From library cards... to library vans!

In October, I mentioned my involvement in creating the North Central Regional Library System's "Lynx" to Literacy. The library's literacy site is up and running, as are these specially marked delivery vans that do such a great job of keeping our vast geographical library system interconnected.

 

A Sno-Isle Library Surprise :)

I created a new Sno-Isle Kids mascot and website design about two years ago. Recently, I learned that Otis the otter and Squirt the octopus hold esteemed positions on library cards! Color me awesomely honored, and three cheers for libraries. Hooray! Haroo! Hurrah!

Six kinds of Awesome in Black Diamond!

I'm right in the middle of a two-day school visit, but these kids were totally psyched about the visit. I need to get a few close-up photos, but each letter on my name (plus two exclamation points!) in picture no. 1 is illustrated with characters/scenes etc. from one of my books. Not to mention all of the AMAZING positively perfect pajama art! 

  

Way to go Black Diamond. I'll see you tomorrow!

Happy Read Across America Day!

And Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss :) I'm celebrating by making three different complimentary elementary school visits in Kirkland, WA and making an appearance at Parkplace Books tonight at 6:30. Now, to properly honor the good Dr. AND all of the amazing children's book art and design out there -- I would challenge the National Education Association to get a better promotional poster next year!

The StorySki in yesterday's Wenatchee World.

This just in: Some excellent coverage of the StorySki in the Wenatchee World!

StorySki - Part III

This past Sunday was my final guided StorySki of the winter. Not that we are wrapping up the season anytime soon, but thank you so much to everyone that has been out on the trails (with me or otherwise) enjoying Polar Opposites with family and friends.

I've received many positive comments about the idea, but it wouldn't exist at all without the inspiration and financing of MVSTA and all that they do to support winter recreation here in the valley. A big thank you as well to my daughter for her own unique assistance with the event - and to Trail's End Bookstore for stocking signed copies of the book AND hosting the cookies and cocoa book signing on Sunday afternoon!

If you liked the StorySki, I'm excited to say that we'll be producing a StoryHike in similar fashion sometime this summer. I'll keep the book a secret for now, but stay tuned for additional info when the snow finally melts. Until then, ski on!

Twisp Library Commission

One of my small local libraries just completed a successful grassroots fund raising and expansion effort. I had the great pleasure of creating this commemorative piece for all of the children who made a contribution. A big thank you to the Twisp Library Friends, and to all the many donors kid and not-kid alike!

Click the image for a closer look. Donor names are collaged onto various books throughout the piece.

Happy Valentines Day!

Last year, on the heels of an excellent Christmas card printmaking venture, I asked my daughter if she'd like to make her own Valentine's Day cards as well. As of last night, we have a tradition in the making :)



I was more of a printer's assistant this time around, but its really cool to see her wanting to do all of the designing, carving, inking, and printing. I hope that you're sharing time (and something fun) with your loved ones today as well. Happy Valentines!

PS See a few more images from the Valentine card factory is you're a fan on Facebook.

Harts Pass : New York City

A little cross-platform posting here, so my apologies to the fans of Harts Pass that might be seeing this twice. Thor and I, along with a several new story ideas and a shiny illustration portfolio made the long winter trip to New York City several days ago. Being hearty mountain folk, we were stoked by the 10+ inches of snow that fell on Wednesday night, and shocked many a city visitor by eschewing the fine hotel treadmill in favor of slush puddle-snowbank hopping for our daily constitutional.

"Home again, home again", I'm still riding high from excellent meetings at Sterling and Henry Holt, not to mention the words of numerous speakers at SCBWI's mid-winter Conference. The task now is to translate momentum into work. A few highlights: Sara Zarr (gave the best talk of the conference!), Rubin Pfeffer (an astute and savvy new agent - with LOTS of real-world publishing experience - now working with East West Literary Agency), and some excellent "getting to know my peers" down time with the good folks from SCWBI WWA, John Deininger, and Mainers, Russ Cox, Josh Alves, and Hazel Mitchell, and finally, SCBWI Germany representatives, Daniel Jennewien (with a nice looking new book out with Balzer & Bray) and Kristen Carlson.

Thanks to all and now back to work. GRRR!

Literary Lions!

Bring together talented authors and devoted readers with the opportunity to dine and celebrate in the library and you have the premier Northwest event: the KCLS Foundation’s Literary Lions Gala.

The Gala is a literary feast where you’ll meet a bounty of talented writers, celebrate the joy of reading, toast new and favorite authors and help raise funds for literacy and lifelong learning programs.

Author Vince Flynn will keynote the 2011 event. Nancy Pearl will emcee the program and sign her new book: Book Lust To Go.

(Plus I'll be there with Polar Opposites & Cat Diaries. Fun stuff!)

The Bellevue Library on Saturday, March 5, 2011 is the perfect setting for you to discover and meet authors, buy their books and enjoy a unique literary-themed silent auction. Invitations will be in the mail soon.

For more information on sponsorships or to reserve your tickets, contact Claire Wilkinson, cwilkins@kcls.org, 425.369.3448.

SCBWI Western Washington: Spring Conference!

Fresh off of the New York SCBWI mid-winter shindig? Want to keep that positive vibe flowin', ditch the black pea coat-scarf-wearing attire, AND take a visit to the land of moisturizer free springtime weather? Sign up today for the Western Washington Regional Conference. Truly, this is one of the best regional affairs in the country. Plus, I would bet real money that Dan Santat's presence alone will be worth it.

Sign on before its gone!

ULTIMATE TUESDAY!

Tuesday, January 25th is ULTIMATE TUESDAY! at Secret Garden Books in Ballard, WA. Come hear my first Seattle reading of Polar Opposites, and give some love to one of the very best children's bookstores in the Pacific Northwest.

The event starts at 7:00pm!

Secret Garden Books
2214 NW Market Street
Seattle, WA 98107
206-789-5006

Spring 2011!

Yes, there's 20 inches of snow on the ground (with another exciting storm on the way!), but spring is just around the corner over at Amazon.com. Who Has These Feet?, my illustrious illustration project for 2011, is ready and waiting for its marching orders. Written by Brooklyn Friends School Learning Specialist, Laura Hulbert, and published by Henry Holt, Who Has These Feet? will step into the world on August 16th.

Welcome to Harts Pass!

My apologies to those 28 followers of the comic that have seen this already, but a 2010 collection of Harts Pass is now available as a book (plus bonus material)!

Thanks to the online publishing magic of lulu.com and some design work at Wolf Creek Studios, you can now enjoy this slice of Methow wildlife from the comforts of home. Get a preview and order print and digital copies by clicking the big blue button:

Another Top Ten List!

These are all temporary seasonal blips, but Polar Opposites made another year end "Top Ten" list over at A Book for All Seasons in Leavenworth, WA. Helped along by my December 18th book signing at the height of the Christmas shopping season, I'll take it where I can get it.

Considering the crowds in town that day I probably should have sold a thousand books. It was less than that, but still very spirited, and the folks that run this shop are great. Be sure to stop in the next time you need some "lit for your lederhosen." My slogan entirely. Apologies!

Happy New Year!

A quick thank you to the The Boston Athenaeum for selecting Polar Opposites as one of their Holiday Gift Selections for 2010. Somehow, we're blasting right on through to another decade, so buckle up and enjoy the ride. More exciting news for the year ahead soon!

Happy Holidays!

A little something on the side...

The Harts Pass Wolverines are Pleased!

Local News | Feds say wolverines need protection | Seattle Times Newspaper

Studio Views

12 hours and 19 inches of snow + 4 hours shoveling = 2 feet of light in the studio. Obviously, no real connection to the shoveling part of that equation since that took place in the driveway... There will be a tangible shovel # to factor in once that snow drops and I can no longer see out my window! Plus, it never seems like a good idea to have tons of snow sitting right up against the house :)
New photos and relevant shovel hours to follow. I DO love winter!

A Polar Opposites eBook!

Thanks to the marketing folks at Marshall Cavendish, and the Ripple eBook Reader, Polar Opposites has entered the digital age. Not only do you get a digital version of the story for your Mac or PC, but you can record your own reading of the book. While not quite as cozy as sitting down with the ink and paper book in hand, it is a comforting option for the ePicturebook set. An iPad app is on the way soon.

I'd love to hear feedback if anyone goes hi-tech and decides to purchase one of these!

Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears

Lots of penguin news in the studio this week:

On Tuesday I attended an excellent talk on Emperor Penguin diving research by Dr. Torre Stockard. Zina, my character in Polar Opposites, is much more like an Adelie penguin than an Emperor (smaller and a bit less colorful as penguins go) but it's always inspiring to learn more about such the world at large from those that really dig in deep.

And then yesterday afternoon, someone sent me an elementary school-aged science resource in connection to the book as well. The irony, of course, is that Beyond Polar Bears and Penguins wants to get past these two charismatic and appealing creatures and expose students to the many other fascinating things about these extreme polar worlds. For that, I applaud them, and it looks like a terrific site. Still, at least I have my penguins living in the southern hemisphere, and penguins ARE a great springboard into Antarctic studies :)

PS Did you know that penguins have square pupils?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bookmark Doodles Too

It's going to be fun giving all of these away for the holidays :)

Bookmark Doodles Continued

More Bookmark Doodles

I did a few of these "Bookmark Doodles" in April, and more are on the way :)

A Polar Opposites Halloween

When my daughter requested an "Alex" costume for Halloween this year, I was pretty excited to give it a shot. I have sewn a bit with polar fleece (my wife and I created 85 custom designed winter caps for our wedding place settings), and the challenge of creating a polar bear face was impossible to resist. Since Halloween has come and gone, perhaps these pics will add some extra "light" to end of Daylight Savings!

A "mazing" opposites!

I'm still very excited about the new book and filling out my bag o' tricks for a fall/winter full of school visits and presentations. Click on the image to download and print a maze of your own.

Cheers!

Comics Go Pink: Cartoonists Care

On October 10th, more than 50 of King Features’ cartoonists observed National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in the Sunday comics section of newspapers across the country.

Budding activist that she is, Melanie insisted that Harts Pass should also participate. With due apologies to all of King Features' legit cartoonists, but in complete and utter agreement with the spirit of the day, please enjoy our small contribution...

The Winthrop Art Walk, and a HUGE thank you!

On Saturday night, October 9th, a small selection of artwork from Polar Opposites was on display for the semi-annual Winthrop Art Walk. The art will hang for another week or two, but signed books can be purchased (and even personalized and shipped by request) at Trail's End Bookstore all year 'round!

Also, a huge THANK YOU to the very generous donor who purchased my books & bowls collection at the Room One Soup Dinner on Saturday night. The bidding was reportedly "fast and furious" - with the 4 bowl set eventually earning $800 for this worthy non-profit. Really nice to hear!

A fine Saturday evening here in Winthrop, WA if I do say so myself :)

Arctic Circle Comics

With my own recent comic experiments, I've had fun getting back into the groove of reading some daily strips. This was a ritual -- especially on Sundays -- for many years and is certainly one of those foundational interests that led me drawing my own characters, and becoming the artist and author that I am today. Like so many people, I especially LOVED the irreverence and imagination of Calvin & Hobbes, as well as a slightly more obscure outer space comic called Orbit (I think I have that name right?).

Anyway, last week I discovered this great little strip by Australian cartoonist Alex Hallat called Arctic Circle. It's funny and It's smart. Something that I hope to emulate in my own work both comic and otherwise.

Check out Alex's work AND please note the lovely juxtaposition of POLAR BEARS and PEGUINS that also makes this strip a winner in my book ;)

Cheers!

A Minnesota Original!

Minnesota illustrator friend Mike Wohnoutka gets some well deserved face time on a new Twin Citites Public Television feature called "Minnesota Original".

Congrats Mike!

Soup Bowls for the Soul!

Room One is hosting its 4th Annual Soup Dinner on Saturday, October 9th. All summer, artists, citizens, and visitors of the Methow have been painting their hearts out in preparation. 200 bowls are glazed, fired, and ready to go!

With the price of admission, you receive a bowl of your choice (they go fast of course), a wonderful meal, and a beautiful fall evening at the Winthrop Barn. There are also a number of artisan bowls that become part of a silent auction. As a extra treat, my inaugural participation includes a four-bowl set featuring characters from Polar Opposites, Slow Days, Fast Friends, and The Practically Perfect Pajamas. You will also receive signed copies of these books, AND a piece of original art for my new comic strip, Harts Pass.


Non-valley residents can feel free to contact me with maximum bids (Erik's bowl set only). I'd be more than happy to facilitate a long-distance bidding frenzy!

Contact me at: #509-996-4345

- Erik

Library "Lynx" to Literacy

It is my great pleasure to announce a recent collaboration with the North Central Regional Library System. After two wonderful stints on the summer reading tour, I've now put paint to paper and provided them with a series of character drawings for their latest literacy initiative. I'll post the more official and complete materials when the layout and design is complete, but now you've seen two :)