Research is pretty.

So, I'm sitting in the public library right now with a stack of kids' books open in my lap, typing away. I'm sure that looks strange. But, I'm "researching." How could I be taking notes from a book that has fewer than 600 hundred words, and even fewer with more than two syllables? Because my dad and I both want to author a book for children, I'm taking the opportunity to use the library card I purchased (yes, purchased; Princeton likes its donated books) to see what children's lit is out there... and systematically dissect it.

The next series of posts, whenever I get around to combining a critique with the illustrations I've scanned from selected stories, may less interesting than usual, even to me. I apologize. I'm using this space to kind of categorize what I see trending in the titles I examine. I'm expecting these posts to follow a very static format, but I'm hoping the continuity will help me realize elements I should or should not be incorporating into a story of my own.

But at least this research has pretty pictures. I do wish, though, that I could be conducting such sessions in a room like this one below or from tomes pulled from a shelf like that one. Much more inspirational, don't you think?

#15,438 Why I Love All Things "Meow"

I began drafting this post before I even moved to NJ in January. I forgot about it. But now that I have more illustrations to add to the pile, I thought I'd dig it out.

My chubby kitty Edison will be flying with me this weekend almost 2,000 miles, under the seat of my Continental Airlines flight. I feel bad for her; she just doesn't know what's coming. I feel bad for the other passengers... because they don't have a clue either. She did very well, I can update. The sound of the engines downed out the low moan only I could hear perched atop her carrier.

But she's inspired a lot of my www surfing lately, hence these adorable bright-eyed and bushy-tailed illustrations snagged from various sites. (My favorite? The cat named "Potato," via The Selby. L-O-V-E) I can't remember where the rest are all from, now that more than half a year has gone by, but I'm definitely not taking credit for any. I just can't remember how to give credit where credit is due. More posts/images will be coming soon, as I'm doing some children's book research for the story I want to write about Ed. But as always, no matter how many feline-themed items are posted here, I maintain the position that I am NOT a cat lady! Please don't forget it; my identity and social life depend on it.

I think I will draw up a little sketch of my little terror (seen below) and make a t-shirt out of it. I'd wear it. Would you? Especially if it included the tutu? Illustrations TK :)

Am I a Pink Person?

Before the power went out last night, I had a chance to catch up on some blogs, one of which (The Indigo Bunting) is manned by an artist who does design work for such titles as Esquire and Martha Stewart Living. Drool! Dream job! (Plus she designs seriously cute invites/favors for all her niece's and nephew's birthday parties. Adopt me, please?)

So I pulled this illustration she included for my inspiration file. Love the colors and the simplicity; I wish I could hang it in my bathroom because I think it'd make getting ready for work a happier occasion. It's from an NYT illustration feature that you should definitely check out. Hours & hours of fun, or at least 30 minutes.

Then when I trotted over to The Sartorialist, I found a skirt with similar vibrancy. Look familiar? So fun, right??

And then over at Crewcuts (why is some of the cutest J.Crew stuff only kids-sized?), I found these:

I love this color combo almost as much as slate/yellow. I'm a bit late in the season to be adopting this color obsession, although those boots are definitely for fall, so I'm not sure what to do. My other obsession has also developed from the Sartorialist. I've never thought I could be a long skirt person, but here are some more ideas I'd love to try... once the flood waters subside. :)

I'd Share My Wellies With You...

As Hurricane Irene heads our way, rain boots have been on my mind (especially these from J.Crew that I don't really need, but REALLY want... in yellow, of course! Or these, because ballet flats don't take rain for an answer.)

You'd think that since I'm from Louisiana, I'd be well-versed in "batting down the hatches," but as no one up here seems to understand, Shreveport is practically on a different planet from NOLA.

All this to say, I have another poster design up my sleeve, inspired by those lemon-flavored zapatos up there. The background will be a dusty cerulean with white, hand-written, scripty lettering, "I'd share my wellies with you," barely tucked behind a flat illustration of white-outlined yellow rain boots in the lower right-hand corner. I can visualize it exactly in my head; whether or not it will ever appear in Illustrator is another thing entirely. Maybe this weekend's mandatory camp out (or should it be camp in?) will provide the opportunity to try my hand at it.

I Want to be a Kid Again!

So my father and I have somewhat collectively been working on independent children's book ideas, his about Peanut the Dachshund (i.e. working title: Peanut Saves the Day), mine - of course - about Edison the Calico; no preliminary title as of yet, although after re-watching Narnia Pt. 1 this week, something along the lines of "Edison the Valiant" has a nice ring to it. In case YOU forgot, Edison is a girl, though SHE is quite aware of this fact. Since her story has nothing to do with lords or ladies, that name may never see print, but I might take to addressing her as such around the house. #catladytendencies

We both - Dad and I - had come to a bit of a slump. His work projects (video game story background writing/"world" development) had taken precedence over personal projects. My problem, on the other hand, has just been lack of discipline.

But today, after sneaking a peek at the blog of artist Matte Stephens between tasks - LOVE his stuff! - I was inspired. His book, The Foolish Fox, comes out in September. (I'd post a pre-order link to it here, but can't seem to find it online yet.) Take a look at a few of his illustrations here, followed by pics of his awesome workspace, inside and out. Who wouldn't want to be creative sitting there? or outside, looking in!? Can't wait for his book, and in the meantime, can't wait to log some more hours on my own. For now, going to finish baking some Chinese egg tartlets. Yum!

Phantom Family Memoirs

Family is very important to me; to be more exacting, the concept of family is very important to me.

Somedays it hits me more than others how much I will miss certain aspects of lives long lived. I wish they could be recorded, documented; for posterity, yes, but more so just for MY fading memory - I lie - for my clouded, biased memory. It seems I could make use of a third-party's editorial eye to sort through, categorize and sift someone's entire person into one of those upside-down-pyramid diagrams they always taught us to use for "hard news" stories in journalism classes - the term for which I can't remember now.

"Please put the most admirable attributes in the dek," I'd say. "Leave the messy and vague for the last graf, the one that always gets cut for space anyway..." leaving the hierarchical details of events weighted squarely in his favor.

I wish someone had kept his correspondence as did Valerie for her own T.S. Elliot. I wish there were a "street view" of Chicago intersections in 1931 so I could see not only the photos painstakingly snapped of everyone's favorite little professional performer - the child prodigy, but glean instead some simple, unadulterated context.

But this is sounding less and less like a memoir and more like a subpoena for circumstantial evidence.

All previous hurt aside, it pains me that if a book IS ever written, it would be by the hands another too self-promoting for the product to be of any value to me. I don't want to hear the empty praise and accolades. I just want images, bits and bytes strung together with timetables established before my birth and held up entirely by an underpinning of grace.

Maybe I'll just attempt to play historian for the other branch of my family tree while there's still time.

Bikes for books.

I'm working on a newsletter design for a ministry at Princeton Alliance Church, and while sifting through dingbats for little section header graphics, I stumbled across this little gem:

which I then turned into this:

I know I'd seen the icon before; I think I've even used it in previous projects. But somehow it sparked something different this time, and I had to follow a quick tangent to type this out, maybe a bookmark, maybe a poster:

It's super simple, and I'm not completely happy with the typography yet (Illustrator was giving me "pathfinder" issues when I tried to do anything less vanilla. Ugh!). But kind of fun. I might have already sent it to a certain boy who likes books... and hopefully, bikes.