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Been gone for a while but I am now back and busy doing some illustration work. Am taking a class on Pattern Drafting so decided to document it, here is class one.

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Early this morning I received a text from my sister who told me that you are starting to write novels in class and that you have actually heard about HildaRose. I found both those things totally amazing. So here I am taking a look at my blog and I see that it is very old, matter of fact my last post was when you were about 8 years old. I have two reasons for why I haven't posted in so long, one is that I haven't done a lot of children's books since then and the other reason is that I went back to school. Yes, even adults can go to school. The school thing really put the biggest halt on posting as I was so busy with posting to other blogs and writing papers that I didn't get a chance to post here.

The best part about school was that I didn't just write about such subjects like postmodernism and multiple intelligence theory (which of course you don't know about yet) but I also got to draw. I drew all sorts of things like people who were taking classes with me, people who were giving classes to me, images of what I thought postmodernism looked like, and ideas I had for presentations or class projects. I even drew a story for a writing class. It was about a large gorilla who visited a class for craft day. (I will show you some of that in another post.) Sounds silly, yes?

Sometimes stories only make it to your scribbler or computer—the gorilla only made it that far—but that isn't a bad thing. I learned a lot from my gorilla story about how to create stories and how to tell stories. As I drew rough sketches (which is like rough drafts of a story) I discovered a place to think. With each sketch I would ask myself questions like "what is this story about?", "who is in the story?", "what do they look like?", "what if the gorilla does this, what will happen then?", "what would it feel like if it happened to me?" and a million other questions. Each answer changed my story and it was exciting to see how the story changed as I answered each question. This happens if you are telling a story using words or pictures. But to get there you have to begin, so begin. My advice is to write lots and keep writing so that you can find your final story.

I'm going to leave you now but I promise to be back in a day or two. I'll see what I have in pictures to post. If you wish to ask questions feel free to post them and I promise to answer you. Have fun with your stories.

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I am celebrating the launch of a new book for Alice Housing. Join us at the Woodlawn Public Library on Thursday, October 20th. 

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For years I have been working on projects for publishers written by authors other than myself. The time has come to reach beyond this and see what happens when I do something for myself. How will my style change? Where will I go with it? My current project is still (originally) written by another author, Lori Morgan, but the process we have gone through has allowed for the two of us and another writer, Jan Morrison, to brainstorm together to build a story that is more organic. A story that the storyteller has become a phantom consisting of particles of us three. In this project I have allowed myself to follow a path more aligned with self-voice then any other. Below is a rough from the current work. Even though it is called "rough" it may stay fairly close to this in the end. The story will be told in a graphic narrative style with a mix of sequential art and a few larger images, a move away from the single page images that I usually do in picturebooks.

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well, I got this call from my 7 year old grandson last night. He was a little upset and wanted to tell me that there was a mistake in Freddy's Hockey Hero. He went on to tell me that the Montreal Canadian's uniform was wrong. There is supposed to be and H in the middle of the C. Not only one mistake but also... he wasn't sure if Billy Binkle played for the Montreal Canadians. His tone was serious.

Little did he know that he had just opened himself up for a learning experience on copyright and fiction. At the end he told me that his dad probably would not like the book, as he didn't like the Toronto Maple Leafs. We was very emphatic about it. They were on the bottom of his list—the very, very bottom.

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Secretly, in the middle of Freddy, I tucked in another book. Maybe I was feeling slightly bored that day? Crazy for sure! But all went well.

Introducing Baby's Lullaby, a board book for infants with words from a song by Jill Barber.

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Okay, so I didn't manage posting as I go! I keep trying but life just gets in the way. Once I start rolling on a book I don't want to take the time to post. Someday I will give it a try or maybe just document it after the fact? Anyways here are some samples of the finally finished third Freddy book.

When I thought it was all finished, final proof to publisher, all of a sudden a new character arrived. In the previous Freddy books there is an extra soul that goes along for the read. Freddy's Day at the Races has a seagull and Hey, Freddy, it's Canada's Birthday has a crow. Freddy's Hockey Hero had none. Can we add one after the final images are done? No problem!! and it was the most fun of the whole experience! 

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 So here I go onto another Freddy book. I thought I would blog through the process of this book, obviously the cover got ahead of me. For promotional reasons I had to get to it—fast.
With every book I begin with what I call the ingestion stage. I read, inventory, organize and research. Asking myself "What is this story about?, Who is it for? etc.". Since this is one of a series of books with the same character many of these questions have previously been answered. Possibly all of the questions have previously been answered but I am thinking not...so here we go.

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Just announced that  Gypsy Moth is a finalist for the
Lillian Shepherd Memorial Award for Illustration.

I am very proud.

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Rough for a job I am working on. Back to the traditional paint and paper. So much fun!

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Another one off to press, that's three this year!

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Another Freddy book will be on its way soon. Publication in June?
Crazy, nuts schedule! but lots of fun!

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Getting deep into next book and loving the 3D additions.

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Finally finished my most recent book, phew! or at least the images, last bits of production work left and then it is off to print. A feeling of calm comes over me, a little time to stop and smell the daisies and then onto the next project. Something a little different but not too different. Getting comfortable with technique but it needs some cleaning up. Freddy's Day at the Races is full of confusion and people, just like the Regatta that it is about but the next book needs more calm and quiet excitment. Love starting a new project as there is always the anticipation of where it might go...

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Detail from a story sheet I am working on for my portfolio. It starts with a seed an this is where it ends.

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The first spread is always the hardest, now onto the others. Fourteen more to go!

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The blogger community is great and even greater when you find the right place to share ideas, enthusiasm and information. That place for me is www.creativecup.blogspot.com and we are celebrating our first year together. Happy Birthday!

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Good morning all illustrators.

Want to pick all your brains out there in 'slave labour land', both US and Canada. Give me your thoughts on advances on royalties: do you get them?, is there a standard amount?, what is the max and minimum to ask for?, is there a big difference between US and Canada?, why do I feel like a leach to ask for such a thing?

Any thoughts, suggestions, knowledge would be most helpful.
Comments from publishers would also be most welcome.

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