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So how was your Christmas? Ours was quieter than last yearbut very enjoyable. We spent Christmas day with our two grandsons and Terry’s parents. We laughed a lot, played games, ate too much and had a great time
The following two photos are a little blurry, which might be a good thing considering we are all wearing silly hats!
Terry with his mum and dad
Me with our grandsons Tris (on the left as you look at the photo) and Kip
During the rest of the holidays we walked, read and caught up on films missed earlier in the year. The Little Bookshop on the Seine by Rebecca Raisin was the perfect holiday read. Wouldn’t you work in a bookshop in Paris if you had the chance? I certainly would. Days spent surrounded by books while snow falls on the Champs-Élysées – what’s not to like?
A little more serious reading is in order for the New Year starting with two books received as gifts this Christmas. East West Street weaves together historical, legal and familial narratives to reveal the origins of international law, beginning and ending with the last day of the Nuremberg trial. I’m excited to read this recent winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. I think I’m in for a treat.
I’m also excited to read the complete edition of the Wipers Times, the famed trench newspaper of the First World War. It contains a unique record of life on the wartime frontline, together with an extraordinary mix of black humour, fake entertainment programmes and pastiche articles.
My favourite film of the year, watched just a few days before Christmas is: Sully.
On Jan. 15, 2009, Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) tries to make an emergency landing in New York's Hudson River after US Airways Flight 1549 strikes a flock of geese. Miraculously, all of the 155 passengers and crew survive the harrowing ordeal, and Sullenberger becomes a national hero in the eyes of the public and the media.
Now for the top five:
Mary shared her post with us in August and in October Finnigan was awarded a first-place finish at the Royal Palm Literary Awards in Florida. Congratulations Mary I can’t think of a more worthy winner.
Mary T Wagner at the Royal Palm Literary Awards
In Second Place is a book which occupies a special place in my heart and on my bookshelf. When found it was in a very dilapidated state but an excellent book restorer sprinkled a little magic book dust, and saved it from the clutches of the evil book pulping machine! This is just one of the beautiful images from Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales - see others here
In Third Place is our visit to the Titanic Museum in Belfast. The museum kindly shared the post on their social media streams, which certainly increased the number of visitors to my blog.
In Fourth Place: British Eccentricity on Show at: The Chelsea Flower Show.
Diarmuid Gavin creator of the above flower show garden has indicated he will be taking a break from Chelsea in 2017. Such a shame as I really love his designs as do a lot of people.
It’s almost time to wish you a very Happy New Year. I hope 2017 brings you all your heart desires.
Next week I will be sharing five of my favourite blogs from around the web. I would love to hear about the ones you enjoy so thinking caps on please.
I adored THE ARABIAN NIGHTS as a kid, so I was thrilled when Nat Geo Children's Books asked if I'd like to see their recent incarnation, Tales from the Arabian Nights: Stories of Adventure, Magic, Love and Betrayal, written by Donna Jo Napoli and illustrated by Christina Balit. Christina stopped by to tell us a bit about how she works.
e: Hi Christina, what is your creative process and what is your medium, can you walk us through it?
Christina: Well I work in a very tiny room at the top of an old stone house in the middle of the Kent countryside in England. Its packed to the rafters with everything I need and because of the way I work I don't need a great deal. Everything I illustrate is done by hand so first and foremost I need all my reference books (of which I have thousands on shelves throughout the entire house) and a table and a comfy chair. I have two chairs actually...so I make sure that I switch from one to the other throughout the day to change my position and keep my back moving.
I have a very disciplined routine when making a book. I will have worked out in advance exactly how long I have been given to make each image in a book depending on the deadline that I have been set. First thing I do is read the story and then study the space that I have been given to fill with a picture. I also have various instructions that have been given to me sometimes by an Art Director or publisher that I also have to pay attention to and I start drawing. I used to make all my drawings on thick cartridge paper in the old days and deliver them by hand to my publishers here in the UK, but things have changed so much now with computers and I can now deliver sketches by email to anywhere in the world! I still draw everything by hand but now make them onto tracing paper instead so that I can lay out the drawing over the text panels that I have been sent to make sure my sketches fit correctly into the layout.
Once my drawings are complete I photograph them carefully using a good digital camera and I send these sketches via email to my designer. He/she then uses these sketches to place them within the books grid design and I then wait on feedback from 'the team' - which is the publishing house itself, the author ect., ect. I then make any changes requested and once the sketch is fully approved I prepare to paint. I do this onto watercolour blocks, which already have the edges gummed down in advance. It's very important to find the right paper as it has to absorb the water and not resist the paint in any way, which can happen and be a disaster. I then trace by hand my original drawing onto the water colour block and begin painting. I use Windsor and Newton watercolour paint tubes only as they have extremely pure pigments and are very concentrated. I also mix into the paint some gouache for opacity (to make the colours a bit thicker) and gold inks. I love using gold inks as they make the original art shimmer but of course re-producing the gold in print can be an expensive process for the printers unless they are planning to add a gold foil in reproduction.
e: What do you think makes an illustration magical, what I call "Heart Art” - the sort that makes a reader want to come back to look again and again? I’m looking for your definition of “Heart Art.”
Christina: 
Well to answer this I have to think back to what I always loved in illustrations when I was little and pouring through books. And that was beautiful drawing and exquisite detail. But then I didn't have access to all the computer art and digital animation that children have now and books were all we had. But regardless I really think little people love searching for the magic and finding all the little bits and pieces that are sometimes too small to see on a first look. The hidden treasure within the breath-taking awe and wonder of hand made work. Children instinctively draw onto paper and try to make art until they no longer believe they are any good at it, so they instinctively appreciate the loveliness of an illustration.
e: Did you have any tie to the Arabian Knights - what’s it like to illustrate such a classic?
Christina: Very much so! I actually spent large chunks of my childhood in various parts of the Mediterranean and the Middle East. I went to a small nursery run by some lovely nuns on the banks of the Euphrates in Baghdad, a primary school in the deserts of Abu Dhabi (long before it became a city and it was a small barasti village on a peninsula on the Arabian Gulf) and an extraordinary Quaker school nestled in the mountains of Lebanon. It was a great background to my visual memory.
e: What are you working on next or what would be your dream project?
Christina: I've been working on two new stories for children - which are based on Babylonian myths and I've also been writing a play (for adults). Furthermore, National Geographic are hoping to produce a further Treasury of Bible Stories soon so that should be just great fun.
Thank you Christina! These are LUSCIOUS!
Discover the art of Kevin Phung, Cartoon Brew's Artist of the Day!
The post Artist of the Day: Kevin Phung appeared first on Cartoon Brew.
By: Jerry Beck,
on 12/28/2016
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91 of 92 of major American animation releases in the current decade have had a male director.
The post Sorry, Women: You Won’t Be Directing Any Major U.S. Animation Releases in 2017 appeared first on Cartoon Brew.
By: Jerry Beck,
on 12/27/2016
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The complete list of songs that appear in Illumination's "Sing."
The post A Complete List of Every Song in Illumination’s ‘Sing’ appeared first on Cartoon Brew.
By: Jerry Beck,
on 12/27/2016
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The most comprehensive list of 2017 theatrical animated features!
The post Preview: 60+ Animated Feature Films to Look for in 2017 appeared first on Cartoon Brew.
IThank you to all of you for your kind emails and loyal support throughout 2016. I'm so grateful for every one of you and I wish you all a new year filled with hope, wisdom, peace and joy.
CLICK HERE for more coloring pages! CLICK HERE to sign up to receive alerts when a new coloring page is posted each week and... Please check out my books! Especially...
my debut novel,
A BIRD ON WATER STREET - winner of over a dozen literary awards, including Georgia Author of the Year. Click the cover to learn more!
When the birds return to Water Street, will anyone be left to hear them sing? A miner's strike allows green and growing things to return to the Red Hills, but that same strike may force residents to seek new homes and livelihoods elsewhere. Follow the story of Jack Hicks as he struggles to hold onto everything he loves most. I create my coloring pages for teachers, librarians, booksellers, and parents to enjoy for free with their children, but you can also purchase rights to an image for commercial use, please contact me. If you have questions about usage, please visit my Angel Policy page. 
Still working on gif. So here is a gif for you! Big hugs and a wonderful New Year to all!
MERRY CHRISTMAS to all! Have a pleasant watch of Rick Steve's Christmas in Europe. Click the image to watch on YouTube.
Nicolette Jones is the children's book reviewer for The Sunday Times out of London and a powerful force for good in the children's book community. I was lucky enough to get a portfolio review with her last year through Picture Hooks. Recently, she recorded a series of videos on picture books and their creators. You can view the first one about non-fiction titles on The Sunday Times website - click here or the image below to go watch.
Here are the polar friends, nearly finished,
hoping to bring light and love
into the world.
They kind of make me feel like the party has arrived.
See? They even brought candy canes and made cookies.
I kind of forgot to make Christmas cards
so these are going to be my tiny love and light-bringers.
And these.
Happy Advent, my friends.
May thankfulness,
love
and light
fill you up
and bring you peace.
By: Jerry Beck,
on 12/24/2016
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A 'hacked' bowling ball helped Laika's animators create a crucial underwater scene for the film.
The post How Laika Used a Bowling Ball to Animate the Giant Eyes in ‘Kubo and The Two Strings’ appeared first on Cartoon Brew.
And for Christmas eve... I have always liked the quiet contemplation of Silent Night - of something vast and large brought down to a small and intimate instance. We're an entire world full of connected community these days, people. Look for the common thread. Slow it down. Consider. Peace out!
That's been a very busy few weeks and now my holiday selling season has finished. I've sent kits, supplies and needle felt doo-dahs across various oceans. Inbetween, I've also been able to finish a hare and make another one. She was sent over to a new home in America as soon as she was finished and arrived in time for Christmas.
I've finally been able to have some time with my sketch book and tidy my studio. Christmas is a very quiet period for us, and I hope that all my blog friends have the holiday that they desire, whatever that is, with very best wishes from Joe and myself and Percy and Penelope hare.
Take a break, take a breather, and COLOR for peace of mind today! I have lots of free holiday coloring pages available HERE (or click the image).
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
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By: Bowie Style,
on 12/24/2016
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Happy Christmas to all P&P readers, sponsors, and everyone who submitted designs in 2016. Thank you so much for being there and sharing a love for design. I'll be back on January 9th 2017 with lots more prints and patterns as we move into the new SS17 Spring season.
For day 24 of Advent, Clara Bear makes her farewells to Prince Nutcracker and the Great Bear. The magical adventure with celestial creatures and woodland friends has come to an end, and Christmas morning awaits.
"I feel like I have learned more in the last three-and-a-half years than on anything else I've done before."
The post INTERVIEW: ‘Sing’ Director Garth Jennings Jumps Headfirst into Animation appeared first on Cartoon Brew.
Another celebratory post card today -- for all things winter, polar, and Arctic! Happy Friday world and Merry Christmas! #wearethearctic #saveourseaice #snow #wintersolstice #merrychristmas
By: Jerry Beck,
on 12/23/2016
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Barbara, what a great post, and I love all the photos and images!!! You know how much I love vintage! :) I am not sure about working in a book shop, but I would love to work in a pet supply store (no selling of animals, only the supplies!) I worked in such a capacity for about 9 years and enjoyed every minute of it. You visited Auschwitz? I have never had the opportunity to, but I have seen many images and videos and it is a very difficult place to visit, I am sure.
I would like to wish you a very happy, safe and prosperous, and, of course, healthy, 2017, dear friend! Much love and hugs to you.
Hello Linda, I almost took a job as the receptionist at a veterinary clinic once but my husband talked me out of it because he said I would bring every abandoned animal home. He probably wasn’t wrong so maybe I should have worked at a pet supply store like you. Auschwitz was really harrowing, but I’m glad I visited. It took a long time to work out how I felt about it, but my abiding feeling now is sadness. It was all such a waste.
Thank you for your good wishes. I wish the same for you Linda, Happy New Year, hugs Barbara.
I love your photos, looks like you had a fun time. I visited Auschwitz and 3 other Concentration camps with a group some years back, and it was a very harrowing experience. You asked where I keep all my glass? Hmmm, my shelves are all used for books,glass and crafting stuff - other things don't have much room! Have a great New Year, hugs, Valerie
Lovely post. Happy New Year
Julie xxxxxxxxxxx
Thanks Julie. Have a great 2017. Barbara xxx
I figured it would be like that Valerie – our shelves are much the same. With us, it’s books, bits of vintage china, and all kinds of other collections. We need a smaller house with more storage space!
Gosh we only did two concentration camps, and that was hard enough. Well worth it though and I am truly glad we went.
Happy New Year, I look forward to all your posts in 2017. Hugs, Barbara.
Beautiful post, Barbara! It encapsulates all the lovely variety you give us throughout the year! Happy2017! And yes, I would adore working in a bookshop in Paris! I LOVE Paris (my French is getting very rusty - working in a bookshop would get me up to speed).
Sounds like you had a lovely Christmas and have some great books to keep you busy reading. I loved all 5 of your top posts very much and look forward to more great posts in 2017!! Happy New Year to you and yours.
That is such a lovely thing to say, thank you Colleen. I’ve really appreciated your friendship and support this year and always look forward to your blog posts.
What a shame we didn’t meet a few years ago, we might even have opened a bookshop in Paris! :-)
Thank you so much Darlene. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed your posts this year (and in previous years) and always look forward to reading about your writing, your family and friends, and of course the adorable Dot. Happy New Year, Barbara
It sounds like you had a lovely Christmas :) I spent Christmas Eve with my niece & nephew (playing games and tracking Santa) before cocktails & nibbles with friends and then Christmas Day with Mum, Dad, Nan & Grandad. All quite nice :) All the best for the new year!
Dear Barbara ,
Happy new year 2017 in advance.Sounds like you had a great time.Your top five posts are beautiful,loved your writing :)
Well...here we are..all behind...must be these
tight trousers! :).
And the Finnigan post was definitely the number
one post..Brilliant. Don't do 2nd, 3rd etc..For
me you either win, come top, or not at all...!
HeHe! Are'nt l wicked! :). Love Finnigan!x
Well, l was 'home alone' at Christmas, so, my
Christmas starts to~day, my daughter, son~in~law
will down later to~day, for four days, and their
bringing both Staffy's with them, it'll be a mad
house, or should l say a dog house....! HeHe!
So, l shall be opening my prezzies later this
evening! They always buy me 'silly' things, but,
at least there always 'pink'. :).
So...as l look out the Paddington Bear curtains...
It's just starting to get light..
I'd like to say, and wish everyone a blessed and
happy 2017, may ALL your wishes come true..well,
most of them anyway!
And, thankyou one and all who replied to my guest
post, and all the e~mails l received...Great fun,
thankyou...God Bless! :0).
Christmas Eve with your niece and nephew sounds perfect. The anticipation and excitement are often more fun than the actual event. Wishing you all the very best for 2017.
Hello Aunt Mary, how lovely to hear from you, I must call in at your blog for a catch up. Thanks for your kind words. Happy New Year, Barbara x
Hello Willie,
I was very happy to come second, third, fourth, etc., to Finnigan! I loved that post and little Finnigan himself. It’s always difficult to pick out the most popular posts because those posted at the start of the year are bound to have more ‘hits’ then ones posted in say December. Yours would definitely be in the top five if I were to check the numbers again in say June. There must be a more scientific way of working it all out, but I’m not much of a statistician or mathematician come to that! :-)
I hope you have loads of fun with your family, and the dogs. I bet you’ve been really looking forward to their visit. Enjoy your prezzies, have a brilliant New Year’s Eve, and I will look forward to ‘chatting’ with you in 2017.
Time to open those Paddington Bear curtains now, and if I was you, I would find a comfy pair of trousers, there is nothing worse than being all ‘behind’.
Say hi to your family from me. Barbara xx
HeHe! Perhaps you should put the best
posts to the followers...let them vote
for the bestest one..But, then, l'm not
a great lover of statistics, either way.
For me...Finnigan is number one...! But,
then, someone else would prefer another
post! :).
I was just reading in Costa..in the paper,
a survey shows that 40 million people will
stay indoors this New Years Eve...where do
they get these figures from...I thought to
myself...40 million...must be a big house...! :).
Just got back from town..very quiet, coffee in
Costa...Chatted to a few people, signed a few
autographs, like you do, back home for a lemon
tea a blueberry muffin...Job done! :0).
I wish I was as famous as you! The only time I ever sign anything in Costa is when it’s my turn to pay the bill!
That would be some New Year’s Eve party, but as we are not among the chosen 40 million people, we will just stay at home. Humbug!
Enjoy your tea and muffin Willie, we are just about to go and buy more food, might treat ourselves to a cup of tea in Morrison’s café. :-)
Good morning dearest Barbara! It's fun to see you and your husband and grandsons AND Terry's parents as well! I love that you all wear hats for Christmas (and the paper crowns!) and the festivities can be felt from across the pond. It was a delightful holiday for us as well, spending Christmas Eve here at home together, then walking across the street to our neighbors' home for dinner. Last night, we simply walked next store to a lovely party with more neighbors, and the festivities couldn't have been any prettier. They just renovated their little cottage and it is now a magnificent space of light and handmade craftsmanship. I am grateful for our community of cottage dwellers who work hard to make their homes very special. My friend, reading has been a delight for me lately, as I've been home for a week now and have another week to enjoy with me and my books. Your picks look wonderful and yes, I'd LOVE to work in a bookstore in Paris!
I want to wish you a fantastic 2017 and beyond! Anita
Dear Anita, your Christmas with friends in their beautiful homes (and in your lovely home) sounds magical. I was thinking of you when I read the story set in Paris as I know how much you love it there. Enjoy the rest of your time off, it sounds as though you and I are spending the days in very similar ways.
Happy New Year to you and to all the people you love. Barbara x
What a wonderfully festive post. It wouldn't be Christmas without the wearing of a silly hat.
Wishing you and yours all the best for 2017.
You are absolutely right Tracy. Silly hats and even sillier Christmas cracker jokes just have to be part of the fun.
Happy New Year to you and yours. Barbara