3x3 Annual No.11

Yay, the new 3x3 annual is finally out! It is now available as a printed book and as a pdf, and will soon be released as an iPad app, as well.

My illustration (above) got an honorable mention —it is from No Crocodiles in Town.  To see all the winning illustrations online, go to 3x3 then click on the Online Annual No.11 button. It includes work for the Picture Book Show, as well as the Professional Show and the Student/Newcomer entries.  So many fantastic illustrators from all over the world!

PS. Here are some interesting places to click—
Russian books for children
Valerio Vidali has refreshed his website
Annika Oyrabo

Honorable mention in the new 3x3!

Breaking news: I am very pleased to announce that one of my illustrations has been awarded an honorable mention in the latest 3x3 Picture Book Show! It's an image from "No Crocodiles in Town", a picture book I'm currently working on.

Detail

Early pencil sketch

I've been absent from this blog the past few months for both good reasons (a fantastic trip to New York, where I met with lots of my favorite publishers, attended the SCBWI Conference and caught up with long-lost friends) ... and for not-so-good reasons (involving hospitals and unbearable dread).  In the midst of it all, I have tried to continue sketching and grappling with new manuscripts.  But this blog fell by the wayside, somewhat :-(  .  Hopefully this won't happen again...

Now that I'm here, I did want to mention—horribly, ludicrously late—that I finally received my copy of 3x3 No. 10, the annual from last year (!!) ... and it's a beaut! Look:

Beautifully printed and hard-bound, it unites work from all three of the shows (Picture Book, Pro, and Student Work) in a single volume. Below is my page, featuring the cover and four spreads from "Crocodile Shoes" (my as-yet-unpublished picture book, discussed ad nauseum on this blog already).

In a happy coincidence, the page next to mine had images by my friend Zack Rock whose new book ("Homer Henry Hudson's Curio Museum") will be published very soon! Go Zack, go! In fact, the whole annual is overflowing with wonderful work, definitely worth a look.

For those of you who are interested, the 3x3 annual No. 10 is available in both print and digital formats — click here to see!

Bologna or bust!

It's that time of year again: the Bologna Children's Book Fair is starting in a few short days! But right now, I'm 6152 miles away from it — and that's something that would normally give me a bad case of the Bologna Blues.

BUT WAIT!!  I've had a bit of good news ... my illustrations (from Crocodile Shoes) are among the finalists in the SCBWI-Bologna Illustration Show, and I am very honored!

Ever since 2004, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators has maintained a regular presence at the Bologna Book Fair — their stand there hosts many activities as well as the Illustrator's Gallery. Participation is open to SCBWI members internationally, and it attracts illustrators from all over.

I'm in good company this year — the wonderful illustrators Isabel Roxas and Maple Lam, to name just two. And in previous years, there has been a stellar cast of artists from around the world: Sophie Blackall, Eliza Wheeler, Constanze Von Kitzing, Jane Ray, Satoshi Kitamura, Jennifer Thermes, G.Brian Karas, and Barbara McClintock... among many, many others. Not too shabby!

So if you do find yourself in Bologna (lucky you!), the SCBWI stand is at A/66 in Pavilion 26... that's the area that usually has a majority of English-language publishers present. Stop by and say hello!

PS. When I went to Bologna a few years ago, I wrote about it here and here.

PPS.  Anna Castagnoli has posted this handy guide of Bologna's museums, bookshops, various events, plus places to eat and drink. Lots of good suggestions, check it out -- grazie, Anna!

PPPS.  Laura's got some advice

Year of the Crocodile

Well I never!

I've had a fantastic surprise in my inbox ... the Society of Illustrators has selected four of my images for Illustrators 56. The artwork (from Crocodile Shoes, my unpublished book) will be on show at the Museum of American illustration in New York City starting in early January. I hope to be able to see it in person when I go visit (my first trip back to NY in over a decade—talk about timing!). There will also be a lavishly printed annual, coming out later in the year. More on that soon.

Thank you to the Society of Illustrators, for giving me such a good reason to celebrate on this damp grey weekday (Champagne, and lots of it. You are welcome to join me!!). And congratulations to the other artists selected for this show... a very inspiring lineup indeed.

OK, it's time to get back to work now. Nose to grindstone, shoulder to wheel, eyes front! But you, lovely reader, may want to look at these:

•Charlotte Zolotow (children's author and editor who died a few days ago): remembered here and here

•Masako Kubo making a print (1:35 video) 

•Parov Stelar dancin' up a storm. More happy energy: this is what I'm doing today, between sketching and sipping bubbly!

3x3 Picture Book Show

I seem to be on a roll lately.  First the SCBWI Grand Prize, and now this:

3x3 magazine has decided to include my work in their upcoming Picture Book Annual.  Again!!  A set of five illustrations from my book "Crocodile Shoes" received a Merit award (in the category of Children's Book, unpublished) --above is a little vignette from it. If you'd like to see a few more images from it, click here.

I am thrilled to be included among such wonderful illustrators from all over the world— some very familiar artists, as well as new discoveries whose work I am eager to see.  The annual should be available in a few months time...I am really looking forward to it.

Thanks very much to the judges and to Charles Hively.  And now... I've got to go do some dancin' in the streets!

3x3 Directory

I've been meaning to mention...I finally got my copy of ILLO 13 (the 3x3 International Illustration Directory)! I am very pleased to tell you that I have a couple of images in it. My crocodile illustration can be found in the "Animal" section.  

This image is the basis of the endpapers of my children's book project, mentioned previously. (click image for bigness)

And in the "Children" section of the directory is this mouse, forever contemplating the camembert. Some of you might remember seeing her before, here.

You can look at the website: there are a lot of good illustrations to peruse. Then there's a free app, which you can get from iTunes— and that is available to everybody. And, of course, it exists in book form as well. In fact, if you are an art director, editor, graphic designer or art buyer, you can request a free copy.

Here's what it looks like— the cover art is by the Dutch illustrator, Aad Goudappel....

In conclusion, YAY!

Nami Island International Illustration Concours

Good news — my illustrated book project has been selected for the Nambook Festival (aka Nami Island International Illustration Concours) !!  It has to stay under wraps at present, but I can still show you a few glimpses from my selected project.  You'll get a flavour of what I've been up to lately, even though it's out of context.

The Nambook Festival is a yearly children's book event in South Korea, about 70 km south of Seoul on an beautiful tranquil island with groves of giant redwood trees.  Nambook is affiliated with IBBY (the International Board on Books for Young people), as well as being an official sponsor of the Hans Christian Andersen Awards.... presented to the winners each year at the Bologna Book Fair.

The list of winners is pretty impressive—an array of international talent that includes many illustrators who have also been selected for Bologna, Bratislava, 3x3, Ilustrarte, Sàrmede and other places where children's book illustrations are recognized and celebrated.  The grand prix went to the wonderful Korean illustrator Sung-Hee Kim.  A few of the other names that jumped out are:  David Pintor, Eva Montanari, Sonja Danowska, Rashin Kheiriyeh and Irma Gruenholz. And so many others... I'm looking forward to discovering their work!

The illustration exhibit at Nami Island takes place from 25 April to 31 May.  There will be a catalogue/annual of the art show as well.  And if any of you are going to Bologna for the book fair (from 25 to 28 March, in two short weeks from now!), the Nambook Festival has a stand (A36 / H29). Stop by and say hi!

UPDATE:  For those of you going to the Bologna Book Fair, the Nami Illustration Concours will give a brief presentation at the Author's Café on Wednesday 27 March at 16:30 — jury members and illustrators will be on hand for a show-and-tell session. Wish I could be there, too...

2013!

I want to wish you very happy new year — better late than never, eh? I've been a bit AWOL in recent times but I hope to be more present in the year to come.  Until I return to regular posting, here's an offshoot from something I've been working on, to wish you bonne année, and auguri per tutto— buona vita, buon lavoro, buon futuro...

Can't say better than that!!

Ilustrarte

I can now finally reveal these illustrations, which were my participation in this year's Ilustrarte Biennale.

I wanted to make this announcement a few weeks ago, to coincide with Ilustrarte's posting the news of the winners and selections for the exhibition. But then it transpired that my illustrations had vanished into the ether—for over four weeks, nobody knew what had become of them!

Which in turn precipitated a state of DEFCON3 and a flurry of agitated activity to recover them. 
Ça m'a mis dans tout mes états!

But:  HAPPY ENDING!

Lo and behold, yesterday my images were uncovered, mysteriously returned from their month-long sojourn in the 17th dimension. Welcome back!!!

Anyway, congratulations to all the selected illustrators, and a special complimenti to Valerio Vidali and Simone Rea.  And also to the other participants—this list includes such a lot of wonderful artists, it must have been very difficult to choose just 50.  

The exhibit will open in January 2012, in Lisbon, and from there it will go to Ghent (where I hope to see it) and elsewhere. I'm looking forward to this!

PS.  Merci, les filles, for your sympathy and support...

La rentrée

I'm back!!  ... did you miss me?

During my summer break, I did a bit of traveling..

I went to Italy! 

I learned new things! I participated in some art workshops; I've been attending to some deadlines (both work and otherwise).  

Also, I preferred to refrain from putting things into words for a while, the better to savour and absorb my new experiences.

All in all, I had a wonderful summer — really really refreshing.  Details will follow in future blog posts — very soon, I promise!

How was your summer?

New work

My fondness for crocodiles continues unabated.

Nocturne Croco

I've been feeling the change of seasons lately — 

the nights are getting longer and colder.

But this crocodile is still frisky when it gets dark out. Either that or he's got a touch of insomnia!

Stay warm, out there...

PS. To see more of these charming creatures, check out the gallery "Crocodiles make great pets".

Casting Call, Part 2

Boo! For some time now —a year, maybe more —I have had an infestation of crocodiles in my sketchbook. Here are a few to be going on with:



My crocodiles are friendly —sometimes homesick, sometimes mischievous, sometimes awkward and shy — and come in all colours and sizes. But so far, never mean...



I am so used to my version of crocodiles that I am quite shocked when I watch nature documentaries and see real crocs in action. They employ the element of surprise to perfection, leaping out of still waters and clamping onto their unsuspecting dinner with a sudden splash and thrash. Poor old wildebeest cannot slake its thirst without taking its life in its own hands hooves!



But still —I love their cheeky smiles...