Trailer for Things That Float and Things That Don’t

Not getting your fill of the seaside this summer? Never fear, my book trailer for Things That Float and Things That Don’t by David A. Adler just went live. How about taking a quick 1:21 minute break to cool off?

some birds of paradise

If you haven’t visited Ornithoblogical this week, stop by for my take on a few birds of paradise. I’ve been saving up these crazies for when I had time to do them justice. And I’m fast approaching bird #600, with plenty of ridiculous ideas to go. 

cooking with kids - kiwi magazine

It’s three years and counting for my relationship with Kiwi Magazine, illustrating  their “Cooking with Kids” section. The other day, the new editorial director got me caught up on tear sheets, pictured above.

We’ve done so much the last few months—made crackers, breadcrumbs, and rolled sushi. I just finished another series of cooking spots this week, so more on that when the next issue is out.

eternal twinkie

a new hope

death of the twinkie

the official Sylvia’s Spinach book trailer!

Here she is, in all her glory! As I mentioned in my previous post, the pub date for Sylvia’s Spinach has been moved up a few weeks. In anticipation, I made a book trailer. 

Written by Katherine Pryor and published by Seattle-based Readers to Eaters, Sylvia tells the story of a picky eater who learns to try something new through the experience of her school garden. 

Despite a steep learning curve with Adobe After Effects, I had a great time making the trailer and hope it captures Sylvia’s spirit. Speaking of which, in my next post, I’ll share a little bit about the evolution of the main character.

kiwi magazine - august issue

We’re all told not to play with our food when we’re little. But when it comes to the Cooking Class section of Kiwi Magazine, I can’t seem to restrain myself. This month is no exception, so in the off chance you need to teach a little one how to properly empty a muffin pan, you know where to go...

And as usual, you can also find one of my illustrations on the last page of the magazine, accompanying this month's essay on homeschooling.

MoCCA tees tease...

Here’s a sampling of my hand-painted t-shirts on sale at MoCCA this weekend (details below). Come see me at Table #i-13.

MoCCA Fest 2011 

(benefiting the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art)

Saturday, April 9th and Sunday, April 10th

11 AM – 6 PM

@ the Lexington Avenue Armory

between 25th & 26th Streets

New York City

cabin fever and other adventures in illustration

When I was asked to illustrate a 4-page special section for the March issue of Kiwi Magazine called “Beat Cabin Fever,” little did I suspect I would come down with a serious case myself! 

This plum assignment—in addition to the regular cooking class spots and end-of-the-book essay pieces (see Measuring Up, above) that I’ve been illustrating for over a year—kept me furiously busy at my drawing board for a few weeks.

The feature includes games, puzzles, a recipe, and a pull-out fortune teller (above) to help kids decide what to do when the weather (or illustration assignments) forces them indoors.

Unfortunately, one of my favorite spots wound up on the cutting room floor, but I’m showing it here in all its glory. It was to go with a piece on recycling household materials into cool craft projects.

And finally, that athletic troupe of dried beans you see is part of this month’s cooking class: How to Measure Ingredients. It’s always a challenge to find an adventurous twist in what can be a pretty mundane subject. Speaking of which, this month we’re washing spinach!

ornithoblogical day 300: bird call for entries WINNERS!

Day 300 of Ornithoblogical is upon us! At noon EST today, the winners of the Bird Call for Entries were announced. Congratulations and thank you to everyone who participated.

Entries were received from four continents, and as you can see below, that global scope is reflected in the winners. It has been very inspiring to me, especially as I enter the latter part of this year-long, bird illustration marathon.

I’d especially like to thank my distinguished jury—Matteo Bologna, Alex Mathers, Martha Rago, Stephen Savage, and Larry Smith—without whom the Bird Call for Entries would have been as flightless as an emu.

Enjoy the rest of the year!

1ST PRIZE  Winner of a portfolio of ten signed, digital prints of her choice from Ornithoblogical.

“Re-tail Featherpy”—Elaine Hurford, Prince Albert, South Africa

5 RUNNERS UP  Winners of an official Ornithoblogical button.

“Sacs in the City”—Anne Louise Tate, Cleethorpes, England

“Tweet Street”—Richard Harrison, Montmirail, France

“Birds of a Ferragamo”—Monica Mayper, New York City, USA

“Carrier Pigeons”—Mark Rosenblum, Temple City, CA, USA

“Chickin’ Out the Competition”—Anne Louise Tate, Cleethorpes, England

the bird call for entries!

In celebration of fast-approaching day 300 of my year-long daily bird illustration marathon, I’m holding a competition for the best title to accompany the image posted above.

HOW TO ENTER:
Go to the contest page here to read about rules and what you can win.

JURORS:
MATTEO BOLOGNA is the founder and principal of Mucca Design, a multidisciplinary branding and design firm based in New York City. He is a board member of the American Institute of Graphic Arts, and is the treasurer of the Type Salons for the Type Directors Club.

ALEX MATHERS is an illustrator and designer based in London, and regular contributor to Design Taxi, the 99%, and Mashable. He is also the creator of the contemporary illustration blog Ape on the Moon and the Red Lemon Club, a blog about online promotional methods for creatives.

MARTHA RAGO is Associate Creative Director of HarperCollins Children’s Books where she oversees the development and design of picture books, including those in the Rayo and Katherine Tegen imprints, the estate programs of C. S. Lewis and Shel Silverstein, and the Balzer & Bray imprint. Prior to her position at HarperCollins, which Martha has held for seven years, she was the Creative Director at Henry Holt.

STEPHEN SAVAGE is the award-winning illustrator of the New York Times Best Illustrated Book Polar Bear Night and The Fathers Are Coming Home. His editorial work regularly appears in The New York Times, Atlantic Monthly, and The New Republic among others. In 2008, he was the recipient of a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators.

LARRY SMITH is founder and editor of the personal storytelling community SMITH Magazine (smithmag.net), creators of the Six-Word Memoir project and bestselling book series. He is a contributing editor of ESPN the Magazine, former executive editor of Yahoo Internet Life,and has written for numerous publications including Men's Journal, The New York Times, Popular Science, and Salon.

featured on pikaland

Here’s a big shout out to one of my favorite blogs, Pikaland for featuring me and my bird blog, Ornithoblogical in a posting today!

In the words of editor/curator Amy Ng, “Pikaland is a blog about living the illustrated life.” If you’ve never visited it before, check it out. I’m thrilled to be in such great company!

mocca art festival 2010 - table G13

Come on down to the MoCCA Art Festival this weekend!

Saturday, April 10th and Sunday, April 11th, 11 AM—6 PM

69th Regiment Armory at Lexington and 26th St.

Table #G13

Every year comics lovers and creators converge at MoCCA to show their latest work. Once again this year, I’ll be sharing a table with the fabulous Sophia Wiedeman (featuring her latest comic, The Lettuce Girl—her best one yet, I think) and the extraordinary Dunja Jankovic. 

As for me, I’ve got a few new offerings. Hot off the presses (see above) is a book of selections from my daily bird image blog “Ornithoblogical” along with old favorites like The R. U. Fauna Department Store Catalog, Alphabetic Ballyhoos, and lots of handmade stationery, and more! And come pick up your official Ornithoblogical button. I hope to see you there!

happy national pencil day!

Certain humble holidays demand a little extra attention. Click here and be sure your volume is up. Enjoy!

illustration friday: perspective

This week’s Illustration Friday word is “perspective.” You guessed it—I am killing two birds with one image. For more birdie imagery, check out ornithoblogical.

artafacta: quierómetro

This month’s word from Artafacta was “quierómetro.” One never really knows the true meaning, but that is half the fun. Do you think my wintertime cabin fever is showing a bit? If you’d like to see what the other artists came up with, click here.

illustration friday: adrift

valentine rebus (this year, it moves!)

annaraff.com/valentine

turn up the volume!

illustration friday: clumsy

This week’s word is “clumsy,” and yes, it’s only Tuesday. I’m getting a jump on things in preparation for the SCBWI conference here in NYC on Friday. Until then, I’m steering clear of toy cars.