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By: Bowie Style,
on 11/25/2012
top uk design studio paper & cloth have released a small collection of art prints. with a luxurious look & feel they are printed on 310gsm bright white, textured fine art paper made from 100% cotton fiber. available online here.
By: Bowie Style,
on 11/25/2012
weegoamigo is an australian newborn linen brand that specialises in blankets and muslin. their latest printed muslin range and adventure blanket range features an eclectic style of graphical tastes. the creative team are "focussed on designing and creating products for babies that defy the mainstream".weegoamigo have stockists around australia, new zealand, USA and the UK and you can see the
By: Bowie Style,
on 11/25/2012
sandee hjorth is a danish graphic designer based in wellington, new zealand (hence the summer theme of her prints in november), who is in the process of establishing herself as a surface pattern designer. sandee designs under the name beautiful living boutique, primarily for textiles. sandee has just finished a new collection of designs for fabrics on spoonflower called 'walk with me' which
By: Bowie Style,
on 11/25/2012
here is a small round-up of the christmas designs that have arrived in my inbox lately. the first are by designer jennie whitham who has created a collection of christmas scrapbooking papers that are free to download at sarah paris from here. below : swedish design anna larsson sent over details of her christmas 2012 textile collection from gothenburg. below : designer alex
*Picture book for preschoolers through 2nd graders (nonfiction)
*Saint Nicholas as the main character (before he was a saint)
*Rating: Secret Service Saint is the perfect picture book to share with curious children in the holiday season. It helps teach about the importance of giving!
Short, short summary:
The book starts out with Nicholas as a younger man, sailing on a ship in the sea, following God’s plan for him. When he lands, a group of Christians need help, and Nicholas starts caring for them. But he wasn’t feeling quite right about the work he was doing. So, he took off his bright red outfit, and he put on a dark cloak at night instead. He started helping people in secret and in disguise. He loved doing this! People never figured out who did all the good deeds until Nicholas died and the secret good deeds stopped. His legend of secretly giving spread all over the world, and he became known as Saint Nicholas.So, what do you do with this book?
1. Students can pretend they are St. Nicholas and write and draw a picture of whom they would like to secretly give a gift to if they could. If it’s possible, they can do it in real life, too!
2. One of the themes of this book is giving is as good OR BETTER than giving. This is often hard for little children to understand. This is a great book to read at the beginning of a service project, such as can food drive or even a book drive. You can talk to them about why they are giving and how it will help someone and how that will feel.
3. Another theme of this book is adventure. Nicholas liked to have adventures. What does this mean to students? Do they like to have adventures? Are they like Nicholas? What kind of adventures do they have in their life? How can they make their lives adventurous?
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By: Daniel Olivas,
on 11/25/2012
By: Ratha M.,
on 11/25/2012
Writing Prompt: Mythical Creature
Would you like to be an angel . . . or an alien . . . or a vampire? How about a unicorn . . . or a mermaid . . . or a basilisk (like the deadly snake in Harry Potter)?
Welcome to the world of mythical creatures! Webster’s Dictionary defines a mythical creature as “a monster renowned in folklore and myth.” Many mythical creatures have supernatural powers, some good and some evil. In literature, they range from the Greek and Roman gods, to creatures in fairy tales, to Edward from Twilight (for ages 12 and up)!
Well, today’s Write On Writing Prompt comes to us from Shadow Princess who has been thinking about mythical creatures herself.
What kind of mythical creature would you be?
I would be a fairy! What about you guys? What mythical creature would YOU be? Let us know in the Comments below. Let’s see how many crazy answers we can get!
— Ratha, Stacks Writer
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By: Sara Burrier,
on 11/25/2012
Personalising your story by J.R.Poulter
Are you seeking an additional paying outlet for you work?
A personalized version might be the answer!
Various companies take the illustrated text for children’ stories and modify them to create a ‘personalised’ version. The company will do the personalizing for you but, in my case, I chose to submit my own ‘personalised’ version’. Some of my ‘personalised’ books are coming out with Frecklebox, who have also published personalised versions of books by friends.
Having a ‘personalized’ edition does not prevent you from still seeking out publication of your original text. Contracts are non-exclusive.
If you are publishing with a small company, they might be interested in adding the option of a personalized version of your story for sale digitally.
How do you do it?
“The little boy clapped his hands gleefully! The thing in the grass glittered up at him in rainbow colours. He tried to grab it! “Oh!” he exclaimed, the beautiful thing had moved, just out of reach…” [JRP]
Becomes: “Edward clapped his hands gleefully! The thing in the grass glittered up at him in rainbow colours. He tried to grab it! “Oh!” Edward exclaimed, the beautiful thing had moved, just out of reach…” [JRP]
For rhyming stories, a refrain can be added in to provide the ‘personalised’ element. An example from an upcoming ‘personalised’ version “Ten Little Heroes”, a picture book with a counting element, illustrated by UK illustrator/animator, Alex Slack:
FOUR Little Heroes flying to the moon,
One said, “I’m Space-man!
See you SOOOooon! ”
Oops a doops, a whoopsie there!
Mike to the rescue! Mike is here!
Once you have the hang of the text conversion process, you might choose to offer personalized versions of your digital books [e.g. on the App Store, Utales.com, Kindle, Nook, Adobe Digital editions, etc], or self-published children’s books from your own website/store.
By: Kathy Temean,
on 11/25/2012
Did you have a picture book published in 2012? If the answer is “Yes,” then make sure your publisher is submitting it to be considered for the Erza Jack Keats Award.
the New Writer Award was established in 1985 and the New Illustrator Award in 2001 to recognize and encourage authors and illustrators starting out in the field of children’s books. Many past winners of the Ezra Jack Keats Book Award have gone on to distinguished careers creating books beloved by parents, children, librarians and teachers around the world.
The EJK Book Award is given annually to an outstanding new writer and new illustrator of picture books for children (age 9 and under) by the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation. A distinguished selection committee of early childhood education specialists, librarians, illustrators and experts in children’s literature reviews the entries, seeking books that portray the universal qualities of childhood, a strong and supportive family, and the multicultural nature of our world. The EJK Book Award was co-presented by the New York Public Library from 1986 to 2011. As of 2012, the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection is co-presenting the award at the Children’s Book Festival, held in April at the University of Southern Mississippi, in Hattiesburg.
To be eligible, writers and illustrators must have had no more than three books published. The Ezra Jack Keats Book Award includes an honorarium of $1,000 for each winner.
The other nice thing they offer is Grant money. They accept applications from public schools, public libraries, and preschool Head Start programs in the United States and U.S commonwealths and territories, including Puerto Rico and Guam.
As a writer, you can contact a school with a proposed program and let them sponsor you for this grant, and present your program to that school. So now you have something you can try when a school says they would love to have you come in for a school visit, but they don’t have enough money.
Give it a shot. Deadline March 15, 2013. Maximum amount $500. http://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/how-to-apply-for-a-minigrant/
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
By: Tara Lazar,
on 11/25/2012
Being an artist and doodler at heart, I thought I’d share with you my sure-fire way of getting creative ideas flowing for me. It’s quite simple really: sketching. I carry two sketchbooks with me everywhere I go: a large one for anything work-related, and a smaller sketchbook for on-the-go sketching whenever the mood strikes me.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Hey, not all of us are as artistically inclined to just pick up a pencil and start drawing!” No problem. The same thinking that I use for drawing while looking at people and places around me can be applied for you writers who might need a jumpstart for coming up with ideas for characters.
When I first moved to Portland, I would ride the bus back and forth to work daily. I loved noticing all the different assortment of people who’d ride along with me—some regulars, some not so regular. I began to bring along my 5 x 7 inch notebook to record some of these interesting characters and to at least capture the moments that might otherwise be lost if I didn’t somehow sketch them down.
At first, I was drawing my surroundings, mostly:
Then I’d muster up the courage to start drawing others around me while sitting, hoping that maybe no one would see (or care) that I was perhaps drawing them. I had to be stealthy.
As I found my groove, I’d capture the little things, the little moments that might’ve been overlooked: the pencil with a large eraser stuck in a young woman’s hair, the tilt of a hat on an older gentlemen’s head, the way a woman would read the morning paper.
Every once in a while, a really interesting person would show up on the bus and I’d start sketching feverishly, capturing the details the best I could, as well as jotting down notes:
The regulars were always an interesting bunch, as well. One day I decided to draw only them, since I’d see them every morning, along with some notes and details to help me remember the little things:
Out of these daily sketching sessions, I’d eventually gather a great deal of character ideas. Great for character development. For some, I’d make up backstories in my head while I was sketching them. This character building would even spill over into my work while coming up with characters for the picture books I’d illustrate, especially the City, Baby! books. It might’ve been a simple pose that someone on the bus did for a brief moment, and the ideas would snowball into a fully-fledged character with pathos and perhaps their own story arc.
If you don’t have a sketchbook, that’s fine. A notebook or anything with pages for you to write something down should work out perfectly. Or, if it’s more convenient, Post-It notes. Whenever creative lightning would strike, but a sketchbook is nowhere to be found, Post-It notes always did the trick for me! And you can always collect and stick them into your sketchbook when the time is right:
It’s all about observation. Being aware of your surroundings, of the people around you, and taking in all the details.
Here’s a spread from NEW YORK, BABY! with plenty of characters gathered on—yup, you guessed it, a city bus:
Like I said earlier, you don’t have to be an artist to do this sort of thing. You can simply write down what you see. And you don’t have to be on the bus, either. This exercise can be done while waiting for your flight, while eating in the food court at your favorite mall, or watching TV. Recording the little moments that happen all around you. By building up this assortment of details, of moments, you are adding on to your cache of characters. Whether it be actual sketches or scribbled down notes, being aware of the canvases around you can be constant jumping off points for any type of character, whether human or human-like. The ideas for character development are limitless.
Best of luck with creating your characters!
.
Ward Jenkins is an animator, illustrator, and lover of all things aesthetically pleasing. He is the designer behind PiBoIdMo 2012′s logo and badges, and his sketchbook shared here today is online at Flickr. Ward illustrated Michael Phelp’s HOW TO TRAIN LIKE A T-REX AND WIN 8 GOLD MEDALS, Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen’s CHICKS RUN WILD as well as Chronicle’s NEW YORK, BABY! and SAN FRANCISCO, BABY! Catch him blogging at Ward-o-Matic and if you like his art, you can get some for your walls at his Ward-o-Matic shop (Tara’s favorite, which hangs in her home, is “Speaking in Color”).
Ward is generously giving away a signed copy of NEW YORK, BABY! and SAN FRANCISCO, BABY! to two winners who comment below. Remember, one comment per person, please. Winners will be selected in one week. Good luck!
Giveaway ends February 12, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
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By: Maria Gill,
on 11/25/2012
Pam is a llama who’s not content to just sit in the field and eat and sleep. She likes exciting things to happen. Which is why the other llamas are always saying, “Stop making a fuss. Stop making a scene. You’re just a llama drama queen.” But Pam continues to make a fuss over a green apple, a pretty daisy, a bee-sting – and being called an alpaca. Fortunately for Pam, she’s spotted by an animal talent scout and whisked away to star in a TV commercial... The rhyming text tells an amusing story, and the illustrations capture the emotions on Pam’s face as she acts up – big, brown eyes, long lashes, and a toothy smile. The pictures are done in watercolour pencil, using soft, cheerful colours and fine lines. I would recommend this as a read-aloud for slightly older children, about 5 to 7.
By: Maryam Tabatabaei,
on 11/25/2012
By: Deb Johnson,
on 11/25/2012
Help Build on Character Development in your Classroom!
Finger Rhymes for Manners Presentations for PreK-1 children!
Finger Rhymes for Manners Content-Connected Rhymes for Science, Math, Social Studies, and Technology.
15 or 30 minute presentations available!
Presentation includes:
Action Rhymes that relate to the curriculum
Interaction and movement through action rhymes
Learning while having fun!
For more information:
e-mail: lily.erlic@shaw.ca
To view sample pages in the book go to:
http://www.lorenzeducationalpress.com/product.aspx?id=tlc10595&source=altsearch&ptype=mm&t=movement+and+music
By: Mike Cressy,
on 11/25/2012
By: Ismoyo Green,
on 11/25/2012
I had posted this picture on my facebook page a few days ago when i started listing the knee hugging pixie elves in the shop. By now most of them have sold already. Just a few more left. And i understand the shoppers who picked them up so quick. I love them too. It is hard seeing them go, but i just keep telling myself that they are going on to new loving homes to bring Christmas cheer.
And it's not as if i am selling all of my collection of Christmas elves. I have plenty left to decorate with. Here are just a few of my favorites that i won't be selling anytime soon. Last year our Christmas tree was decorated almost only with pixies en knee hugger elves. I was planning on doing so again this year, and take it even further, filling it up completely with them. But since i've sold some of them already i don't think that will happen. Got to start coming up with a tree decorating plan, it's only 29 till Christmas..
By: Tara Chang,
on 11/25/2012
By: Steph Bowe,
on 11/25/2012
By: Christina Farley,
on 11/25/2012
It's been a while since I've posted. I've been very busy lately. You know, eating turkey, consuming heaps of birthday cake and writing, writing, writing. It's been a great month and I'm so excited about December because it's just one month away from 2013, my debut year!!!!!
Okay, so I'm just a teeny, tiny bit excited over 2013. But you really can't blame me.
Today I get to announce my winner of RENEGADE by J.A. Souders. It goes to Akoss! Just pop me an email with your address and I'll send you that gorgeous book. My email is farley dot christina L at gmail dot com.
By: Jarrett J. Krosoczka,
on 11/25/2012
Bidding for the 2012 auction to benefit the Joe and Shirl Scholarships is now live!!!! (And while you're there, download the ebook edition of my Monkey Boy to Lunch Lady sketchbook for free!)
By: sketched out,
on 11/25/2012
My lovely husband suggested hookah smoking reindeer as a sketch today. In order to keep it kid-friendly I made it a bubble hookah. Although I don’t imagine there is any such thing.
Oh no! I just “Googled” it and there IS such a thing! Still involves tobacco!
Well, ok, these health-conscious reindeer are making tobacco-free, candy cane flavored bubbles with this hookah!
Aaaanywho, check out my fellow SkADaMoers here.
By: Alina Chau,
on 11/25/2012
Thanks!
:D these are fantastic!
It's so cute the little girl... and the texture on the back.. great! <br />I learn so much in this blog.
I love following their work, and I think I will have to get one of these!