News from my Studio With A Wintry View, Brrrr!

Here's looking at you, winter. On these cold Colorado mornings it helps when I'm stuck inside drawing summer themed illustrations. The Cintiq screen on the left shows a rough sketch from Wilma's Worm. The central monitor has the Indesign layout from Meet the Minibeast. Both are working titles for now. 

Pitch Deck with illustrations from Meet the Minibeasts for The Seymour Agency

Drum roll, please.... I have big news, for the first time in forever, it seems! 

I'm beyond honored (and still pinching myself) to officially be represented by Lynnette Novak of the Seymour Agency. Click on the above Pitch Deck Card for more information about the agency. I realize this relationship is still all shiny and new. However, I find Lynnette to be super supportive, wonderful to work with, not to mention a heck of a deal maker. After many years of working in isolation from my mountain top it feels so good to be part of this amazing group.

These first graders from Werner Elementary in Fort Collins welcomed me with open arms! Literally, these cute, curious kids give the best hugs. This was my first in-person school visit since March 2020. I can't tell you how much I've missed these presentations and book readings.

National Education Association's Read Across America Day

 We read from The Tiny Giant illustrated by me and written by Barb Ciletti. Ahead of time, I sent pdfs of activity pages to Mrs. Krueger, the first grade teacher who invited me. She bound all these pages together to create a cool activity package, highlighting the book. Thank you for a very fun experience!

And here's the front end papers from Meet the Minibeast, coming out Fall 2023 with Schiffer Kids Publishing. I love creating end papers. Here's more about the history of end papers from Garry Parson's blog. 

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. Please click on links for a larger view and more information.

Cathy

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

What's happening this Summer?

Publishing is seasonal with most books debuting in Spring and Fall. So what's up in the Summer? Writers and illustrators are still creating. Acquisition editors continue to discover and acquire upcoming titles. Art directors are still designing and creating beautiful picture books. But we all take a little extra time to stop and smell the roses. In my case, I also draw the roses along with the yucca, moon flower and many of the hungry pollinators who come out by day and by night. 

Front End Papers Artwork

Back End Papers Artwork

 

And below are a couple illustrations from a portrait series. These are two of my favorites.

Digital Pastel Portrait of Amanda Gorman

Digital Pastel Portrait of John Lewis

A huge "THANK YOU!" to Peter Limata for including The Tiny Giant in his Storytime Book Series. 

 

 

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One of the few good things that came out of our COVID lockdown was so many publishers started granting rights for Virtual Story times. My favorite is Story Time with Mr. Limata on Facebook and YouTube. I first discovered him on Instagram, @StorytimeWithMrLimata, but most people know him from his appearance on the Ellen Show! We all appreciate his creativity and hard work he puts into his class of second graders along with sharing picture books with the rest of the world. Lucky us!

And last, but not least... The Tiny Giant is the recipient of the 2021 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award - Children's Picture Book Silver Award Winner! Thank you to the judges and Schiffer Publishing for believing in our book!

So enjoy your summer and thanks for taking time to check out my blog. Please click on the links for more information and the images for a closer view.

Cathy

HEAR YE, Here's Ye Tiny Giant Free Downloadable Activities!

Tiny Giant Wreath Activity

Tiny Giant Wishes and Dreams Box Activity

Tiny Giant Bookmark Activity

Tiny Giant Poem and Link to Neil Bromhall's Acorn Video

Tiny Giant Arbor Day Jokes

Tiny Giant Digital Puzzle

One bright spot during this time has been working with my friend, Barb Ciletti, the author of The Tiny Giant. We've been putting our heads together (as much as you can put your heads together while social distancing) to come up with a variety of Free Downloadable Activities for you. Here's a few and you can find more on Schiffer Books Resources Page. I'll include that link once we've put everything together.

The Tiny Giant, Schiffer Books, coming September 2020

All activities vetted by actual curious, creative kids

School Library Journal, ...Tiny Giant is a charming and pretty addition to nature-focused collections.

 

Midwest Book Review, ...This rhythmic story of the life cycle of a mighty oak from a tiny acorn is sure to fill you with awe and appreciation.

 

Please click on each image for a larger view, to download an activity or to access a link with more information. For instance, the link to the puzzle image actually takes you to the digital puzzle (although it won't bring you back to my blog). The link under the poem activity takes you to Neil Bromhall's YouTube video. Try it, you'll like it.

Hope you're well and thank you for taking a look at my blog!
Cathy