Tony DiTerlizzi's Blog, page 16

Friday Fan Art

This week we received some wonderful drawings from Allie who lives near us in Massachusetts.  Allie is a fan of The Spiderwick Chronicles as well as The Search for WondLa. In fact, she tells us that she looks just like Eva Nine!!!  What do you think?

Check out Mallory fighting Red Cap!!  I think Mallory is going to win…

…and here's a "Hoglin".   I'm guessing it's a type of hot-dog-goblin.  Any thoughts? It sort of looks delicious…

Great drawings Allie!  Keep drawing, keep dreaming…

Books: The Colors of My Past

As you may have read recently, I've uploaded all sorts of activity and coloring pages throughout the site and on my facebook page. This had me thinking about coloring books and the artwork created for these treasured tomes.

Its a certain style of illustration, that which entices little ones to color while allowing freedom to be creative while doing so. As the father of a four-year old, I've been reminded how relaxing coloring can be. Perhaps its because I can shut off my mind and fill in-between the lines of a completed image while basking in the scent of waxy crayons or inky felt-tipped markers.

I remember I colored A LOT when I was young. My mom actually made a deal with us DiTerlizzi kids that, "if you complete a coloring book, I'll buy you a new one." That was a pretty awesome deal and I took great pride in my colorized masterpieces. I'm excited to share with you a few of my favorites, thanks to a recent discovery exhumed from the strata of my parent's old storage unit.

Like many grade-school boys, dinosaurs were alive and well in my bedroom. From the Aurora Prehistoric Scenes models on my book shelf to posters of Charles Knight's lush paintings taped to my wall, you stepped back into the Mesozoic when you stepped through my door. Lying on the shag carpet, among the Hot Wheels cars and Marx dinosaur playset, you would have found the above gem published in 1975 by Whitman. The scenes inside were begging for you enter them with a box full of Crayola ammunition.

…hmmm, I'm not sure why Gorgosaurus is labeled as a horned dinosaur here…but then again, scientists didn't know as much back in the 70′s as they know today.

Some years later my parents bought me this one beautifully drawn book by Anthony Rao and published by Dover.

I loved the art in here so much I didn't dare mar it with my sub-par coloring ability. It remains pristine to this day (spare for the colored pteranodon, a personal fav). Here's a page for you to enjoy Anthony's line-work (click the image for a larger file):

As I said, my Hot Wheels collection was right in this prehistoric mix, and the official coloring book (also published by Whitman in 1978) allowed you dream about owning a tiny garage full of the Hot Wheels classics like "Poison Pinto", "Spoiler Sport" and "Super Van" painted any way you like. A little over half of my copy was colored, and I think my rule then was only to color the cars that I actually owned. Too bad my parents didn't find those bad boys in their storage unit…sigh.

Vrooom! Here's a little 1970′s Hot Wheels action for you to color up (click the image for a larger file):

But the golden-tinted memory of coloring, for me, was in 5th grade. Now I know what you're thinking, "That's a little old for coloring books, isn't it, Tony?" Not when it was one of Troubador Press' cherished coloring albums.

The Troubador coloring albums debuted in the 1970′s and covered a wide variety of subjects, however, their main focus was wildlife – from North American Sea Life to Bird Life and even Ice Age animals. They were large in size (11×14″) and contained detailed descriptions to accompany the flowing line-work of artist, Gompers Saijo, who illustrated many of the books in the series.

They were available in the nicer indie bookstores and art supply shops where I grew up. I even saw them in the early 1990′s at the local The Nature Company store. Sadly, like The Nature Company, Troubador Press went the way of the dinosaur in the 90′s, but the memory of these beautifully designed albums still lingers. Here, give one page a try and see what I mean (click the image for a larger file):

Today, the Troubador coloring albums are available in the used and secondhand market, some with hefty price tags. As I poked around searching for my old favorites, I came across a 1979 coloring album for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons(!) How could 10-year old Tony have missed this?

[image error]

Do you feel robbed too? Below is one of the pages for your enjoyment (just click the image for a larger file) . There are lots of images from this 70′s gem out there if you do a search (I even found a pdf of the entire book). Time to bust out my pack of rainbow markers!

[image error]

The Colors of My Past

As you may have read recently, I've uploaded all sorts of activity and coloring pages throughout the site and on my facebook page. This had me thinking about coloring books and the artwork created for these treasured tomes.

Its a certain style of illustration, that which entices little ones to color while allowing freedom to be creative while doing so. As the father of a four-year old, I've been reminded how relaxing coloring can be. Perhaps its because I can shut off my mind and fill in-between the lines of a completed image while basking in the scent of waxy crayons or inky felt-tipped markers.

I remember I colored A LOT when I was young. My mom actually made a deal with us DiTerlizzi kids that, "if you complete a coloring book, I'll buy you a new one." That was a pretty awesome deal and I took great pride in my colorized masterpieces. I'm excited to share with you a few of my favorites, thanks to a recent discovery exhumed from the strata of my parent's old storage unit.

Like many grade-school boys, dinosaurs were alive and well in my bedroom. From the Aurora Prehistoric Scenes models on my book shelf to posters of Charles Knight's lush paintings taped to my wall, you stepped back into the Mesozoic when you stepped through my door. Lying on the shag carpet, among the Hot Wheels cars and Marx dinosaur playset, you would have found the above gem published in 1975 by Whitman. The scenes inside were begging for you enter them with a box full of Crayola ammunition.

…hmmm, I'm not sure why Gorgosaurus is labeled as a horned dinosaur here…but then again, scientists didn't know as much back in the 70′s as they know today.

Some years later my parents bought me this one beautifully drawn book by Anthony Rao and published by Dover.

I loved the art in here so much I didn't dare mar it with my sub-par coloring ability. It remains pristine to this day (spare for the colored pteranodon, a personal fav). Here's a page for you to enjoy Anthony's line-work (click the image for a larger file):

As I said, my Hot Wheels collection was right in this prehistoric mix, and the official coloring book (also published by Whitman in 1978) allowed you dream about owning a tiny garage full of the Hot Wheels classics like "Poison Pinto", "Spoiler Sport" and "Super Van" painted any way you like. A little over half of my copy was colored, and I think my rule then was only to color the cars that I actually owned. Too bad my parents didn't find those bad boys in their storage unit…sigh.

Vrooom! Here's a little 1970′s Hot Wheels action for you to color up (click the image for a larger file):

But the golden-tinted memory of coloring, for me, was in 5th grade. Now I know what you're thinking, "That's a little old for coloring books, isn't it, Tony?" Not when it was one of Troubador Press' cherished coloring albums.

The Troubador coloring albums debuted in the 1970′s and covered a wide variety of subjects, however, their main focus was wildlife – from North American Sea Life to Bird Life and even Ice Age animals. They were large in size (11×14″) and contained detailed descriptions to accompany the flowing line-work of artist, Gompers Saijo, who illustrated many of the books in the series.

They were available in the nicer indie bookstores and art supply shops where I grew up. I even saw them in the early 1990′s at the local The Nature Company store. Sadly, like The Nature Company, Troubador Press went the way of the dinosaur in the 90′s, but the memory of these beautifully designed albums still lingers. Here, give one page a try and see what I mean (click the image for a larger file):

Today, the Troubador coloring albums are available in the used and secondhand market, some with hefty price tags. As I poked around searching for my old favorites, I came across a 1979 coloring album for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons(!) How could 10-year old Tony have missed this?

[image error]

Do you feel robbed too? Below is one of the pages for your enjoyment (just click the image for a larger file) . There are lots of images from this 70′s gem out there if you do a search (I even found a pdf of the entire book). Time to bust out my pack of rainbow markers!

[image error]

(A Cinematic) Friday Fan Art

Over the years I have enjoyed sharing with you all the amazing fan art that arrives in my mailbox. Whether its in my PO box or my email inbox, I am always touched when someone takes the time to do their own rendition of my characters. In fact, I am even thrilled by the prospect of someone improving on my designs. After all, when I was a kid I often daydreamed of creating a world richer than Middle Earth or a book more eye-popping than Brian Froud & Alan Lee's Faeries.

So when I received a note on my facebook page that a young film-maker, Michael Nicle, had created his own fan film for The Spiderwick Chronicles, well, I was truly impressed.

Even if you've only watched the behind-the-scenes features on your favorite dvd, you know that creating a film is a tremendous amount of work. The less people on your crew means more work per individual, and Michael has really put in quite an effort here.

He's even got a documentary on how and why he did this fan film. My favorite thing he says is that he loved the feature release by Paramount, but there were things he was disappointed in…things he would have done different. This motivated him to creating his own version of how he would interpret the books.

I can't wait to see the rest of your film, Michael. Hold onto that passion, that spirit, for making your films and perhaps one day you will be doing it for a studio, like Paramount, for all of us to enjoy.

Keep dreaming.

New Interview with Tony & Ang

A couple months back, at the International Reader's Association (IRA) conference, Angela and I were interviewed about the creation of our Adventure of Meno series, The Search for WondLa and Ang's solo as a picture book author, Say What?

The interview is part of the IRA's "Listen Up" series and is now online on their website, take a listen!

A Hero for WondLa

At last, I can reveal the title of the second book in the WondLa trilogy: A Hero for WondLa. Here is the official summary from the publisher:

"Finally, Eva Nine has gotten what she has always wanted: other humans. When she and her friends are rescued by Hailey, another human, Eva couldn't be happier. Now she has everything she has ever dreamed of. Hailey brings Eva and her friends to the human colony New Attica, where humans of all shapes and sizes live in apparent peace and harmony.

But all is not idyllic in New Attica, and soon Eva Nine and her friends realize that something very bad is going on–and if they don't stop it, it could mean the end of everything and everyone on Orbona."

I am busy finalizing the artwork for the jacket (which I hope to unveil soon), then its back to rewrites before I begin the interior illustrations. I've had my beta-readers go through the first draft and I am happy to report that all felt the second book amped up the action while remaining emotionally satisfying. Yay!

Look for A Hero for WondLa in bookstores everywhere in May of 2012.

Download some DiTerlizzi!

I hope everyone had a fabulous Fourth of July. I took a weekend off from WondLa 2 and enjoyed some food, fireworks and finding fireflies. Also, I uploaded all sorts of DiTerlizzi-themed downloads to the site. If you read about each title under the BOOKS section, you'll now find lots of cool FREE stuff, like audio samples from my various audio books (read by the likes of Mark Hamill, Alan Cumming, Andrew McCarthy and the lovely Teri Hatcher), as well as a plethora of coloring pages and activity sheets for use at home or in the classroom.

I have some favorites, of course, such as make-your-own "Ted's Birthday Hat" (where you have to write the name of your imaginary friend on it).

(click image for a hi-res file)

…and some holiday images, which I created specifically for crafting flat ornaments to decorate your home, presents or Christmas tree. (In fact,  I should create some new images this year…perhaps Kenny, Grahame and company?)

(click image for a hi-res file)

…there is even a "Color-n-Make" set of puppets from The Spider & The Fly where you can create jointed paper dolls of Mr. Spider, Ms. Fly and the ghost bugs!

(click image for a hi-res file)

…and, since there was no appropriate place for these, here is a set of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons player-character sheets designed and decorated by yours truly for use on your next adventure (click for that hi-res image). Have fun!

Reminiscing on Rovender Kitt (part 1)

I suppose this entry title may seem premature. After all, its a little early to reminisce about a character which you've likely only met this past year in The Search for WondLa; but Rovender – the roving wanderer – has been traveling through my imagination for over a decade. For me, he has been a driving force behind these stories, reappearing in my life on-and-off since I first sketched him back in 1996.

Like many of my stories, the inception of WondLa began as sketches. I was thinking fondly of Jim Henson's fantasy films, fairy tales, and the visions of French artist, Jean Giraud Moebius. From this inspirational pool came a character simply called "The Traveler". This first drawing came to me while I was still working on role-playing games, like Planescape. And you can see in the drawing above, shapes and forms similar to the characters I had designed for that game. But there was something more to this sketch, something alive. This was a character I yearned to construct a world around.

 

Over the next year I worked on a myriad of freelance projects and began to seriously develop the manuscript for my first picture book, Jimmy Zangwow. From time to time, I would revisit the story of The Traveler in my sketchbooks. I started to craft a fantastic alien landscape for him to explore. I realized that this Traveler was some sort of alien himself. And yet, despite his alien-ness, he was someone I was sympathetic to. Perhaps it was his searching for his place in the universe that echoed my own yearning to find a niche for my creativity.

As I began to understand who this character was on the inside, I tried to figure out what he looked like on the outside. My first attempt was an extremely alien being, as seen in the pen & ink sketch above.

But that form was too bizarre and I returned to a humanoid figure. This time I infused it with some of his personality. I wondered what it would be like if this character was frustrated, moody and not an easygoing wayfarer. This certainly reflected my own frustration at the time as I labored to  break into children's publishing.

In Part 2: Edgar Rice Burroughs helps me out.

 

Friday Fan Art

Recently I received a nice note from Anish Mohan, a 3d computer artist working in India. Anish said, "I have been a BIG fan of your work from the time I got one of those Spiderwick Field guide books. Your concept creatures are full of great imagination and detail. Loved the way the entire book was made with so much imagination too."

Anish has taken those illustrations from Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide and created several 3d computer model renditions for his portfolio which you can see at his site here.

Best of luck with your career as a modeller and animator, Anish. I can't wait to sit down and in a movie theater and see your name in the credits.

Keep dreaming, keep drawing.

New Scans of Old Art

We've returned to our home in Amherst this week and I am happy to be back in the studio. I've handed in the first draft of the second WondLa book and will be starting the jacket art very soon. Yay!

Now that I am back in the studio, I've access to all of my art archives and have been adding lots of crisp new scans of some older art to fill up the galleries here on the site. Of particular interest are some color character designs from my children's books like Jimmy Zangwow and Alien & Possum.

I even found some color studies done a few year's back for WondLa (like these early designs for Besteel). In fact, there were so many variations of Rovender Kitt, that I think it will warrant its own future post.

Also, I scanned in a nice selection of my favorite Magic the Gathering card images. I realized I've sold most of the artwork off, so the collection here is limited (however, the R. Michelson Gallery in nearby Northampton does have a few originals for sale.) Enjoy browsing the artwork and let me know if there is something you'd like to see more of.