (nay, thousands) of years. So this is where all the bridges are.In fact, the town's views are dominated by three bridges. The Scotland | ALBA website says that they are, "The Forth Bridge (the red one), a railway bridge which was completed over 125 years ago, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a spectacular feat in engineering. The neighbouring Forth Road Bridge opened in 1964 (you can see this one to the left), and Queensferry Crossing, to the west of South Queensferry, is a new road bridge set to open at the end of May 2017." In fact, one of the places we stopped into was called "The Three Bridges." We arrived in time for lunch. And since Blythe is a well-known food critic in Edinburgh, creator of Lunchquest, we headed for a recommended lunch spot at the marina. From town, that meant we cut left rather than right towards Port Edgar.Here's Blythe doing his thing, documenting the experience.Lunch was, believe it or not, a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich at Down the Hatch. Pretty good!
     Properly fortified, we then headed east along the coast into downtown Queensferry...