Lee Harper's Blog, page 2
March 9, 2015
The Colors On My Palette
My ceramic watercolor palette has thirty-two paint wells. Although it���s fun to explore the attributes of the thousands of paint colors available to artists, I���ve found that by limiting myself to thirty-two choices, I���m free to paint spontaneously without searching through a box of paint, squinting to read the tiny printed pigment info every time I need another color. Consequently, I now find myself on a never-ending quest to find the thirty-two essential paints that I can���t live without.
One of the first things I decided when I began assembling my roster of thirty-two paints was that I���d try to limit my choices to single pigment paints. Convenience mixtures, or paint derived from combinations of pigments, tend to look muddy as soon as you begin mixing them with other colors. They aren���t good team players. If you���re a convenience mixture you have a slim chance of making my team, although there are always those that defy the odds. While painting Looking For The Easy Life, for example, I discovered that I couldn���t live without a convenience mixture that goes by the name Hooker���s Green. I liked its nickname and found it indispensable for painting tropical foliage, so now it���s a permanent member of the squad.
Another attribute I require from my paint is permanence. Sorry Alizarin Crimson, you���re out. No exceptions here. I sell many of my original book illustrations and don���t want them fading after a few years of hanging in someone���s living room.
After those two attributes the selection process gets a little murkier. Take Cerulean Blue and Quinacridone gold for example. Cerulean blue is a mainstay on my palette because I love its opacity, how it lifts from the paper and granulates when applied wet into wet. But on the other hand, I love Quinacridone gold for the opposite reasons. It makes beautiful, smooth and translucent washes that stain the paper.
There are other instances when a color makes the cut because of its leadership traits and willingness to be a team player. Raw umber is one of those colors. By itself it���s an unremarkable brownish yellow, but it���ll do anything I ask it to do. If I say go over there and stand in that pile of pig poop and be a shadow, it���ll go over by the pile of pig poop and be a shadow. If I ask it to be the light emanating from a distant window, it���ll be the light emanating from a distant window. Raw umber sets a good example for the other colors.
A good backstory can also help a color make my team. While painting my latest book; Turkey Trick or Treat, I was faced with the challenge of painting night scenes and I found myself looking for more dark colors than the ones on my palette. One of the colors I found myself regularly reaching for was Prussian blue.
So I did a background check.
Interestingly, I learned that Prussian blue was the first modern synthetic pigment. It was accidentally invented in 1706 by a German pigment and dye producer named Johann Jacob Diesbach. While attempting to create a red lake pigment from the cochineal insect, he instead obtained a blue as a result of the contaminated potash he was using. He borrowed the potash from his alchemist friend Johann Konrad Dippel, who had previously used it to produce "animal oil"��� proof that borrowing potash and experimenting with weird bugs with your alchemist friends isn���t always such a bad idea. I���m still not sure if Prussian blue will make the team, but its fun backstory doesn���t hurt its��� chances.
Anyway, for my fellow color geeks out there, below is a complete list of the thirty-two colors currently on my palette. I���ve included the alphanumeric pigment names because ��� as you already know if you���re a true color geek ��� the common names are virtually meaningless.
PB16 (Phthalo Turquoise)
PG7 (Phthalo Green Blue)
PG18 (Viridian)
PG36 (Phthalo Green Yellow)
PG36, PY110 (Hooker���s Green)
PY129 (Rich Green Gold)
PY37 (Cadmium Lemon)
PY97 (Hansa Yellow Medium)
PY150 (Nickle Azo Yellow)
PY 110 (Isoindoline Yellow)
PY37 (Cadmium Yellow Deep)
PY42 (Yellow Ochre)
P049 (Quinacridone Gold)
PBr7 (Natural Sienna)
PBr7 (Raw Umber)
PBr7 (Burnt Umber)
PO73 (Pyrrol Orange)
PO48 (Quinacridone Burnt Orange)
PBr7 (Burnt Sienna)
PR254 (Pyrrol Red)
PR108 (Cadmium Red Deep)
PR177 (Anthraquinoid Red)
PR179 (Perylene Maroon)
PR122 (Quinacridone Magenta)
PV14 (Cobalt Violet)
PV23 (Dioxazine Violet)
PO73 + PB29 +PG18 (Shadow Violet)
PB15 Phthalo Blue + PV19 Quinacridone Violet + PBk6 Lamp Black (Payne���s Gray)
PB29 (Ultramarine Blue)
PB15 (Phthalo Blue Red)
PB28 (Cobalt Blue)
PB35 (Cerulean Blue)
November 29, 2014
Denmark
Sometimes pieces of life���s puzzle fall together perfectly. My recent trip to Denmark was one of those occasions.
A few years ago I published a picture book entitled The Emperor���s Cool Clothes ��� a humorous retelling of The Emperor���s New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen. After its release I began dreaming about doing a school visit in Denmark, Hans Christian Andersen���s home country. As fortune would have it, this past October I was invited to the Copenhagen International School for a two day visit.��
Most of my school visits occur within a few hundred miles of my home in Pennsylvania, and most of the time none of my family members are interested in joining me. But this time my wife Krista and seventeen year-old son Dan were more than happy to take the opportunity for a mini family get-away in Denmark. It also turned out to be a great chance to connect with my Danish friends Astrid and Thomas.
Another piece of the puzzle that fell fortuitously into place was that we were able to schedule the trip to coincide with ���Kulturnatten���: a city-wide celebration of Danish culture which takes place every year on the second Friday of October. The final piece of the puzzle to fall into place was the weather. Our week in Denmark was unseasonably warm.��
In preparing for the trip, I read about a uniquely Danish cultural phenomenon known as ���hygge���. It doesn���t have an exact translation to English, but generally it refers to ���cosiness, or social situations with a complete absence of anything annoying, irritating or emotionally overwhelming���. Most attempts at an English translation of the word are accompanied by the disclaimer that you have to experience it to understand it.��I decided one of my goals during this trip would be to understand ���hygge���.
Krista, Dan and I departed from Newark late on Monday and arrived in Copenhagen in the early afternoon on Tuesday. Astrid met us at the airport and helped us navigate the metro to our hotel in the heart of Copenhagen. The first big difference between the US and Denmark to strike me was all the bikes. There were bikes, bikes everywhere! Also, the air smelled surprisingly fresh for a city the size of Copenhagen, and the people looked more physically fit than they do in the US which can probably be attributed to all that bike riding!��
It was only a week-long trip, but we packed a lot into it. For the first four nights we stayed at the Copenhagen Strand, a hotel located on a canal a short walk from the famous tourist center of Nyhavn, which you can see behind Krista in the photo to the right.
On Wednesday and Thursday while I was visiting The International School, Dan and Krista�� explored the city with no itinerary in mind. They walked the Str��get, the longest pedestrian street in Europe, climbed the Rundet��rn, visited Amalienborg Palace, and later crossed the bridge to explore Christiania, a semi-autonomous ���hippie-town��� within the borders of Copenhagen. They had a nice time, although Dan commented that it was a little embarrassing to be in Christiania with his mum...
While Dan and Krista explored, I had a wonderful time at the International School. The librarian Urania Beyer, along with Diana Lloret, Anu Chander, Sarah J��rgensen, and the entire staff made sure everything was just right. The children all arrived with paper and pencil as planned. The audio/visual system was ready. My easel and pad of paper were set to go. A lunch of sm��rrebr��d ��� a style of Danish open-faced sandwich with very specific�� and unusual combinations of ingredients ��� was thoughtfully ordered for lunch. And most importantly of all, the children had all read my books before my arrival. Their connection with my books resulted in their eager and enthusiastic participation in my program before I had even spoken a word.��
Diana Lloret, Urania Beyer, Lee Harper, Sarah J��rgensen and Anu Chander.
I take my job as visiting author very seriously. I see it like this: The teachers work hard every day to build a metaphorical fire in the children. The fire represents a child���s passion to read, write and make art. When I visit, my job is to act as the fan that feeds that fire. Judging by the happy smiles and wide eyes of the children,��I think the fire was roaring. (Or maybe they just really enjoyed inventing silly costumes for a turkey.) Either way, it was a school visit I���ll never forget. I���m very thankful to the Copenhagen International School for providing me with this opportunity.
I did eight presentations over the course of two days and the kids were great in each one. My time at CIS concluded with a presentation to the kindergarteners, which is always the highlight of any school visit for me. The thing I love about kindergarteners (beside the fact that they���re adorable) is that they don���t quite live in the real world yet ��� a quality I enjoy.
Although I had a great time at CIS,�� I was happy when Thursday afternoon rolled around and it was time to relax with nothing on my schedule for the next three days besides hanging out in Denmark searching for the meaning of ���hygge��� with Dan, Krista and our friends Astrid and Thomas. On the bus ride back to the hotel I disembarked a few stops too soon and got lost. Note to readers: If you���re ever going to get lost somewhere, I recommend Copenhagen. No matter where you are there���s something interesting to see and the entire town is very safe.
On Friday, Astrid led a fast-paced, condensed grand tour of�� Copenhagen and it���s environs. We began with an hour drive north to the Kronborg Slot, well known as the setting for Shakespeare���s Hamlet. The clouds were particularly nice on this day.
After strolling around the grounds of the Kronborg Slot we looped back toward Copenhagen following a scenic coastal road to the Louisiana Museum; a museum of modern art that has become the most popular tourist destination in Denmark. The museum is set in a landscaped sculpture garden dominated by huge, ancient specimen trees and sweeping views of the ��resund sea. The collection includes all the big names of 20th century art as well as some great contemporary artists such as Olafur Eliasson, whose work I���m glad to have become acquainted with.
Above: Walking through an installation by Olafur Eliasson.
After our castle and museum sojourn it was back to Copenhagen for ���Kulturnatten���, a night when Copenhagen bustles with life more than usual. It was a night of entertainment, sense experiences and adventure���a cultural journey through museums, libraries, schools, theaters, botanical gardens, musical venues, churches, and royal palaces that all opened their doors and dressed themselves up for this very special occasion.
Krista and I in front of a work by Jens S��ndergaard, one of my favorite paintings at the National Gallery of Denmark.
On Saturday we all piled into Thomas and Astrid���s energy efficient hybrid and drove to their beach house on the north coast of Zealand. One of the first things we did was go for a dip in the North Sea, which got us all in the proper frame of mind for some serious ���hyyge���! We spent the next day and a half eating, drinking, fishing, hiking, laughing and talking late into the night.
Photo on right: I was on ���life-guard duty��� while Thomas and Dan went fishing. The clouds were again very good.
��
On Sunday afternoon we drove back to Copenhagen, with a stop at Rudolph Tegner���s Museum & Statuepark along the way. I found it to be a�� a spiritually moving place with more good clouds.
Our time with Thomas and Astrid was capped-off back in Copenhagen with another delicious meal at their flat. Astrid���s sister and brother-in-law made a surprise visit after having just attended Puccini���s Tosca at The Royal Danish Opera House. More laughter, great food and interesting conversation ensued. By this point in time I���m pretty sure I had come to understand the word ���hyyge���.
The next morning it was time to catch our flight back to the US. Since I woke up earlier than Dan and Krista (and the sun) I decided to take a walk to see two things I���d missed: Christiania and The Little Mermaid. Christiania was strange before dawn. Revelers were still singing from parties that had begun the night before. (In respect to local custom I took no photos of Christiania.) The Little Mermaid was great. Because I���d gotten such an early start I was able to enjoy her in solitude before the busloads of tourists descended.
On my final walk back to the hotel I saw a group of swans swimming in the canal with St. Alban's Church in the background.��The beauty of the moment brought tears to my eyes. I was happy to have had such an amazing experience in Denmark, but sad to be leaving so soon. Many thanks to Thomas and Astrid and everyone at the Copenhagen International School for being such incredible hosts.
A few years ago I published a picture book entitled The Emperor���s Cool Clothes ��� a humorous retelling of The Emperor���s New Clothes by Hans Christian Andersen. After its release I began dreaming about doing a school visit in Denmark, Hans Christian Andersen���s home country. As fortune would have it, this past October I was invited to the Copenhagen International School for a two day visit.��
Most of my school visits occur within a few hundred miles of my home in Pennsylvania, and most of the time none of my family members are interested in joining me. But this time my wife Krista and seventeen year-old son Dan were more than happy to take the opportunity for a mini family get-away in Denmark. It also turned out to be a great chance to connect with my Danish friends Astrid and Thomas.
Another piece of the puzzle that fell fortuitously into place was that we were able to schedule the trip to coincide with ���Kulturnatten���: a city-wide celebration of Danish culture which takes place every year on the second Friday of October. The final piece of the puzzle to fall into place was the weather. Our week in Denmark was unseasonably warm.��
In preparing for the trip, I read about a uniquely Danish cultural phenomenon known as ���hygge���. It doesn���t have an exact translation to English, but generally it refers to ���cosiness, or social situations with a complete absence of anything annoying, irritating or emotionally overwhelming���. Most attempts at an English translation of the word are accompanied by the disclaimer that you have to experience it to understand it.��I decided one of my goals during this trip would be to understand ���hygge���.
Krista, Dan and I departed from Newark late on Monday and arrived in Copenhagen in the early afternoon on Tuesday. Astrid met us at the airport and helped us navigate the metro to our hotel in the heart of Copenhagen. The first big difference between the US and Denmark to strike me was all the bikes. There were bikes, bikes everywhere! Also, the air smelled surprisingly fresh for a city the size of Copenhagen, and the people looked more physically fit than they do in the US which can probably be attributed to all that bike riding!��
It was only a week-long trip, but we packed a lot into it. For the first four nights we stayed at the Copenhagen Strand, a hotel located on a canal a short walk from the famous tourist center of Nyhavn, which you can see behind Krista in the photo to the right.
On Wednesday and Thursday while I was visiting The International School, Dan and Krista�� explored the city with no itinerary in mind. They walked the Str��get, the longest pedestrian street in Europe, climbed the Rundet��rn, visited Amalienborg Palace, and later crossed the bridge to explore Christiania, a semi-autonomous ���hippie-town��� within the borders of Copenhagen. They had a nice time, although Dan commented that it was a little embarrassing to be in Christiania with his mum...
While Dan and Krista explored, I had a wonderful time at the International School. The librarian Urania Beyer, along with Diana Lloret, Anu Chander, Sarah J��rgensen, and the entire staff made sure everything was just right. The children all arrived with paper and pencil as planned. The audio/visual system was ready. My easel and pad of paper were set to go. A lunch of sm��rrebr��d ��� a style of Danish open-faced sandwich with very specific�� and unusual combinations of ingredients ��� was thoughtfully ordered for lunch. And most importantly of all, the children had all read my books before my arrival. Their connection with my books resulted in their eager and enthusiastic participation in my program before I had even spoken a word.��
Diana Lloret, Urania Beyer, Lee Harper, Sarah J��rgensen and Anu Chander.
I take my job as visiting author very seriously. I see it like this: The teachers work hard every day to build a metaphorical fire in the children. The fire represents a child���s passion to read, write and make art. When I visit, my job is to act as the fan that feeds that fire. Judging by the happy smiles and wide eyes of the children,��I think the fire was roaring. (Or maybe they just really enjoyed inventing silly costumes for a turkey.) Either way, it was a school visit I���ll never forget. I���m very thankful to the Copenhagen International School for providing me with this opportunity.
I did eight presentations over the course of two days and the kids were great in each one. My time at CIS concluded with a presentation to the kindergarteners, which is always the highlight of any school visit for me. The thing I love about kindergarteners (beside the fact that they���re adorable) is that they don���t quite live in the real world yet ��� a quality I enjoy.
Although I had a great time at CIS,�� I was happy when Thursday afternoon rolled around and it was time to relax with nothing on my schedule for the next three days besides hanging out in Denmark searching for the meaning of ���hygge��� with Dan, Krista and our friends Astrid and Thomas. On the bus ride back to the hotel I disembarked a few stops too soon and got lost. Note to readers: If you���re ever going to get lost somewhere, I recommend Copenhagen. No matter where you are there���s something interesting to see and the entire town is very safe.
On Friday, Astrid led a fast-paced, condensed grand tour of�� Copenhagen and it���s environs. We began with an hour drive north to the Kronborg Slot, well known as the setting for Shakespeare���s Hamlet. The clouds were particularly nice on this day.
After strolling around the grounds of the Kronborg Slot we looped back toward Copenhagen following a scenic coastal road to the Louisiana Museum; a museum of modern art that has become the most popular tourist destination in Denmark. The museum is set in a landscaped sculpture garden dominated by huge, ancient specimen trees and sweeping views of the ��resund sea. The collection includes all the big names of 20th century art as well as some great contemporary artists such as Olafur Eliasson, whose work I���m glad to have become acquainted with.
Above: Walking through an installation by Olafur Eliasson.
After our castle and museum sojourn it was back to Copenhagen for ���Kulturnatten���, a night when Copenhagen bustles with life more than usual. It was a night of entertainment, sense experiences and adventure���a cultural journey through museums, libraries, schools, theaters, botanical gardens, musical venues, churches, and royal palaces that all opened their doors and dressed themselves up for this very special occasion.
Krista and I in front of a work by Jens S��ndergaard, one of my favorite paintings at the National Gallery of Denmark.
On Saturday we all piled into Thomas and Astrid���s energy efficient hybrid and drove to their beach house on the north coast of Zealand. One of the first things we did was go for a dip in the North Sea, which got us all in the proper frame of mind for some serious ���hyyge���! We spent the next day and a half eating, drinking, fishing, hiking, laughing and talking late into the night.
Photo on right: I was on ���life-guard duty��� while Thomas and Dan went fishing. The clouds were again very good.
��
On Sunday afternoon we drove back to Copenhagen, with a stop at Rudolph Tegner���s Museum & Statuepark along the way. I found it to be a�� a spiritually moving place with more good clouds.
Our time with Thomas and Astrid was capped-off back in Copenhagen with another delicious meal at their flat. Astrid���s sister and brother-in-law made a surprise visit after having just attended Puccini���s Tosca at The Royal Danish Opera House. More laughter, great food and interesting conversation ensued. By this point in time I���m pretty sure I had come to understand the word ���hyyge���.
The next morning it was time to catch our flight back to the US. Since I woke up earlier than Dan and Krista (and the sun) I decided to take a walk to see two things I���d missed: Christiania and The Little Mermaid. Christiania was strange before dawn. Revelers were still singing from parties that had begun the night before. (In respect to local custom I took no photos of Christiania.) The Little Mermaid was great. Because I���d gotten such an early start I was able to enjoy her in solitude before the busloads of tourists descended.
On my final walk back to the hotel I saw a group of swans swimming in the canal with St. Alban's Church in the background.��The beauty of the moment brought tears to my eyes. I was happy to have had such an amazing experience in Denmark, but sad to be leaving so soon. Many thanks to Thomas and Astrid and everyone at the Copenhagen International School for being such incredible hosts.
December 30, 2013
THE FALL OF THE TURKEY (or the Turkey Tour of 2013)
On this day in October I was a little early for a visit to Shawnee Elementary in Easton PA. Always thinking about my next book, I decided to use the time taking photo reference shots.
October 30, 2013
I���m It! Blog Tag
Mary Rand Hess tagged me so now I���m it! The game is blog tag and whoever gets tagged has to answers the following four questions before tagging someone else.
What are you working on right now?
How does this differ from other works in the genre?
Why do you write what you write?
What is the hardest thing about writing?
Mary Rand Hess is the multi-talented author of The Day I Met The Nuts and The Cowpoke Adventures of Slim and Haskell. She���s also an editor at Story Pie Press and a musician! To read Mary���s answers to the four questions please visit her blog. It���s the October 19th entry.
My answers���s to the questions four:
What are you working on right now?
At the moment I���m spending a large portion of my time preparing to illustrate a story for another author but I can���t actually get started because there are still revisions to be made to the manuscript. While I���m in a holding pattern I���m doing as much preliminary work as I can.
I know the main character is a turkey so I���m gathering as much turkey knowledge as possible. A few days ago I visited a turkey farm and interviewed Terry the turkey farmer. My idea was to ask her to answer my questions from the perspective of a turkey. I brought along a giant paper-mache turkey head and a microphone as props so I could stage some funny pictures, which I figured might be useful for promotion down the road.
I arrived exactly at 2:00, as we had planned, but realized immediately that Terry the turkey farmer had no intention of interrupting her work, and there was no way she was going to warm to the idea of a photo shoot with a giant, paper-mache turkey head. She was very busy making turkey sausage. I asked her if it would be ok if I interviewed her as she worked.
���Good idea��� she said.
���Remember, you are a turkey,��� I reminded her as we began. She attempted to smile.
This is how the interview went:
What do you do when you are excited?
I say gobble gobble and strut upright.
Angry?
Same thing.
Startled?
Same thing.
Hungry?
I don't ever get hungry at Thorton's Turkey Farm. They feed me well.
Do you like being near other turkeys?
Yes, I don't stray.
Other animals?
No.
Do you like being near people, or do you steer clear of them?
No, I don't really like people.
I had a dozen more questions to ask��� much funnier questions ��� but I could kind of tell Terry wasn���t in the funny-question mood. At this point I decided perhaps it���d be best if I not ask her any more questions and instead purchased some things from her store.
Turns out Thorton���s have a great selection of locally grown produce and turkey sausage to die for. That night I cooked spaghetti sauce with some of Thorton���s farm-fresh zucchini and scrumptious turkey sausage meatballs. My family said it was one of the best sauces I���ve ever made.
���I���m glad you���re gobbling it up��� I said with a wink.
Hopefully this doesn���t give the book bad karma.
How does this differ from other works in the genre?
This will be a prequel to two other picture books I���ve illustrated featuring the same character. I think it might be the only character-based picture book series featuring a turkey, although I base this on absolutely no research.
Why do you write what you write?
That is a great mystery. Earlier this year I went for a bike ride with the intention of mentally working through a story about a monkey in a classroom and when I returned home I wrote a story about a tree sloth. I have no idea why I write what I write other than I want it to be interesting to children.
What is the hardest thing about writing?
I tend to write overly complicated stories and have a hard time keeping within the outline.
Well that���s all for me. Now I���m tagging my friend Greg Pizzoli, the author/illustrator of The Watermelon Seed. If you haven���t heard of him yet, you will! His star is rapidly rising. He has all kinds of cool projects in the works. I���ll let him tell you about it.
Greg, you���re it!
What are you working on right now?
How does this differ from other works in the genre?
Why do you write what you write?
What is the hardest thing about writing?
Mary Rand Hess is the multi-talented author of The Day I Met The Nuts and The Cowpoke Adventures of Slim and Haskell. She���s also an editor at Story Pie Press and a musician! To read Mary���s answers to the four questions please visit her blog. It���s the October 19th entry.
My answers���s to the questions four:
What are you working on right now?
At the moment I���m spending a large portion of my time preparing to illustrate a story for another author but I can���t actually get started because there are still revisions to be made to the manuscript. While I���m in a holding pattern I���m doing as much preliminary work as I can.
I know the main character is a turkey so I���m gathering as much turkey knowledge as possible. A few days ago I visited a turkey farm and interviewed Terry the turkey farmer. My idea was to ask her to answer my questions from the perspective of a turkey. I brought along a giant paper-mache turkey head and a microphone as props so I could stage some funny pictures, which I figured might be useful for promotion down the road.
I arrived exactly at 2:00, as we had planned, but realized immediately that Terry the turkey farmer had no intention of interrupting her work, and there was no way she was going to warm to the idea of a photo shoot with a giant, paper-mache turkey head. She was very busy making turkey sausage. I asked her if it would be ok if I interviewed her as she worked.
���Good idea��� she said.
���Remember, you are a turkey,��� I reminded her as we began. She attempted to smile.
This is how the interview went:
What do you do when you are excited?
I say gobble gobble and strut upright.
Angry?
Same thing.
Startled?
Same thing.
Hungry?
I don't ever get hungry at Thorton's Turkey Farm. They feed me well.
Do you like being near other turkeys?
Yes, I don't stray.
Other animals?
No.
Do you like being near people, or do you steer clear of them?
No, I don't really like people.
I had a dozen more questions to ask��� much funnier questions ��� but I could kind of tell Terry wasn���t in the funny-question mood. At this point I decided perhaps it���d be best if I not ask her any more questions and instead purchased some things from her store.
Turns out Thorton���s have a great selection of locally grown produce and turkey sausage to die for. That night I cooked spaghetti sauce with some of Thorton���s farm-fresh zucchini and scrumptious turkey sausage meatballs. My family said it was one of the best sauces I���ve ever made.
���I���m glad you���re gobbling it up��� I said with a wink.
Hopefully this doesn���t give the book bad karma.
How does this differ from other works in the genre?
This will be a prequel to two other picture books I���ve illustrated featuring the same character. I think it might be the only character-based picture book series featuring a turkey, although I base this on absolutely no research.
Why do you write what you write?
That is a great mystery. Earlier this year I went for a bike ride with the intention of mentally working through a story about a monkey in a classroom and when I returned home I wrote a story about a tree sloth. I have no idea why I write what I write other than I want it to be interesting to children.
What is the hardest thing about writing?
I tend to write overly complicated stories and have a hard time keeping within the outline.
Well that���s all for me. Now I���m tagging my friend Greg Pizzoli, the author/illustrator of The Watermelon Seed. If you haven���t heard of him yet, you will! His star is rapidly rising. He has all kinds of cool projects in the works. I���ll let him tell you about it.
Greg, you���re it!
October 3, 2013
���Turkey Tour of 2013��� Kicks Off At Woodbury Heights Elementary
As a picture book author/illustrator, school visits are part of the job. Usually I���ll visit two or three schools a month, but suddenly I���m looking at a three month stretch in which I have over twenty school visits on my calendar. Also, I have a couple of conferences and bookstore signings. I���m calling this busy stretch the ���Turkey Tour of 2013���. I kicked it off yesterday with a visit to Woodbury Heights Elementary in the southern part of New Jersey. I had an incredible visit. I almost forgot how much I love visiting schools!
June 20, 2013
September 8, 2011
This feature story that appeared in the paper on August 2...
This feature story that appeared in the paper on August 28th, 2011. In it I talk about how I got started in picture books and the process of creating The Emperor's Cool Clothes. (Click on picture to read full story)
August 7, 2011
The Emperor's Cool Clothes Sketchbook
Sometimes it's not until after I've been away from working on a book for awhile that I realize how much work I put into it. I have literally hundreds of sketches like these that I did for THE EMPEROR'S COOL CLOTHES. For this book, instead of drawing my preliminary sketches, I painted most of them with sumi ink. It helped me loosen up.
March 27, 2011
Drusilla
The character Drusilla, from LOOKING FOR THE EASY LIFE, probably went through more changes than any of 'The Easy Life Five', as you can see by all the different variations I've shown here. The one at the very bottom is how she ended up looking in the book.
