My newsletter this month going to be brief. I’ve just “finished” the final art for my next picture book. I say finished in quotes because I always take at least a week to go back and make revisions. Sometimes my characters start to look different halfway through the book, or I’ve forgotten to add fur or texture to a character, or I just want to add some additional fun details now that I’m close to the end. I know there will be changes once I hand the book in, but this is my chance to do my best, so the pressure is on!
Last month was filled with several fun school visit experiences - evening, after-school, and multi-day. I presented to over 300 K-2 graders, then got to run creative workshops with the 1st and 2nd graders all week. Each class made a three-panel comic using “opposite” characters they created. Such an intense and exhilarating process! It was hard to pick just a few to share here, they were all so unique and fun. Kids have such boundless imaginations. Reach out if you’d like to schedule something similar with your school.
I also met with a few after-school programs. I talked to them about what it’s like to be an illustrator, a little behind-the-scenes of how I work on assignments, and then led a magical creatures and dinosaurs drawing workshop. The kids (and adults!) were all so intensely focused and it was a fun afternoon for all. If you remember my post last month, I showed a rainbow of mini-sketchbooks - those were the giveaways for the kids at the end of our time together. Who doesn’t love a giveaway, especially where you get to ‘pick a color’? I always love to see and share the work that kids create during workshops.
Reading: Last month I was stuck on finding the right audiobook to listen to while I work. Since then I finished Mexican Gothic (so good!) and am partly through The Goldfinch. I’m quite late to the party on such a popular book, and the audiobook is amazing. The narrator’s voice for Andy is hilarious and endearing.
Watching: Ripley on Netflix. It’s certainly a harrowing story, but just so beautifully acted and filmed. And actually, there is a fair amount of humor mixed into the slow, creepy story. Plus that beautiful cat.