Julia Denos's Blog, page 12

Daffodil Delivery!

Just a quick note to say
Much love!

Gracie Z: Dude! My outfit is totally cute!

I think my heart's about to burst! Dotty got a super review from the ever-gracious, ever-astute, ever-creative Zenz children: Gracie (age 10), Isaac (12) Elijah (5) and Lily (7). They review books with their dad, the talented illustrator, Aaron Zenz, on a blog called: Bookie Woogie. Read their review here. Then feast your eyes on a cast of their own imaginary friends:

"My biggest one is Manker. He is an imaginary friend with wheels. He's the biggest imaginary friend I have."-Elijah

The many happy residents of Lilyland.

Ensenta, Gracie's imaginary friend who USED to be a girl from Mexico who helped her drink her milk, but is now a pocket-sized fuzzball...
And just look at Isaac's sweet Dotty:


Dear Gracie: You and your imaginary friend have excellent fashion sense. Ensenta coordinates with your outfit!

Dear Isaac: You are SPOT on (sorry, no pun intended!) I did use water buffalo research for Dotty. Good detective work. I usually refer to her species now as "Bovinae-leo-dottus" if you are wondering.

Dear Elijah: Manker is very awesome fellow, how many stories tall is he? I bet he'd be good friends with Gert, maybe Hanker can be too.

Dear Lily: You are a magnificent artist! It must have been hard to get all those imaginary friends to sit still for a group portrait. If I had to pick one to hang out with for a day, it would totally be Blast!

Thank you for the artwork and kind words, Z-Kids! So happy you enjoyed Dotty! BIG hugs from Boston ♥

Happy New Year!

What is just as magical as the holiday season? That delicious, snow-scented, post-holiday feeling of newness, travel, possibility, creative energy bursting out in all directions. Are you feeling it?


2011 is going to be stupendous. I can feel it in my bones! In 21 days Just Being Audrey arrives on shelves...I'm putting the final touches on my new book by Boni Ashburn, I Had A Favorite Dress due out in 2011 (interior art above : Maggie Jean, The Fashion Queen) ...repackaging covers for the Alice series by Phyllis Naylor and The Casson series by Hilary KcKay for 2011...and we are working on opening my very first online boutique including collectible limited-run archival prints, stationery, and more. It will be a busy year and I'm looking forward to the adventure!

Au revoir for now, my friends, and a creative + joyful 2011 to you ♥

Worker Bees

Back from Christmas in Connecticut, on the heels of a blizzard, and right to work on the new studio. It's day three and it's really coming together! I am trying to contain my spastic glee, can't wait to make art in this new little space! Here's a peek inside:

Having a handyman helps...

And a handycat...

Joyeux Noël!

Happy holidays, my friends! Fall term of French class ended last week to resume again as part deux in January. On our way out our professeur taught us to say "Joyeux Noël!"


I just want to thank you for all the little kindnesses this year: your notes, words of encouragement, emails, inspiring ideas...they mean a lot when you are making art and writing things and hitting Enter and sending it all out into the "void" (à la Kathleen Kelly) I've really enjoyed visiting with you here at The Cinnamon Rabbit. Hope you have time to relax, be with loved ones and be filled with new inspiration. See you again in 2011!

Much love+gratitude ♥

Just Being Audrey

One day last week there was a knock on my door. I peeked out, grabbed the bundle waiting there and ripped it open (and danced around)...Audrey had arrived! First advanced copy:




I wake up in the mornings now with nervous excitement for the release of this title (January 25th is almost here!) I am nervous because I know my representation won't ever do justice to the life. On the other hand, I am so excited because just cannot wait to share Audrey's story, told by Margaret Cardillo. To study a life like Audrey's was life-changing. She was an inspiring soul I grew to know, respect and hold dear over months of research; a beautiful muse and almost a maternal presence while I worked. I always tell Matt that Audrey feels like my fairy-grandmother! I really miss her now that the book is done...

Photo by Philippe Halsman, 1955

Audrey told me in a dream recently that "giving is what makes the work worth it" as she wrote checks out to empty waiting hands, giddily smiling from ear to ear (dressed, of course, in a well-cut yellow pants suit and matching broad brimmed hat!) I've been trying my best to carry the feeling and message of that dream with me through the holidays, especially. Apart from her "look", Audrey's intense need to GIVE and the joy she experienced while doing so was one of her most stunning characteristics. I'm looking forward to seeing her again on shelves and in hands and hopefully inspiring a new generation.

Oh! AND! we've created a Just Being Audrey book page, so come join us here:

ACHOO!

Please excuse the saw dust sneezes–we are under construction. My new studio is on the way...!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Maybe the best part of a holiday is in the preparing for it. Therein lies the COZY factor. I love to imagine floods of people right now getting ready across the country, and all at the same time, bundling up, packing cars, baking pies, burning pies, maybe getting stuck at airports, but all still somehow ending up somewhere, hopefully in a warm little place together, sharing food and stories and laughing about it all.

This how I'm preparing in Quincy, Massachusetts, just towns away from where the first ever Thanksgiving feast occurred at Plimouth in 1621!!!



Click here if you can't read my squirrely recipe card & try them out at your feast. Recipe's foolproof (I've changed it by using whole wheat flour, adding 1/4 tsp of salt to the dough, and herbs like thyme and rosemary-you can get creative) Makes 12-15 terribly tempting little biscuits.

Happy Thanksgiving to you, whatever you are doing and wherever you may be!

Meet the husband!

I am really thrilled to announce the new blog, "AKAperly" by lead character artist, and my husband, Matt Perlot (known to many as Perly). I am not a video game guru, so this is how I describe what Matt does: he invents people. Have you seen this game?



This is Harmonix's brand new dance-based music game, "Dance Central." Matt designed and created the characters for this game, from sketch to what you see in-game: visual appearance, names, attitudes, "social hangups" as he puts it, and personal storyline. It is absolutely magical for me to see his invented people all over the place now, inviting people to play!



Matt's always been an amazing artist, with a signature style full of sharp angles and edge. What's really interesting for me as a fellow artist, is to watch him take his characters from concept sketch, to hyper-stylized/urban/iconographically flat art, to a fully rendered 3d person alive on the screen and standing (or dancing) in space, while maintaining the character's vibe and personality. I am continually inspired by his work, and its fun to share our love for character while I work on books and he works on games. We are always helping each other to push our own visual styles further. Matt's got a good eye and you better believe I get a full crit on my art when I ask him for one or he'll brainstorm page design with me if I'm stumped. He's a good guy to have around :)

He kicks off his new blog here:
http://akaperly.blogspot.com/

Playing Pretend

I realized today I reference my own childhood playtime constantly in my art...specific games and characters or feelings I'd made up with my sisters (semi-annual mud-day above!) I hold them (both pretend things and real sisters) very dear to me and consult them regularly. Can you remember those hilarious settings and characters you dreamed up? The way certain colors or sounds jumped out at you when you read a picture book, the utterly cozy way it felt to make a world of your own? While we twirled in crazy dress up, "moved out" into our own tiny houses in the corners of the living room, recorded radio shows, and played some serious Barbie games until late in the night, we were not only learning but developing a muscle that many people stop using as they grow up for various reasons.
It's a muscle I guess I'm childishly still using, and have been through adulthood with no intention of stopping. Now I make a living doing it too. It's helped me survive some dark times, encouraged me to stay enchanted, and help me focus on possibilities. I don't think I'd even be able to MAKE ART without still allowing myself to let go and "PLAY PRETEND". Imagining what could be. I'm doing it all day. Picture books are for children, ages 0-200.

There is also something transformative about how we are when we are pretending, isn't there? It levels every heart to that same ageless, joyful, simple and accepting state. Imagine the world, our relationships with more playtime. We really need to keep doing that in one mode or another, as grown ups, so we can remember how to imagine. Imagining lets us realize that we CAN shape our lives in any fashion we'd like; allows us to tackle the impossible, befriend the intangible, tap into a level of old magic that exists in the every day and push us forward. Children do it best only because they practice daily, grown ups should do it too! It's as essential as exercise.

I think there are few things more important for the human spirit at any age, than playing. So, let's! ♥