Setting the Stage

Although I've titled this post, "Setting the Stage", it might be more appropriately called, "Beating a Dead Horse" (or should I say, "Duck").  In beginning to work on my new book, "Hello, Boston!", I knew that I wanted a little energetic, cheerful, and curious duck as one of the main characters and I was trying to convince myself that this one was working.  I figured that if I brightened him up (see comparison a couple of posts down) it would do the trick. I then added some scenery to help me get an idea what the whole thing would look like.  The unfortunate part was that I wasn't making much progress, because I was trying to ignore the fact that the duck wasn't working to begin with.  I needed to go back to the drawing board and get to know my character first.  Whether you are writing or illustrating, it's crucial to get to know your characters.  This duck and I were just beginning to get acquainted...  

Super Saturday

Greetings Journey Fans!  As a former elementary school teacher (mostly 3rd grade), I begin each "Journey Around" book as if I were taking a group of kids on a field trip to the area.  What will they find most interesting?  What will be most fun and memorable?  What do I want them to learn along the way?  I make a list and then I take my children and nephew on a journey!  (In the picture above, they are checking out the Herring Run in Brewster with their dad, uncle, and grandmother).  If the place was fun, memorable, and exciting, it stayed on the list, if not, we crossed it off and sometimes we made new serendipitous discoveries along the way that we added.  Because it's so important for writers and illustrators to know their audience, I'm introducing a guest blogger today- My daughter Bevin who is 9 1/2 who will give you an insiders peak at a third graders world...

Wow! This week has gone by so fast with so many fun and interesting projects in between. Two huge projects were planning for a Colonial puppet show and Simple Machine models. First, everyone in the class chose a Colonial trade.  Then we researched the topic and wrote facts about the trade on a white lined paper. Our very nice teacher typed up the scripts and gave them to us to memorize. My puppet is a wig maker.  My little sister Avery likes to be included so I'm helping her make one at home.  She is making a Colonial jailer.  Next week we even get to preform in front of other classes and parents!  

Now we move onto simple machines. What we do for that is write a short piece and build a model of our machine. The machine has to solve a problem and it has to include at least one simple machine.  Also, it has to be built of recycled things.  I made a "Roof deCatter" to get my cat off the roof.  I used pulleys, an inclined plane, screws, and wedges.  The simple machines that I saw were very interesting. 

 I LOVE,  LOVE,  LOVE, LOVE,  LOVE,  LOVE to read. I'm going to tell you my favorite books. One is "12 Again" by Sue Corbett about a mother who turns 12 again and her son has to find out how to turn her back to 40.  I also loved "Toilvers Secret" by Esther W. Brady , about a girl named Ellen who dressed up as a boy and sent a secret message to General Washington.  My favorite series is the Nancy Drew books about 3 girls who solve mysteries and never give up! I have thousands of more favorite books! 

For your father make something or buy something. One idea is a friendship bracelet in his favorite colors or summer colors. Maybe even breakfast in bed or  lunch somewhere special. You could always give him a hand-made card. He might like a plant brightly colored with petals and leaves. Gift-cards are always nice. There are more ideas out there, you should check them out at Family Fun!  Well bye for now see you next time on "Super Saturday"!

Down to Business

Above are the results of a full morning sketching for my new book- now known as "Hello, Boston!"  (Scroll down a few posts to see the end result- notice the difference?)  After illustrating lots of adult male mallards in my book, "Journey Around Boston from A to Z", I thought I'd begin by getting the feel of a duckling and developing his character.  I looked up pictures of baby mallards at the library and on the internet and got down to business.  I first draw on vellum (more forgiving with mistakes and changes- you can also use tracing paper, but it's more flimsy).  When I was reasonably satisfied, I took out the watercolors which I've used for all of my "Journey Around" books.  I transfered my drawing onto Arches 300 weight hot pressed paper using graphite paper and started painting.  Cute, but... more suitable for an Easter greeting card don't you think?  Not cheerful and energetic enough and, most importantly, not enough character.  

At the time, my daughter was reading her gazillionth "Bailey School Kids" book (a real cute series by Debbie Dadey and Marcia Thornton Jones) and I happened to look up the illustrator John Steven Gurney and was inspired to see how he develops his characters.  Aha!  I wanted the duckling to be energetic, cheerful, and curious and two little people in my life (my nephew Jake (above) and my daughter's friend Connor) had what I was looking for.  The next challenge was HOW to capture those qualities in a duck!   Stay tuned!

99% Perspiration

Now it was time to sweat.  Jake arrived happy, healthy, and huge and his quilt was almost done.  Now it was time to get back to business.  I needed a new project and one that might have the chance of earning money somewhere down the road would be helpful.  So, I sent the girls off to school, had breakfast, and sat down to mope.  That's when the idea of the "Journey" board books floated back in the window.  Perfect!  I had a vision.  In keeping with my sister's original idea, I wanted these new books to be playful, energetic, and colorful.  I started to jot down ideas.  Nixing the alphabet concept (too heavy for a board book), I went for cheerful rhyming text.  I was energized!  I had lunch.  This was going to be a breeze!  I sat down to sketch, the bus arrived.  Excellent!  The next day I'd just start drawing, perhaps have a couple of finished illustrations by the end of the week, put a packet together over the weekend and send it off on Monday!  I had goals... I had vision!  (The only problem was I had amnesia concerning the other 98%)!

Procrastination, Projects, and Preoccupation!

Ok, now I'll fast forward five years from yesterday's post to last spring.  My "Journey Around" series had continued successfully with the additions of Chicago, Philadelphia, and Maine, but after I finished "Journey Around Nantucket from A to Z" last spring (the 9th in the series), I was up for a new and challenging project.  (I crave projects and don't function well when I don't have one).  So, I sent the girls off to school and moped (as in sulked, not mop in case there would be any confusion!) around the house, and then I became inspired!  I would make a quilt for my soon to be nephew Jake!  I love crazy quilts and I love to embroider, so I got a bag of my dad's old flannel shirts from my mom and set to work.  My dad died several years ago and had watched my oldest daughter's baby quilt being made so I felt that this would be a great way to include my dad in the birth of his first grandson and a way for him to hug him even if his arms couldn't.  This was a wonderful, almost sinful, and perfect distraction from the fact that this new project I craved would also have to make some money!  But, in order to justify such distractions and procrastinations, I will say that these new challenges I set for myself do in the end bring me to a point where my "paid" work is stronger!  I'm all for such preoccupations!  In fact, I'm a master, look at the detail!

In the meantime, the seal DID wear the costume ( a major accomplishment) and the beach lady suddenly transformed herself back into a Wampanoag at 6:45 am (I am hoping the costume won't fall apart) and were all set for Theme Day Parade!

1% Inspiration

As Thomas Edison once said, "Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration".  

For my new "Hello!" series of board books published by Commonwealth Editions, the inspiration came about 6 years ago from my twin sister Heather (who has done the design work for all of my books- see her web-site and/or blog.  She is very talented AND you'll also catch sneak peaks of my adorable little nephew Jake).  For fun, Heather mocked up some "Journey Jr.s"- board books using some of my artwork from the "journey Around" series.  They had a die-cut bump on top to accommodate the bird's head and included an eager young bird with a backpack all set for a journey.  During a lovely brunch at an outdoor restaurant overlooking Cape Cod Bay, we brainstormed ideas.  And then... we got a mediocre response from my publisher who felt that among other things the die-cut was too expensive to produce... Life got in the way, and that's where the idea sat... For five years!

I'll fast forward tomorrow.  In the meantime, the seal costume is complete (we'll see if she actually wears it) and the Wampanoag has now decided to be a lady ready for a day at the beach and the Simple Machine project is coming along fairly simply.

Spring Resolution!

Ok, late spring resolution- I will update this blog (more than annually, I hope)!  The fact that my computer makes a strange whirring noise when I over tax it doesn't help my blogophobia, but I will just have to turn up the radio and journey on!

Since this time last year, I have been busy reinventing the wheel, creating a new series of "Journey"-like books for younger readers.  In a few weeks, "Hello, Boston!" and "Hello, Cape Cod!"  will be out in stores.  They are board books geared towards younger journey fans and hopefully the start of a new series.  They are bright, cheerful, lots of fun and feature the old friends from my "Journey Around" books (Boston, a mallard duck and Cape Cod, a seagull) and a little bird who have a fun day exploring!

This past winter I taught a children's book illustration course at the Cape Cod Museum of Art and my students were all very interested in the process of how a book comes to be as they were all working on their own individual projects and ideas.  In the next few weeks before the new "Hello!"  books ship, I will (try) to post the process that I undertook to create this new series.  

In the meantime, I will try to design a Wampanoag and a seal costume for my daughters (9) and (6) to wear for their end of the year Theme (this year Cape Cod) Day Parade and help to construct a "Roof de Catter" (Simple Machine Project- oldest daughter) which I'm actually hoping she'll market because we are having quite a problem with our cat ripping the upstairs screens when she wants to get in.  The other night, I thought she was out, only to find that she was in after having plunged through the skylight screen on top of a sleeping child!