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Here's a little sample of the stuff I'm finishing up for Abrams....
The comic making process is getting easier and easier for me the more I do it (Not to imply that I'm an expert by ANY means). I'm still learning a tremendous amount the more I do and I'm sure there are still many tricks yet to be learned. A lot of people ask me how I do comics and I honestly think it's the process of doing that makes a person learn the quickest. So go out there and just 'DO'.
Last week on the East Coast was like a whirlwind. You fly in. Shove in as many events as you can in your schedule and head out feeling exhausted. I love New York, and when the Original Art Show is showing at the Society of Illustrators it's my opportunity to crawl out my studio and go out and mingle in the flesh with the rest of the publishing industry. Here's a summary....
Tuesday night I flew into Boston, where I met up with my longtime online friend, Kelly Murphy and her husband to come speak at the Rhode Island School of Design. RISD was a wonderful campus which clearly had a different feel than my alma mater, The Art Center, College of Design.
I thought the lecture was pretty good. Instead of me talking about my work and about how great I was and so forth I started the lecture out by showing my entry portfolio into art school, my student work, and my work as it progressed throughout the years as a professional. I gave some perspectives into the fields of animation, video games, editorial art, gallery art and picture books so that everyone there felt like they walked out of the presentation with some sort of useful information.
Afterwards, Kelly showed me the amazing reference room. Art Center had NOTHING close to this. I called it "The Lovely Room of Death"...
They also had great skeletons. I named these two Tomax and Xamot (A nerdy GI Joe reference)...
Then in the middle of the room a bear and I started an a capella cover of "We Didn't Start the Fire"....
and Kelly started digging for gold inside a moose's nose...
Afterwards, since Brown University was across the street, I decided to skim through the campus to find Hermione Granger...
Then it was off to NY. (NOTE to the state of Connecticut and Rhode Island: Don't start construction work on the 95 freeway at 9PM at night! There are still plenty of folks on the road, and cutting it town to a one lane freeway during that time is just a bad idea. Not to mention that your freeway is already flawless. If you want to see damaged roads come to California, where CalTrans starts working at 1AM. You folks are just a big bag of DUMB.)
Once we got to New York we checked into the famous Algonquin Hotel. Home of the famous writer's roundtables and this amazing mural created by the always amazing Natalie Ascencios. I dreamed for years of seeing this mural in real life.
Then it was off to Times Square in search for a drink and a gyro...
Though I didn't find a gyro stand I did manage to find a hot dog stand. Then Kelly, Antoine, and I sat in Times Square long enough to actually watch it SHUT DOWN. Lights turned off on Billboards, vendors packed up and left and we were literally one of the very few people left out in the street.
The next day it was off to meetings.
Now, every time I come to New York I see someone famous. Last time it was Julianne Moore, Horatio Sans, Eric Stoltz, Tina, Fey, and Conan O Brien. Since I was only in the city for a day I didn't expect to see anyone famous this year, but lo and behold, the first person I meet getting off the subway was Katie Sokoler, the creator of the amazing blog "Color Me Katie" , freelance photographer, and frequent contributor and senoir agent to the infamous "Improv Everywhere" events that occur around New York.
Here's a sample of what 'Improv Everywhere' does....
10AM I had a quick muffin and coffee at Hyperion, then it was off to see my tough as nails agent Jodi Reamer at Writer's House at 11:30.
Then 12:30 I was greeted by these folks....
The hard working employees of Sterling Publishing who took me out to lunch and afterwards threw a nice champagne party in honor of 'Chicken Dance' getting into the 2009 Original Art show.
I finally got to meet my awesome designer and partner-in-crime, the lovely Ms. Kate Moll. Naturally, I asked her to strike an embarrassing pose....
As I also did with the rest of the folks at Sterling. Air guitar anyone?...
After the warm reception it was off to the New York Public Library (I always think of Ghostbusters when I see this place)...
where I paid a visit to the lovely Betsy Bird....
and signed their guestbook.... NEXT TO ERIC 'FRICKIN' CARLE!!!!
5PM... Went to Scholastic to hang out with my editor Arthur Levine.
5:30PM.. Took a subway to the O show where I met a slew of famous illustrators.
This is an awful pic of the event where I was too preoccupied meeting other cool people to take pictures.
That man onstage is Chris Van Allsburg, the man who influenced me ever since I was five years old. I met him, in the Society of Illustrators bar standing in front of the famous Norman Rockwell mural....
He was cool. He looks and reminds me of this guy...
Afterwards, Scholastic was kind enough to take me out to dinner where I met with lots of great artists, designers, editors, and most importantly, my art director for "The Domesticated Four" Phil Falco...
I ordered the steak the size of a boogie board (quarter to scale)...
I showed it who was boss...
I think my art director, Elisabeth Parisi, was a little astonished by my performance....
Afterwards, it was off to a bar to hang out with some picture book folks. Here I am with Edel Rodriguez and Peter Brown....
1AM came and it was back to the Algonquin... but not until I found a gyro stand... After that huge steak you ask? You betcha...
The next morning it was off to 'Books of Wonder' to sign stock of 'Chicken Dance' with the lovely Ms. Derry Wilkins of Sterling Publishing....
and was finally introduced to Peter Glassman, the owner (long time fan of your store Peter)...
Then a quick car ride to the airport to catch a 1PM flight back home to celebrate my youngest son's first birthday the next morning. Awwwww....
Overall, it was a great trip. Now, a big hi-five to all the cool literary folks I hung out with on the trip (apologies to any names I may have left out)....
Tamson Weston, Jodi Reamer, the fine folks at STERLING (too many to name personally), Betsy Bird, Arthur Levine, David Saylor, Elizabeth Parisi, Phil Falco, Marijka Kostiw, Marietta Zacker, Sara Varon, Andy Rash, Dan Yaccarino, John Rocco, Chris Van Allsburg, Paul Zakris, Cecila Yung, Rebecca Sherman, Sean Qualls, Selina Alko, Julia Denos, Alvina Ling, Connie Hsu, Peter Brown, Edel Rodriguez, Kelly Murphy, Antoine Revoy, Paul Zelinsky, Scott Magoon, Matt Tavares, Peter Glassman, Brian Floca, Lincoln Agnew, Dilys Evas, Laurent Linn, Megan McCarthy, Lauren Castillo, Paul Hoppe, Lizzy Bromley, and Drew Willis.
I just sent out the final revised artwork for "The Adventures of Nanny Piggins" this morning and I am totally pleased with the results.
This is not the final look of the book jacket but it's nice to share none the less...
The author, the lovely Ms. R.A. Spratt, lives in Australia and she was sweet enough to send me the original Australian versions. Yay! I can't wait to read the second one!
NOTE: See my new chalkboard wall? (more on that later)
Lisa Yee and I had a fun launch party at Vroman's over the weekend...
I'm apparently doing my horrible impression of Gilbert Godfried and Lisa is showing off her 'spirit fingers'. Amy Goldman Koss is on the right in disgust of our shameless ability to self promote. The event was fun. About 100 people showed up and ate all of our doughnuts. Those of you in the LA area who didn't show up to the signing were punished by witnessing the Phillies deliver an 11-0 beating to our beloved Dodgers. (Next time you'll all know to come won't you?)
I also gave away an enormous drawing to a sweet gal (the prize was determined by who travelled the farthest to come to our signing. Her grandmother was from Palo Alto)
Tomorrow I leave for the east coast (one of my favorite places outside of my studio) but not before speaking to the students at the Rhode Island School of Design..
So exciting! I can't wait to... Wha? HEY!!!!!! WHAT THE?!
(Thanks to Jarrett "I'd like to buy a vowel" Krosoczka for the pics)
This is a portion of a page from my upcoming graphic novel (The Domesticated Four)
I would have to say hands are the worst things I draw. I usually manage by photo reference or feeling my way around the form until I get this fat swollen palm with hot dogs for fingers. Lately I've noticed that my hands have gotten better. Take this fist on the dog for instance. I drew that fist with a sense of confidence like I never had before and I nailed it on the first try in 5 minutes. For those who draw I think you sometimes notice that one day you can just do things that you were unable to do before.
I hadn't experienced a revelation like that since I was in art school.
Appreciate the little things....
This awesome caricature was given to me by my friend and fellow author/illustrator ANDY RASH
This is me at 34....
Look at me....When I look in the mirror I see a has been. I know It's all relative but when I look in the mirror I see someone who had so much potential and should at this point have at least three or four stores under his belt by now. Instead I've settled into illustrating other people's manuscripts mainly to avoid the fear of hearing criticism of my own stories. Now here I am, year five of my much blogged about graphic novel. (I should have had it completed three years ago) I will admit I have sat here watching all my other peers publish their own works prepared to face the same potential praise or criticism with no hesitation and it makes me feel guilty.
I also see someone who stopped caring about his health and settled with just sitting in front of a desk all day. I ate poorly, I drink three cups of coffee just to get through the day and survived the last three years on four to five hours of sleep a night. Sure, last year I told myself that I would be more optimistic about life, but what did I have to show for it? When I look in the mirror I see a tired and pessimistic person who is only 34 years old.
So what now?
I have a few friends who compete in triathalons and run marathons and so forth. I used to run. In fact, after I finished college at UCSD I ran off 20 pounds in four months. Unfortunately, once I got back into art school I gained it all back and I haven't hopped back on the wagon since.
I asked one of my friends "How do you find time to train for a marathon? I mean that's 20 miles of running." and his response was simple. "It's basically a commitment to changing your lifestyle. You have to make time in your life to do any sort of exercise."
Then you read magazines.... At my age you should exercise more and eat better and so forth.... YADDA YADDA YADDA.
Running? A commitment to changing your lifestyle? That made sense. I don't like who I am. I know I can do better. Let's start back into running.
It's always hard to get back up on the wagon after falling off. (Especially after seven years) but here I am. A month later. Running 3 miles a day. Today on my birthday I even ran 5 miles.
My gift to myself is that I have shed five pounds in that month of running. It's not a large amount. I can already hear my parents scoffing at such a 'minor' feat, but it's a start. That start motivates me to do even more. In fact, it seems as if all the other things in my life have fallen back into place because of running.
I have more energy. I don't rely on coffee as much as I used to in order to stay up and work, which allows me to work on my graphic novel among all my other projects. I'm writing again. My editor likes my next picture book manuscript and I'm already outlining a new graphic novel to come after that.
My much blogged about graphic novel? I think it's turning out pretty well. Nay, I think it's gonna kick ass. No more being pessimistic. The editor wants it in March which is a really tough deadline, but I'll make it. I'm gonna finish it with sheer willpower because I'm sick of sitting on the sidelines.
I'm hopping back on the wagon.
35 better watch it's back.
