Monday, October 7, 2013
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Children's book authors will be signing books at the "Author's Tea". It is open to the public.
Mill Road School
9 Mill Road, Red Hook NY
October 22, 2012
3:30 pm to 5:00 pm
A celebration of stories will take place at the Mid-Hudson Children's Museum.
It is an all day event. I am scheduled to sign books at 10:00 am to 11:30 a.m.
Monday, Vetern's Day, November 12, 2012
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Free with museum admission; $7.50
Enjoy a day of fun and celebrate the adventure of reading as the Museum hosts local children's authors and illustrators! There will be book signings, story times, workshops, and more!
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Free with museum admission; $7.50
Enjoy a day of fun and celebrate the adventure of reading as the Museum hosts local children's authors and illustrators! There will be book signings, story times, workshops, and more!
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
Classes and Presentations
These are locations where I will be lecturing or teaching for 2012:
Field Museum in Chicago, September 15, 2012
School of Visual Arts: 2011/2012, Children's Book Illustration Class
Mazza Museum at the University of Findlay: July 2012, Summer Conference
Fine Art Factory in Martina Franca, Italy: August 2012, The Art of Children's Books CANCELLED
Little Bunny on the Move
Night Driving was a success and received positive reviews. Laura Godwin, the editor, offered me a contract to write and illustrate the next book. I was giddy with the possibilities and I could not choose. I created characters that lacked a storyline. My sketchbook was filled with talking hot dogs and creatures from the pit of my imagination. My wife, Yunhee, told me to get a job where I could think about the book and get paid. I got a job delivering doorknobs to new houses around Denver. The scenic route of grass and mountains inspired the setting for Little Bunny on the Move.
The other inspiration came from watching hours of television. I saw a documentary about the "Oregon Trail". After the program, the image of a little white rabbit walking with purpose came into my head. Laura is an incredible editor with words. She advised that the book should have descriptions like "over, under, past, and across". These words engaged the reader on the journey with the Bunny.
Drawing the Bunny was surprisingly fun and easy. Most of my time was spent on creating the foliage on the trees and the blades of grass. The little girl who wants to keep the bunny, is the daughter of a friend of ours. For the reference photo, she is actually playing with Fabian, the cat.
When I finished the final illustration, I laid out all the drawings on our couch. My cat, Fabian jumped onto the drawing of the bunny going under the fence. As I screamed and picked him up, he dug his claws into the paper. After a few hours of panic, I sanded down the grooves using a power tool normally used for sanding details on doorknobs. I could not forgive Fabian for at least 3 years, which is apparent when I made Hondo and Fabian.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Night Driving by John Coy
I was fortunate that the Frozen Man book was accepted by the publisher and the audience as a decent enough book. Laura Godwin at Henry Holt offered me a manuscript titled, "Night Driving" by John Coy to illustrate.
While I was contemplating all the references I would need for this book, I got married. My wife, Yunhee, got a job offer in Denver, Colorado. We decided it was time for a change so we moved out to Colorado.
When I read the manuscript, I had a vision of this round car going through a desert landscape. Every page required a historical reference, so I carried my camera everywhere. One weekend,we went to a town called Manitou Springs to be tourists. I saw this car sitting in a parking lot. It was the perfect shape I wanted for "Night Driving".
While I was contemplating all the references I would need for this book, I got married. My wife, Yunhee, got a job offer in Denver, Colorado. We decided it was time for a change so we moved out to Colorado.
When I read the manuscript, I had a vision of this round car going through a desert landscape. Every page required a historical reference, so I carried my camera everywhere. One weekend,we went to a town called Manitou Springs to be tourists. I saw this car sitting in a parking lot. It was the perfect shape I wanted for "Night Driving".
I sent in the thumbnails of my ideas to the Laura and waited for an approval. The next step is usually a dummy book. After all the committees approve the dummy book,I start working on the final illustrations. I begin with the first page by gathering references and supplies (paper, watercolors, and brushes). I move on to the next page when the first page is completely done. With "Night Driving", I started over many times before committing to a final drawing.
References for the rest of the book were easy to find, except for the ear on the boy in the diner. I never had to draw an ear that was so detailed before. I think I watched too many Star Trek episodes. The boy and the waitress look like Vulcans but I moved on and finished the book.
References for the rest of the book were easy to find, except for the ear on the boy in the diner. I never had to draw an ear that was so detailed before. I think I watched too many Star Trek episodes. The boy and the waitress look like Vulcans but I moved on and finished the book.
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