My favorite Rob Ryan Books

I can't say enough about Rob Ryan's paper cut designs. I've followed his works through his blog and Etsy shop for years and they never fail to be a source of wonder and inspiration to me. They are all beautifully intricate, detailed illustrations with just a touch of whimsy. The time and patience it takes to complete each piece is amazing. He has collaborated with fashion designers and his screen printed paper cuts are famous.

The Gift by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy and paper cut artist Rob Ryan tells a tale of a young girl and her granted wish to be buried in an enchanting glade she happens upon. The story goes on to follow her life as she lives her life to the fullest, becoming an artist, marriage, and motherhood. It is a beautifully written book and the pictures that accompany the words can almost tell a tale of its own.











Rob Ryan's latest book is A Sky Full Of Kindness, which he both wrote and illustrated. I love that he incorporated the text into the paper cuts themselves. The handmade quality is very unique. This story is about a bird couple who are about to become parents for the first time. Through their journey, the birds learn the greatest lesson of all; unconditional love.

Handmade Portraits: Rob Ryan from Etsy on Vimeo.

I am such a fan of his craft and his philosophy about love!

Otis, Cuter Than The Little Engine That Could

I recently checked out Otis, written and illustrated by Loren Long. The author's latest book was illustrating for Barack Obama's 'Of Thee I Sing: A Letter To My Daughters'.

Otis tells the simple tale of a happy farm tractor and his buddy the calf. One day, the farmer buys a brand new yellow tractor leaving poor Otis cast outside to rust behind the barn. When an unfortunate event leads to a town wide rescue effort, Otis is the only one left to save the day!

I loved going on his website and watching a video link about his art process with gouache paint.

Quentin Blake: Book Art to Wall Art

I found these wonderful and fun wallpapers at Fabrics & Papers. The patterns are designed by one of my favorite British children's book illustrators, Quentin Blake. He's written many of his own stories, but growing up I remember his drawings from his collaborations with author, Ronald Dahl. His work is exaggerated and humorous, but thankfully never cross the line into cartoony art. Check out his official website here.

It's A Book!!!

Check out It's A Book by author & illustrator Lane Smith. I grew up reading and loving his hilarious storybooks (The Stinky Cheese Man & The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs) with Jon Scieszka.

This new title is about a bookish monkey and a techy jackass. The two characters have a funny exchange over what a book can and cannot do. The donkey uses words like 'text, blog, scroll, tweet' while the monkey just says 'no, it's a book'.

Smith chooses his earthy tones well and I've always liked his dry brush, outlined style and textured shapes.

I can really appreciate this book because of its simple message and adorable characters.

Are You Afraid Of The Dark?

Children's book illustrator, Suzy Lee, has just released a new book through Chronicle Books! I mentioned Ms. Lee's Wave some months back in my 'Favorite Books' entry.

Her newest picture book, Shadow, is another beautifully drawn wordless story. It centers around a little girl in a dark attic well-equipped with her light bulb and imagination. On each page, the girl has a fun time playing with light and shadow.

The illustrations are full spreads with just two shades - black and yellow. The color choice is obvious and the result is simple, straightforward and stunning. Lee perfectly captures the innocence of a young girl content with her own creativity.

You can buy Suzy Lee's Shadow here.

Here are sample pages:

Illustrator Erin E. Stead

Recently, I came across a newly published children's book, A Sick Day For Amos McGee, by illustrator Erin E. Stead and written by her husband Philip C. Stead while browsing at the book store.

The story centers around an elderly man named Amos McGee and his friends at the zoo. He takes time out of his day to take care of them. Amos plays chess with the elephant and he races the tortoise. Amos sits calmly with the shy penguin and he lends the rhinoceros his handkerchief when the rhino has a runny nose. At the end of his visit, Amos reads stories to a nyctophobic owl. One day, Amos catches a cold and out of concern, the zoo animals take the city bus to his home to take care of him.

Philip Stead's story is thoughtful, gentle, and delivers a wonderful message to children. Erin Stead's wood-block illustrations are delightful. I enjoyed looking at the quiet beauty of each page. The textured imperfections from the wood-block added a touch of homemade craft, which I loved. Her style and color choice are simplistic (in a good way). She knows just how much detail to add into a character's feature or the siding of a house while leaving certain pieces a solid hue, like the trees.

Check out Ms. Stead's illustration process from the link above. It's always so insightful to see others' way of working out their ideas to sketches to final drawings.

Artwork of Michael Sowa

I've been a fan of German artist Michael Sowa's work since I first noticed his paintings in the 2001 French film Amelie. Sowa is well known for his whimsical, surrealist paintings. They often depict animals and people in reverse roles.

He has illustrated a number of books in English and German. Little King December, a story by Axel Hacke and illustrated by Michael Sowa is a beautiful story about two polar opposite worlds. The story has a mix of Lewis Carroll and Kafka's upside down upsurdities - and is a wonderful read.

Another book Sowa illustrated is Esterhazy: The Rabbit Prince by Irene Dische and Hans Magnus Enzenberger. This is an imaginative story about an European family of rabbits. The youngest bunny, Esterhazy, is sent to Berlin — a place with a Wall separating the city, "a little bit like Kansas City, one part of which belongs to the state of Kansas, the other to the state of Missouri ... only not so friendly."

Sowa's Ark is a compilation of 50 works of art. It was first published in 1996 and reprinted in 2006. All the paintings share simplistic titles and humorous subjects. Some of the backgrounds in Sowa's works remind me of Hudson River School paintings. It is striking to see the contradictions of normalcy mixed with the outlandish. In 2010, the artist printed wall calendars which can be purchased here.

Here are some samples of Michael Sowa's art.

Sketching Squirrely Squirrels

Back in late Summer of 2009, my friend Stephanie, a talented artist and writer, approached me about collaborating with her on a children's story she wrote. The simple message and heartwarming characters were so easy to fall in love with. After I read it, visions of Lily, the purple dragon and her squirrely friends danced in my head. For the next few weeks, I occupied my time experimenting with different mediums, drawing styles and techniques. Once I began sketching, I realized I had no idea how to draw squirrels! (They all looked like gray, pointy eared dogs with a racoon tail) While they were not the main characters of her story, they were so endearing that Stephanie and I wanted to amp up their role on each page. So I spent many hours watching, photographing, sketching and researching squirrels. Who knew squirrels were so much fun? I think their whole lives revolve around eating and playing!

I finally decided on oil pastels and linseed oil for my illustrations. Here are just a few fun excepts of my squirrels in Lily and Her Dragon Pie...and while I never witnessed any actual squirrels behaving in these manners, I'd like to think that they're certainly intelligent enough to pull it off.

My Favorite Picture Book Right Now...

This is my first official blog entry!

With my abundance of free time - since I'm only working 3 days a week in the office - I've started to pursue other interests I've long held off. Specifically, my love of children's books and mural art. I will be adding weekly updates about new findings on these two topics - as well as uploading my own works in progress. I hope that will keep me motivated!

So a few months back I came across a wonderfully updated version of 'There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly'by designer and illustrator Jeremy Holmes. The book is published by Chronicle Books and you can purchase a copy here. There are just so many things to love about this book. First off, this is a book that has it all! Pop up mechanics, custom die-cuts and a long custom shape with a gate fold opening...it's great to see when books are produced at such high quality. When you flip through, each page is beautifully illustrated with cut-out collages, vintage papers, and detailed line work. As you read each line, the reader is taken on a journey through the pages of her stomach, where you can see all the crazy things the old lady swallows. When you reach the end of the rhyme, the old lady's eyes close! I must also add that I liked the type choice for this book. Mrs. Eaves was one of my favorite fonts for awhile some years back, and it really fits with his vintage/folk style.

This is really a little piece of art to add to your book shelf.

If you're interested in learning more about the production & mechanics of the book, check it out here.