I made this on Xtranormal.com

Have you ever been in this situation??? It's always awkward. It would be flattering if these people knew my work but most don't. Anyway, I had fun typing this in on xtranormal.com. You can waste a lot of time there - I better get back to work.

Happy Holidays!

I couldn't wait to do a Seasonal piece this year. I finished this one (created in photoshop) last month but figured I'd wait till after Thanksgiving to post it. I'm sending this out as a post card so if you're an art buyer and want to be on my list send me your contact info and I'll shoot you one pronto!

Find time to work on Hansel and Gretel

If you've already started working on a Hansel and Gretel piece congratulations! If you don't know what I'm talking about check a few posts down - I'm going to post image creations from anyone who wants to take on this challenge. I've already received a really nice piece from Von Brimhall - Way to go man!

Here is a cute piece from Carl Offterdinger way back in the 1800's.

To my class: In between turkey naps find time to work on your assignments - you'll thank yourself later.

Project due date: Dec 8th when I'll post all of the images I receive in jpeg form right here on my blog with a short critique.

My first acrylic painting in 7 months

This is a demo I did for my picturebook class at UVU. I was happy that I was still able to do it. I have to admit that I was a little nervous but I couldn't let my students know it.

Also - we're starting our Hansel and Gretel assignment tomorrow - Monday the 15th. Several people are going to do the project but do not want me to post the results online. That's absolutlely fine - I'll only post the images that you want me to post.
Good luck on it - My hope is that you can add another great image to your portfolio!

Want to do this assignment?

This is an illustration from Hansel and Gretel by scott gustafson. (Scott I hope you don't mind that I used your image.) We are going to be illustrating one scene from this story next week in my picturebook class at UVU. My students will begin this assignment on November 16 and their due date is Dec 8th. I've always wanted to try this so here goes:

I'm planning to post my students work right here on my blog and I'd like to post work from anyone out there who would like to participate along with us. The goal is to motivate my students as well as anyone who wants to roll up their sleeves and get busy with us. I'll also give a short critique on these pieces and any of you can weigh in with your opinions as well. I think this will be a blast!

So here are the rules:
Original work only of course
size is 8.5" x 11" wide or horizontal (work larger if you like)
color or black and white
any medium
email me a jpeg of your finished piece - I'll only post jpegs

Content:
You may choose any scene from the story. It can be dark and scary if you want - the original Brothers Grimm tale is quite ominous. You may also choose to lighten it up - fracture it if you want - this is your chance to do something really fun! The only content rule is that it must contain at least one character from the story. I often advise my students to pick a scene that is easily identifiable (as a Hansel and Gretel image) so they can get an editor or art director emotionally involved with their work.

So that's it - you have an extra week to get going on it!

Re-Painting

I just wasn't satisfied with the last finish on this piece - It felt over rendered in some ways and I think it lacked texture and the silhouette from the original sketch. I'm still finding myself in photoshop. I like the second version much better because you can still see some of the under-painting - a look I had in my traditional work.

A new book project

This is a sample image for a book I just finished writing and illustrating. I don't have a publisher yet but will be sending it out soon. I was so happy with how this image turned out and I had to share it on my blog. The rest of the book is in full dummy mode (PDF) and hopefully I can get someone interested in putting some money behind it. I love telling stories through fun visuals and text - watching kids as they listen and look at my pictures is where it's at. So far I've gotten a good response on this one....fingers crossed!


Oh, also this is the first image that I started and finished in photoshop - prior to this piece I had always scanned my pencil sketches and then finished in photoshop. It has taken about 7 - 8 months to become familiar enough with my wacom tablet to pull this off. It still feels a little foreign but it's getting much easier.

Never Leave Home Without It!!!

About a year ago I committed myself to never leave home without my sketchbook. I'm happy to report that I've been successful in this quest however one time my pencil was out of lead and lost an hour of sketch time - a real bummer. One of my beliefs is that in order to become you need to live. In other words in order to become a ball player you need to eat sleep and drink ball. In order to become an illustrator you need to live the life of an illustrator - drawing constantly. Practice makes perfect and after living well into my mid forties I've come to realize how short life is - thus an hour wasted is practice I'll never get back. Also, I'm a big believer in the 10,000 hour principle - you should google it if you don't know it. The more hours of good practice = better performance later on.

I attended a Gregory Manchess lecture last week and he referred to the the finished painting as "the performance". I've always believed this and have known that you won't perform well if you don't practice regularly. Manchess epitomizes the consummate professional in every way: well spoken, well mannered, art work that scores on every level of artistry. You could teach an entire illustration class using only one of his paintings.

I sketched this little village on Sunday afternoon and couldn't resist spending 10 min tossing a little color around on it in photoshop. I love my sketchbook and it's with me...where's yours?

Spooky Nights

Just a quick little photoshop doodle - It's that time of year again and when you go out at night you can start to see those spooky images again.

Nasty Bugs!

I've been working on a book called "Nasty Bugs" - an anthology of poetry directed at boys by Lee Bennett Hopkins published by Dutton. Here is a sneak peek (zoomed in) at one of the characters in the book - a nasty wasp! I've been having so much fun working on this book that I don't want it to end! Bugs have so many interesting shapes and lines that it truly is a dream job.

Wicked Banjo Pig

Here's another banjo pig for the dueling banjo pig site put together by a couple of friends of mine - Stacy Curtis and Guy Francis. Stacy won't eat bacon but will eat sausage - Guy won't eat any sausage but will partake of bacon - at least they have their principles. Guy says although he's been oraly fixated on some pork products he's never participated in a greased pig race - he says, "rubbing grease on a pig might be enjoyable but how do you think it makes the pig feel?...probably pretty good but that's not the point."

Visit their site and check out all the pigs - http://banjopigs.blogspot.com/

Do you have to create?

I ask this question because I wonder how many of us feel the burning desire to be creative and to take an idea from beginning to end? For me the creator in me may go dormant from time to time but he, she, it, whatever will always wake, tap me on the shoulder and say, "it's time". Sometimes it happens when I'm sleeping - other times when I'm day dreaming or when I see art that really does it for me.
This piece came to me while I was doodling the other day and even though I have paying projects that I need to be working on I really feel that it's important not to let the burning desire to create be squelched by routine.
I carry my sketchbook with me where ever I go because I hate being caught in some boring situation twiddling my thumbs - which I'm not very good at anyway but my A.D.D. is so painful that I can't stand not being able to entertain myself and inevitably I'll think of something that I need to put down on paper and my thoughts begin to run together like this sentence if I don't have something to record each one and so the birth of this piece came from one of those potentially boring situations.
I wanted to show part of my process here in how I refine my sketch before I begin the rendering. I'm going to be teaching my picture book class next week and part of the reason for this post is to give my students a reference for process.
Unlike using traditional paint I can zoom into the detail areas and work on shape much easier. Another technique artists use is to step back from their paintings so they can focus on the entire composition to check for design, contrast, emphasis, etc. With digital software you simply zoom out and you can do this so quickly that you'll probably do it more often than if you actually had to get up out of the chair over and over again.
I feel so blessed to be able to create fun images for a living. I only hope that enough people enjoy them enough so I can continue to avoid having a real job. :)

The Three Bully Goats

I just finished my 5th book with Albert Whitman - "The Three Bully Goats". It's a fractured fairy tale based on the three billy goats gruff story. This is my first all digital picture book and wow was it fun. I learned a lot about photoshop while I was working on these images.

Albert Whitman asked me to write a little about my experience for their blog - here's the link if you want to check it out: Albert Whitman

Picturebook Class

I'm happy to announce that I will be teaching the picture book class at UVU here in Utah this fall semester. We will discuss and explore everything that goes into illustrating children's picture books. So while some will be wasting time with business, economics, mathematics, english, and science we'll be saving the world one picture book at a time!

Banjo Pig

Ok, I was a reluctant hold out to participate in Guy Francis and Stacy Curtis's banjo pig deal. I mean cmon, what a rediculous idea right? Everyone knows pigs are better at playing guitar than banjo. If you haven't already checked out their banjo pigs and all of the participating illustrators I say - why start now?

:)

Show and Tell

I'm working on a new book project and the theme is Show and Tell at school. It's a really fun project and I can't wait to work on more of the illustrations.

I.F. Giant

I posted this last year but here it is again since it's probably the best illustration of a Giant I've done so far.

Me & the Giant (time lapse) from will terry on Vimeo.

A quick sketch and paint

Ok, so I worked this up in 2 hours - I like the play between line and digital paint.

New Book

I just finished a book project with Jeff Dinardo and it was a blast! It's really fun to work with a great designer because the end product is so much more successful. Check out Jeff's work - I'm sure you'll be impressed!

This is a cute story about a Fox who smells Owl's pies cooling in the night air. Ignoring his limited climbing skills Fox begins up the tree to find a midnight snack. I won't spoil the ending but everyone ends up having a good time.

I really liked dreaming up Owls treehouse and designing the various scenes! Fun Stuff!

I.F. Trail

All good trails lead to something worth while. I drew this in church - and I swear - no, promise I was listening.

Illustration Friday - "Slither"

Quick Sketch

I sketched this out during a really boring meeting and gave myself a half hour to render it in photoshop. I wanted to see how far I could get in just a short amount of time.

Illustration Friday - "early"

The early bird gets the worm....sometimes.

What's On My Desk

Even though I'm not at liberty to announce what I'm currently working on I think it will be ok for me to post a few sketches from the project. These sketches are characters that will appear in a book I'm working on for Dutton. It's a really fun book and I can't wait to start painting it as soon as all my sketches are approved.

I still haven't figured out how to draw with my Wacom tablet - I can paint with it but I can't get the sensitivity I get with pencil and paper. Perhaps it's the lack of texture provided by the tablet - or the disconnect between my hand, eye, and computer monitor. I continue to force myself to practice it until frustration wins and I hit print and finish it on paper.

CTA Poster

I was asked to render art to celebrate California's "Day of the Teacher" celebration on May 12. I really enjoyed trying to incorporate multiple career choices into the city scape. I could play with those shapes all day! Thanks Jonathan for the great feedback and colaboration!

CTA POSTER from will terry on Vimeo.

Fat Guy on a Little Board

Sometimes you just have to get out of the studio and recharge...sometimes you have to do this daily - this is my routine...alas, there will only be a few more chances this year. I decided to film todays walk because I like making videos and....and...and...now you know that.

Fat Guy on a Little Board from will terry on Vimeo.

San Francisco School Visit

Two weeks ago I visited Buena Vista elementary in San Francisco to talk to students about the importance of reading. We read Armadilly Chili to the kids - as that is the book that the state of California picked as their Read Across America book for 2010-2011. I felt so honored to be part of their state wide celebration.

Here I am with David Sanchez (president of the CTA) and Dennis Kelly (president of the United Educators of San Francisco).

The kids were great! Kids are the same no matter where you go and it's always fun to share my art with them and listen in as they whisper to eachother. (psss - that artist must really like food) :)

Check out the video they shot during our visit:


Check out more about Read Across America in California

Painting Just For Because!!!

I love my work and I love the projects I'm working on right now but sometimes I get an urge to create something different and that feeling will naw at me until I stuff it with a free painting day.

This was a sketch I did while in church (of course I was listening - shut up)and I thought it would be fun to record it and set it to music - I've always loved this Tori Amos song. I'm still loving photoshop as well...now I want a bigger badder computer...and a cintique.

A Fairytale from will terry on Vimeo.

Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers

I'm posting this on my blog because this is such an awesome conference - the best one in the country according to several New York publishers I talked to at last years conference. Basically it's like this: If you want to get published all of your questions will be answered at this event. In addition, the wealth of information given will speed you on your way to your publishing goals. The list of authors and illustrators who first attended this conference and then went on to be published is as long as it is impressive.

From the Conference staff:

You can now register for The 2010 Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers Conference!

This year's conference will be held June 14-June 18, 2010, and promises to be an exciting week. Our new venue in Sandy, UT, is large and full of light. And we're working with the wonderful bookstore
The King's English! As usual, we have an amazing, award-winning faculty, too.

Our faculty includes:
Rick Walton and Cheri Earl--who will team-teach the Beginning Class www.rickwalton.com
Bonny Becker--who will teach a Picture Book class www.bonnybecker.com
Kristyn Crow--who will teach a Picture Book class www.kristyncrow.com
Mike Knudson--who will teach a Chapter Book class www.mikeknudson.com
Kevin Hawkes--who will teach the Illustration Class www.kevinhawkes.com
Emily Wing Smith--who will teach the Beginning Novel Class www.emilywingsmith.com
Ann Dee Ellis--who will teach the Contemporary Novel Class www.anndeeellis.com
Alane Ferguson--who will teach an Intermediate/Advanced Novel Class www.alaneferguson.com
Sara Zarr--who will teach an Intermediate/Advanced Novel Class www.sarazarr.com
Brandon Mull--who will teach a Fantasy Class www.brandonmull.com
Dave Wolverton (Dave Farland)--who will teach a Fantasy Class www.davidfarland.net

Editors and Agent:
Jennifer Hunt from Little, Brown
Kate Angelella from Simon and Schuster
Mary Kole from Andrea Brown Agency

Thursday Afternoon Presenter:
Mary E Pearson (The Miles Between, The Admiration of Jenna Fox, A Room on Lorelei Street, Scribbler of Dreams, David v. God)
www.marypearson.com


If you can't spend the whole day with us, look into attending the afternoon sessions.
Additional speakers will include Will Terry, Guy Francis, Ally Condie, Jennifer Grillone, Kirk Shaw, Matthew Kirby, Sydney Salter

For more information, and to register, please go to www.foryoungreaders.com

CTA Book Signing

Over the weekend I got to represent the California Teachers Association again with my Armadilly Chili Book. It was a blast and I even got to say a few words in front of the group.

I couldn't believe how they crammed more than a million people in the ballroom.

We SOLD OUT on Saturday afternoon - I couldn't believe it! over 500 books! They even made a plush out of Tex the tarantula - you can buy it here.

They took very good care of us - too good!

On Sunday we drove down to visit illustrator Steve Gray in Hermosa Beach. He's a great guy and a decorated illustrator - he won the Grand Canyon Reader award last year for his Coyote book.

Steve uses one of those nifty Cintiq Tablets to render his illustrations. He used to do quite a bit of advertising illustration back in the day and his studio walls are decorated with many impressive and recognizable work.

Pick up a copy and enjoy his wacky drawing and wonderful color and Jennifer Ward's great story.

You can't go all the way to the beach without actually getting your feet wet right?

I guess we weren't the only ones having a good weekend.