Lizjonesbooks

Paris Pan took the Dare-- will you?

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:58:33 GMT

Cynthea Liu is using the launch of her book, Paris Pan Takes the Dare, as an opportunity to support Tulakes Elementary School in Oklahoma City-- an impoverished school district in her home state of OK.

Click on the image above to bid on many fine prizes in her online auction-- or just donate money to a worthy cause(and spread the news!!)

Major kudos to Cynthea for ensuring that her own joy at seeing her words in print will spread to some kids in dire need of sunshine in their lives!

Illustration Friday-- Unfold

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:55:08 GMT

Life craziness has prevented my drawing lately, but this topic reminded me of a drawing I did a couple months back, so I scanned and played with it a bit.

This is an image from a dream I had-- someone held a small doll's house out for me to see, in the kitchen of my childhood home. I peered inside, and suddenly was there, in a room with someone playing on a piano, and dark blue thunderclouds and a brilliant white horizon over a plain outside the windows. Within the dream, every time I walked in or out of a door, I was somewhere completely different-- and a hundred years had passed.

I still mull that one-- makes me think about all the layers of the world, large and small, that spin along around us, unseen. It would be so interesting to be able to walk through them at will...
and then come home.

Thanks for the Input!!

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 01:49:47 GMT

We're assembling the course schedule this week... and then I'm going to be spending some serious quality time at the library.
I have a feeling that there will be books on our list from all the various responders on my last post-- great suggestions!

Calling all YA pros!!!

Thu, 28 May 2009 01:12:12 GMT

Coming up with a reading list for an intro to YA lit class this fall.
There are sooo many good options to choose from, I know-- maybe you can help?

Let's say you've got a kid who isn't familiar with the genre, and about ten books to assign.
One slot is already taken up by Twilight(yeah, I know. But we're succumbing to pressure from the kids). Other definites are Speak (LHA), I am the Messenger(Zusak), and Persepolis (Satrapi).

That leaves 6 other books to show this kid the best of the genre...

What would you choose?

Presenting Chris Monroe!

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:54:32 GMT

Christine Monroe is a Minnesota cartoonist, painter, and children's author. She graduated from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 1984. Since that time, she's exhibited her oil pastel work, maintained an award winning comic strip in two papers, and written and illustrated a number of children's books.

I discovered Chris's work last year, when I received a review copy of her picture book, Monkey with a Tool Belt from Lerner.
I loved it, and so did my kids-- especially my youngest, who's obsessed with tools. (this is the kid who, at two, snitched a screwdriver after watching me repair a CD player and quietly started taking apart the furniture)

The visuals are hilarious, and I suspect there are many kids who wish they had a tool belt as well stocked as Chico's. (banana hammer, anyone?)

When I googled Chris's work, I discovered that her wonderful long running comic series in the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Duluth News Tribune called "Violet Days" has now been gathered into a book.

I thought it might be interesting to interview her about her work ... and then I got busy, and never got the review up! The good news is that since then, Lerner has published a sequel to Chico's first story, called Monkey with a Tool Belt and the Noisy Problem.

Our family thought this one was even more fun than the first. I won't tell you the whole story and spoil the suspense, but my tool-happy son was tickled that Chico made his visitor a toolbelt of his own at the end!

This week, I finally got a chance to ask Chris about her work:

Can you tell us a little about the creation of Chico Bon Bon and his stories?
Chico Bon Bon was an idea my son, Mickey and I came up with. We talked about what kind of character we personally liked in comics and stories, and instantly agreed that a McGuyver-like monkey was right up there. I think we brainstormed the rough outline of the first story instantly, particularily the escape scene. I think it was several months after we talked about it, that I finally wrote something down on paper, which incidentally was on the back of my paystub, while I was driving on Interstate 35. Not very safe.

Love that story! Inspiration sometimes does strike at inconvenient times...

How did you come to be an writer and illustrator?
I think I, like most kids, started out writing and drawing stories in elementary school. I did a lot of cartoons then. I always loved art and wanted to be an artist. I didn't actually set out to become a cartoonist. I really wanted to be an illustrator, but the cartoon basically kept growing on its own. Now, I have been doing a comic strip for almost 18 years. I think the children's books have evolved out of the comic. I definitely followed a similar system of story-telling when I started writing the book.

Were you like Chico as a kid-- always building and creating?
Yes, and No. I was constantly crafting things out of paper. I built 3D dollhouses out of file cards, manila paper, and cardboard. I really never worked with tools and wood, and things of that nature. I also made miniature cakes for dollhouses and tiny monopoly boards that I tried to sell at a local craft store. I was not as handy as Chico.

I would love to see those dollhouses!
What were the biggest influences on your illustration style?

I would have to say Hillary Knight, Garth Williams, Ed Emberley, Richard Scarry, Dr. Seuss, and Maurice Sendak are the children's books illustrators that I loved. I also had an obsession for some of the illustrations on the old T.V. Guide covers. I loved those.

That's a wonderful collection... I esp. love Garth Williams, though I suspect his name isn't as familiar to many readers as others on your list.

What kind of themes do you try to address in your work?
I think the theme is usually one of self-reliance. Beyond that, I just want it to be fun.

What is your favorite published project?
My favorite published project is maybe my comic collection "Ultra Violet, Ten Years Of Violet Days." I like it because it's a culmination of so many years. It's cool to see it all together, and realize how many I have done. I need to put out a new collection, since that one is now 5 years old.

What's your favorite work in progress?
I am working on a new book for Lerner, a different story than Chico's. It's been really fun so far. I will be doing another Chico Bon Bon story though, there's more of his story to be told.

That's great news for all the Chico fans out there! I wonder what he'll do next...

What's your favorite medium?
I love several mediums- oil pastel, gouache,watercolor, pen and ink. I guess if I had to choose one I'd say ink. It's cleaner and way easier to control than gouache and watercolor. I do love the things gouache decides to do on it's own though, it's just that harnessing that fluidity can be scary at times.

Anything you'd like to tell your readers?

The only thing I would tell my readers, young or old, is have as much fun as possible! For parents reading it to their kids, I would also say- enjoy these moments together, they are some of the best parts of life.

Sounds like good advice to me! I strongly encourage anyone with young children to make Chico part of that fun!

Illustration Friday-- Celebration/Instinct

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 22:27:49 GMT

I guess it's a bit of a stretch, combining these two topics...

But I think you could say that this lizard has an instinct for celebration.

The Cybils Winners are now posted!

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 16:31:33 GMT

The Graphic novel Winners were:

Midgrade:'

Rapunzel's Revenge-- a delightful reworking of the fairy tale by Shannon,Dean and Nathan Hale

and YA:

Emiko Superstar-- a tale of art, and love and finding oneself from Mariko Tamaki and Steve Ralston-- on of the last of the Minx publications.

I loved both of these stories, and am very happy that they won-- will be posting about the others we reviewed this week. We had so many good stories-- I'm really excited about the new developments in this genre!

Click on the Cybils image above to see the other winners on this year's list.

Congratulations to everyone!

Illustration Friday-- climbing/flaw/time

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 15:58:33 GMT

This is a detail from a picture I did some years back when Dan and I did a lot more climbing-- he'd requested that I do a cliff. Of course, I felt compelled to add a little more story to the picture than just the story in the layers of stone-- though that's a pretty huge story all by itself.

When I saw that today's prompt was "time", I got to thinking about this image... and then about last week's "flaw" prompt as well.

Time batters us, like ocean batters the shore. The weakest structures are the first to rejoin the sea, while the strongest remain, twisting interesting shapes into our faces.

Are we shaped more by our weaknesses, or our strengths?

Illustration Friday-- Pale

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 04:24:06 GMT

It's been a crazy month, and I have really missed having time to do illo friday. This one was kind of cathartic for me-- one of those times when I connected with the word and an image popped into my head immediately.

Maybe it's the economic crisis, maybe war, maybe something closer to home-- but I bet you've been where this guy is. The walls hold a lot of shadows, some nights...

Just in case

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:19:32 GMT

We're all hoping that rumors of livejournal's demise are premature.
Just in case they aren't, and if you like this journal-- in the event that lj goes belly up, I will be switching to my back up space over at blogger:
http://lizjonesbooks.blogspot.com

I really like lj, so unless it disappears, this will remain my blog. I would really miss the friends page on the other platforms... I like facebook well enough, but it's no replacement. Here's hoping none of this is necessary!

Cybils Finalists are up!

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 23:38:46 GMT

http://dadtalk.typepad.com/cybils/2008-graphic-novels-finalists.html

I'm linking directly to the graphic novel finalists, since this was the panel I worked on. We read some really wonderful stories this year, and came across very different issues in the process than we did in last year's reading. I will be blogging about these stories later in the week-- congratulations to the finalists in all the genres!

Happy New Year!

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 01:48:41 GMT

I wish everyone a year full of good news crowding out bad news, love, friendship, and good health.

Merry Christmas!

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 16:31:46 GMT

Illustration Friday-- Similar

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 22:19:46 GMT

Harry and Thelma were so similar.
Both loved dancing barefoot in the moonlight, for instance.

Illustration Friday-- Balloon

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 22:04:22 GMT

And the last of my black friday images--

I always think that milkweed seeds look like tiny balloons, floating in late autumn winds.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Illustration Friday-- Wise

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 22:01:43 GMT

Here's an owl composed of the things that owls like to eat. If you click in for a closer view, you'll see a lot of birds, and mice, and bats, and the occasional weasel...
Wise old owl? Or just a hungry one...

Image now available on My Cafepress Shop

Illustration Friday-- Opinion

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 21:59:08 GMT

It is this sheep's considered opinion that berries always taste better after a hard frost.

Illustration Friday-- Vacant

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 21:55:59 GMT

Mama bear found a vacant tree, just in time for the first real storm of the winter.

Illustration Friday-- Pretend

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 21:53:25 GMT

In honor of Black Friday, I'm going to post a bunch of images I've done over the past few weeks and had no time to post for Illustration Friday.
(the black is for the black ink of the originals)

I doubt I'll post these in order, but I think I've got one for each of the prompts.
Four of these five are postcards I did for an online exchange.(the owl is the exception)

Why "Pretend" for a still life?
When I think of still life, I think about how we're pretending that we can hold on to the ripeness and beauty of things at their peak. Stillness is a lie, in a world of perpetual transformation.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 02:14:58 GMT

I am thankful for friends and family near and far, time to spend, and stories to share. Hope you all had a wonderful day!

Illustration Friday-- Repair

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 20:22:22 GMT

It was a fine Thursday evening, so Lucius and Cuthbert repaired to the tower for a bit of bat fishing.

Buy this print on Cafepress

Great newsweek article written by/about my local writing group leader

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:00:45 GMT

Sally Hobart Alexander.

who, incidentally, has this excellent book which came out in 2008:

Which I will be writing more about soon... great story!

Illustration Friday-- Late

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 05:13:24 GMT

I'm a bit late in posting this Fishobirdous-- and I can't remember anymore who asked for it. But here it is, for what it's worth.

Fish and bird are thinking the same thing-- I've got you JUST where I want you! Too late for you! Hahahahahahaa!

Edited to add:
This print now available(in various forms) on my cafepress shop

Illustration Friday-- Sugary Strings

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 03:35:19 GMT

I wonder if she'll notice that her candy supply is suddenly so much less...

It's Cybils time again!

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 01:45:53 GMT

This is just a reminder to vote for your favorite children's books over at the Cybils Blog.

Everyone is eligible to vote-- but you only get one vote per category.
Once a book as been nominated, you don't need to nominate it a second time, so make sure you check the lists of nominees before you add your own choice!

The last day for nominations is October 15th, so make sure you get over there soon.

I'll be on the nominating committee for the graphic novels again this year, and I can't wait to read this year's stories!