American Library Association Conference Photos

Here are some photos from ALA ...

Judy Blume.

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Lane Smith likes Guy Francis' book...or does he?

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The Cat in the Hat

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Brian Selznick signs copies of "The Invention of Hugo Cabret"

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Maryann Cocca-Leffler

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Neil Gaiman

Watching the Caldecot, Newbery and Laura Ingalls Wilder winners receive their medals was a lot like watching the Oscars.

Picture book illo

Still needs some work, but for every paint stroke I make, I have to make 50 more to fix it. Again, this is black gouache with watercolor.

Jackson and Bud's Bumpy Ride

I'm at the American Library Association conference and look what I found displayed ....Great job, Wes!

American Library Association Conference

I will be attending the American Library Association conference July 11-15th.
I'll be signing at the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators -Illinois booth (Booth #1626) on Tuesday, July 14th.
I'll be signing books, posters and giving away my newly printed bookmarks, postcards, etc.

If you're going to ALA, look me up!

Links:
American Library Association

An updated character page of sorts.

Working on the car

I messed this up when I laid in the watercolor, but here's the b&w version.

Tornado

This is the pencil of another painting for the picture book. It seems it's become my goal to try to make each page remarkable. Easier said than done, but the more fun I have with it, the closer I come.

Jackson and Bud's Bumpy Ride Reviews

It's been a long while since I ran across a picture book that my kids and I enjoyed this much. Wes's illustrations are masterful and fun as he depicts the first cross-country automobile trip. Here are some reviews:

Jackson and Bud's Bumpy Ride: America's First Cross-Country Automobile Trip

“In his cartoon pictures Hargis depicts all three of his goggle-wearing travelers having the time of their lives . . . The author sticks closely to the historical record in her present-tense narrative and layers in more detail, plus photos, in a closing note. . . her invitation to clamber aboard will be hard to resist!”

Kirkus

“Short sentences and readable prose capture much of the triumph and challenge of the 63-day trip . . . The animated, cartoon illustrations are lighthearted and detailed, and add much to the narrative.”

School Library Journal

“Hargis' glib cartoon illustrations of the begoggled trio and their clanging, mud-spattered auto are a terrific match to the lighthearted narrative. An afterword provides a deeper appreciation for just how remarkable and historical their adventure really was. Easily accessible history here.”

Booklist

“A delightful kids’ book!”

Dave Wood
ABC.com

“I give this book a high five for the awesome strong story that Author Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff was able to write around a true story, and the really fun illustrations done by Wes Hargis. I really liked the end of the book where photos of the real Jackson, Crocker, and Bud were used, along with what happened to all of them after the completion of their epic auto journey. This is a great story to tickle the imagination of your child to think about how life was like before roads in this country.”

Gayle Jacobson-Huset
Stories For Children Magazine

Looking for bugs under rocks

This is another painting for a picture book proposal. I used the same technique of first painting in grayscale with black gouache. I have to work a little to get rid of the color-tinted-photograph look, but it seems to be working. It allows me to then concentrate on the color without worrying too much about losing the original look of the drawing.

The boulder was a pain in the wazoo. I spent quite a bit of time trying to make it look like a rock. Eventually I got the right contrast, but what seemed to pull it together was using a small piece of sponge to get an interesting texture.

It's often hard for me to know when to lay down the brush while painting. It could probably use some more work, but if I go too long, I just end up spending time fixing things that I've fixed.

Manga Boy

Painting Alex Ross Style

I'm working on a picture book proposal. I decided to borrow Alex Ross's technique. I first painted the scene with black gouache on 12" X 12" cold press watercolor paper.

Next, I started laying in color with Van Gogh watercolor paint. The overall effect isn't too bad, especially considering I haven't picked up my paints in at least a couple of years. Not surprisingly, smoke is difficult to paint and took up most of my painting time.
It helps to have a great model as well (my son).The superhero uniform is thermals, Spider-man gloves, Mama's snow boots and masking taping.

I couldn't decide where to paint, so I bought a 2X2 sheet of 1/4" plywood, sanded it, and used it as a mobile art desk. Worked great, as I could move the board around while painting instead of contorting into uncomfortable positions like I used to. This probably took around 6 hours.

Max, Older

Just a quick doodle.

Happy Birthday, Maurice Sendak!

Circus Bear

Again with these guys.

Nothing new here. Watercolor with touches of acrylic on Strath 500 Imp.

-Wes

Drawering

A late-night drawing before bedtime.

A Doodle

Look! There he is!

I had fun with this. I'm glad the creature is smiling now. 

-Wes

Preliminary Sketches

Here are a couple of preliminary sketches for a couple of projects I'm working on....



Ink and Photoshop

Using a scan to help tighten a painting.

I scanned this one in halfway through. That helped me decide whether I want the two onlookers in a balloon or on a rock as they observe the creature.  You can faintly see the rock drawn in as that was my initial direction. 

W. 

School Visit

A couple of snaps from a school visit I did on Tuesday at Kinzie Elementary School in Chicago.

More backpacking etc.

Paladin

My favorite TV Western is Have Gun - Will Travel. Richard Boone plays Paladin, ladies' man, man of the world and gun for hire.

Have gun, will travel, reads the card of a man.

A knight without armor in a savage land.

His fast gun for hire heeds the calling wind.

A soldier of fortune is the man called... Paladin.

Paladin, Paladin, where do you roam?

Paladin, Paladin, far, far from home...

Brian Selznick

I found this to be very interesting. I love his book dummies and how small he drew the artwork for Hugo Cabret in relation to the size the book is printed.



If you haven't read Brian's "Hugo Cabret" book, you are missing such a great book!

There are more videos of illustrators in the "Once Upon a Book" exhibit at the Center for the Book in San Francisco.

Link: Once Upon a Book

Sketch

Panel

Here's one panel from a project I'm working on.
Sorry about the empty word balloon.

Sketch

A pencil sketch.

Colter's Run.

A t-shirt for a crazy scouting event. Colter was a mountain man who was stripped naked by Indian braves and allowed a head start to run for his life. Dude turned out to be pretty fast. 

Sasquatch Field Guide.

I regret not putting some red little flowers around the rocks.

Swine Flu

I guess that's what I get for drawing all those pigs lately.

Invasion of the Bristlebots

Here's a book that I had a hand in illustrating, "Invasion of the Bristlebots."
It was a fun job from KLUTZ.
The artwork I did for this book is nothing like I have done before, I played the role of KLUTZ Scientist Sam, my finished illustrations were actually Sam's notes! Very loose and very, very fun to draw!

Invasion of the BristleBots comes with two mini-robots — basically motorized toothbrush heads. These guys zoom around like caffeinated cockroaches, spinning, skittering, and bouncing off walls. Resistance is futile.

Check out this book and play with the BristleBots! You can find these on Amazon.com and the KLUTZ web site!

A possible postcard to send out.

I usually go with overnightprints.com and order about 250.  It costs around 70 - 80 bucks. Mailing these is around 40 cents, but you just can't beat the flexibility with who see's it.

Wes

William Steig's widow debunks creationist charge

LOL: At how William Steig’s Yellow & Pink has fershtipled the brain of New York Times book editor Gregory Cowles. Steig, late author of Shrek, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, and other children’s classics, would be having a chuckle, no doubt, were he here to read that his story, published in 1984, is interpreted as a creationist’s fable.
In Yellow & Pink, as Cowles describes in his April 14 posting for the Times’ books blog Paper Cuts, two carved figures awaken in a field and start...

Full Article

The Daily Rebel

I was researching the latest paper to run Max Weaver's Grubbs comic strip, the Garhwal Post in India, and ran across the story below.

We've grown pretty lacadaisical about newspapers in the United States, both on the readership end and the publisher side. We all seem to have forgotten what newspapers can deliver that other media can't, and worse, why they should.

In many other parts of the world, newspapers are thriving, and where they are not thriving, their need is recognized. As an example, the Garhwal Post is the only English-language paper in Uttarakhand. This story reminds us that Whoever controls the media can in many ways control the People, because we can only make decisions based on the information we have access to.

Today most American newspapers are owned by a handful of media conglomerates, and studies show a level of distrust in American media that is higher than any time in this country's history. While media conglomerates continue to cause their newspapers to self-destruct, I look forward to new, independent publishers entering the field who aren't afraid to take risks and know what newspapers are all about.

Ted

Garhwal Post Workers Manhandled

DEHRADUN, 1 Oct: As many as 15 youths, reportedly on the way back from the launch party of a newspaper, manhandled employees of Garhwal Post who were pasting promotional banners on Tuesday night. Youths manhandled employees, put a bundle of flex banners on fire, and pulled down some GP hoardings. Manohar, an employee of Garhwal Post, was supervising two other hired employees in the putting up of banners at Behl Chowk on Rajpur Road at around 1:30 a.m. Inebriated youths who were on motorcycles stopped them from doing so and manhandled them before snatching the banners. They youths even threatened the employees that their bicycles would be set on fire if they continued to put up the banners.The youths then asked them where they had put similar banners and proceeded towards Clock Tower. When Garhwal Post people inspected the area, they found that banners and hoardings had been pulled down from many places including the Clock Tower, Gandhi Road and Chakrata Road. A complaint has been lodged with Dalanwala Police in this regard. Senior police officials were also immediately informed.
The youth are believed to be working in a national English Daily launched few days back.

Link

Trailer for "Jackson and Bud's Bumpy Ride."

This is a cute little trailer for the book "Jackson and Bud's Bumpy Ride" written by Liz Koheler-Pentacoff and drawn by yours truly.   It shows a few of my favorite scenes and represents the book quite nicely. Please check it out!

Wes

IF: Fleeting.

And -poof! ......   It was gone. 

Sam and the Firefly - An Analysis

From screenwriter Todd Alcott

P.D. Eastman, Wikipedia says, was a protege of Dr. Seuss. His Go, Dog. Go! is a staple of the beginning-to-read set, and his Are You My Mother? is always welcome around my house. But for my money, Sam and the Firefly is not only Eastman's crowning achievement, it is also a compact, brisk, efficient course in storytelling, a small masterwork of character, plot and dramatic structure, far more accomplished than the much-more-famous, but ultimately-rather-meta The Cat in the Hat, and all achieved with a set of words designed for a 5-year-old to read. . .

Full Article

BILL PEET AT THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO

The Bill Peet Storybook Menagerie

August 23, 2008–May 24, 2009

Galleries 15–16

After a 27-year career working as Walt Disney’s principle animator and main “storyman,” Bill Peet devoted himself full-time to writing and illustrating children’s books. Along with sketches and storyboards from his Disney days, this exhibition features original works of art from 14 of Peet’s 34 published books, including Buford the Little Bighorn, The Caboose Who Got Loose, Capyboppy, Chester the Worldly Pig, Cowardly Clyde, Ella, How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head, Kermit the Hermit, Pamela Camel, The Wump World, and the Caldecott Honor Book Bill Peet: An Autobiography.

Bill Peet's Website

Setting Freelance Rates

Everyone’s Talking, but No One’s Saying Anything

From Freelance Parent

There is absolutely TONS of talk on the blogs about how to set your freelance rates. You will probably notice, however, that while everyone talks about how to set your rates, no one tells you what they actually charge. There are a couple of reasons for that, in my opinion:

• If you tell others what you charge, they might undercut your rates and get all your great jobs.
• Other freelancers might make fun of you for not charging enough. (There are a couple of freelancers in the blogosphere who make it their personal mission to go around berating freelancers who don’t charge enough.)
• People might think you’re too big for your britches if they learn that you’re charging three times more than they are.
• Our culture has certain taboos regarding talking about money in more than hypothetical terms.

Tamara and I have attempted to break through some of these obstacles by posting our own freelance income report each month. Of course, we didn’t do that early on when we were happy to make a couple hundred dollars a month, but that’s mostly because we hadn’t thought of it yet. We really want to try to take some of the mystique out of freelancing, so that’s why we made the decision to post those reports. . .

Full Article

The Fear of Success

ARE YOU AFRAID OF SUCCESS? A SURPRISING NUMBER OF TALENTED PEOPLE ARE. TO FIND OUT IF YOU'RE ONE OF THEM, TAKE OUR QUIZ ON PAGE 110. THEN TAKE HEART. THE DREAD OF DOING WELL IS ROOTED DEEP IN THE UNCONSCIOUS, BUT YOU CAN OVERCOME FEAR OF SUCCESS.

By ANNE B. FISHER REPORTER ASSOCIATE JOYCE E. DAVIS

(FORTUNE Magazine) – "An amazing day. Amazing. I don't know how it happened. He had played so great. It was the strangest turn of events I've ever seen. I feel so sad for him." So said Nick Faldo about Greg Norman, while wearing the green jacket that everybody, including Faldo, had assumed was finally going to be Norman's at Augusta this year. The man is a mystery. Far and away the biggest moneymaker in pro golf, he wins and wins and wins--until he gets to a major tournament. At the Masters, he took a six-stroke lead and the next day, in just five holes, handed his six strokes and then some to the guy behind him. He's done this not just once, not twice, but over and over and over again...

What is it about Norman that is so riveting? Maybe we recognize in him something of ourselves. In a world that seems determined to sort out winners from losers, he is that terrible enigma: a gifted loser, a player who clearly can win but, when the stakes are highest, somehow hamstrings himself. It almost looks as if he's doing it on purpose. And yet, how could he?

You don't have to be a sports fan to see the parallels between golf and business ... But hold on. Most often, being your own worst enemy is a far more subtle thing...

Full Article

A Cavesquatch

Dusty and smelly. A dry cave dweller mostly.

Untitled

SNL - Save the Funnies

Book by Young Authors

My son has enjoyed reading two books I discovered recently, both written by kids, both Best-Sellers. I ran across both of these by chance, and am now looking actively for other books by young authors. My kids find it encouraging and inspiring and actually, so do I.

Alec Greven wrote How to Talk to Girls when he was nine years old. This book is a result of his research. Initially, Alec self-published and was discovered by a publisher at a book fair. He has written two sequels, How to Talk to Moms, and How to Talk to Dads.

Nancy Yi Fan began writing Swordbird after 9/11 and a dream she had. She was inspired to write a story for a world at war, with a strong message of peace. Swordbill was published when she was twelve years old, with an initial print run of 50,000 copies. It made the New York Times Best-Seller list. She has written a prequel, Sword Quest.

These are both great books and we recommend them. Both are currently on the book shelves at B&N and can be found online as well.

Iron John