Blogger Awards!

As mentioned before, my fellow writing friend Cynthia gave me a few Blogger award.  Woo hoo!

Because I'm finally getting over that nasty nasty flu, I can now share with you 7 interesting facts about myself.  Here goes:

1.  I have a very deep and very serious crush on Thomas Jefferson.  I refer to him as "TJ" and for awhile, I carried around a pen that would let you click through the Declaration of Independence.  If you'd like to get me an early birthday present, I have a few items from the Monticello Gift Collection on my Amazon wish list.  

2.  I used to draw on EVERYTHING.  I mean everything. . .my family's old home is still riddled with scribbles that can be found inside closet doors, under tables, on top of plates, behind furniture, etc.  My mother calls them "souvenirs" lol.

3. I once thought that I spoke to Yoko Ono on the phone as part of her art exhibit.  Turns out I was wrong, but it still makes a great story ;)

4.  I used to be a hard core World of Warcraft player.  When I stopped playing, I had a level 80 mage gnome and owned over 100 pets and over 100 mounts.  I was an officer in my guild called Tiny Tyrants, which had a strict height requirement (gnomes and dwarves only).  Don't believe me?  Here's our website and here's my avatar:

Her name was Frostbitten.  She was awesome.

5.  I play the ukulele.

6.  I like visiting weird museums. . these have included the PEZ museum in Burlingame, CA; the history of toys museum in London, and the museum about the world's biggest ball of string made by ONE man in Darwin, Minnesota.

7.  I'm turning 30 in about a week. . and I plan on doing so at the happiest place on earth: Disney World :D.

I guess it's time to tag a few people, but I sort of want it to be on a voluntary basis only. . .so if you enjoyed this blog entry and would like to share a few interesting facts about yourself as well, I also gift you with these blogger awards!

Just write a similar blog entry and link it in the comments section below so I know about it :).

yield

I have yielded to a killer flu that attacked my body last weekend.  The evidence:  piles of Kleenex, leftover mugs of tea, a list of cancelled plans, and vague memories of extremely bad television.  Here's hoping that waving the white flag (aka crumpled tissue), will help the recovery process along.

Good news: my fellow writer Cynthia just gave me my first blogger award :D  I have been tasked with revealing personal deep dark secrets to you all. . of which I have many.  I shall do so promptly when the flu no longer makes things foggy and oddly topsy-turvy.

Until then, let me know if there are any requests for the "type" of secrets I reveal. . .favorite reality TV shows?  most embarrassing moment?  teen girl crushes?  things I do when I know ABSOLUTELY no one's watching?

Guess you'll just have to wait until next week to find out.

*Update

Just looked at the award more closely. . apparently, I just need to share seven "interesting" facts about me. Well then. . that makes things a little less. . interesting.  Can you tell that being sick makes me talk funny?

*Second Update
 Oops!  Forgot to include a FREE coloring page for all other sick kiddos like me.  So if you're having a cold or flu or are just feeling blue, just color this and make those blues go away:

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.

popularity

You can gauge your popularity pretty quickly while riding the bus to school. . . and the results can be pretty depressing.

This is an old sketch I did a few years back when I was feeling a bit left out and lonely.  Sometimes it's good to draw out those emotions :).

Sorry I haven't posted anything more finished recently. . .work is breathing down my neck, but I'm looking forward to doing more finished Illustration Friday pieces in March.

Until then. . Happy February!

suspense

oooh. . the suspense must be killing you.  What is the pigship waiting for?  What is it doing at the farm?  All will be revealed in our Illopond Space Anthology. .coming soon!

I had so much fun painting this story and am a little sad to let it go.  However, I've got plenty more to work on now.  This includes a story about Taiwanese night markets and the picture book I've been hired to illustrate.  I hope to be able to share bits of both next month.

Until then. . for you picture book writers/illustrators out there: 

If you're feeling stuck/stressed, be kind to your muse and let things marinate. Amazing things can happen when you leave your stories alone for awhile, and then come back to them with a fresh eye/new perspective.  

For more advice, check out Sean Ashby's (aka Ingvard the Terrible) series about the creative process.

forward

Remember old-fashioned forwarding?  It would take forever to get international letters, but you'd treasure them for that very reason. 

This one was another quick sketch/color, but it was a lot of fun to do!  Also, if you followed my old blog, you might recognize the name Morose:

It's Morose Molly Rose. . .the very first picture book story I wrote, that is still waiting to be rewritten.  One day Molly, we'll find you a home :)

Picture book work is chugging along again and my Illopond piece is officially finished.  The space anthology will be sold at WonderCon in Anaheim next month so keep a lookout!

As for picture book references, you've probably already heard, but Maurice Sendak had a hilaaarious interview on the Colbert Report last week (see below).  Besides the comedy, Sendak delivers a great line: "I don't write for children. I write, and somebody says, 'That's for children'…"

Picture book writing should be that way.  When we filter or "talk down to" kids in picture books. . we lose the honesty and thus, our audience.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Grim Colberty Tales with Maurice Sendak Pt. 1
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Grim Colberty Tales with Maurice Sendak Pt. 2
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

prepare

Here's a quick Illustration Friday: studying is definitely necessary when preparing for a test. . or a project. . .or anything in life actually.  You must absorb knowledge before you can apply it :)

I apologize for the long hiatus and have really missed blogging!  I've been swamped trying to meet two different deadlines. 

One, I can talk about. . it's Attack of the Space Chickens in short comic form for Illopond's Space Anthology.  The above illustration was actually a sketch from the story that I ended up having to cut out.

As for the other project, I won't be able to show art from it until the book is published (hopefully by the end of this year).  Until then, I leave you with picture book tips from Eric Carle himself as he works on his latest book The Artist Who Painted a Horse: