Wild About Capybaras! coming May, 2026 will be my 7th TOON book. I want to share my cover sketches. If you are not an illustrator, you may be surprised to see how many sketches I did. This is almost the cover… My editors liked this idea best, but, they didn’t like the cartoon balloon. TheyContinue reading “Sneak Peek: Capybara Book Sketches”
Category Archives: illustration
Bologna Children’s Book Fair: A Mecca for Illustrators
The Society of Illustrators , NYC, hosted “The Bologna Children’s Book Fair as the Epicenter of International Illustration.” Illustrator Steven Guarnaccia paced the floor and delivered a rousing pep talk about the BCBF (Bologna Children’s Book Fair.) The room was packed to capacity with famous illustrators including Leslie Cober , president of the Society. MuchContinue reading “Bologna Children’s Book Fair: A Mecca for Illustrators”
RIP Maestro Marshall Arisman
I’ve told this story before, but one thing Marshall Arisman taught me is that a good story deserves to be retold. In 1984, I was a bartender at the 8th Street Tavern in Hoboken and doing occasional illustrations for The New York Times and The Village Voice. I learned from an ad in the TimesContinue reading “RIP Maestro Marshall Arisman”
Little Monarchs @ Artists’ Alley
I met Jonathan Case and his daughter Dorothy in Artists’ Alley at the American Library Association Annual Conference, Wash D.C. The conference was back in-person. Masks and vaccinations were required, so it it was a different Artists’ Alley. Odd, but felt safe and far better than a virtual conference. Artists can apply for a free Artist’s AlleyContinue reading “Little Monarchs @ Artists’ Alley”
Omair Ali Makes His Marks
Omair, You landed a job as an illustrator. Congrats! Q: What exactly is is your job description? I’m an illustrator/designer with the in-house publishing department at American Reading Company. We create literacy curriculums for K-12 readers. I design and illustrate books about various subjects ranging from non-fiction (science and history) to fiction (fairytales and fantasy).Continue reading “Omair Ali Makes His Marks”
Creative Royale at K.U.
Kutztown Univiverity got a $750 federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The SAMSA grant was meant to create a “town hall” for students on the subject of substance abuse. Let’s be honest. –How many students would actually show up for a Substance Abuse Town Hall? Fran Cortez Funk is theContinue reading “Creative Royale at K.U.”
John Steven Gurney at Work
“Is it true you have illustrated 100 books?” “150!,” replied John Steven Gurney. He quickly explained these were series chapter books which entailed a color cover and a handful of interior black and white illustrations. Even so, that’s a lot of books! The A to Z Mysteries, Bailey School Kids, and The Calendar Mysteries seriesContinue reading “John Steven Gurney at Work”
EXPLODING ANTS – A Lesson from Francie at Takoma Park Library…
Last year my Snails are Just My Speed! book tour took me to Takoma Park Library in Maryland. Someone asked what my next TOON book would be. This happened… Francie was right. I was wrong. So I dedicated “Ants Don’t Wear Pants!” to “The children who teach me things, like Francie at the Takoma ParkContinue reading “EXPLODING ANTS – A Lesson from Francie at Takoma Park Library…”
ALPHA: Abidjan to Paris, -a graphic novel
The landscape of graphic novels is as vast as the Sahara. ALPHA follows an African refugee on a tortuous journey across that very desert. The story is by Bessora, a French author of African and European ancestry. French illustrator Barroux’s lush ink wash drawings bring an immediacy to the journey. Alpha, a carpenter, is compelled toContinue reading “ALPHA: Abidjan to Paris, -a graphic novel”
Illustration Summer.
Illustration student? Want to advance you career? If I was a young illustration student in college or high school here’s what I’d do this summer. Make business cards. This cost very little. Identify yourself as an illustrator or illustrator/designer. Don’t think of yourself as a student of illustration, but as a beginning illustrator. Postcards don’t cost much moreContinue reading “Illustration Summer.”
Illustration Concentration 