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With only two days left to register for the New Jersey SCBWI June Conference, I wanted to make sure you didn’t miss the chance to spend four hours with Sudipta Bardhan at her Writer’s Intensive on Friday June 7th titled, Chapter Books and Series Writing. There are skills writers need to learn to write a good chapter book. No need to spin your wheels trying to bridge that gap between picture books and middle grade, when you can attend Sudipta’s intensive.
You may have noticed Sudipta is a regular on the NJSCBWI faculty each year for the June Conference. The reason for that is she does an exceptional job. Everyone who attends always leaves saying how much they learned.
Here is the blurb about the workshop:
Creating a publishable manuscript is challenging enough; creating one with series potential can be a different animal altogether. The writer must develop a complete stand-alone plot that, at the same time, is open for continued interpretation. In addition, the main character must both develop throughout the pilot book but retain some consistent characteristic/circumstance that can tie the series together. This intensive discusses ways to create character-driven books that editors may see as strong enough to support a series.
Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen is the author of more than thirty books for children, ranging from thirteen picture books to over a dozen nonfiction books for young readers to a newly-contracted chapter book series called Spectacles of Destiny. Her titles include Hampire!, The Worst Twelve Days of Christmas, Half-Pint Pete the Pirate, Pirate Princess, and Chicks Run Wild. She speaks at conferences, educator events, and schools across the country, teaching the craft of writing to children and adults.
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
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Writing a Series 
One of the big rules we always hear about writing is that there must be conflict! Without conflict you have no tension, no stakes, and the story doesn’t go anywhere. Some say “without conflict you have no story” at all! Therefore we should always be on the look-out for the conflict in a scene and use it to make our stories more intense, emotional, and keep the boring-police away!
But, I have an admission. I’ve always had a problem with the idea that story revolves around conflict. I get nervous about how it limits what our stories can be about.
Don’t misread that comment. Conflict can be an important and useful storytelling tool, and there’s nothing wrong with using it. But… do we sometimes create conflict simply because we think we are supposed to? Are our lives defined by our conflicts? Is it all Man vs. Man, Man vs. Environment, Man vs. God, Good vs. Evil? Is it always about desire and obstacles and the conflicts that stand in our character’s way?
Is there not room for more?
This emphasis on conflict has always made me think of the fabulous quote in Diane Lefer’s essay, Breaking the Rules of Story Structure, where she says:
“The traditional story revolves around conflict – a requirement Ursula K. Le Guin disparages as the ‘gladatorial view of fiction.’ When we’re taught to focus our stories on a central struggle, we seem to choose by default to base all our plots on the clash of opposing forces. We limit our vision to a single aspect of existence and overlook much of the richness and complexity of our lives, just the stuff that makes a work of fiction memorable” (63).
Janet Burroway adds to this discussion noting that “seeing the world in terms of conflict and crisis, of enemies and warring factions, not only constricts the possibilities of literature… [it] also promulgates an aggressive and antagonistic view of our own lives” (Writing Fiction, 255).
These quotes have always resonated with me. I find I’m not an action-and-conflict writer. But at the same time, I didn’t have any other guidepost to lead me. So, if it’s possible for stories to revolve around something other than conflict, what would that “something else” be?
Connection.
In Writing Fiction, Burroway goes on to discuss a narrative engine built on the human need for connection, rather than the clash of opposing forces. She says:
“A narrative is also driven by a pattern of connection and disconnection between characters that is the main source of its emotional effect. Over the course of a story, and within the smaller scale of a scene, characters make and break emotional bonds of trust, love, understanding, or compassion with one another. A connection may be as obvious as a kiss or as subtle as a glimpse; a connection may be broken with an action as obvious as a slap or as subtle as an arched eyebrow” (255).
This is an idea I can get behind!
A pattern of connection and disconnection is a narrative guideline that feels rooted in truth, human desire, and hope. It’s a guideline that – if you need it to – can lead to conflict, should that be where you want your story to go. For me, the need for connection, and the movement between connecting and disconnecting, exists in a deeper space than conflict alone. Good vs. Evil sits on the surface. Connection and disconnection is the pulse beneath the skin that motivates our characters. Can good or evil exist without it? This question excites me! The possibility of small actions energizing a story excites me!
I believe in the little moments.
I believe in the impact of an arched eyebrows and a subtle glimpse, may they have the power to grip our readers with as much intensity as a fight to the death.
Fictionalized accounts of Walt Disney’s life are all the rage this season, so much so that even the Walt Disney Company is inventing random stories about its founder that are loosely based in fact.
On Monday, the Soho Rep in Manhattan will open a new play written by Lucas Hnath called “A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney.” I haven’t found any reviews of the play, but the Wall Street Journal wrote that it “begins with a friendly greeting, but as [Disney] becomes ever more obsessed with his control of the narrative, he becomes less open with the audience, less appealing. He’s striving to dominate the truth.”
Character actor Larry Pine (House of Cards, Moonrise Kingdom, Oz) plays the role of Disney. It runs through May 26. The official show description:
Tonight Walt is going to read you a screenplay he wrote. It’s about his last days on earth. It’s about a city he’s going to build that’s going to change the world. And it’s about his brother. It’s about everyone who loves him so much, and it’s about how sad they’re going to be when he’s gone.
Right? I mean, how can they live without him? How can anyone live without him?
Artistic Director Sarah Benson directs the world premiere of Lucas Hnath’s adrenaline-charged odyssey, a supersonic portrait of the man who forever changed the American Dream.
Set Design by Mimi Lien, Costume Design by Kaye Voyce, Lighting Design by Matt Frey, Sound Design by Matt Tierney, Props by Jon Knust, Choreography by Annie-B Parson, Special Effects by Steve Cuiffo, Production Stage Manager: Heather Arnson, Production Manager: BD White.
Featuring Larry Pine as Walt Disney, Amanda Quaid as Daughter, Brian Sgambati as Ron and Frank Wood as Roy.
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By: christine grove,
on 4/28/2013
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Sunshine Hill
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Cropped image of a character that's been hanging out in my head for quite some time.
As I write this, I hear the neighbor chickens caw and whistle loudly, which brings up how the last few weeks I’ve been rushing around like a crazy chicken. (No offense to the chickens, but you do get very loud when you lay eggs.) I’ve been trying to be very responsible, be good, get things done, and I feel like I’ve been attempting to please some unknown source by all of my activity. The expectations and my to do list have overwhelmed me and the list seems to grow like a weed.
Listening to my wise basset hound yesterday, I took some time out to relax this weekend, sit on a swing in Nature and contemplate what the rush was all about. Immediately, guidance came in that I needed to make a schedule. I’ve been busy with my business, but then I also took on a part time job that I love. I hadn’t entirely juggled the two yet.
Mapping out the schedule of what I needed to do and placing it in little time blocks, I had an epiphany at 3:30 in the afternoon.
I’m visual and it was all there in a clear picture. What I was asking of myself was unrealistic, even insane. I could see before me that I only had a certain amount of hours in the day to do what I needed to do and I was expecting so much more.
This is not a new struggle.
As a sensitive person, I often forget that I do overwhelm easier than most because I take in so much information and feelings at once, but I insist on to living as a non-sensitive, driven person. I guess in some ways, I would be considered what Elaine Aron would call a “high sensation seeking sensitive,” I bore easily and I have a ton of creative, hummingbird energy which soups me up. I also come from a successful, achievement-oriented family, which translates to driven, and ambitious. Back in the day, I used to be Type B and I liked it. But now I found myself hearing that small voice inside of me whispering “not enough yet, keep pushing.”
That voice didn’t matter now. I had the proof in front of me. Unless I cloned myself or hired several assistants to do the work I wanted to do for me, it wasn’t going to happen. I was going to have to set limits with that very real voice. Sorry, voice, but here’s the schedule, here’s the time I have allotted, and unless, you can find me an extra seven hours in the day, this is staying.
I reflected on my parents’ lives. My dad had his own business and worked what seemed like twelve hour days. He didn’t have to raise children, clean house, or make dinner. He could focus on just work. When my mom went back to school and then work, she also brought work home to do, and I don’t know how she did it. She still had to cook, run a household, and take care of a family. No wonder she had back problems. I think deep down I was trying to emulate her and instead of back issues, I had headaches.
I looked at my own life in comparison. My life right now is as a single animal mom and I juggle the pt job, the business, my own ambitions and schooling, the incontinent, elderly dog who needs help getting around, the large yard that needs tending, the rest of the menagerie and their health issues, and it doesn’t seem like that much, but looking at this schedule, I realize for me, it is. And having this schedule with its little boxes so everything can be more manageable, and there’s still room for rest and family and myself sounds more healthy balanced to me, which is the goal or it really should be. I didn’t see that in my mom’s life. I will have to accept my limits and be strong standing by them. I thought it was because I am very sensitive I can’t do much, but this exercise has showed me that it’s not about being too sensitive, it’s about being realistic of what is humanly doable/possible for me, not the voice and what it can do, but I can do. I will have to risk disappointment.
183rd RHA Annual Exhibition: 28 May-17 Aug, 2013
nerosunero's accepted works accepted works 2/2
nerosunero, Sand (The gesture), 50x70cm, 2012/13, limit ed of 7,
We are excited to launch our new online live Illustration For Storytellers class! We are filling up fast so if you're at all interested don't wait too long to reserve your spot. Just go to our new site for the
School of Visual Storytelling. You can also get there by clicking on the banner on the right. Please read through all of the information before asking questions as we've put a lot of thought and effort into this class.
Also please feel free to stop by our
facebook page and "like" us if you would like to receive updates and future news on other classes. We are also hoping that participants will feel free to share ideas and information pertaining to the class - as a forum. We would love to get a community going around the idea of learning the art of visual storytelling, publishing, and related subjects.
We are offering a FULL class and a LITE class. The details are on the site but basically there are only 25 spaces for the full class because we want to give personal attention to those students and help them through the working process of their image creation.
The LITE class is the recording of the FULL class but without any of the personal contact - great for those who could not register or don't have the time to go through the assignment or who's schedules do not sync up.
We will also be creating an waiting list by first come first serve. If someone in the FULL class should decide to drop out before class starts we will work from the top down for alternates. If you try to purchase the class and it says SOLD OUT - please email me ASAP to get on the list!
Some have asked me, "what will be different in this live class than what you have already put in your, "How To Illustrate Children's Books" video tutorial? An excellent question. There are many lessons that I could not include in that video series for the sake of time. There will be mini exercises that we will do in class that were also not included. I have many more visual aids that I could not share in the tutorial that I'll be showing in class because of the "fair use" doctrine. Jake Parker has his own lessons and strengths that are very different than mine. I will be stealing as much as possible from him - please don't tell him :) So in general I think that even if you went through the tutorial you will get some overlap but also much much more.
Can't wait for class to start!
183rd RHA Annual Exhibition: 28 May-17 Aug, 2013
nerosunero's accepted works 1/2
nerosunero, At the sea shore, 50x70cm, 2012/13, limit ed of 7,
By: Jerry Beck,
on 4/29/2013
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What are the essential reference books that anyone with an interest in animation history should have on their bookshelf? It’s a question I’ve rarely seen discussed and would be curious to hear readers’ feedback. I’m not asking about the best written books about the art form, but rather the books that offer valuable information to those pursuing serious study of the history of 20th century animation.
I whittled down my ‘desert island’ list of animation reference books to just seven titles. There are, in fact, dozens of other excellent books, journals and articles related to specific filmmakers, studios, techniques and styles. I could have easily added another dozen titles to the list and still come up short. However, these are the seven books that I find myself returning to time and time again, and I think they provide a solid overview of 20th century animation for any intrepid researcher/historian/fan of the art form. Please share your favorite reference books in the comments.
1.) Before Mickey: The Animated Film 1898-1928
(1982, revised in 1993) by Donald Crafton — Walt Disney was an important figure in the development of animation, but so were Raoul Barré, James Stuart Blackton, John R. Bray, Emile Cohl, Winsor McCay, Otto Messmer, Lotte Reiniger, and Paul Terry. This book covers all of them, and is essential grounding in the early history of animation.
2.) Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons
(1980, revised in 1987) by Leonard Maltin — Capsule histories of Golden Age theatrical animation studios, still unsurpassed as a primer on that era.
3.) Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age
(1999, paperback in 2003) by Michael Barrier — The yang to Maltin’s yin. A highly opinionated and meticulously researched take on Golden Age American animation. The book will be best appreciated if you have some existing knowledge of classic animation.
4.) The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation
(1981) by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston — Everything that could have already been said about this book has been said. Suffice to say, if you can own just one book about Disney animation, this is it. The development of the studio’s approach to character animation has never been more clearly documented.
5.) Cartoons: One Hundred Years of Cinema Animation
(1994) by Giannalberto Bendazzi — From Argentina to Zaire, this is the most thorough survey of global animation. I refer to this book frequently, and more often than not, I’ll find the name I’m looking for. A long-awaited updated edition is due out later this year, which I plan to purchase the moment it’s released.
6.) Experimental Animation: An Illustrated Anthology
(1976, reprinted in 1988 as
Experimental Animation: Origins of a New Art) by Robert Russett and Cecile Starr — Many of the innovative techniques we see in commercials and music videos nowadays were done decades ago by the likes of Walter Ruttmann, Viking Eggeling, Hans Richter, Oskar Fischinger, Len Lye, and Norman McLaren. This book is still the best source of information about these important abstract and experimental animators of the twentieth century.
7.) The Animated Film Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to American Shorts, Features, and Sequences, 1900-1999
(second edition released in 2011) by Graham Webb — Expensive but useful. This is a pure reference work and not something intended to be read, but with over 7,000 entries, it is the most complete listing of credits for Golden Age theatrical shorts, with plenty of credits not even found on IMDB.
Honorary mentions to the following three books:
Design in Motion
(1962),
Film & TV Graphics
(1967), and
Film + TV Graphics 2
(1976) — These books are short on text, but filled with great images from animation produced between the late-1950s and mid-1970s. This vital, and poorly undocumented, period in animation history coincided with the growth and expansion of international and independent animation, which is fully flourishing today. Many important names and films are represented in these books, and I find myself often referencing them.
When I posted my "It takes courage..." illustration last month, a few peopled inquired about whether or not I would be adding the image to my Etsy shop. It's taken me awhile, but I finally have a new listing up for this illustrated E.E. Cummings quote! Hooray! You can see the listing
here.
I hope you're having a happy Monday!
Can I say how much easier it is to draw still things than moving, faraway heads...?
...Teensy Moleskine...
...5x7 pad....
I had some time to kill last weekend after the SCBWI Western Washington conference was over. Seattle was gorgeous, the mountain was out (is that what you say? It was remarkable.) and I had already seen a fish or two flung at Pike Place Market.
So I went to the library.
This is the 10th floor, looking out and down. According to the elevator, it was the highest lookout point, so it was my first stop. But oh, the elevator:
You pick your floor by Dewey classification. YOU PICK YOUR FLOOR BY DEWEY CLASSIFICATION. Blew my mind. I tweeted about it, and am still thinking about it.
And how beautiful is this? This is looking down on the teen librarians and the coffee shop, which I stopped at, obviously.
And this! Kudos to the librarian who watched me geek out over this art installation and then gave me a high five. These screens showcase four different visualizations by George Legrady, an artist and professor of interactive media at UCSB. The one in particular below is called “Keyword Map Attack” and it shows keywords of checked-out titles that are mapped back to their Dewey classification. It constantly changes and updates, because it is directly linked to the library’s catalog. So cool.
(And to whoever was searching for spinjitzu, you made me curious, so I looked it up. It’s a martial art in a LEGO universe! Art. At the library. That taught me something. MINDBLOWN.)
How about these floors? Another librarian I spoke to said they sold the leftover strips for a dollar an inch, and that she had a bunch hanging on the walls of her living room. I was in complete envy and shock and awe and wow.
And then I went to the children’s section.
The security man looked at me funny when I took this picture, and I think I mumbled something about the letters, and the circles making up the letters, and I love your library and happy Monday. Really.
A Paul Thurlby poster! Remember him? (Spoiler alert: his new book is brilliant and you’ll love it.)
But now. You have to see this. Of all the books they had, this one caught my eye first.
Shapes Book, by Sofia (to share with people at the library)
Sofia is my kind of girl.
I took her book and tried to be gentle with it and flipped through the pages. She wrote about shape! And lines! And ones that wiggle. (She might like this one?)
After I put Sofia’s masterpiece back on the shelf, I noticed what was displayed next to it:
I loved that. Maybe Sofia’s book was there because she is making math amazing, like the sign says. But also? That infographic is really lovely graphic design: clear, dynamic, and driven by color and shape. Sofia’s investigation of shapes is something I’m sure that graphic designer has given consideration to. Something was really magical about this duo, and I was just tickled.
If you get a chance to peek into the Seattle Public Library, please do! I mean, it’ll probably be raining anyway, right?
Tagged:
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Given the release of “42,” the story of how Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball, we feature a couple of books about the legendary star and others.
Jackie Robinson: American Hero, written by Sharon Robinson (Scholastic, 2013; ages 7 and up). In this comprehensive biography, Sharon Robinson introduces a new generation of readers to her legendary father, Jackie Robinson.
42: The Jackie Robinson Story: The Movie Novel, (Scholastic, 2013, ages 8 and up)
A novel based on the movie 42–a biopic about Jackie Robinson’s history-making signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers as the first African American Major League Baseball player.
Includes a full-color insert of photos from the movie.
Something to Prove: The Great Satchel Paige Vs. Rookie Joe Dimaggio, written by Robert Skead, illustrated by Floyd Cooper (Carolrhoda Picture Books, 2013, ages 4 to 8)
From Amazon: In 1936, the New York Yankees wanted to test a hot prospect named Joe DiMaggio to see if he was ready for the big leagues. They knew just the ballplayer to call Satchel Paige, the best pitcher anywhere, black or white.
For the game, Paige joined a group of amateur African American players, and they faced off against a team of white major leaguers plus young DiMaggio. The odds were stacked against the less-experienced black team. But Paige’s skillful batting and amazing pitching with his “trouble ball” and “bat dodger” kept the game close.
Would the rookie DiMaggio prove himself as major league player? Or would Paige once again prove his greatness and the injustice of segregated baseball?
You Never Heard of Willie Mays?!, written by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Terry Widener (Schwartz & Wade, 2013, ages 4-8)
According to Booklist in a starred review, “the Say Hey Kid had style to spare, and so does this irrepressible book.”
He hit 660 home runs (fourth best of all time), had a lifetime batting average of .302, and is second only to Babe Ruth on The Sporting News‘s list of “Baseball’s 100 Greatest Players.” Many believe him to be the best baseball player that ever lived. His name is Willie Mays.
Just as Good: How Larry Doby Changed America’s Game, written by Chris Crowe, illustrated by Mike Benny (Candlewick, 2012, ages 6 to 9)
From Amazon: Batter up for the first-ever children’s book about Larry Doby, the first African-American player to hit a home run in the World Series.
The year is 1948, and Homer and his daddy are baseball crazy. Ever since last season, when their man Larry Doby followed Jackie Robinson across baseball’s color line and signed on with their team, the Cleveland Indians, it’s been like a dream come true. And today Larry Doby and the Indians are playing Game Four of the World Series against the Boston Braves! With a play-by-play narration capturing all the excitement of that particular game – and the special thrill of listening to it on the radio with family at home.
Henry Aaron’s Dream, written and illustrated by Matt Tavares (Candlewick Press, 2012, ages 8 to 12)
From Amazon: Matt Tavares hits one out of the park with this powerful tale of a kid from the segregated south who would become baseball’s home-run king.
Before he was Hammerin’ Hank, Henry Aaron was a young boy grow ing up in Mobile, Alabama, with what seemed like a foolhardy dream: to be a big-league baseball player. He didn’t have a bat. He didn’t have a ball. And there wasn’t a single black ball player in the major leagues. B ut none of this could stop Henry Aaron.
Clemente! written by Willie Perdomo, illustrated by Bryan Collier (Henry Holt and Co., 2010, ages 6- to 10)
From Barnes and Noble: A little boy named Clemente learns about his namesake, the great baseball player Roberto Clemente, in this joyful picture book biography.
Born in Puerto Rico, Roberto Clemente was the first Latin American player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the only player for whom the five-year initiation period was waived. Known not only for his exceptional baseball skills but also for his extensive charity work in Latin America, Clemente was well-loved during his eighteen years playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He died in a plane crash while bringing aid supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story, written by Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Don Tate (Harper Collins, 2010, ages 5 to 10)
From Barnes and Noble: Effa always loved baseball. As a young woman, she would goto Yankee Stadium just to see Babe Ruth’s mighty swing. But she never dreamed she would someday own a baseball team. Or be the first—and only—woman ever inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
From her childhood in Philadelphia to her groundbreaking role as business manager and owner of the Newark Eagles, Effa Manley always fought for what was right. And she always swung for the fences.
We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball, by Kadir Nelson (Hyperion Books for Children, 2008, ages 9 to 12)
From the publisher: The story of Negro League baseball is the story of gifted athletes and determined owners; of racial discrimination and international sportsmanship; of fortunes won and lost; of triumphs and defeats on and off the field. It is a perfect mirror for the social and political history of black America in the first half of the twentieth century. But most of all, the story of the Negro Leagues is about hundreds of unsung heroes who overcame segregation, hatred, terrible conditions, and low pay to do the one thing they loved more than anything else in the world: play ball.
With only a month into baseball season, it’s not too late to highlight a few baseball books.
One of the big rules we always hear about writing is that there must be conflict! Without conflict you have no tension, no stakes, and the story doesn’t go anywhere. Some say “without conflict you have no story” at all! Therefore we should always be on the look-out for the conflict in a scene and use it to make our stories more intense, emotional, and keep the boring-police away!
But, I have an admission. I’ve always had a problem with the idea that story revolves around conflict. I get nervous about how it limits what our stories can be about.
Don’t misread that comment. Conflict can be an important and useful storytelling tool, and there’s nothing wrong with using it. But… do we sometimes create conflict simply because we think we are supposed to? Are our lives defined by our conflicts? Is it all Man vs. Man, Man vs. Environment, Man vs. God, Good vs. Evil? Is it always about desire and obstacles and the conflicts that stand in our character’s way?
Is there not room for more?
This emphasis on conflict has always made me think of the fabulous quote in Diane Lefer’s essay, Breaking the Rules of Story Structure, where she says:
“The traditional story revolves around conflict – a requirement Ursula K. Le Guin disparages as the ‘gladatorial view of fiction.’ When we’re taught to focus our stories on a central struggle, we seem to choose by default to base all our plots on the clash of opposing forces. We limit our vision to a single aspect of existence and overlook much of the richness and complexity of our lives, just the stuff that makes a work of fiction memorable” (63).
Janet Burroway adds to this discussion noting that “seeing the world in terms of conflict and crisis, of enemies and warring factions, not only constricts the possibilities of literature… [it] also promulgates an aggressive and antagonistic view of our own lives” (Writing Fiction, 255).
These quotes have always resonated with me. I find I’m not an action-and-conflict writer. But at the same time, I didn’t have any other guidepost to lead me. So, if it’s possible for stories to revolve around something other than conflict, what would that “something else” be?
Connection.
In Writing Fiction, Burroway goes on to discuss a narrative engine built on the human need for connection, rather than the clash of opposing forces. She says:
“A narrative is also driven by a pattern of connection and disconnection between characters that is the main source of its emotional effect. Over the course of a story, and within the smaller scale of a scene, characters make and break emotional bonds of trust, love, understanding, or compassion with one another. A connection may be as obvious as a kiss or as subtle as a glimpse; a connection may be broken with an action as obvious as a slap or as subtle as an arched eyebrow” (255).
This is an idea I can get behind!
A pattern of connection and disconnection is a narrative guideline that feels rooted in truth, human desire, and hope. It’s a guideline that – if you need it to – can lead to conflict, should that be where you want your story to go. For me, the need for connection, and the movement between connecting and disconnecting, exists in a deeper space than conflict alone. Good vs. Evil sits on the surface. Connection and disconnection is the pulse beneath the skin that motivates our characters. Can good or evil exist without it? This question excites me! The possibility of small actions energizing a story excites me!
I believe in the little moments.
I believe in the impact of an arched eyebrows and a subtle glimpse, may they have the power to grip our readers with as much intensity as a fight to the death.
Hollywood animation studios seem to think that 2D animation is dead so we may as well go ahead and make it official. Former Walt Disney Feature Animation artist Raul Aguirre Jr. is organizing a mock-memorial service for hand-drawn animation that will take place this summer at the San Diego Comic-Con. He put out a call for participation on Cartoon Brew’s Facebook page:
I am putting together a panel discussion which I want to do a tongue in cheek Memorial Service for 2D traditional animation” Everyone on the panel would give a little speech in honor of the dearly departed. I’m hoping to get a little casket with an animation disc in it and some flowers. I would love to have some ladies in shawls crying hysterically the whole time. I want to end it with a positive note and revive the departed with audience participation. Like clapping your hands to revive Tinkerbell in the Peter Pan shows.
On Aguirre’s personal Facebook, a couple women have already volunteered to perform the crying-ladies-in-shawls role. This should be fun if he can make it happen.
Fresh picks from our favorite publishers! Here’s the latest books to hit our shelves.
Nobrow 8: Hysteria
Published by Nobrow
128 pages / 12.1″x8.6″
Forty-five artists have risen above (or maybe plunged even deeper into) their hysterical minds to produce double page illustrations or four-page-long comics. Jim Rugg, Emmanuelle Walker, Sam Bosma, Marta Monteiro, David Lucas, Kenard Pak, Bob Flynn, Keith Negley, Carmen Segovia, Gwendal Le Bec, Robin Davey, Andrea Kalfas, William Grill, Luke Pearson, Dustin Harbin, José Domingo, Matteo Farinella and Dilraj Mann are just some of the illustrious names who have let their hysterical drawings loose on Nobrow 8’s pages.
Just like Nobrow 6 and Nobrow 7, Nobrow 8 is in actual fact two magazines rolled into one and sealed with a double cover.
Pre-order a copy at Amazon or buy directly from Nobrow
Topsy Turvy World by Atak
Published by Flying Eye Books
30 pages / 11.6″ x 9.6″
A fantastical illustrated book where mice chase cats, penguins live in the jungle, cars fly and aeroplanes float!
It’s a time-honoured children’s game – catching out the grown-ups when they’re telling lies. Atak’s just given it a new twist, using lots of classic tall tales, and adding a few new ones as well. By seeing what’s obviously wrong, kids will learn what’s really right.
Pre-order a copy at Amazon or buy directly from Flying Eye Books
Draw Your Own Alphabets: Thirty Fonts to Scribble, Sketch, and Make Your Own
By Tony Seddon / Published by Princeton Architectural Press
160 pages / 10″ x 7.5″
Draw Your Own Alphabets is a fun, hands-on workbook that teaches how to create funky hand-lettered fonts sure to jump off the page, poster, or screen. Presenting thirty complete alphabets, custom-drawn in a variety of styles by various young designers and illustrators, this do-it-yourself guide demonstrates how to adapt the letters and make them your own.
Pick up copy at Amazon, PA Press or your local book shop.
Pap! by Mick Marston
Designed and published by Dust
52 pages / Limited Edition of 200
The words in this book are the result of Mick’s desire to put his images to work. An image was selected at random and sent to a collection of friends, writers, students and colleagues who were asked to write something with the image in mind – a reversal of the usual illustration process if you like.
Pick up a copy here.
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This sequence—Transe Le Gros—by Julie Faure-Brac was made for “Incantations”, an interactive installation produced in collaboration with dancer Rachid Ouramdane. It premiered in 2009 at “La Nuit Blanche” in Paris. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen an animated piece capture the frenzied fervor of ritualistic practice and the disturbing sense of chaos and comedy that often accompanies such appeals to the divine.
You can see the other parts of Julie’s installation—Transe Le maigre and Transe Le rockeur—as well as how they were all combined together into an installation.
I'm currently at work on illustrating a new book and here is an early, rejected cover rough. I love doing a combination of refined lines and more expressive ones.
Had a very nice weekend with Spring starting to settle in a bit. We went on two long family hikes which seemed to partially shake out the Winter cobwebs.
Fictionalized accounts of Walt Disney’s life are all the rage this season, so much so that even the Walt Disney Company is inventing random stories about its founder that are loosely based in fact.
On Monday, the Soho Rep in Manhattan will debut a new play written by Lucas Hnath called “A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney.” I haven’t found any reviews of the show, but the Wall Street Journal wrote that it “begins with a friendly greeting, but as [Disney] becomes ever more obsessed with his control of the narrative, he becomes less open with the audience, less appealing. He’s striving to dominate the truth.”
Character actor Larry Pine (House of Cards, Moonrise Kingdom, Oz) plays the role of Disney. It runs through May 26. The official show description:
Tonight Walt is going to read you a screenplay he wrote. It’s about his last days on earth. It’s about a city he’s going to build that’s going to change the world. And it’s about his brother. It’s about everyone who loves him so much, and it’s about how sad they’re going to be when he’s gone.
Right? I mean, how can they live without him? How can anyone live without him?
Artistic Director Sarah Benson directs the world premiere of Lucas Hnath’s adrenaline-charged odyssey, a supersonic portrait of the man who forever changed the American Dream.
Set Design by Mimi Lien, Costume Design by Kaye Voyce, Lighting Design by Matt Frey, Sound Design by Matt Tierney, Props by Jon Knust, Choreography by Annie-B Parson, Special Effects by Steve Cuiffo, Production Stage Manager: Heather Arnson, Production Manager: BD White.
Featuring Larry Pine as Walt Disney, Amanda Quaid as Daughter, Brian Sgambati as Ron and Frank Wood as Roy.
(Thanks, Daniel Savage)
I'm getting over the flu and itching to get outside. I have all things green on the brain, in particular vegetables. I'm going to try my hand at some container gardening this summer, which begs the question: anyone have any good recommendations for fruit or veggies that do well in pots?
A Japanese beverage company is encouraging its drinkers to animate their drink bottles after they’ve finished drinking its contents. They are printing a series of Disney characters on the sides of their tea-drink packaging. Each drawing is numbered, like this:
After someone has collected all the bottles in a series, they can photograph the draiwngs to create an animation sequence:
More details (in Japanese) HERE.
(Thanks, JL, via Cartoon Brew’s Reader Submission Forum)
By: christine grove,
on 4/28/2013
Blog:
Sunshine Hill
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I’m looking forward to hearing Sudipta’s “Rhythm, Rhyme, and Repetition: A Picture Book Writer’s Three Rs” workshop at NESCBWI this weekend!