A Decade of Web-Weaving

Dear sweet creatures, while Hero for WondLa is off to the printer and binder, I have turned my attention to preparations for a very special birthday to be held later this year. 2012 marks the 10-year anniversary of my debut as a New York Times best seller, as well as receiving a Caldecott honor, for my adaptation of Mary Howitt's 1829 poem, The Spider & The Fly.

I have pulled the original artwork from my files and begun a special dust jacket (featuring new art), and which will also have a vintage 1930′s movie poster-inspired image on the flip side. After the 50+ digitally colored images for Hero, I am thoroughly enjoying the use of Holbein's "Jet Black" and "Titanium White" acryla gouache – the same two colors I used to paint the original book.

Above, from left to right: the original image of Ms. Fly from the finished book, the first character study I did for her (back in August of 2001), photos of 1920′s silent-film star Clara Bow, and the new image for the jacket and poster.

All eight legs are crossed for more exciting news about Spider & Fly which I will reveal as the fall approaches. In the meantime, I'll keep sharing images from the studio as well as old sketches and memories of the book's creation. If you've any questions or requests, leave a comment.

Okay, I am off to paint a certain devilish spider…