A Google Poem: Man Living in Dumpster

A few months ago, I posted a poem I "wrote" with a little help from the Google search bar. Some folks jokingly suggested I illustrate this award-worthy poem, and that's where they made a huge mistake. You should know by now that I take all jokes extremely seriously. So I'm illustrating this poem, guys. I'm illustrating it.

Harpy New Year!

Harpy New Year, everyone! I hope you are looking forward to a creative 2014. To ring in the New Year I launched an Etsy shop (click here) where you can buy archival giclee prints of my illustrations, including pages from Ike's Incredible Ink. The listings in the shop are really just suggestions. If you see something on my portfolio site that you'd like printed, or you have a specifically-sized art-shaped hole in your life, message me and we'll talk about custom print options.

Hometown Visit

Tomorrow is Small Business Saturday!

Authors and illustrators everywhere are spending the day at local independent book shops recommending books to shoppers and signing their own books. I've gone ultra-local and am in my hometown! I'm hanging out at Brilliant Books on Front Street in Traverse City, MI from 11-2 tomorrow so please come say "hi!" if you're around.

Not only has this past week been filled with my loud, lovely extended family and lots of good turkey, I also got to take a nice walk down memory lane. On Monday I spent the day with some exceptional 2nd, 4th, and 5th graders at Old Mission Elementary School, which was my elementary school once upon a time. I met some future authors and illustrators in that bunch. Hopefully I'll see some of them at Brilliant Books tomorrow!

What am I doing here?? I think asking the kids if the pond behind the OMS playground
is still haunted. They said no, but ponds don't just suddenly get un-haunted, guys.

How to Make Ink

More books about ink! If you like Ike's Incredible Ink you'll love this book by the amazing Pintu. He came to the event at McNally Jackson earlier this month and made a very cool collage. He then went home and began working on How to Make Ink. Obviously, it's super awesome.

Also available in hardcover! Thanks so much for sending me these photos, Pintu!

Spellbound Bookstore

This weekend I did two of my favorite things; hung out with my sister and her husband, and collaged with kids. Thanks again to Spellbound Children's Bookshop in Asheville, NC for hosting an hour of reading, drawing, and mess-making.

A good story has good descriptions! After reading Ike's Incredible Ink, the awesome kids you see here helped me think of creative ways to describe the color blue. We filled this drawing of a blender to make our own blue ink. This particular ink was made with squished blueberries, ocean sounds, cold snowflakes and soft furry monsters. We have some little Yves Kleins here! (Eh? Nerdy art joke? Anyone?)

Then, the kids filled blenders and bottles with collages of their very own story-telling ink. These are some serious author/illustrators in the making. You saw them here first.

Photos courtesy of Leslie Hawkins at Spellbound Children's Bookshop