Events Near Philadelphia
Children’s Book World, 5/2, 4:30 PM
17 Station Road
Haverford, PA 19041
Harleysville Books, 5/3, 6 PM
672 Main Street
Harleysville, PA 19438
MY CREATIVE PROCESS
Although I can’t prove it, many people say that my illustrations in Chloe and the Lion are the best part of the book. To these people, I say, “Thank you!”
It is wonderful being a Professional Children’s Book Illustrator. I have always admired the blog of Adam Rex (who did most of the illustrations in Chloe and the Lion), where he gives readers a “behind-the-scenes look” at his “creative process.” I’ve wished I could write posts about my “creative process,” but my “creative process” is not visually interesting, because it is just tweaking Word documents and not ironing my pants. But now that I am a Professional Children’s Book Illustrator, I can share my “creative process for drawing a lion.”
MY CREATIVE PROCESS FOR DRAWING A LION
STEP ONE: RESEARCH
This is the step where lots of illustrators look at pictures of lions or go to the zoo. My question for these artists is, “Haven’t you ever seen a lion before?” Luckily, I already know what a lion looks like. (I know what almost all the animals look like!). Also I do not have time to go to the zoo because I have stuff to do, like watching six hours of cable news and writing “IRON PANTS” on my to-do list. So during this step I have a bowl of cereal.
STEP TWO: SKETCHING
This is the part where we illustrators do rough sketches to figure out what the character should look like.
A. HEAD
The lion’s head is basically just a circle, because heads are circle-shaped.
B. FACE
Next I put the face on the head. My rule is, “lines for for the different kinds of hair, everything else is half circles.” I particularly like this lion face because it shows the animal being sad and thoughtful, which are both powerful emotions.
C. MANE
The mane is important. It is how you know the lion is a lion, and not a house cat, or a seal.
D. OOPS I FORGOT THE EARS
E. BODY
The lion’s body is a lot like a dog’s body, or any other animal’s body.
STEP THREE: FINISHES
This is the step where you do your “final art.” Usually my sketches are so good that I just decide that I am already finished. Then I put the artwork in an envelope and mail it to Adam Rex.
Then he adds color and puts my art in the book.
STEP FIVE:
TOTAL DRAWING TIME: 23 seconds.
(So why did it take Adam Rex years to illustrate this book?)
Kirkus gives a star to Oh No! Not Again!
From Kirkus:
*OH NO! NOT AGAIN!
(Or How I Built a Time Machine to Save History) (Or At Least My History Grade)
Mac Barnett (Author) Dan Santat (Illustrator)
Having recovered from the world-destroying science project she created in the first Oh No! (2010), Barnett’s overachiever has a new dilemma: Her history test is returned with one point off for incorrect answer.
Noting that “Belgium” is not the country where the oldest prehistoric cave paintings exist, she devises a solution completely out of proportion to the problem. Using a “Phun Times” Kiddie Pool as a foundation, she builds a time machine to alter history. After a few glitches (landing in a pre-Neanderthal world and then in the French Revolution), she finds her Belgian cavemen. As in the companion story, the digital compositions are framed with black horizontal borders and marked with white vertical lines to establish a cinematic context. The plot unfolds through speech bubbles, the faux-technical diagrams on graph paper covering the endpapers and the extremely funny actions and expressions of Santat’s caricatures. Children will relish the two cavemen’s antics: They stick paintbrushes in their noses, chomp on the palette and spray paint each other. The duo gives the transporter a spin while the frustrated scholar decorates the cave herself. She emerges to find one sporting Napoleon’s hat, a Roman chariot speeding by and other anachronisms—not to mention an “F” on her test, now that history has been rearranged.
Wonderfully ridiculous in premise and execution and abounding in creative touches, this will surely spark student spinoffs. (Picture book. 5-8)
EVENT: Theater and Signing in San Carlos this Friday
On Friday I’ll be attending a performance of Extra Yarn, adapted and performed by the San Carlos Children’s Theater. Afterward, I’ll do some reading and sign some books.
Friday, 23 March 23, 4:00pm, San Carlos, CA
The Reading Bug
Kids’ Book Couples Therapy
The Tucson Festival of Books
As you can probably tell by the bat ears I am wearing from the Sonoran Desert Museum, I am in Arizona. This weekend is the Tucson Festival of books (the only place in the country you’ll be able to get my new book with Adam Rex, Chloe and the Lion, until April). Here’s my schedule:
SATURDAY, MARCH 10
1:00pm: Three Very Funny Guys: Humor in Writing (with Jon Scieszka and Adam Rex)
UA Mall Tent
2:00pm: Autographing with Adam Rex
4:00pm: Boys ‘R Us: Creating the Neverending Series with Jon Scieszka, Phil Bildner, and Peter Lerangis.
Kiva Auditorium.
5:00pm: Autographing
SUNDAY, MARCH 11
11:30am: Chloe and the Lion: Our Author/Illustrator Relationship (with Adam Rex)
Kiva Auditorium
12:30pm: Autographing with Adam Rex
Some Events with Jon Klassen
Jon is coming up to the Bay Area and we’re doing some events around town. We’ll read, he’ll probably draw a little, I may even draw a little. We’ll answer any question and sign any book. Here’s the schedule:
Sunday, March 4, 2:00pm: Petaluma, CA
Copperfield’s Books
Monday, March 5, 3:30pm: Petaluma, CA
Copperfield’s Books
(this is just an informal meet-and-greet and signing for people whose Monday-afternoon schedules are more open than their Sunday-afternoon schedules)
Monday, March 5, 6ish pm: Berkeley, CA
Mrs. Dalloway’s
Jon and I are going to stop by and sign some books. We’ll be happy to personalize them if you’re there. I think there’ll be some food and drinks, too, maybe.
Tuesday March 6, 10:00am: Corte Madera, CA
Book Passage
Tuesday March 6, 3:00pm: San Jose, CA
Hicklebee’s
