Monday Five and Two Giveaways!

1. Wearing Two Hats and a Giveaway! Thanks so much to Kim Chaffee for the interview on Writers Rumpus. Giveaway closes September 15th - go read and comment for a chance to win a copy of SMALL!

2. Up in the Loft I finally made it to an event at The Writers Loft in Sherborn, Massachusetts. I attended an excellent panel presentation titled "Behind the Bookshelves: A Panel on Building Relationships with Bookstores. It was a packed room, and the content was so helpful and relevant. Book promotion has been overwhelming, and I learned some new and valuable gems. Thanks to everyone on the panel and the moderator: Sarah Berman (of Concord Bookshop), Carter Hasegawa, Josh Funk, Peter Sherman (Wellesley Books), and Alison Pottern Hoch. If you live near the Writers Loft it is absolutely worth checking out. Jannie Ho will be presenting on Tuesday: The Illustrator Who Writes

3. Double-Dad Giveaway! I really enjoyed interviewing Chana Stiefel about Daddy Depot. It's a sweet and funny picture book about exchanging your not-so-perfect Dad at a very unique store. Chana and I are each giving away a copy of our Dad-themed books to one lucky winner. There are 6 days left in the giveaway!

4. I'll Meet You at the Library I will be reading SMALL at the Weymouth Public Library on October 7th at 2pm. This is my childhood hometown library and I'm really looking forward to stepping into that magical place after so many years. I hope any friends and family nearby can make it - we'll make it a fun time for all the kids - reading, drawing, talking about being an author/illustrator.

5. Working on the Go I've been talking about getting an iPad Pro and pencil all year. I have an awesome work setup at home between my Mac and my Cintiq. But I have long hoped for a way to write and draw while I'm away from home - whether it's during kid activities, or on vacation, or just escaping to the coffee shop to work. I've also known that I need a device to start doing school presentations. I can be a real slow-poke to make big purchases, but my husband thought this was the perfect birthday gift and I think he was right. He's always been very supportive (and knows how cheap, erm, practical I can be with equipment). I've only had it a few days, but I loved bringing it to the Writer's Loft event and TYPING my notes on my lap. I'm playing with Procreate and trying to find the brushes and settings that feel just right. If anyone has recommendations, I'd love to hear them!

P.S. I'm so thankful for all the kidlit friends, new and old, who have supported me this year.
P.P.S Check out this cool SMALL review on Missy's Product Reviews - thanks, Missy!

Monday Five and a Giveaway

1. Book it! I'm finally getting things together for SMALL book events. I updated my events page to include a visit to the Burlington Barnes & Noble (Oct.14th) and The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art (Dec 27th). I already had a local event, Children's Author Festival at Strawberry Banke (Nov. 4th), and should just be adding to the list over time. I love filling up my calendar with days to read SMALL to kids.

2. Sweatpants and Coffee and a Giveaway I'm really happy with how my interview on Sweatpants and Coffee came out. Many thanks to writer Barbara Doyle. I'm giving away a personalized, signed copy of SMALL and there's only 4 days left in the giveaway. Go check it out!

3. Children's Book Fair-by-the-Sea Our family has been spending summers in the midcoast Maine region for many years. I had been to the Camden library book fair years ago so it was a real honor and treat to actually take part. I got to meet super-talented (and incredibly nice) authors and illustrators AND read SMALL with friends old and new (including my daughter, seen above). Huge thanks to Amy Hand, her team at the library, and Sherman's book shop for organizing such a grand day.

4. Back to School, OMG It's really happening. My kids return to school tomorrow. I will have an actual work day. Which is great because I have two deadlines this week. Thanks to Mr. Patrick Greenish I have another fun Highlights assignment, and thanks to my dearest agent Teresa, something fun and to be revealed at a later date!

5. What I'm listening to (soon!) I love listening to podcasts, but I will confess that I pretty much drop them during the summer. I much prefer a quiet work day for podcasts. The ones I've been waiting to dig into are agent Jennifer Laughren's LITERATICAST, a million ALL THE WONDERS episodes that I've missed, Michelle Kondrich's CREATIVE PLAYDATE (I confess, I actually have listened to the first 4 - this one makes total sense to sneak in while your children run wild in the summer!) and LULU & BEAN READ. I did listen to Gaia Cornwall's episode on LULU & BEAN READ (thanks for the SMALL shoutout, Gaia!) and I thought it was just an awesome format. I love having kids be part of the podcast.

SMALL news: August edition

SMALL is out in the wide world. It's a strange and wonderful feeling. I have a new interview posted on Picture the Books with Chana Stiefel. You can read it, here. And doesn't every book look better with an illustrated gold frame around it?

My first event for SMALL is August 19th. The 12th Annual Children's Book Fair by the Sea in Camden, Maine. I have been visiting Camden with my family for many years, so I am thrilled to read a book at their gorgeous library. Oh, and look at this lineup! I will be reading right at 1pm.

I've loved getting notes from friends near and far about SMALL. I should have news in September about a local book launch, but until then you can look for SMALL at your favorite independent bookstore or online retailer. I LOVE getting 'in the wild' pictures, so please send them my way!

Special thanks to Josh Funk for including SMALL in this cool video roundup of new books he posted on twitter, here.

EXTRA special thanks to my parents. Book dedications are one of the best bonuses to making a children's book. It was great to deliver a copy of SMALL to my parents so they could finally see the dedication to them. I am blessed to have parents that always supported my interest in art and reading.

And in the meantime... It's still summertime with the kids, and I'm working on a little top-secret project, to be seen in mid-September AND a new assignment for Highlights.

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)