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”
Tag Archives: children’s book 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”
Q & A with Jennifer Hansen Rolli
Jennifer Hansen Rolli, author, illustrator, and Kutztown University grad will return to campus for the Kutztown University’s Children’s Literature Conference. The conference, 4/21/18, celebrates its 20th year with keynote speakers: Peter Sís, Raúl Colón, Lee Harper and Sharon Draper. Kutztown University students can attend the conference for $10. Jennifer will take part in our “Author Chat”Continue reading “Q & A with Jennifer Hansen Rolli”
Really Sharp Artists at The Pencil Factory
Kutztown illustration students went on a field trip to The Pencil Factory, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, to visit a great illustrator, Paul Hoppe. Paul grew up in Germany and his name is pronounced something like “Powell Hopp-uh.” He is a graduate, like me, of the MFA Illustration as Visual Essay program at SVA. He also teaches in SVA’s summerContinue reading “Really Sharp Artists at The Pencil Factory”
Star Illustrators at KU Kid Lit 2017
Bryan Collier is coming to Kutztown. The ‘Kid Lit’ in the headline is shorthand for “The 19th Annual Kutztown University Children’s Literature Conference” on April 1, 2017. Collier is a stellar illustrator, best know for his vibrant collage work focusing on the African-American experience, such as Uptown and Rosa. He’s won The Coretta Scott King Honor and Ezra JackContinue reading “Star Illustrators at KU Kid Lit 2017”
Viva Frank Viva!
I love Frank Viva’s “Trip to the Bottom of the World with Little Mouse.” It is drawn digitally in Adobe Illustrator, yet it has a retro feel. I got to meet the Canadian author/illustrator at the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting in Boston. He flew down from Toronto where he heads an award-winning graphic design agency, VivaContinue reading “Viva Frank Viva!”
KU Kid Lit Conference 2016
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. This year is a great year for illustrators. Three of the four keynote speakers are illustrators, andContinue reading “KU Kid Lit Conference 2016”
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 greatContinue reading “The Real Poop on Pigeons !”
Not that Nathan Hale, Meet the Cartoonist.
Nathan Hale is a fitting name for a graphic novelist specializing in historical biographies. I ran into him at the American Library Association convention in San Francisco. I asked if he was named for the hero of the American Revolution. He wrote One Dead Spy, about that hero. “No, I am named for my grandfather,”Continue reading “Not that Nathan Hale, Meet the Cartoonist.”
Kutztown says hello! to NYC.
More talented Kutztown students are heading to the 2015 MoCCA Arts Fest in NYC with their zines or mini-comics, April 11-12. Christina Davies is not only a design/illustration student, she is a student of the universe and avid space enthusiast. Her zine, titled “hello” celebrates manmade spacecraft and satellites, and how humanity’s will to learnContinue reading “Kutztown says hello! to NYC.”
Illustration Concentration 