Glo Friends! New Book Series I Have Been Working On!

Happy December!

It's truly starting to feel like winter here and I have been dreaming of winter fun!  About a week ago we had 77" of snow drop on us in a 48 hour window.  Yes!  77"  But it missed me because I was out of town at an art show, and I got to reveal for the first time, the project I have been working on for over a year!  

And now I get to share it with you!

I was commissioned by the toy company PlayMonster to help them with a series of 6 picture books to compliment a wonderful new line of toys they are producing - the Glo Friends.  This community of adorable, glow-in-the-dark bugs illuminate a child’s world from morning to night. Each loveable bug and matching picture book is designed to teach the cornerstones of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) with kids.   These books and toys are perfect for preschoolers and to prove it I have pictures from my show this past weekend.

Each pack is only $17.99 for a Glo Friends toy, and 20-page full color picture book, illustrated by yours truely. :) 

 

They are available on Amazon, and I would love it if you choose to gift them to your special little ones this holiday season.

 

 Here is a link to the site:

And a few more illustrations for your viewing enjoyment!

Thanks for reading my news!  I hope you have a cozy and delightful December wherever you are!

 

Hair Love

Last night I attended a SCBWI zoom workshop with the talented Vashti Harrison.  This week she has five top selling picture books on the NY Times best sellers list!  Included on the list is my favorite - Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry, illustrated by Vashti Harrison.  The book was made into a short film (Vashti was a film major) which I included above.  You have to watch it!  It is a beautiful story about a dad trying to do his daughter's hair.  The relationship between the dad and daughter is so tender it makes you want to cry, and then they really pull the waterfalls out of you when they weave in a story of cancer survival as well!  Being a two-time cancer survivor, with small kids at the time, when I battled cancer, I just bawled when I saw that.  

I hope you love it as much as I do!

The Monster in my Basement

I love this time of year - cool nights, leaves turning colors, and monsters being born! Yes, you heard me right! MONSTERS. I say monsters being born because I just finished my 5th picture book.  It's a book about a monster. I have been working on it for a year now, with the last 6 months being the painting of the artwork, so in a way you could call it a creative birth. :)

I turned the artwork over to the publisher on Monday and now I get to tell you about it. We don't have an official title for it yet, (that's the publisher's job) but it's about a 4 year old boy who discovers a hungry monster in his basement. So, I am calling it "The Monster in my Basement".

This monster is really hungry! And really big!

What should the boy do?

Maybe the monster wants some fruit or tuna fish? Chicken or a hotdog? Or ice cream in a dish? How about spaghetti or sweet potato pie?

Or just maybe... the monster wants something else? (GULP!)

If you want to find out what the monster DOES EAT you won't have to wait long! The book will officially launch fall 2020, but I will have several dozen advance copies for my collectors this holiday season! First-come-first-serve basis. Come see me at one of my holiday shows or contact me on e-mail through my website: www.heatherlynnharris.com

Fall 2019 Show Schedule

November 11 WNY Childrens Book Festival Buffalo Convention Center

November 22 - 24 Rochester Holiday Bazaar Rochester Science Museum

December 7 - 8 Roycroft Christmas Show Roycroft Campus, East Aurora, NY

December 13 - 14 WNY Book Arts Center Buffalo, NY

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!

What I have been doing lately?

Cory and the 7th Story Update

Back in December I previewed for you a new project that I am working on called Cory and the 7th Story.  I shared with you the characters, some environment studies and even the character's little homes.  Since then I have been working on the story board and roughing out the pages.   I am at the color roughs stage and hoping to have these finished by the end of the month (Yikes, that's only a few days away!)  I thought you might like to see the characters I introduced you to in a few scenes with a little narration from the story.

Cory is a little raccoon who loves to read stories.  

He loves all kinds of stories, but mostly he loves stories that end with "happily ever after".  Cory lives in the old village, along the clear stream, near the edge of the deep forest, within the broad meadow with his woodland friends.  

Normally the old village is a happy place.  But recently, Cory's friends don't seem so happy.  Some seem scared, like rabbit, and try to run away.

  Others seem conniving and try to drive others away.

Still others seem to fight all the time...

This makes Cory very sad and he doesn't know what to do.  Why are his friends not happy?

That is till a poet came to town one day.  The poet was a creature that no one had ever  seen before and she seemed to have magical words.  

The poet shared a story that no one had ever heard before...the animals were amazed.  And then.....

Well, what do you think?  Wanna read it?  Keep coming back, I'll have more to share and maybe even a surprise from the story!

TTFN

Busy Show Season

 

Playing a little catch up here after a busy Christmas show season!  I spent most of November and December launching Five Hungry Mice to all my friends in Western New York! Art shows, Children's book expos, local TV appearances, book signing, and more, oh my!  I seem to have done it all. And I am so thankful for the support of my family, friends, and publisher who helped me with each of these opportunities.  

What a wonderful reception you gave my newest picture book.  The best part for me is always being able to visit with you, and learn about the children who will be reading my books.  Thank you for taking the time to stop by my booth at my different art shows, or drop me a line in my e-mail, or send me support on social media.  I love hearing from you all, and I especially love the pictures of children enjoying my books.

I like to keep a list of the names of the children I sign the books for and looking at it afterwards is like looking at Santa's nice list:)

I also had fun introducing a new character to you all, Howard the Monster.  He and his monster friends made an appearance this year in my new Monster Match Game.  Howard comes to me from Dave and Debbie Preston, who shared their wonderful song about Howard with me a few years ago.  Howard is so adorable I just had to share him with you all, and now he is going to be a future picture book!  Look for him for next Christmas season:)

So now it's January and I need to get working again.  I have two projects this year that I hope to get done for you all.  That means lots of painting and lots of fun! 

So stay in touch and follow me on Instagram at heatherharris.illustration for some in the moment updates:)

Sneak peak of a new project I'm working on!

Cory and the 7th Story

I have another picture book in the works that I am super excited about!   I have been working on it for about three months now fleshing out the characters, environment, and flat plan.  I thought you might like to see a few things I have created.  These are all just sketches and ideas, but if you are like me, that's the art that I love to see:)

Logos and characters and environment oh my!

When I begin a picture book project I need to think through some of the building blocks of what will become the picture book.  This requires research and studies and lots of little messy drawings.  But if I take the time to think through this stuff up front, the rest of the picture book process goes much more smoothly.

Visual Logos:

Imagery, such as small vignettes that act as visual logos is a nice way for me to think about the essence of the story, and they become good little pieces of art to represent the project.  I created two such pieces of art and above is the one I like the most.   It's just a pen drawing on layout bond with prisma color marker at this point.  I love prima color marker because you can lay down color quickly and get a sense of what final art might look like.  But at the same time I often find the colors are too saturated.  I guess I haven't figured out the best way to work with them yet, but I keep trying:)  I will eventually paint it in oil

Characters:

Characters of the story is the next thing I need to think about.  I try to push myself to think about variety of shape and size (something I learned while at the Academy).  I had a good friend of mine tell me that you should be able to recognize a character by it's shadow.  Meaning their shape is so distinctive that you would know if anywhere! I think that is a great way of thinking about it!  I haven't perfected that yet, but I do keep that in mind as I develop my characters.  Below is the character line up I created.  There are a lot of characters!  I love the variety of animals I got to work with and imagining their environment was even more fun!

Environment:

The next thing I had to think of was the environment where these little guys live.  I focused in on these words from the manuscript....Cory lived in the old village, along the clear stream, near the edge of the deep forest, within the broad meadow.  I created a little painting of what this might look like, you can see it below.

Then I had to come up with all of the houses that these animals would live in.  That was even more fun!  I drive through a small ski village on my way to work.  As I was driving through I noticed all these cozy little homes that people rent out during the ski season.  They made for the best visual reference for the homes I imagined my characters living in.  One day on my way to work, I took time out to stop and walk through the village.  I brought my camera and took all kinds of photo reference of the homes to give me ideas to work with.  Then I went back to my drawing table and come up with houses for each of my characters.  You can see a sample of them below.

  

Now for the fun part....

See if you can guess which animal lives in which house!

I hope you enjoyed learning about Cory and the 7th Story.  I will have more to post about it in the coming months as I work through the pages and introduce you to my wonderful authors!  You are going to love this story!!!!

TTFN

November is National Picture Book Month!

November is National Picture Book Month!  And what a line up of events are planned!  My new picture book Five Hungry Mice launches this month and will be debuted at the Western New York Children's Book Expo on Saturday, November 11, 2017 at the Buffalo Convention Center. 

In addition, the sponsor of the Western New York Children's Book Expo, local children's book store Monkey See Monkey Do, has a whole week of events planned with authors and illustrators from all over the country!  Check out the listing of events below.

I hope you can get out to one of these wonderful events and celebrate Picture Book Month!  Be sure to share the love of reading with a child who you love and a lifetime of memories will be born.  I'll be back in my next post with more details about the schedule of events for the Western New York Children's Book Expo next weekend. 

Until then remember these words from Dr. Seuss: 

"You can find magic wherever you look. 

Sit back and relax, 

all you need is a book."

SCBWI Book Stop

Wanna find some great new children's books from the best authors and illustrators around?  Then stop in to visit the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Book Stop going on now till November 27, 2017.  

It features hundreds of new books published in 2017 by SCBWI authors and illustrators including my Five Hungry Mice!

Just take a look at a sample of all the beautiful books you can discover!  

And when you visit the pages of these authors and illustrators you can buy their books or comment to give them encouragement:)  The more encouragement they receive the higher their books will rank, so please offer some love to those books you like the best!  Just click on the link I provided above and browse and enjoy!

If you love picture books like I do, this is the place to discover the best gems and support hard working authors and illustrators:)

Enjoy!

New Picture Book - Five Hungry Mice

Great News!

It's finally ready!  After taking the summer to finish the artwork, (explains my absence from my blog) and working with my publisher this fall, we finally have Five Hungry Mice ready to go to press!  My publisher and her book designer have done a fantastic job making my adorable mice look so beautiful in book format.  It really looks fantastic and I can't wait for you all to see it in person. 

It will be officially published and in stores in early 2018, but I have access to pre-published copies beginning in November for my followers who have been so patiently waiting!  Just in time for National Picture Book Month.  I will be selling the book and my other artwork at the following art shows:

11/11 Western New York Children’s Book Expo  Saturday 10:00am - 3:00pm Buffalo Niagara Convention Center, Buffalo, NY

11/17-19 Rochester Museum & Science Center Holiday Bazaar
Fri 5:00 - 9:00pm, Sat 9:30am - 5:00pm, Sun 11:00am - 4:00pm
657 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 

11/25 Local Author Book Signing
Saturday 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Buffalo History Museum, One Museum Court, Buffalo, NY

12/2-3 Roycroft Campus Art Show
Sat 10:00am - 5:00pm, Sun 10:00am - 5:00pm
31 South Grove St, East Aurora, NY

If you can't make a show you can order your copy at www.fivehungrymice.com

But that's not all!

Five Hungry Mice is also featured with hundred's of other great new titles at the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators' Annual Book Stop promotion that is running till November 27, 2017.  You can find lots of new picture books by the best authors and illustrators. You should definitely check it out. Take a peek at just some of the beautiful books the Five Hungry Mice gets to be featured with...

Well, I better get back to the studio.  I'm already working on another book for you all but you'll have to wait to hear more about that one.  In the mean time come see me to get a copy of Five Hungry Mice or click on the link to the website.

TTFN! 

Children's Authors and Illustrators Interview - Wende Essrow

“ON A PERFECT DAY I HEAD OUT AT SUNRISE AND SKI THROUGH THE WOODS, AND LISTEN TO THE WIND. IF I AM LUCKY I HEAR THE OWLS AND SPOT A WHITE TAIL DEER PEEKING BETWEEN THE TREES.” 

  

It's time again for another interview with an author/illustrator as part of my Children's Authors and Illustrators Interview feature.  This month I'd like to introduce you to my good friend Wende Essrow!  She is author and illustrator of Paintbrush Dreamer and her latest children's book, If You Listen to The Trees.

I met Wende at a very serendipitous point in my life and it was my introduction to her that lead to me publishing my first book.  Wende visited the East Aurora Art Society meeting one cold February night to share her latest picture book with us.  I was immediately smitten with Wende and wanted to learn more about how she got published.  She readily shared everything she knew with me and we became fast friends over the last three years.  I can't wait for you to meet her!   Below is my interview with Wende that took place over coffee and e-mail.

Interview:

You have been an inspiration to me ever since I met you at the East Aurora Art Society meeting three years ago when you published your firstpicture book Paintbrush Dreamer.  Who are some people who inspire you?

I have been inspired by many authors and artists over the years. One author that I love is Sigurd Olsen. He has written beautiful books about his solo travels in North Country areas. I also love to solo hike and explore. Olsen's capacity to bring his reader along for his adventures at hand is exceptional. I also refer back to my childhood fairytale collection, The Fairytale Book (by Golden) illustrated by Adrienne Segur, a true master of beautiful fantasy illustrations. There are so many beautiful picture books I could go on forever. One book, The Whales' Song by Dyan Sheldon and illustrated by Gary Blythe is another favorite. I actually had the distinct pleasure of corresponding with the author who kindly volunteered to review my first manuscript.  I also received a beautiful letter from France from the illustrator. I was so overwhelmed by the art I wrote to the publisher who forwarded my letter directly to the artist. The artist wrote back a beautiful letter which I cherish and have kept in the book for over 25 years as a reminder to always try to connect with my reading audience in a personal way.

 The Whale's Song, an inspiration

 Wende's childhood fairytale book

What made you decide to become and author/illustrator of picture books?

I have always painted and written poetry and kept a journal. When my children were younger I would read bedtime stories and make up stories as well. My youngest son is a graphic artist and for my birthday decided to give me the gift of his time. He called and said Mom, "It is time you share your stories with a greater audience. I always loved them and I want you to learn how to design a book so you can share them." He basically encouraged me to put together a story and helped me work it into a manuscript. I loved the first project, showed to an indie bookstore owner and he said, "you have something very special here." From that point on, with a project in hand I met with a publisher and the journey began.

And that book was the Paintbrush Dreamer, right?    Yes!

You have both authored and illustrated picture books, which do you enjoy more, the writing of the stories for picture books or the creation of the illustrations?

I love to write. I always have and always will, as it is a part of my spirit, it grounds me and allows me to celebrate all that moves me. There is so much beauty, so much happiness in being alive, and of course sometime there are obstacles that need to be overcome. It is with a pen and ink that I have survived many challenges and celebrated my gratitude for all the beauty that surrounds us. I have to say both my writing and my art are tools for me to express the inner joy, the sense of wonder, the sheer amazement in this thing called, life. I admit I love writing as well as painting and it depends on my mood. Writing flows, illustrating a thought takes some planning and execution skill, thus I need to be very focused to paint. I love both forms of expression and my state of mind dictates what I can best accomplish in the studio on any given morning.

You have told me you have been writing and journaling a long time, do you have  special place that you like to go to when you write? 

 

I have done most of my writing on a ratty old green couch in my art studio with my muse, Charlie a beloved old dog by my side. We have what I call our coffee dates in the early morning and that is when I write. The studio is surrounded by woods and there is a creek that I can hear when the windows are open. It is really cold in the studio so I try to get a fire burning in the woodstove. I am a morning person. I usually do some painting later in the afternoon after a long walk in the woods. I need to be outside for awhile under any weather conditions to get ready to settle down and paint. There is something about hiking or xcountry skiing and listening to the wind that allows me to concentrate and sit still long enough to work on an illustration.

Can you share a picture of your art space with us?

Can you share with us where you get inspiration for your stories?

My inspiration comes from nature. I have always loved to be outside exploring. Whether I am hiking, skiing, canoeing, I am hypersensitive to the light and colors of the natural world as well as extremely observant of wildlife. This has always been the case. I feel more at home in the middle of nowhere surrounded by woods and listening to the sound of wind in the treetops than I do whenI am inside even my own house. Winter is my favorite season. When I study the geometry of an individual snowflake or look at the muted pastel colors of a winter sky I feel an abundance of joy. It is this sense of awe that inspires me to write and paint.

You are also a very accomplished photographer, what role does photography play in your book creation process?

I sometimes take a small pocket camera to record a particular scene or detail along my outdoor trails. I began to share a few of these shots that are useful in developing paintings from multiple references. Over the years with the advent of social media I have gathered an audience for my photography as a separate art form. I am currently working on a coffee table nature photography and poetry book for adults at the same time I am working on a new children's book.

(You can follow Wende's photography on Instagram at @Wendesworld.  Here is a sample of the work you will find there.)

Do you have any sage advice to offer someone who is thinking about getting into picture books?

Regarding advice to anyone aspiring to write a children's book, do it for love of your subject. There is a likely chance you will not make a fortune, but if you have the opportunity to share a piece of your soul, that will make you "richer." I suggest starting with a small local publisher and keep trying. If no one is interested in publishing your work, self publish it and share it with family and friends.

Thank you for sharing your art journey with us Wende:)  You can find Wende's books at her website www.ifyoulistentothetrees.com

Why I Love Picture Book Launches

Clover and the Shooting Star  was officially launched on September 11, 2016 and I was reminded again why I love picture book launches!  There is nothing quite like watching people react to your work and see their faces light up as they view it.  And planning the launch gives me a chance to be a kid again!  

Planning
Planning a picture book launch is just plain fun!  Yeah, sure, it might seem overwhelming at first, but remember who you are doing it for - kids!  They aren't picky, they just want to have fun.  You get to let your imagination go wild and think like a child to come up with fun food, interesting interaction stations and a fun venue.  I used Pinterest to create a board where I gathered ideas that would fit with my woodland animal, shooting star theme.   I enlisted the help of my kids to make fun food and decorations based on the pins I collected:)

 

I chose a park location because what kid doesn't want to go to the park?  And we have a beautiful park near us which is where we go to watch shooting stars!  Perfect!

Enhancing

Bringing the story of Clover and the Shooting Star to life for little ones and adults alike was really important to me.  The story is touching and the characters are engaging and I wanted all who came to the launch to experience that.  My good friend Maxine came to the rescue when she created plush versions of my characters from the book!  She is an amazing designer and works miracles with fabric.  Look at the adorable characters she made for the book launch!

A raffle of the individual characters allowed five lucky people to take a one-of-a-kind Clover plush home with them, and the proceeds went to benefit a "No-Kill" animal shelter in honor of my niece who loved dogs.   That's a double win!  But Maxine didn't stop there, she made me Clover the Rabbit in quantity so people could take Clover home with them along with the book!

Embracing 

But with out doubt the best part of the picture book launch was meeting and sharing with people who were touched by the story of Clover.  I am so honored that people shared their stories of loss and grief with me, and that they found comfort in the wonder and hope of Clover and the Shooting Star.  Moms, dads, and little ones alike can relate to Clover and his story.  And having the Clover the Bunny for little ones to hold and love along with the book just warmed my heart.

Creating Clover and the Shooting Star to comfort my family in a time of need helped others in their time of need too.  There is no bigger reward than that.