By: David Elzey,
on 2/22/2008
Anthony Shugaar (The International Spy Museum) National Geographic 2006 I spotted this on the non-fiction shelf in my local library teen room and thought "Yeah, that's a book a teen boy would pick up." Being a few decades removed I can still tap into my inner teen boy. I picked it up without a seconds worth of hesitation. But what a disappointment. It's a smartly designed book, very
By: Kathy Weller,
on 2/2/2008
The talented illustrator and blogger extraordinaire Megan E. Jefferey wrote this excellent essay to mark her SEVENTEENTH anniversary as a freelance artist. Lucky for us, she decided to share it with us all.
I discovered this post right around the time that she first posted it to her blog (August 2006). In it, I discovered so many gems of wisdom that were so pertinent to me at the time! (Come to find out, they truly still are.) I thanked her profusely for sharing it, and promptly hung the essay list on a wall in my office.
Cut to a year and a half later. I did a little rearranging in my office studio last night, and I came across my copy of "17 Things", which fell off my wall a year and a half ago. I read again, with just as much interest and thirst for the information as I did back then. It contains such evergreen wisdom which is applicable for freelancers in their first, fifth, and fifteenth year!! I hope you get as much out of this as I did (and still do)!
Hey Meg, thank you SO much (again). :) ...And, by now -- Ta - Da!!! -- you are WELL INTO into your 18TH YEAR!! Big Congratulations, Meg!!!!
By: Kathy Weller,
on 11/16/2007
A friend of mine introduced me to the photography of Jan Von Holleben. Take a ride back into a childhood you maybe never had, but maybe wish you did, after looking at these fantastic photos!!!! I really think that they are truly special and unique!! (Thanks to Greg for the tip!)
By: Kathy Weller,
on 10/23/2007
"The Magic Rabbit" by Annette LeBlanc Cate
"Curious George Goes To Wordsworth" Bookstore in Harvard Square
An inside spread, "The Magic Rabbit"
By: Kathy Weller,
on 10/22/2007
So fun! We are having a "CYBER-PARTY" over at Picture Book Junkies blog to celebrate the launch of our Janee Trasler's charming and adorable new book, Ghost Gets Dressed!! Please come on over and join in if you like (or just come and lurk about... and see who ends up wearing the lampshade! :) )
Here is my own copy, which I picked up at one of my favorite local children's bookstores Curious George Goes To Wordsworth. They had it in their big, fancy Halloween display!! What a treat it was to come upon it there!!
By: Kathy Weller,
on 10/20/2007
Holli Conger is having a fun & creative Halloween-themed contest called Pumpkin Junkin'!
You get a pumpkin, and then you "junk it" however you want, with found objects, or whatever you have lying around. It's a fun, let loose, get-your-hands-dirty kind of craft project with a fun pay-off: your very own Junky Pumpkin to enjoy!
Here is mine! I'm showing it at a blurry distance on purpose ;) , so that maybe you will hop on over to Pumpkin Junkin' yourself to see the close-up photo of my pumpkin, and see all of the other cool entries! Maybe you will even then decide to have fun "junking" your own pumpkin and entering it into the challenge!! If you need further impetus to junk a pumpkin (as if it is not prize enough to give yourself an excuse to have this kind of fun), there are also three wonderful prizes to be had: the Grand Prize is an original "junk-a-doodle" piece created by Holli, and the Second and Third Prizes are Holli's own "junk-a-doodle" prints!!
By: Kathy Weller,
on 10/10/2007
I was in my neighborhood comic book store the other day, and lo and behold, my favorite gloom-and-doomy artist Camille Rose Garcia has a new book of compiled artworks out called Tragic Kingdom. It looks beautiful - well, the cover did, at least. It was shrink-wrapped so I didn't get to flip through it, but I know what I'm in for. More of the same. And bring it on, because her work is just amazing. To be honest, I likely will wait to pick this one up and not run out and buy it right away, because 1) Christmas is coming up and it will make a great gift (for me), and 2) I'm still digesting The Saddest Place on Earth, her first magnum-opus. Reeeaaally looking forward to the new book..
By: Kathy Weller,
on 8/17/2007
Several months ago, I lamented the demise of J. Otto and Vivian Walsh's web presence in a lengthy, maudlin blog post. Today, I serendipitously found the reposted J. Otto site URL, plus other unexpected goodies:
Flicker site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimitri/
My Space:
http://www.myspace.com/jottochateau
BLOG:
http://www.jottodotcom.com/news/
His site is back up, too (new URL):
http://www.jottodotcom.com/
By: Kathy Weller,
on 8/14/2007
I have some pretty exciting news, folks - - I'm part of a new illustrators' collective called the Scribble Guild!! The SG consists of this fabulous, creative and talented bunch: Andi Butler (aka Mrs. B), Jacob Souva (Two Fish Illustration), David Sones (Pickledog), Valerie Walsh (ValgalArt) and yours truly! It's a pretty swanky site - frankly, it blows me away, it is so gorgeous (Jacob's handiwork) !! We have our own SG blog, and it's just a fun site to visit (I, for one, can't seem to stop visiting, ha ha). Please check it out, enjoy, and check back often.
:)
By: Kathy Weller,
on 7/15/2007
I am now a member of the children's illustrators' group, Picture Book Junkies!! I've been following some of the other member artists for quite awhile now (in a "fan" type of way ;) ) so, to now be a member of their group is, well, extremely flattering and very exciting for me. I'm so honored to be a part of this great group of talented illustrators and wonderful people.
The fabulous artists that make up PBJ are:
Janee Trasler
Roz Fulcher
Laura Logan
Patrice Barton
Heather Powers
...and now, ME too!! Yipee!!!!!
The website for the group is www.pbjunkies.com and the blog is www.pbjunkies.blogspot.com. The PBJ blog features a weekly subject, and each artist member has one set day of the week to post on the subject. Please check the PBJ blog regularly to see what we are posting about this week. Almost every day there is a fresh new post, so please check back often!!
By: Kathy Weller,
on 6/26/2007
For my birthday, I got this book, Beasts. I was not aware of the book previously; my husband picked it out for me. It's put out by Fantagraphics and features many artists' work all under one high- concept roof. It's a showcase for the artists for sure, but to be fair to the text, which I have not read yet, it's quite an interesting concept and looks to be a very entertaining and creatively inspiring read as well. Although it features mythical creatures and some whimsical artwork, a children's book it is most certainly not. This is a gorgeous book, impeccaby designed down to the last detail. Check it out especially if you like graphic novels and 'alternative' or forward-thinking (for lack of a better description! I know we are all forward-thinking!! :) ) artwork and artists.
On a side note, I must say I was a bit surprised to see no Camille Rose Garcia work in here, but maybe she was too busy.
Anyway, check it out, if you are inclined. It's pretty groovy.
Beasts book on Amazon
Beasts Blog
By: Kathy Weller,
on 6/14/2007
Now that I have my fabulous new scanner, I am facing the hearty task of scanning all of the original artwork from my upcoming book The Months (just for my own purposes, archiving and promotional). To show you some of the artwork without really "showing" any of the artwork (wink, wink), and in honor of the talented Von Glitschka's new (and, no doubt, great - - I'll tell you all about it once I get my copy) book release Crumble, Crackle, Burn, I decided to make a quick little texture swatch collage from The Months' art.
I'd really love to share the artwork (and believe me, it hurts me that I can't share it with you yet, honest) but it's under wraps for right now, so this is the closest I can get! At some point soon I will be working on the promotional web site. I'm gearing up for that immersion. I am going to do the site in Flash, so that will be a fun "first" for me since I've never built a site in Flash before.
By: Kathy Weller,
on 5/31/2007
Barbara Johansen Newman tagged me!! So, I get to share some oddities about myself with anyone who happens to be reading, here, all in the name of duty to my fellow-artist-bloggers.... :) To be honest, I'm kind of honored to be asked to share my mental lint.
Here we go..
Eight Things You Never Asked To Know About Me...
(Ok...there is nine...)
1) I have never had the desire to have biological children.
That's not to say that I am non-maternal, or don't ever want to have a kid. I might adopt some day, and I've always thought that if I decided to have human kids, adoption would be the way to go. I love kids (and the older I get, the more I love them!). But, I never felt the desire to have my own biological one. I am an excellent pet parent, though!
2) Speaking of pets, I am a pet portraiture artist.
I'm not sure how many people know this. It's not something I keep to myself but I don't talk about it here very much (I have another blog with pet portrait interests). It is really a wonderful thing to be able to experience getting to know other people's pets in the way that I am lucky to be able to, through the pet portrait process. I really love doing it, and I've met so many genuine and excellent people through the work. I keep in touch with many of them. People who adore their pets are, generally, an excellent bunch of people!!
3) I have been known to catch an informercial every now and again...
Occasionally, I will even (gasp!) try an infomercial product! (Cat's outta the bag!) Sometimes they're crap. But sometimes the products knock my socks off (ProActiv Solution, Bare Escentuals). And sometimes, they are really good (Cindy Crawford's Meaningful Beauty), but it turns out they clash with my other informercial skin-care regimen. But that's another story for another day...
4) I bite my nails sometimes.
Icky habit? YES!!! But, then I stop. Then I might begin again a few months later. Oh well. It's probably my worst habit/vice, so I can't say I'm doing too bad. I think it tops my "decaf coffee" habit...
5) Dark Chocolate - an important food group.
I only really like dark chocolate, and I like to try different "gourmet" chocolates. Two of my favorites are Cote D'Or and Lindt ( I doubt that Lindt is actually considered gourmet anymore - and it probably shouldn't be - but it is a sentimental favorite and is still really good, even with all the newbies on the market). I like 70% dark or more. I live in an area with easy access to the good stuff. Thank God.
6) I don't drive.
It's not that I don't want to. In fact, I'm a pretty good driver, if I do say so myself, for someone who doesn't drive. I took private driving lessons, and I even took my driver's test (twice). I failed both times. The State Trooper even recognized my problem as test nerves. But he still didn't pass me. Someday, I will dutifully go through the motions again. I do want to get my license.
7) I am a shameless TV - aholic.
Okay, maybe TV is my worst vice. But I'm not sure it counts, because my love for TV really outweighs my actual watching time these days. This is a vice is definitely under control. But, I don't just love TV though. I will even cop to watching a fair amount of choice reality TV. Survivor is my favorite show. I have every available season on DVD...and one of the seasons was even bought for me twice accidentally (a gift). This summer, there is a "this-should-hold-you-over-til-next-season's-Survivor" show called Pirate Master which I at least had to check out (not sure if it will stick). Amazing Race is another favorite! This summer I will jump in the mud ( ...or stick a foot in...) and watch new seasons of Hell's Kitchen and Big Brother. (Hey, a girl's gotta watch something while awaiting the new seasons of the "respectable" reality shows!) All of this docu-drama TV chat leads me into sharing a bonus thing...
7, part 2) I have a fascination with Everest.
I read Everest books, watch Everest documentaries. Everest holds endless fascination. Why anyone would be so magnetically drawn to conquer this beast of nature is beyond me. People leave their whole lives behind on a quest to climb Everest, knowing full well that they may not come back at all. If they do make it back, they have a pretty decent chance of having lost a body part to the mountain. I think my obsession with Everest encompasses all aspects of the Everest prism: The human drama! The pushing past human physical limitations - mind over body/matter! The mental anguish! Man against impossible-to-control natural forces! It's the whole ball of wax.
8) I'm crazy kuckoo about any type of asian fare.
Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, you name it. I've never tried an asian cuisine I didn't love. Maybe it is because I was introduced at an early age: my step-mom is Japanese and she introduced my sisters and I to the cuisine at an early age (way before sushi was trendy). I even like (Korean) tofu kimchee hot pot soup. I ordered it a few weeks ago at a Korean/Japanese restaurant. After my order was delivered to the table, I had the distinct feeling I was being watched, presumably to see if I had made a mistake in ordering the extremely spicy hot soup! Nope, no mistake. Just please keep the ice water coming!
I now must tag five...here we go!
Roz Fulcher
Alina Chau
Nicole Falk (Halloweenville)
Elizabeth Seigel (Tofusquirrel.com)
Tommy Kane
By: Kathy Weller,
on 4/27/2007
Scott Franson's wonderful new book Un-Brella has it's own movie trailer! That's right, it's a little animated trailer to promote Un-Brella - a great idea!! And, it is beautiful! Check it out here.
He's brilliant! Very Inspiring