sweet

This little boy from my first illustrated picture book looks in the refrigerator and finds something very sweet and cold on a hot summer day!

Speaking of which, A Moment in Time won the Reader Views Literary Awards for Best Children's Book. Part of the award was our very own video trailer for the book which you can see below:


Sorry I haven't posted recently. I've been busy working on a few projects, such as writing curriculum for Disney English and illustrating another picture book (which will hopefully be out by the end of the year).

Until next time, I want to recommend checking out the Sendak exhibit at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco.

The museum has a beautiful view of the Golden Gate Bridge, a delicious cafe, and very inspiring artwork. My critique group, the Picturesques, attended a panel there called "Stealing from Sendak" and the illustrators on the panel were so generous with their insights and experiences! They made me realize how much Sendak revolutionized the concept of a picture book for entire generations: from nudity to honestly frightening characters. I was proud to wear my Night Kitchen shirt that day :).

shy

Even the shyest of clouds will come out to enjoy a good soak in the warm hues of sunrise.  

This week, I had the privilege of catching a few gorgeous sunrises and sunsets that really got me out of this blue mood I've been feeling lately.  Thus, I thought I'd share a bit of the lifting view with you as well :).

Also, I just wanted to remind folks that I'll be signing books and giving a talk about A Moment in Time at the Book Passage store in Corte Madera, December 8th, 11am.  I hope to see you guys there. . .a polaroid camera may or may not be making an appearance at the event.  You'll just have to swing by to find out!

A Moment in Time

Hey all.  . .as I've mentioned before, the book I illustrated called "A Moment in Time" is available at my Etsy shop.  It is also available at the lovely book store called Book Passage in Corte Madera:

I'll also be giving a talk there on Saturday, December 8th, at 11am.  Click on the Book Passage icon above for more information.  I hope you all can come :).

carry

I just spent a wonderful weekend playing board games at a friend's family cabin and there was a charming gnome chilling outside the entrance.  I decided to reinterpret him for Illustration Friday's "carry." I figured blueberries would be the perfect thing to carry for the summer season :)

I went for a less saturated look and I think I may have gone too far. . but hey, that's part of the exploration process right?  And here's another free coloring page, so you can try out your own color combinations!

I'm not sure when my next entry will be.  I'm in the middle of teaching cartoon workshops again to some very bright and talented kids.  You may remember the results from last year here.

Also, I'm excited to announce that I'll be giving a talk about my picture book A Moment in Time at Book Passage on Saturday, December 8, 11am.  I'll be talking about turning moments into memories and memories into universal stories (through pictures and words).  I hope to see you there! 

space

What could these pigships from outer space want with our pigs and chickens?  You'll have to find out when Attack of the Space Chickens is available in my Etsy shop.  Coming soon!

Speaking of Etsy shop, you can now purchase a signed copy of "A Moment in Time", illustrated by me and written by the lovely Jennifer Butenas.  I've got to say, it turned out very nicely, and the book would be a perfect gift for any kid, especially those future photographers!  Click on the photo below to get your own copy . . limited supplies available:

This book would look great on your shelf!

Look!  It also comes with a doodle, hand-drawn by yours truly :).

capable

I believe the positive message from The Lorax is that we are ALL capable of change.  The word "Unless" is a warning. . a warning of the things we may lose if we don't harness that capability (case in point: truffula trees).  I'm looking forward to seeing the movie when it comes out this weekend :)

Also, I am happy to announce that I just finished my first picture book "A Moment in Time!"  The author/publisher has given me permission to post a few process photos.  Here is a sample of one of the pages, from sketch to finished illustration:

This is the initial sketch, where I roughly laid out the important elements, such as the character and the text.  I hadn't fully developed the character yet, so he looks a little odd.

Here, I've added in more detail and began working in the proper size for the book.  The red line marks the "safe" margin, in which all important elements must remain.  The thick black lines are the "bleed" margins, which is where the page will be cropped by the printers.

Here, I've inked the lines and removed the margins.  Notice that the smile has gotten weirder and weirder in each stage.

Final illustration: I shaded the lines to give more weight to the character, added color, and also fixed that smile ;)

 I hope you've found these process photos useful/informative.  The picture book took 8 months of planning, revising, sketching, inking, and painting. . and I learned so much along the way!  I'll let you know when the book comes out on Amazon later this year :D.