Prisma Joy

A few years ago, I finally found the answer to a felt-pen puzzle that had been bugging me since I was twelve. I kept seeing illustrations that had obviously been done with markers, where big areas of colour were flat and "tender-looking." But mine never came out that way. When I tried to colour something, there were always streaks and overlaps, and lines between strokes. How did those illustrators get that effect?  It was a mystery to me.

One day I came across a blog where the secret was revealed: Copic markers. I headed straight for the art store to check out colours and prices.

I soon regained consciousness, and the staff showed me a slightly less expensive brand called Prismacolour. It was love at first draw--Will you marry me, Prismacolour?  Within ten months I had done more than 200 sketches. Every time I ran out of Cloud Blue, Spanish Orange or Violet Mist, I hyperventilated.

Things have settled down a little since then, but these markers are still the joy of my life. After a hard day at work, there they are, waiting for me, in their little wooden cutlery holder. It's a match made in heaven.

My Summer Hat

Back in the mists of time--was it October?--I hung up my summer hat on a  conveniently placed nail. It's still there. When will I wear it again? Come, Spring, come!

Getting the Hang of It

Every time I make a small book for my Storydello blog, I think, "Finally, I'm getting the hang of this." And then it becomes clear that I've still got a long way to go.

Each entry takes a lot of steps, and each book is just a bit different from the others, so I'm constantly tweaking things, and getting mixed up, and feeling confused.

But three of the steps have settled into a happy routine, and you can see them all in this picture: 1) place the text on the page, 2) work the pencil drawings around it, and 3) trace the results in ink, using a lightbox.

If the remaining fifty steps would fall into a nice neat pattern, I'd be all set!

Getting it Wrong

It's annoying-but-true that it can be a good thing to screw up. For about two hours, I was satisfied with my first attempt at these bugs from my Insect Alphabet. Then I wasn't. A green grasshopper against a green background may be good camouflage in real life, but it doesn't make for a good picture. Ditto for the fly, who seemed to be floating in mid-air against a weird background--a dead fern and a stick. What's that all about? 

Getting it wrong forced me to stop and think. A plainer background, in yellow and brown, would make the grasshopper stand out more.  And if I put the fly on a plain white background, it would look as if he was crawling across the page (or screen.) Because I lead a sheltered life, this struck me as brilliant and hilarious, and I thoroughly enjoyed doing that revision. 

It just goes to prove, for the umpteenth time, the annoying fact that getting it wrong can lead to getting it right.

C is for Creepy Crawlies

Way back in the mists of time (November 1st)  I told you to expect a new theme on my Alphadello blog. Well, it's finally up and running--or flying, crawling, slithering. . . you get the idea.  To check it out, click here--and thanks!

Minor Detail

I was lying in bed last night, thinking about my blogs (I have multiple blogs!  How did that happen?), when it suddenly occurred to me that I'd neglected to mention a little something to you. After making you sit through revision after revision, and deadline after deadline, I forgot to tell you that my book was finally published! Minor detail.

It was released on October 9 and it's in the bookstores now. The e-book version is also for sale on iTunes. The reviews have been good, for which I'm very grateful, and it was a thrill to see my name in the New York Times Book Review.

But I'd have to say that the feedback that floored me the most was this Speak Well, Read Well blog entry that described how a terrific teacher/speech therapist used the book in her classroom. When the revisions and deadlines are over, and publication day is already a distant memory, it's strange--and wonderful--that to think that my book has this life of its own, thanks to an inspired teacher and her students. Now, that makes me grateful.

REVIEWS

• Publishers Weekly  24 December 2012
• Kirkus Reviews  15 September 2012
• NYT Sunday Book Review - Slideshow  09 November 2012
• Kidsbiographer's Blog 14 September 2012
• City Book Review (Sacramento/San Francisco)  17 October 2012
• Junior Library Guild Selection

New York Times Book Review  10 November 2012

Catching Up

Is it time for a big catch-up, or what? I've been neglecting this blog while working on three others, partly because Google changed the Blogspot interface (the one I use for Everdello) and I didn't like it.

Don't all these updates and upgrades drive you crazy? As soon as you learn how to do something, "They" change it. I seem to spend half my time learning new ways of doing things I used to be able to do easily. It's bewildering.

Having said that, I discovered a new app for my iPad that allows me to use the same interface for all of the blogs I work on, and to access them all from the same icon. It's called Blogsy, and I'm using it right this very minute. So...here's a long-overdue catch-up, and a vow (or, at least a stated intention) to Everdellize more often.

Since our last episode, the Alphadello series about gardens has gone from Queen Anne's Lace to...Z for you-know-what. Click here to see the latest pictures. A new alphabet will be starting soon. I won't tell you the theme yet, but prepare for plenty of buzzing and clicking.

The other blogs I've been working on are the library's War of 1812 blog and a very cool new project called StoryMe, where the blog entries are almost all being written by my talented and enthusiastic colleague Anne.

Three blogs ought to be enough, eh? Well. We'll see!