Costco is Book Heaven...

I had a great time signing a giant pile of books at Costco.  It was like being in book-maker heaven... surrounded by gleaming piles of my brand new book.  

In the first 10 minutes I signed more books than I have signed in the last 20 years.  It was fun, but a little nerve wracking.  I get nervous writing on greeting cards... so signing a book is even harder.  I'm always afraid of misspellings or messing up.  My handwriting is so awful from years of drawing.  I did block printing and didn't make any mistakes.

It is amazing how many unusual names kids have these days... that makes things a bit hard.  It was fascinating to watch people milling past. 

And while signing books I got my tires rotated and I also bought boxes of my favorite hard-to-find Milton's crackers.  Honestly, does life have any more to offer?

Pike Place Market

It's time once again for some shameless holiday promotion art. Today we're at Seattle's famous Pike Place Market, a bustling and busy scene that was challenging to fit into a single illustration spread.  Street musicians, farmers, tourists, seafood, artisans and street people.  Not sure I fit it all in but I tried.

One problem was the fish tossing scene, since the practice of tossing fish had been in the headlines from an animal rights group, I was worried it might not be P.C. (politically correct).  But after doing some on-site research with the fishmongers themselves, my worries were dispelled.  They continue to fly fish happily across the counters to the delight of the tourists.

The world's first Starbucks is in Pike Place Market.  I used to go there when I first moved to Seattle, and the store hasn't changed at all since then.  Usually there's a good jug band entertaining.  

See more at my 'The 12 Days of Christmas in Washington' blog.

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"