Things get a little "untidy" around here when I'm finishing up a big project. The two pieces and all the "stuff" are from illustrations for
An Apple Pie for Dinner by
Susan VanHecke. Actually the "before" picture looks better than it might, as there's about a square foot of table there with nothing on it -- rare that you can see any actual table when I'm working frantically. The really sad thing is I do have a studio space upstairs, but it's always such a disaster before I even reach the halfway point of a book that I have to branch out to my favorite spot, which just is the kitchen table. Much closer to the chocolate supply.
Guess how I got the table so clean? Yep, that's right. I just threw everything in a box and carted it upstairs where it's still sitting, waiting for me to sort it all out. Soon.
See the "trays" holding illustrations? I made those for this book, one per page, from foamcore scraps left over from my last book. Best organizational strategy I've used yet. They were perfect for holding all the little bits in progress, they stacked easily, and were light and easy to tote from place to place. I also put together a binder "Bible" that held a couple copies of my dummy and all my checklists, notes, and reminders (I think it was on the chair, just out of view). I promise to show all this organizational stuff better in another post soon. Oh, and see the little wax paper bag taped to the edge of the table? After battling zillions of little thread scraps around the sewing machine and little scraps of paper and smidges of clay everywhere else, I suddenly remembered that my junior high sewing teacher used to make us tape waxed paper lunch bags to our workstations to corral all the snippets. And I had this box of pretty little waxed bags I bought one day in a fit of nostalgia and "green" urges, but which my kids totally rejected as uncool, plus no good at keeping their sandwiches from going stale. So I taped up little bags everywhere I worked, and voila! No more scraps all over the floor! Well, fewer scraps...
One thing that was constant between both scenes (even though you can't see outside in the upper photo) was RAIN! I cannot believe how much it has rained this year in Pittsburgh. Pretty much every weekend. Plus lots of the week days. And naturally it' s raining here for the 4th, and supposed to keep it up Saturday and Sunday too. Sigh. I miss the sunshine we had on vacation.
Here's Mimi! She made her official debut last Wednesday, and I'm as excited as a new mommy. Well, probably even more excited since she's very well behaved and doesn't keep me up all night like my human children did or make a colossal mess of the house. (Though now that I think about it, she did make me lose a lot of sleep last summer when I was slaving over the illustrations. And the mess! It was truly epic. Just ask my family - or anyone foolish enough to stop by my house during those last weeks.)
Like any new mom, I'm having a lovely time wallowing in compliments about how cute my little one is. And checking her amazon ranking obsessively - but I figure that's the author equivalent of checking every five minutes to make sure your newborn is still breathing. My favorite review so far is this very sweet one by five year old Kaya Wheatley on cnn.com, who likes the book because it's weird and happy. Okay, in the interest of full disclosure, she also said it had "bad stuff" because Mimi wants her pet bug Frank to get some kisses and you shouldn't kiss bugs because they've been in dirt. And I also got a nice review from someone at Kirkus, who apparently didn't notice about the dirt, but who did say stuff like this that makes me blush and squirm in a happy, embarrassed way: "A satisfying plot, whimsical illustrations and a beguiling main character add up to a delightful treat that even younger preschoolers will enjoy. Baicker-McKee is an author-illustrator to watch.” And there were other nothing-but-nice reviews like this and this and this, (geez, I hope these links work -- scroll down if you don't see Mimi at first and you're actually reading them...) and Parenting Magazine has a nice write-up in the July issue and is giving away 100 free copies (you can register here).
I don't really know any great way to sign copies that people buy (or win). I'm going to see if I can find an independent bookseller that will stock some for me to sign on an as-bought basis and then ship them (man, do I miss the children's bookstore that used to be just up the street from here). But meanwhile, if anyone's interested I'll be happy to personalize a bookplate and mail that to you.
Oh, and I had a request from a blog reader for a Mimi doll. I wish I had some to send you! But the Mimi in the book isn't really quite a doll-- I made each one individually (yes, there were an awful lot of them. The number of limbs was quite staggering) in an insanely time consuming process that involves wrapping fabric around illustration board and pipecleaners, and stuffing it and sewing little clothes and making features from polymer clay, beads and felt, and so on. I am thinking about making a handful of stuffed animal Mimis, if I can figure out how, for gifts (stop reading this Melanie. And Deb.) If I get good at it, I'll make an extra and have a contest for it -- but at this point it's the best Ican do!
Well, enough avoiding the apologies. Sorry I've been away from blogging for so long. I've been struggling to finish a book (yes, that SAME book about the apple pie and Granny) and it's finally nearly done! And dealing with the many obligations of a son graduating from high school, and um, a vacation last week (ah! It was paradise.) But now I'm back. Really and truly. No more excuses. My new theme this year is "Balance." Last year it was "Risk." (I picked that theme after the fact when I realized I kept putting myself in situations where I was over my head...) At any rate, my plan is to set the timer several times a week and just put something down. No more mammoth essays like, well, this one. Short and sweet -- and pictures. Now just pray at least some of my techno stuff keeps working so I can do it.
I leave you with this lovely picture of my messy, messy studio, aka the kitchen table. (I cleaned it up today! There's a tablecloth! And flowers! And already little piles of clutter!) Oops. I'll have to add the photo later. Just remembered it's on my husband's laptop and I forgot to email it here...
I LOVE seeing your before and after space. You have been busy busy and it all looks fab. I've ordered a copy of "Mimi", can't wait 'til it gets here.
Enjoy your summer!
So nice to see you blogging again.
I like the foam core tray... I have some stuff stacked in pizza boxes, I think I read that some other clay artist does this.
I bought a whole stack for not too much, but they are either too square or too large, I may go foam core trays!
Glad all your fans are checking in!! : )