Picture Book Illustrators

Cromwell Dixon's Sky-Cycle

    Yes, that day has finally arrived... the day the UPS box arrived on my porch with copies of Cromwell Dixon's Sky-Cycle.  So it's not hard to imagine how exciting that book launch party must have been!  I even took a picture to commemorate the event.  When it's unlikely anything will ever happen again, at least there'll be a picture.

    'Cromwell Dixon's Sky-Cycle' is the title.  It's a fantastic true story about a boy who had a dream to build his own flying airship in Columbus, Ohio in 1907.  This book is a real boy's book... with daring, adventure, danger and amazing inventions... all built by a boy in his own backyard.  I'm hoping the same audience that liked 'The Dangerous Book for Boys' might like it.

    The reviews so far have been good.  I'm especially flattered that they liked the writing.  That means a lot to me.  I wanted this non-fiction book to read like fiction, so the best notice I could imagine was a comment from Kids Lit Blog who wrote: "The picture book has a real period feel with the author throwing in turn-of-the-century terms to evoke the time.  The illustrations too offer a sense of history.  I especially enjoyed that it is not until the afterword that you discover that this is a true story."

    I'm always afraid that many kids might think old fashioned stuff is a bore. I hope not, since I think the subject of the age of early aviation is fascinating.  I tried to cast the whole book more along the lines of Jules Verne.

 

    This was the first book I've done entirely as a hybrid of real and digital mediums... so that was challenging.  And I'm very happy with the outcome in print.  I made up a mini-website about the book at cromwelldixonsskycycle.com

Spring Books by Maryann Cocca-Leffler

After several years of work, three books have hit the stores at the same time, including; Princess K.I.M and the lie that grew (Albert Whitman & Co) which is a funny story about a tiny lie that gets out of control. I got the idea when I thought back to second grade…I told the kids that my dad owned the Coca-Cola company. That did not turn out too well.

 

 

My Dance Recital (Robin Corey Books-Random House) is my first interactive book (flap/pop-ups etc). It's just in time for the Spring Recital season. (Do you know any little dancers?- They'll love it!)

 

Lastly- Easter Bunny In Training (HarperCollins). The history of this book is a LONG story. I showed Harper a totally different book. They liked the “What happens next” concept, but nothing else. A Halloween book in this "Sneak a Peek" series will be out in the Fall.

I’m hoping , in this economy that people are still buying books! For more info, go to www.maryanncoccaleffler.com

   

Spider Magazine

This is a spread that I did for Spider Magazine that came out in their November/December issue.

I thought the reproduction quality was incredibly close to the original. Anyway, I figured it was time for me to post something, and I also wanted to wish everybody a HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON.  Ilene 

Animal Rescue Art Project 2008

Hey- I know I never post! Surprize!

We are in the planning stages for our second fundraiser to benefit abandoned and forgotten animals. The Foreclosure Cats Art Project last year was a great success, but there are many more animals that need our help. We have decided to continue the original project as an annual event.

This year's inspiration is a colony of cats living in and around huge, abandoned industrial buildings in Kings Mills, Ohio, just north of Cincinnati.  Bud, the kind-hearted caretaker, has been feeding and caring for the cats, but this colony of over 40 animals is quickly increasing in number and Bud is on a fixed income. Getting these cats spayed and neutered is an urgent priority. Some are in need of medical attention

I was involved in this project last year. My work and others is already up on Cafepress at http://www.animalrescueartproject.com/ Take a look- more will be up soon, and there will also be an auction on ebay soonly.

thanks! sharon lane holm

Movie Trailer Mania....

Seems like everyone & their dog is making movie trailers... so here's one of mine.

Now all I need is that movie director's salary.  It is fun to do though... adding a little sound & animation to the static picturebook medium.

Long Overdue!

Well, this blog certainly needs updating! I think we have all been too busy with illustration work, our own personal blogs, and family to think about posting here. So I decided it is time I did!

I've posted the cover to my latest book, Bones and the Math Test Mystery by David A. Adler. This was a fun book to do. I also just finished illustrating the next Jeffrey Bones book. The next will be the 7th I have done in the series, and this last one was the most enjoyable by far! I have loved doing all the books in this series, but I especially loved this one because it took place in an amusement park--and I have loved amusement parks since I was a little girl. It brings back memories of Olympic Park, the Jersey Shore, Palisades Park, Coney Island, etc. I have even taken to buying mementos from those if I can get my hands on them.

The one problem in completing the book I just wrapped up, is that this book was filled with tons of details--as amusemnet parks are! The title is:
BONES AND THE ROLLERCOASTER MYSTERY

I believe this one will be out in February, if it is like all the others.

If books were like movies...

If books were like movies, then this new book I've been working on would be a historical costume drama. It's non-fiction in theory, but I've tried to make it read like a fictional story. It's set in the past... 100 years ago, so it appears that everyone is in costume.

It's more of a Jules Verne type story, with astonishing adventure to do with dirigibles, flying bicycles and that sort of thing. I actually sent away to the patent office trying to get some kind of copyright on the story, since I think it'd make a terrific movie.

I have discovered that it requires a goodly deal of attention to detail to recreate scenes from a past age. In fact it takes a LOT of drawing! It requires drawing until one's hand is ready to fall off, essentially.

Just categorically, I'm sure in the last few months I have drawn the following: (partial listing):

4 horses, complete with harness detailing
3 carriages (those spoked wheels are challenging!)
3 antique motor cars
15 vintage skyscrapers including the Flatiron building
150 costumed extras for background scenes
17 feathered hats
12 pigeons
15 bicycles (bicycles are notoriously difficult to draw)
16 bowler hats and the gentlemen wearing them
12 straw hats and the gentlemen wearing them
14 ladies in fancy full length skirts
16 dirigibles
16 victorian houses
16 assorted odd children in vintage garb
1 Titanic like steam ship
7 odd bizarre flying machines
4 picket fences... (those take a while)
2 ironwork fences (those do too!)
5 assorted lawns and park settings
4 barn interiors with multitudes of tools and furniture
22 drawings of the main character
17 drawings of the character's mother
12 drawings of the pet dog
1 complete vintage fire fighting crew, with antique firefighting pump truck
5 barrels
37 tiny people in a crowd, with aerial perspective

Oh... and I have drawn the complete 1904 World's Fair including Ferris Wheel.

I mention all of this mostly to point out the difficulty of achieving such a task for someone who basically has a hard time drawing. I make up for it with erasing and stubbornness though.

I think my next book effort will be an emotionally based story with two cute little animal characters... no crowd scenes or perspective required!

p.s. No, this is not the finished art... just the pencils. And that's the drawing just for one scene!

:0)

John Nez

Don't Forget to Stop and Smell the Roses

Happy Holidays to you and your families. I wish you a rewarding and successful New Year. I'm thrilled to be part of this talented group. My New Year will start with an exciting and challenging freelance marketing consulting job. I look forward to sharing more- but for now- keep it to this list until it is "official". I look forward to your advice and suggestions as I move forward. Of course- I'm still doing my books.

So- Don't Forget to Stop and Smell the Roses~ Happy 2008-  Best Wishes- Maryann

A New Piece

Chris, You inspired me to post a spread from a new book dummy that I too need to find a home for. Hopefully, we will all have great success in 2008. I also wanted to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season.
Ilene

Season's Greetings

Which ever holiday it is you celebrate, let's all post our greetings, wishes, photo's etc.

Here's an oldy of mine that I still like.

I have also ALMOST decked all the halls (still need to put up the tree in the living room) and here are  the pics to prove it. I love Christmas!!!  The photo of the "Christmas Moose" makes him look very innocent but....really, he lies in wait  for Don. You see, movement of any kind launches him into  a frenzied jig and lively (and loud)  rendition of "Jingle Bells". Every night, as Don throws his workboots to the floor, the Moose is signaled. What comes out of Don's mouth is not terribly Festive, as he threatens Moose with not living to see Christmas Day! After over 10 years, it  is now a holiday tradition, daddy slams the door, Moose sings, daddy curses..... oh how I love this happy, happy season and the joyful memories made that will last forever:)

You can see how my dinning room is patiently waiting to welcome 15 people this year. Well, it will be cramped but it handled 14 last year so once the other leaf is in the table, we should be good to go.

From me to you,  A Merry, Merry!!!!

Chris