12 boats-a-blinking

 

Let's see... 12 boats-a-blinking with holiday lights... a downtown scene in the background, a silhouette of the crowd on the shore, Mt. Rainier and the two main characters fit in along with the type and the letter format. Easy, right?

I wasn't sure if I could pull off this spread, since it was probably one of the most ambitious concepts I ever dared try. But I'm quite pleased with how it came out.

Of course I could only do something like this in Photoshop. I'd have torn it up 15 times if it was real paints.

Book signing in Costco...

I'm very much looking forward to my book signing at Costco on Dec. 3rd... not sure which store. I'm just thrilled that my Christmas book will be in 27 Costos. Finally... a book out where the shoppers can see it!

They're letting me wear a beret because I'm an artist and I'll sign books instead of handing out samples. And I'll go shopping afterwards... at which point I might almost feel famous.

Let the shopping season begin!

Scanner expecting a full recovery...

I'm happy to report that the open heart surgery I had to do on my Umax Powerlook III scanner was a complete success... the patient expects a full recovery.

Tools used: phillips head screwdriver, syringe, oil can and pliers. The problem was the electric motor had rusted up like the Tin Man. I find that often when scanners don't work it's got to do with needing a little lubrication on the moving parts.

Hopefully it'll keep on working, since I don't feel inclined to toss another $1500 out on a new one.  The trusty Umax Powerlook III gives stunning deep rich color scans which are better than many current new scanners.

Things I like are...

Things I like are:

  Bike ride down the Burke Gilman trail with ipod blasting, then walk back up hill.

  Go to an art gallery... on the free day the the Seattle Art Museum.

  Go to a new cafe and draw caricatures of people and write scraps of stories.

  Do NOT go to children's book stores!

  Discover a new french movie at the library.

  Find an antique children's book in the thrift store.

  Try out a new set of digital organic paint brushes.

  Find a new shirt to wear in the thrift store... (avoid looking in the mirror if at all possible!)

  Watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade to remind me of New York.

The end of the 28 word picture-book?

http://www.libraryjournal.com/slj/printissue/currentissue/892418-427/make_way_for_stories_theres.html.csp

Brilliant! Might this mean the end of the 28 word picture-book?

I agree with all of the sentiments expressed.

I'm so tired of books being 'dummed down' so they really are just like a joke. I remember bringing home those 28 word books from the library for my children and just tossing them aside after one reading thinking 'not much to that one, was there?'.

And as the writer says so well, who wants to listen to a joke more than once? It is interesting how the book buyers still flock to the classics. Maybe the publishers will follow along?

Sort of like how politicians just follow along behind the public.

Before & After...

Here's a before and after of a portfolio piece I did up last summer. It shows the rough sketch set against the finish artwork.

Let the merriment begin...

Let the merriment begin... unleash the Elves as hordes of holiday shoppers descend upon the gifting merchandise.

I'll be joining the crowds myself later this month, at Third Place Books to sign books for 'The 12 Days of Christmas in Washington'.

Who knows... maybe I'll get the hang of it... publicity and all that. Mixing with the public as a 'celebrity' is something we bookmakers don't do as a matter of course. It ought to be a real novelty, if nothing else.

:0)

Happy Interactive Halloween!

Here's a little Halloween fun made in Kwiksher, which is a photoshop extension for building interactive iPad apps.

Tools used... pencil, wacom, photoshop, Kwiksher, Garage Band, USB microphone, SoundJay... and innate talent.

Halloween

It's getting to be that time of year again. It was hard to tell who was wearing a costume and who wasn't at the thrift store today.

I felt like the scariest guy there when I looked in the mirror! And I was just shopping for a new plaid shirt.

lol!

Cooool!

I've been waiting 3 years for a letter like this. Actually when I wrote 'Cromwell Dixon's Sky-Cycle' I just hoped that kids would say... 'Coooool!' when they saw a book about a flying bicycle.

From a reader:

My boys and I are huge fans of Cromwell Dixon’s Sky Cycle. Last year we purchased your book and it was love at first read. My boys were on the edge of their seats and continue to ask for it to be read. They have repeatedly poured over your illustrations studying the details of his invention.

I am always on the lookout for books that allow a child to dream big and Cromwell Dixon does just that. My boys, age 6 and 4, repeatedly ask: "Is this true, did a little boy like us really fly on his bike all by himself? That is so coooool"

The 12 Days of Christmas Book Blog

The blog for my new book is finally ready... after waiting for the appropriate holiday shopping weather to arrive. This book is 'The 12 Days of Christmas in Washington' and it's published by Sterling Books.

Washington state residents will recognize the many local landmarks right off.  I greatly enjoyed writing and illustrating this colorful book.  It's full of fun scenes in Pike Place Market, Mt. Rainier, Downtown Seattle, Puget Sound, Tacoma, Winthrop, Leavenworth and Spokane. (all my favorite places).

Although I myself have never been to the top of the Space Needle, I understand it's quite a popular destination. I have often looked up at it from Seattle Center to marvel at it. I did learn in making this book that the Space Needle is way more difficult to draw than the Eiffel Tower. (I haven't been there either.)

Other familiar sights are listed in the 'The places visited' tab of my new book blog. I have been to ALL the above mentioned locations.


This book will no doubt be appearing beneath many an Evergreen State evergreen tree this Holiday season!

Polar-tec temporarily on hold.

Things have been a bit slow on the old blog lately. But it's not for lack of activity.

* I've been learning how to make inter-active ebook-apps with Kwiksher. It's fun adding sound effects and watching the motion of my artwork across the screen.

* I've been thinking up some options for licensing my artwork.

*And I've been enjoying the never to be forgotten SUMMER!

It has been wonderful to actually have some HOT weather! After last summer, which was barely even half a summer... and it looked like this year would be a repeat of that dismal event. It seems like forever since we had a real summer... so this has been fabulous.

I've been able to do things like water the garden and go barefoot. And the polar-tec is temporarily on hold.