Coloring Page Tuesday - The Princess and the Frog

     It's the classic tale of promises, betrayal, and love - the Princess and the Frog! 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 Students at the Maurice Sendak Exhibit

Saturday, I headed to the Gaston (NC) Public Library with a small troupe of Winthrop U illustration students to see the Maurice Sendak Memorial Exhibit. We met up with members from the Carolinas chapter of SCBWI (the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators). If you've been with me for a loooong time, you might recall when a Sendak exhibit visited Atlanta back in 2007. Librarian Dandria Bradley spent three years putting this show together and it paid off in spades!The exhibit has been all over the world for many years, so it was the first time my students had seen it, let alone Sendak's work in person. They were enthralled!
It was so fascinating to see original works, like Max...Final pencil drawings from We are all in the dumps with Jack and Guy...I mean, look at that line work!There were even pieces from The Nutshell Library...(I had to purchase a set as the ones my sister and I had from childhood went to her.) I especially loved seeing an animation cell from In the Night Kitchen, a sculpture of Max in his boat..., and a study for the movie version of Where the Wild Things Are.Of course, the stars were the actual images from the book Where the Wild Things Are (known in the kid lit world as WTWTA). To be able to see Sendak's crosshatching and watercolor work together was truly special. We made sure to get a photo of the whole gang while we were there.Only a few of us got to wear crowns (this is Shawnee and Izzy).Afterwards, we all headed to Nellie's Southern Kitchen in Belmont, North Carolina, home to The Jonas Brothers - yes, those Jonas Brothers! The restaurant is the family business and all their gold records line the hallways. They also serve up a mighty fine chicken and waffles, so says Kaelen!We tried to mix up the students and the SCBWI folks so that everyone could get to know each other. It turned out to be a fun and valuable experience for all! Thanks to Kelly Dyksterhouse, the new Carolinas SCBWI ARA for putting the day together and letting us Winthrop folks join in. What a wonderful day it was!

VIDEO: The Drawing Advice That Changed My Life

This actually truly is some seriously awesome advice - give it a listen. Click the image to watch on Youtube:

Spring Semester - Week #1

We're off and running into the 2nd semester here at Winthrop University and it has been one insanely busy start! Even so, I feel like I have a much better handle on things this term, although I'm certainly not completely sorted as yet. I have a great group of kids (my students are always 'my kids' no matter their ages), which makes even the hard parts all worth it.
      This semester I'm teaching a drawing class...I have 14 students in this one, so it's pretty cozy. But I've had many of these students before, so we already have an easy rapport going. Most of them are sophomores, so they are most definitely 'my kids' with all that entails. I love them silly, but still have to push them to push themselves.I'm also teaching 'The Costumed Figure.' This is a painting class that begins with quite a few fabric studies. Later in the semester we'll have costumed models with themes like 'The Friendship 9', 'Sci-Fi', and 'Mythology'. My friend, Vicky Alvear Shecter is going to come up and give a lecture to prepare the students for that one - that will be awesome as she's an expert in Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology! This is a nice, small class with juniors who are past their portfolio reviews and now solidly into their illustration major. So, I'll have them until they graduate. And what a lucky teacher I am - this is one GREAT group of kids!I'm also teaching a computer media class called 'Narrative and Editorial' for this same group of students. Computer lab photos aren't as fun, but I'll get some soon. And we're doing some super-groovy projects this term which I can't wait to share with you!
     Meanwhile, an amazing speaker series is already underway. I already shared Liv's TOUCHSTONES talk. Well, Design Department colleague Jesse Weser gave a great talk on Thursday about her practice. I'll share more on that soon as it deserves a post of its own.We also had our semester faculty meeting in which ten of us gave Pecha Kucha talks. You may recall I learned about these when I first got to the University of Edinburgh. The theme is ten slides, ten minutes, ten speakers: 10x10x10. As this was my first time to address most of the Winthrop faculty, I mainly introduced myself and talked about some of the most defining moments and activities in my life.And I showed them all my books, of course.Other speakers included colleague and visual designer Mikale Kwiatkowski; Fine Arts and temporary Design Chair, and my boss, Karen Oremus; performance artist Stephanie Sutton; theater costumer Janet Gray; and the chair of the music department, trumpet player Elisa Catherine Koehler; along with dancers, more musicians, and artists. It's so inspiring to be surrounded by such forward-thinking and talented people. We all feel lucky to have found this home that encourages us to explore new ways to translate our world and gives us the opportunity to share our vision with a new generation. All good and off we go!

Friday Links List and Illustrators' Treehouse News

From The NY Times: The 10 Most Checked-Out Books in N.Y. Public Library History

From Brightly: 9 Books About Kindness for Tweens

From Bookshelf: Lego Bookshop


From BookRiot: 10 POWERFUL GRAPHIC MEMOIRS FOR YOUNG READERS

From The 74: We Need to Teach Young Men of Color Differently. That Starts With Books Where They Are Celebrated

From CNN Health: This is your child's brain on books: Scans show benefit of reading vs. screen time

From The Bookseller: Christopher Tolkien dies, aged 95

From SLJ: What’s So Different Now? Everything. And Nothing. | Kate Messner on Writing & Reading in the Trump Era



THE ILLUSTRATORS' TREEHOUSE NEWS
Register for the ICON11 Conference

From Muddy Colors: Arasta of the Endless Web and Marcos Chin: Ask Me Anything (i.e. "How do you know if your work is good enough?") and THE MUSEUMS OF THE CITY OF PARIS IMAGE REPOSITORY

From BBC: Ten Dream Homes from the past century also The Tragedy of Arts Greatest Supermodel (Lizzie Siddal)

From The Art Room Plant: Lara Hawthorne

and David Grossman


Do you know about Art Lien, courtroom artist?

From CGSociety: Andromeda Design Contest

From The Globe (via Chad): Making Comics With Lynda Barry’s ‘Making Comics’

From The Bologna Book Fair: The 2020 Illustrators Exhibition

From Simon & Schuster: The Meuller Report - Illustrated!

Abigail Halpin's FORT-BUILDING TIME

The author of the new FORT-BUILDING TIME, Megan Wagner Lloyd recently interviewed the illustrator, Abigail Halpin about her process working on the book, which I'm happy to share with you today! Take it away Megan!

Megan: I'm pretty sure I'm the luckiest picture book author ever--to have not just one, but two books illustrated by Abigail Halpin! Abigail is supremely talented, kind, and insightful. I was thrilled to be able to ask her more about her process, interests, and inspirations. Read on! Megan: How did illustrating Fort-Building Time connect back with your childhood? Did you build a lot of forts as a kid?
Abigail: The first time I read the manuscript for Fort-Building Time I was instantly transported back to my childhood. Growing up, my sisters and I spent hours outdoors riding bikes and building forts. And we even made snow forts, just like the one pictured in Fort-Building Time. Megan: Something I love about your illustrations for Fort-Building Time is that they feature a group of kids exploring and working together. When I was a kid I was always toting my next-youngest sister around, so I especially liked the inclusion of a younger sibling in the group. Why did you choose to center the illustrations on a group as opposed to one or two main characters?
Abigail: One thing I kept coming back to when sketching was the question of what fort building means. I think in a way, forts are a child's way of affirming home and creating a place of belonging. A fort is where you bring your stuffed animals and your friends, where you hide your treasures and read your books: essentially, it's a home, a place where you feel protected and affirmed. Because of that, I focused on the idea of how when we find community, we want to bring other people into that circle. So I began the book with the one girl, motioning the other to follow her. And from there, they began to add and grow, all finding a place together. The more the merrier!
Megan: What creatively inspires you?
Abigail: In no particular order: Tasha Tudor, used bookstores, embroidery, Eric Ravilious, Eastern European folk art, song lyrics, old photographs and always, nature.

Megan: What kind of books do you enjoy reading? Any fall-ish reading recommendations for us?
Abigail: Classics, non-fiction, graphic novels and mysteries are my favorites. As far as fall-ish reading, I've been a huge fan of John Bellairs's Johnny Dixon mysteries since I was a tween --they're wonderfully eerie, the perfect sort of fall reading. Megan: Aside from drawing and illustrating, how do you enjoy spending your time?
Abigail: I participate in local vintage events, things like Tweed Rides, Suffragette reenactments and 1920's themed picnics. It's the closest I'll get to time travel in this lifetime (unless I stumble on a TARDIS). Megan: Can you share what you are working on at present?
Abigail: I’m working on illustrating a middle grade book. Megan: Last question: along with building forts, Fort-Building Time celebrates the four seasons. Do you have a favorite season?
Abigail: Spring! Megan: Thank you, Abigail! Be sure to check out her website, her blog, and her Instagram! Hi All! e popping in here. I had two more questions - one for Megan and one for Abigail...
Megan, how has your experience been to have illustrators working on your stories?
Megan: As to how it feels to have an illustrator illustrate my writing, I have had amazing experiences with that so far in my career. I've loved seeing the ways the illustrators have chosen to interpret and expand upon my words. It's always illuminating seeing how they strengthen the themes and add to the story. It can feel kind of scary, because the writing is so personal and what if I hate the artwork? But so far I have had great experiences and I always try to write in a way that leaves a lot of space for the illustrator. I want them to bring their own creative vision to the table and to be open to their insights.

e: Great! And Abigail - I always ask this question... 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?
Abigail: I think what makes art magical (Heart Art) is when the illustrator enters deeply into the story and falls in love with the characters inside. When an artist makes that personal connection with the characters, it comes through in the illustrations and there's a different dimension that it brings to the work. It isn't just an assignment: it's a chance to bring to life the story of a friend.

e: Lovely! Thanks guys!

Coloring Page Tuesday - Meditating Moose

     May 2020 bring you peace, clarity, and wellness! Meditate on these things. 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.

Touchstones

It's the first day of Spring semester and the university has kicked off with a series of talks by fairly new faculty in the Department of Design and Fine Arts. The first talk was by Michelle "Liv" Livek Garner who talked about her project "Touchstones." The project was in response to several problems going on at the University of Missouri—racial tension was only one of the challenges. But tensions had gotten so bad, students were afraid to leave their dorm rooms. In response, Liv and her students came up with what, on the outside, appeared to be a simple project, but on the inside meant something much bigger.
      The point of the project was to give people a pretty little item meant to be given away, preferably to a stranger. It was meant to create connection, two people, two strangers, looking each other in the eye acknowledging 'I see you.' Such a simple act, but such a healing one.
     The project, called a social practice, was such a hit, Liv was invited to present the project in New York to hundreds of teachers looking for ideas on how to engage their own students.
     On its third iteration, Liv brought the project to Winthrop, where she added a QR code. When you scan the QR code, it takes you to a website with a series of questions, anonymous, friendly questions that spread joy, outreach, and love. All those questions are creating data that will somehow turn into an evolution of the Touchstones project. Liv doesn't know what it will look like yet, but it's simmering in her head, and it will be exciting to see what she comes up with next! In the meantime, be looking for these pretty little stones, or make some of your own and pass them on. This is a social movement of kindness, acknowledgement, and connection.