Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Nine Ladies Dancing


Here is my contribution to the Doodle Diners 12 days of Christmas Celebration. Check it out at:

http://thedoodlediner.wordpress.com/

There are some hilarious interpretations to the 12 gifts mentioned in the song. You still have a few more days left.

Happy Holidays and Happy Drawing to everyone.
T.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

IF - Prehistoric

Aidan was excited about uncovering a PREHISTORIC Allosaurus jaw bone at the dig in Utah.

This is one of the chapter illustrations for the "Wright On Time- Utah" book that I completed a while ago. It's pen and ink with water color washes.

T.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Great Sketchbook and tips from Mark McDonnell

Take a peek at the video on the Art Center blog. Mark McDonnell talks about creating this sketchbook and has a couple of pointers for artists. I love that he gives himself themes or specific goals for a given sketchbook rather than just a place for sketching. It's worth watching the 4 or so minutes.

http://theartcenter.blogspot.com/2010/11/mark-mcdonnell-mac-sketchbook-sessions.html

T.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

IF - savour

"Dusty's Sky"

"Dusty was SAVORING the sun on his nose as he was looking out the window."

I thought that this one was apropos for this weeks topic. This is a completely different style for me but I really enjoyed this pointillist piece. It will appear on the cover of a book by Linda Fields called "Cody Greene and the Rainbow Mystery" that will be released in March 2011 by Do Life Right, Inc.

T.

Friday, November 12, 2010

P. E. A. C. H. (Party for Educators' Appreciation at Changing Hands)


Join me at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe this Sunday in celebrating teachers, librarians, and educators and their committment to teaching!


P. E. A. C. H.
(Party for Educators' Appreciation at Changing Hands)

2-6pm Sunday, November 14

Teachers, librarians and educators -- we want to thank you for your dedication to education and for making a difference in our community. Join us for two free workshops, an author reception, complimentary appetizers and beverages, a 20% storewide discount, our recommended Fall 2010 booklist, and raffle prizes.

2pm
WORKSHOP - CHRIS TAYLOR
GRANT WRITING
Author Chris Taylor helps teachers, administrators, librarians, parents and school volunteers discover new non-traditional means to fund classroom projects using the step-by-step processes detailed in her book, Granted! A Teacher's Guide to Writing & Winning Classroom Grants. To reserve a space, please email stephanie.k@changinghands.com.

3pm
WORKSHOP - RAIMIE MANCH
TEACHING WRITING WITH PICTURE BOOKS
Raimie Manch shows educators how children can be taught to write using picture books as mentor texts. When reading picture books, children interpret and use pictures to develop a story's characters, plot, tension, climax, and conclusion. Through encouraging their imaginations, teachers can inspire children -- even those in ELL classes -- to develop stories from pictures. Workshop is ideal for teachers of grades 1-6. To reserve a space, please email stephanie.k@changinghands.com.

4pm
AUTHOR RECEPTION
Meet some of your favorite local authors and get some books signed. Confirmed authors include: Tom Leveen (Party), Laurie Brooks (Selkie Girl), Kaleb Nation (Bran Hambric: The Specter Key), Angela Morrison (Sing Me to Sleep), Conrad Storad (Rattlesnake Rules), Jake Bell (Red Alert), illustrator Tanja Bauerle (The Adventures of Salt and Soap), and author-illustrators Chris Gall (Dinotrux) and Molly Idle (Nighty Night Baby Jesus). Afterwards, enjoy appetizers, wine, tea and sweets, check out our recommended Fall 2010 booklist, and win raffle prizes.

PLEASE RSVP
To reserve your space in either or both workshops, please contact Stephanie Kilgore at 480.730.0205.

Location:
Changing Hands Bookstore
6428 S McClintock Dr.
Tempe, Arizona, 85283

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

The Marvelous Mrs Lynne Chapman



Meet Lynne Chapman, an extremely talented and prolific illustrator from the UK. I originally stumbled across Lynne's work while looking through http://www.urbansketchers.com/ where Lynne posts very frequently. I've been hooked ever since. Not only is Lynne a very accomplished illustrator with oddles of books under her belt, she also is a prolific sketcher and is very busy with school visits and gallery shows. The thing that inspires me about Lynne the most though, is that with all her success, she always finds a way to give back to the rest of her peers. Her web site and blog are filled with wonderful tips and advice and she is always open to share her experiences with other artists. Just look at some of the topics that she has blogged about in the past. Many of them include video clips that are wonderful to watch.

Keeping a Sketchbook

How to Illustrate a Book Part 1 - Getting the Foundations right...

How to Illustrate a Book Part 2 - The Nuts and Bolts of the Job...

Portfolio Advice

Advice on Sketching People

Using Pastels

Lynne's Blog:
http://lynnechapman.blogspot.com/

Lynne's Website:
http://www.lynnechapman.co.uk/

Make sure you swing by Lynne's blog or website to look at her incredible body of work. I for one, am always looking forward to her next post of her blog.

Enjoy!
T.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2010


Take a peek at this. The New York Times Book Review posted this article announcing the 10 best illustrated children's book of 2010.
http://www.nytimes.com/gift-guide/holiday-2010/best-illustrated-childrens-books-2010/list.html

The judges included Robert Sabuda, Elizabeth Bird, and David Barringer. What an interesting and variety collection of books.
T.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Overcoming Self-Doubt in Illustrators


Here is a great post by Jonathan Woodward, that I stumbled across at the Zero2Illo blog. This post really spoke to me because as an illustrator I can really relate to what he is talking about. When I saw all the comments to his post I felt strangely comforted that so many great artists are in the same boat.

Enjoy and feel better about yourselves. :)

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Tango for Leo - Silent Auction and Fund Rasier

My incredible illustrator friend Paul Mirocha has a most wonderful wife and the most adorable little son you can imagine. They have had gone through the most heartbreaking few months that one could imagine. Just a few days after Leo was born, Christina had a stroke and she is in the process of recovery.

Paul is in the process of collecting art, services, and merchandise for a fundraising event and silent auction. The proceeds will be help pay for Christina's physical therapy. Incredibly, Christina's insurance has already stopped paying for her therapies. She will have to pay full costs until her insurance will start again next January 2011.

If you are in the Tucson area in October, please try to come to the fund raiser. Also, if you can, donate something, anything, to the silent auction. I'm donating some art and will be coming to the fundraiser as well. Here is more information about the event and also a little back story of what happened to Christina.


photo by Jody Crouthamel
  TANGO FOR LEO

A Benefit for Leo Robinson Mirocha & Christina Robinson 

Sunday, October 24th, 2-9pm

at Casa Marita at the new Mercado de San Agustin
(100 S. Avenida del Convent at West Congress)

To all my illustrator friends out there, please donate a piece of your artwork to the silent auction. Here is more information about it:
Silent Auction

Live Music!

Nancy McCallion with Catherine Zavala
Leila Lopez
Combo Combo with Gary Mackender
Mitzi Cowell & the Valiants
Doug Shelton & Paul Sheldon
Púca
Mandophilia

Dance Performances!

Belly Dance
Flamenco
Hip Hop
Celtic Step dancing
Tango

End the evening with a tango lesson and open tango dance

Suggested donation:


General Admission: $35 (includes tapas bar and paella from 3:30 until the food runs out, as well as all performances)

Formal sit-down Dinner of Spanish/Argentine cuisine by Chef Vicente, 4:30-6pm, $60 (includes everything else as wel)

Cash bar.

to reserve tickets and more info: tangoforleo@gmail.com or call: 520-903-4613

Contributions are tax deductible and administered by Rollin for Niños, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to helping Tucson's children. Checks may be made out to "Rollin for Niños"with "Tango for Leo" in the memo line, and sent to: 1926 E. Fort Lowell Road, Tucson, AZ 85719.

---------------------------------------------------
Here is a little more background information written by Paul Mirocha about what the family has been through for the past few month.

Christina and Leo's Story

Christina Robinson has spent her life teaching and taking care of children’s needs. Now it’s time for our community to help take care of her.
A multicultural English literature teacher at a charter high school for underprivileged barrio kids in Tucson, Christina entered the hospital and gave birth to her first child Leo Robinson Mirocha, a beautiful baby boy, on May 5 at 2:12 a.m. Just four days later, she suffered a massive right-brain hemorrhagic stroke, which has paralyzed the left side of her body and left her with devastating physical limitations.
Christina showed extraordinary strength after the tragedy and has made great strides during her recovery. She continues weekly therapy sessions, striving to regain her mobility. She was told by doctors and nurses that she was one of the most motivated patients they had ever seen.
Christina says: “I already appreciated what I have been given, but this ordeal makes me realize what we all tend to take for granted—how much energy it takes just to eat or to walk or to hold a baby.

And besides physical limitations, I now have cognitive limitations that cause me to literally see the world in a different way—I have blind spots in both my eyes.

“But the best gift that could come from all of this is Leo. At least I have a happy, healthy baby. I couldn’t have made it this far without my husband and Leo being my motivation—and all my family and friends.”

Christina has faith and hope that she’ll recover use of her left hand. She dreams of being able to pick Leo up, change his diapers, or simply make him a bottle. She also looks forward to the day when she will walk down a beach or dance tango with her husband Paul Mirocha once again.

If you want to help make this happen—and if you like to tango yourself—come dance, eat, and be entertained at Tango for Leo, a benefit party for Christina and Leo on Sunday, October 24, at 2 p.m. Leo and Christina’s family and friends are hosting a fundraiser to help pay for past and future medical expenses.

The day-long event will include live music, dancing, professional dance performances, and delicious South American and Spanish cuisine. Tango for Leo will be held at the newly opened Casa Marita, located at 100 S. Avenida del Convento, Tucson, AZ 85745.

The suggested donation for a general-admission ticket is $35, which includes tapas. For $60, attendees may take pleasure in a sit-down dinner that includes a glass of wine and performances.

The fundraiser will feature a silent auction with donations provided by local businesses, as well as a full cash bar.

Tickets can be purchased by emailing tangoforleo@gmail.com or by calling (520) 903-4613. For more information, please visit our Facebook Page. Facebook search: Tango for Leo, or click facebook link below.

Monday, August 23, 2010

SCBWI-AZ Welcome To Our House Conference

Hello Everyone,
Just in case you have not yet heard about this year's wonderful "SCBWI-AZ Welcome To Our House", I thought that I had better post the info. The faculty for this year's conference is stellar. Also, as in previous years, you are able to sign up for both portfolio and manuscript critiques. These are well worth the additional rate and give you 15 minutes of one-on-one time with a faculty member. Remember, critiques are filled on a first come first served basis, so get your packets in early. Here is some of the basic information about the, but there is lots more detail on the www.scbwi-az.org website under the "Events" Tab.

I hope to see you there.
T.

Here is the information:

SCBWI ARIZONA PRESENTS WELCOME TO OUR HOUSE 2010
Words and Pictures

A Full Day Conference with Industry Professionals

Saturday, September 25, 2010
8:30 AM to 5:00 PM
Chaparral Suites Resort and Conference Center
5001 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, Arizona 85250

FEATURED FACULTY
FRANCESCO SEDITA - Publisher of Grosset & Dunlap and Price Stern Sloan, children's imprints at the Penguin Young Readers Group.
CLAUDIA GABEL - Senior Editor at Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Children's Books.
ANDREA WELCH - Editor at Beach Lane Books, a division of Simon and Schuster
JILL CORCORAN - Agent at Herman Agency representing middle grade and young adult authors
AMELIA ANDERSON - Senior Designer at Chronicle Books. Brogan

REGISTRATION FOR THE CONFERENCE INCLUDES:
Faculty Presentations
Workshops
First Page and First Look Panel Session
Q and A Panel Session
Slide Show
Continental Breakfast
Lunch
Networking
Door Prizes
Manuscript and Portfolio Critiques (at an additional cost)

GENERAL REGISTRATION INFO
There is no online registration. Print and mail forms with checks and critique submissions.
Go to
www.scbwi.org Arizona Chapter Calendar
Arizona Conference Info Pages
http://www.scbwi-az.org/
Events

GENERAL CRITIQUE INFO
Individual critiques will take place before and after the scheduled conference events and presentations. Each critique is 15 minutes. Submissions will be vetted by the conference committee before being assigned a critique slot. Submissions that do not meet the guidelines will not be eligible for critique. Critiquers include the featured faculty and traditionally published authors and illustrators.

Please remember that a critique is not a pitching session. It is your chance to get feedback and suggestions on how to improve and/or market your work. If your critiquer is an editor, art director, or agent, she/he will tell you if she/he would like you to send the project after the conference. However, this is not guaranteed.

NOTE: Two copies of one manuscript submission are required.
Hard copy portfolios must be accompanied by a CD version.

Illustrators requesting a portfolio critique may include one dummy if applicable.
BOOK BASKET DONATIONS: Please donate one new children's book to the SCBWI Book Basket. The books will be donated to a worthy non-profit organization in our region.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Sketch Theatre anyone?


After finishing some cover layouts and taking a break from painting, I thought that I would catch up on my google reader. Bad idea! I came across this amazing website and am now hooked. Sketch Theatre (http://www.sketchtheatre.com/ ) allows artists to post videos of their drawing process. LOVE IT! All my fellow artists will be able to understand why this is an easy place to get lost in. Alas, gathering inspiration is a good thing and productive way to spend one's time, right?

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

San Tan Sun News write up


How neat is this? In the current edition of the San Tan Sun News (July 17 to August 6, 2010) there is a little note about the illustrations on display at the Tempe Youth Library which is downstairs at the Tempe Public Library. I have some of my Pen and Ink work up from the first "Wright on Time - Arizona" book. Molly Idle and several beautiful pieces up from her upcoming book "Circus Fantastico: A Magnifying Mystery" and Sylvia Long is showing a couple of exquisite paintings from her new book "Thumbelina."


I'll try to swing by there next week to take some photos so that I can post them. Also, if you have not yet started reading the "Wright On Time" series, the library now have a few copies of the first two books that you can check out. Book three, "Wright on Time - Wyoming" should be out in a couple of weeks and Book 4, "Wright on Time - South Dakota" is schedule for release around the holidays.

Happy reading and drawing to all.
T.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Great Dinosaur video



I love this video. It had me fooled until the end. Thank you James Gurney for posting this.
T.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Original Art on display at Tempe Library

It has been a long time since I've posted. Projects, books, summer vacation and life have kept me very busy and I've not gotten to posting at all. Here's a quick note about an upcoming event though.

Sylvia Long, Molly Idle and I will have some original artwork on display at the Tempe Youth Library. The exhibition "See and Imagine," will highlighting work from books that we have illustrated recently. The display will be up from July 14 to Nov. 29 in Tempe Youth Library, 3500 S. Rural Road in Tempe.



Gallery hours

9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday-Thursday
9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Friday-Saturday
Noon to 5:30 p.m., Sunday
(Closed on city-observed holidays)

There is little more information and one of my illustrations on the press realease posted below.
http://www.tempe.gov/Newsroom/Archive/201007/E7D2A3BC-23E2-4422-B01C-9E75F78B76E0

Friday, May 7, 2010

I'm impressed! Way to go Ohio State



I just had to share this. Talk about a nice pick me up to make you smile. Thank you Steve Harpster for posting this.

Monday, April 19, 2010

I got a Sunshine Award

Wow! What great news! The wonderful Megumi Lemons, a most talented illustrator friend of mine, nominated me for a Sunshine Award. Thank you Miss Goomie. You should check out her work as it is so beautiful and sentitive, plus she works in acrylics and acrylic guache, my favorites.

What Megumi found out was that the "Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspire others in the blogging world." Now I have to say double thank to Miss Goomie. Thank you so much for nominating me.

To pay it forward, here is my list of twelve bloggers that I read constantly which inspire and inform wonderfully:

Gurney Journey - James Gurney, creator of "Dinotopia", post daily to this incridible art blog
Lines and Colors - Great blog about drawing, sketching, painting, etc. with wonderful write ups on various artists.
Mikela Prevost - Incredible watercolor/collage artists and a mum to boot.
Elizabeth Dulemba - Daily posts about the illustration world by this incredible author/illustrator.
Lynne Chapman - Lynne posts wonderful sketches, tips and updates about her busy schedule. Definitely an illustrator to emulate. :)
Paul Mirocha - Fellow AZ illustrator and friend posts thought provoking content and glimpses at his work.
Asia in the Heart - Tarie posts wonderful information about writer's, artists and art in Asia.
Illustration Castle - Heather Castle is from Australia, is a mum and an illustrator. Three major pluses in my book seeing that I used to live in Aussie, and am mum and an illsutrator as well.
Rad How To - Rad Sechrist's blog is a great resource if you need help on how to construct characters.
Eric Fortune - Incredible artist.
Princess Tomato - Teri Skrdla is a great friend and an incredible artist.
Dey Studio - Lorraine Dey posts wonderful info for illustrators.

Now it’s your turn to brighten someone’s day by nominating your favs for a Sunshine Award:

1) Put the logo on your blog or within your post
2) Pass the award to 12-well-deserving bloggers
3) Link the nominees within your post
4) Share the news by leaving a comment on their blog
5) Link to the person from whom you received the award

Have a happy day!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

PIXELS by Patrick JEAN



Thank you to James Gurney for posting this video on his blog. This film sure takes me back to my teenage years. Anyone, who has lived through the 80's can no doubt relate. Love this piece.

Happy viewing.

T.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Dominic Catalano - SCBWI-AZ Illustrator Intensive - May 1-2, 2010

I am most excited to let you all know about this year's SCBWI-AZ Illustrators' Intensive. This year the workshop will be held over one and a half days and it is guaranteed to be filled with incredible information.

If you recall, I attended one of the Highlights Foundation Founders' Workshops a year and a half ago. Here is a link to my post from that event. Dominic Catalano was the one who lead that workshop and it literally was a life changing experience where my art was concerned. I will be attending another of his workshops this weekend and will definitely be at the intensive in May as well.

If you are at all excited about the workshop description, I urge you to attend this intensive. You will not regret it. The event and registration information can be found on the SCBWI-AZ website st:

http://www.scbwi-az.org/Events.html

Here is a little more info about the event:

SCBWI AZ 2010 Illustrators' Intensive
May 1 -2, 2010

The Art of The Picture Book
With Dominic Catalano
Author, Illustrator, Art Educator, Highlights Foundation Workshop Presenter

When:
Saturday, May 1, 2010 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
and
Sunday, May 2, 2010 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Where:
The Phoenix Art Institute
2233 W Dunlap Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85021

Join us for an in-depth and insightful look at the critical aspects of the visual elements of the picture book, designed to help you augment your potential success in the exciting field of illustrating books for children.

For Intermediate, advanced, and professional children's book artists. Beginners welcome.

ABOUT DOMINIC CATALANO

Dominic Catalano is an artist, writer, musician, and teacher. He holds a BS in art education from SUNY Buffalo, an M.A. in fine arts from SUNY Oswego, an M.F.A. from Syracuse University and a Ph.D in Art Education from Ohio State University. Dominic teaches Art Education and Illustration at Bowling Green State University. He is also a featured workshop presenter for the Highlights Foundation. His illustrations have appeared in many children's magazines and have drawn high acclaim in many books for children.

Dominic is the illustrator of Mouse Island by Eve Bunting (Boyd's Mills Press - 2008); Clink, Clank, Clunk by Miriam Aroner (Boyd's Mills Press 2006); Bernard Wants a Baby by Joan Elizabeth Goodman (Boyd's Mills Press 2004); and others. He is also the author/illustrator of Hush! (Gingham Dog Press 2003); and Mr. Basset Plays (Boyd's Mills Press 2003), among others.

INTENSIVE HIGHLIGHTS

Words, Pictures and Design Working Together
Exploring the Form
Isolating Composition
Isolating Character
Putting It All Together
Professional Development; What are your unique talents?
The Marketplace
Networking
Q and A

There will also be a pre-workshop assignment

Friday, April 2, 2010

Next Illustrator Meeting: Tuesday, April 20th, 7 pm

Hi everyone,

Quick note about our next illustrator meeting. The next one will be:

 
When: Tuesday, April 20th, 2010, at 7:00 pm

 
Where: Barnes & Noble at the Tempe Marketplace (It is located in Tempe where the 202 and the 101 meet off Rio Salado.) We’ll be meeting in the café. Here is more info about the location as well as directions on how to get there:

 
http://storelocator.barnesandnoble.com/storedetail.do;jsessionid=18F9DD089372E8294E9BDB99CB3796D6?store=2243

 
2000 E.Rio Salado Pkwy #1032
Tempe, AZ 85281
480-894-6954

  
Here is a quick overview of some of the things we'll chat about:
  • I'll be back from the Highlights Foundation Founder's Workshop in Honesdale, PA, so I will share all the wonderful things that I learned there.
  • Bring along any interesting illustration resources or information that you stumbled across since out last meeting to share.
  • Bring you portfolios along. We've had some new people join and it would be great to show what we are all working on
Please let me know if you are planning on joining us to I can reserve seats.

I hope to see you there.
Happy Drawing.
T.

I am now part of "The Doodle Diner"

Hi everyone,

It's been a while since my last post. Work and life have me rather busy right now which is always a good thing. Take a peek at "The Doodle Diner" blog. It's a wonderful blog hosted by some incredible illustrators that is devoted to illustration. I have just been invited to join and I am so tickled about it. You can see my first post at : http://thedoodlediner.wordpress.com/2010/04/02/tanja-says-hi/

Keep checking back. Each month is hosted by a differnet illustrator so you will get a fresh look at illustration each month.

Happy drawing.
T.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Changing Hands Illustrator Panel


Hi everyone,

Sorry for the long radio silence. I've been working on a couple of projects and had numerous school visits that have kept me very busy over the past couple of months. I'll try to post some work and photos when I get a chance.

I did want to let you know abouyt the Picture Book Panel that I will be part of at Changing Hands Bookstore this Wednesday. Here is a link to the event on the Changing Hands Bookstore site:

http://www.changinghands.com/event/picturebookpanel

The panel will be made up of the most wonderful illustrator Lynne Avril, author and ilustrator Chris Gall, author Conrad Storad and yours truly. We will explore the illustrating, marketing, and publishing processes involved in creating children's picture books and the panel will be moderated by Changing Hands' children's book buyer Brandi Stewart. If you have some time Wednesday evening, stop on by.

Location:

Changing Hands Bookstore
6428 S McClintock Dr
Tempe, Arizona 85283

Date:
Wednesday, March 10th

Time:
7:00 pm

See you there.
T.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Author Hotline

Check out this most wonderful online database out of the UK. The Author Hotline is a unique way for authors to connect directly with their readers and a great opportunity to support their work in schools. It is an online bank of author profiles that children can search through. It is being developed by CW4K, or Creative Writing 4 Kids, the company behind a website that enables children to create and publish their own stories online.

It will be launched for World Book Day on March 4th, 2010. Antony Lishak is the creator behind this project and he told me that the website will be accompanied by a resource filled magazine that will be sent to UK schools in September. What a great resource this is and it is absolutely free.

Ok, so the exposure to UK schools might not help us illustrators and authors in the US, you say? Not to worry. Antony noted that there are big plans for Author Hotline in the next few months and going global is one of them.

Here is what your profile page will look like:
 

You are able to list your book and answer a variety of questions that are geared towards kids. It was quite amusing to complete the profile with questions like: "What were you like at school?" and "What is your favorite word?" There are also other more serious questions that will help kids understand what we do as illustrators.

I found this site through the most wonderful Lynne Chapman's blog who is one of my favorite illustrators working today. When she wrote about Author's Hotline she noted: "The idea (for Author's Hotline) is that, either before or after a school visit, children can look up authors or illustrators and find out more about them. They can show their parents who they met at school and generally add value to the experience of the visit."

What a great tool for any author or illustrator. Check it out and sign up.
T.

Monday, January 25, 2010

David Wiesner's new project

Take a look at David Wieser's latest creation, ART & MAX, due out later this year. His brilliant mind has created gems such as "Flotsam", "The Three Pigs" and "Tuesday" and have earned him three Caldecotts so far. I'm a definitely looking forward to this next treasure. Thank you Elizabeth Dulemba for the post.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Killing Creativity?

Thank you to my good friend Tanya J. for sharing this video with me. It is well worth to watch the full 20 minutes. Ken Robinson raises some very interesting points. Why is art and creativty such a low priotity in our schools today? Educate the whole child, what a concept.


Trina Schart Hyman

I recently decided to go through my collection of illustrated and resource books that I have accumulated over the years. As I’m working on my current picture book project with Raven Tree Press, I wanted to gather inspiration and I have always been able to find it in my old favorites. One of the books, that I purchased when I was going to art school in Australia, was one that Trina Schart Hyman illustrated.

The illustrations in “Tight Times,” written by Barbara Shook Hazen, are black and white and are beautiful. The sensitive line quality and the careful rendering of the characters are inspiring. Every little expression and body pose adds to the telling of the story and the detail in the background is meticulous, yet the entire book has a very loose and sketch like feeling.



Seeing that I so love Trina’s work, you can imagine how excited I was to see a post on Facebook about a current show that features Trina’s portrait work and some of her illustrations. Here is the video that shows a lot of the pieces featured in the show.




If you want to learn more about Trina Schart Hyman I urge you to look at Dylis Evans’ “Show and Tell: Exploring the Fine Art of Children's Book Illustration.” It is a wonderful resource if you are interested in learning more about contemporary illustrators, and what inspires them, their background and how they solve the visual problems they encounter.



If you visit my "must have books" page on my website, I have a selection of very useful illustration books that you might be interested in and I've included the Dilys Evans book there.

Happy Reading.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Some more Online Illustration References

Here are some more online resources that I've found that have made it into my google reader. Lots of great info here.



Asia In The Heart: asiaintheheart.blogspot.com
This is a great blog that is dedicated to books set in Asia, books with Asian characters, and Asian authors and illustrators. They focus on some incredible talent and it's wonderful to learn more about illustration in other parts of the world.




Escape from Illustration Island: escapefromillustrationisland.com
This is probably one of my favorite blogs I've found yet. Thomas James created "Escape from Illustration Island" and it is devoted to providing useful content, encouraging community participation and help fellow illustrators escape their isolation. A definite must read.





The Tools Artists Use: thetoolsartistsuse.com
A great blog that talks about the tools that artists use. It is a great resource and features many artist interviews.

Dreamworks "How to Train Your Dragon" Trailer



Here is the next installment of Dreamworks Animation. "How to Train You Dragon" is scheduled for release in March of this year. Looks wonderful. I'vs always like the idea of showing the nice side of not so nice creatures, so this on is definitely on my list of movies to see. Here is the movie website if you are interested in fiding out more about it: http://www.howtotrainyourdragon.com/

Happy Drawing, T.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Alma - An animated short by Rodrigo Blaas


Alma from Rodrigo Blaas on Vimeo.

Director Rodrigo Blaas posted this wonderful Animated short. "Alma" is a beautifully designed piece that give us a taste of great atmosphere, character and story. Unfortunately, it is only available for a dshort time so take a peek while it is still on the web.  This spooky little story is beautiful to watch.

Watch it in full screen.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Next Illustrator Meeting - Jan 12th - 7:00 pm

Happy New Year to you all. I hope that you all enjoyed a wonderful Holiday Season. What a busy and hectic month it was.

Here's a quick reminder about our first meeting for the year. We are still set for next week. Here is the meeting information:

When: Tuesday, January 12th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Where: Barnes & Noble at the Tempe Marketplace (It is located in Tempe where the 202 and the 101 meet off Rio Salado.) We’ll be meeting in the café. Here is more info about the location as well as directions on how to get there:

http://storelocator.barnesandnoble.com/storedetail.do;jsessionid=18F9DD089372E8294E9BDB99CB3796D6?store=2243

2000 E.Rio Salado Pkwy #1032
Tempe, AZ 85281
480-894-6954

It'll be great to catch up again and get inspired for the new year. It's been a while since out last meeting so it will be wonderful to get back into the swing of things again. Please let me know if you are planning on joining us to I can reserve seats.

Here is a quick overview of some of the things we'll chat about:

• The most wonderful Megumi will be talking about the "Illustrators Day" that she attended in California a couple of months ago.
• Let's figure out if Tuesday is a good time to meet for the new year of if you feel that a different meeting day would work better. Majority will win. If at all possible, I'd love to set a calendar for the entire year, so that we will all know about the next meetings ahead of time.
• I'll have so more resources to share that I've stumbled across.
• Whatever else you would like to chat about.

See you next week.

Happy Drawing