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This here fella is a redraw from a couple of years ago… or a re-gnu-ed drawing, if you will. He seemed eager to return and join in the last party of 2013. So I threw him a bone.

Along with 2013 ending, so too concludes HoHoDooDa 2013! A hearty thanks to all of you talented participants for the camaraderie, encouragement and fantastic art you have put forth this December. It’s not easy to commit to a sketch a day at any time of the year, but around the holidays… hoooooo boy! What an inspiration!

A big thanks also to everyone who followed along and cheered us on. You can’t know how helpful and incredibly uplifting that is!

All y’all really made this holiday season heartwarmingly special! May 2014 bring each and every one of you all the love, health, prosperity and creative inspiration there is to be brought!

Happy Happy Happy New (and Gnu) Year to everyone!!!

P.S. Why not take one more peek at all the cool HoHoDooDaers right here before dipping into the cheese ball and pouring that celebratory glass of bubbly!

Ryan and I would like to say “thank you” for visiting my blog this year. Now go rock the Auld Lang Syne.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I loved the way Dahlia Broul’s above illustration showed her animals enjoying themselves. I loved the soft inviting colors and even though, it isn’t a picture of noise, laughter, and partying, it somehow made me think of how bittersweet and lovely saying goodbye to the old year and bringing in the new can be on New Year’s Eve – even without all the celebrating.

There are all different ways to bring in the New Year. Listen to some music, play with the animals, gaze at the lights of the night. Celebrate with something that fills your soul and inspires you.

Stay Safe!

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

My new year's post is getting to be a tradition around this blog. And lookee here, I'm actually doing this one in January, unlike last year. 2011 so far as been... uh... eventful. Here's a tally: 3 days after returning from our holiday travels we experienced the second parting of the Red Sea as our hot water heater burst all over the garage, sluicing through the giant oil stain on the floor left from the last owners that Jim Dear and I have been meaning to deal with. The good news is 50 gallons of natural gas heated water does wonders for removing an oil stain...... the bad news is we discovered just how truly horrible the customer service with our American Home Shield warranty is. For a minute by minute replay of that debacle go visit my Facebook page. The short story is that Jim Dear spent the second weekend of the new year learning how to replace a water heater. This weekend was quickly followed by a snow Armageddon, Jim Dear having a wisdom tooth suddenly removed and Mommy having a stomach virus for 3 days. Whew! Maybe 2011 wants to slow down a bit and save up some of the hassles for after daylight savings time. At any rate I wanted to do a post about my resolutions for this year and revisit 2010's just for the heckuvit.

First 2010:
Resolution #1: Create another picture book.
I'm happy to report I did do this one. Myself and some other local SCBWI friends started a blog critique group and all through the summer each of us worked together to get a book ready for the fall Mid-South conference. I wrote about it here and here. I'm still brushing up my book, Nothing All Day, but plan to start submitting in a few months.

Resolution #2: Work on loosening up my work
This was much harder.... as I stated in my 2010 post a lot of my tightness is related to drawing hands and details on characters. Really late last year I had an epiphany about hands, that maybe I just didn't need to draw them anymore. That would be loose. So I've tried doing some characters with just gesture for hands..... its a step, but I think I'm still working on Resolution #2

Resolution #3 Work on licensing ideas.
yes and no on this one. I haven't created any new pieces but in the process of moving I had to sort through several stored pieces that I haven't seen in a few years. Some of these were for jobs, others were just pieces I did for fun, but a few of them could have a second life as a licensed piece. I've started placing them on calendars and cards to submit to some agents.

Resolution #4: finally we get to the one everyone was waiting for - Lose 10 pounds.
OK.
No. I didn't lose 10 pounds. I did gain 3 pounds, then lost that! Then I lost 3 more pounds with a stomach bug I caught in February. Then I gained back 1 pound. Then I lost 5 pounds while walking and eating a bunch of salads right before my 20 year high school reunion. Then I gained that back over Christmas. Then I lost 3 pounds again with the latest round of stomach flu. Let's see where does that leave me?
Oh, I see.....exactly where I was this time last year (sound of grinding teeth).

Well, I'm moving my career forward, I guess I don't have to win a swimsuit competition any time soon.... so there.

So that does it for 2010..... moving right along to 2011, at the moment I have only one resolution: Draw every day.

A few days ago I sat with the Fry and

Wow its been a long time since I wrote... that's actually really funny to me because I write posts in my mind all the time but just never make it from daydreaming in the tub to sitting at the keyboard. Or let me clarify, actually sitting at the keyboard doing something other than work (and surf Facebook, we must have our priorities.) At any rate the reason(s) for my 2 month absence are because my schedule for the last 2 months looked something like this:
Plan Small Fry's birthday party
Meet 2 deadlines
Plan the Sprout's FIRST birthday party
Meet 3 deadlines
Celebrate Christmas
Meet 2 more deadlines
oh, and did I mention we are planning to sell our house this year so that involves painting, cleaning, packing, calling realtors, more cleaning, fixing, planning, more packing, and yet even more cleaning. And our house isn't even listed yet, that's next week. I can hardly wait.

So not being one to make lists only about my headaches/reasons-I-can't-find-time-to-blog, I will share with you my list of resolutions for 2010. If you've been reading a while you will remember that New Year's is actually a big deal for me, as I wrote earlier. Here goes in no particular order:
1. Create another picture book to send out (somehow after doing one I decided I could do it again.) I haven't hard back from all of the places it was sent from my last post, but I did hear back from one - it was a personal rejection. Which in the world of publishing is actually a good thing. The editor complimented the story and thought it was funny, just not right for their house. But that is sooo much better than the crooked photocopy form letter. Yes I have gotten some of those too, but not for Zoo in the Tub. (One final note on my submissions, several folks have asked in real life if I've "heard anything." Honestly I'm trying to not think about it or talk about it too much. I'm superstitious enough to believe in jinxing oneself.)

2. Work on loosening up my work. Starting last year I really worked on not trying to make every finger on every hand of every child perfect. Sometimes I will get in a groove and the next thing you know I've been slaving over a square quarter-inch of an illustration for 20 minutes. It really puts a cramp in my hand let me tell you, and I don't think my work is better for it. So I want to put more fluidity (is that a word?), more energy, more life into my pieces this year.

3. Work on some licensing ideas. I toss ideas around in my head (more daydreaming in the tub) and I see posts go by on the various online illustrator groups I'm part of but I never do anything with them. Of course that is largely due to time and my lack of it. One of these days my kids will be in school 5 days a week and, when they are here, able to entertain themselves without my constant supervision or participation. While others refer to this as "that sad time when I knew my kids were growing up and didn't need me anymore" I like to refer to it as heaven.

4. Finally, lose 10 pounds. Ok cheesy and cliche I know.... but c'mon, i have two kids worth of baby weight hanging around. There I said it out loud and I think 10 is a realistic goal... surely in 12 months I can lose 10 freakin' pounds.

So thats it. We'll see how I do with this (especially the weight thing) when the stress of more deadlines and moving kicks in in a few months. But for the time being I'm going to sign off, go eat my vegetarian lasagna and take my sketchbook to bed. Happy 2010 ya'll.

It’s a cold, wintery New Year’s Day and an elderly couple must sell the wife’s heirloom wedding kimono to buy the rice cakes they need to eat for “good fortune to smile on us”. On his way to market, the old man passes six statues of Jizo, the protector of children. he carefully brushes the snow off them, telling them about the reasons for his journey as he does so. After a series of trading transactions, he finds himself at the end of the day not with the desired rice cakes but five bamboo hats.

He returns home and on his way, again passes the statues. He carefully ties the bamboo hats on the heads of the statues to protect them from the snow; and he ties his own hat under the chin of the sixth statue. Returning empty-handed to his wife, he apologises while telling her all that has happened: she replies that she is proud of him.

Later, after they have gone to bed, they hear a noise outside and discover an enormous rice cake at their door – and in the distance, the six Jizo statues walking away in single file… That New Year the celebrations were unforgettable!

This lovely story, Bamboo Hats and a Rice Cake, has been adapted from Japanese folklore by Ann Tompert, and gorgeously illustrated by Demi (who features in our current Gallery – do take a look if you haven’t already, her Q&A is fascinating). It is perfect for this time of year and is a lovely book to share – not just because of the beauty that shines from both the story and the pages of the book, but also because the English narrative incorporates Japanese characters for key words like kimono, rice-cake(s), bamboo hat(s) etc. The key extends down the side of the page and I can vouch for the delight of a small person inserting the correct word at the right moment, while the story is being read to them!

All in all, the book is a delight – Ann Tompert’s narrative is expressive and gentle and Demi has depicted lots of tiny vignettes to explore. Little Brother also loved the way the statues stood very statue-like but could move their eyes to watch the old man, and could smile. We have so much snow here at the moment, too, that this has been our perfect New Year book this year. What about you? What have you been reading with your children (at home, in class or at your library) to welcome in the New Year?

Happy New Year!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and got to ring in 2010 with lots of fun!

To kick off the new year, here's a great new collections item for our "Hide & Seek of the Week:" An old-school box of 24 Crayola Crayons!

Crayola Crayons were first introduced to young artists in 1903 by cousins Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith. The name Crayola was created by combining the French words for chalk and oily. The Crayola factory has been located in Easton, PA since the early 1900s.

Put on your looking eyes and be sure to search for this fun collection item as you make your first visit of 2010 to Please Touch Museum! For more info on Hide & Seek of the Week, click here.

My New Year's question to those of you who have been to book signings: What's the best thing about signings, and what's the worst? Also, what can authors do to make it even better? I've done many signings and would love to know what you love/hate about them. Please leave me a comment with details -- I want to do what I can to make my book signings worth your time.

In other 2010 news:

FADE comes out in paperback January 5. And GONE will finally be here February 9. Eeee!

My schedule is getting full for 2010. Check to see if I'm coming to a city near you.
Looking forward to meeting lots of fans! And if you are anywhere near Vero Beach, Florida, on February 27, I hope you'll come join me at my birthday signing. :D If I have to be away from family on my birthday, there's no better bunch of people to spend my day with than you. I may even bring a treat. Peanut butter for all!

Hope all your dreams come true in the new year.

Love and stuff,

Lisa

There truly is not enough time in the day to do everything I want or need to do! I look up -- and days have passed ... and there's always more that I would like to do but simply can't fit in yet. Yet.

I've been completing text design requests and have to finish most of them before Christmas, which has kept me occupied for a while now (with a trip to London as a break in between of course LOL), but I managed to finally drag out a wonderful extra-large moleskine that I'd purchased some months ago. Started playing within it's pages and found myself doodling gift boxes ...

I love gift boxes and wrapping papers and it being the season for it, am not too surprised that it's what came to mind. Still, I'm only part-way through colouring them in but thought I'd put them up here a proof (to myself really!) that I AM doing some much-needed drawing in between sketching out text designs. Simple stuff but just as therapeutic and as much a pleasure to do.

I've also completed a couple of typographical designs for the festive season and here they are:

Merry X'mas cards, stamps, gift tags & matching products at Zazzle.

Happy New Year 2010 cards & matching products at Zazzle

Pib and Pog

Wonderful!  Superb animation, brilliantly spoof old style British narration.  If you’ve got the full 6 minutes to spare this is great for a really good giggle.  It’s from the minds of Aardman Animation of Wallace and Gromit and many others fame.  You know it’s going to be quality animation and you know it’s going to have a corking script.

Awesome Water Slide and Jump

I don’t care if this is faked or not, it’s still great to watch, and I’ll bet my aunties prize begonias that you’ll hit that play button again for another look.  If this is genuine, then that’s one brave, brave man there.  I’d have liked to have seen the preparation work for this, I bet there’s some good out takes there somewhere.  Come on guys, let’s see how you worked it out.  Crash test dummies?

Sheep LED art

I found this one just really, really fascinating, as well as being quite funny.  Hope you enjoy it too.  Having become an honorary Welshman after marrying my lovely, lovely wife, I enjoyed passing this round to my English brethren.  This must have taken an absolute age to get right, and all for a couple of minutes of fame on YouTube.  There’s nowt so queer as folk…….

Happy New Year

A cracking take on the three little pigs story, with a superb twist.  I love it.  My kids love it too.  Great little catchy tune and a real sense of urgency from the pigs.  I’m not sure where it originated from, but it certainly bears some resemblance to The Dark Side, and it definitely has that kind of humour running through its theme.  Enjoy.

Moving Dragon Illusion

These are great.  There are a few more like this dotted around YouTube, if you search under optical illusions you’ll find them.  The ones with people’s faces can be quite odd, but so very realistic.  They are amazing.  I don’t know who thought of it or came across it first, but they are brilliant.

Pib and Pog

Wonderful!  Superb animation, brilliantly spoof old style British narration.  If you’ve got the full 6 minutes to spare this is great for a really good giggle.  It’s from the minds of Aardman Animation of Wallace and Gromit and many others fame.  You know it’s going to be quality animation and you know it’s going to have a corking script.

Awesome Water Slide and Jump

I don’t care if this is faked or not, it’s still great to watch, and I’ll bet my aunties prize begonias that you’ll hit that play button again for another look.  If this is genuine, then that’s one brave, brave man there.  I’d have liked to have seen the preparation work for this, I bet there’s some good out takes there somewhere.  Come on guys, let’s see how you worked it out.  Crash test dummies?

Sheep LED art

I found this one just really, really fascinating, as well as being quite funny.  Hope you enjoy it too.  Having become an honorary Welshman after marrying my lovely, lovely wife, I enjoyed passing this round to my English brethren.  This must have taken an absolute age to get right, and all for a couple of minutes of fame on YouTube.  There’s nowt so queer as folk…….

Happy New Year

A cracking take on the three little pigs story, with a superb twist.  I love it.  My kids love it too.  Great little catchy tune and a real sense of urgency from the pigs.  I’m not sure where it originated from, but it certainly bears some resemblance to The Dark Side, and it definitely has that kind of humour running through its theme.  Enjoy.

Moving Dragon Illusion

These are great.  There are a few more like this dotted around YouTube, if you search under optical illusions you’ll find them.  The ones with people’s faces can be quite odd, but so very realistic.  They are amazing.  I don’t know who thought of it or came across it first, but they are brilliant.

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Xin Nian Kuai Le!

Happy New Year!

If you’re looking for books to read, you’ll find recommendations here - but Grace Lin has left a hole in this year’s celebration - there’s no Year of the Ox! Never mind - her Year of the Dog and “Year of the Rat are a joy to read at any time!

Elizabeth’s Children’s Book Blog has some great recommendations for Chinese New Year, as does the Boston Public Library, which has both a general section and country-specific books. Happy reading!