Step Lightly: Book Maker Construction Site Ahead!

World Read Aloud Day is an annual celebration of reading and story sharing that connects students with children's book illustrators and authors from all over the world. It's a fun event coming up February 2, 2022. Book creators volunteer their time that day visiting classrooms and libraries for a virtual read-a-loud plus sharing our book making experience.

Thank you Jessica for this fun poster featuring 100 Days of School Projects. Please see more on Jessica's Pinterest.

 

 

 
As 2021 winds down I'm wrapping up some projects while starting others. Most are in various stages from rough sketch concepts, reading and researching, revising and presenting, story boarding, etc. Nothing is ready for show-and-tell just yet.

My studio is a mess, but it's part of the creative process. I keep telling myself this.

Here we're moving off the floor and opening a drawer of my old school flat files... (also a mess).

Here's a couple of projects I am happy to finally share; both working with Barb Ciletti and Schiffer Kids. We just signed two contracts. One is for a brand new picture book. The second is redeveloping The Tiny Giant as a board book and puzzle package created for younger kiddos. Nothing makes me happier than watching a toddler engrossed in a board book. This is something I'm super excited about.

For now the upcoming book's working title is Meet the Minibeast, but everything can change. It's under construction, going through growing pains; some parts undergoing major revisions, some parts just need a little tweak. We want to make the final book as awesome as possible. So the below illustration might or might not make it into the final book. It's a very fun project to work on and I'll be showing more sketches and illustrations along the way. Even though the book isn't scheduled to release until 2023 the final story and artwork need to be submitted to the publisher this summer. Once it's in their hands the designer takes over and does the final design and layout. From there it goes to the marketing and sales team, gets proofed and printed, and cataloged. Finally it’s sent out to book reviewers, book stores, etc. so it can be released fall 2023. That seems like a long way off, but it'll be here before you know it. 

Since I haven't included a ton of artwork in this blog post I've posted a mini portfolio highlighting a few of my favorite projects I’ve collaborated on recently. Just click this link!

Christina Wald's Blog

 

Alright, last bit of big news is that I'm going to be traveling with Christina Wald's Sketch Romania 2022 Tour! Christina and I have been virtual friends for several years. We both illustrate children's books for Arbordale Press. She's an amazing illustrator, educator, Urban Sketcher and world traveler. Below is one of her watercolor sketches when she was in Romania last 2014. Originally our trip was scheduled for the summer of 2020, but we all remember how that year turned out. Plus, my plein air painter husband is coming along too. It's going to be an amazing two weeks. I've been working digitally so long that I need to brush up on my analog skills.

One of Christina's sketches from Brasov Square in Romania, 2014 and link to her twitter

 

Thanks to everybody for reading my blog. Click on images for larger detailed views and links for more information. 

Here's to a happy, healthy 2022 and beyond.

Cathy

Welcome to my world!

The view from my home studio with a work-in-progress from What's This Tail Saying?

 Welcome to my world. Winter in Colorado is a great time to be inside all warm and toasty working on new projects. Below are illustrations from a creative nonfiction picture book with Dawn Publications. The working title is What's This Tail Saying? and it's a Spring 2020 release. The author, Carolyn Combs is a super smart scientist as well as author who knows precisely what animals' tails are saying. When you read our book you'll know too!

Flip! Zip! What's baby Elephant's tail saying?

Uh, oh! Skink doesn't see the raccoon in time to run away.

Two page spread showing copyright page and beginning of the story: Animal tails are talking. Can you guess what they are saying?

Stranger danger! Hearing the alarm all family dives into the pond.

And finally, If A Mummy Could Talk by Rhonda Lucas Donald unwraps at a bookstore near you very soon. To commemorate the book release here's the vintage 1978 King Tut performance by Steve Martin for SNL. And yes, we have an entire spread dedicated to King Tut in the book.

Cover, title page and interior spread from If A Mummy Could Talk...

Arbordale Publishing sent a book ARC (advanced reading copy) and I'm very happy with it. Also, the first review by Kirkus hit this December and they seem happy with it too!

Kirkus Review for If A Mummy Could Talk...

There's more books and projects in the works. I'll catch up with you in 2019 about those!
Thanks for taking a look. Be sure to click on the images for a more detailed view or a link for further information.
Cathy

By the Light of the Moon

Looking out at White Pine Mountain, the Mummy Range and Poudre Canyon

I'm an early bird. One reason is the majority of my clients are on Eastern time, two hours ahead, so I feel a need to get on with my day. The other reason is that it's such a peaceful, solitary start of the day, just me and my fifth cup of coffee around this time of the morning.

To quote darling, "Life is Gouda!"

Above is a new and very fun project that I just completed for darling in NYC. This illustration was a little different for me. The art director and her team were actually darling to work with. I did the illustration and the agency handled the design.

Watch how a cheese label gets attached to a gouda wheel.

Below are illustrations from a variety of books in the works...

Gardener Girl (working title)

I Spy Blackberry Pie

The Tiny Giant (above and below images)

 

Mission Earth's SummerFest coming to Fort Collins this summer!

SummerFest 2018 focuses on climate change and it's impact on our planet by bringing together music, the visual arts and science for a month of concerts, lectures, film, art exhibits and STEAM-based educational events. Hope to see you there!

Thanks for taking a look. Tap on the images for a larger view or to follow a link with more information. And if you're an art director/editor, please send work!
Cathy

We all have a story to tell

We all have a story to tell. Where Women Create BUSINESS gives us that opportunity. The magazine focuses on women entrepreneurs who have an arts based business. This is Jo Packham's third magazine in the Where Women Create series for Stampington & Company. It's so nice to have this supportive format to share our successes and failures and talk about what it's like to create a working world that's unique to each of us. Here's my story about being a children's book illustrator passionate about science, nature, and the environment.

Where Women Create Business Summer 2017 • Click on the above image for the full article.

Thank you Jo Packham, Brandy Shay, Kacey Holmstead, and Amber Demien with Where Women Create BUSINESS Magazine. Thanks to Desiree Suchy for the very fun photo shoot! Also, I want to thank the folks at The Fort Collins Museum of Discovery for letting us do part of the photo shoot there. Everybody was wonderful to work with and it's a big honor to be a part of the magazine.

Pocket Science Cover Concept 1

Pocket Science Cover Concept 2

One picture book project, If The Mummy Could Talk, got pushed forward a season which opened up a block of creative space for me. I have a few books in various stages of writing, illustrating and submitting and I wanted to give you a peek at Pocket Science. The story is fluid, revising each day. I go back and forth between writing, editing and storyboarding, but for some reason the cover image keeps popping up in my mind. Above are two possible covers, or maybe end pages - who knows? At this point they can completely change. Concept one is pretty straight forward. Concept two is a cover wrap. We'll see how things evolve as I continue to write. Do you prefer one look over another?

After almost ten years, seventeen illustrated trade picture books, one historical fiction chapter book, numerous book covers, many power point presentations, several educational picture books, around 800 spot illustrations, my original Wacom Cintiq 21UX bit the dust. It's nice to have a new touch screen Cintiq and back to work I go.

Thanks for taking a look! You can click on each image for a more detailed look and further information.
Cathy

The Research Phase...

I'm working on a couple of new books. If The Mummy Could Talk... by Rhonda L. Donald is scheduled to be released Spring 2018. It sounds like a long time in the future, but there's a lot of work to be done between now and then. I've been doing research and have turned in interior roughs. Now I'm waiting to hear back from the publisher for more revisions and/or to go on to final artwork.

Have I mentioned that research is my favorite part of illustrating creative nonfiction books? I learn something new every day and hopefully it'll enrich the final illustrations.

Montage from research at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science's Egyptian Mummies exhibit

The docent in the lower left gave a great explanation of the elaborate process of mummification. The body's organs, including the brain which they didn't think was important are removed using a hook through the nose. The organs are preserved in canopic jars. Egyptians believed the gods would weigh the subject's heart to decide whether they deserved eternal life or not. Fascinating stuff!

Below are a couple of very rough interior spreads that my editor, art director and the author are going over now. They are super rough, but since we've all worked together before they understand that the final artwork will look better. The artwork might look similar to this or go in a totally different direction. I like the collaboration because it all works to make the book that much better.

Young King Tut had an awesome tomb but not the healthiest life.

Cats ruled dogs drooled in ancient Egypt

I find the most interesting mummies are the animals and we have several in this book. 

Even today we find ways to honor our favorite pets who have passed on to the afterlife. Here's a photo from a book shelf in my studio. On the left is a photo of my daughter with our first dog, Mohawk, an energetic Irish Setter. Next to the photo is an urn with ashes from our second dog, Tarzana, a good hearted yellow lab who liked to lay on my feet while I worked. Normally I wouldn't show my immortalized pets on my blog. However, after all the research for these mummified pets it doesn't seem so strange. How do you remember your favorite pets?

Our dearly departed pets, Mohawk next to ashes of Tarzana on my studio shelf

My second project is for Patria Press. This is a historical fiction chapter book series I worked on ten years ago with Florrie Kichler. As a kid, Florrie loved a book series called Childhood of Famous Americans (and so did I!). To make a long story short, Florrie bought the rights to many of the titles in the series, had it re-edited, re-designed along with new illustrations and has introduced it to a new generation of kids today.  Now it's The Young Patriot Series.

It was recently bought out by Carol Tully of TEI LandmarkAudio and I'm so excited to be illustrating the fifteenth book in the series, Dan Beard, Boy Scout by Miriam E. Mason. It's in the beginning stages. Even though I don't have roughs to show just yet I've included a photo of 90 year old Dan celebrating his birthday in New York along with a cover from the original series. I like Dan; he was from a family of artists, sketched nature, met Abe Lincoln as a boy and later knew Mark Twain. 

90 year old Dan Carter Beard, at his birthday celebration in New York.

Dan Beard, Boy Scout by Miriam E. Mason from the Childhood of Famous American Series

So I'm in the beginning stages, my favorite research phase and will have more to share shortly. It's scheduled to be published next year, 2017. 

Thanks for taking a look!

Cathy

Nothing to see here

In a perfect world, I'd update my blog at least once a month. But the two projects I'm working on are technically too soon to show. So I'll show what I can and tell you more about them. Below is a book dummy I'm creating with a friend/author/colleague, Barb Ciletti. We're working as a team to submit to publishers and/or agents to get a book deal - fingers crossed. There's many revisions, but this is how it looks at the moment.

The second project is a book about mummies! The author is Rhonda Lucas Donald and it's our third book together. The publisher is Arbordale Publishing and it's our ninth book together. The Denver Museum of Nature and Science just opened a new exhibit, Mummies: New Secrets from the Tombs so this is where my research began. The book is scheduled for Spring 2018. I'll be posting images from that project when I'm further along.

And below is what I do when I'm not drawing. I've written earlier about being a volunteer at Fort Collins Museum of Discovery. One of my favorite things is being a docent at the Historical Heritage Courtyard in Library Park. We have a couple of different events, Fort Collins Through Time with school groups and Culture in the Courtyard for the public.

Cathy Morrison (1905 Schoolmarm), Jeff Stone (Antoine Janis) and Cindy Tunney (Auntie Stone)

Thank you Chris Winslow of FC Public Media for the photos.

Tantramar Heritage Trust

 Ok, this photo is not really my students from the Upper Boxelder School. I found it online. But when I'm welcoming a school group to come inside and take a seat in the historic one room school house this is how I imagine they looked back in the day. The kids and I have a great time comparing and contrasting a day in the life of a student from 1905 and 2016.

Thank you for taking a look!
Cathy

August's here already?

It's hard to believe it's already August. This year I've had my head buried in projects; four educational picture books, one trade book and several presentations. Yesterday I turned in final illustrations for Baby on Board which comes out in the spring. Now there's one more book and one more presentation to go. I have ideas I want to develop so I'm looking forward getting involved with new projects and open up some space to see what comes next.

In Northern Colorado we have Style Magazine. August's issue focuses on female entrepreneurs. I was fortunate to be interviewed by Elissa J. Tivona. Elissa is a journalist, she travels internationally to present her work in peace and conflict studies and teaches at CSU. She was wonderful to work with and I'm proud to be a part of this month's magazine.

Also, I wanted to thank Elizabeth Dulemba for including Storytime in the Dome in her Friday Linky List! Elizabeth is a Visiting Associate Professor of the Picture Book Design class at Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia in the summer. The rest of the year she lives in Edinburgh Scotland, pursuing her MFA in Illustration at the University of Edinburgh. Plus, she's an all around good person to know. We're both members of PictureBookArtists and I keep up with her on her blog these days.

Last, but hopefully not least, here's a couple of illustrations from Baby on Board.

They paddle very slowly as they swim along the coast.
But nestled under Mama's fin, this baby likes it most.
Manatee

Tucked in pouches, gripped in teeth
Propped on backs or underneath
This is what some animals do.
How did someone carry you?

 Thanks for taking a look. See you in September!

Baby on Board

I'm working on a new book scheduled for Spring 2017. It's by Marianne Berkes and published by Dawn Publications. I'll post more as I go along. If you haven't guessed by the illustrations it's about how animals carry their young. How did somebody carry you when you were just a tiny baby?

This baby chimp is cradled in a "sleeping" nest.

Baby clings on mama's hair. 

This mom is like a living raft as she transports her pup.

The illustrations above are known as works-in-progress or WIP. They change as we continually tweak, refine and research. What you see now may look very different by the time the book goes to press this fall. I work directly with the art director and editor then they show the art to the author. There's a lot of collaborative feedback - all this behind the scenes tweaking goes into making the book that much better. After we're all happy with it then it goes to vetters, professionals in their field, who might make more suggestions. We want the final outcome to be a fun and imaginative picture book that's based on reality in nature. Here's a great article by Tania Lombrozo, a psychology professor at the University of California, Berkeley who explains why kids love books based on nonfiction!

Check back for new babies as I continue to draw; maybe a cub, a joey, a pup, a spiderling, who knows? And there will be at least one spread showing a special father who's the caregiver for his young. Can you guess which animal that could be?

And I'm totally honored to be a part of Fulcrum Publishing's 3rd Third Series. Patty Maher is in charge of this program. She was my art director for Ignacio's Chair and we've been friends ever since. She didn't mention this in the flyer, but Patty will be doing a presentation on the Caldecott Award. Hopefully I won't be too nervous about my presentation to enjoy hers.

3rd Third Seminar

As always, thanks for taking a look! You can click on the images for an enlarged view.

Sneak peek at Spring 2016 Titles

Over on the Farm cover

So they galloped in a field where the corn plants thrive.

"Waddle, " said the mother.

"Roll," said the mother.  "We roll," said the ten.

 It's always fun to get the first look at pdfs from a book I illustrated after the designer has finessed the layout with type and design. It's also fun to work on a book for very little kids that rhymes, can be sung, is a counting book and has a surprise rooster ending. This will be the fourth book Marianne Berkes and I have done together and my fourth book for Dawn Publishing as well. Over on the Farm comes out spring 2016.

I'm working on a second book that will come out the exact same day, so here's a few images from that book as well. The working title is Wild Ones: Critters in the City. The author, Carol Malnor has several nature books for kids and I love her story about animals living among us.  I'll post more details in a bit.

He darts off to investigate.

Always curious about what he might discover, Scooter follows the bird.

Meanwhile, while Scooter is discovering city critters, his family is looking for him.

He wanders over to check it out.

Please click on the images for a larger view. And as always, thanks for taking a look!