Friday Five, Feeling fine!

1. She's ready, but am I? SMALL is officially out on August 1st. I should be announcing book events VERY soon. And if you can't wait, Barnes & Noble released it a little early and you can grab it now!

2. Here be dragons...and mermaids! I really enjoyed working with the kids at the Children's Museum of New Hampshire this week. And now there are two new printables for anyone to print and enjoy (go to printables). Thanks to Meredith Lamothe for coordinating and Neva Cole for the great pictures!

3. Totally totes. The Tundra 50th anniversary tote auction, benefitting IBBY ends at 5pm. Now is the time for crazy bidding on lovely artist originals, like Zoe Si's tote above. Go go go (for a good cause!).

4. Did I say that? Karlin Gray interviewed me as part of her "My First Picture Book Q&A" series. Thank you so much, Karlin. Often I look back at interviews and I cringe (we can be hard on ourselves, no?). But this time, I saw one line she highlighted in red (love how you do that, Karlin) and was a little surprised that I said something so strong and succinct. Ha! "Did I mention that I never quit on my ideas?" I hope there is some inspiration and fortitude in the interview for anyone still climbing up the picture book debut hill. You can read the whole thing here. And stay to read all the other debut posts, they are really wonderful and inspiring!

5. NEXT WEEK!!!!! My kids are in fun camps, I have plans with great friends, my book comes out (OMG!), I get quiet work time, I get to read IT'S GREAT BEING A DAD to the kids at my town library. I'm so happy and thankful and enjoying every new step on this journey. If you are still reading - thank you! I know blogs sort of fell out of the limelight but I've always loved sharing the ups and downs with all of you. xoxo

On drawing SMALL

When I was in a senior drawing class at Syracuse University, I was drawing a tiny little narrative series. My professor, Stephen Zaima, told me to draw my next project on very big paper. Then, he thoughtfully said, draw small on very big paper. It may have been the most esoteric direction a professor gave me in art school, but I never forgot his sensitivity. I really liked the work that came from his suggestion. So today I'm sharing some of my small drawing for SMALL. What we refer to as thumbnails.

One of things I love about making books are all the different stages of work. Thumbnailing might be one of my favorite stages (even though it can be full of internal angst and drama!). I love coming up with concepts in a simple, raw way. It really is the essence of emotion and story. It's awesome to look back at the last page of thumbs (above) and know that it matches the final story, even from these little bits.

SMALL comes out August 1st from little bee books. You can preorder from your favorite store and download the activity kit here.

SMALL: Persistence and Paint

I'll be sharing some blog posts about the making of SMALL. It's been a long road! Today, I'm sharing one particular spread that survived (but changed drastically) from an early version of the book.

I really loved the sketch above. So much so, that I chose it as one of two spreads to paint for the completed dummy. It was a big, gouache painting that took a long time to complete. I also sent it out as a promotional postcard.

When I revised the dummy, I kept the overall concept of this spread, but so many things changed - this was the sketch I submitted and was accepted when little bee books acquired SMALL.

For one thing, the character looks different, stylistically. But really, the whole scene is far more active and dramatic. She is no longer content to be small on this busy street, but a little scared and surprised. All traffic is moving in opposition to her, and we can almost hear the HONK! HONK! of the drivers. NOTE: This is the terrible, loose, messy sketch I sent when I submitted (and sold) my book. I have cringed when I have seen other artists' tightly rendered, meticulous dummies. Find a balance that is right for you!

This is the final art as it appears in the book. Notice all the changes from the approved sketch? I needed to include her mother, be more mindful of the gutter, push the HONK! HONK!, etc. I have switched to working entirely on a Cintiq, and I may have spent LESS time painting this final art than the earlier example. Have I mentioned how much I love my Cintiq?

When I look back, I can see just how much I benefitted from reworking and pushing my ideas. I am so proud of the final art and grateful that I had the time to mature as an artist before publishing a story that is so dear to me.

SMALL will be released on August 1st from little bee books. Click here for more info about pre-ordering and the activity kit.

Hello, Summer and Friday Five

1. SMALL! Tomorrow is July 1st which means my debut picture book, SMALL will be out in exactly one month. The swag has been rolling in I'll be spending the next few weeks in marketing mode. The blog is about to get very busy!

2. Tote-ally amazing art. See what I did there? Tundra asked it's book artist to create one-of-a-kind art on their very cool totes for an auction. All proceeds go to IBBY, a non-profit that connects children and books all over the world. I enjoyed making my bubbly unicorn piece and just feel honored to be in this crowd. Go browse the beautiful pieces and throw down a bid or two (or three). I won't pick favorites, but I've been eyeing totes from Ben Clanton, Rebecca Green, Chihiro Takeuchi, Mélanie Watt, and Raphaëlle Barbanègre. The auction runs until July 28th.

3. School's out for Summah! We celebrated the end of school with a few days of Maine goodness. It was the perfect break. Especially because I got my traditional lobster tacos. Thank you, Home Kitchen Cafe. And on August 19th I will be back for the 12th Annual Children's Book-Fair-by-the-Sea.

Wow. Right? It's an absolute honor to be part of this lineup.

4. Now I know about the log lady. Somehow, my husband and I had never watched Twin Peaks. With the new episodes out, we decided to jump in the way-back machine and watch quirky TV from the early 90's. We each take turns watching an episode while the other one falls asleep and filling the other one in the next night. I'm not really sure why we are still watching it (we are more than halfway through season two) but it feels like we are sticking with it until the bitter end. We did enjoy fast forwarding through the opening one night and realizing that it just made it normal speed. Call it meditation via slow, cheesy TV, but it's our current jam.

5. How-to-Draw... The response to the How-to-Draw printables was so awesome I plan on adding to the group. I think mermaids, dragons, and gnomes are a must. Any other suggestions?

How-To-Draw Free Printables

What a week: My first Barnes & Noble signing; teaching a workshop at Kids Con New England; reading to my daughter's Kindergarten classes; and getting ready for another Barnes & Noble signing near my hometown (Hingham, MA) this Saturday. IT'S GREAT BEING A DAD makes such a great Father's Day gift, I knew this was going to be my busiest two weeks and it was!

I got such an awesome response to the How-To-Draw worksheets when I shared a sneak peek on instagram that I made them available on my website. Just click PRINTABLES at the top of my navigation. The workshop was fun and I was so impressed with how focused the young artists were, no matter their age. I'd LOVE to see any drawings inspired by the workshop or worksheets. Send me an email (ginacarey at comcast dot net) or tag me on instagram (@ginapineapple)

Coming up... B&N Newington and KidsCon New England

The next two weeks is super busy - school is ending and I'll be zipping around, promoting IT'S GREAT BEING A DAD. Here is what's happening this weekend:

This Saturday, from 1-3pm I will be reading and signing books at Barnes & Noble in Newington, NH. If you are looking for something outside the madness of Market Square Day, come on by! I will have goodies and crafts on hand. I also have these cool Father's Day cards - get all your gift giving done while having fun. Speaking of hands. Check out this brilliant idea from Michelle at The Book Report for personalizing a book for a Dad. Kids handprints on the endpapers. SO amazing!

On Sunday, from 10am-4pm, I will be at KidsCon New England at the Radisson in Nashua, NH. This is the second year for KidsCon and photos from last year (see above) look amazing. Cosplay, Jedi Academy, pirates, Ghostbusters, tons of artists and awesome vendors. From 10:30-11:15am I will be teaching a workshop for kids, "How to Draw Imaginary Creatures" - then hanging out at table B-9 (you sunk my battleship!). My friends Jennifer Marsh Morris, Jannie Ho, Dani Jones, Dan Moynihan, and Smile Create Repeat will be there, too! Stop by to say hello if you come.

Winner! And another chance...

Thank you so much to everyone who entered the giveaway! If you didn't win, be sure and toss your name into the hat over on Goodreads. That giveaway ends June 6th, at midnight EST.

I'm really looking forward to the next few weeks - I have a bunch of cool book events (see my new events page!) in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, school is ending, and I'm wrapping up work on TOO MUCH! NOT ENOUGH!, coming out Summer '18 from Tundra Books.

Giveaway and NESCBWI recap

With Father's Day around the corner, I thought it was a great time to have a book giveaway. I'm giving away one copy of IT'S GREAT BEING A DAD by Dan Bar-el, illustrated by me. The giveaway ends May 30th and I will notify the winner promptly. Open to anyone 18+ years of age in US or Canada.

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I promised a little NESCBWI Conference recap, so here are my top five takeaways:

1. Oh, hello! Taking a few years off of this conference was exactly what I needed in order to reboot my perspective. I really enjoyed meeting lots of new people and listening to where they are on their journey. We all know we are part of a tribe, but this tribe comes from a million unique and interesting places - and it was a blast getting to soak it all up. And I had the special privilege of meeting (IRL!) some of my newest tribe - Picture The Books 2017 We are a group of debut children's book authors and illustrators. Their collective talent is only surpassed by their kindness.

From left to right: Mike Malbrough, Emma Otheguy, Alison Goldberg, Heather Pruesser, Gina Perry, Vivian Kirkfield

2. Always take Sudipta's workshops. I've said this before on my blog. If you want to walk away from a writing workshop with tools to improve, look no further than Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen. Also, you will NEVER fall asleep in her presence. Even after you stayed up way too late both nights before...

3. Mr Schu is in the house. Pass the tissues. I was literally tearing up within 2 minutes of Mr. Schu's presentation. In a good way, of course. I am SO thankful to NESCBWI for snagging him for a moment of his busy year to remind us WHY we write for kids. I am so thrilled for all the kids around the country that will be infected with his sheer joy and love for books. His presentation wasn't all inspiration - I walked away with some really good tips about presenting my work online (BIG, clean book cover jpegs, ready for sharing!) and finding a larger tribe of librarian and teacher advocates. 

4. And the award goes to... Christina Rodriguez! Honestly, that was the most polished, entertaining presentation... not including all the illustrator antics on stage. Or the fabulous prizes! I hope Sketch Battle returns at every possible opportunity. Or you trademark it and make it a prime time show. Thanks for bringing the fun (and the chocolates), Christina!

5. Vita Lane: ready for takeoff! Is there nothing better than seeing a good friend succeed? Keep an eye on my very dear friend, Vita Lane. She has always inspired me in all her creative accomplishments. But her latest work is just blowing me away. It's so good I have to share... Go read her post about her latest project and drool over her beautiful watercolors. 

Be sure to enter the giveaway, it ends on May 30th (Psst. Starting on May 22nd, I'm also hosting a separate giveaway over on GoodReads)