I Got To Speak At Ringling !

Wow! What a week! I was asked to speak and jury the student show at Ringling College of Design by Octavio Perez (Illustration Faculty) -an amazing artist. It was a very flattering experience and rewarding to be able to visit an institution committed to excellence in teaching students good design and art fundamentals.


They have a really nice campus in a resort area - I don't know how they manage to get their work done with so many distractions available.


I spoke about the necessity to become indispensable and to open their minds to new possibilities in the creation of their own digital properties.


A group of illustrators hung around after to chat - one of them had me sign 1313 Dead End Drive - the Hasbro board game I illustrated years ago - first time I ever signed it!


They told me there were over 2000 entries in the student show - crazy! My job was to whittle it down to about 60-80 pieces - not an easy task - there were so many really good pieces.


Here are a few of the pieces that made the cut.


Bonus! My sister has a house in Sarasota and I met up with her and her husband for some wonderful dinners and even had a chance to hit the #1 beach in the US - Siesta Key!


And this is what I flew home to yesterday!

Nasty Bugs!!!

It's so nice to have a part in seeing a project go from beginning to end. I was privileged to work with the great Lee Bennett Hopkins - THE poet anthologist for kids. He's basically won all the poetry awards and even holds a Guinness world record for most prolific poetry anthologist. My editor at Penguin was like, "Do you know how famous Lee is?" and I had to apologize because I'm not well read in poetry- so I looked him up and holy cow! Anyway - he seems like a really nice guy too and in Nasty Bugs he's gathered some of the best poets from around the country and spun a web of YUCK!!!...for the boys...and the girls who are more brave than I.


This was a very fun book to work on - a dream project really because each illustration is a stand alone. When I finished one I could take on the challenge of new characters for a new nasty poem. One of the challenges in illustrating a traditional book is that often the story takes place in one or two locations which means that backgrounds have to be similar - which means similar colors. You have to constantly dream up new ways to keep the images fresh and avoid redundancy.

I sure hope I get to work with Lee and Dial again - Jason Henry did a fabulous job designing and laying out the book. I've always wondered why the designers don't get their name on the cover as well - they do so much work.

Rockin on My Ipad Apps!

So, if you've been following my blog for more than a few months you'll notice that I was working on a monster app and then I kind of went silent on that front. Well, the project was going really well and still is however I started feeling like it was becoming larger than I wanted to tackle at this time. The amount of work was becoming overwhelming and so I've set it aside for now because I really want it to reflect my vision. I was afraid that if I kept working on it I would be tempted to cut corners.

Good news however - I'm about half way through my next app creation and am working with a talented and very accomplished writer Rick Walton and programer Mike Bohman to produce what we think will be a really fun______ (insert category here). We don't really know what to call it because it's not a story app but it has a story. It's not a game either in that you can't beat it or win...or even compete against the computer or another player. No - it's just a thing - a widget - a whobadeewhatee and so we might call it an iPad toy or digital toy or something like that. Anyway above is one of the illustrated characters for my ebook/app - just wanted to let you know that I'm actively working on several ideas right now - it's sooooo exciting to be able to concept, rough out, design, render, and publish anything you can think of!!!

My Plea To You....

I don't recall ever asking you for anything so I'm going to call in a favor right now. I want you to read or listen to Linchpin by Seth Godin. I believe this is the most powerful argument for rethinking "the system" that I've ever heard before. Why should you re-think the system? Because all of us want to make art that's not only relevant but we also like the idea of making money. This book will tell you what you need to be doing to compete in the next decade and beyond. Please please please take the time to read or listen to Linchpin - I believe every H.S. senior and college student should read this as well!

Is It Vain to Indie Publish ebooks or apps?

Recently on an internet thread about self publishing ebooks a fellow illustrator wrote, "If I pay, it's vanity and I'm not that vain."

I thought it might make for a good blog post and create good dialog.

van·i·ty
   [van-i-tee] Show IPA noun, plural -ties, adjective
noun excessive pride in one's appearance, qualities, abilities, achievements, etc.....something worthless, trivial, or pointless.

So I'll start by asking a few questions:

1. If you're working with a traditional publisher don't you PAY with compromises? When we're asked to make changes that we don't agree with aren't we paying by agreeing?

2. If we accept a manuscript that we feel should have changes but must agree to illustrate "as is" aren't we again paying with more compromises?

3. When we sign a contract that stipulates that if a motion picture is ever produced from the manuscript we are ineligible to receive compensation - even though the movie director might use the illustrations as a spring board....are we paying again? (talk to me sometime about a friend of mine who had to watch the movie art director accept an academy award for the look of the movie which looked exactly like his illustrations - he received no compensation either.)

4. Are we paying when we give up 90% of the book revenues to the publisher?

5. And how much are we paying when we wait sometimes years to see our book finally published? (I have a friend who had to wait 9 years from when her book was first bought....didn't she pay?)

Most things that have value come at a cost...I don't mind paying.

A few more thoughts:

What if J.K. Rowling had stopped submitting her manuscript "Harry Potter and the and the Philosopher’s Stone after being rejected time and time again? Bloomsbury was basically her last chance...what if they had rejected it too? Would she have been vain if she self published it and it took off?

Publishers are often right and often wrong. Large publishers usually help make manuscripts and art better. Publishers overlook niche markets. Publishers find and exploit niche markets. Publishers make dumb decisions. Publishers make smart decisions.

Picasso said everyone is born and artist....are you going to let someone else validate your art with a simple thumbs up or down?

I love working with editors and art directors. I'm saddened that editors don't get their names on the front cover along with the author and illustrator. I have quite a few books where the art director or editor's suggestions, ideas, requests, or changes made a section go from good to great. Having said this we are all human and all make mistakes - even editors. I can't afford to allow my value as an artist to be determined by what one or two other people think about my work. We only get better through hard work - trial and error - success and failure. So why not publish it yourself if you can't sell it it to an editor? The market will let you know if you created something of value.

Publishers have many reasons why they turn down AMAZING manuscripts and artwork. I have heard editors give reasons such as: "Our house already had a book in the same genre scheduled to be published even though we liked the new manuscript better" or "All of the editors loved it but the marketing dept. shot it down" or "Our firm decided to work primarily with established authors and we ended up turning down some amazing work." Should all of this amazing work be forgotten about?

If you wait for the validation of a publisher you might be killing your artist, ideas, and genus that's waiting to be unleashed.

Can you have pride in your work without being vain? I think so. I think we all need to have enough pride to submit our work for publisher review. I think we need to take pride in our work to make it better. Without pride we'll cease to innovate. Without pride we'll stagnate. In order to see success in indie publishing you better have pride in your work - and a lot of it if you want to be noticed.

Be Selfish by Helping Someone Else!

I think I've talked about this before but one of the best things you can do for your art is to help someone else with theirs. I don't care if you're a rank beginner or a veteran there's really no substitution for the knowledge and ability you will gain by breaking down what you've learned to spoon it out to someone else - oh yeah and there's a side benefit - YOU'LL FEEL AMAZING WHILE DOING IT! Again, you don't have to be that far along the path - just a little farther than the person you're teaching. All of us have something to give.

The other day I was in a position to avoid a person who had avoided my help in the past. We'll call this person the "artist". I had been annoyed by the artist's "unteachable" attitude and somewhat abrasive personality but due to certain circumstances it just worked out - I found myself sharing what I had learned to be true. The artist was different that day - approachable and willing to listen. Before I knew it we had accomplished quite a bit and I could tell that the artist had learned a few things that could potentially change his/her life. It was very rewarding and very unexpected that day.

But we both won! I was able to question and carefully re-think my method therefore solidifying my knowledge and reinforcing my skill, while the artist gained a gift. If you want to become a better artist you need to teach what you know to others. Even if you're reluctant to let your light shine - do it! You'll only get better!

Dr. Paul Interviewed Me For Podcast

There's a first time for everything and Monday was my introduction to a podcast interview. Dr. Paul runs a great podcast called "Live On Purpose Radio". He interviews people who have had to overcome adversity and make crutial decisions in their lives to find success. I think he was running low on quality interviews when he saw me bumpin down the street. I felt a tug as I was snatched off my feet and plopped in his chair. Someone slammed some headphones and shoved a mic in my face and the rest...is in the podcast: http://www.liveonpurposeradio.com/radio/2012/02/13/illustrating-success/

You don't need an iPod to listen - just click the link and listen right from the webpage. Anyway - I had fun and now I'm going back through some of his other podcasts - really good stuff.

Guess What Came In The Mail?

There's nothing quite like getting a box of new books in the mail! You spend months working on a project but have to wait sometimes over a year to see the final product. Senorita Gordita is my third book with Author Helen Ketteman - a wonderful author and a great gal! Senorita Gordita is a fractured fairy tale or retelling of "The Little Ginger Bread Man" with a southwest twist.


Our Publisher - Albert Whitman, has been great to work with. Senorita Gordita is my sixth book with them and hopefully not my last. Developing relationships with publishers has been vital to developing my career in children's books. So far all six books are still in print - I don't know what they're doing over there but from experience this is rare - way to go Whitman...and Albert!!! I've had other books go out of print with other publishers and it's never fun when that happens. There are a lot of reasons why some books do well while others don't - perhaps another blog entry in the future.


Oh, also, Albert Whitman has been having great success with their ebook releases of "The Box Car Children"

Just For Fun!

Once a month I try to make time for a personal piece. I know I've talked about this before but I feel it's important to pursue creating something without boundaries or limits. An excuse to be totally selfish. To allow the piece to "breath". I had fun with this one...now back to work! (digital illustration painted using photoshop)

How to Make and Market Your ebook / app

I get asked quite often: "why should I make an ebook or app and what are the best methods to market them?" In the video below I try to make a case for both. I hope that my insights will help you make the right decisions for you. I'm not an expert at this whole ebook thing but I've developed some opinions which I've put in the video. With a technology so new all we can really go on is each others best guesses and experiences. If you're writing or illustrating or contemplating either I think this video might help you solidify your ideas or change them for the better.

Oh yeah - the video is about a half hour so get your favorite beverage and a sketchbook and chilax!

9 Pros and Cons of app / ebook builder sites

I've been thinking a lot about app/ebook builder websites. In other words - websites that provide tools for uploading image, sound, and text files so the user can create an ebook/app. I realize that my opinions are probably all wrong and that I've probably overlooked a lot but here's what I'm thinking and feel free to totally disagree/correct me.

I'm comparing an app builder site to hiring/partnering with a programer:


1 user friendly: I think one of the benefits of using a builder site is the ease of use compared to the hassle of finding and back and forth communication with a programer.

2 quick to market: I'm guessing that because the process is much easier with a builder site - you would be able to get your book published faster. (this is theory)

3 fewest limitations: Looking at the builder sites I've been able to find I think hands down there are more limitations in programing on a builder site vs what a programmer could do.

4 most money % 4 artist: This has to go to the programer ebook because if you hire a programer all the money from Amazon, B&N, or itunes comes directly to you instead of going through the builder site where they siphon off their percentage first. However if you partner with a programer then they get their cut so this one could go either way...

5 control of rights: Again this one goes to the programer ebook simply because when you're the publisher you control all the rights to your book - you decide where it's sold and if you want to license it or sell it to another entity.

6 viral potential: I don't see an advantage either way on this one - tie.

7 quicker payments: I give this one to the programer book because again the money doesn't go to the builder site first where you have to wait for more turn around.

8 sold on more platforms: Some builder sites will only allow your book to be sold on their site - others control which sites it will be sold on - so this one goes to the programer ebook/ app

9 cheapest to publish: This one depends on how you look at it and is too complicated to really answer - so many variables. If you are your own programer - perhaps you're doing a simple ebook with no animations, sounds, etc - you'll probably incur the fewest costs. So perhaps I should have had a third category - the self programed ebook - but I think most of us are scared of actually programing an interactive ebook ourselves.


One last thing I'd like to point out is that amazing things can be done with great limitations. We put a man on the moon with less computing power than you have in your cell phone. The Blair Witch project was filmed on a camcorder. Wilbur and Orville Wright accomplished flight with rudimentary building materials. Could you create a classic on a builder site? I believe so. Having said that I think the best method is to design the ebook including functionality on paper first. If you can realize your dream on a builder site and you like the terms - go for it. If the limitations demand too many compromises you may want to hire or partner with a programer.

Speaking at SCBWI Utah & Chicago Chapters

I feel very honored to have been invited to speak at both the Utah/Idaho and Chicago SCBWI Conferences! (Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators -the largest organization supporting the creators of children's books) I went to my first SCBWI conference back in 1992 - where I met Carol Lynch Williams who writes young adult fiction and we've been friends ever since. I had no idea what I was doing back then (still don't -shhhh) and really hadn't planned on becoming a children's book illustrator. When your in your early 20's and male it makes more sense to illustrate dragons and dudes with swords.

But somehow I found my softer side - probably had something to do with my wife and our first few children that gave me the desire and interest in pursuing what has become my passion.

Anyway, I was invited by Illustrator Sherry Meidell to present at the Bountiful Davis Art Center on Saturday February 25th @ 9:00am I'll be speaking to Utah and Idaho SCBWI illustrators: "Selling Yourself In A Global Market Place" This is a topic that is relevant to all of us trying to make a living with our art. As tech companies develop tools for networking and merchandising on the internet – opportunities are emerging quickly for artists to take their products directly to their customers. The middle man will usually be a necessary component for artists to find their markets but these middle men are beginning to offer something more than money, editing, and production. It’s vital to discover how you can take advantage of these new developments and sell your work globally. Everyone is welcome! $45 SCBWI members - $50 for others. More Info.


This May I'll be heading for Chicago for a bunch of school visits and presenting with Martha Rago-Art Director at Harper Collins at the Chicago Chapter of the SCBWI. I was invited by Janet McDonnell and Terri Murphy - both excellent illustrators and coordinators for the conference (where's my anxiety medication?) The event will kick off on Saturday, May 5, 2012 at 8:30am At the Oakton Community College in Des Plaines, IL. I'll be looking at portfolios and offering suggestions in the morning and talking about marketing in the afternoon session - and participating in a panel discussion sometime in the middle. More info.

I have to say that this is kind of a dream come true because any time I get the opportunity to teach I take it! It not only benefits the attendees but sharpens my knowledge as I have to prepare and know my subject inside and out. I know I've blogged about this before but presenting is one of the best ways to succeed. I've presented a few times at these conferences before and the people you meet and connections you make are invaluable.

How To Format A Children's ebook

My good friend Julie Olson just released her first ebook - "Princesses, Princesses, Princesses!" on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and as a PDF in the illustrated section. Her book is extremely cute (as a guy am I allowed to use the word cute?) and great for families with young girls.

But it wasn't enough for her to publish her ebook - she had to go and create a detailed step by step tutorial to let anyone interested see just how she did it! Her tutorial can be found here however you'll need a mac, adobe photoshop CS5, and InDesign CS5 to use her tutorial. Unfortunately in order to participate in this fast changing tech game of current formatting you have to either find a tutorial that fits your current set up or modify your work station to fit the tutorial. What worked six months ago might not work as well now and what works now might not be ideal in another year. Frustrating? You bet! and that's why I choose to outsource or partner for my programing needs. Call me a wimp - I'll proudly wear that title - but for you brave souls like Julie (mother of 3 small kids) it's no big deal.

Check out her tutorial!

1 Year ebook Stats - over 30,000 sold!

Well it's been a year since I published Monkey & Croc on Barnes and Noble's Pubit site and just short of a year for Tickle Bugs and Pollywog to Frog. I thought I'd share my stats because I know that a lot of people are trying to decide whether or not to go this route (pros and cons). The following only reflects my sales on Pubit but not on Amazon or itunes where I also sell these ebooks. My Amazon sales are finally taking off with the new Kindle Fire.

Below you can see today's stats - the "Publisher Revenue Due" is my money as I am the publisher. These stats update in real time and I can login and check them anytime I want. Amazon and itunes works the same way. Christmas tablet sales and ebook purchases are definitely up from where they were a few months back. A typical day back in august was only $10 - $20/day but today - over 50 bucks.


Below you'll notice the header "This Month's Sales Activity" about $500. This reflects this months sales from January 1st - 12th. It looks like this month is on track to break $1000.00. This month is actually not included in the 12 months on the right. All of the retail sites keep you a few months behind on payments so while I can see the reports I've actually not been paid for the past two months. Also if you look on the list - March 2011 is the payment date but those sales occurred in January which I wrote in red. This makes more sense when you look at the increase in sales from Jan 2012 - Feb 2012 - These sales happened this past December. I wonder how long these books will continue to sell?


I spent a total of about 2 months on all three books (1 month for Monkey & Croc and 2 weeks for each of the others) so this can give you an idea of the time/money ratio. I think I was actually very lucky in that I was early to market. These books were mostly an experiment into the world of electronic publishing. I didn't want to spend too much time on them because I was worried that they wouldn't earn any royalties. Here's what I've learned and what I'm doing different now-

My books suffer for the following reasons:
1. Poor formating (no SDK issued to individual developers)
2. No interactivity - what consumers are mostly looking for right now.
3. Mediocre writing - I'm still learning this craft and need much more practice!

What I'm doing now-
1. Developing for the iPad - nuts on trying to work with companies that want to favor large publishers - let them roll the dice and miss out on what small companies can create.
2. Interactivity that is integral to the story or activity - I'm not into making -this wiggle or -that squeak - if it needs to move it will - if it needs to make noise let it roar!
3. Collaboration with professional writers and IOS developers - right now I'm working with the amazing Rick Walton and Mike Bohman.

In the end I think you have to create gold - pure and simple. If you want your ebook or app to gain momentum it has to be great. I believe it has to have great writing or a great idea or both. It also needs to have art that is a good fit for the story. And it needs to have good programing - I don't know if interactivity is more popular now and will become less important later or vice versa but for now I get bad ratings for not having moving parts. Basically you need to create the equivalent of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" or "Where The Wild Things Are" - something that people will want to share with their friends and review sites like Kirkus will champion.

Have You Done Something New This Year?

I challenge you to do something you've never done with your art this year! Do something you've never done before. Try something you've always wanted to try - or combine one technique with another. Combine art with technology like I did in this video. I don't know what I learned but I did something I've never done before. I attached my GoPro Hero camera to the end of a pencil. Only by experimentation will we make new discoveries with our art and learn about ourselves. Dare to fail. We learn more by our failures than our successes. The important thing is not to get stuck doing the same thing over and over.

I start teaching my art classes again tomorrow at UVU and I'm so excited to try some new examples and exercises in my classes. I learned something new just in the last few weeks about character design. I'll probably be sharing it here on the blog in the near future. Good luck!

It's Now Live On www.folioacademy.com

I'm so excited to be able to announce the release of my new video series, “How To Design A Drawing”. It probably would have been more accurate to have called it “how to design an image” but I realized that many people wouldn't understand that title...so, it's “drawing.”

The work in this video tutorial has taken 45 years to develop – of course I haven't been working on the actual videos that long but it's taken my whole life to develop my own beliefs and values about design. I've come to realize two things about myself over the last decade: 1) I have to create art – it's not an option – I must do it to satisfy an inner need – almost like breathing. 2) I'm supposed to teach what I've learned to others. It's also not a choice – I feel driven to help others learn what has brought so much joy to my life.

I really can't believe that I'm living at a time where technology has made it possible to help people all around the world. I was looking at statistics the other day from Folio Academy and we have now sold videos in over 20 countries since we launched back in August. I get email all the time from wonderful people who do not have access, means, or the time to take classes at a university or art college. People just like I was - desperate to learn how to improve their craft. People who want to illustrate their own children's books, make apps, ebooks, or qualify themselves to make beautiful paintings for galleries or to work in animation studios, etc. Some just want to make better art for themselves.

If you're new to my site – I recommend you start with “How To Design A Drawing” and then move into some of the other courses. I get artists who design amazing characters (some professionally) who have asked me, “How do you design the your characters into the background?” I never had a good answer because there isn't ONE good answer! Now I can say, “try this....”

If you didn't win a free video you can still get it at: http://folioacademy.com/samplean.html

25 Free copies "How To Design A Drawing"

I'm so excited to announce that I'm finally finished with "How To Design A Drawing" my new video tutorial. It will be hosted on folioacademy.com and I'll be giving away 25 free copies here on my blog - first come first serve. How it will work: One day in the next week or so I'll roll out of bed, stretch, repeat a few affirmations, "you're a good artist because you use reference" or something like that. Then I'll hop online and update my blog with something like, "Enter your email address in the comments section below to win free access to "How To Design A Drawing!" I won't announce it on facebook so the best way to be ready is to get the rss feed by following this blog.

There are 8 videos in this new series and includes work that I've been putting together for the last 2-3 years. This was the hardest video tutorial to make so far because explaining concepts require a lot of visuals and careful descriptions.

Design is a topic that is very near and dear to my heart. I was let into the BYU illustration BFA on PROBATION! Back in 1990 it was my wake up call. It was embarrassing and shocking - I thought I was pretty good at art and watching my classmates get in easily was humiliating but also motivating. It was exactly what I needed. Ironically years later I ended up teaching for the same instructors who put me on probation.

Anyone can learn to be a good designer if they want it and are willing to work hard. Every image I have in my portfolio was a struggle in the design stage. Perhaps struggle is the wrong word but each illustration I design is like solving a puzzle. The puzzle is solved when I have my final sketch and at that point painting is a breeze because if I've done it right I don't have to make critical decisions while painting.

I designed the penguins above live in front of our studio cameras as the final video in the tutorial so that the viewer can watch as I solve that puzzle. I will be using these videos in one of my UVU classes this coming semester - something I've only dreamed about until now. I also give my students free access because I want them to all have what I would have wanted to have when I was a student.

Do Public Schools Kill Creativity?

Back in 1971 I started attending elementary school just north of Washington DC in Maryland. I didn't know it then but I was a little seedling of an artist trying to poke my head out and catch some rays. There were a bunch of us - little budding artists trying to sprout. We were so excited about life and discovery yet unaware that the environment we were growing in was hostile towards our skills and learning styles. Turns out we were floundering in a system that looked at us more like weeds than flowers.

What I'm going to talk about is in no way intended to be an indictment of teachers or administrators but rather of the public school system in general. A system that no one individual or even organization is in total control over. Also, I don't want this to come across as a negative attack ad but rather as a wake up call for all of us.

Like many I never felt like I belonged in public school. I always felt like I wasn't good enough - like I was, well, stupid. I struggled with math - really struggled. My reading comprehension was horrible and for the life of me I couldn't stop day dreaming - and boy did I come up with some good ideas! My speling was atrowshous and writing - forget about it - I couldn't hold a thought long enough to form a paragraph and by the way there's a guy walking a dog across the street...I think dogs are smarter then humans...the man walks behind the dog...the dog poops...the man picks up the poop...the man carries the poop for the dog...is the dog smiling?...Oops - sorry - I'm back.

Today I probably would have been diagnosed with A.D.D and put on drugs but back then it hadn't been invented yet (he said sarcastically). My parents even had me tested to see what the heck was wrong with me. I was even lucky enough to have an older sister who was everything I was NOT academically (straight A's)- so that was really helpful.

I think we've grown to believe that a person is smart if they did well in school and not very smart if they didn't but isn't this short sighted? Lets think about this. Do we think that someone who can represent you in a court of law is more intelligent than a creative director at an ad agency? Is a concert pianist more intelligent than an accountant? Our university system was born out of a necessity to develop graduates with mostly left brain skills to manage the tasks of the industrial age and it worked. Now we are entering a new age where creativity is becoming more valuable. Daniel Pink says, “In school, problems almost always are clearly defined, confined to a single discipline, and have one right answer. But in the workplace, they’re practically the opposite. Problems are usually poorly defined, multi-disciplinary, and have several possible answers, none of them perfect. Are timed, standardized tests the way to ready youngsters for real-world problem-solving?"

Do smart people ever make stupid mistakes and if so why? Laurence Gonzales, author of Deep Survival talks about the question of why some people survive crises while others die. He says survivors have the ability to think deliberately under pressure helping them to avoid making stupid mistakes. Those that die are often intelligent people who simply follow already established mental scripts rather than addressing the reality of the situation. Having good grades in math and English probably won't factor in to the most important decisions a person will have to make in life.

The truth is we sift our kids in the public school system. We sift for the kids with math, reading, and writing skills and basically toss the rest aside. Sure we have art, band, and drama classes but do we hold kids accountable for doing poorly in those subjects? Do we have standards tests in those subjects? Do kids make the honor role for coming up with great ideas? No...and so creative kids like me go away feeling like their contributions are worthless.

So after high school I limped away damaged and insecure knowing three things: 1) I loved art 2) Nobody seemed to care and 3) I was stupid. Is this how it has to be? Do we need to destroy the self esteem of our creative kids and hope that some of them will somehow find their way into a job or field where their right brain skills will be appreciated? Is it possible to change the system so that we can perhaps teach creative children differently?

I find it ironic that we expect our kids to get good grades doing essentially left brain tasks but the items we place the highest value on are largely right brain creations: smart phones, internet based products and services, cars, motion pictures, novels, comics, tablet computers, designer clothing and accessories etc. I would argue that the innovators behind the scenes at companies like Apple, Google, Ebay, Pixar, etc were in some cases also survivors of public school. I think it would be a safe assumption that public school had little to do with these kinds of creations. These outliers had to develop a robust set of skills well beyond math and English and they did it largely on their own. Imagine what problems we could solve as a country if creativity was celebrated at school? Is there a correlation to the success of Google and their active reward program to reward creative ideas from their employees?

I was fortunate enough to have had wonderful parents who loved me and encouraged me even though they didn't fully understand me. My mom was a special ed teacher as was my wife and my sister teaches elementary school currently so I'm familiar with the the restrictions placed on teachers. I'm glad that I was able to show my mom and dad that I wasn't a lazy kid. I've accomplished a lot in illustration: acceptance into the society of illustrators annuals, an addy award, a client list of fortune 500 companies, and over 20 children's books published with national publishers - some winning state awards. I'm so glad my mother got to see me illustrate some of the same stories she taught from in school before we lost her last year.

Today I'm able to work on the projects I want. If I get an idea I go for it. I feel like I survived the public school system but how many don't? How many feel like they just aren't as good as the 4.0 earners? We have an amazing resource in our children and rather than cultivating their individual skills we sort them keeping the left brain dominant children and tossing the rest. We pick through them like we select produce at the fruit stand and for what? What benefit do we get for celebrating left brain skills while ignoring kids with right brain skills? - I don't understand it.

My college roommate (an engineering major) came to me a few years ago and said, "I have a son who hates school, get's horrible grades like you did, but loves to draw - what should I do with him?" I was pretty much at a loss because unless he was willing to put his kid in a private school he was stuck with a square peg kid in a round hole school. I told him to appreciate his abilities, nurture his art, and let him know how valuable he is while encouraging him to do his best.

Obviously this is a subject that I'm passionate about and in some ways is out of bounds for the direction of my blog but it's who I am and I wanted to share it. It's too important for me to sit by and watch while my heart aches for some of the kids I meet at my school visits. I love to tell kids how hard it was for me to learn to read. I love to watch their expressions as I tell them that even though I pretended to read and only looked at the pictures I was able to get it over time. It just took me longer and a few great teachers and a mom who cared and wouldn't let me fail.

A friend warned me not to post this on my blog because I do a fair amount of school visits and this might offend school teachers and administrators. When my 18 year old son Aaron was in elementary school his 4th grade teacher gave the class a self portrait assignment. Aaron was so excited and got busy drawing himself with a sword, an earring, and a Mohawk haircut - his teacher gave him an D and got upset at him. I wimped out and said nothing because I wanted to stay in good graces with the school district. I've always regretted my decision to do nothing. The truth is I don't want to visit a school where administrators aren't aware, sensitive, or at least willing to ponder and learn about this problem. It's not about us – it's about the kids. We need to send the message to our elected officials that we're tired of killing creativity in our Public Schools.
For more on this subject I recommend "A Whole New Mind" by Daniel Pink (I have it down on the left side of my blog) and TED talks by Sir Ken Robinson on youtube

7 Reasons You Should Be Blogging

I think a lot of artists want to sequester themselves in their studio, nook, or cave and create - it's natural since our work is often very personal. But! The audience we create for wants to know more about us than just browsing our online portfolios. "But Will, what if I don't have an audience?" Here are 7 reasons you should be blogging anyway:

1) Online Journal of Your Progress -So what if you think nobody is reading - do it for you. Being selfish with your blog is a good thing - you'll do more of what you want and ironically that will make your blog more valuable to like minded people.

2) For Your Mom -Your mom wants to know what you're up to and if you're regularly blogging you can get a quick follower by letting her know.

3) Accountability -Having assignments and deadlines are good for us. If you know that you owe your blog an update you'll be more likely to log out of Facebook and get on with working on you - which is a good thing right? Good drawing skills require exercise - get crackin!

4) Learning -If you treat it right you'll actually learn more than if you don't blog. Not all blog posts are the same but sometimes you might want to teach a process, idea, or technique. Inevitably you'll have to look stuff up so you don't sound like a moron (like me) - there, now you're learning.

5) Help Others -Probably the best reason to blog. We're all in this together. I'm a product of many artists and teachers along the way - some I've given credit to - some I've forgotten or don't realize the impact they've had on my career - some I've borrowed from...ok, stolen - but you get the point. We all get help - blogging is a way to repay.

6) Story -Like I mentioned in the beginning - people want to know about the artist behind the art. In fact I'll go as far as saying that most people purchase the artist just as much as the art it's self. I'm constantly surprised and disappointed when I run across an artist's website with great work but no blog. I want to know the human side behind the craftsman. I want to learn from them - know what they're into besides making art.

7) Selling Stuff -Money often gets a bad wrap. Sometimes we look down on those who aren't afraid to come right out and talk about making money or running a business - like we're above it. Let me make a case for money. Everyone wants it and everyone needs it. Without it we don't have a car, home, clothing or food - so money is life. So perhaps #7 should be 7) Making Life (that sounded wrong but you get the point) As artists we have to sell our work in some form be it originals, prints, books, apps, ebooks, cards, stamps, collectibles, animations, etc. Developing a good blog following is a great way to get the word out when you have a new _______ to offer.

I've mentioned why I blog before but I thought I would try to give a more complete list because I know how much it's helped me. When I first started I'll have to admit it seemed really weird. "I'm writing to myself...this is strange...nobody even knows I have a blog...nobody cares...people will laugh at me...I have body odor, etc"

It's never too late to start a blog but if you wait, you'll be that much further behind when you realize, "I should have started last year".

Color Comp In 45 Minutes!!!

No Trees were harmed in the making of this post!

So last week I was in a boring meeting being bored...and my back was a bit stiff as I recall - BUT, I had my trusty iPad! Have I ever mentioned how much I love the iPad??? Ok, so I whipped it out (the iPad) and started free drawing with my finger - which I almost forgot to bring with me - shewwy. The sketch portion took me about 3 hours - part in the meeting and the rest while watching "Waiting For Superman" which I highly recommend.

Sometimes you might want to try out some colors before making the commitment of a full painting but you don't want to spend a lot of time. This is an easy step by step if you have photoshop - or Gimp - I haven't tried it but I'm hearing great things. I would love to hear what those of you who use Gimp think...so here is the iPad sketch:


And this is layer 2 in photoshop. I make it a "multiply" layer and with the airbrush and low settings on flow and opacity I start laying in values. Anywhere you think there would be shadows or dark colors.


Layer 3 is the easiest layer that should take about 20 seconds or less depending on your mad photoshop skills or caffeine/blood level. Make another "multiply" layer and then pick the color that you feel best represents the overall mood or tone of the piece. In this case I knew I wanted a night scene so I went with a dark blueish purple. Select "paint bucket" and click. Done.


The 4th layer is where you just pick out a few highlights and that's basically it. You can get an idea if you like a color scheme pretty quick with a process like this. It was one of the steps I knew I should have taken when I worked in acrylics but didn't want to spend the time doing. Sketching on the iPad really speeds it up in that you never stop. As soon as the sketch is finished you email it to your desktop or laptop and keep working...now there's even time to check FB!


Here is a short video of the sketch process with narration - iPad/brushes app/finger

Sneak Preview - How To Design An Image

This has been a total joy to work on this image and video for two very different reasons. 1) Since I'm using it in my upcoming video tutorial "How To Design An Image" it was a good excuse to work on a fun piece. The video will be released at Folio Academy around January. 2) I figured why not kill two birds with one stone and make an assignment out of it - illustrate a song. The song is Tomorrow by Ladytron.



1) I've wanted to make a video series on design and composition for years and it's finally happening! I've been gathering and working this up literally for two years plus. It's been the hardest tutorial I've put together out of all of the video tutorials I've made thus far. Design is one of those subjects that teachers often fail to break down for students. It's really difficult to put feelings into words and concepts - things that you learn over time and begin to accept. There really isn't any magic to it if you're willing to break it down into steps and principles. So anyway I hope to have it up on Folio Academy in early January along with a complete re-design of the site.

2) I chose to illustrate a song because I've never done it before and I really really really love this song - Tomorrow by Ladytron. It's one of those songs that I think most of us can relate to in one way or another. The figure is loosely based on lead singer Helen Marnie but not really because I don't enjoy doing likenesses.

I went to H.S. during the 80's and will admit that I liked Thomas Dolby when you could get your &$% kicked for it. Also I was way into Depeche Mode, The Smiths, A Flock of Seagulls and so on. In the 90's Pet Shop Boys, Electronic, INXS, and so on. Now it's called synthpop or electronic and I still love it.

My iPod is full of: Cut Copy, Ladytron, Faded Paper Figures, The Dandy Warhols, Hey Champ, Miike Snow, Tenek, Coconut Records, Groove Armada, Empire of the Sun, Paola, Mount Sims, Zoot Woman, MGMT, Ladyhawke, Phoenix, Guster, Tesla Boy, and on and on.

Super Hero School Visits!!!

Imagine going back to elementary school - not as a kid or a teacher and not as the Principle or as a parent (been there done that) but as a SUPER HERO!!!! That's what it's like when you go as an illustrator. Think about it: the teachers hype you for weeks prior to your visit and the kids get the idea that you're a mythical creature coming to save the school - and you DO! because you get them out of class!!! So there you are (a normal putz like me) but the kids think you're awesome - so you start believing them...then you remember you're still going to have to do dishes when you get home -but while you're there you get to play super hero - able to draw tall buildings in a single swipe!...I need a cape.

Here I am a few weeks ago in Ogden Utah at Wasatch Elementary throwin down for the kids on my iPad. I had such a blast drawing for them and talking about what it's like to be an illustrator of children's books, ebooks, and apps.

What I include in my school visits:
1) Belly slide across cafeteria floor to get the kids amped! (remember to grease belly next time)
2) Talk about how hard it was for me to learn to read.
3) Explanation of illustrator responsibilities with funky pictures.
4) Read along with kids.
5) Short lesson on turning words into pictures.
6) Wow factor illustration demo on iPad.

My favorite part is how the kids go silent when I start drawing on the iPad hooked to the LCD projector - it's fun because I remember watching drawing shows and being mesmerized.

Suzane Bolar, the principle was awesome to work with - Thanks Suzane! She even called the press and got a write up in the local paper - here's the link: https://www.standard.net/stories/2011/11/17/book-illustrator-motivates-students

Tree Face Assignment

I gave this assignment in my media techniques class last night. I projected the images below from my iPad on the screen to be used as reference.


I told my class to create a tree that had at least one face in it. That's it. Then I started having fun. I didn't have any watercolor paper but I did have a gessoed board so I grabbed that and started drawing with a 12 cent papermate ballpoint pen.

I almost finished the drawing in class but when I got home last night picked it up again and fooled with it again in front of the TV (office re-runs). I love drawing in the living room - my mom used to needle point and I think of this as my equivalent.


This morning I decided to play hookie from the projects I'm supposed to be working on and fiddle with the sketch in photoshop. I got this far in about 3 hours. I'm still going to paint this in class next week with watercolor but sometimes you have to just do what you want and let the consequences follow right? I hope my kids aren't reading this...meh - no worries - they never read my blog.

Give Your iPad The Finger!!!!

I've gone totally paperless in my studio (for drawing) and in the above video I show why and how. Right now I'm working on an ebook app and I'm drawing it entirely with my finger on my iPad. I'm doing all the color work in Photoshop but all the drawings are being done on the iPad. It's not a fad or gimmick to be able to say I can do it, rather a natural evolution that has increased my workflow, productivity, and portablility. Check it out.

Meet The Monsters of my Monster App!

I'm putting all my faith in these dudes. They say they're good but we'll see when we finally get this app launched in the app store. I was first introduced to the big spotted green guy years ago and he says he won't work without his crew so I had to write all of them into the script. I gave all of them a fresh coat of paint so they shouldn't have any excuses. I have to admit they are pretty fun to have hanging around the studio although the purple guy makes a mess going through my trash.


For the past 5 months I've gone totally paperless and sketch exclusively on my iPad now. The major reason is that I never have to worry about running out of "paper" or room to complete a drawing. When sketching on paper if my drawing became cramped at the edge of the paper I would have to scan my paper or sketchbook, re-size in photoshop, and print on new paper. Not so on iPad - I just hit "re-size" in my drawing program (brushes) and/or move/shrink and keep drawing. My workflow is much faster - AND - environmentally friendly (insert my smiling face with eye sparkle). Anyhow, you can check out more of my iPad sketches for the ebook I'm working on in past posts.

How Teaching Art Put A Ferrari In my Driveway

I created the image above in my media techniques class at UVU.

Ok, follow me on this one.

I was stagnating as an illustrator 5 years ago when I was living in a small town outside of Fresno California. I didn't know it but I was losing my passion and energy for children's book illustration and I wasn't evolving. If I didn't have a commission I wasn't drawing.

When we decided to move to Utah I was contacted by Perry Stewart, head of the illustration dept. at UVU, who asked me to teach (currently teaching for Don Seegmiller ). I accepted and jumped into my classes. I had no idea that I would soon have a brand new Ferrari in my driveway!

I soon found myself reading and researching the principles and techniques I was teaching. I started discovering new artists- devouring their work and making collections on my computer from which to teach.
I started this blog with the encouragement of Lael Henderson- a friend. I figured if nobody visited my blog I could at least use it to post things for my students.

I started going to visiting artist lectures at UVU and BYU a few miles away. It's amazing how exposure to accomplished dynamic creators can influence your thinking and the way you view your own work. I found myself wanting to improve my craft and began to realize that I had been stagnating in Cali.

I was invited to teach the illustration track at "Writing & Illustrating for young readers" an annual children's book conference out here. In class I mentioned that I wished I could render my style in Photoshop and one of the guys in my class (Jed Henry a recent graduate) told me he could show me how. A month later I finished my first Photoshop piece (below) even though I had to start over three times.


I started making speed painting videos and posting them on YouTube just for fun. One day a former student emailed me and basically said, "neat- but no educational value....why don't you make a tutorial?" I thought, " yeah, why not?" ...so now I have those as well.

Working in Photoshop was so much faster - I could produce more work in the same amount of time. When I learned about the possibility of producing my own ebooks I realized I could work them into my normal commission workload. Fast forward and my ebooks are earning a nifty amount of money....enough to put a Ferrari in my driveway? Not quite- but they could some day!...but I would never buy a Ferrari - not my style - couldn't even fit in it....I'll probably buy a beat up used truck.

Sorry for the bait & switch with the Ferrari but my point is that I've gotten way more value out of teaching than an exotic car could ever give. It's given me fulfillment, satisfaction, and re- tooled my process for the future. It makes me accountable in my own art. It forces me to revisit design principles regularly. It exposes me to new technology and methods and ways of thinking. Sure it puts food on the table but I get so much more than that. Probably the biggest thing I get is the satisfaction of helping others find the joy of turning their visions into realities. Helping someone have an "aha moment!"...you can't buy it.

Frustration, Pain, Anguish, and Disappointment

First - here is another sketch for my monster app - The monsters are coming! This is going to be a really good test in marketing when I'm finished. Not only will I have it programed for Ipad/iphone but also Kindle Fire so I'll have a good comparison on these two retail giants. I don't ever know whether to call it an app or an ebook - if I call it an app people think it's a game - ebook and they might not look for it in the app store. Confusing.

Ok, what's up with all the frustration and pain talk? Over the years I've gotten to know quite a few artists and I've realized that most of us share something that I don't think the 9 to 5'ers have. We often bleed for our art. I'm not saying that people that work a shift don't care about their jobs and aren't dedicated but I do think that in general, artists have to invest much more emotionally.

There's nothing like the euphoria of working on a piece that's really working - at times it's almost like it's painting itself and you're just there as an observer. But, when it's not working out the agony is often hard to bare. I used to burn paintings every now and then and while it relives a little stress it still haunts you until you right the wrong you created. When a painting is going south the lies begin, "it's not that bad"..."it's good"..."it will start looking good after I finish the figure"...We want it so bad that we're willing to overlook obvious major problems - kind of like I do with my kids. :)

I've had students crying in my classes before because their paintings were heading straight to hell. I tell them that their tears are a great sign. Tears over paintings mean that you have the aesthetics and sensibilities to know that you aren't achieving the vision you have in your mind. That you know you are much more than your creation. That your expression is being stifled by the skills you have yet to attain. There's nothing sweeter than scratching, clawing, and bleeding for your art when it reaches your vision. If it were easy it would be common and worthless.

Don't Always Do It The "Right Way"

Remember when owning a home was a mandatory part of a healthy financial portfolio? I think this is the first time that financial planners are backing off saying, "owning CAN also be a good addition to a financial portfolio."

I bring this up because when I'm down at school I constantly hear students telling eachother things like, "you're supposed to do it this way" or "that's not the way that so and so said to do it." I believe in obeying the rules most of the time...wait - that sounded like a rule!...how bout: Obey some of the rules some of the time but not all of the rules all of the time unless you want to but if you want to break all of the rules that might be good too however that probably won't work either so don't listen to me but you should listen to some people if you feel they're giving good information. hmmmmmmm. How bout some examples:

Bill Gates - laughed at by IBM executives for only wanting to license his operating system. In other words he was laughed at for "doing it the wrong way."

John Lasseter - Fired from Disney for wanting to introduce computer animation to Disney productions - Started Pixar - Now chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. He is also currently the Principal Creative Advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering...pssssst - he did it the wrong way.

Steve Jobs - How many times do you think he was laughed at for all the innovative ideas he implemented. It's easy to think, "why would I laugh at Jobs? - he created so many wonderful products." Before he attained his unimaginable success he was often branded a nut for his strange decisions.

Larry Page and Sergey Brin created a search engine their way - a different way - they broke the rules. They were also late to the search engine party and couldn't get anyone's attention. All the big search engine companies showed them the door when they tried to sell their technology....so they started Google.

Last night in my watercolor class I kept hearing students talking about using watercolors "the right way."....

So I created this piece: Watercolor, collage, acrylic, digital, and ball point pen.

We are in a creative field and some rules are very important...but learning to break some of them is the difference between leading and following. Can you afford to follow in an industry that's always looking for fresh work?

Assignment: Illustrate a "banjo pig" using watercolor to post on http://banjopigs.blogspot.com/

Monster App color work

I have nothing creative to write today - I'm drained from working til 3 am on this piece. I thought I was done but when I looked at it again this morning I realized there were quite a few more tweaks needed- 3 hours later and I think I'm finally finished...again!

I've included several versions with various assets on different layers because there will be animations in this app. If you've been reading my blog I said that I wanted to have animation but didn't know how to do it or set up for it but that someone would come into my life to help me. Well, it happened a few weeks ago - I've teamed up with a Disney animator and he's going to be teaching me and working with me to make this project happen! Kind of the, "If you build it they will come" model.

I wasn't interested in programing superfluous animations in my ebook. One thing I'm constantly seeing in ebooks and apps is animation and/or sounds that don't move the story forward - in fact I'm guilty of that in my Monkey & Croc ipad app. On this one I wanted to create a story/interactive ebook that couldn't exist in physical book format. Part of an on going exploration of this technology. It's fun to think about the future and how I'll feel about all of this 5 or 10 years down the road, lessons learned, bumps, bruises, and hopefully a few smiles....ok, a lot of smiles!

Get Over It - You're Just Another Artist!

Status Update: Monster App still on schedule (there's no schedule so I'm right on time)

Just Another ARTIST???!!! What kind of a statement is that?

Remember back when you were in junior high and you started making really bad copies of spider man or (insert cool character here) and because it sort of resembled what you were going for you thought you were an amazing artist? Your friends who had quit trying to draw were now propping you up - "awww WICKED"..."dude that's bad". Fast forward to high school and you were determined to draw in art class amongst the stoners. It didn't take long for you to get their attention: "Dude that's bad ass....draw Eddie from Iron Maiden on my Jacket." Your head was completely filled with hot gasses and arrogance as you headed off to college. Even though your teachers bathed you in beautiful images from working professionals you weren't that impressed. Caught up in the grandeur of your graduating portfolio you excitedly started marketing your work. When assignments didn't actually flood in you got the first twinge of insecurity but you shrugged it off. After a few years of struggling to keep freelancing you gained a partial attitude overhaul. Humility was still in short supply but you started giving a few nods to other artists. 5 years in and you put yourself near the top shelf of illustration talent. 7 years and you still grossly overestimated your skills. 10 years - the internet was bringing more and more amazing artists to your attention. 15 years you realized you're just another set of hands. 18 years you start to feel lucky to be an illustrator. 20 years and you know you're lucky! Being able to do what you do while there are so many artists much more talented and capable than you roaming this little rock. Fear sets in when you realize...you might not be keeping up. Embarrassing, but this was me.

Become a "WHOLE" artist:
Work hard
Have heroes
Open mind
Listen
Engage

Illustrating illustration ebook app kindle nook ipad iphone format