Sketches galore!

Although I haven't posted any in a while, I'm still hanging in there with a daily (or almost) sketch routine that seems to be doing the trick. So many story ideas spring from these generally spontaneous drawings. And the surprise factor is always nice -- be it ninja raccoons or something more subtle like an arm curled around a favorite pal. Enjoy!

Harts Pass No. 140

As per usual, Melanie is diligent, steadfast, and clever. Thor let's his general enthusiasm get the best of him :) The wolverine/Endangered Species Act part is spot on, however. Check out the recent national attention in places like Salon.com and the NY Times.

Harts Pass No. 139

Not really on the mark for the lovey-dovey day at hand, but a Happy Valentine's to one and all nonetheless!

Harts Pass No. 138

OK. Since my wife and daughter couldn't decipher this: Thor (the wolverine) doesn't want winter to end -- so he eats the marmot (pseudo Cascadian groundhog) before he can properly prognosticate. Thusly, the happy ending with a grizzly middle. Six more weeks of winter!

Note to self: I probably should have drawn some flailing limbs, snarling wolverine teeth, or a flying marmot hat to make it more clear that the little guy was eaten alive. Learning something new with every edition...

Harts Pass 1.30.13

Introducing Logan! Who is a little chagrinned by the results of his first experience with record keeping...

Sleepdog Sightings!

I painted 15 Sleepdog commissions in the month of December. Now that I won't be spoiling anyone's holiday surprise, I'm finally getting around to posting a few of them here on the blog. In no particular order we have: Smokejumper Sleepdog, Soaring Sleepdog, Schoolhouse Brewery Sleepdog, Still Shreddin' Sleepdog, Science Teacher Sleepdog, Saddle Up Sleepdog, Skipper Sleepdog, Sun Salutation Sleepdog, and Social Studies Sleepdog. Match 'em up to the right title if you can!

The Slow Days, Fast Friends eBook!

SLOW DAYS, FAST FRIENDS went out of print in early 2012. However, through the wonders of modern technology (and the reversion of rights clause in these older boiler plate contracts of mine!) I can now self-publish for fans of the Barnes & Noble NOOK.

OCTAVIUS BLOOM & THE HOUSE OF DOOM met a simliar fate in 2010, and is currently selling more than every before. Three cheers (for this part at least) of the eBook revolution!

GRRR!

OK, so perhaps this is only really "excellent wolverine news" in a limited circle, but I had the good fortune to ride along on a wolverine capture in the North Cascades last week! It was truly a privilege to watch the biologists and "wolverine crew" staff in action, and it is very clear that all involved are caring, compassionate, and professional about what they do. If I ever needed that extra little push to write my wolverine story...

And here are just a couple of photos to document the day:

Here is the yet unnamed wolverine just before taking a few hours nap.

I was a little bit in awe and unsure about holding a sleeping wolverine...

...while the pros were a little more at ease!

    

And finally, every good wolverine scientist has the appropriate wardrobe of GRRR! Gear. Good for measuring height and weight, inspecting radio collar placement etc.

Plus a link to the King 5 News segment that appeared later that night!

Harts Pass No. 136

For days (weeks even!) its been warmer up high that it has been on the valley floor. These occasional mid-winter temperature inversions make life a little easier for the gritty wolverine. And thawing marmots -- of course -- make for excellent fun n' games!

Stay tuned for some truly excellent wolverine news in a post later today...

Harts Pass No. 135

Here is last week's comic -- to be followed later today by the most current strip!

Harts Pass No. 134

Everybody needs a "signature move". Thor might still be working on his, but I'm going with GRRR!!!

Fresh snow and a New Book!

A surprise FOOT of new snow yesterday afternoon and a semi-surprise package in the mail! SEA STAR WISHES (Sasquatch Books) doesn't come out until April 2, but my requisite illustrator copies arrived in a whirl of white. Written by celebrated singer, songwriter, and poet, Eric Ode, this book was incredibly great to illustrate. The designers at Sasquatch did a fantastic job with the scanning/layout, and I am seriously pleased to report that the colors haven't lost an ounce of punch. Hooray!

Not to mention the double whammy on the Eric & Erik thing... It's going to be fun to show this off in the spring -- whenever that eventually arrives :)

Harts Pass No. 133

This is what happens when you drive 60 minutes each way over a snowy mountain pass to see the late showing of The Hobbit on the day before your comic is due... Happy New Year!

Harts Pass No. 132

Happy Boxing Day!

Harts Pass No. 131

Happy holidays from Harts Pass Comics! The strip's a little different this week as it moved right on up to the newspaper masthead. With 12-16 inches of snow 'round the valley last week and the lights finally lit o're the Methow Valley News, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Harts Pass No. 130

If predicted weekend snows come true, then the sledding (or non-sledding, sliding) can begin in earnest!

Who Has These Feet? in today's Seattle Times

Librarian Stephanie Dunnewind has a nice things to say about Who Has This Tail? and 6 other locally connected books in today's Seattle Times:

7 books for kids with Northwest connections | Books | The Seattle Times

"A peacock is an easy one, but young readers might have a harder time answering “Who Has This Tail?” (Henry Holt, 40 pp., ages 2-4) as they look at the ends of other creatures in the newest picture book offering by author Laura Hulbert and illustrator Erik Brooks, who lives in Winthrop. Brooks shows a tail — some bushy, some scaly — against a white background, and then the whole animal in its habitat on the next page. A simple sentence explains how the tail is used, but the highlight is the detailed illustrations."

Ad 'em all to your Holiday shopping list and support your local bookstore!

Seasonal Sleepdog Calendars for Sale!

After a great weekend of GRRR! Gear, and Sleepdog Calendar Sales at Winthrop's "Reason for the Season" Christmas Bazaar, I wanted to set up and option for online sales.

Stay tuned for the GRRR! Gear option, but for $12 plus some minor tax and shipping charges you can get your limited edition "Seasonal Sleepdog Calendar" right here!

PS Orders placed by 12/18 will be guaranteed by Christmas or your money back :) I am happy to gift wrap, address with a "Seasonal Sleepdog" gift tag, and ship directly to a recipient with a proper address provided at the Paypal site.

To learn more about the Sleepdog Project and to see all 44 (and counting) of the Sleepdogs created to date, visit www.sleepdogstudios.com. Thanks so much and Happy Holidays!

Harts Pass No. 129

Wild times in Winthrop last Saturday night as the Atomic Bombshells rocked the Barn. Through the Harts Pass "lens" America's Burlesque revival gets a little more kid friendly :)

Harts Pass No. 128

Slow it down and savor the season...

Happy Thanksgiving from Harts Pass!

 A day late with this, but now that you've indulged in your Black Friday binge you can sit back and remember what Thanksgiving is really all about... Thankfulness, friends, and Football! Much Thanks to the entire Methow Valley for being such an excellent place to call home, and three cheers to Kent Woodruff (not pictured here) for logging at least a down or three in his 51st annual Turkey Bowl :)

Polar Opposites: #3,935 on Amazon Rankings!

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,935 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

• #21 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Birds
• #22 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Religious Fiction > Christian
• #25 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Bears

I'm definitely not one to really follow these things -- especially with a book that is now two years old. Fleeting as it might be however, ( I mean I probably just happened by at the exact minute that it sold 3 copies in close proximity - or something like that - it is kind of cool to see such a relatively low number next to one of my books. 

Not to MENTION being in the low 20's for children's Bird books. Go Zina!  -- And tiny, mostly black - with a little bit of white, older, near sighted, right-handed, neat and tidy penguins around the world :)

Overdue: Harts Pass No. 125 & 126

Patience is a virtue. Or so it used to be. Thanks for practicing your "old school" values and waiting a while for me to post last week's strip. No. 126 is pretty much right on time! And while we're at it, THREE CHEERS and a big THANK YOU to the good folks at Les Schwab and other such tire places who are prepping us non-wolverine types for safe winter driving. Patience is a virtue...

Poster Design: The Tortoise vs the Hare

I've been having a lot of fun doing poster design for Methow Arts of late. The Missoula Children's Theatre is coming to town Nov. 12-17 and this Tortoise vs the Hare poster is one of my favorites so far -- probably because I got to illustrate it as well :)

If you've got kids in the Methow be sure to note the audition date of Monday, Nov. 12 at 12:30pm. It's a whirlwind week of casting, rehearsals, and performances, but it's an amazing production every year. If you're just checking in from afar, enjoy the poster!

A Harts Pass Happy Halloween!

In honor of Washington State Poet Laureate, Kathleen Flenniken -- who is currently visiting with 3-5th graders throughout Okanogan County, hosting an open mike night at the Salmon Creek Coffee Co. on Thursday night, and giving a public performance at the Merc Playhouse on Friday, Nov. 2nd -- this week's strip waxes a wee bit poetical 'ore the creative potential of Halloween :)

Harts Pass No. 123 and the First Snow!

A touch of snow on the valley floor, and winter has arrived in the North Cascades!

Harts Pass No. 122

When you need them most, silent partners hear you loud and clear :)

Serenity Sleepdog

Still painting Sleepdogs :) Here's one of the latest...

Bear with Me...

Construction traffic between Winthrop and Twisp? While away the minutes by finger painting on the iPad!

Harts Pass No. 121

"Blissfully Unknown"

Sad Sleepdog...

The Methow Song

I talk about this in every school visit, but as a writer and artist your "sense of place" is a powerful inspiration. One's home is an important touchstone to so many other things - be it fascinatingly rare and endangered wildlife, dramatic mountain vistas, or even just the simple everyday friendships and daily interactions that humanize us all. The places we know help us tell stories!

Liberty Bell High School seniors, Duncan Hanron and Damen Martin do a pretty sweet job of putting their own little spin on the Methow Valley -- a place that I too call home and appreciate very much.

Great work guys!

Harts Pass No. 120

The wolf "recovery" in eastern Washington hit another large snag last week with the complete and total elimination of the Stevens County Wedge Pack. Thor and Melanie pay some tribute here and hope for better days.

Who Has These Books?

Who Has This Tail? comes out October 16th, and I just received my author copies in yesterday's mail. The book looks great, and once again the design team at Holt did a wonderful job of making sure that my watercolors stayed true to their vibrant and radiant selves -- not always an easy thing to do!

In a simultaneous debut of sorts, the Scholastic Book Club copies of Who Has These Feet? are also primed and ready to go. Stay tuned to your local book fair and check it out alongside the over-sized erasers, and Justin Bieber posters :)

Harts Pass No. 119

Unstructured time is INCREDIBLY valuable... 

New School Visit Brochures!

Hi all. I've been meaning to do this for a LONG time, but I've finally produced a brand new handout on my school visits and book orders. It's ready just in time for the South Sound Reading Foundation's Books by the Bay event, so please stop by and say hello if you are planning to attend. 

Otherwise, I'll start the mailing process soon and/or you can always download the info by dragging and dropping the brochure images that you find here. Give a call anytime if you'd like to talk more specifically about scheduling a visit. I would love to hear from you.

Happy fall!

Harts Pass no. 118

It's NOT been very fall-like over the last few days... hot and smokey rather. Here's to a change in the weather that sticks!

Harts Pass No. 117

OK. So between the day that I drew this and the day of this post, we've gone from wintery feeling nights to smoke-filled, warmer-than-normal afternoons... It was timely when it hit the page (and it's still kind of chilly at night if I actually wanted to open my smoke deterring windows). I swear!

Books by the Bay 2012

Thursday, September 27 from 5-7pm

Join the South Sound Reading Foundation  for a magical evening with award winning authors, including regional best-selling author Jim Lynch.

Mr. Lynch will read from his new book, Truth Like the Sun. Other authors and illustrators include: Judy Bentley, author of Hiking Washington’s History, Erik Brooks winner of the 2011 Washington State Book Award, Newberry Honor Winner Margaret Chodos, writer and publisher Robin Cruise,  Parents' Choice, Washington State Governor's Writers, and Best Multicultural Award winning author Ken Mochizuki, and critically acclaimed award winning illustrator, Julianne Paschkis.   Books will be available for signature and sale.

Also, meet local leaders committed to literacy, listen to live local music, enjoy appetizers and refreshments, and browse the over fifty unique literacy silent auction items including a ticket package to the Seattle Symphony. It’s a great opportunity for early Christmas shopping!  

Where: Olympia Country and Golf Club, 3636 Country Club Road, Olympia, WA  98502

Each year the South Sound Reading Foundation invites you to participate in their literacy celebration to support their mission; ensuring all children are read with and, or are reading 20 minutes a day.  Reading just 20 minutes a day promotes the healthy brain development, family bonding and school readiness all children need to read and succeed.

The reading foundation does this important work by educating and reminding children, youth and families about the importance of reading though community awareness campaigns and family education programming and by distributing free books so that every family, every child has the tools they need to read and succeed.

The reading foundation distributes over 50,000 books each year and with each book they share the important reading message.The funds raised at Books by the Bay will enable the reading foundation to continue its important literacy work. Please show your support by
attending this very special event.

To order tickets call: 360-412-4499 or email:readt2me@nthurston.k12.wa.us

For more information visit: readingfoundation.org/southsound

The Sleepdog Show's Virtual Gallery!

I'll add to this throughout the fall, but everything is live and ready to go. Enjoy!

www.sleepdogstudios.com

Harts Pass No. 116: Back to School!

The Sleepdog Show!

Sunday, September 2nd. Today. In just three hours even!

Visit www.sleepdogstudios.com for the virtual version later next week.