Book Week is being celebrated over at the sketch blog I belong to with my pals …. “THE SKETCHABLES!”
Here’s my quick attempt at a Book Week Poster. http://thesketchables.blogspot.com/
Go See!!!
I have a theme song. I have played it countless times over the last 5 years as I have tried to break into childrens’ books!!!
Today I blasted it in celebration.
FANNY BRICE – Funny Girl – sung by “The” Barbara Streisand
Don’t tell me not to live, just sit and putter
Life’s candy and the sun’s a ball of butter
Don’t bring around a cloud to rain on my parade
Don’t tell me not to fly, I simply got to
If someone takes a spill, it’s me and not you
Who told you you’re allowed to rain on my parade
I’ll march my band out, I’ll beat my drum
And if I’m fanned out, your turn at bat, sir
At least I didn’t fake it, hat, sir
I guess I didn’t make it
But whether I’m the rose of sheer perfection
A freckle on the nose of life’s complexion
The cinder or the shiny apple of its eye
I gotta fly once, I gotta try once,
Only can die once, right, sir?
Ooh, life is juicy, juicy and you see,
I gotta have my bite, sir.
Get ready for me love, ’cause I’m a “comer”
I simply gotta march, my heart’s a drummer
Don’t bring around the cloud to rain on my parade,
I’m gonna live and live NOW!
Get what I want, I know how!
One roll for the whole shebang!
One throw that bell will go clang,
Eye on the target and wham,
One shot, one gun shot and bam!
Hey, Mr. Arnstein, here I am …
I’ll march my band out, I will beat my drum,
And if I’m fanned out, your turn at bat, sir,
At least I didn’t fake it, hat, sir,
I guess I didn’t make it
Get ready for me love, ’cause I’m a “comer”
I simply gotta march, my heart’s a drummer
Nobody, no, nobody, is gonna rain on my parade!
I was thinking today as I drove around running errands..
I never owned “Where the Wild Things Are” as a kid.
It was at the doctor’s office.
I was afraid of the Dr.’s office. Afraid of the antiseptic smell, the coughing kids, the shots – the unspoken fear of having to take my clothes off.
I would sit, nervously on the rust brown, 1970′s waiting room couch and read “Where the Wild Things Are”.
And I felt better.
I was not alone in my fear. This book was kinda scary. The monsters were an uneasy combination of beautiful and hideous. Somehow- that book about an unknown, kinda scary place full of monsters – helped me deal. It didn’t make me any less frightened, it just made me ok with being frightened. I went back to this book every visit. I was mad when kids scribbled crayon on it. It was a precious thing.
When I found out I was pregnant, I went out and bought “Where the Wild Things Are”. Was it because I wanted my kid to grow up with a literary masterpiece? Partially, but I also think- it was cause I was scared. And I was right to be. I brought the book home- and read it. I was still afraid of becoming a parent- the book didn’t take that away. It just made me ok with being frightened.
Please listen to the Terry Gross interview on NPR if you have not. I heard it when it first aired. I sat – tissue box in my lap – on the floor – mesmerized.
I call him “Teacher”.
“Let the Wild Rumpus Begin!” – Mr. Sendak is off on an adventure, flying in a plane made of dough. Heading to a place with endless bowls of chicken soup with rice. I won’t be sad today. I will nash my terrible teeth and I will show my terrible claws. I will think about the fire that burned in that man’s belly- and let it in to my own.
“Teach Your Children” by Crosby, Stills and Nash is a deep tune. – man.
I sang it in church when I was a teenager at “Folk Mass”. I didn’t know what the hell it meant then.
Now I do.
It’s all about the Parents and the kid learning from each other.
So, my daughter Maggie, is 12 now and in 6th grade. She is bursting with creativity… really.. it is not containable. She is very musical.Plays the piano, sings a lot. Has a nice soprano voice – but we thought, nice voice… not amazing, but nice.
When Maggie was in 5th grade, she set her sights on the school play, “Oh! What a Knight!” – She rehearsed and rehearsed to audition for the part of the loveable, singing dragon. She decided not to go for a lead role, she said “I’m not ready for a lead, but I think I can do a supporting role.” Every night until bed time, she sang. Every morning – before school, she sang. She was so nervous the day of her audition and the following days until the parts were announced. I picked her up from school and I knew the moment our eyes locked- she didn’t get the part. She cried non-stop for two hours.
She got a non-singing part. She played the depressed Jester. She was good. 5th grade ended.
All summer, she sang. She sang at the piano. She’s one of those weird people who can listen to a song on the radio and sit down and play it on the piano. She used to be really difficult to get to practice the piano. If she’s allowed to play by ear, she can sit forever, humming… finding the notes… it’s cool.
We watched musicals all summer. She saw Les Mis at the Paper Mill Playhouse in N.J….. she sang… “On my Own”… over and over….”Castle on a cloud”….
Middle School starts. It’s like Thunder Dome for tweens. All hell breaks loose in the identity department.
She signs up for chorus. She practices- she learns the piano music…she tries out for a Holiday Concert solo. She doesn’t get it. Now she’s mad. Really mad.
So she keeps singing.
She sees Wicked on Broadway for her birthday. Her brain explodes. She NEVER STOPS SINGING. Defying Gravity. Over and over and over.
(Husband and I go a little nuts)(We liked Wicked a lot)
The Middle School Musical is announced “BYE BYE BIRDIE” – Holy cow. I was in it in high school. I was the Mom.
Mags sets her sights on KIM- the lead. She watches the movie, over and over. She learns the piano music. She sings and sings and sings.
She auditions.
She gets called back. The only non 8th grader to get called back. It’s between her and 2 other girls.
She sings again. (She thinks she’s got it)
She doesn’t get it.
She gets “Reporter #2″ – she cries. She’s mad. We put together a slammin vintage outfit… in the end, I watch her at the cast party. She’s loving all of the new friends. She’s enjoying the camaraderie of the theatre.
When it’s over- she says “I miss it.”
So, she sings. Singing Adele mostly. Then she comes home and says, “I want to do NYSMMA” – I do not know what that is but I know there is singing involved.
It’s the NY state educational version of American Idol. You sing in front of judges and they score you. (gulp- a nightmare to me) “Are you sure you want to do this- you aren’t a trained singer” “A lot of these other kids are trained” —- “YES!”
She is assigned “I feel Pretty”- from West Side Story. Luckily- she loves this play. She learns the piano music. She sings it 24/7. There are some notes in this song that orbit Jupiter, they are so high.
She rehearses at school. She sings in front of all of the other kids doing NYSSMA.
The Saturday morning of the performance… I’m all knots in the belly. I think she’ll choke. I think her voice will crack. She’s nervous so I keep saying… “Just do your best. I’m proud that you are doing this- what ever happens- I’m proud.”
My husband, Maggie and I wait in the hall outside of the door and watch another Dad wait nervously…. out comes his son – crying. (Oh crap)
“MAGGIE LIGHT”
She doesn’t look back at us. They close the door. The piano starts that staccato … bum babbum ba bumba bumba… and out comes a voice like a bell… clear and resounding..through the door… through the halls…
My husband and I look at each other- our jaws hit the floor and we burst into tears.
Out comes the music teacher and we ask “Was that Mags?” – Mags had to stay in the room and sing scales.. and when she walked out- she was beaming.
“He said to me You have that kind of voice in 6th grade?!?”
Her scores came back a month later- perfect score. Wow. I told her “See what you did!? You set your mind to something and you worked hard and you killed it!”
The Spring concert solo auditions were announced. “ABBA” – Dancing Queen. Abba all night- Abba all day..on the piano… in the shower… in the car….
She got it. She got the solo.
“Teach your parents well,
Their children’s hell will slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picked, the one you’ll know by.”
Rejection – it didn’t stop my kid. She didn’t take NO for an answer.
She worked harder. She set her jaw and her sights. She believed she had it in her and she made it come out. ON HER OWN- SHE DEFIED GRAVITY.
And I learned from her.
I tend to brush off funny little things that I say. I’m happy just to make another person laugh. I am no comedienne – not funny “Ha-Ha” but maybe a little funny…. kinda quirky in an off- kilter kinda way. Certainly not a trait I have full confidence in. Really- I think I’m weird and if somebody else gets what I think is funny and thinks it’s funny too- it’s a little win.
So- Next time… you say something clever or funny, and you make someone laugh, write it down.
Somebody recently said to me about this, “That’s the gold. That’s what you mine for. The little nuggets. But you have to keep digging.”
I have two homes. One in Long Island and one in Amherst, MA. I consider myself a very,very lucky girl to be able to walk in and out of two very different worlds. The three hour drive to MA feels very much like a trip down the rabbit hole into a Wonderland… up to the “Happy Valley” -in MA, as it’s called. Down here, in NY, I spend 97% of my life in my attic..alone with the pets..drawing. Up there, in MA… I meet the most enchanting people.
This past week I did my “Character Design 101″ workshop up at the NESCBWI Spring conference. I drove up a day early to get “Hot Dog House” – ready for guests. It was thrilling to see the cars pull up the drive way. From Texas, from Minnesota, from New Jersey and from D.C…. Out popped Diandre Mae, Nina Crittendon, Leeza Hernandez and Courtney Pippin Mathur. The weekend kicked off with an evening out in Amherst. D and Nina helped me bag my cookies for my workshop. (Cookies make everything better and the sugar high would fog their brains…making my workshop even better!) We were groovin’ at Hot Dog to Gotye’s “Somebody that I used to know”…
The next day – we all were off to The Eric Carle Museum for the reception. We arrived wearing polka dots..and who knew it would cause quite the stir? Illustrator Carlyn Beccia wore them too! I love to see illustrators take in The Carle for the first time. It’s such a little gem.
Leeza,Courtheny,Me,Carlyn and D. Nina had on dots too.. She must be taking the picture.
That night we were off to Springfield to the hotel. Those of us in the Illustrator Academies had our intro meetings. In the advanced Academy we had the huge opportunity to work with Dan Yaccarino, Matha Rago and Kristin Sorra. If you have read my blog over time, you know of my art crush on “The Yaccarino”. There’s got to be 4-5 posts about him. I met him this past winter conference in NYC for the first time. If there is anybody I want to soak up art knowledge from, it’s him.
I was officially on the faculty since I was giving a workshop. The conference theme was “A Whole New World”… and that is exactly how it felt. Being at the faculty dinner was kind of like a steady cam shot. Kind of dizzying. You seem to be right in the action.. but you can’t feel your body. Are you really there?
It was the night before my workshop and my nerves were revving up….but fun conversation helped whisk them a way for awhile. Somehow…after dinner I found myself sitting at the bar next to Harry Bliss. This dude is funny. I luv a dry wit and a slow delivery. He is also a huge David Bowie fan. A New Yorker cartoonist – great illustrator and a Bowie fan.
Dig – him.
The next morning… I had no idea what to wear!!! So- I thought… be chill… and started singing Johnny Cash… so I wore a black shirt and black pants. I walk the line.
Packed up the car with all of the workshop stuff and off we drove… back to Springfield! -we arrived a bit before 8. My workshop was at 9:50. I went to the room. It was set up all wrong. No tables. D’UH-O! It’s a drawing workshop… oy to the vey! After a minor nervous breakdown… I helped a nice man named Raymond put out new tables and cover them with table clothes. I gave him cookies. The AV dude hooked up the tech.. and in rolled the attendees. I was SO nervous- my heart was going like the typewriter in that Spike Jones typewriter song!
The nerves were like a huge wave…waiting to crash on me… so I rode that wave. I surfed my nerves thru the 2 hours. I learned – laughter really is the best medicine. Laugh at yourself. Laugh at your mistakes
Thank you to all who attended who were friendly and fun. Thanks to Casey Girard and Greg Matusic for posing for gestures.The other lady too! I didn’t get her name. I think we could have done that for a long time. Thanks for being excited to draw together. I hope that I get to do this workshop again and improve it. Now – having done it, I don’t know why I was so nervous. It was fun. Keep playing with your drawing you guys!
I did crash a bit afterwards. I sat in the afternoon..took a stroll in the sun.
Then it was time for dinner. I did not go to the faculty pizza party. We went out for BBQ a few blocks away. I sat across from The Yaccarino and next to friends and had a great time. I have a rule – no messy eating in professional settings. No salad, no spaghetti… no ribs. RIBS!? Did someone say ribs? They were good too! And so was chatting with Dan, yes, I can now call him Dan. (altho..I will always think of him as The Yaccarino) SO interesting to talk animation- the ins and outs and ups and downs! There were many ribs consumed…… by Heidi. She is so tiny… hollow legs…must be.
That’s me.. going “Pyscho” on my ribs.
After the restaurant- I hit the portfolio room. There are many talented illustrators up in New England. It’s a fertile land of art. My hands smelled like ribs as I turned the pages. I am sure I have added some scratch and sniff to many portfolios. I got a lot of great feedback on my own portfolio. It was very validating. It will fuel me in my on going agent hunting…
Then fun back at the bar. Some words of wisdom over my portfolio from Dan have lit a fire under my tuchus. Basically a “What are you waiting for?”
He’s like EF Hutton… If he’s gonna say somethin’..I’m gonna listen.
After a few cocktails we drove to Hot Dog House … first full night’s sleep in days…. (I did not drive)
The next day we were in the Illustrator Academy. It was great to see the different takes on our homework. The faculty each gave a presentation. I wish we had more time. I came ready to rework my under worked homework. – I had put all of my attention into my workshop.. so I felt like a bit of a slacker. I learned from other’s efforts tho. Martha Rago can see the “big” picture in the picture book. So many aspects to do successfully to make something so simple. Deceptively simple. – Elegance is simplicity. It’s all very zen…… well, kinda. It WILL be. – oh, back to work…
The Poster Contest! I almost forgot… my pick, won. Russ Cox! – I love being right. (there were other FAB posters too!)
The conference ended with a touching talk by Jane Yolen. She spoke of celebrating each other’s achievements and supporting each other along the journey. I got sniffly. We polka dotty gals had spent the whole weekend doing just that.
We bid Adieu to Leeza and Courtney… and went back to get into pajamas at Hot Dog.
Monday morning, lounging about… we got an invite to tea and had a SPLENDID afternoon. Inspiring, motivating…welcoming. Happy, Happy Valley…. you are hard to leave. After some book stores, some art gallery-ing.. and some local burgering… we were worn out.
The next morning D drove on to Boston and Nina flew back to Minnesota …and I drove back thru the rabbit hole to NY.
It all happened right?
It feels a bit like a movie I used to love…. The one where the kid drops a quarter into the slot of a fortune teller machine and says…
“I want to be BIG”
When Leigh and I bought our first home, my Grandmother gave us a house warming gift, a plate. One of those decorative ones you hang on the wall- by Thomas Kinkade “painter of Light”. She handed it to me with pride, as a gift to her granddaughter ,”the artist”.
Inside – I cringed. (art school/art snob) To her face I ooohed and ahhhed. It never hung on my wall. Along with Thomas Kinkade note cards and Thomas Kinkade Christmas ornaments, that plate resides in a box in my basement with other gifts my now deceased Grandmother gave me. It was her understanding of art. It was what she liked and hung on her own walls. It was in her purchases of Thomas Kinkade products that she was beautifying her life with art and in those purchases finding a connection with me , a maker of art.
Thomas Kinkade passed away and in the few minutes I was on Facebook this morning, I read countless jokes and insults about him.I cannot speak ill of a man who brought joy to so many people through art, despite my education and experience. What is art? Define it. It’s whatever art means to each person. What makes bad art – mass production? I say the “eye of the beholder”.
There was a time in the 1920′s that hardly a home in America existed with out a Maxfield Parrish print. I love Maxfield Parrish- so much so I named my kid after him. In his lifetime did he deal with derision from his fellow artists? I wish I knew. I do know Norman Rockwell denied himself, self respect for most of his life due to his commercial success. I consider Norman Rockwell an American Master.
Does time erase the stank of commercial success? Do we really deride and deny Dali? Picasso? or any other artist, illustrator, cartoonist, animator, filmmaker, dancer, author, etc.. who during their life time becomes crazy wealthy off of their ideas? Do we have to look past the art to the person always? Do we research what kind of lives and business practices all of the artists we like or dislike lead when we view the art? Do we say “I need a full bio before I decided if I like this or not.” Do we negate their impact on our world because they surpass an acceptable level of popularity? Is there a line that is crossed and if so where? Or do we just sit back and think. “if it brings you joy- that is wonderful.” “Not my cup of tea.” “I’ll look at other art that moves me.”
Sad the guy passed away so young and under a dark cloud the last few years of his life. Whatever you thought of him- he brought many people joy with his art or art direction of other artists. Not all of us can walk through The Met or The Moma and discuss Pre-Raphaelites to PostModernism. Perhaps the uneducated viewer of art has the purest response – visceral – emotional – instant. Maybe that’s a great feeling. I think that’s how my Grandmother felt about his art.
I’ve never given a workshop before. This April, at the NESCBWI Spring Conference, “Keeping it Real” – I am. I… am. I….
Aye-yai-yai.
Yes! I can do it!
No! I can’t!
What was I thinking?
Wait- a – minute… I can DO this!
Why would you do this to yourself?
Why NOT you?
What if you fall flat on your face?
What if you knock it out of the ballpark?
What have I got to offer?
Babe, you got a lot to offer.
My interior monologue has a split personality and they are not getting along these days.
Getting up in front of an audience is BIG. The last time I did that… junior year of high school. Bye Bye Birdie. I was Mrs. Peterson – the comic relief. I went over big- got a write up in the N.J. Star Ledger…. “stole the show”. That was 1987.
I know I am supposed to imagine the audience naked… or in their underwear. Truthfully, it will be me baring it all. (I promise! Not really!) Just me yammering away for two hours. I am encouraging audience participation!!
And giving out cookies.
I am excited.
I am scared.
I’m ready.
This sketch made it’s way over here from The Sketchables!
It’s an online sketch blog that I belong to. The other talented artists in the group are Diandre Mae, Joy Steuerwald, Heather Powers and Priscilla Burris. We have been chugging along since 2010. Each week,we have a theme that we all can riff on. The interpretation is up to us; it can be literal or loose. We try to keep up but we all have busy lives and even I have missed quite a few. We want it to stay fun- so we say, no pressure. When the stars align and we have the time, I think we would all agree that the prompts spark some really good sketches that may lead to some great finished art. Check us out over at THE SKETCHABLES!
Here’s my post about the sketch:
I can not tell a lie. This theme was my idea. I wanted to draw it so bad!!! I got a little carried away with it and do not want to stop..but I had to post it! It’s my favorite book of all time..and I love all of the movie versions, animated and black and white. (not a fan of the Burton one tho) My favorite movie version is THIS.
How do you not only reinterpret a classic but also- one that has been done over and over again? and so beautifully…. Have you ever seen THIS @ The Carle? I cried- it was so pretty.
How to do my own? You close your eyes and pretend you are there… I thought what if I were Alice- well, she’d have dark hair. After all, that’s what I wanted- to fall asleep in the sunshine and be woken up by the white rabbit and fall down that hole! In this world of my own – there would be a touch of the things I love. So I thought of old funny page strips – and my tea pot collection and sailor tops. Every few years I re-read the books and it never gets old. The nonsense. The word play. The rhyme.
I must finish this don’t you think? It needs me to… otherwise, Off with my HEAD!
I don’t know if I’ll write a recap about the NY SCBWI Winter conference. I just want to say that what a treat it is to meet people in person after getting to know them online. How wonderful to have a base line for friendship of common interests, mutual passion and shared dreams. I have a favorite show of all time, Northern Exposure. There’s an episode where the young Shaman Ed, takes Dr. Joel Fleischman into the woods at night and shows him a clearing covered with phosphorescent mushrooms. He explains that why they glow is that under the soil- they all share the same root system. – every single SCBWI conference I think of this episode. – Because we are connected we all glow a little brighter.
