An inspiring talk from an inspiring man

Of all the TED talks I've seen this is definitely one of my favorites.

Maybe is because I feel like I know Jarret thanks to Twitter and the blog world. He is really a wonderful and super nice guy, and so very talented. Or maybe is because in this talk he truly puts his heart out there in front of a room full of people and out for the world to hear. Could be because everything he says will stay with you for a long time or maybe is because of all those reasons put together.

If you haven't seen the video by now, I recommend you do. It's a beautiful talk and makes me so incredibly happy to know "you ARE successful in your work" Jarret. I can't think of anyone else who deserves it more... :o)

Illustrator John Howe- the difference between drawing & writing

The Lovely Beatrix

Everyone has a hero and mine is Beatrix Potter.

Did you know that when she was 27 she began writing letters to entertain the child of a former governess? The child, Noel Moors, was in bed recovering from scarlet fever. She illustrated the letters with little drawings of rabbits, squirrels and other tiny creatures. This was the beginning of Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, and the hedgehog Mrs. Tiggy Winkle.

The children loved those letters and the stories so much that Beatrix decided to turn the story of Peter Rabbit into a book and the rest is history.

Most people recognize her by photographs like this one

This, however, is my favorite picture of her

And this film I have seen a million times.

Never get tired of watching it.

How about you?

Who's your hero?

Books that inspire!

Here are a few books from my book shelf. I go back to these again and again to invigorate my mind and my eyes! I never grow tired of the books below...

Hello Kitty, Hello Everywhere
This is more than just a Hello Kitty book... it's a staged extravaganza, with haiku! So lovely to look at and read. It's like a magical land! It always makes me feel that same sense of wonder that I got while using my ViewMaster when I was a kid (and I still get that feeling when I use it today!)


Fruits
This book I actually incites in me a dash of secretive (...selfish? nah..) "I-want-to-keep-it-to-myself"-ness (which is a likely sign that it is time to do the opposite)!
I LOVE this book... lots of cute people dressed up in all manner of cute, unique, cartoony, fantasy, otherworldliness. Yes, Gwen may have made them flash-famous, but they are timelessly awesome to me.


Meet Mr. Product
Pick this pocket-sized book up and flip through it to effortlessly visit joyful and silly characters from classic old-timey products. Great production quality, and LOTS of pictures! Lots and lots! It's ALL pictures! We love pictures!

Inspiration

I can't help it, I always get inspired by beautiful things. Sometimes is a beautiful sound, a beautiful sight, a beautiful smell, a beautiful memory even a beautiful feeling.

This is a perfect example of what I mean. Anything and everything can inspire us, you just have to be open to it.

Enjoy :o)

Inspiration

I am completely obsessed with this song. I've fallen in love with it. If you follow me on twitter you must know this already. I apologize and will do my best to start tweeting about something else. ;o)

What does this song has to do with illustrating or writing you might ask?

The answer is: nothing and everything.

It's a song, a lovely song, but from the moment I heard it I haven't been able to get it off my mind. It lead me to enter a state of mind I was unaware of and that made me very sensitive to things around me. In the last couple of days I had two wonderful ideas for children stories and they both came to me while listening to this song.

For one of them, I had to stop working on the book I was sketching, to write the idea down before it left me. Because we all know those sparks of an idea just fly away even faster than they appear.

We all can find insipration in different things. Try to find the little things that inspire you and surround yourselves by them. :o)

Btw, this song is from the movie "Once". A little low budget film from the Sundance Film Festival that stole my heart. If you haven't seen it, you should. You won't regret it.

Inspirational reads

Instead of reviewing another book today, I thought I'd give you a peek into my book shelf.

Here are some books l like on the art of children's writing and illustration:

Here are some books which I use as inspirational aids and/or as reference:

I love these Taschen Icons books. They are small and portable, inexpensive, nice quality, and they are GREAT for inspiration and visual reference!

Isn't it FUN to look at other people's book shelves?

Inspiration

I'm most often inspired by certain children's book illustrators (changes daily), comic book artists (Jim Lee), nature and movies. I also love 'drawing instruction' articles/online films because it's always exciting to learn a new tool and use to successfully in an illustration. Here are some sites I have bookmarked for those times I'm staring at that blank piece of paper and nothing is coming out:

Stephanie Roth
Alex De Wolf
Henry Cole
Betsy Lewin (artist of the cow illustration above)
Read My Rejection Letter (makes me feel better and less limited by my own rejection letters)
Tor Morisse

Weekly Theme - Inspiration

My sensibilities are changing. I'm being drawn back to my cartooning roots. Principles I learned in cartooning and while working on my little Flash animations are creeping back into my work and my storytelling.

Lately, I find myself drawn to a sort of minimalism in picture books. I'm very inspired by those authors and illustrators who can get right to the heart of their story and their characters. I admire this economy of words and lines.

Some frugal storytellers' work I find very inspirational is Mo Willems, the late Don Martin (of Mad magazine fame), Melanie Watt, Lena and Olof Landtsrom, Sergio Aragones, and Ethan Long (just to name a few).

Sometimes, less is more.

Inspiration

Little slices of life inspire me. Sincere and genuine, candid little bits. Like a baby's belly laugh. Or a child's artwork.

This collage contains some of my favorite child art treasures. There's a little carving of Mother Mary by my dad at age 10. A crayon (on paper bag) self portrait by my mom at age 6. And a paper cut out skeleton and clay shark by my son at age 7.

Each one is a fresh, uninhibited, joyful celebration of creativity. Nice. Let's go draw!

Weekly Theme: Inspiration

Create what haunts you - memories that inhabit the corners of your mind, tugging at your heart in quiet moments.

10 memories that inspire me:

1. A walk in the woods when I was 8 with my Dad & cousins. We come across a brush covered in ice after a snowstorm. My cousins quickly hit it with sticks to knock of the icicles. I was sad that they messed up something so beautiful.

2. Sitting on the beach, watching fireworks on the fourth of July. Between the booms, the "ohhs" and "ahhs", you could hear the water lapping at the shore.

3. My dad singing pirate songs to us while playing his guitar.

4. Dipping strawberries into my great grandmother's sugar bowl.

5. Chasing fireflies on hot summer nights.

6. Watching the meteor show that happened every year on my birthday.

7. A Christmas program I was in, I played the Mom and was upset because the girl who played the daughter was so much taller than me.

8. Our 2 room schoolhouse, saving our lunch scraps for the principal's goat.

9. A little boy, who was obsessed with the army, asked me for my serial number I said, "Uh, cheerios." (3rd grade.)

10. My best friend, John, his big sister and I made a real log cabin from little trees that we cut down. It had a door, a window, a thatched roof and a curtain made out of a dishtowel. It took us half the summer to make. John and his sister were in the Scouts and were quite handy.

Inspiration

I want to share an author who is inspiring me at the moment.

I'm currently taking Anastasia Suen's Poetry Workshop and in this workshop you have to read several stories in rhyme daily. I can't get enough of Karma Wilson.

Not only are her stories entertaining, her skill for near perfect meter, fun alliteration and catchy refrains are to be envied. (See, I told you I was taking a class, look at all the cool words I know now!)

If I was Karma, I think I would be awestruck by the choice of illustrators for her books. She is one fortunate gal!

Look at the "Bear's New Friend" by Jane Chapman, for example. She creates the most idyllic settings and endearing animals with her acrylics and brushes.

I've been collecting books illustrated by Margaret Spengler, Jeff E. Davis and Buket Erdogan for years. You've guessed it. They've all illustrated a Karma Wilson manuscript. Amazon must be loving me right now. I wonder whose child I'm putting through college with all the books I'm ordering?

Weekly Theme: "Inspiration"

I’m inspired by art, (particularly children’s book art) nature, and my 4-year-old son. Since he came along, I get glimpses of the world through his eyes, and I think this has helped me to understand children a little better. I’ve learned to have more fun, to play and experiment. I love to watch him paint. He seems to be able to capture the essence of a thing so simply and imaginatively. I find this very inspiring, something I strive for as an illustrator.