Tony DiTerlizzi's Blog, page 11
May 2, 2012
Sneak a Peek at HERO
With less than a week remaining until the release of A Hero for WondLa, I thought you may like to see a sample of the 50+ illustrations I rendered for the book.
Click HERE to be taken directly to the gallery of images.
*CAUTION: There may be spoilers, so be warned. Otherwise, let me know what you think.
April 27, 2012
Friday Fan Art
It’s been an art-filled week here in DiTerlizziland reviewing entries for the Wonders of the Future WondLa Giveaway; so for this weeks FFA I’d like to come back from the future to take a look at the fantastic.
Like me, French art student, Joelle, has a love for faeries, hobgoblins, and other denizens of the Invisible World. For inspiration, Joelle to turn to her copy of Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You for her school assignment: “sculpte-moi une histoire” or “to carve me a story”.
And Joelle did just that! Here, she has sculpted and hand-painted characters from the Field Guide, each striking poses of personality. I love the ogre! You did an awesome job, Joelle…
Keep Sculpting, Keep Dreaming!
April 25, 2012
Paperback WondLa
This week, The Search for WondLa was released in paperback. Its now at an affordable softcover price, and yet, still retains the plethora of 2-colored interior art – yay!
What do you think of the new jacket design? You can read about how it came about here. The book also sneaks a peek at chapter 1 of Hero for Wondla, due in stores May 8th.
Gearing up for the release of Hero, Simon & Schuster relaunched the Wondla website with a NEW augmented reality game where you have to fly Hailey’s airship in search of Eva Nine. To play, simply download the augmented reality key, the required software, and zoom off to test your piloting skills. Have fun! I’ll see you on tour soon.
April 23, 2012
“Wonders of the Future” Winners!
My latest contest seemed simple enough, but in fact, it was a rigorous exercise in imagination: show me your vision of the future.
We’ve held several contests on the site in the past, and I am always touched by the amount of time and thought that go into each entry. Fellow judges Angela and Ashley (my assistant) enjoyed going through the wonderful imagery.
We received creative entries like Caleb’s “Splotch Bot” (which I could use in my studio):
…and Vickie’s “Domesticated Kerfuffle”:
…both of which were fun, well-rendered designs. We also loved Grace’s “Mammoth Earth Star”, which she says:
“Fungi on Earth has adapted well to hundreds of years of drastic climate change; the Mammoth Earth-star is a fungus that grows 50 feet in diameter.Because the earth stars are hollow inside, they’re frequently used as homes for people living on plains and in forest areas. They only have a 6 month life span before they start to decay, but people harvest the spore pods on the top of the fungi to grow new homes while they’re current home is still stable. Because the fungi grow so fast and the spores are so plentiful, no one has to be homeless, and everyone (even city-dwellers) has the option of living the nomadic life.”
Pretty cool, huh? The entries were so fantastic that we decided to award two runner-ups (each receiving an Advanced Reader’s Copy of Hero for WondLa). The first runner-up is Rachael for her “Dream Sphere”. Check it out:
“Have you ever had trouble explaining the images inside your head? If you’re an artist it usually isn’t hard to transfer your ideas into reality. Unfortunately, not everyone is an artist, and I believe everyone should have the opportunity to express their imaginations. Enter the DreamSphere! With this lovely gadget, anything that goes through your head (pictures, dreams, thoughts, poems, anything!) can instantly be displayed for all to see. They can even be printed or instantly transferred to the Internet!”
I’ve worked for 40+ years to have the ability to get what’s in my head onto paper. I’d love to don my “Dream Sphere” and go to town. And I’d likely do it in my cozy studio within our second runner-up, Tori’s, “Green City”:
“My vision of the future is a green city that includes little use of natural resources. The Eco-friendly buildings are built above the treeline so they can best take advantage the energies from the sun and wind. The earth below is left to rejuvenate as its original design dictates. The technological advances include floating buildings and flying cars, all of which take advantage of being green. The architecture reveals the unification of all cultures in that man is no longer warring against man and nature.”
Tori’s was one of several entries that dealt with trying to alleviate the footprint that mankind has put on the planet, which inspired me greatly.
The grand prize, however, went to 14-year old Gabe. His artistic ability is exceptional for his age and is rivaled by his unbelievably awesome imagination:
“In the future, I believe that humankind’s meddling in genetics and science will create a vast range of strange creatures. I chose to depict a few choice selections from this menagerie of the future in their natural habitats. Included here is the Diamondeer, the e-Owl surveillance comp, and the electric daffodil. The few explorers who have ventured into the wasteland-tundra outside of any future metropolis have returned as very different people.”
Congratulations to the winners and THANK YOU all for participating in such a challenging contest. Let’s do it again real soon!
April 16, 2012
Walla Walla Event 4/17
For my readers in Washington, I’ll be signing tomorrow night (with Andrea Pinkney) as part of Walla Walla Kids Read.
Bring your books, games and cards and I’ll sign it all. Seeya there!
April 13, 2012
A (Fey-riffic) Friday Fan Art
Herb Leonhard is a fantasy illustrator whom I was introduced to years ago when I contributed an image for Tori Amos’ RAINN calendar.
Recently, Herb has created a series of coloring books inspired by his love of fairies and Art Nouveau master, Alphonse Mucha. The first coloring book, Fae Nouveau, is available directly from him. He is currently working on its sequel, Fae Nouveau Revisted, which contains cameos by noted fairy artists like Amy Brown and yours truly:
Thanks for the cameo, Herb. Not only did you put me on a diet, you also gave me a pair of scissors to escape Mr. Spider’s parlor…
Keep dreaming, keep drawing.
April 3, 2012
The Spring 2012 HERO Tour
Finally! I have details of my May HERO FOR WONDLA book tour that I can share. I hope to see you there!
Tuesday, May 8, 7:00 PM
Barnes & Noble #2575
1201 3rd Street Promenade
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Wednesday, May 9, 5:00 PM
Mrs. Nelson's Toy & Book Shop
1030 Bonita Avenue
La Verne, CA 91750
Thursday, May 10, 6:00 PM
Books, Inc
1344 Park Street
Alameda, CA 94501
Friday, May 11, 3:00 PM
Hicklebee's Bookstore
1378 Lincoln Avenue
San Jose, CA 95125
Saturday, May 12, 3:00 PM
Barnes & Noble #2113
6050 El Cerrito Plaza
El Cerrito, CA 94530
Monday, May 14, 7:00 PM
Changing Hands Bookstore
6428 South McClintock Drive
Tempe, AZ 85283
Tuesday, May 15, 6:30 PM
Murder by the Book
2342 Bissonnet Street
Houston, TX 77005
*Wednesday, May 16
Blue Willow Bookshop
Houston, TX
*(Location/Time TBD)
Friday, May 18, 4:00 PM
Books, Bytes and Beyond
197 Rock Road
Glen Rock, NJ 07452
* We will be adding an event in New York City (likely on May 17th) and I will be returning to the Blake Library near my old hometown in Florida at the end of the month. Details on that as soon as I get them.
Never been to a book signing before? You may want to read my FAQs.
March 30, 2012
A Masterful Friday Fan Art
(*Parents, teachers: This week's FFA involves a naturalistic depiction of a mermaid. Thus, she wears no seashell-bikini.)
I've seen lots of wonderful submissions for Friday Fan Art over the years. Each time a drawing, painting or sculpture arrives in my studio inbox, I am over the moon with joy that my work has inspired others. However, every once and awhile something comes in that completely BLOWS MY MIND.
Gilberto Magno is a CG artist working in São Paulo, Brazil. His portfolio exhibits many artistic styles, but what he excels at is digital 3D rendering.
This is the detail of a CG model of a Caribbean Mermaid from Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide. Think that's amazing? take a look at the rest of it.
…and here is the model painted.
Gilberto even placed the model in an undersea setting, creating a convincing lifelike illustration.
Having seen the CG models used for the Spiderwick film, I can tell you that Gilberto's work is right up there with the best in the business. His attention to detail and understanding of various shapes and forms has created a stunning interpretation of the mermaid. If these jpegs weren't enough, check out this little video he created:
Keep up the fabulous work, Gilberto. I can't wait to see your name in the credits of the next blockbuster film.
Keep dreaming, keep drawing.
March 27, 2012
Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators Summer Con
While we put together the final details of my spring tour for A Hero for WondLa, I can tell you that I will be attending the Society of Children’s Book Writers & illustrators (SCBWI) summer conference in Los Angeles, California from August 3rd through the 6th.
I will be a keynote speaker as well as participating in an illustrator’s intensive where I will focus on merging writing with pictures. Here is a link on the SCBWI site with the info.
I’ll post more details as I receive them. Until then, I’ll seeya in LA!
Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators Summer Con
While we put together the final details of my spring tour for A Hero for WondLa, I can tell you that I will be attending the Society of Children's Book Writers & illustrators (SCBWI) summer conference in Los Angeles, California from August 3rd through the 6th.
I will be a keynote speaker as well as participating in an illustrator's intensive where I will focus on merging writing with pictures. Here is a link on the SCBWI site with the info.
I'll post more details as I receive them. Until then, I'll seeya in LA!
