A little background before I get too far along: I started writing fiction in the spring of 2004 when I took a “Writing of Fiction” class while working toward my Bachelor’s. I took the class because: I thought I could learn something about writing in general, and use that information to write picture books, and I had to take a …
Egon, your mucus
Welcome to the official blog of Hairy Eyeballs, the Web site devoted to a book-in-progress that will actually be going by a different name. I’m still toying with the book title, and when it’s official, you’ll be the first-ish to know. This blog is for just what I said: I’ll be blogging the progress of my new book, Title As …
Molly Leach
Few designers actually get recognition in the world of book publishing, but thankfully Molly Leach seems to be getting at least a little of it. Molly is the brilliant designing mind behind many children’s books including The Stinky Cheese Man. We’re used to books breaking the rules these days, but The Stinky Cheese Man expanded the boundaries of what was …
Illustrators I Greatly Admire: Exhibit D
Lane Smith My first encounter with Lane Smith’s illustrations was because of my kids. Through their book club at school, they bought The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs as told to Jon Scieszka. And then they made me sit still and look at the illustrations. Those darn kids. When they thought themselves too old too keep the book, …
The Bald Soprano=Tim Burton @ the MoMA?
The Tim Burton exhibit at the MoMA included a free, take-home brochure that I promptly and eagerly grabbed up last Thursday. The evening prior, I and my fellow museum goers had a bite to eat at a firehouse-turned-brewery in Philadelphia. In the entrance space, you could peruse various postcards and announcements for upcoming local events, and one in particular caught …
Alma
Here’s a beautiful video by Rodrigo Blaas. Just beautiful. Alma from Rodrigo Blaas on Vimeo.
British un-things
Have you noticed the books out semi-lately with “un” things as main characters? The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall, published in 2007 (un-Space and the Un-Space Exploration Committee) Un Lun Dun by China Miéville, also published in 2007 (Un-London and pretty much everything else) And not quite, but along those same lines: Coraline by Neil Gaiman, published in 2002 …
Illustrators I Greatly Admire: Exhibit C
Gris Grimly. Incredible talent, this guy. Currently working on Frankenstein, and has set up a blog to share his progress. First noticed him through his Edgar Allan Poe book, Tales of Mystery and Madness, published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.
Keri Smith
For any creative type who needs a little humor and a gentle nudge in a productive direction, take a look at Keri Smith‘s Web site. For the most fun and a lot of creative ideas, choose the “Play” link, and don’t forget to check out her portfolio while you’re there. Great work, great ideas and a great inspiration to the …
Illustrators I Greatly Admire
Exhibit B:Pablo Bernasconi I first became aware of Mr. Bernasconi’s work in The Wizard the Ugly and the Book of Shame. That one was published by Bloomsbury. Fantastic collage-type abilities and great characters. I wonder if people kept telling him he would scare the children. And I wonder if, even though they told him that, he kept doing what he …
Firefly Chocolates @ the Mall
My friends down at the Firefly have opened a new shop at Westmoreland Mall in Greensburg, and they’ve included more of my signage. All the posters hanging in the shop were also part of our branding campaign. Included here are both the outside signage as it was designed, and a shot of the shop from the mall interior.
Illustrators I Greatly Admire
Take a look at Kirill Chelushkin‘s work, represented by Shannon Associates. First came upon his illustrations in The Elves and the Shoemaker as retold by John Cech and published by Sterling Publishing in New York. Incredible work.