Heart's Pass

UPDATE: After several days of consideration, it felt like the icons in my first version (below) were a little confusing. What do you think? Does this read a little more clearly now? Melanie and Thor are grumpy, they see each other, say hello, and in passing their outlooks change.

We'll see where this goes, but I'd like to pitch a comic strip to our weekly paper, The Methow Valley News. Heart's Pass, starring a pair of local wolverines, will be a chance to observe and comment on both the local scene and the world at large. It will also be a deadline driven reason for me to "practice" telling stories in a comic strip format. How in the world do cartoonists keep up with those daily strips. Amazing!

Wild Woods

While not right in my backyard, this yawning black bear did spend most of it's Mother's Day weekend camped out near a friend's house in Mazama. We don't see the Ursus americanus of the Methow like this too often, but it is a great reminder of where we live and who we share the trails and tree wells with :)

Supermom!

Three cheers for the fearless super heroines of the world!

Happy Birthday Mr. Audubon!

My calendar tells me that today is John James Audubon's birthday. I'm certainly no genius naturalist, but I painted a few different birds recently and I have always been a fan of Audubon's amazing renderings. Melissa Sweet illustrated a great picture book biography about Audubon a few years ago. Enjoy!

Bookmark Doodles Too

Bookmark Doodles

I have a shoe box full of paper scraps. These odd-sized pieces get used for all sorts of things, and yesterday I started painting bookmarks. I'm hooked. Expect to see more!

Rain Delay

Mail Day!

The good folks at Henry Holt paired the good with the bad in this afternoon's UPS package. First, some work (not really that bad). I knew it was coming because I have to make a few minor corrections to the artwork on a recent project (see kangaroos and sticky notes in the background). But second, they included a printed and bound copy of the soon to-be-released Cat Diaries! Written by Betsy Byars and illustrated by yours truly :) 

MEOW! Always so cool to see a book come into complete and total being! Lots and lots of pictures in this one!If you'd like to take a closer look, I'll have a copy at this weekend's SCBWI conference in Seattle. Cheers! 

The Fall 2010 Catalog Cover!

Good news! I was honored (and very excited) to learn that Alex and Zina will be front and center on the Marshall Cavendish Fall 2010 catalog cover. There are tons of great titles on this list, so its pretty cool to see the artwork from POLAR OPPOSITES kick it all off in the right direction!

Publication (September 2010) is still a ways off, but the marketing department is 3-6 months right on schedule.

Art-Away No. 4

I'm getting caught up on Art-Away 2010. N0. 7 is ships out on April 9th, so mailing No. 3 & 4 this afternoon is definitely progress!

Art-Away No. 3

Top Secret Drawing Tips!

In the midst of a recent elementary school workshop, I decided that the kids needed a "guide" to all of my various thoughts and ramblings. The end result: Herbert the Cat's Top Secret Drawing Tips! Its far from perfect, but hopefully it captures one or two of the ideas in a way that will stick. Herbert, by the way, is a circus clown cat who just happens to save his fellow troupe mates from an alien invasion. All in a days work for 3rd and 4th grade genius kids :)

Click on the link above to download your very own copy of the "Tips."

I'd love to hear what you think!

Art-Away No. 2

Art-Away No. 1

It's been a busy start to the new year, but I'm finally ready to kick off my Art Exchange for 2010*. This version, somewhat different than  before, is officially christened THE ART-AWAY! No "exchange" required this year. 

Once every two weeks - thanks to these eco-friendly yellow birch postcards from Night Owl Paper Goods - I'll be mailing out a piece of art. Where will the paintings go? Nobody knows. Friends & family? Editors? Fellow authors & illustrators? YOU?

Anyone could fall victim to this dastardly plan! 

* After 2+ months of dragging tail, I'll be cranking things out just a little more quickly to get on schedule. Technically, Art-Away No. 6 should be mailed on March 26th. However, it might take another week or two to catch up.

Imagining Alligators...

A family that paints together...

Sunday afternoon. Winthrop, Washington: The weekend's Stegosaurus Science Project Sculpture turns into a family paint-a-thon! 

Jump for Joy!

Late last week I finished my final few paintings for Who Has These Feet? by Laura Hulbert. I think its a Spring 2011 book, and I know that its published by Henry Holt. Stay tuned for another sneak peak or two as the seasons slide.

Thank You!

There are several upsides to living 4 hours from Seattle. Perhaps the most tangible downside however (from the children's book makers perspective), is that I am so far from events and concentrated numbers of people. It cuts both ways. Thankfully, I don't mind driving. There is a certain bliss to cruising down the highway, taking in the mountain scenery and following the winding river valleys to and fro. I have plenty of time to "chill out" and process as I go.

In this case, reflection  is easy. I was pretty jazzed the whole way home :) Thanks VERY much to everyone who attended the SCBWI Western Washington monthly meeting last night. It was great fun for me to share my "10 years in the biz" and I was more than pleased that many of you stayed and that most seemed to enjoy the talk. Three cheers for another 10 years!

As tribute to said visit, here is Boo giving her introduction -- enjoy!

p.s. This is my first ever video post. Please forgive the learning curve if the size or quality seem somehow "off". Ciao.

Illustration Friday: Muddy

In line with my 10 year book author/illustrator anniversary, here is a freelance illustration from the archives.

10 Years in the Biz!

Tomorrow night I'm giving a short talk at SCWBI Western Washington's monthly meeting. 10 years I've been doing this -- and then some! Stop by for a few thoughts about the decade, plus a mini-session on Cultural Authenticity in Fiction with Margaret Nevinski.

6:45 registration, and the programs start at 7pm.

Its Official: The Polar Opposites Book Jacket!

Creating a book jacket is a combination of sketches, editorial input, marketing mojo, and designer execution. I'll start with thumbnail sketches like this:
Progress to this:
And it'll all come through the other side looking something like this:
Yahoo! Welcome to the world Alex and Zina!

Macmillan vs. Amazon: Round 1

Round 1 to Macmillan! A good synopsis (and leveling of opinions) at Fast Company.

Amazon.com Plays Hard Ball

Wow! In a severe (my opinion) reaction to Macmillan's negotiation for better e-book/digital rights and pricing controls, Amazon.com has pulled ALL of Macmillan's books from its vitual shelves. Not just the e-books - everything! Henry Holt, publisher of 5+ books that I have illustrated, is a Macmillan imprint. At present, you can't buy them from Amazon.com. They are there - available "from these sellers" - but not actually from Amazon. A bit alarming when the biggest player in the game stomps its foot down, but I stand firmly in support of Macmillan's attempts. Go Indibound and get local.

By the way, Macmillan has a new kids blog to trumpet as well.

Cheers!

On the Drawing Board: Almost there!

On the Drawing Board: Late January 2010

Feet. LOTS of feet!

Wonder Schools! Part 3

Welcome to Anchorage, Alaska, site of my most recent elementary school tour, AND home to almost all of my very own elementary school education! From January 11-15 I visited 6 different schools in the greater Anchorage School District, including O'Malley Elementary where I attended 1st-5th grade.

This was only the 3rd stuffed polar bear that I saw in my first hour off the plane. It was in my hotel lobby, along with a musk ox, a wolverine, and a dall sheep. Any wonder that I am still fascinated by arctic animals after all these years?

And here it is, my old stomping grounds. SO COOL TO VISIT YOUR OWN SCHOOL!

...and to be welcomed back in style.

Extra sweet: O'Malley was the site of my first ever "published" drawing. As I recall, I was at least partly responsible for the design of their former mascott, the O'Malley Yellowjacket. They dug this out of the archives and it was a definite kick to see it :)

One of the MANY great groups of "Alaska Grown" kids that I had the pleasure to visit...

...and one of my two extremely generous hosts for the week, Totem Tale author, Deb Vanasse. It was a rare treat to meet the author of one of my favorite illustration projects. Deb and her partner Guy were nice enough to let out their quest room, and to shepherd me towards some of Alaska's finest pizza and beer at the Moose's Tooth.

A drawing from Spring Hill Elementary...

...and my foggy expression of sincere joy with respect to the lighted xc ski trails that cover incredibly many kilometers of municiple parkland. Amazing to have these groomed and lighted trails. Why the lights? Keep in mind that the official sunrise during my visit was 10:03am!

Alright, so here I am in second grade... Did you find me? Use the photo below for reference:

While your at it, marvel at the fact that I also reconnected with my second grade teacher on this trip :) Indeed, Mrs. Apodoca is now a Title 1 reading specialist at Taku Elementary. She has almost retired several times, but loves what she does and still finds joy and inspiration amongst her "kids". Given that she is one of the few teachers that I can remember from way back when, she 's surely doing somethin' right!

A parting shot from my final visit at Apenglow Elementary in Eagle River...

...and a nostalgic pic of Anchorage's Fireweed theater (site of my Empire Stikes Back viewing circa 1980 something)...

...and finally, my welcome home from the red-eye flight to Seattle (and the five-hour drive after that). Much fun in the sun at the Methow Valley's first ever Super Tour. Thank you, THANK YOU to all of the PTA members, staff, and students that made this all possible. A fine week indeed!

Happy New Year!

Music. A New Year's resolution? Not that I'm learning to play an instrument or anything, but I DO listen to lots of different things when I paint. Time to share :) Santa delivered two new CDs to our house this Christmas, and I can think of no better way to usher in the new decade!

Especially appropriate for the traditional New Year's saluations is Billy Kelly's "Thank You for Joining the Happy Club." This is some rockin' good kid's music! Curiously odd at times, but in all of the very best ways. Part They Might be Giants, part Brady Rymer. A great voice, and with rythmns and lyrics that are choice for kids and parents alike. I'm especially fond of "Don't Worry about the Government."

Also pretty cool is the fact that Billy was the assistant art director on my first book! He moved from Winslow Press to Little Brown, and eventually started his own design company. He's an aspiring book illustrator as well and does all of his album art in addition to a bunch of other stuff. A Renaissance Man and to be sure!

On the "world music" scene, as I attempt to categorize this next selection, is Luc and the Lovington's "Feel the Warmth." Lush and layered, with playful guitar and choral harmonies, is also an impressive debut. Even better, Luc is originally from Twisp, WA. His younger brother is a talented sax player in his own right, and known by many 'round these part as "Super Babysitter, David."

Both of these excellent debut cds will get your new year started with a smile. Enjoy!

Hannah Mueller

For Christmas, my wife and daughter totally surprised me with a Wacom tablet. I'm not (and probably never will be) ready to completely abandon traditional ink and paper, but I AM really impressed with the newfound ability to create line variation in a digital drawing. Many more experiments, and a hopefully a more uplifting New Years posting soon!

PS I do wish we'd get some real snow out here soon though...