Finis

Today I finished the final art for my 10th (!) picture book, Xander's Panda Party by the wonderful Linda Sue Park (out next year from Clarion). I worked on Xander during the final months of completing my graphic novel (not recommended). Now that both are out of the studio, I do believe I will collapse rest a bit for the remainder of the summer.

Happy August!

Finished... for now

Today I completed painting my third graphic novel. The title of this story is Bluffton although keen followers of my exploits might also know it as "the one with Buster Keaton in it".  If all goes well (and by that I mean the tremendous amount of work still needed to be done, mostly by the team at Candlewick), Bluffton will be out in the fall of 2013.

So for now, a bit of rest and relaxation. Tomorrow, back to work.

Carolyn W. Field Award!

I am greatly pleased to announce that the Pennsylvania Library Association has chosen Around the World for the 2012 Carolyn W. Field Award! This is a tremendous honor and I plan to thank each and every librarian this October in Gettysburg. See you then!

Dead Lion for Breakfast*

It's Deadline Time here in the studio. I'm in the  final stretch for my graphic novel and my days (and nights) are filled with paints and layouts and sharpened pencils. I'd call it Crunch Time, but that seems to apply to most of this past year... Anyway, the end is nigh and I am that usual mix of exhilaration and exhaustion.

I will however take a day off this Wednesday to attend the Annual Silent Auction for independent bookstores at BEA. I promise to work extra hard on Thursday to make up for it. Here's my donation, one of the many preliminary drawings that I've made for my other current project, Xander's Panda Party, a picture book by the great Linda Sue Park.

And here's a Flickr of all of the amazing donations.

And now, back to work.


Dead Lion for Breakfast was Ernie Kovacs' nickname for his early Philadelphia TV show Deadline for Dinner. If you don't know who Kovacs is, set aside a good portion of your day and head to google and youtube. A unique comic genius.

Happy Mother's Day

Some preliminary drawings for I'll Be There by Ann Stott. It's a book that would make a pretty good Mother's Day Gift, you know.

Just in case you need a gift idea...

Happy Children's Book Week

 It's National Children's Book Week! It's almost over! But wait, there's still time to get a new book to read, a book that will change the way you look at small animals for evermore.


I am not a professional reviewer. I am merely an illustrator/author. I do not pretend to know the do's and don'ts of reviewing, but I'm pretty sure that writing about a book that you are only 80 pages into is a big Don't. Especially if you are about to heap on hyperbolic praise like this:

Mr. and Mrs. Bunny – Detectives Extraordinaire! by Mrs. Bunny (translated from the Rabbit by Polly Horvath) is my new favorite book.

This. Book. Is. Hilarious.

Seriously, this the funniest book I've read outside of my beloved Wodehouse. In fact, it seems that Polly Horvath is tipping a fedora to Plum here. There is a valet named Jeeves, after all.

But this book is 100% original. And funny. Did I mention that? Laugh out loud funny. Mr. & Mrs. Bunny is threatening my work day. All I want to do is sit in a comfy chair and plow through it. But I will resist for now.


The illustrations are by my friend, the uber-talented Sophie Blackall and she is the perfect choice for this book. Yes, perfect.

That's not to say that if I had been given the chance, I would have killed or at least maimed to illustrate this one.

So go get a copy. Do it for National Children's Book Week. Do it for your kid. Do it for yourself. It's really, really good.

Reading this reminded me that Polly Horvath's Everything On a Waffle was one of the books that inspired me to get into children's books in the first place. I even remember drawing a cover for it to put in my portfolio. Hmmm. Must go read all of Horvath's books...

The Storm in Portland: The Big Recap

I'm back from a fun-filled week in (occasionally) sunny Portland to promote and then finally see the Oregon Children's Theater's production of The Storm in the Barn. It is outstanding. I was blown away by the inventive theatricality of the staging, the gorgeous score, the fine performances, and the overall faithfulness to my book. My sincere thanks to the entire creative team for their passion and commitment to making something very special indeed.

Here's a video with their thoughts on the production:

The set was spare and minimal with the full cast onstage throughout. It was very effective. The lighting was beautiful and the play opens with a mesmerizing dust storm created with shadows, wind, and a scrim that covered the stage. I could have watched that for an hour.

As I've said before, the music by Black Prairie is perfect. Their score was played live onstage by the actors and kept the fast-paced play moving smoothly. I had the chance to hang out one night with Chris Funk, Jenny Conlee, and Jon Neufeld from the band and they couldn't have been nicer. The soundtrack is now available on CD or download and you can get it HERE, on iTunes, or from CDBaby.

On May 5th, the band played the score live with actors reciting from the play, visuals from the book, and several stuffed bunnies.

I loved that a) the play had a real 1920s truck onstage and b) it doubled for Dorothy's room.

Here's me with real-life sister & brother Steele and Jack Clevenger. They were both fantastic in their roles!

I also would like to thank Pam from A Children's Place Bookstore which is an amazing indie store! If you are in Portland, definitely stop by. Try to find the spot where David Shannon drew on the wall. On addition to hosting me for a signing, Pam helped set up a school visit while I was in town and I got to meet some students who had voted for Storm in the Oregon Readers' Choice Awards. Thanks again, guys!

Well, I think that covers it. The whole journey of bringing my book to the stage has been exciting, creative, and thoroughly enjoyable. If you are in Portland this month, try to catch a show. You won't regret it.

Play photos by Owen Carey. Check out the full set on Flickr.

Two Eisner Nominations for Around the World!

I am thrilled that Around the World has received two nominations for the prestigious Eisner Award (known as the Oscars of the Comics Industry). ATW is up for both Best Publication for Young Adults and Best Reality-Based Work (which includes books for adults as well). I'm in some amazing company and this is definitely one of those "it's an honor just to be nominated" kinds of things.

The Eisners are named after the great Will Eisner, creator of The Spirit and one of pioneers in what has become the modern Graphic Novel (although I don't think he liked that term). My introduction to Eisner came as a young boy in the seventies reading and rereading my copy of The Great Comic Book Heroes by Jules Feiffer. Among the origin stories of Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and others I had heard of, was this strange comic called The Spirit and it was my favorite of the bunch.

Here's my yellowed copy of Feiffer's book, which I of course still have. It sits on my studio bookshelf. (Note the price: $6.95!). I'm pretty sure they recently reprinted this great book. Pick it up if you can.

Here is the complete list of Eisner Nominations.

And here is a great article from Brigid Alverson about the experience of being one of this year's Eisner Judges.

If all goes well, I'll be at the award ceremony this July in San Diego...

Storm in the Barn Play Photos!

Oregon Children's Theater just released the press images for the play adaptation of The Storm in the Barn (it opens in late April). I'm rather beside myself with happiness. Look at that barn!

Here's the link to OCT if you want to see bigger photos, learn more about the theater, or, you know, buy some tickets to the show. I'll be in Portland for the opening weekend. See you there?

Photos by Owen Carey. With Jack Clevenger as Jack and Steele Clevenger as Mabel.

Painting Begins

This week, I began painting my next graphic novel. Like my previous books, I'm painting this one with watercolor. Watercolor is a "traditional" medium, but not at all traditional for comics. There are others who use real paint for their books, but most comics are colored digitally. However, there is no Rule about this. Since I'm more comfortable with watercolor and prefer the results, that's what I choose to use.

New paint. New brushes.

The illusion of order that, as the weeks and months roll on, will most likely devolve into messy chaos.

There was also pie.

Lightly Sketching

Sometimes I think the key to drawing is knowing when to stop.

Merriness to All!

Original Art Show at the Society of Illustrators

It was a great honor and thrill to be included in this year's Original Art show at the Society of Illustrators in New York. I finally made it up to see the show and it really is wonderful. If you are in New York, you still have until December 29th to catch it.

The Intern was duly impressed but my piece did not receive the same reaction as a certain turtle. Upon seeing the painting in question, she let out an extremely excited shout of "MELVIN!!!!!" which echoed throughout the historical Society of Illustrators building.*

A special thank you to the wonderful people at Candlewick Press for the lovely frame.

* The Intern was of course referring to Melvin and the Boy by Lauren Castillo which is our favorite picture book of the year. Look for it!

Original Art SALE on Etsy!

Critters in Sweaters!

Need a nice gift for the knitters, critter lovers, and sweater aficionados on your list?

I have 10 pieces of original art for sale at my Etsy shop. They're small, but so is the price. Each critter is drawn on Cartiera Magnani Italia Acquerello paper with water soluble pencil, crayon, and a bit of watercolor here and there. Each is 6x6 inches (15x15 cm).

 Details at my Etsy Shop!

Storm in the Barn MOVIE News!

I'm very happy to announce that The Storm in the Barn has been optioned for a feature film! Grady Twins Productions is developing the book for a live action movie. Marti Noxon, writer/producer of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Mad Men (two of the best shows ever), is producing and David Goodman (Fringe, Angel) is writing the screenplay. I'm involved in a sort of advisory way. Everyone at Grady Twins has been great and I'm convinced that Storm is in the right hands.

It's a long road to the silver screen, but we are certainly off to a good start.

Wells Library Fundraiser

On October 22nd, the Bookstore Plus in Lake Placid is hosting a fundraising event for the Hurricane Irene-devastated Wells Memorial Library. There will be a silent auction of more than 50 items, including this pencil & watercolor sketch I drew for the occasion. Event details are HERE.

If you are in the area, please stop by and help out a great cause. Thanks to author Kate Messner for spreading the word and helping to organize the event.

Around the World Has Launched!

Initial cover sketches.

My new graphic novel AROUND THE WORLD is finally available! The book is based on the true stories of three intrepid adventurers who circumnavigated the globe alone at the end of the 19th century. My own journey to tell the stories of Thomas Stevens, Nellie Bly, and Joshua Slocum felt, at times, as arduous as trekking across the earth. In the coming weeks, I'll be posting some tidbits about how I came to create this book. I hope you'll check back for the journey.

Abandoned "travel journal" concept.

A fine way to procure this volume is through your local bookstore (if you are lucky enough to have one of these rare emporiums in your area). How do you find one? Try Indiebound's nifty store locator or order online from any of the indie stores. You can also order directly from my publisher Candlewick Press, or find it at your online purveyor of choice. And don't forget your local library!

Final cover sketch.

Cover painting of the three. Makes me want to write a fictional team-up.

Ta-da!

And just for fun, here's the trailer once again (and yes, that is me on the ukulele) ...


 

HUZZAH!

ATW Review Round-Up

Joshua Slocum faces a wave of enormous proportions.

With only 5 days to go until the release of AROUND THE WORLD, I thought I'd round up some of the nice things being said about my new graphic novel...

Kirkus Reviews (star)

"By focusing on the travelers’ faces, he captures their distinct characters (and shared rock-steady determination) with such force and clarity that readers can’t help but be swept along by Stevens’ aggressive mustache, Bly’s steely glare at male doubters and nay-sayers, the aching heart visible behind Slocum’s tough, grizzled countenance.”

Booklist (star)

"Chronicling the true trip-around-the-world adventures of three nineteenth-century adventurers gives Phelan the opportunity to once again examine the Great American Narrative, as he did so effectively in his beautifully mythological The Storm in the Barn (Booklist Top of the List, 2009)... In addition to tight research and a gift for evoking both an era and the personalities that lived in it, the stories are greatly abetted by the magic of Phelan's art: washes of light and darkness that set the tone and effortless, uncomplicated (yet highly distinctive) faces that are the very essence of determination and adventure."

School Library Journal (star)

"The small, specific pleasures of Phelan’s work–the faces of miners emerging from the darkness as they converse, the way slanting rays of sun illuminate a large interior, the expression on Bly’s face as she eavesdrops on steamship sailors singing–are showcased in panels laid out in horizontal bands, reinforcing the linear, ever-onward nature of each narrative."

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (star)

“Phelan invests each tale with its own distinct mood and style—the humor of Stevens’ bumbling machine, the quick cuts between Bly’s travels and her employers’ journalistic maneuvering, the heart-aching loneliness and eerie hallucinations of Slocum’s peril-ridden voyage. Deftly controlled splashes of translucent watercolor tease along the outlines of Phelan’s spidery ink lines and sure-handed pencil dashes; the buttoned-down neatness of frames and gutters is an effective counterpoint to the daring and uncertainty of the adventures themselves.”

Horn Book

“Phelan successfully weaves graphically told stories with third-person narratives, the travelers’ own words, and, in Nellie Bly’s case, words of reporters. This volume is as stunning as his Scott O’Dell Award–winning The Storm in the Barn (rev. 11/09), with more text and with eye-catching illustrations rendered in pencil, ink, gouache, and watercolor.”

Fuse #8

“Like a good movie director he switches effortlessly between close-ups, scenic panoramas, and other angles and approaches. Phelan has a knack for avoiding the static... By bike, by sail, by train, they circled the globe and lived to tell the tale. And Matt Phelan knows just how to bring such tales to life. Great stuff.”

End of horn blowing. Thank you for indulging me.

500th Post!

Wow! This is my 500th post which means I've had this blog for 500 days... Okay, I'm not that consistent, but still, it's been a few five years of relatively regular posting. Not too shabby.

To celebrate, here's a sketch of a sort of porcupine/hamster critter. Step 1: slosh some watercolor on your paper in a random manner. Step 2: forget about it for a few days. Step 3: take a brush and ink and draw whatever comes to mind.

Around the World Events!*

The October 11th release of Around the World is almost upon us! I'm getting ready for a bunch of events at schools, libraries, bookstores, and festivals. Here's the schedule thus far:

10/4    Haverford Township Free Library, Havertown, PA.  Presenting alongside my pals Eric Wight and Brian Biggs at 4 pm. Directions here.

10/15 & 10/16    Southern Festival of the Book, Nashville, TN. On Saturday, I'll be talking about my illustration process at 3pm. On Sunday, I'll be talking about picture books and graphic novels with Bob Shea and Jules Danielson from Seven Impossible Things at 1 pm. Here's the complete event schedule!

10/22   Book Release Signing at Children's Book World, Haverford, PA!

10/27  Keystone State Reading Association Conference, Lancaster, PA. I'll be speaking about graphic novels and signing books. Registration required. Here are the details.

11/4    Annual Author & Illustrator Night at Children's Book World. The most star-studded event of the year!

11/5  Family Reading Festival, Pottsville, PA. Some details are here.

11/11 & 11/12  Lititz Kid-Lit Festival, Aaron's Books, Lititz, PA. On Saturday, I'll be doing a drawing workshop with Eric Wight and signing books with the rest of the gang. Expect a good time, chocolate, pretzels, and possibly exotic meat. It's Lititz, after all. Details here!

11/25  Clinton Book Shop, Clinton, NJ. Signing from 12-2.


All events are free and open to the public except for the one that isn't! I'll be adding more events in the coming weeks. Hope to see you!

Interested in having me visit your school or library? How about a special free SKYPE visit? 

Send me an email:

matt@mattphelan.com

* Events are for the book Around the World, not a tour "around the world". However, I am leaving the state of PA, to head to Nashville. That's something, right? It's Nashville!