Sergio Toppi, Where Have You Been All My Life?

Sergio Toppi, where have you been all my life?

This is what popped into my head when I saw one of my Facebook friends post an image of his. I immediately had to scrounge around for more.

In Italy, the answer happens to be. Unfortunately Mr. Toppi passed away last year, but there is still a smattering of delicious comic book art that I can go discover.

I shall be ordering "Sharaz-de: Tales from the Arabian Nights" as soon as it's back in stock!

CNYWS Signature Exhibit, August 2013

I attended my first ever Central New York Watercolor Society's Signature art exhibit opening this past Friday. The show was put on in Old Forge, NY, quite the drive for me in an evening. I think it was worth it, however. The show was in a beautiful venue, and the show itself was wonderful. There are many extremely talented artists in central New York.  I wish I lived closer and could connect with them more. The artists and attendees were all extremely friendly as well, which I appreciated as I didn't drag anyone out of work early to come with me. From there I went to another art opening that same night with some of the artists I met at the first show. I love how artists support each other. That show was beautiful as well.

Of course, I forgot to bring my camera again, because I always forget one thing whenever I take a trip of any length. So unfortunately you'll get to see some blurry or low-res pictures from my phone camera. But I wanted to share some of these great images, for those of you who won't be able to make it down to Old Forge before September.

And this last image is actually a pastel by the lovely Loretta Lepkowski, at the Old Forge library. She was also a talented watercolorist, but I just fell in love with her pastels. I am blown away by anyone who can master a stick of chalk!

So thanks again to everyone I met, and I hope to see you again soon!

Interview With Kristen Nobles

Kristen Nobles is the Art Director at Candlewick Press, based in Somerville, MA. One of my favorite publishers, just based on the beautiful children's and middle grade books I see them putting out.

Interview With Kristen Nobles

Describe a project you have worked on recently, taking us through the key stages.

Recently I designed and art directed The Flint Heart by Katherine and John Patterson, and illustrated by John Rocco... After several discussions with the editor, we came across some promotional pieces for John Rocco’s Fu Finds the way and, with further research, his Percy Jackson series jackets. When Katherine and John agreed he was the man for the job I designed pages and estimated an art count. John was enthusiastic from the start, thrilled by the challenge of so many characters and the historical relevance of the book. He provided a list of possible illustrations that he would be excited about creating. We discussed these editorially for content and logistically for pacing. Meanwhile John was researching steampunk and art nouveau aesthetics to inform the three worlds he was creating – the human world, the animal world, and the fairy world. We discussed palettes for each world and looked at early character sketches. We worked closely to develop a framing device for chapter openers and debated how to render them differently from the main scenes. John created over 60 exquisitely luminous illustrations, working digitally to colorize after scanning in approved pencil sketches. 

After reading a manuscript, do you instantly have a sense of the illustration style which would bring it to life?

I do, though it’s not necessarily a style but rather a quality. Generally I write down three or so adjectives when reading a manuscript and I’m looking for those same qualities in the artist’s work.

Who has been your greatest mentor in the world of children's publishing  to date and what pearls of wisdom have they imparted?

Kristine Brogno... taught me the importance of page turns, the consideration of composition as well as perspective, and the craft of a writing a persuasive art directional letter. She also taught me a lot about having a vision and being able to back up that vision with reason. 


At Candlewick, Creative Director Chris Paul... has instilled in me her nuanced affection for typography and the ability to work on a project with gravitas.

What general advice would you give an illustrator looking to improve  their children's portfolio - what should they include/not include?

First and foremost unique characters with a variety of emotions – children, adults, animals. Some example of environment, either indoor or outdoor. Unusual perspectives. A range of color samples and palettes and black and white work. Give yourself an assignment each day and share it with others. These days blogs (such as those featured on Childrensillustrators.com) are a wonderful way for art directors to get a sense of an illustrators range, working style, and personality. Most importantly, imbue your work with what drives you – illuminate your passions. Don’t draw a preconceived notion of what you think children’s book art looks like.

Love this last reply! Of course, most art directors and professionals will tell you some of the same things: draw a variety of characters. Show multiple environments and perspectives. Use color well. Draw good. Etc.   But I really like the comment of making work that inspires you, of doing things in just your own way. Sure, not everyone will love your work if you have a very different style than what they expect, but it's pretty likely that no one will love your work if you don't. Deep thoughts.

Giveaway- Herb Spoon Markers

I finally found the widget I was looking for, and am now sponsoring my first ever giveaway for my Etsy products! Submissions go live tomorrow, Jul 22, and end Jul 28, so get your entries in! You may enter more than once, in different ways.

Enter the Giveaway

Here is a picture of the prize:



All you have to do is click to enter! The winner will be randomly chosen from all the entries.

My Weekend at Potsdam Summerfest 2013

I set up a vendor booth for the first time this year at Potsdam's SummerFest. I always love going to what is probably the biggest event in Potsdam all year. This time I only got a little bit of time to walk around and see everything, because I decided to have a go at selling my wares. I think my final setup actually looked pretty decent.

There was a great crowd all day long, as this event is very popular. Much better turnout than the last show I attended the misnamed "Really Big Show" at Clarkson University this past spring. Still, mostly browsers, not a lot of people buying. The vendors to each side of me seemed to be having the same kind of day.

Still, I sold a drawing to one couple who happily said they tried to support the local arts as much as possible, which I thought was very nice of them. I had a lot of interest in my shoe display as well, messy as it is. I always underestimate how much space I'll need for all this stuff!

I gave away a ton of cards though, so hopefully I'll get some orders coming in through my shop some time later. And now I have a ton more garden markers to either send back to the Arts Council gallery, or sell on Etsy! Getting a little late in the year, I might start listing some clearance lots.

It was a hot but beautiful day, and I went swimming later that day, and had fresh raspberry pie, so all was well!

The Things That Move You: Relator

My #5 strength, according to "StrengthsFinder 2.0" is as a "Relator". I'm not really sure what that means. Oh, this is what it means: "The Relator theme pulls you towards people you already know."

"Instinctively, you find it easier to befriend people when they tell you what they
want to accomplish. When you meet people who value education as much as you do, you are
eager to hear about their personal or professional ambitions, intentions, or goals. Understanding what others aim to accomplish in the coming weeks, months, or years can be the beginning of a practical partnership or an enduring friendship."

Ok, that sounds less touchy-feeling than I was expecting, and more in line with the previous descriptions. Not that I'm calling myself unfriendly or anything...

"Chances are good that you might notice that people regularly ask you the question “What do you
think? This might be because they value your views about particular people, situations, rules, news
events, or decisions. People whom you have befriended turn to you for guidance. Often you help them see a situation or problem from a different perspective because of something you discovered..."

Everyone, come to me, as I am a fount of knowledge! Just don't ask me anything about physics. Or sports. Or to do any math. But I've got that Harry Potter trivia ready and waiting.

The Things That Move You: Intellection

Ok, my top 3 "strengths" were dead-on in describing me. The last 2 still apply, but in a more general way, kind of like when you read your horoscope and you think, "yeah, that sounds like me!" And then you read the horoscopes for the next three months and you think, "yeah, that sounds like me too!" But anyway, here they are.

#4 describes me as having the habit of "Intellection". "Chances are good that you put yourself in the middle of mentally stimulating conversations. You want to gather new ideas, discover new approaches, hear about new theories, consider new concepts, or apply new technologies. Often you are one of the early discoverers of innovations."

I can see how this applies in my day job, in tech support, as I enjoy learning about computers and reading tech blogs. A little unusual for someone in a creative field.

"You exhibit little need to know precisely where all this information ultimately will lead you. By nature, you probably acquired a fascination for reading as a child."

I think my mother can attest to this one.