 |
| Click to embiggen |
Woah! It's been awhile huh - sorry. Well, my book, Herman and Rosie is in the bag, done and dusted. It is now doing the rounds overseas (I have some exciting news about this but can't tell you just yet!) So happy to have finally finished what has been a huge project for me - one that was both fun and exhausting. I don't want to crap on about the hours I put into this book but I can safely say that I have never spent as much time on one singular book. There is a little more about this in an interview I did over
here at the Kids Book Review (KBR) site. Thankfully Penguin Australia were very patient (they were probably freaking out underneath but I'm glad they didn't let on!) I also worked with some really great people - my editor Katrina Lehman, my designer Tony Palmer and my publisher Laura Harris. These guys put in some hefty hours as well.
Herman and Rosie comes out in Australia in September and as far as elsewhere in the world, I will let you know soon - when they let me talk about it!
Anyway it's done and I am allowed to show you the cover (above). Hope you like it.
 |
| Click to embiggen |
Hi guys. Sorry about the lack of postage on here. I have been pretty busy trying to finish Herman and Rosie and I'm almost there so I haven't had the time to think about much else. I have though, posted the odd thing or two over on my
Facebook page (including this illustration) - sorry, I'm not abreast of all the social mediums at the same time!
Anyway, I had better keep this short. This illustration is of a bunch of trees I am drawing for Central Park on my Manhattan map illustration. It's a heap of fun drawing a map. Especially a map of New York. See you in a bit - maybe over on my Facebook page!
 |
| click to embiggen |
This is a ridiculous time of year isn't it! Why does xmas have to go for the whole of December do you think? I actually do enjoy the xmas period - people are generally much happier and I love the summer time (here in Australia!) and the sound of cicadas drowning out every other sound, but geez it's a busy time of year. There never seems to be enough time to get everything done. It's been very busy for me for different reasons as I have been working some (ill advised) hours in the studio on my book. It's going well (I say while I'm in a positive frame of mind) but, again, I wish I had more time.
Anyway, this is just a quick post to say that I wish everyone a really happy xmas and hope that you all travel safely to all your xmasy destinations. I'm going to be out of the studio for a bit (I'm really looking forward to going outside - I heard a bird yesterday and it sounded so nice) and will be back in the new year. I'll leave you with another little peek from a larger illustration of Rosie riding the Brooklyn Bridge. See you soon. GG x
PS. And check out my new
Facebook site (http://www.facebook.com/GusGordonbooks) as I have experimenting with social media - it's crazy!
Well, I'm back from our holiday break and feeling pretty damn relaxed. My mind is as uncluttered as it gets really. It was so great to be out of contact and out of range. I had no idea what was happening in the world and it felt good. Just sort of real. Like the old days when I was a kid. I even had the chance to read three great books. Nice to have that kind of time again.
So I'm ready. Ready to pick up a paintbrush and my pencil and get back into the swing of things. I don't normally take time off halfway through a book but maybe I should do so more often. Having just taken my first look at my roughs in 5 weeks, it's weird how much clearer I see it all. And having spoken to my editor (the lovely Katrina Lehman at Penguin), there were several glaring structural issues that I hadn't seen or realised, that now seem so annoyingly obvious. It's often hard to step back when you're in the thick of a book with a deadline cloud overhead and see your work with any real perspective. When I say perspective I mean with a fresh unbiased vision. In many ways, only when you are able to walk away totally from a project are you then able to see it with any proper perspective - almost like it's someone else's work. It would be nice if I could just push a button during the process and a new pair of eyes rolled into place - an unjaded, impartial, clear and shiny back-up pair. That would be really cool! I suppose that's why we have editors. And why we should listen to them. Crap. I'm getting all wordy.
Anyway, I'm back and will see you soon. Hope you are all well. Sorry.
On the way home the city seemed darker and louder and busier than usual.
Herman didn't feel like playing his oboe that night.
I am working away madly on my new picture book, '
Herman and Rosie' at the moment, which is due for release through Penguin next year. We are about to go away for a northern holiday (chasing the sun) so am working around the clock trying to do as much as possible before we leave - why is it always like this? Will no doubt fall in a heap on the plane and catch some disease that no one's heard of since the fall of Rome. Anyway, I thought I might post up an illustration before I left just to keep you in the loop. I'm going to blog about the whole process as I go - if you would like me to! Especially when I have more time.
This is a scene in the book where Herman loses his job and has lost his way. It's probably the 'blueist' part of the story in many ways. It's definitely bleak. I guess that's fairly obvious. I kept the city out of it mostly - just a New York lamp post and a mail box. I didn't think I needed much else. There are plenty of other city spreads along the way. My dark cloud kind of shocked me a little at first but I've grown used to it. Hopefully it isn't too scary. I had fun with my fonts and even got out my oft-neglected rubber stamps. There's something very satisfying about using a rubber stamp isn't there? Then again, maybe that's just my 'home-craft' geek talking. Get out your crochet hooks we have oven mitts to make!
Looking forward to immersing myself in it all when I get back but for now I must find the sun. See you when I get back.
That is an AMAZING jacket! Looking forward to finding out when I might be seeing this in the US.
Hey, thanks Ben! Appreciate it. Will let you know about the US as soon as I can say something. Cheers!