I'll Be There

My second picture book with Ann Stott will be released sometime next week. I'll Be There is a companion book to Always and provided some interesting challenges. Not only was I returning to a style and feel I employed three years previously, I had to age the boy and his mother approximately the same amount of years. I'm not sure if that's been done in a picture book sequel before. Anyone?
Like Always, I'll Be There is a conversation between a mom and son. The boy is a bit more secure in this one. In fact, he proudly lists the things that he can do alone, without his mom's help. But he still needs to know that she'll be nearby, just in case. Always was almost entirely from the boy's perspective (the mom doesn't even appear until the end), but I'll Be There features the mom prominently. It's as much her story as his.

Ann Stott is a wonderful picture book author. She knows what to include and what to leave to the illustrator. My main task was to find a setting for this conversation. I added a stone wall that the boy climbs and wanders along just slightly ahead of his mom. It seemed like a nice visual metaphor and also gave me the opportunity for some business that showed the boy's independence and the mom's hesitant granting of that independence.

These last two images are "almost finished" versions of final illustrations. I liked this very limited color for the flashback images, but we all decided that a bit more color would warm everything up.

For a look back at some sketches for Always, click here.

Pigeon Sale!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, this little fella is on sale for $100 off the original price plus free shipping. Go to my Etsy shop for details. Sale ends Friday 3/18. Sláinte!

Tantrum

Occasional Plum #2: "The Big, Broad, Flexible Outlook"

Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge and his long-suffering pal, James "Corky" Corcoran aka Laddie.

Ukridge is one of my favorite characters in the Wodehouse universe. Unlike Bertie Wooster and the Blandings Castle regulars, Ukridge and Corky are forever short of cash and their stories have a slightly desperate edge to them. For a fantastic introduction to Ukridge, I will point you over to Bully's blog. He sums it all up expertly and quotes extensively, including some gems from my favoritest favorite: Ukridge's Accident Syndicate.

Sketched with a Derwint Graphitint pencil, watercolor, and a bit of digital.

Don't Trust This Guy

Polychromos pencils & watercolor on Rives paper.

Panda in a Sweater

Occasional Plum #1

A domestic tiff (with complications) from Lord Emsworth Acts for the Best found in the short story collection, Blandings Castle by the incomparable P.G. Wodehouse. I'd say it's one of his funniest short stories but they're all funny, really.

The Occasional Plum

You shall find Mr. Wooster... an exceedingly pleasant and amiable young gentleman, but not intelligent. By no means intelligent. Mentally he is negligible — quite negligible.

(The Inimitable Jeeves)

Since I find myself (for the first time in years) not actively drawing a book at the moment, I thought I should concoct a little sketch challenge for myself. I'm going to start a series of drawings, paintings, and doodles inspired by the works of my favorite author, P.G. Wodehouse. I know I won't be able to follow a set schedule (for that, check out Bully's fantastically entertaining Wodehouse-A-Week posts), so I'm calling this series The Occasional Plum.

First up is of course Jeeves & Bertie. I'm not entirely satisfied with Jeeves here, but I reserve the right to re-examine, re-design, and re-draw these characters to my heart's delight.

I've thought about doing this Wodehouse project for years, but so far had only managed two entries. Let's hope I'll be able to stick with it this time. Right ho!

Hula hoopin'

Here's What Cooks

(two pages from Around the World dry in the late day sun)

Well, my next graphic novel Around the World is in the supremely capable hands of the design geniuses at Candlewick and it looks all set for its fall release date (actual date forthcoming). It will also coincide with the publication of the paperback edition of The Storm in the Barn which I've just learned will in fact be in color. Yay! I'll be out and about promoting Around the World this spring (TLA in Austin, BookExpo in NYC) and fall (bookstores, book festivals, and whoever will have me).

In March, keep an eye out for my latest picture book, I'll Be There by the wonderful Ann Stott. This one is a companion to Always and posed some very interesting challenges. More on that book soon.

At the moment, I'm hard at work writing the script for my third graphic novel. Again, I'll post more on that project as it progresses but I will say that it deals with summer days, vaudeville, and the young Buster Keaton. It has been a blast to research. So far, the writing hasn't been too torturous either. Here's the big board in the studio with the current project taking up a lot of space:

I'm also planning a new sketch project for this little ol' sometimes neglected blog. More on that soonest.

Movie Doodles: Silent Edition

Been spending some time watching Buster Keaton movies and sketching (all for an upcoming book which I'll talk more about soon). I'm starting at the beginning with the shorts he made with Roscoe Arbuckle. Great, funny stuff. If you were ever curious about what Coney Island was like in 1918, Arbuckle & Keaton, Vol 2 from Kino DVD is the place to go.

Norma Desmond was right. They really did have faces then.

First Board Book!

(Korean edition & printer proof for new board book)

I am extremely excited that my 2007 picture book Very Hairy Bear by the wonderful Alice Schertle will be available in a sturdy board book edition this fall! As the parent of a toddler, I have come to appreciate the genius of the board book format. I've been hoping for my own board book for a long while now. Thanks, Harcourt!

And here's an interior printer proof shot against the current snowy scene outside my studio...

A Bit Snoopy-ish

Movie Doodles

Happy Belated New Year! I've been enjoying some down-time since finishing Around the World in December, but everything is revving up now for an exciting 2011. I'll post more about this year's books and plans soon, but in the meantime here are some sketches I made while watching a movie on my laptop.

Since I have a toddler in the house, I like to refer to it as Kick-Bottom.

Etsy Shop is Now Open!

Although I've had the account for 2 years, I have finally opened the shutters on my Etsy shop. There are three original art pieces for sale now with more coming. Eventually, I will also be selling prints there.

Planet Ham on Etsy!

Cue REM song...

At last June's ALA conference, Gene Yang told me that I would never make the deadline for my next graphic novel, Around the World.

WELL, he was... right, actually. However, I did finish the the interior art last week. It's a wee bit past my deadline, but who's counting (besides Candlewick)?

The last of the three stories was the tale of Thomas Stevens, Wheelman (it will appear first in the book). Looking through my archives, I discovered that I failed to photograph any of the process for the Joshua Slocum section for the blog. I can assure you that I did finish that, too. Actually, it's all a little bit hazy. Graphic novels are like marathons and there are times when you get caught up in a blur of creativity. It is always best not to question the sanity of the endeavor, but to move forward each day.


I am very happy with the way the book has turned out and — for the most part — I did enjoy the process immensely. I'll be talking more about Around the World in the months leading up to its 2011 release. But for now, I shall rest... as soon as I finish the cover.

Collingswood Book Festival

Just a quick post to say that I'll be at the Collingswood Book Festival in NJ this Saturday (10/2) from 10-4. At 1 pm I'll be talking about all things Storm in the Barn and other than that, I'll be at my little table signing books and chatting. Stop by if you can.

Flora's Launch Party!

The official launch party for Flora's Very Windy Day at Children's Book World was a rousing success and loads of fun. The store was all decked out with a wall of books, balloons, and an eager crowd and Jeanne Birdsall was decked out in super-special heavy-duty red boots.

Jeanne and I chatted about how the book came to be and the collaborative nature of picture books. Then Jeanne riveted the crowd by reading a super-secret excerpt from the upcoming third Penderwicks novel. Speaking as a Penderwicks fanatic myself, it is going to be a looooooong wait until the book is published in May of 2011.

And to top it off, the good folks at CBW even had a delicious cake made. Thanks to everyone who came by and thanks to CBW for the grand send-off!

Flora's Very Windy Day Round-up!

I'm a bit tardy with this post, but I wanted to take a moment to trumpet the arrival of Flora's Very Windy Day by the incomparable Jeanne Birdsall. Flora was one of those books that was a joy to work on from start to finish. I jumped into this book after spending a year in the downtrodden Dust Bowl, so spending my days drawing two kids being tossed about in the wind was certainly a treat.

Speaking of treats, Jeanne Birdsall is joining me at the wonderful Children's Book World for the Official Flora Launch Party on Saturday, September 25th at 2 pm. Hope you can join us!

(An early sketch of Flora)

Reviews have been pretty glowing so far. Here are some clips:

As realistic as the mixed feelings it captures and as fanciful as a conversation with a rainbow, the first picture book by Birdsall, author of The Penderwicks (2005), blends homely and fantastic elements as naturally as a child at play... A fine picture book with a fierce, bold and (deep down) compassionate heroine.

- Booklist (STAR)

Phelan's illustrations are simply wonderful: His line floats and traces the air currents, his colors are subtle but strong and he captures Flora's multiple emotions and Crispin's silent toddlerness in every rosy-cheeked image. Emotionally true from cover to cover.

- Kirkus (STAR)

This gem of a book will resonate with older siblings everywhere.

- School Library Journal

...crisp and delightful...

- Publishers Weekly

And there's been some great reviews from the blogosphere including What We Read and What We Think and A Patchwork of Books!

Don't forget 9/25 at Children's Book World. Stop by and say hi to Jeanne and me!

A Stack of Bly

A big old stack of finished art for Around the World. This is about a third of the book.

Win Some...

I've been asked a few times about this so I thought I'd address it once and move on. Some have noticed that the new cover on the paperback version of Lucky Breaks is not only different from the hardcover, but is not even drawn by me. This is true. Sadly things like this happen occasionally in publishing. I went through my archives and found this sketch. It was my one proposal for the cover of the hardcover and also the paperback. It was rejected both times, but I still like it. I guess that's what sketch blogs are for.

Anyhoo, more positive posts coming soon.

Oh No! An Auction!!!

Uber-talented illustrator Dan Santat sent out a challenge to a bunch of fellow illustrators: Create an illustration inspired by his new book Oh No! (written by Mac Barnett). The idea was to come up with an image that would take place within in the story but still be separate from the events in Dan and Mac's book. So I added this little moment after the end of the book... the giant robot has been booted into the bay by the giant frog (really, check out this book) and this little boat comes across it.

Although a fun experiment, the REAL reason behind this project is that ALL of the original art will be auctioned off this week. All proceeds benefit the non-profit writing center, 826LA.

Here's the poster with details of Auction #1 (which is where my painting will be):

For more details, go HERE! Happy bidding!

UPDATE: THE AUCTION IS ON!!!!!

Ripple Blog on Wednesday!

This is my donated drawing for Kelly Light's fantastic Ripple blog. The idea is simple and great: illustrators donate original art dealing with the oil spill disaster, Kelly auctions them off, and ALL proceeds go to help the bird and marine life of the area. This month is Great American Illustrator month and she's already sold some amazing cards from folks like Mo Willems, Frank Dormer, and Jarrett Krosoczka.

My card goes up for auction this Wednesday, July 21 at 6:30 PM EST.

Above is a slightly enlarged view. The actual card is ink on 2.5 x 3.5" watercolor paper. It's called A Day at the Beach. For details on how the bidding works, go to the Ripple blog and look at the right side column.

Around the World via My Studio

This summer, I'm hard at work on the art for my next graphic novel, Around the World (due out in 2011). The first of the three stories in the book that I'm drawing involves the unstoppable Nellie Bly. Above is a picture of the 6x4' bulletin board in my studio (I love that thing).

Heather, the book's amazing designer (she also designed Storm) made this incredibly useful mini-version of the rough sketches for the story with temporary placement of the dialogue. This way we could all get a sense of how the story was working. As I drew each page, I started marking them with scraps of post-it notes.

Here it is about a week and a half ago... which means that now I've finished drawing the whole Nellie Bly segment. So now I'm painting and finishing all of the pages. When that's done, I'll start on the second of the three stories. Then repeat.

OK, break over...

Bryant Park sketches

More Good News Plus Victorian Bears

More good Storm in the Barn news:

Storm took the gold in the graphic novel category of ForeWord Reviews' Book of the Year Awards!

And has been included in the master list for the Kentucky Bluegrass Book Award!

Moleskine Ape

And this just in... Storm in the Barn is in the Top Ten of Graphic Novel Reporter's Core List of Graphic Novels for Teens. That's pretty darn cool.

New York Events This Week

Here's a picture of little Mabel. Do you like it? Do you like it like it? Well, it can be yours if you go to the ABC's Not a Dinner and (Mostly) Silent Auction next Tuesday. There's mingling, the announcement of the E.B. White Award winner, David Weisner's keynote speech, and an auction of work by a gaggle of children's book illustrators. If you see me, be sure to say hello.

And don't forget I'll be in Brooklyn this Saturday for the Graphic Novel for Kids Spectacular event at WORD! It will live up to its name!

A BIG Thanks to SCBWI-NE!

I had a really, really great time at the SCBWI-New England conference this past weekend. I gave two workshops; one about my approach to writing graphic novels and one about my approach to illustration. It was an interesting experience for me because I had to examine what it is I do (mostly on an intuitive level) and organize it in a way that people other than me could hopefully understand. The feedback I received was very good, so I think it went well.

On Sunday I gave a joint 4-hour Illustration Academy workshop with Yolanda Scott (editorial director, Charlesbridge), Ann

Stott (art director, Candlewick) and author/illustrator David Hyde Costello (click on the link for a look at David in his studio). We couldn't have done it without help from Casey Girard who made everything run smoothly. It was an intense experience for all of us, but I think it also went very well. Heck, I was inspired.

And you can't beat the finale that Yolanda and David worked out... a literal showstopper of a number about the combination of words and text.

David, who is as cool and nice a guy as you could possibly meet, brought an extra uke for me. It added to the shall we say celebratory atmosphere that rocked the Courtyard Marriott on Friday night. SCBWI people are a very social bunch.

Thanks to Casey for the pix. More pix and general round-ups can be found at the conference Twitter page.

In addition to my co-Illustration Academy team, I met and/or re-met a ton of fantastic people including but certainly not limited to Jo Knowles, Frank Dormer, Cynthia Lord, Kate Messner, Abigail Halpin, Mitali Perkins, Cynthia Leitich-Smith, Dawn Metcalf, Kelly Fineman, Jennifer Morris, Kat Black, Deborah Sloan, Michelle Henninger, Anne Sibley-O'Brien, Anna Boll, John Bell, Jennifer Carson, Anindita Basu Sempere, and a host of very cool attendees. Thanks to everyone for making this such a blast.

One of my favorite things about the conference was that I had the chance to meet for the first time in person two authors that I've had the honor to work with: Ann Stott (Always) and Jeanne Birdsall (Flora's Very Windy Day).

SharkBoy

Onward and Upward

WORD!

Happy May, everybody! Just wanted to post a heads-up for the New Yorkers in the audience...

I'll be appearing at WORD in Brooklyn on Saturday, May 22nd at 1 pm as part of their Graphic Novel Spectacular for Kids event! Also appearing are Eric Wight, Jarrett Krosoczka, Chris Giarusso, and Frank Cammuso! This should be an A-1 blast, so I hope to see you there.