Cory and the Seventh Story Launches

Great News!  My fourth picture book is here!  Cory and the Seventh Story officially launched just before Christmas 2018, but I was so busy with everything I didn't get a chance to blog about it.  Now, I have had time to make a little trailer about the book and give you some details.  Click on the video above to check it out.  

This is a wonderful story written by Brian McLaren and Gareth Higgins, about a little raccoon named Cory who learns how the stories we tell about the world shape how we live.  As Cory's neighbors live out their stories, readers will discover six familiar ones that have repeated through history, teaching us how to dominate, fear, or withdraw from the world and the beautiful people in it.  

The good news is that there is another story, a path of openheartedness toward others.  Cory's discovery of the Seventh Story will inspired children and adults alike.  

Written in the spirit of classics like Douglas Wood's The Old Turtle series, and Kenneth Graheme's, The Wind in the Willows, Cory and the Seventh Story invites kids and adults into conversations about what's going wrong in the world, and what we can do to be part of the solution.  I was so honored to be a part of this project because of it's timeliness and it's lasting message. 

It is a beautiful hard cover book with book jacket that is considered a long form picture book, which means it has full pages of text plus pictures on every page, making it perfect for children 6 - 9 years old,  However, it really is appropriate for all audiences.  :)  If you are interested in ordering a copy of the book you can go to this link: 

 www.theseventhstory.com

I hope you enjoy Cory and the Seventh Story and are transformed by the power of its message.  Thanks for your support!

Piper

Piper

I have to share this with you!  It's the "World's Best Animated Short Film".  I found it one day just cruising the internet for inspiration and boy did it inspire!!   Click on the link above and be prepared to smile:)

Enjoy!

Art Quote

A little inspiration from Picasso to get you through your day!  Make some art today even if it's just a doodle:)

Because you wasted so much time....

I was listening to the radio while driving into work the other day and I heard the speaker say that the greatest form of love we can give another is the gift of our time.  Because when we give our time, our undivided attention to another, we are giving a piece of ourselves that we can never get back.  The words of the fox from the The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery, sums it up perfectly.

SCBWI Spring Fever Conference

Ever have those days in the middle of winter where you are just feeling blah and can't get motivated? That's how I was feeling, and then the SCBWI Spring Fever Conference came around this past weekend.  It was the perfect prescription for the winter blah's!  I have been a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators for three years now, and I have known about the national and regional conferences, but my schedule has never allowed me to attend one.  Until this year! 

 
What a wonderful day I had with so many serendipitous moments.  Meeting a professional illustrator, connecting with friends from on-line, and learning new things.  But the best part was being in the company of so many people who are passionate about storytelling for kids.  There was a palpable feeling of creativity in the air with so many authors and illustrators all coming together for the purpose of being inspired and pushed on in their craft.  Plus they set up a little book store with everyone's books for sale so of course I had to go shopping.

The day started with a discussion of query letters and loglines (two new terms for me!).   As I was sitting listening, I decided to post to Instagram what I was doing.  I quickly received a comment from a follower that she was there at the conference too!   Wow!  Technology is so cool!  I looked around me, where was she?  Nicolette was right behind me and at the break we got to meet each other face to face versus over Instagram.  She is an emerging author with kids and a day job just like me.  We had so much in common and it was fun to talk and encourage each other. 

After lunch Nicolette went to the author feedback session and I went to the illustrator feedback session.  It was run by our guest illustrator Elizabeth Zunon!  She presented her work and creative process to us in the morning session and now she was giving portfolio reviews!  What a thrill it was for me to have my work reviewed by such a successful illustrator.   

And I also got to purchase one of Elizabeth's books for my collection!  It's a true story of a boy who lives in Malawi and figures out how to make a windmill from old junk, to pump water to his village during a terrible drought.  The story is heart-warming and the illustrations are lovely!

I also got to meet a several great illustrators who live in the area.  We got to share our artwork, talk creative process and exchange websites.  One illustrator who I met is Jacob Souva who has amazing digital collage artwork.   It's sort of like a cross between Eric Carle and Miroslav Sasek.  Check out some of his work below: 

   

  

Isn't it great!  You have to check out more of his work via the link I included above. All in all the SCBWI Spring Fever Conference was just what I needed to get me through March.  I hope my story helped inspire you! 

 

Perfect World

In looking for art inspiration on this cold January morning, I stumbled upon this video.  Amazing!  I love the tenderness of it.  Just had to share with you all:)  Click on the picture to be taken to the Vimeo site of Karni & Saul, the makers of this wonderful gem.

  

Enjoy!

Perfect World by Katie Melua

Inspiration Quote

A little inspiration

Every now and then I find these amazing digital painting videos that blow me away.  I wish I could paint the way these people do with digital tools!  I am trying to teach myself, but right now my skill level is at the "finger painting" stage.  But that doesn't mean I can't be inspired by others and share it with you.  Here is a demo of a digital painting that I found done by N.R. Morales.  I enjoy seeing how he builds areas up with paint and layers colors multiple times until he achieves the look he wants.  The most interesting thing to me is how the lone figure in this painting changes multiple times, going from a man to a woman in the process.  Take a look and let me know what you think in the comments below.    

Rainy Days and Pumpkin Soup!

Today is a cold, rainy, fall day.  The perfect kind of day for spending in the studio!  And the perfect kind of day for Pumpkin Soup!

I discovered this delightful book by Helen Cooper in the grocery store of all places, just last week!  It was actually published the year my oldest son was born - 1998 - so I don't know what took me so long to discover it.  But I am so glad that I have!  The illustrations are delightful and the story endearing.  And since it is such a dreary day here, I just had to post a few images to warm my thoughts, and hopefully yours as well.

And in case you were in the mood for the whole story, you can watch it unfold in this adorable video.  

Lastly, all this talk of pumpkin soup made me want to make some!  So here is a great recipe that I found!  

Enjoy

Embrace the Shake

I found this awesome TED talk and had to share it with you all.  It's about an artist who developed a shake in his hand and couldn't control his pencil.  At first he thought it ended his art career, but then he learned to embrace the shake and it launch a whole new way of creating art and of looking at creativity for him.  Truly inspirational!

Enjoy!

Creative Inspiration

Weapons Of Creation | via Tumblr

Attack!

Rebecca Dautremer - Favorite Illustrator

The art of French Illustrator Rebecca Dautremer first captured my attention when I saw her work in Sketchtravel.  It was a simple illustration of a man riding a carriage pulled by a dachund --- I was immediately smitten with her illustrations.  Her work appeared in the first few pages of the book and the write up she provided on her thoughts about the project were so authentic, I knew I just had to learn more about this artist. 

Viewing her work is a bit like stepping into a fairytale, but her characters have a modern feeling to them.  Her illustrations feel magical are beautifully detailed.  She says her recipe for success are warm colors and precise drawings.  Below I found a short video showing her completing a painting.  Her excellence as an artist can clearly be seen in this video.       

She has had much success in illustrating picture books for children ages 3 - 11, although she is not well known in the U.S.  Many of the titles I found were published in Spanish or French language.  Two books that I own are in Spanish and although I do not speak Spanish that doesn't stop me from enjoying the illustrations!  Here are a few:

For Christmas I rewarded myself by adding two of her children's books to my collection.  I bought Nasreddine, written by Odile and illustrated by Rebecca Dautremer, and Enamorados, written and illustrated by Rebecca Dautremer.  You can see both of these books incorporated in the illustration above and I've included some of the artwork from the books in the selection of her work that I posted above.  I hope I have whet your appetite enough that you will go out and find her work for yourself.  It really is spectacular and such a great inspiration to me:)

Let me know what you think in the comments below. 

Tschüss

(The word above is the informal German word for goodbye and one of my favorite.  Embracing my heritage, I've decided to make it my new sign off for 2016)

Stop Motion Inspiration - The Making of The Boxtrolls

I follow an artist on Tumblr whose name is Aurelie Neyret.  She has beautiful work that I love to look at and that always inspires me.  You should check out her work too, I have linked her website to her name.  

Well, the other day when I went to her Tumblr I found a link she attached that inspired her.  It was a Talks at Google event with the producers of the stop motion film The Boxtrolls.  I watched the entire 1 hour+ long talk and was truly amazed.  I have always loved animation and particularly stop motion animation....it reminds me of my youth and watching Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer:)

Watching how they developed this film, the obstacles they overcame, the rewrites and redirection, and the joy they had in pressing the bounds of what can be done in stop motion was fascinating and fun!  I thought.... I just have to share this with you all.  Put it on while you are working on something creative and feel the energy flow:)

Enjoy!

The Making of the Boxtrolls a Talks at Google production.  

The Marvels by Brian Selznik - Sneak Peak!

Last week I received in the mail the most wonderful gift!  It was actually a gift I had ordered for myself and forgot about...don't you love those:)  It is the latest book by Brian Selznick called "The Marvels".  I ordered it during the summer before it was printed, and Amazon sent it to me as soon as it became available.  I have been savoring this book all week, trying not to go through it too fast!  But I wanted to share it with you all in case you hadn't heard about it.

Brian Selznik is the author of many picture books including The Doll People series, Frindle, The Wonderful Invention of Hugo Cabret, and Wonderstruck.  He was already a successful illustrator, but I would say it was when he illustrated Hugo Cabret that he set him apart as an illustrator and storyteller.  He adopted a style that, he says, was inspired by the old black and white films.  They had to rely on only visuals to tell the story since there was no sound and only a frame or two of text to communicate the full story.  Brian Selznik imitated this format in his Hugo Cabret story with huge sections of the story being told by pencil illustrations and text intermittently inserted throughout.  It was a instant success.  When I discovered Hugo I totally fell in love!  His newest work, "The Marvels" is done in a similar format and that's why I wanted you to see it.  A synopsis of the book from Brian's website is as follows:

"The journey begins on a ship at sea, with a boy named Billy Marvel. He survives a devastating shipwreck and later finds work in a London theatre. There his family flourishes for generations as brilliant actors until young Leontes Marvel abandons the stage and runs away.

A century later, Joseph Jervis, another runaway, seeks refuge with an uncle in London. Stormy Uncle Albert and his strange but beautiful house, with its ships and theater programs, haunting portraits and ghostly presences, lure Joseph on a search for clues about the house, and his own life.As readers piece together the mystery of how the two narratives connect, they will be swept up in a gripping adventure that is also a moving exploration of our need to belong and to tell stories."

Here is also a wonderful video that Brian himself put together to preview the book.  You should definitely watch it!  It is so artistic and such an inspiration!

http://www.themarvelsthebook.com/videos/themarvels.mp4

Brian Selznik studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and after he graduated from college he worked at Eeyore’s Books for Children in New York City.  He says he learned all about children’s books from his boss Steve Geck who is now an editor of children’s books at Greenwillow.  His first book, The Houdini Box, which he both wrote and illustrated, was published in 1991 while he was still working at the bookstore.  I don't have that one yet....need to order it:)  Since then, he have illustrated many books for children.  I first discovered him when I bought the Doll People series of books.  His classic pencil drawings are what drew me in, but it's his storytelling that kept me hooked.  Below are a few pages from "The Marvels".  

What I admire the most about Brian Selznik and his work is that he is a wonderful storyteller!  He uses his unique pencil drawing technique and a variation of values to lead the readers eye to the most important story telling elements in each frame.  Not only are his compositions detailed and engaging, but their format enhances the ability of the reader to see the story unfold before them picture after picture.  Sometimes he will take 5 or 6 full page illustrations to tell a single moment in the story.  The page turning experience of this book is wonderfully paced and gives the story a wonderful rhythm.   Additionally he does a stellar job with his character development.   In "The Marvels" he has so many characters to develop and draw consistently as he tells a story that moves across four generations with many of the characters aging from infancy to old age.  His attention to detail and consistency in developing these characters helps the reader to instantly recognize each character even as they age and are sometimes brought back into the story many years later.  In my mind he has definitely set a very high bar for visual storytelling and one that inspires me to improve my own visual storytelling. 

When I was in New York City a few years ago I stopped into the Society of Illustrators and saw an exhibit of original children's picture book artwork.  Brian's work was there and I was blown away when I saw the originals from Wonderstruck!  They were so detailed and so small!  Actually much smaller than the printed pages, which is unusual since many artists will work larger than the finished format.  But his drawings are so well done that they can be enlarged and not lose detail.  It was a wonderful discovery for me and I have been inspired ever since:) 
In case you are interested in reading more here is a link to a USA Today Review and if you are like me and need to own your own copy here is a link to Amazon so you can order it too!

I hope you enjoyed this introduction to "The Marvels".  Let me know in the comments what you think of Brian Selznik's work and "The Marvels".

A child has no trouble believing.....

A child has no trouble believing the unbelievable, nor does the genius or the madman. It’s only you and I, with our big brains and our tiny hearts, who doubt and overthink and hesitate.

- Steven Pressfield

artwork by Machael Knapp

Jane Chapman - Another Favorite Illustrator

So today I want to introduce you to Jane Chapman (if you don't already know her).  She is the best selling illustrator of "Bear Snores On" and "Bear Wants More" and many more "Bear" books written by Karma Wilson.  I first discovered Jane's work through the "bear" series of books when my kids were younger and I belonged to a children's book club.  I personally love bears, so when I saw "Bear Snores On" I ordered it.  The story is so fun and the illustrations so sweet I immediately fell in love!

I love Jane's style of illustration and I would say of all my favorite illustrators I think her work influences me the most.  She has developed the adorable character of the "Bear" series of bear, wren, mouse, mole, badger, raven, rabbit, and owl.  These characters are memorable and recognizable where ever they go.  I also love her color pallet of bright happy colors mixed with warm earthy mutes  and vibrant greens throughout.  Her color choices help to create the mood of each individual illustration and of course the picture book overall.

She works with a limited pallet and I would love to know what colors she uses.  Her is her medium and color choices in her own words.

"I work in acrylic paint. I’ve tried other things, but acrylics suit me very well. I never know what I’m going to get at the end, so I can’t do watercolour painting at all! Acrylic is good because there is a lot of freedom to change your mind as your picture progresses. I am wedded to about eight secret colours that I use over and over again, but my palette is only ever limited to four per book. I don’t need any more than that."  

I wonder what those secret colors are?  I'm going to make a guess (Jane don't get angry at me if I get it right....yea right).

Flake White
Ivory Black
Permanent Green Light
CadmiumLemon Yellow
Yellow Ochre
Sap Green
Lapis Blue
Terra Rosa
Cadmium Red

Shoot!  That's 9 colors!  Ok, I give up!
Jane says she works mainly with animal characters and in fact considers herself a weak drawer when it comes to drawing people.  I would disagree based on this sketch!

I found a wonderful interview with Jane Chapman done by fellow Brit Joanna Marple.  You can find the full interview here if you are interested.  You can also visit Jane's website here if you want to see all of her work.   She actually works with her husband Tim Warnes, who is also an illustrator, and they share a studio, so they also have work they have produced together.   You will find his work on their joint website which is the link I provided above.  

Well, I hope you have enjoyed meeting Jane Chapman.  If you are a picture book fan then you need to go buy some of her books!  It will give you something to enjoy till next time when I share my next favorite illustrator with you:)  Leave me a comment if you liked this post or if you want to guess at what Jane's secret pallet colors are!