Work/Life

I am happy to be a part of a new book published by Uppercase and featuring lots of great Canadian illustrators and photographers. This is a page from the book showing my sketchbook (top left) with artwork from Skylar, a really fun book by Mary Cuffe-Perez I greatly enjoyed illustrating.
The show for Work/Life will be opening this Thursday night at Uppercase Gallery in Art Central.

For more info go to http://www.uppercasegallery.ca.

For more info on Skylar, click HERE to go to the amazon.com page.

Art Attack Thursday June 5

I will be contributing this print for the annual Art Attack auction happening next Thursday. You can call this number (338-5585) for tickets, it's always a fun time.

ART ATTACK
A feast for the eyes: 50 fabulous creations that pay homage to food and drink

The Alberta College of Art + Design is pleased to present the ninth annual Art Attack on Thursday, June 5, 2008.

Art Attack is a fundraising extravaganza that features the thrill of a live auction for one-of-a-kind pieces of art. Started in 1999 this event has grown and now provides two scholarships to deserving students in the Alberta College of Art + Design's Visual Communications Design program. Art Attack is successful because of the outstanding support of the community combined with the contributing designers, illustrators and fine artists who donate their time and work. Many are ACAD alumni; busy professionals who want to give back to the college to benefit the promising students with strength in both design and illustration.

Art Attack
Alberta College of Art + Design
Thursday, June 5, 2008
7 pm - doors open and silent auction
8:30 pm - live auction begins
Tickets $75.00 each
Please call 338-5585 for tickets

Applied Arts Photo & Illustration Awards

A 3 piece preview of "Little Panda" can be seen in the current issue of Applied Arts Magazine (June 2008).
http://www.appliedartsmag.com/current_issue.php

Chickadee

A drawing for a story I am working on with Michael. This is the main character, Chika D.

Meditate

This is an image I did a while ago. I think it is relevant now - considering the terribly unfortunate events that have occurred in Asia recently. Including the earthquake in China, the cyclone in Myanmar (Burma), and the violence in Tibet.

Earthquake in China

I was shocked and saddened to hear of the terrible earthquake in China. My heart goes out to all those affected, including those at the Wolong Panda Nature Reserve and the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda.

Panda Cams

One of my favorite things to do is watch pandas! I find them endlessly fascinating. And thanks to the internet and panda cams I can watch them anytime and anywhere.

The National Zoo in Washington DC is easily my favorite panda cam! They have two cameras that carefully follow the panda activities of the mom panda, Mei Xiang, dad panda Tian Tian, and baby panda Tai Shan. Tai is all grown up, but he was my first baby panda and he's a joy to watch.

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/default.cfm?cam=LP2

My second favorite panda cam is in Wolong, China. They have so many little pandas here it's crazy! It reminds me of a panda summer camp. They push, pull, run, wrestle, climb, tumble, and then fall asleep. It's so fun!

http://www.oiccam.com/webcams/index.html?/panda/
(This one is the best in the early evening)

San Diego Zoo has lots of great pandas. There's Gao Gao, sure he's bit funny looking but he's got a big heart! Mother panda Bai Yun watching over her latest bundle of joy - Zhen Zhen. And teenage Su Lin (she's about the same age as Tai - around 2 years old).

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/zoo/ex_panda_station.html

The Atlanta Zoo has a good cam which mostly follows their super sweet little panda, Mei Lan and her mother Lun Lun.

http://www.zooatlanta.org/animals_panda_cam.php4

This camera in Wolong doesn't have the greatest view but it does have pandas ... If you look closely. They are about as small as ants on the computer screen.

http://www.earthcam.com/china/sichuan/panda/

Memphis Zoo has a camera but it doesn't seem to want to work on my Mac.

The Vienna Zoo doesn't have a panda cam but they have a unique baby panda named Fu Long. A white toes panda!

Introducing "Little Panda"

Hello and welcome to my blog. As the name suggests an important part of this blog will be Pandas! In particular, I will often be posting about my upcoming book "Little Panda" which is being published this fall by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. I'm very excited about the book and can hardly wait for it to come out! Each week I plan to post panda sketches from my sketchbooks, talk about the development of the book, and gossip about my favorite panda bears on the web.

This is the cover for the book! It was the very last illustration completed and probably the most important. I wanted to keep it simple and direct, trying to express how sweet and heartwarming panda's are to me. I love the type that the designer Cara Llewellyn chose and how it reads top to bottom - reminiscent of chinese writing. I thought this was a pretty unique choice for a children's books and very appropriate for the content.