Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Hey, remember these books illustrated by Stephen Gammell that used to terrify us as schoolkids? I more or less completely forgot about them, until I saw one of Gammell's drawings on the web, which brought it all back! I have never been someone who likes to watch scary movies, and yet I loved these books. Sadly, I can't seem to find the books online with the original artwork, they've been re-released with some tamer artwork. Probably because the books kept getting banned from schools and libraries. I'll put my vote of confidence in for the original, spine-tingling artwork!

Paul Jackson's Fluid Color

Just discovered an awesome new watercolorist, Paul Jackson. Stumbled upon him because he'll be judging the Baltimore Watercolor Society's Mid-Atlantic juried show, which I am considering entering. I'll have to check through my portfolio and see if I have anything that won't shame me too much, in the face of this awesome painter. Since images speak louder than words for me, have a look:

Watercolor isn't just for blue-haired old ladies anymore.

Jackson is the author of Painting Spectacular Light Effects in Watercolor, from North Light Books.

Visit the website: Website

Through the Looking Glass Edit

I don't know if this is committing some kind of author faux-pas on this, but I wanted to crowd-source some editing on the draft of my children's book in progress, since I'm not a writer by trade. If anyone is familiar with the story of Through The Looking-Glass, it's a pretty wild story, and runs the risk of being a total confusion when you boil it down to 32 pages (though it might be considered by some to be a confusing mess, regardless).

Anyone, here is the rough draft of the text, with a brief description of the images that will go along with it. Feel free to post your comments on what doesn't work, and why. I wanted to do more with the page about the Red King, and how the Looking-Glass world might just be his dream, but couldn't figure out how.

Page 1: (Alice is sleeping)

Kitty found a ball of yarn
while Alice napped one day.
Kitty played till Alice woke
and took the yarn away.


Pages 2-3: (Alice picks up Kitty angrily)

"See this mess you've made!" she said
and brought the kitty nearer,
"Look at this untidy room"
she said into the mirror.


Pages 4-5: (Alice goes through the mirror)

The Looking-Glass began to fade
"Well, this is something new!"
said Alice as she ducked her head
and boldly climbed right through.


Pages 6-7: (Is on the other side)

"It's like my house, but backwards!"
she said, looking around,
and was about to leave the room
but then, she heard a sound.


Pages 8-9: (sees the chess pieces)

"The King and Queen can talk!" she cried,
as out the door she flew.
"If anything can happen here, I wonder
if I could be Queen, too."


Pages 10-11: (Garden leading to giant chessboard)

Outside, the flowers spoke, and said
she must run very fast
for at the end of her journey
she'd be a Queen at last!


Pages 12-13: (train jumps across chess board)

When she found a train and climbed aboard,
it jumped into the air
and flew across the chessboard,
which gave her quite a scare.


Pages 14-15: (Forest on the way to Tweedledee & Tweedledum)

"I think I'll just walk from here"
Alice said, "if you please,"
"but I still want to be a Queen"
and kept on through the trees


Pages 16-17: (Red King sleeping)

titpoeing past the Red King snoring,
as quiet as she could.
Toward her goal she made her way
deeper into the Wood,


Pages 18-19: (Tweedledee & Tweedledum)

and met Tweedledum and Tweedledee
who liked to fight all day
and fought each other bravely 'til
a Crow chased them away.


Pages 20-21: (Sheep's shop)

The woods gave way to a small shop
where a Sheep watched with a frown.
With nothing to buy, Alice left, thinking,
"What I want is a crown!"


Pages 22-23: (Humpty Dumpty)

Then she found Humpty Dumpty, up on his wall,
and though she tried to warn,
"I'll never fall!" he proudly cried,
and chased her off with scorn.


Pages 24-25: (Lion & Unicorn fight)

She passed the Lion and Unicorn
as a crowd gathered round,
yet Alice did not stay to watch,
but hurried to be crowned.


Pages 26-27: (White Knight)

So she went on, until she met
the White Queen's noble Knight.
"Clumsy fellow," she thought, as he
could not remain upright.


Pages 28-29: (Alice's party)

"But how nice to walk me all the way,
I've won the crown at last!"
Now Queen Alice celebrates-
the guests all have a blast!


Pages 30-31: (Alice party goes wild)

But dinner soon gets out of hand
and Alice is dismayed,
"Make it stop!" Queen Alice shouts,
and all begins to fade-


Page 32: (Back to Alice sleeping)

till all that's left is Alice there,
still asleep in her chair.
Did these things truly come to pass
when Alice went through the looking-glass?

The Hawkeye Initiative

Just found a hilarious site called "The Hawkeye Initiative", a collaborative parody effort by comic book lovers to point out the ridiculousness of the various poses and outfits that artists come up with for female comic book characters.

"What is the purpose of The Hawkeye Initiative?
To draw attention to how deformed, hyper-sexualized, and unrealistically posed/dressed women are drawn in comics."

I like how this objective is met, not with preaching and proselytizing, but with tongue-in-cheek humor. Check it out!

The Hawkeye Initiative

NoDa Bridge in Charlotte, NC

I was just flipping through some facebook photos, and I stumbled across these from my CouchSurfing trip to North Carolina last year. I was just randomly wandering the streets after hitting up a delicious bakery, and I came across this guy painting this epic mural underneath an underpass. He stopped and talked to me for a few minutes, telling me a little bit about the history of Charlotte that led to this public-funded art work, which he came up with on his own. He said it was a year-long project meant to beautify the area and educate passers-by. It's now completed- hit up the link for more details.

NoDa Bridge

Peach's Neet Feet

I recently stumbled upon a cute non-profit organization while checking out other shoe artists. Madison "Peach" Steiner is a talented shoe artist with a soft heart, and this has led her to start Peach's Neet Feet, where she paints a custom pair of sneakers for a child living with disabilities, or fighting a life-threatening illness.

"What began as a love of art and giving has turned into a massive network of fighters and their supporters. Since 2011, hundreds of people from all walks of life have come together to donate shoes, time, and money to bring a personalized pair of shoes and a smile to children who are struggling. It all began with one young woman painting a pair of shoes, then another. Her acts of kindness inspired others to give of themselves, and enabled PNF to give even more. This community of kindness welcomes you, as we continue growing, one sole at a time."

Well done. You can read more about the organization, and make donations, at the website here:
Peach's Neet Feet

Shaun Tan- Advice For A New Illustrator

I read an essay by illustrator Shaun Tan that I thought was really great, especially since I am always looking for clues from established illustrators on just how to do what they did, to get where they are. I'll share some of my favorite snippets with you here, or you can read the full essay at the link below.

Advice For A New Illustrator by Shaun Tan

Firstly, a good thing to keep in mind:
"That’s the first thing to be aware of, especially when either giving or receiving specific advice – every artist’s experience and circumstance is different."
So take this advice how you will.

I'm amazed at the way Shaun can create light with just a pencil.

"Enjoy what you do, to the extent that it is a pleasure to go beyond the call of duty."

"It’s very important to pursue personally challenging work, and small jobs can be just as significant as high profile ones for that reason."

"A good artist is (I think) an eternal student, and even when most confident, never feels like a master. They are forever pottering in their backyard spaces, trying to explore their craft with modest integrity."

"Communication is very important, even though so much time is spent working alone on what can otherwise seem an introverted profession. You need to be able to talk and write about everything you create in a clear and explanatory way to help others understand your ideas, especially when they are not immediately visible, especially to non-artists and certain folk who are, for all practical purposes, aesthetically blind."

"As long as you are doing something, even if it isn't successful, you are not wasting your time."

"Most people who do get published are very pleased, but not terribly surprised as if winning a lottery, because they've already done their homework and understand their surroundings. They have put themselves to some extent in an editor's shoes."

And if you're interested, you can see Shaun's website here:

http://www.shauntan.net/