Illustration Friday: Skinny

I figured this image would be a good submission for this week’s Illustration Friday, though I do prefer using the term “slim” or “slender” rather than “skinny.” In A Day with my Aunts / Un dia con mis tías, Isabel learns to dance from her Tía Clara.

The text describes only Tía Clara’s long ponytail, but I imagined her as an accomplished dancer and illustrated various trophies on the opposite page. As I mentioned in my interview with KUHF radio, I modeled her likeness after Vicky, my favorite college roommate who had also taught children to dance. Whenever I hear a Ricky Martin song, I remember her lithe form dancing in our dorm room just to make me laugh.

Have a great weekend, everybody!

Happy Anniversary to the Kerlan Collection!

One of Minnesota’s greatest treasures, the Kerlan Collection at the University of Minnesota, is celebrating its 60th anniversary with a very special forthcoming exhibit. This holiday season, visitors can view a unique selection of their children’s book-related materials, including manuscripts, original illustrations, sketches, and book dummies. The opening reception will feature famed children’s book historian and author of The Minders of Make Believe, Leonard Marcus.

Exhibit Dates: November 12, 2009 to December 31, 2009
Opening Reception: November 15, 2009
Location: Elmer L. Andersen Library Gallery at the University of Minnesota, 222 21st Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55455

RSVP for the reception by calling 612-624-9339 before November 6th. Visit this page for directions and visitor information.

I'm super excited for this event and hope to see you there! Thanks to Chris Dyrud for the tip.

Movie Review: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2

I never read the books nor have I seen the first film, but I saw this sequel because one of the characters in the story attends my alma mater, the Rhode Island School of Design. Blasé story, so-so acting, and forgettable characters aside, the film disappointed me on the deepest level possible: it got everything wrong about RISD!

Were we supposed to believe in the spotless, bright studios? The seductive art models who opt for use of the studios in lieu of pay? The dorm rooms that look like they’re straight out of an IKEA catalog? My husband and I practically unhinged our jaws from laughing so hard. Every shot of RISD life made us relish the all-too-hilarious difference between fiction and reality. Making art in the boot camp that is RISD’s Foundation Studies year is a lot like giving birth, and in reality, giving birth is painful and messy.

A more accurate film would show the character in a dusty, ancient studio haunted by the mourning spirits of broken students. She’d draw naked fat guys (hey, they're more interesting to draw) from dawn until sundown and haul back to her dorm room with tears streaking down her charcoal-smeared face. She’d ache from carrying heavy art supplies in her arms and a shattered confidence in her heart. There would be no time or energy to whine about her love life or jettison off to Greece; she’d be far too exhausted from her studio projects, hardcore critiques, and 3-term year to think about anything but sleep. She'd find charcoal dust in her nose and ears, paint under her fingernails, and steadily develop tendonitis in her wrists, but she would be grateful for it all. Speaking as someone who loved RISD and owes the school a lot, believe me when I say this: RISD will break you then remake you. It is not some idyllic chick-flick fantasy.

Finally: I can believe a lot of things, but there is no way the same pair of pants that snugly fit the tall blonde’s narrow behind could ever adequately house America Ferreira’s Latina rear end. Trust me on this; as a fellow Latina I know these things…

Illustration Friday: Fast

Just in time for the spooky Halloween season, here is my submission for this week’s Illustration Friday. The image comes from one of my newest book releases, The Antarctic Express, and depicts the climactic scene where the two main characters flee from the ancient being that has quickly descended upon them.

The Antarctic Express is actually a retelling of H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness, done as a parody of Chris Van Allsburg’s The Polar Express. You can read more about it here.

National Portfolio Day Tips

Aspiring art school students, your time to shine is here again! National Portfolio Day is coming up on Sunday, November 1st, 2008 at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. This is the ONLY National Portfolio Day in the state of Minnesota, so don’t miss your chance to have your work reviewed by college admissions officers and alumni already working in the field!

I will once again be performing portfolio critiques this year for my alma mater, the Rhode Island School of Design, along with my fellow graduate Antonio Peters. We’d love to meet potential RISD students, give them tips on their portfolios, and answer their questions. We’ll be manning the tables from noon to 4pm.

Wondering how to make the best impression for RISD? Here are some tips for your portfolio:

1. Your portfolio should consist of 12 to 20 examples of any type of 2- or 3-dimensional artwork. The work should reflect your interests, experience and abilities in the arts to date. It may be in any media, may be finished or in sketch form, and may be the result of an assigned class project or a self-directed exploration. I highly recommend diversifying your portfolio to show a proper range of your abilities.
2. Bring your sketchbook(s). This helps indicate your process of research, thinking or investigation. Plus, I may have you draw something on the spot this year!
3. Showing original art is preferred, but quality reproductions are acceptable if you’re traveling from afar and have space limitations. A collection of prints in a presentation case is great. A slideshow on your laptop is okay but beware of the tech problems. If your laptop isn’t ready to go and easy to use, I’m letting the next person in line take your spot. A reviewer's time is valuable and wasting it isn’t fair to the other students.
4. Please don’t bring any work on slides. We probably won’t have a projector for those.
5. Check out my pal Tango’s portfolio tips for a nice write-up of the stuff we tend to say hundreds of times that day.

Finally, based on my experiences as a portfolio reviewer, here are some needed tips for proper etiquette:

1. Shower beforehand and dress as the professional artist you want to be. It’s good practice. You’ll have plenty of time to show your flesh and get grimy once you get into art school, trust me.
2. I know they think you’re the best artist in the world, but don’t let your parents hover at the table to speak for you. This is your chance to stand up for yourself and your art, so your folks should take a quiet seat. Their questions about financial aid, school safety, or the campus in general are welcome, though.
3. Please don’t ask if I think you’ll get into RISD, because I’m not on the Admissions Committee. I’m here to help you knock on that door by giving you insight into what they want, but I can’t open it for you.
4. Respect the reviewers. We often do the entire 4-hour stretch without a break to fit in as many reviews as possible. Our constructive criticism is meant to help you improve and should not be taken personally. Hissy fits, arguments, and dirty looks aren’t going to endear anyone to your work.

Now that you’ve got the tips, it’s time to get to work! I’m looking forward to November 1st and hope to see many students there!

Virtual Press Check

I’m pleased to announce that Triangle Top (formerly The Triangle Republic) is now available for purchase! To celebrate, here’s a behind-the-scenes look into the production process. The gang at Penelope Press attended a press check in Brainerd, MN and they kindly took some videos to share with everyone.

Here's one of the printing press in action:

Occassionally, a page is pulled off the press and inspected for consistent color and ink output:

Checking the colors:

The plates:


These aren't of our book, but I think the machinery is neat to watch:


Thanks to Mark Johnson for the videos!

Designer Slash Model

As I worked on my website and other projects this week, hilarious lines from this video kept popping into my head. It’s a tongue-in-cheek promo for a fake design firm, and is a highly amusing look into the world of pretentious designers. Enjoy the laugh!

Note: They do let the “F-word” slip once. Technically it still falls within a PG-13 rating, but you've been warned.

Illustration Friday: Frozen

I'd wondered whether this week’s Illustration Friday theme would be tough. Luckily, we’re all too familiar with frozen stuff here in Minnesota - we live it for half the year!

This illustration is the cover image from the ubiquitous (on my blog, anyway) children’s book, Storm Codes. Whenever I’m looking for something that illustrates a cold, wintery theme, I turn to that book! Those Great Lakes steamships really do freeze over like that and worse around here. By late November, their stacks look like frosted cakes.

Have a great weekend, everybody!

Library of Congress Young Readers Center

I’m not sure which is worse – the fact that I lived in the Washington, DC area for nearly a decade and never once visited the Library of Congress, or that the Library of Congress has been around for 200 years and is only just now opening a Young Readers Center. We’re probably equally bad. Shame on both of us!

The folks at School Library Journal were recently given a sneak peek of the Jefferson Building’s Room 31, now a gathering space for families to read books aloud with their children. The room features lots of natural light, comfy large couches, and of course, tons of books. It looks like a great space and I hope locals and visitors alike get to enjoy it! If you're ever going to be in DC, I encourage you to stop by. The Young Readers Center opens to the public on October 23rd. For now, check out the photoset on Flickr.

Looks like I’ve got another thing to do the next time I visit my family in the area (I still haven’t seen the Ford’s Theatre Museum that my husband redesigned). I can’t wait!

In Loving Memory of Patricia Ebertz

I’d like to take this moment to remember my dear friend, Patricia Ebertz, on what would have been her 74th birthday. Pat quietly passed away in her home on October 10, 2009 while surrounded by her children, grandchildren, and friends. She had been battling cancer since late August.

Pat was one of the first friends I made after moving to Stillwater. A born-and-raised Minnesotan, she helped this woefully-unprepared transplant get acclimated to the area with grace and good humor. Pat was so generous: she would often bring over baked goods during my hectic book deadlines, pet-sit my dog while I attended business meetings, and was a sympathetic supporter whenever I needed to blow off steam. We’d often take walks together, enjoy coffee breaks and high tea, and just laugh about life in her living room. She was friendly with everyone, including perfect strangers, and was well-known in the neighborhood. A woman of many talents, Pat greatly enjoyed her hobbies as a gift bag designer, aspiring children’s writer, accomplished cook, and activist. I learned so much from her in the short time that we had together and viewed her as a cherished grandmother.

I am grateful to her family for showing her my newest book, Baseball on Mars / Beisbol En Marte, the day before she passed. I painted Pat’s beloved cat into the illustrations as homage to her. Even in her condition, she had laughed with every turn of the page. My gratitude goes to her family for letting me join them yesterday to bid her farewell. While I couldn't tell Pat all that was in my heart, I feel that in the end, she did know how special she was.

“Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.” Goodbye, my friend. You were loved, and you will be missed.

Illustration Friday: Flying

This is a fairly old piece from my earlier watercolor days but I thought it might be nice for this week's Illustration Friday submission. I've always loved ravens and did a number of raven-themed projects back in art school, with this piece being one illustration of many for a wordless picture book dummy. In the first installment of my story, the trickster ravens steal the girl's treasured charm bracelet from an open window and lead her on quite the adventure to get it back. Alas, I never got the chance to elaborate on the idea since we had to move forward with other assignments, but maybe someday I shall.

Have a great weekend, everybody!

Winnie-the-Pooh Sequel on NPR

NPR has a great peek into the Milne estate-approved sequel to the Winnie-the-Pooh series, The Return to the Hundred Acre Wood. While the book is getting some mixed reviews from fans and critics, some readers might still enjoy the respectable attempt made by author David Benedictus and illustrator Mark Burgess. The podcast is definitely worth a listen.

I made my wariness of this project known when I first heard about it, but ultimately I think I’m going to pick this up. It may not match the whimsy of the original exactly, but I believe it lives up to the spirit of the characters. Plus, I’m fortunate enough to have nieces and nephews who aren’t as picky as I am and who will surely enjoy this.

Thanks to Elayna Alexandra for the tip!

My Interview on Houston Public Radio

I came back from taking my dog to the vet today (poor little guy needed his shots) to find that my interview with KUHF Houston Public Radio is available now as a podcast! You can download it or stream it online at their website.

I’m really honored to have been selected as the KUHF/Arte Público Press Author of the Month, especially since this is Hispanic Heritage Month and I’m the first illustrator to be featured on the show. My heartfelt thanks go to both organizations and the host, Eric Ladau, for featuring the newest bilingual book I illustrated, Baseball on Mars / Beisbol En Marte.

Ironically, I think I’m more scared now than my dog was at the vet – I can’t even bring myself to listen to the podcast! Forgive me, please, if I sound at all ridiculous, and just focus on Mr. Ladau’s dreamy voice. I’ll be over here burying my red face in my hands.

Have a great week, everybody!

Art for the Troops!

During the month of October, Blick Art Materials in Wheaton, IL and The Thank You Foundation are collecting Artist Trading Cards to send to U.S. troops. Soldiers deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and recovering at Walter Reed Hospital in Maryland will receive the cards as tokens of support and greetings during the upcoming holiday season.

Anyone who wishes is welcome to participate; the only rules are that the art must be 2.5”x3.5” (standard ACEO/trading card size), metal and glitter-free, and non-political. Send your cards by October 25th, 2009 to:

Blick Art Materials
Attn: Kevin Sandstrom
79 Danada Square East
Wheaton, IL 60187

This is a great cause and a fun project! For more information, visit the Blick Art Materials event page or call (630) 653-0569. Thanks to Cynthia Narcisi for the tip!