Illustration Concentration

Kutztown Comics to MoCCA, NYC, 2016

Custom Banner for KU CD’s MoCCA table designed by Lindsay Trzaska

Rachel Zuppo is going to New York City. She is a student at Kutztown U from Philadelphia. She made a zine, or mini comic, about an interesting date she had in Philly’s Chinatown. She will be bringing her mini comic to MoCCAfest 2016.

These two panels are from the opening spread of her All the Tea in Chinatown. Cartoonists known that their opening pages should include a strong establishing shot. Rachel certainly succeeds here.

Kutztown will be among a select group of colleges at MoCCAfest, the indie comic showcase in New York City. Most of the other tables will be small presses, large presses, distributors and independent comics creators. There will be stars there: Cece Bell creator of Newbery Honor winner El Deafo and illustrator/animator Bill Plympton. Sample art by other wonderful exhibitors can be found on the MoCCA’s Tumblr pages.

Kutztown University’s Communication Design Dept pays for the table space at MoCCA. This event is a great opportunity for our students to compare their work with projects from other art programs and meet indy publishers and artists. MoCCA’s general admission is just $5 a day, a bargain for an art fest. Look for Kutztown at Table 114 next to TOON BOOKS.

12 students from our Illustration 2 class are showing their stuff at MoCCA, Sat. April 2 at Metropolitan West, 639 West 46th St, NYC. I’ll be there with their zines on Sunday, too. All of the books were completed across the first eight weeks of this semester.

Yu Wen Sun, who goes by Sue, is Rachel’s buddy. Sue is an exchange student from Tunxi, Huangshan, Anhui, China. She tells us her hometown is smaller than Kutztown. Hard to believe. Her My Friend is A Freak! is a story of of an outsider searching for a friend, and (spoiler alert!) befriending another outsider. Sue got help with the English text from her Philly friend Rachel.

A number of students added stickers as a bonus to their zine. Most of these zines are under $5. Sue’s My Friend is a Freak! is a bargain at $3. This is the third time Kutztown has tabled at MoCCA. This year’s entires are varied, but many have horror and suspense themes.

Zines by Katie Bertolet and Jordan Duffy

Meredith Shriner’s A Most Bothersome Bat demonstrates her great potential as a children’s book illustrator. Elaine Knox’s work, below, is cleverly designed with a ghostly overlay printed on transparent paper.

Here is a detail from Kristen DeMelfy’s Inseparable. She manages give great form to her figures even in black and white. Like many of the other stories Inseparable has the potential to be expanded into a longer story.Hannah Faber’s Kruikje has a fanciful mid-century feel. Her colors are a tad off-register making her digital printout resemble a risograph or linocut. We have lots more artwork to see, but here below is a page from Katelynn Chamber’s Self Talk, a more serious project about the issue of body image.

Hope to see old friends at MoCCA. I am always inspired by the work of young illustrators from great schools like FIT, or SAW, or CCS and Kutztown University. Thanks to Lindsay Trzaska for designing our banners. If you make it to MoCCA you will find us at table 114.

I will share photos and more student work from MoCCA next week.

Science Comics & Global Warming for Kids

I was driving in my car and heard a radio interview with Randall Munroe. The author and illustrator of Thing Explainer was speaking on Science Friday. I was stunned when host Ira Flatow said to Munroe, “Before you were a full-time comics artist you were a roboticist at NASA…” YOW! I thought, “How can I do science comics for kids if NASA engineers are making comics?”

I saw his wonderful book and I calmed down as I realized his bestseller is far different than anything I will ever write. Munroe uses only the most 1000 common English language words to explain science. Cells are called, “tiny bags of water you’re made of.” The Mars Rover is “the Space Car for the Red World.” It is a chill formalist exercise I appreciate, but I am not likely to ever try myself.

Munroe is not the only scientist turned comic book artist, however. I met Maris Wicks at the Miami Book Fair. She is a museum educator at Boston’s New England Aquarium. She was signing copies of her hit informational comic book, Human Body Theater. That book made School Library Journal’s list of 2015 TOP 10 Graphic Novels for Kids. I have hip friends who used Human Body Theater to teach anatomy to their home-schooled daughter.

Maris Wicks draws in a kid-friendly style. First Second Books sent me a review copy of her new book, Coral Reefs, Cities of the Ocean. It is is quite wonderful. It has a cute Kawaii feel, but still delivers the goods -educational info on the undersea world. When I met Maris in Miami, she was rushing to that airport to draw while she waited in the terminal for her plane back to Boston.

Maris Wicks is quite amazing, she can write, she can draw, and she knows what she is talking about. Plus: she clearly has a professional attitude about deadlines.

Coral Reefs is geared toward middle schoolers, but I read it aloud who to a precocious second-grader who hung on every word. There is one sequence that explains the scientific evidence for global warming. Kids who understand this science will be smarter than several candidates for the Republican presidential nomination. Imagine that.

Maris Wicks has a great attitude despite the challenges our oceans face. She presents the science, yet manages to be upbeat about the future of the oceans. She tells young readers that even if they live far from the ocean they can help to protect their local ecosystem.

First Second is also releasing another volume in the Science Comics series, Dinosaurs, Fossils and Feathers, written by MK Reed, illustrated by Joe Flood. Years ago I loved John Noble Wilford’s 1985 book, The Riddle of the Dinosaur. This new book has the same amazing cast of characters. I’m thinking of the humans, not the dinosaurs: Young fossil hunter Mary Anning; feuding paleontologists Marsh and Cope, and the larger-than-life Baron Nopsca. Who knew a paleontologist was the first person to hijack an airplane?

Joe Flood’s dinosaur illustrations are perfect for the story. His art is detailed, energetic and clearly well-researched.

Near the close of Dinosaurs is a page that channels Winsor McCay’s Gertie the Dinosaur. Reed and Flood, author and illustrator, are pictured with a Brontosaurus. Earlier in the book they had reported the brontosaurus was not a separate dinosaur. But in 2015, just as their book neared its deadline, the scientific community reinstated the creature.

Both Coral Reefs and Dinosaurs have forwards written by Phd’s. No doubt the editors want to assure parents and educators these books are accurate. From a design standpoint, I would have preferred if these text essays came as an afterword. That said, I love the series so far. These two wonderful books should compel more youngsters to maintain their natural curiosity about the world around us.

KU Kid Lit Conference 2016

11885226_1124517407592866_97772385828826062_n — Poster design and illustration by KU student Christina Davies

The Kutztown University Children’s Literature Conference is 18 years old this year. The event takes place Saturday, April 16. The beautiful poster by Christina Davies is a puzzle showing a cast of famous children’s book characters heading for Kutztown’s campus.

Cover and an interior page from Jonathan Bean’s latest book.

This year is a great year for illustrators. Three of the four keynote speakers are illustrators, and the fourth is married to one. Jonathan Bean, a native son of Fleetwood PA, is author & illustrator most recently of This is My House, This is My School. The Kutztown U Bookstore will have plenty of copies of this and all the titles by the conference speakers.

Emily Arnold McCully, Caldecott Medalist, will share her wonderful stories, many about empowered young women. Best known for her illustrated picture books, McCully is also the author of Ida Minerva Tarbell: The Woman Who Challenged Big Business–and Won! Ida Tarbell was one the the few independent journalists with the guts to fight the most corrupt and greedy American robber barons including John D. Rockefeller.

Screen Shot 2016-03-14 at 8.54.45 PM.png — Art by Daniel Kirk from *Library Mouse, A World to Explore*

Daniel Kirk is the author and or illustrator of over 40 children’s books, including the hit series about Library Mouse. He often brings his acoustic guitar when he visits elementary schools. We will see if he sings at the KU conference.

Rhythm Ride by Andrea Davis Pinkney. cover illustration by Dave Scott

Speaking of music, Andrea Davis Pinkney is the author of Rhythm Ride: A Road Trip Through the Motown Sound. School library Journal calls it ” A well-crafted spin that will reverberate in the hearts of music, African American culture, and history buffs.” Pinkney may be one of the most famous names in the field of American Illustration. Andrea Davis Pinkney is the daughter-in-law of Jerry Pinkney and the wife and sometimes collaborator of illustrator Brian Pinkney.

This year’s KU Children’s Literature Conference is a bargain at $50. Enrolled KU students can attend for $10. There will be autograph sessions and lots of networking. Qualified teachers earn Act 48 credits. There will be free events for the KU community. Details can be found here. Like the Conference Facebook page for updates. Questions? Contact Sarah Bryski: childlitconfku@gmail.com

I’ll be there, too, launching my 2016 Real Poop on Pigeons Tour. KU MFA student Rachel Yoder will display her bilingual PA Dutch/English children’s book, Penny Olive. And Kathi Ember, KU grad will be there with lots of her illustrated books.

Serious Comics, Deadly Serious.

Dr. Rachel Williams talked comics with Kate Chambers and Alexis Manduke.

Rachel Marie Crane Williams, PhD, was invited to Kutztown University to speak at the 6th Annual Diversity Conference. She draws comics about social issues –prison, poverty, lynch mobs. She also teaches at the University of Iowa. She has a joint appointment at the University’s School of Art and Art History and the Dept. of Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies. Her flight from Iowa to Pennsylvania got cancelled (twice !) due to winter storms. It seemed she would not reach the conference. She jumped in her car drove across country. She’s unstoppable!

Screen Shot 2016-02-27 at 3.50.22 PM.png — Her work on The School To Prison Pipeline

She raced straight from her car to our illustration class. Her artwork is informed by news, history, politics, and social practice. She shared a stack of images from her graphic novel on the Detroit Race Riots of 1943. She told us how she traveled to Detroit to do research. She obtained original news photos from The Detroit Free Press archives and transcribed contemporary interviews done by the NAACP.

Screen Shot 2016-02-27 at 3.51.15 PM.png — A project based on her work at an Iowa women’s prison.

Sometimes her visual essays are sponsored by organizations. The School to Prison Pipeline, for example, was done in 2011 for Jane Addams Hull House Museum, the Chicago Freedom School and Project NIA.

She talked about her work inside the Iowa Correctional Facility for Women. A student asked if she liked Orange is the New Black. She said she didn’t think much of the Netflix series, but recommended Image comic’s Bitch Planet. It’s science fiction, but somehow manages to evoke a real sense what life is like for women behind bars.

Dr. Williams asked every student in the class to give their ‘elevator pitch’ for their zine project. She gave lots of good advice. She advised cartooning students to make a font from their own handwriting. A personal font creates a far authentic match to one’s drawing style than using comic sans. There are a number of web sites that will convert your handwriting into a usable font for free. Here is one tutorial.

She also recommended the digital publishing platform ISSUU. Many of her comics and graphic essays are available on ISSUU via her website.

The pages reprinted above and below are from Black and Blue: Stories of Police Violence. This comic was distributed by Chicago’s Project NIA , part of an educational outreach project about police violence.

Detail from Black and Blue: Stories of Police Violence

Her forthcoming project is the monumental graphic novel, Run Home If You Don’t Want To Be Killed: The Detroit Race Riot of 1943. She began work on this project in 2008. It is finally nearing completion and will be published by University North Carolina Press and the Duke Center for Documentary Studies. Meanwhile, there is much more graphic work by Rachel Marie Crane Williams on her website. All images in this post © Rachel Marie Crane Williams

From her forthcoming graphic novel on the Detriot Race Riots.

Maddy’s Dream Job: Lego Star Wars

legoland — LEGOLAND, Billund, Denmark photo credit: Bobby Hidy via Wikipedia

Like a lot of young Americans, Kutztown’s Madison O’Neil grew up loving Star Wars and Lego. Now he is headed to Denmark to design Lego Star Wars characters.

19ebf424005163.56049c098bec3 — Design by Maddy O’Neal, done for fun, before he got the job!

I last wrote about Maddy in 2013 when as a new BFA grad he took an odd career detour to become a ranch hand. Maddy’s new official job title: Character & Graphics Designer, LEGO STAR WARS.

He starts work on February 22, 2016 at Lego, Billund, Denmark. He doesn’t even have a place to live. He and girlfriend, Megan Blair, also a talented KU design grad, found a Bed & Breakfast a short bus ride from Lego HQ.

There are already 2 KU Communication Design grads working at Lego, Austin Carlson and Lauren King. Maddy interned at Crayola and met Lauren there, before she, herself, took off for Denmark. Lauren alerted Maddy to this job opening.

It all happened fast. For the past few years he’s been a designer at the quirky online store Think Geek. He flew to Denmark for the first time over Thanksgiving. Maddy explains,”I prepped an online portfolio, had a skype interview, was flown to Billund, Denmark for a series of interviews and design workshops, and got the job a week or two later. ” He told my illustration class he was one of a dozen candidates flown in from all over the world for the interview.

His interview in November included hands-on tests. He and the others were given a table full of Legos and told to create specific scenes and characters on the spot. Maddy says it was fun, stressful, but fun!

Maddy was ready. In fact, he had packed his suitcase with these tiny characters from cult movies and TV shows including Game of Thrones, Firefly, and, of course, Star Wars. Note all Maddy’s creations in this post are totally unofficial and not available in stores. He custom prints stickers and fabricates props to adorn off-the-shelf Lego people. All rights are retained by the original creators.

See more of Maddy’s imaginative creations including Beast Boy from Teen Titans and Sherlock Holmes here. As he says at www.maddyoneil.com: “I loooove LEGOs! As a hobby I enjoy creating LEGO minifigures of my favorite characters from pop culture. With custom decals and paint applications I can give these little guys big personalities.”

Lessons from Maddy: Network, Build a great portfolio web page, and Looooove what you do!

………………………………………………………………………………………..

Note: My new book, The Real Poop on Pigeons is available for pre-order on Amazon, at the discount price of $8.88. The first review was good, and it is a selection of the Junior Library Guild. I am exhibiting artwork from the book at Kutztown U in April and at The Hoboken Historical Museum in June. More details to come soon.

Kutztown Welcomes Jersey Students

Kutztown University gets a lot of students from New Jersey.

Why so many? We are in Eastern PA, less than an hour west of the Delaware River. I grew up in New Jersey and must admit I always resented this sign: Welcome to Pennsylvania: America Starts Here. I suppose it wasn’t meant as an insult.

The other day at our faculty meeting we were discussing Kutztown’s cost vs. a NJ state school. They pay far, far more taxes in NJ, so it should be cheaper there, right ? Communication Design Chair Prof. Todd McFeely insisted Kutztown U is a comparative bargain. I decided to crunch the numbers. BTW, Communication Design here consists of graphic design, ad design, interactive design, and illustration concentrations.

Another odd billboard on the way from New Jersey.

Universities market themselves by quoting tuition by semester. Instate tuition at Montclair State in NJ is $5886.15 per semester, plus mandatory fees of $1629.90, plus miscellaneous fees like a $225 first year fee, studio and lab fees of up to $260 per class. I add tuition and fees, include the first year fee, but not lab fees to get a yearly cost of $15,257.10. Here is Montclair State’s website, if you want to check my figures.

Illustrator Jerry Pinkney visiting Kutztown U CD class.

Lets compare that to out-of-state tuition at Kutztown University of PA. Tuition and mandatory fees per year: $20,114.50. Turns out we have a first year fee of $238 (who knew?) which I included. That is nearly $5,000 more. However, as my chairperson rightly points out, Kutztown offers a generous tuition reduction program to “above average” students.

I’ll paste the details here: “New first-year students must have a high school GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, and a minimum SAT score of 1,000 (combined math and critical reading) or an ACT composite score of 21. Students receive a 40% reduction of the out-of-state tuition.” Truth is, 1000 SAT’s are not that rare. I’ll crunch these numbers- 40% of annual out-of-state tuition = $7,060. $20,114.50 minus $7,060 means a a cost of $13054.5 for that NJ student with modestly impressive credentials.

eda51e61c4c8028f7b63d51e718d619b — Main St. Kutztown, PA, watercolor ©2015 Jamie Basile, KU grad

Bottom Line: Kutztown can be $2,000 less than Montclair State. My chair was right, as long as you have the grades, we are the better deal. The full out-of-state tuition reduction plan can be seen here.

Kutztown University has been attracting fewer students in recent years. Largely, this is due to the demographics of Eastern PA. Our Communication Design program is first-rate and very competitive, yet even our application numbers are down this year. We have extended the application deadline for our program until Feb 26.

art student FRY — “Weston Sharadin, art student & Highland bull” © Sierra Fry, KU

We hope to get a few more good applicants. If you can’t find the info you need on this page , get in touch with the CD Dept, 610-683-4530, or contact me, Kevin McCloskey: mccloske@kutztown.edu. Note: I used my beloved New Jersey as an example, but any out-of-state applicant gets this deal.

Is Kutztown the right school for you? That’s for you to decide. I wrote about picking an art college in 2011. I advise prospective students not go into debt for a degree in the arts, even the applied arts, like communication design. See Picking an Art School and Picking an Art School Part 2.

The Third Man behind the Terrible Two

The Terrible Two was a 2015 NY Times bestseller. The Terrible Two Get Worse, just released this month, has already gained that honor. The series is a runaway hit with middle grade readers. According to Variety, the Terrible Two have a movie deal! Boffo! I met co-authors Mac Barnett and Jory John at the ALA librarians convention in San Francisco. They are very funny guys both in print and in person.

Jory John worked at 826 Valencia, San Francisco’s legendary street-front writing project. Mac Barnett is the author of a string of hit kid’s books including Sam and Dave Dig a Hole.

Original Terrible Two Cover Sketches © by Kevin Cornell

I told Jory and Mac that their Terrible Two illustrator, Kevin Cornell, was once my student at Kutztown University. Mac whipped out his phone and shot a selfie to send to Kevin. Kevin and Mac collaborated together on the children’s picture book, Moustache!

I asked why Kevin wasn’t with them. “Good Question!” said one of them. (I’m sorry, I get Jory and Mac mixed up.) Jory, I think it was, said Kevin’s illustrations were one of the biggest reasons for the book’s blockbuster success.

Terrible Two concept sketches © Kevin Cornell

Above are a few of the many sketches Kevin drew of the two merry pranksters, Miles and Niles, and their nemesis Principal Barkin. Kevin’s sketches have a Ralph Steadman feel and great verve. Booklist, like other reviewers, noted the role of the illustrations in the Terrible Two series: “fast-paced reading that highlights the meaning of friendship, and animated, amusing cartoon illustrations enhance and extend the story.”

I’ve got good news for fans of Miles and Niles. There are 2 more Terrible Two books in the works. Kevin Cornell also finds time for his own projects. In fact, he told me he prefers to be at his drawing board rather than on a book tour. Go To Sleep Monster, written and illustrated by Kevin Cornell, will be published by Harper Collins in April.

illustration for Go to Sleep Monster! © Kevin Cornell

To see more of Kevin Cornell’s inventive artwork visit his website: http://www.bearskinrug.co.uk. To see, or buy, all of his books visit his Amazon page. I will leave you with a photo grab from his Facebook page, a lesson in consistency to all illustrators, myself included, a snapshot of his sketchbooks. “My 14 year collection of immature humor and drawings of inanimate monkeys.” -Kevin Cornell.

Aubry Cohen has got Skills

Aubry Cohen graduated from Kutztown in 2014 with a concentration in Graphic Design. She had all the classes for the Illustration Concentration, but one. As I always say, a portfolio is WAY more important than a transcript. Today Aubry works for Artskills, a Bethlehem, PA company that makes art and poster supplies along with many other decorative items.

artskillsP — Banner from ArtSkills Facebook page.

Q and A with Audry:

Q: What is you current job title?
A: I’m currently a Graphic Designer/Illustrator.

a44a1d14857659.56289f306a279.jpg — ArtistiCats ©Aubry Cohen, a senior seminar project from KU

Q: How many folks work at Artskills? How many from KU?
A: There are around 40 employees at ArtSkills, and only 12 members of the Art Department. 5 of the Art Department members are from Kutztown!

ff610514857659.5628b71d1a79c.jpg — ArtistiCats packaging ©Aubry Cohen, senior sem project.

Q: Did Kutztown prepare you well for the job? Are there things you wished you learned more about?
A: Kutztown definitely prepared me well for the job! My package design class helped me learn the basics of packaging that I use every day now. It would be beneficial for KU to offer more packaging design courses to give an even deeper knowledge of the field, however. I know a lot of my graduating classmates got jobs where they do packaging as well!

Valentines Candy Wrappers © 2016 ArtSkills by Aubry Cohen

Q: Was there a particular portfolio piece that helped you get your job?
A: I definitely think “ArtistiCats” from my Illustration Senior Seminar helped me get this job. For this project, I developed a line of children’s art supplies, and designed a handful of characters to be on the packaging. This often is what I do at work now! See entire project here.

Monster Wraps © ArtSkills by Aubry Cohen

Q: What is the project you are most proud of?
From school, probably ArtistiCats! From ArtSkills, I’m very proud to have been able to work on a product called Outdoor Doodlers. They are sidewalk chalk holders that will be released this coming spring. I got to design the characters for the wraps of the holders, and they were super fun to do!

Doodlers — More Monter Wraps © Artskills by Aubry Cohen

Q: Do you have any illustration project, outside of work you are doing?
I do various personal illustrations in my spare time, which is always fun! I’m also developing a small online illustration studio with my girlfriend called Catmint Studios. We are hoping to sell some fun illustration-based products, and get it launched this year!

Design from KU greeting card class © Aubry Cohen

Q: Any advice for Illustration students?
The thing that I heard multiple times when I participated in KU’s portfolio review, and that stuck with me the most, was that I had a nice variety of styles in my portfolio. Everyone I spoke with enjoyed seeing many different illustration styles, as opposed to just one signature look.

ArtSkills stickers and packaging detail by Aubry Cohen

Aubry: “My advice is to push your boundaries as an illustrator, and never be afraid to try new things! If you always draw creepy stuff, add something cute to your book. If you’re always doing digital paintings, try out some vector work. I get to work on such a huge variety of illustration projects at ArtSkills, and being able to be versatile really helps with that!

Illustration with typography © Aubry cohen

I would also say that, as an illustrator, definitely still be open to graphic design jobs! My job at ArtSkills is first as a graphic designer, but I am fortunate enough that I get to do a huge amount of illustrating as well. Opportunities for illustration can most certainly come from graphic design positions, so have a well-rounded portfolio, even if you consider yourself an illustrator before anything else.”

Fox Dance character design © by Aubry Cohen

Q: Finally, can you point us to illustrators you admire?
I really love character design, and that’s a part of my job at ArtSkills, too! As such, I admire a lot of character designers, and many illustrators I find online. Here are the links to some favorites: Olivier Silven, Nico Marlet, Zoe Persico, Melanie Matthews, Piper Thibodeau and an artist who goes by the name Crayon Chewer.

See more of Aubry’s work at her site. Learn more about ArtSkills at artskills.com.

Hannah Stephey has BIG News She Can’t Share!

Not long ago, Hannah Stephey posted the image above on her blog and wrote: “Truth be told, all I want out of life is just to publish this book…and maybe get some cute new boots.”

We recently heard from Hannah, a 2014 Kutztown illustration grad, via Facebook. She has big news, but it is still secret. She is not at liberty to reveal which of her many projects are moving forward. I am not surprised to hear of her success. I wrote about her self-published work when she was still a student. Today, she has a literary agent and two, yes TWO! children’s books in the works. I swiped some art from her website. I really don’t know what she talking about, but I bet some funny-looking pugs are involved. When he get facts, we will update! Meanwhile –some Q & A.

frontcover — Look Cookers!, published 2015, art © Hannah Stephey

Question: Hey Hannah, most newly-minted illustration grads don’t find work quickly and get discouraged? How did you avoid that trap?

Hannah: I dealt with the dark void of post-graduation job searching by “keeping my day job,” so to speak. I did internships and freelance work in graphic design by day and worked on my book stuff by night. So, basically, no sleep ever.

Children’s book concept ©2015 Hannah Stephey,

Q: How did you keep your creative juices going?

Hannah: Here’s the important nugget: plan for the real world WHILE you’re in college. Get your name out there, try design competitions, portfolio reviews, trade shows, anything that puts you in front of clients & art directors. It’s super easy to just sleep and watch cat videos in your spare time, but the people who make it are the ones who never stop creating, even after class.

Comic done while a student at KU ©2012 Hannah Stephey

Q: What did you learn from your self-published I (heart) Captain project? did you do that as a junior?

Hannah: What I learned from my self publishing adventures was ANYONE can make and sell books. Sure it’s much more validating if you get actual-published, but you can make and sell any book you want through services like lulu.com. they make creative portfolio pieces. And, yeah, that was my junior year.

Q: Do you think zines are worth doing?

Hannah: Zines are a bigger thing than people realize! Many comic book people start out with zines or have at least dabbled in zines. They’re fun and conventions are a great way to network with other artists (& steal some of their contacts.)

Cover detail from a zine © by Hannah Stephey

Q: How did the book, The Look Cookers, happen?

Hannah: The Look Cookers is a story my uncle, Jim Malloy, wrote that I illustrated. It’s self-published. (It won a Mom’s Choice Gold Award and is available on Amazon.)

pug1 — Pugucinno in a Cup © 2015 Hannah Stephey

Q: Did going to BEA and other events help your illustration career?

Hannah: BEA (Book Expo America for students reading this) was a great way to get some serious exposure from the literary world. It’s pricey, though.

Q: Would you like to give a shout out to any of your Kutztown profs?

Hannah : I’d like to give a shout out to the entire KU CD department, but especially Kresge who was also my advisor for being so awesome and such a huge Toy Story nerd. Cunfer for being a stone-cold perfectionist and whipping me into shape, and teaching the importance of traditional techniques to give our work more soul and personality in a digital world. And of course… McCloskey! Who helped me discover you don’t have to be a cookie cutter logo tweaker to succeed in a creative career, and I needed to hear that! Also Clair and Prof. Voccola. I know he’s a writing prof, but he deserves props for being awesome.

Pugs and kisses.jpg — Pugs & Kisses © 2015 Hannah Stephey

The Real Poop on Pigeons !

Time to reveal the subject of my next book, -PIGEONS!

“Robert McCloskey’s original idea for Make Way for Ducklings (1942) was to use pigeons …but he found pigeons too difficult to draw.” from Claudette Hegel’s Newbery and Caldecott Trivia. Hard to believe, but it makes me happy because my next book is The Real Poop on Pigeons!

The great Robert McCloskey, no close relation, could draw anything. I sent him my 1992 kids’ book, Mrs. Fitz’s Flamingos. He sent me back an encouraging note. Now, oddly enough, I’m doing a book about pigeons. The Real Poop on Pigeons will be published by TOON BOOKS, April. 2016.

Picasso and Paloma © Kevin McCloskey 2015

We Dig Worms! was such a hit it went into a second printing just 3 months after its April 2015 release. I got a call from Toon Books’ editor-in-chief Françoise Mouly this summer. I was out, but she left a message, “We need another book, We Dig Salamanders, We Dig Birds, We Dig Something!” Got to admit, I listened to that voice message more than once.

Screen Shot 2015-12-02 at 12.24.05 PM — Fancy pigeons from Real Poop on Pigeons © 2015 Kevin McCloskey

Why Pigeons? Like worms, most kids, no matter where they live, have seen pigeons. I learned about pigeons from an expert. Thanks to Holly Metz I met Vinnie Torre, one of the last of Hoboken’s great pigeon racers. Holly was editing a series of oral history chapbooks for the Hoboken Historical Museum.

Vinnie Torre in his rooftop pigeon coop — Vinnie Torre, pencil and watercolor. © 2009 Kevin McCloskey

I visited Vinnie’s rooftop loft to research art for The Pigeon Guys. That book is available as a free ebook, here. Sometimes students ask if they should do ‘pro bono’ or free work. Well, I did the Pigeon Guys for free. I am a founding member of the Hoboken Historical Museum and think it is great place.

Antique print from painting by Ludlow, male Red Pouter pigeon, — Antique red pouter pigeon print from painting by Ludlow, circa 1890

Plus what I learned on that project inspired my own pigeon book. The research was fun.

I read a number of way cool books on pigeons. I liked Andrew Blechman’s Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World’s Most Revered and Reviled Bird. I loved Courtney Humbprey’s Superdove: How the Pigeon Took Manhattan … And the World. Wow, books about pigeons have long titles.

Screen Shot 2015-12-02 at 12.19.29 PM — For Real Poop on Pigeons, an early sketch © 2015 Kevin McCloskey

I visited the National Aviary in Pittsburgh to sketch their rare Victoria crowned pigeons. I learned Picasso painted lots of pigeons. He even named his daughter Paloma, Spanish for pigeon.

Old German chromolithograph from Schachtzabel's book. K. McCloskey collection — Old German chromolithograph from Schachtzabel’s book. K. McCloskey collection

I bought inspiring antique pigeon prints from a Warsaw dealer via Ebay, they are chromolithographs. Some came from a lovely German book, Emil Schachtzabel’s 1906 Illustriertes Prachtwerk sämtlicher Taubenrassen. The entire book can be found on Wikimedia, here.

You can pre-order Real Poop on Pigeons at Amazon. It is on sale now, but they will not ship it until April. Of course, if you need a Christmas present, We Dig Worms! is available wherever books are sold. Thank you, worms, for all you have done for me this year!

Did I mention this? School Library Journal chose We Dig Worms! for their Top 10 Graphic Novels of 2015. To me this is as mind-boggling as the idea that Robert McCloskey couldn’t draw pigeons.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: