Book Launch this Sunday!

Getting excited for my upcoming launch party for Cousin Ann! It will be at Bookplace in Oxford, PA from 3-5.  I am planning to do a dramatic reading at about 3:30.  It's weird going without having seen the final copy, but I'm sure it turned out wonderful, if I can judge by the books I saw that Inner Light has already done.

New Medium, New Project

So I have been busy, believe it or not!  I am working on my next picture book, a fractured fairy tale of fiery independence...and a little bit of silliness of course.  I am going for a sort of different tone and writing style this time by trying to make it more modern and edgy.  I also plan to experiment more with non-digital media, which I've gotten away from since college (Micron pen aside). 

But that's not what the title of this post is about.  What it is about, see, is I've had it in my mind for years now to get into animation.  I haven't even tried the slightest bit of animation, not counting helping my college roommate with his dark, twisted stop-motion shorts in which my main contribution was moving scary toys around in our creepy basement, inch by inch (his movie turned out awesome though). 

My animation will be about 2 minutes in length, and I plan to use a medium that I haven't really seen used before but which will be fantastically low-tech (who has time for learning Flash? And who uses it nowadays anyway?) and I think a good foray into the medium just as a first excercise.  And yes, it will feature none other than Lizzie and Rennie, who have gotten many encore requests since their debut in Lizzie Fox-Top over a year ago.  Here's a little morsel of a sketch:

Please excuse the weird nose-wrinkle.  It's a sketch, after all.

Introducing Stevie French, Curator.

I really need to get to work.  And I do realize the irony of a post where I complain about the fact that I have not worked on anything in awhile.  I could definitely be doing some art right now.  Because listen to all these great plans I have!

But first, rewind. I gave another illustration lecture to some classes at Temple University last Thursday.  It went well, again! I think this is going to be a semesterly thing, which is fine by me.  I love having all that time to talk about my favorite subject (me). It was fun to have an actual finished book this time; last time I only had the messed-up proofs to show.  I even sold a book, and one very Gracious Benefactor who will remain anonymous even bought up my entire current stock of greeting cards (don't worry, I'll make more!). 

But wait there's more.  This very same person, who owns the bookstore where I had my signing party last year, invited me to be in several upcoming shows with very exciting, specific themes.  This means I need to get to work!  I am feeling very inspired by the topics though.  It almost reminds me of when I got a particularly cool assignment in college that I couldn't wait to "solve."  I say solve because I think a lot of art is a problem that needs a solution, like math only not terrible.  The problem is usually how to express yourself given certain limitations, like a theme or the materials.  I think that's why I like illustration so much--I like figuring out the best solution to something creatively.  It's the most satisfying thing in the world (besides chocolate cake). 

And last but not least, as evidenced in the title of this post, here's the really exciting news: I've been invited to curate an illustration exhibition at the main art gallery in Oxford!  It won't be until next fall, but I am beside myself with excitement.  It truly was a fateful day when I decided to attend a meeting of the Oxford Arts Alliance.  What great friends I have in the art world!

 

Ann and Sufjan

Hola!  So I finally finished EVERYTHING for Cousin Ann.  The worst part I'd have to say was reformatting 2 versions of the cover when I realized it was completely off dimensionally (which makes sense since I kind of made up the dimensions way back before we had a publisher).  No word on whether the files are publishable and correct, but here's to hoping we get this book printed in time for the holidays!

This is the final illustration, by the way.  It changes a lot in the book.  I minus the text and change the frame and colors.  I love this version though, which is why I am posting it for all to see since you won't find it in the book.  I changed it because this one was not nearly peaceful enough for the poem's tone.  It's more EVENING HYMN YEAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!

Also, I recently attended a Sufjan Stevens concert at the Kimmel Center here in Philly and it blew my mind.  I got to see him from the edge of the stage.  He was 15 feet away from me the whole time.  I'm not going to lie, I may have also been crying for most of this experience.  I got a set list too! So in honor of that epic evening, remember this from 5 years ago? Feeling nostalgic already (for the concert).  Enjoy.

 love you.

RiverCity Festival!

So sales have obviously been way down since the release of my first book almost exactly a year ago.  I haven't had a lot of luck with the Philadelphia bookstores (the few that there are) so I thought I'd try a more fun, alternative route:  getting a table at a festival.  It was a decision I do not regret.

The festival was called RiverCity Festival and it was held in Fishtown, a neighborhood in northeast Philly.  I labored beforehand, making prints of select artwork and some mini-Rennie's out of Sculpey and acrylic (which later turned out to be rather fragile in over-eager children's hands). 

 I had originally requested to be near the kids' activities, but it turned out the kids's activities were what seemed like miles away from the other vendors (separated by the music stage and a large soggy field).  I brought my trusty sidekick (the boyfriend) who very nicely lent me his folding table and a couple chairs.  We staked out a shady spot right next to the facepainting, thinking this would provide maximum exposure.  It didn't.  Instead my table got totally sidelined by all the other awesome hands-on flashy balloon-draped activities and we were completely ignored (and freezing cold).  After much debate, I asked the proper authorities to be relocated and after inspecting several potential lots, settled on some prime real estate right on a corner near the informal "entrance" to the festival.  It even had a much bigger table and chairs that you were supposed to pay for (I guess whoever was supposed to be there had already paid.  Thanks mystery craftsperson!)  

After that, traffic grew exponentially.  All in all I broke even and may have even made a profit (which I then spent on Christmas gifts), got lots of exposure, and even a few cards from some helpful fellow artists.  Everyone was very encouraging.  But the best experience was every time a child picked up my book and read it--some didn't even want to put it down, and one boy was practically dragged away by his parents (kind of sad he was dragged away from a book, but what can ya do).  

All this made me realize I really need to get back my Etsy store.

Update!

Still working on the Cousin Ann illustrations.  Will post more shortly!

San Francisco Publisher meeting!

So as many of you know, I took pretty much the most awesome vacation ever over Labor Day weekend with my boyfriend to visit some of his college friends out in San Francisco, CA.  It was my first trip to the west coast (I've been as far as the Grand Canyon/Las Vegas back in 5th grade) and seeing the Pacific Ocean (it is COLD).  But in addition to all the crazy funness (funness?) that went down with our friends, I also had a very wonderful meeting with my amiable publisher, Mr. Martin at Inner Light Books. 

This was very exciting as I have never met with a publisher to talk about my work before.  The closest I ever got was an anonymous critique at the SCBWI Eastern Pa conference in March (March?) and that was pretty one-sided.  I went to his adorable townhouse in the Mission District where he showed me some of his beautiful books (some printed by I.L.B.), lots of cool ethnic art on the walls, and I met his wife and his gray cat Don Quixote.  He looked over my design and illustrations for Cousin Ann, which he likes very much, and we basically talked about improving layout here and there, as well as perhaps adding more illustrations.  We also discussed the contract and payment (reasonable, in my opinion). The best thing out of it though is that he revealed he wants to do a hardcover version!  That may not mean much to anyone outside of the book business (maybe it does? I don't remember what it's like to be a civilian anymore, haha. Just kidding), but to me it means there will be a jacket with bios and a summary on it, more opportunities for reviews, a nicer looking product, and better quality.  

The publishing date is tentatively Dec. 1st, in time for Christmas (and my birthday! Happy birthday me, my first published book!)