Constructing the Red Wagon

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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.

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