Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted
~ Martin Luther King, Jr., 1963
You can say anything you want, yessir, but it's the words that sing, they soar and descend...I bow to them...I love them, I cling to them, I run them down, I bite into them, I melt them down...I love words so much...The unexpected ones...The ones I wait for greedily or stalk until, suddenly they drop...
~Pablo Neruda
I hope some animal never bores a hole in my head and lays its eggs in my brain, because later you might think you're having a good idea but it's just eggs hatching
Halloween is around the corner. What better time is there to learn about Hawaii's only endemic land mammal, the endangered Hawaiian hoary bat or ʻōpeʻapeʻa?
I haven't been sticking to my goal of one a day, but I have been sticking to working as quickly as possible and finishing each illustration in a single sitting.
The Roxy illustration challenge continues! One of my favorite poses, a combo of "What did I do?" + "Talk to the Butt." #illustration
Here's the video of my process...
And once again, here's my dainty princess. That face says it all...she's clearly embarrassed by my sophomoric attempt to familiarize myself with a new medium.
I started off calling this "The Roxy Challenge." My goal was to loosen up each day with a quick sketch of my bulldog, Roxy. She's funny, she's flatulent, and she sleeps 20 hours a day (mostly under my drafting table)--the perfect model for a children's book illustrator!
However, Roxy wanted no part of that modeling nonsense. She scratched. She fidgeted. She licked her toes. And she insisted on critiquing my work, nosing through all of my sketchbooks before finally resting her chin on my iPad.
Taking my "studio assistant" Roxy for a walk, I thought it would be great to mount a GoPro to capture Kailua Beach from a bulldog's perspective...if anything, as inspiration for a new children's book character.
My obsession with butterflies goes beyond origami...I do raise monarch butterflies at my home in Hawaii, using crownflower as a food source for the larva and lantana to attract adults. I'll write more about what goes on during metamorphosis on my Origami Page.
Talk story, learn more about writing and illustrating for children, stock up on your summer reading, or have books autographed for your favorite reader. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Friends of the Library. Spread the word!
Book signing schedule:
SATURDAY, JUNE 18
Sue Cowing, 9 a.m. - 12 noon
Christin Lozano, 9 a.m. - 12 noon
David Estes, 12 noon - 5 p.m.
Alina Niemi, 12 noon - 5 p.m.
Leslie Hayashi and Tammy Yee, all day
SUNDAY, JUNE 19
Sandi Takayama, 9 a.m. - 12 noon
Alina Niemi, 12 noon - 4 p.m.
Christopher Caravalho, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Leslie Hayashi and Tammy Yee, all day
My introduction to writing and illustrating children's books was Uri Shulevitz's guide, Writing With Pictures--I still have it on my bookshelf--and the thought of attending an SCBWI conference terrified me. I came away from my first conference overstimulated and overwhelmed, but also energized and inspired. Through the years, I've learned that there is no better way to meet other author and illustrators, develop your writing and illustrating, and learn from the best in the industry.
So if you happen to be in Hawaii this March, join us for our 2016 SCBWI Hawaii Conference:
Smooth Sailing in the Sea of Children’s Book Publishing
March 18 – 19, William S. Richardson Law School, University of Hawaii at Manoa
with
DAN SANTAT, Author-Illustrator, 2015 Caldecott Medal Recipient
SUZIE TOWNSEND, Agent
NAOMI LONG EAGLESON, Editor
KIRSTEN CARLSON, Local Author-Illustrator
Featuring workshops and breakout sessions for authors and illustrators, First Pages/First Look Critique Panel, industry tips and more.
If you would like to attend Dan Santat's Friday workshop, Art School in One Day, contact hawaii@scbwi.org.
FACULTY BIOS:
DAN SANTAT, Author-Illustrator, 2015 Caldecott Medal Recipient
Dan has been a proud member of the SCBWI since 2001. He has since published over fifty books for children, which include the Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot series by Dav Pilkey, Oh No! (Or How My Science Project Destroyed the World) by Mac Barnett which won the Silver Medal from the Society of Illustrators, and the New York Times best-selling book, Because I'm Your Dad by Ahmet Zappa. Dan has also the author of the graphic novel, Sidekicks, which has won numerous state book awards, and is the current recipient of the 2015 Randolph Caldecott Medal for his book, The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend. He is also the creator of the Disney animated series, The Replacements. Visit him at www.dantat.com.
SUZIE TOWNSEND, Director of Literary Services & Literary Agent, New Leaf Literary & Media
Suzie represents all brands of children's and adult fiction. She is
actively looking to build her list. In adult, she's specifically looking
for new adult, romance (all subgenres), fantasy (urban fantasy, science
fiction, steampunk, epic fantasy) and crime fiction (mysteries,
thrillers). In Childrens' she loves YA (all subgenres) and is dying to
find great Middle Grade projects. Suzie loves strong characters and
voice driven stories that break out of the typical tropes of their
genres. For more info on her clients and projects: http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/sztownsend81/. Follow her on twitter (https://twitter.com/sztownsend81).
NAOMI LONG EAGLESON, Editor
Naomi Long Eagleson is the founder of The Artful Editor, a book editing
company based in Los Angeles. She helps writers improve and polish
their manuscripts for publication. She has an MFA from the Iowa Writers'
Workshop and has worked as an assistant editor at Manoa Journal and
as a manuscript reviewer at Mutual Publishing. She has edited over a
hundred books, including children’s books and young adult fiction. www.artfuleditor.com
KIRSTEN CARLSON, Author-Illustrator
Kirsten’s background in biology, scientific illustration and graphic
design lend themselves well to interpreting stories about nature for
children. In addition to picture books, her work as an
author/illustrator has also appeared in periodicals, including National Geographic and Phycologia. She
won the First Place Award for Realistic Portfolio at the 2003 and 2004
SCBWI Conferences. Kirsten is the Illustrator Coordinator for SCBWI
Hawaii, and a past Regional Advisor for SCBWI Germany+Austria.www.kirstencarlson.net