The Quiet Blog

Museum of Childhood

2012-01-27T13:55:00.000-08:00

Some picture from the V&A Museum of Childhood near where we stayed in the East End of London.

We spent a lovely morning admiring art created by and for children.

Remembering old toys we had when we were kids

Meeting quirky characters.

Pandas put a smile on any day!

Such lovely designs.

Candy Wrapper Loud by Alex Mason

2012-01-24T14:47:00.000-08:00

Below is a link to a radio review of The Loud Book and The Quiet Book by CBC Radio's Alex Mason. I couldn't describe the the book's better! (although it would be very tough to be on the less favorable end)

Here is a link to an audio recording from the radio show:

http://thumbnails.cbc.ca/maven_legacy/thumbnails/mainstreetns_20110901_67485_uploaded.mp3

Listen to more of his children's books reviews on the Mainstreet Nova Scotia website here:

http://www.cbc.ca/mainstreetns/sticky/2011/12/08/childrens-book-reviews/

A dream comes true

2012-01-13T09:22:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of December I mentioned that I would love to see one of John James Audubon's books in person one day ... Well that didn't take long! By some quirk of fate, just a few days before Christmas we were able to view an original book from his Birds of America series. Talk about a Christmas present!! Weeks later I am still thinking about it. All I can say is spectacular!!! The colors, textures, shapes, character, story telling, drama, emotions - It reminds me of how important it is to take the time to do things right, every little detail matters and I hope this experience will help me to do even better work.

Researching at the Natural History Museum

2012-01-08T18:58:00.000-08:00

I was in Europe for most of December, while in London I took several trips to the Natural History Museum to draw the animals. I have seen taxidermy in the past and they have always seemed wrong, just stuffed animals. But the ones at the Natural History Museum were different, they felt very natural and even had character and personality! The artists who did these were superb craftsman and I learned a lot from drawing at the museum. Birds are something I need to work on, they are a challenge to draw and bring to life.

The above photo is Michael sketching on our iPad.

The poor owl below the one he was painting had a pencil in the side of it's head, very strange!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2011-12-23T05:26:00.000-08:00

I would like to wish everyone a Happy Holidays, with much love!!

I ran out of time to do a christmas card this year, but I drew these cards to give to my family.

Christmas comes so quickly nowadays, I can remember when it seemed like it would never come.

But I feel that way this year because I have to wait for another year (winter 2012) to give my latest present.

But below is a very small sneak preview from the inside flap of the cover for...

THE CHRISTMAS QUIET BOOK!

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Christmas Card

2011-12-20T15:58:00.000-08:00

I was so surprised and thrilled to see that my publisher has animated an image from The Quiet Book for their christmas card!

Click on the image to see it snow!

Old Danish Christmas Card

2011-12-11T13:32:00.001-08:00

I received this jolly fellow from Denmark when I was little.

It makes me smile now as I am sure it made me smile then.

Santa's beard is literally as soft as a bird's feather.

Snowy Owl

2011-12-04T14:49:00.001-08:00

More snow arrived just in time for me to put up my little christmas tree.

Each year I get one new ornament, and this year it is a lovely snowy owl.

It reminds my of a print by John James Audubon, one of my favorite artists and a big influence.

I would love to see one of these big books in person one day!

New Look

2011-11-27T14:01:00.000-08:00

I started this blog around 4 years ago, when Little Panda was first published - I figured it was time for a new look! I considered a bunch of different names, but the most obvious seemed the most appropriate - The Quiet Blog.

This was a card for a friend who turned 4 (with a T).

Congratulations

2011-11-19T10:19:00.000-08:00

to Cybèle Young who was the winner of The 2011 Governor General's Award For Children's Literature in Illustration for her inventive book Ten Birds. All of the nominee's for this years awards were amazing and I counted myself very lucky to be included amongst them. As for me I will have to try my best to come up with something that is worthy of a 3rd try --
which will be a lot of fun!

The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse Charity Auction

2011-11-14T05:51:00.000-08:00

An original drawing of mine is up for bidding in The Artist Who Painted A Blue Horse Charity Auction, check it out here: www.bluehorseauction.com.
I was happy to be asked to be included in this charity auction, I am a great admirer of Eric Carle, his work always feels fresh and new - no matter how long ago it was published.

Blast from my past

2011-11-10T15:30:00.000-08:00

This is what 3D was like when I was young! I don't know what today's 3D films are like, but these were magic to me. I still bring them out occasionally to inspire me, and make me smile - so DDR!

It's been a while Panda

2011-10-28T06:36:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted a panda in quite some time!

Librarian Presentation

2011-10-19T14:20:00.000-07:00

A few of weekends ago I enjoyed a wonderful satuday morning spent with local librarians, artists, and writers of children's literature. It was a great time for me and I hope for them as well. It strongly reminded me of what a vital role librarian's play in introducing children to literature! I was also fortunate to listen and look in on the presentations of the other writers and illustrators and it was great to hear their perspective on making kid's books.

Here are a couple of the slides included in my presentation. I mentioned how I feel making a kid's book can be compared to making a film (only much smaller of course). You have to cast characters, or in my case, critters. This mole tried out for a role in Red Wagon - unfortunately he didn't make the cut. But I am sure there will be a picture book in his future someday.

Red Wagon is a finalist for the GG's

2011-10-12T11:26:00.001-07:00

I am humbled and excited that Red Wagon has been selected as a finalist for this year's Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Illustration! This makes it two in a row as The Quiet Book was selected last year. The competition is pretty stiff again this year, I have already read Migrant illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault and Along a Long Road by Frank Viva. They are both simply amazing books that I would highly recommend, I look forward to checking out the other finalists.

Here is a link to the Canada Council for the Arts official GGs website featuring all the 2011 finalists.
http://987321654.canadacouncil.net/en/archives/2011/Finalists.aspx

Thank you

2011-10-07T05:48:00.000-07:00

His vision helped open up possibilities for me as an artist in creating my own worlds, Thank you Steve Jobs.

365+ Sleeps to go

2011-10-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

Last week I finished the interior artwork for my latest book, Yeah! Now only 365+ sleeps until it is released. That will give me a little time to write up a new story to draw.

Kindle Fire Quiet

2011-09-28T19:52:00.000-07:00

I will have to put one of these on my christmas list for sure!

Thanks Amazon!
HERE is where I found it.

LOEM

2011-09-27T06:33:00.001-07:00

I will be a part of this event, should be fun. (click to enlarge)

Thelma and Louise

2011-09-12T16:56:00.000-07:00

These are my neighbors, they often sit way up on a second floor porch.

Real Simple Family

2011-09-08T20:41:00.000-07:00

If you happen to be reading this month's special issue of REAL SIMPLE called REAL SIMPLE FAMILY (sept 2011) check out page 44 which mentions THE QUIET BOOK amongst a handful of other fine books. I enjoy how the illustrator (Jane Mount) drew my character from the spine of the book.

Library of the Early Mind

2011-09-02T19:12:00.000-07:00

I am so looking forward to seeing this documentary about children's literature.

Trailer: 'Library of the Early Mind' from Backspace Productions on Vimeo.

And the poster is lovely.

http://www.libraryoftheearlymind.com/

“Library of the Early Mind” is an exploration of the art and impact of children’s literature on our kids, our culture, and ourselves.
From the first stories we hear told to us to those childhood heroes that stay with us a lifetime, the impact on our culture runs deeper than what we might expect. “No one suspects the children’s writer,” says author and illustrator Mo Willems, a former 'Sesame Street' writer.
The film features nearly 40 prominent authors and illustrators talking about their work, its genesis and its impact. The number of books in print by the authors in 'Library of the Early Mind' exceeds 240 million.

Random Doodle

2011-08-25T12:56:00.000-07:00

This is a random doodle from sketching earlier in the week.
I really don't know why I drew this, it just happened.

Coloring

2011-08-19T07:18:00.000-07:00

This is what I am doing right now, although I color in photoshop.

I have posted the black and white pencil drawing for this previously.

Where inspiration strikes

2011-08-09T09:36:00.000-07:00

This was from a magazine article I illustrated a few month's ago.

To Do List

2011-07-25T14:48:00.000-07:00

I have been super busy finishing up my next book, this is a list of some of the work I have left to do. The drawing is from a card I did for someone special.

Coming Soon

2011-07-14T14:11:00.001-07:00

I have to tell you I am pretty excited about this!

Quietly and loudly anticipated this fall from Merrymakers Inc,
visit their website for more info:
http://www.merrymakersinc.com/quiet_loud.php?mtype=p

Un-boxing Video

2011-07-09T14:52:00.000-07:00

Good friend and fellow children's book illustrator Carolyn Fisher has put together this fun un-boxing video of her latest book. It captures the excitement of finally receiving your book after the year(s?) it takes to make one. Although I might not be so happy if the delivery had been left alone on my porch!

www.carolynfisher.com

Guppy and Signed Copies

2011-06-29T07:47:00.000-07:00

While in San Francisco we stayed in a really lovely B+B in the Mission District. They had a dog named Guppy which I just had to draw.

In SF I visited a couple of wonderful bookstores and signed some copies of my books. The bookstores are just the right size, small enough to feel precious but big enough to have a good selection. I signed several copies of The Quiet Book and The Loud Book at The Booksmith on Haight Street, www.booksmith.com. And I signed some Red Wagon, The Quiet Book, The Loud Book, and Little Panda (!) at Books Inc on Chestnut Street, www.booksinc.net

We meet at last!

2011-06-23T16:05:00.001-07:00

I just got back from a wonderful week in San Francisco, where I met up with Deborah Underwood, the author of The Quiet Book and The Loud Book. It was the first time we got together in person, although it feels like I have known Deborah always!

We exchanged autographed copies of the books, this is the drawing in the book I did of/for Deborah. (Although it turns out she is left handed, oh well.)

Deborah also gave me a signed copy with a couple of her drawings. I love them!

They are so sweet!

Translations

2011-06-15T05:42:00.000-07:00

Some of the translations of the The Quiet Book. Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Korean, and Japanese!

Worklife

2011-06-12T13:46:00.001-07:00

Work/Life 2 is another artist book project I was happy to be involved with. It features illustrators talking about the relationship of work and life. The image included is from The Loud Book!

It is published by Uppercase Books and Janine Vangool, see some samples of the other artists and find out more HERE.

Drawn In

2011-06-04T16:18:00.000-07:00

I am excited to be included in the book Drawn In: A Peek into the Inspiring Sketchbooks of 44 Fine Artists, Illustrators, Graphic Designers, and Cartoonists by Julia Rothman. It showcases many lovely sketchbooks. It was very interesting to see which sketchbook pages were selected for the book. I did not choose any myself, although I think I might have covered up a few I didn't want chosen!

A preview of the book is HERE.

And it is available on amazon HERE and will hopefully appear in bookshops too!

Weekend Sketching

2011-05-30T09:16:00.001-07:00

This weekend was the first day of sunny weather after a week of rain, so it was a great time to go sketching. On Saturday we had lots of fun sketching with another illustrator, Jacqueline Hudon-Verrelli and her husband Dario. Jacqueline has a lovely blog HERE.

The weather was perfect patio weather, so on Sunday we sketched on the patio and got some sun!

Communication Arts

2011-05-26T06:28:00.000-07:00

The Loud Book! and Red Wagon were both included in this years Communication Arts Illustration Annual! For this image, "CANDY WRAPPER LOUD", I was inspired by listening to old detective stories on internet radio while I worked. Also, as with most of my work I used my own experiences and memories, I remember being in old movie theatres and how it feels.

Here is a link from a post on Uppercase:
http://www.uppercasegallery.ca/uppercase-journal/2011/5/24/worklife-2-communication-arts-coverage.html

Paper Dolls

2011-05-21T10:55:00.000-07:00

These were one of my favorite toys as a child, I would play with them forever. My mother saved them from her childhood and originally they were on printed sheets. I remember I had to spend a lot of time convincing her to let me cut them out so I could play with them. I must have been very (!) persistent because she eventually gave in.

I would say these were a very big influence on my early progress as an artist, and I think I can see it in my work now - even though I mostly draw animals at the moment.
I will post more in the future.

Sketchbook

2011-05-13T10:35:00.000-07:00

I was looking back through my sketchbook and noticed that it looks as though I quite literally started working on Red Wagon right after The Quiet Book.

Chuuut...

2011-05-04T12:48:00.000-07:00

The French translation of The Quiet Book is released today. How lovely to think of it in a Paris shop! It is being published by Albin Michel Jeunesse. I think it is available in June in Quebec.

What did you say? Loud

2011-05-03T13:11:00.000-07:00

One of the first drawings for the cover had the bunny experiencing a different type of loud.

MonkeyShines Children's Books

2011-04-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

I finally had my book launch for The Loud Book! and Red Wagon. It was held at a wonderful independent bookshop here in Calgary called MonkeyShines Children's Books in an area of town called Mardaloop.

Thank you to Sue for hosting the event, your bookstore is lovely and your support is so very much appreciated.

And thank you to everyone that stopped by for the reading, the little listeners, their parents, and grandparents too!

Monkeyshines has signed copies of Red Wagon and The Loud Book!
If you are in Calgary stop by, they have lots of wonderful books and it's great to support our independent bookstores, they are so precious.

Monkeyshines Children's Books
#113 - 2215 - 33rd Ave SW, Calgary, AB
(in Mardaloop)
http://www.monkeyshinesbooks.com/

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T11:15:00.000-07:00

Early roughs for Red Wagon

2011-04-18T15:03:00.001-07:00

REALLY early roughs - from first grade!

Good Old Panda

2011-04-15T06:47:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted any panda's in a long time, so it is about time I think. I saw this old fellow in Vancouver, he is a bit beat up but still cute!

The Quiet Book is One Year Old!

2011-04-12T06:40:00.001-07:00

With all the excitement of The Loud Book, The Quiet Book is still quietly going about it's business. This is the Italian version, I think the translation of the title is quite lovely.

The Quiet Book was voted a Honor Award recipient from the ABA's 2011 Indies Choice and E.B. White Awards. Thanks to the ABA booksellers! And congratulations to the winner of the E.B. White Read-Aloud Award - Children Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown published by Little, Brown and Company. An awesome and fun book!

http://news.bookweb.org/news/aba-announces-2011-indies-choice-and-eb-white-award-winners

Interview and Critique

2011-04-05T07:35:00.000-07:00

HERE is a video critique of The Loud Book done by my youngest book critic! It's so lovely.

also HERE is an interview by Deborah Underwood the author of The Quiet Book and The Loud Book at the same blog, everydayreading.blogspot.com. Deborah is currently doing a blog tour, which is a neat idea.

Thanks Janssen for the posts and Ella for the wonderful video, it is the cutest critique ever!

To view the video on your IPad go HERE.

The Loud Book is Here!

2011-04-04T05:36:00.000-07:00

Today is the official launch day for The Loud Book, YAHOO! Just like The Quiet Book, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is offering a chance to win a piece of original art by illustrator Renata Liwska (me!) for residents of the USA. Go here for more info: http://www.hmhbooks.com/loudbook/

Below is the picture that The Quiet Book winner received, it included the original pencil drawing and a color print.

NOTE: I am still working on a giveaway of the same sort for Canada and International.

Constructing the Red Wagon

2011-03-30T21:22:00.000-07:00

Most of Red Wagon is double page spreads which is a lot of space to work with. I like to draw in a small sketchbook, smaller than the printed book, so I couldn't draw the whole picture on one sketchbook page. So I drew it in pieces and combined it later on the computer, this let me do changes as well. For instance the bunny operating the crane is in a different position in the actual book, and he is wearing a safety hat which is good for him. Things didn't go so well for turtle, he was replaced by squirrel, but maybe there will be a turtle in another book someday.

Inspiration

2011-03-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

A photo from last night, rabbits playing in my neighborhood. What this photo doesn't show is that there were 5 rabbits!

Exclusive Preview of The Loud Book on Amazon

2011-03-21T07:15:00.000-07:00

Amazon has posted a bunch of photos of my creative process
for The Loud Book.
The Loud Book is the first project that I used a Wacom Cintiq to color my work,
it is much, much faster!

They can be seen HERE

36 Pages and Red Wagon

2011-03-16T14:25:00.000-07:00

Craig Fraser has posted about RED WAGON
on his picture book blog 36 Pages, Thanks Craig!

View the post HERE

The article shows some sketches including the one for this guy.

In the story he is always up to something, but he is a raccoon after all.

Swerve online

2011-03-11T06:18:00.000-08:00

The Swerve article titled It's A Small World is here:
http://swervecalgary.com/2011/03/11/it’s-a-small-world/

I like how the color of the cover's text matches Red Wagon. And also the way the type fits around the little bee at the bottom.

Swerve

2011-03-10T07:12:00.000-08:00

There is a great article written by Marcello Di Cintio coming out in tomorrow's Calgary Herald/Swerve magazine. It is about writing and illustrating Children's Books in Calgary, it features 4 local writers and illustrators including myself. Plus I illustrated the cover and several interior spots. This is the initial drawing for one of the illustrations, see it in color in the magazine tomorrow if you are in Calgary.

THE LOUD BOOK!

2011-03-03T06:02:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess I shouldn't keep quiet about this.

Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast has a lovely big preview with lot's of images from The Loud Book ,which is coming out next month. Here is the link:
http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=2088

Lumberjack Dude

2011-03-01T12:45:00.000-08:00

In Vancouver it seemed to me that the look for cool dudes was a Lumberjack English Gentleman sort of thing.

I don't know what that means but it's how I would describe it.
Casual but well dressed with skinny jeans, suit jacket, nice belt, optional canadian toque, sneakers or boots, and Ewan McGregor hairdo.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A short but sweet review for RED WAGON in the Chicago Tribune HERE

Vancouver

2011-02-27T13:00:00.000-08:00

I was in Vancouver on business, which really means drawing at coffee shops! My favorite area was around Main Street which had two shops I loved drawing at, Gene and Our Town. We went to Our Town a couple of times, one night they had trivia night which was fun to observe - I got a question right! Prado on Commercial Drive was great too, lot's of light and designy. In Gastown I enjoyed the super long table at Salty Tongue Cafe. Urban Fare is a grocery for fresh veggies or breads or something for a quick bite to eat, I wish we had one in Calgary.

The breakfast was good!

At last, Red Wagon arrived at the market!

2011-02-17T06:43:00.000-08:00

Whew! Today is the official release day of Red Wagon in the USA (Feb 22 in Canada).

I am most comfortable drawing small scenes with just a few characters, so one of the challenges of Red Wagon was that all the pages are double page spreads with lots of critters and such. As the last few posts may have suggested, I solved this by often drawing the pages in pieces, sometimes in different sketchbooks and putting them together in photoshop later. This gives me lots of flexibility to change the composition and characters. I needed that for this picture as I had to make more than one attempt at it to get it right. Thankfully I had a great art director, Cecilia Yung, who helped me bring this picture to life.

Almost there ...

2011-02-16T13:51:00.000-08:00

One more day until the official release of RED WAGON!

RED WAGON is today's ALA Booklist's Book of the day for Wednesday Feb 16, where it has received it's second starred review!
http://www.booklistonline.com/ProductInfo.aspx?pid=4517246

Starred Review from Booklist:

The creator of The Quiet Book (2010), a New York Times best-seller, offers a winning story of imaginative play that makes a worthy partner to Crockett Johnson’s Harold and the Purple Crayon (1955) and Antoinette Portis’ Not a Box (2007). Lucy, a fuzzy red fox, can’t wait to play with her new red wagon, but she doesn’t like her mother’s suggestion that she use it to go to the market: “That sounded like a chore. Lucy didn’t want to do chores.” Still, shopping list in paw, Lucy sets out, followed by a small menagerie of adorable animal pals. This title owes its delight to the well-balanced, deadpan disparity between the spare, straightforward text and the increasingly wild scenarios depicted in the digitally colored pencil illustrations. According to the words, the animals climb a hill, weather some rain, load up at the market, regroup after hitting a rock, and return home. The pictures, however, show a different story: along the way, the red wagon transforms from pirate ship to covered wagon to circus caravan to train to rocket ship to truck in detailed scenes children will want to revisit. Preschoolers will recognize the reality-blurring borders of their own made-up worlds; children on the cusp of independent reading will enjoy following the simple, bold-type sentences; and both audiences will hope for future adventures from Lucy and her friends.

— Gillian Engberg

Bear with pretzel

2011-02-15T13:52:00.000-08:00

The bear and little beaver seem excited about something.

Mike made me a animated Valentine HERE

Cotton Candy

2011-02-12T14:21:00.000-08:00

This little piggy has cotton candy! Another background character from Red Wagon. Sometime I draw a picture in little pieces, especially when it is a complicated drawing with lot's of things going on.

There is a lovely review of Red Wagon in the Wall Street Journal here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704364004576132421078653928.html

Also there is a review of The Quiet Book from Saturday's Globe and Mail, it is interesting to read what gets noticed. This is the first one I think that picked out Aunt Tillie in particular.
The Globe and Mail article is here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/a-childs-guide-to-silence/article1903834/

Woolly Llama

2011-02-09T20:32:00.000-08:00

This is a background character from Red Wagon, I had a lot of fun drawing her.

Over the weekend I found out that Red Wagon was accepted in this year Communication Arts Illustration Annual, Thank you to the judges!
And Red Wagon isn't alone, The Loud Book was accepted too.

The Quiet Book in Japan

2011-02-05T08:03:00.001-08:00

Here is The Quiet Book's Japanese cover. I think the script is very lovely, The Quiet Book will be available in half a dozen languages!

The Quiet Book is an ALSC 2011 Notable Children's Book

A wagon well travelled

2011-02-01T18:24:00.000-08:00

This old drawing of a kid pulling a wagon is, in part, what lead to my first picture book Nikolai The Only Bear - and my latest picture book Red Wagon.

A few years ago I sent a colored version of this drawing along with a bunch of others like it, to publishers of books I liked. Semadar Megged and Patti Gauch (who are both wonderful I might add) of Philomel Books contacted me and said they loved this drawing (and the others too!) They asked if I would like to do Nikolai - which of course I did.

A few years after that another (wonderful) editor at Philomel, Courtenay Lewis Palmer, asked if I had any stories I would like to illustrate. She actually remembered the drawing of the wagon and wondered if there was a story behind it!
I didn’t have one then, but I soon would!

RED WAGON is an Amazon Best Books of the Month for February 2011

More Red Wagon

2011-01-23T18:02:00.000-08:00

Another lovely review, Yipee!

This review is from the Jan 19, 2011 edition of Shelf Awareness

A trip to the market with the titular Red Wagon in tow becomes a flight of fancy thanks to Renata Liwska's (Little Panda) visually imaginative illustrations for her playfully tongue-in-cheek text. When Lucy, a small red fox with a bow on her head, asks her mother if she can play with her "brand-new little red wagon," her mother responds, "Sure, you can use your wagon to go to the market." What at first seems like a chore to Lucy quickly gives way to an adventure. Her squirrel and porcupine friends hop in ("It was pretty heavy"), and when it starts to rain, the horizon line tilts and empties into a roaring ocean. The humor arises from a narrative that plays straight man. "By the time she got to the bottom, it was really coming down!" says the text, while the red wagon serves as a hull for a sailing vessel. Lucy and her crew attempt to rescue a raccoon with a hook for its left paw, floating in an umbrella with a skull-and-crossbones flag affixed to the handle. A covered (red) wagon takes them on the next leg of their journey (10-gallon hats, a sheriff's badge and bandannas complete the picture), and when "at last, Lucy arrived at the market!" the covered stalls look suspiciously like circus tents (with fruits and vegetables to be juggled and spun). Even though Lucy is too tuckered out to "play" when she gets home with all the items on her list, youngsters know that this little fox made the most of her errand. Pure delight.

Red Wagon's first review!

2011-01-09T14:59:00.000-08:00

Wow, I don't know how I can top last year, but I will give it my best, and 2011 has started well so far. Starting with THE QUIET BOOK returning to the New York Times Bestseller's List at #4!

In other news, I have received the first review for RED WAGON, and it's a good one (whew!) a starred review from Kirkus.
As the writer and illustrator I am doubly nervous about how my book will be received.

Red Wagon by Renata Liwska

Kirkus
Starred Review
A mundane task fills with delicious thrills.

Lucy asks permission to play with her new red wagon, so mom agreeably sends her to market with it—but, hmm, "That sounded like a chore. Lucy didn't want to do chores." Never fear; this journey is anything but dull. Adroitly pairing innocently understated prose with pictures of simple but imaginative adventures, Liwska invites readers to giggle at Lucy's impressive escapades that unfold entirely visually. When the rainy countryside becomes a roaring ocean, the wagon's a sailboat riding cresting waves. The wagon also becomes a rocket ship, a train, a construction-site truck and a covered wagon. At the carnival/circus (market), "Lucy neatly loaded the wagon with vegetables from her list"—by juggling them with help from a trapeze flyer. The illustrator's pencil work is nimble, her backgrounds airy and free, with hatched grasses for these child animals—cousins of her characters in Deborah Underwood's Quiet Book (2010)—to romp in. The colors glow softly. Red wagon's last role? The perfect nap-spot for a girl all played out.

A winner. (Picture book. 2-5)

The review is from here : http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/childrens-books/renata-liwska/red-wagon/

Now only a month and half until it get's to the critics who matter the most, children and parents - and other readers too!

Happy 2011

2010-12-31T16:09:00.000-08:00

Reflecting upon 2010, it was such a lovely year. I am certainly looking forward to 2011. All the best!

Carolyn Fisher

2010-12-27T11:26:00.001-08:00

Children's book illustrator and author Carolyn Fisher is a great friend and mentor who has helped me with much wonderful advice and inspiration since before I was drawing children's books. She has given some for everyone here:
http://writerjenn.blogspot.com/2010/12/peek-at-creative-space-of-carolyn.html

All the best and warmest wishes

2010-12-21T10:38:00.000-08:00

I hope you all have a happy holidays!
These are mine and Mikes greetings cards for this year.
Mike has also animated his card, go here to see it: http://mikekerr.blogspot.com/2010/12/merry-christmas.html

Our Little Tree

2010-12-05T17:56:00.000-08:00

This is our little christmas tree.

Character

2010-11-30T18:06:00.000-08:00

This drawing was inspired by the owner of a pizza shop in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. He stopped at our table to chat when we were having dinner with fellow illustrators Jillian Tamaki and Sam Weber. I mentioned that I was visiting from Calgary, and the pizza man said he had been through Calgary to go skiing in Lake Louise. He then brought out his iPhone and showed us some pictures.

But they were pictures of sandwiches! He had taken them at a little cafe in a strip mall in Lake Louise, if you have been there you know which one, the pizza man really loved the sandwiches.

This is what is great about traveling, you get to meet interesting people.

Deborah Underwood

2010-11-25T11:22:00.000-08:00

Here is a lovely link to Deborah Underwood, the author of The Quiet Book, giving her perspective on the importance of children reading picture books.

Go HERE, KQED Radio

Birdies

2010-11-23T11:35:00.000-08:00

Saw some little birds outside this morning, I don't know how they do it! The temperature was -29 °C/-20 °F

Finalist for the Governor General's Award !!!

2010-11-16T11:49:00.001-08:00

My illustrations for The Quiet Book were named as a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Awards this year from the Canada Council for the Arts!
It's unbelievable, and I am very honoured and humbled to be nominated for this prestigious award. It is a big thing for an artist in Canada and for me.

When I first heard about it a few weeks ago, I received lovely email's from several of the other finalists including Jon Klassen. It was a treat to hear from him because I am a big fan of his work and enjoyed reading the book he was nominated for Cats' Night Out.
Congratulations to Jon, he was chosen as the winner of this years GGs for illustration! I am very happy for him and I don't mind losing out (too much) to his wonderful work.

As for me, I will have to cross my fingers for next year and enter Red Wagon and The Loud Book!

Congrats to all the finalists, it really is an honour to be nominated.

Some Jon Klassen links:
http://www.burstofbeaden.com/
love this VIDEO he designed alongside the director David O'Reilly

Drawing in Times Square

2010-11-10T17:00:00.000-08:00

Good place to draw at night, lot's of light and character(s).

You may notice in the photo below, Mike has his bag in front of him!

How to identify a Tourist

2010-11-03T17:23:00.000-07:00

Mike had this idea, I just drew it and added the different ways they carry their bags.

On another note, I came across these awesome commercials on swissmiss I know it's stupid but it makes me laugh.

Impressions of NY

2010-10-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

(photo from the roof of The Pencil Factory - studio of Sam Weber)

When I was planning to go to NY, I was really anticipating the things I would see - galleries, shopping, buildings, and such. Now that I am back what really effected me the most were all the lovely people I met! From the helpful people on the streets, the wonderful art directors and editors that took the time to meet with us, and the other artists I had the opportunity to talk with. I wish I had been better at talking to the other illustrators at the opening but I was glad to talk to the few I did.

(Eric Carle's speech was great, now I want to go to his museum!)

Here is a list of links to some of the illustrators,

Jillian Tamaki and Sam Weber. Jillian and Sam were kind enough to have dinner and coffee with us, it was a lovely time talking about illustration, New York, and home.

I've always loved the work of Taeeun Yoo and it was wonderful to meet her in person!

The work of silver medal winner Carson Ellis really stood out, so vivid and fresh.

Silver medal winner Dan Santat was such a great speaker, he really took off the pressure for me!

It is easy to see why Hyewon Yum received the Founder's Award. Super work and so happy I met her.

At the very last moment I was luck enough to meet Lauren Castillo, Alfie Runs Away looks so adorable! I look forward to reading it. (and she has an adorable website!)

Paul Hoppe = cool work!

We have always admired the work of Raul Colon so it was great to have a conversation with him.

Thanks to Rian Sias for stopping to say Hi!

And thanks to everyone else that I met, it was a pretty sweet night!

Gold Medal from The Society of Illustrators

2010-10-27T18:24:00.000-07:00

I was in New York last week to accept a medal from The Original Art, an annual children's book exhibition at The Society of Illustrators. It was so exciting! I never did sports or such as a kid so this is the first time I have ever won a medal.

The opening was lovely - I met many great illustrators, editors, art directors, and old friends. My only regret was that I didn't talk to Eric Carle, he was there to accept a lifetime achievement award but somehow I missed him before he left!

I went back later to see the show and it is truly wonderful! If you are in New York I highly recommend visiting the gallery, it is amazing to see the original artwork in person! (and they have the books too)

"The Original Art", an exhibit celebrating the fine art of children's book illustration, is on display at the Museum of American Illustration at the Society of Illustrators from October 20 through November 24, 2010.

http://www.societyillustrators.org/At-the-Museum/2010/2010-Original-Art/2010-Original-Art.aspx

Peek at my creative space(s)

2010-10-18T18:27:00.000-07:00

I was very happy to be able to contribute some pictures and thoughts about my studio and how I work for From the Mixed Up Files. A blog by Jennifer Bertman where she interviews creative types about their work spaces. Very Fun! Thanks to Jennifer for the invitation to be on her wonderful blog.

Visit my interview here:
http://writerjenn.blogspot.com/2010/10/peek-at-creative-space-of-renata-liwska.html

A martial arts bear

2010-10-12T11:40:00.000-07:00

From my sketchbook,
I don't remember where it came from before that.

Sketching

2010-10-02T10:42:00.000-07:00

Mike and I went sketching with another illustrator, Byron Eggenschwiler.

A very cute little baby boy was interested in watching Mike and Byron draw. (top left of sketchbook)

Byron's work can be seen on his website HERE.

Yellow Stickies

2010-09-29T15:26:00.000-07:00

One of the stages in my illustration process involves printing out the pages of the story on a 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper. The pages are presented like a storyboard, and at this planning stage some of the pages have more finished drawings, others rough thumbnails or scribbles, and a few slow pokes are still empty. I will also change things that need changing, as the stickies suggest.

Bonus Stuff:
Below is the full interview I did for the last post.

1. What was the most challenging aspect of making this book and what is most satisfying?

What was most satisfying for me was coming up with the story behind the story. The words told one story and I tried to have my pictures tell a second story, so together the words and pictures added up to something more. This happened pretty naturally, the story slowly unraveled as I drew it. Picture by picture, pencil mark by pencil mark. The challenge was that sometimes it didn't happen! I just didn't have any drawings in me. It was a particular challenge when I was finishing the book . After working on it for up to a year I was out of gas and it was particularly difficult to finish up the last few illustrations. My only solution for this was to just keep going!

2. Do you use reference to draw these adorable little creatures? Have you drawn animals forever?

I do and I don't use reference. I do look at pictures and videos of animals. I look at how they are constructed. What sorts of noses and paws they have or what are their proportions and such. But I try too interpret the reference in my own way and create an impression of the characters, not a representation.
It is kind of like writing a paper, It's easy enough to copy word for word from your reference material. But it is so much better to try to process the information and write your own version. My desire is to do my own impression and to bring life to my characters. I love creating characters and stories. In the end I draw for my own entertainment and hope others will be entertained as well.

I think I got interested in drawing animals from watching a stop motion tv show for kids called Coralgol, aka Jeremy the Bear, or Barnaby depending on where you lived. This and other animated animal stories from my childhood somehow sunk into my subconscious. There are often similarities in my drawings that are not on purpose, they just show up. Plus I have natural attraction to loveable critters!
But it was few years after art school that I really got into drawing animals. At that time I mostly drew people. I remember going for coffee with a new sketchbook and for some reason decided to draw critters, and had a lot of fun with it. I drew more and more, and now I rarely draw anything but animals.

3. Name a fav kids' book.

I love the humor and situations of the characters from the work of Richard Scarry. I am a Bunny, and Fun with Words are the books in my collection. Oh my, they are so lovely!

36 Pages

2010-09-23T11:47:00.000-07:00

I just did a short interview about illustrating The Quiet Book. It was done for illustrator Craig Frazier's new website about picture books titled 36 Pages, check out the website and the interview here:
www.36pages.com

I have to say it is extra, extra wonderful that an artist, who's work I admire and look up too, has asked me to talk about my own work!

Check out Craig's books, he's got a brand new picture book titled Lots of Dots I am looking forward to seeing.
Another of his books,The Illustrated Voice, is a particular favorite. It's a book that shows his creative process and every little sketch is brilliant! A wealth of imagination.

!

2010-09-14T12:40:00.001-07:00

Sketching details.

Mr. J. Rabbit

2010-09-07T08:46:00.000-07:00

Last week I nearly bumped into a bunny.
We were both preoccupied and didn't see each other until the last moment.
He was very polite and went on his way.

Quiet Book Contest

2010-08-23T09:19:00.000-07:00

My publisher is holding a contest for The Quiet Book! (click on the image above for a larger view)

Enter before Wednesday, December 1, 2010 for your chance to win a piece of original artwork by Renata Liwska(me!) in a random drawing! Winners will be notified on December 6, 2010.

You can go here for more info!
http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/quietmoments/

The Quiet Book is still doing well! #2 on the NY Times Children's Book Bestseller List, for it's 12th week on the list. Quiet thanks to all the readers! It is wonderful to think of all the little ones who are being read the book. (And shown the pictures of course, lovely!!)

Times Square

2010-08-17T10:54:00.001-07:00

Something I drew last weekend.

On the beach

2010-08-04T10:06:00.000-07:00

I just came back from a week at Tofino (Vancouver Island, British Columbia).
It was just what I needed to recharge my battery, I absolutely loved it.
The best part for me were the dogs on the beach, they seemed to be so thrilled by all the open space to run and play.
I could see the joy in their eyes!

The first picture is a great little coffee shop we sketched at a few times, it is called Tofitian. The second is from the beach we stayed on called Cox Bay Beach. It was very inspirational I even wrote a children's book story on the beach.

The trip reminded me of how important it is to experience life so you can draw from it.

I like to ride my bicycle!

2010-07-23T18:32:00.000-07:00

We've been going for bike rides.

Done, done, and done!

2010-07-20T09:32:00.000-07:00

THE LOUD BOOK is finally (!) done - Whew!
Now it is time to go outside and get some sun :)

It's for real!

2010-07-19T11:41:00.000-07:00

RED WAGON and THE LOUD BOOK were among the books mentioned in a sneak preview of spring 2011 books at Publisher's Weekly. This little picture from RED WAGON was included. Yeah!

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/43860-children-s-books-spring-2011-sneak-previews.html

Time for Ice Cream

2010-07-08T11:15:00.000-07:00

I've read it is very hot down east, it hasn't really been ice cream time weather around here, but it's suppose be warm next week.

Until then I am still working on the cover for THE LOUD BOOK, cover's are always the most challenging part of a book for me! Also THE QUIET BOOK is still holding up on The New York Times Bestseller List for Picture Books (8th week on the list). Thanks again to all the readers!

Red Wagon!!!

2010-06-29T11:59:00.000-07:00

Today I received the F&G (stands for Folded and Gathered) for RED WAGON. Basically it is the printed book before it is bound. I think it is used to start promoting a book as soon as possible. Looks great, but I am most definitely biased! Can hardly wait until next February!! Now back to working on the cover for THE LOUD BOOK.

I can see the finish line!

2010-06-17T10:44:00.000-07:00

Golpher

2010-06-11T18:02:00.000-07:00

Of course he's actually a squirrel, but I don't know anything about golf anyway. It seems the squirrel doesn't know much either, though he has fine socks and hat. This was a gift for someone who likes golf.

Faux Wine

2010-06-07T12:20:00.000-07:00

Mike surprised me with this bottle of wine for our anniversary a while ago.

Q+A

2010-06-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

I was interviewed for a blog from Poland. Included in the interview is this picture I did in grade 4 (I think). Thanks to Monika Obuchow for the blog post.

Here is the link to the post:
http://znak-zorro-zo.blogspot.com/2010/06/renata-liwska.html

Here is an earlier draft in English. The Polish version is slightly different, it changed a little as I translated it.

Where are you from?
I grew up in Warsaw. I went to high school at the School of Fine Arts. It was so wonderful to be around other kids who loved making art.

Has Illustration been a part of your life from childhood?
Yes, when I first started going to elementary school I did well because many of the projects involved drawing - although once they started introducing mathematics and spelling and such I did less well! I remember drawing and painting all the time, my mom encouraged me, it was a good way to keep me out of trouble I guess.

How is your childhood an important part of your work?
I remember my childhood and I use those memories as inspiration for my drawings. Often the bunnies, bears and other creatures in my drawings are doing what I did as a kid. It brings my characters alive and I have a lot of fun, the drawings often make me smile. My next book RED WAGON to be published by Philomel in February 2011, was directly influenced by my childhood. The story is about a little girl Lucy who has all kinds of adventures while going to pick up vegetables at the market. It was inspired by memories of my mom sending me to the neighborhood shop to get sauerkraut, it was a chore but it was fun meeting with friends along the way (and eating the sauerkraut on the way back).

Where does your love of bears come from?
Coralgol! (Jeremy in Canada) After not seeing it since childhood, my mom sent me some dvd's of the old shows. I was surprised to see how much it still influenced my work.
My love of panda bears came from a trip to Poland. While visiting a friend in Germany I had a turned on the TV in the small hotel we were staying in. The news kept showing footage of a panda bear up in a tree with some people trying to get it down. I found this very curious and later, when I got home to Canada, I started researching pandas on the internet and found out you could watch them live on the web. I love watching panda's on the pandacam! They are so lovely and inspired me to write my first children's book , LITTLE PANDA.

Did I plan to become a children's book illustrator?
Not really, it came about gradually over time. I went to an art college in Calgary, Canada called The Alberta College of Art and Design. It was an important turning point for me, I learned I could do something with the art I was creating. I started out doing editorial and corporate illustration but in my sketchbook I was drawing a lot of kid's book stuff and after a while the kid's stuff just took over.

How did the Quiet Book come about?
A few years ago I had sent some samples of my artwork to my future editor, Kate O'Sullivan. She liked my work but didn't have any stories that fit my work, but she asked if I had written any stories of my own that I would like to illustrate. I didn't have any written, but I sat down and immediately started writing some stories which included THE LITTLE PANDA. After that Kate finally found a book for me to illustrate,THE QUIET BOOK, and it was perfect. When I read the manuscript, right away I imagined pictures for it and started drawing even before I could agree to do the book.

How is the success of the Quiet Book translated to my future work?
When I illustrated my first children's book NIKOLAI THE ONLY BEAR written by Barbara Joosse I thought this is it, it's such a lovely book now I will busy doing many more books. But I did not get another offer for several more years. After LITTLE PANDA was published I again thought this was it, it's such a lovely book now everyone will buy it. It did pretty good but not like I had imagined, it did get good reviews and won illustration awards which was encouraging. So with the Quiet Book, I just decided to have fun and enjoy doing the book and not worry about how it does. So I was very pleasantly surprised when it did so well! Perhaps best of all it has already lead to 2 sequels, THE LOUD BOOK and a 3rd sequel yet to announced. The greatest reward is that I get the opportunity to draw more books.

What is the response to more ambitious kids books in North America and the conflict between good art and bad?
I have been lucky in the amazing people I have worked with in the children's book industry. They love good books and have really supported me in doing my best work. Credit has to be given to my editor Kate O'Sullivan who saw the potential of the book. A wonderful part of children's books is how the writing and the illustration can contribute equally to the storytelling. I think the greatest battle in illustrating is making sure that the illustrations add to the story and doesn't repeat what the text says.

End of Song Quiet

2010-05-25T09:58:00.000-07:00

I don't think this happens much anymore.

Red Wagon!!!

2010-05-20T06:26:00.001-07:00

This is a detail from the cover of my next book RED WAGON
The entire cover design can be seen on my newly redesigned
website at www.renataliwska.com

RED WAGON is coming in Feb 2011.

I'm coming with!

2010-05-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

A very good friend is moving. I am sad to see her go but happy for her as well!

Happy Mothers Day!

2010-05-09T12:51:00.000-07:00

Some THE QUIET BOOK news:

-It is No.2 this week on the New York Times Bestseller List!

-Here is a link to an interesting interview, it gives a peak into how the book was made from the writer and the editor's point of view.
lynnhazenimaginaryblog.blogspot.com

2010-05-04T16:40:00.000-07:00

A really wonderful part of The Quiet Book is that it gives the reader the opportunity to think up their own quiet moments. Which is also what made it such a great book to illustrate.

Issac, Grace, and Lily went further and drew some quiet moments. These drawings are from the review of The Quiet Book on their lovely blog Bookie Woogie! They got me thinking that I will have to try to put the porcupine a bit more in the next book.

Check it out here:
http://bookiewoogie.blogspot.com/2010/05/review-67-quiet-book.html

They reviewed Little Panda previously as well:
http://bookiewoogie.blogspot.com/2009/02/review-15-little-panda.html

Thanks to Issac, Grace, Lilly, and their Dad!