Heather Benning's Life-sized Doll House

I was intrigued when Elisa of Pesky Cat Designs twittered about this life-sized dollhouse last week.

So I did a little google search to find more pictures and found some cool ones here. What is it? Artist Heather Benning turned an old abandoned farmhouse into a big "dollhouse." She used 60s replica furniture and set it up so it really does look like a dollhouse.

Also the blog that I've linked for pictures has other cool pics of other cool dollhouses too:
and a few others.

There I go distracting myself and you with quirky weird stuff again. But fun!

Edible Book Contest

No kidding -- this is not a late april fool's joke -- I got to judge an edible book contest yesterday!

How fun is that?

There was a cake interpretation of Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, Illuminated Booklava, Books bound with licorice, books bound with rice noodles and books made entirely of gum.

Anyway, thanks to the Book Binding Etsy Street Team for asking me to Judge. It was a hoot!

Check out the pics here and here.

Cuevas Al Jatib

From FEB 17, 2009: Drove along the coast of the Mediterranean of Spain in a 9 passenger van and stayed in a CAVE!
I love staying in unusual locations. Anything that re-frames the way I'm thinking tends to set my creative juices flowing.And so was true for Cuevas Al Jatib in Southeastern Spain near Baza!
There were also some pretty awesome steam baths in the caves. I want to go back to this place and have a crafty retreat!



Also -- Some crafty goodness from the drive that day:

I gave this handmade journey doll to my Grandmother. The journey doll carries lucky charms or good wish notes in her messenger bag. She's made to remind travelers that they have company and well wishes on a journey. She was made by my friend Amelia (Amelia doesn't have a website or I'd link you to her here -- Amelia sells journey dolls at local small craft shows). Grandma's Journey Doll brought us luck right away. Once I got her out we found a big road map book that made up for our really bad GPS system.

La Sagrada Família

FIVE things I did on Feb 16, 2009 (in Barcelona): NUMBERS 3, 4 and 5


3. Visited Gaudi's La Sagrada Família...
Antoni Gaudí's work inspires me like few others. He combined organic shapes, color and architecture in a way makes buildings feel alive.
The cathedral is still being built, over 100 years after it was started (1882). A few modern architects have added their own flare and interpretations of Gaudí's original plans. I wonder if I'll live to see its finish?
On this visit (I visited once 10 years ago), I was especially inspired by the exhibit that showed how Gaudí used natural science to examine things in nature and then translated that into his work.


Here I am with one of my favorite parts of the facade:
4. Ate mussels cooked in Austerian cider served with fries at a special mussel restaurant.

5. Walked by a few of other Gaudí's buildings, Casa Batlló, La Pedrera and stopped at the Church of Colònia Güell (also a Gaudí building)* on the way out of town in our 9 passenger van.
*A note on this -- the Church of Colònia Güell was one of my favorite places I visited in Spain 10 years ago. Unfortunately, during this visit, the hours were wrong on the signs (it said it should have been open, but it wasn't) so we were unable to go in. Stay tuned for more on the other places mentioned here...

¡Olé!

Tried to share another Spain post today but I had issues with downloading my picture. I'll post another day. Instead check out this video that I heard about through a newsletter I get. It's at least vaguely related as Author Elizabeth Gilbert uses the Spanish chat "¡Olé!" in the end of her short presentation, "A different way to think about creative genius," in a way I haven't heard it used before (but in a way I very much like).

The video is Elizabeth speaking at a TED conference (inspirational conference held every year with insanely fascinating ideas and projects shared amongst all sorts of innovative people).

She talks about a different way artists and creative people can approach their "muses." It's fascinating and, I really think it's a must watch for any creative folks out there who sometimes struggle with their work (isn't that anyone who's an artist?).

Happy Birthday Very Hungry Caterpillar

Eric Carle's VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR turned 40 last Friday!

I found out about it on the Allen County Public Library's Mock Caldecott Website (I love this website -- the ACPL has been doing a mock Caldecott for many years and their reading list is always a fantastic overview of the best picture books of the year).

So I interupt my Spain posts (which will keep coming, trust me, I've got a bunch lined up and ready to go) to celebrate an author/illustrator that is especially dear to me, Eric Carle...

Here's some really awesome Eric Carle things you should check out:
  1. He made this video to celebrate the Very Hungry Caterpillar's 40th birthday!
  2. His BLOG! I love it.
  3. The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. I so want to go there.
How Eric Carle has influenced me:

In 2006, the Tacoma Art Museum featured an art exhibit with Eric Carle originals. I also went to hear Eric Carle speak when he came as part of the Seattle Arts and Lectures the same year (a promotion for the TAM exhibit). Together, the events were transformative for me. As I watched a video of Eric Carle making his work at the museum I felt cartoony lighbulbs light up above my head. There were so many small things he was doing that I could see appling to my own work -- right where I was struggling, too. I bought the video from the bookstore and have watched it many times since.

The top two things Eric Carle helped me with:
-Loosening up my drawing: he draws FAST. Sometimes when I'm really struggling with something I channel Eric Carle. What would Eric Carle do? He wouldn't agonize, he would just draw whatever quickly and from the heart. So I try drawing quickly. It helps.
-The way he lays down his collage using a template. Alleluia choruses went off in my head the first time I saw him do this in the video. He inspired me to develop my own template technique and it has expanded what I can do with collage about 50-fold. THANK YOU ERIC CARLE!

But back to the exhibit and the lecture. Even better than the exhibit, honestly, was hearing Eric Carle interact with the kids who had come to hear him speak at the lecture. He listened to their questions so intently. He got to the heart of their questions and answered so sincerely. I write and illustrate because of that kind of heart -- both his and theirs.

After the talk Eric Carle signed books. Even though I was basketball-sized pregnant at the time I put myself at the end of the line. If he ran out of time, I didn't want him to run out of time for the kids. One of the very last books he signed for the evening was my son's baby book (which was empty and new at the time but now is full to the seams and is one of my most beloved journals):

P.S. My own personal favorite Eric Carle Book is LITTLE CLOUD:
Happy Birthday, VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR!

Sad sad sad blogging situation...

Oh my goodness! How I have neglected my little happy blog. And my beloved Spain collages.

I've been working lots to catch up after my trip and also I've been trying to meet some personal deadlines with my art and dummies. So I've neglected taking the time to share here. Well, better late than never. It is coming! And it will be fun to relive all my Spain adventures a few weeks after the fact.

Show me someone in the bloggesphere who has never neglected their blog for real life and I'll show you a very un-prioritized person.

A Travel Journal Kit

Goals while packing for Spain (a few weeks ago):
1. Bring hardly any extra clothes
2. Bring way too many art supplies

I've gotten into a habit of making travel journals as I go. Instead of showing up at my destination with a book ready to be filled, I show up with supplies. Loose paper. Pens. Glue. Scissors. Paint. I brought it all with me on my recent trip to Spain.

I've got some fun arty/crafty/whimsy inspiration to share from my trip. Lots of collages. I'll post travel stuff in-between other posts for the next couple of weeks. Join me for the trip!



First...
Travel journal packing list:
-colorful pens
-scissors
-pencils
-pencil sharpener
-erasers
-colorful pen case
-funky pattern-cutting mini-scissors
-watercolor set
-small tubes of acrylics
-glue sticks
-photo squares --ESSENTIAL
-new travel water color brushes -- AWESOME! LOVED THEM
-scrappy acrylic brushes
-colored pencils
-date stamp and ink
-set of mini-letter stamps and ink
-lots of mix-match paper
-sewing needles
-string

Oh ya, I also started with a cover this time. I made it using an old poster I bought when I was in Barcelona 10 years ago. I also used my sewing machine. Having the cover ahead of time gave me some guidelines for size as I collaged the pages.

To be continued...

Western Washington University's Bond Children's Literature Conference

I've got a lot of fun things to share from my trip to Spain (check back tomorrow).

But FIRST, I have to shout out a big THANK YOU to Nancy Johnson up at Western Washington University here in Bellingham for a great conference on Saturday! For the last 6 years Nancy's been organizing an amazing annual children's literature conference. This year's line up was especially fantastic.

My favorite snippets from each speaker at the conference:

Joan Bauer spoke about finding 2 quirky little lamps that she placed in dark corners of her house where she didn't even know she had space. She likened this to stories and books: they are often lights in dark corners and, especially in bad times, it's important to fill those dark corners with light. Let your light shine!

Kadir Nelson showed us photos and talked about the research that went into making WE ARE THE SHIP. The heart he put into making the book is inspiring.

Sarah Pennypacker talked about often feeling inspired to somehow right an injustice through her writing. I liked how she talked about A.D.D. kids and how they are often keenly empathetic, artistic and innovative. When she wrote CLEMENTINE, she created a book where the adults sincerely thank the A.D.D. kid for the empathy, artistic spirit and innovative nature she shares with others.

Brian Selznick pretty much made my week by talking about and showing pictures about the making of THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET. I loved that he showed us images from French silent movies and that he played "The Man On The Moon" for us. He also talked about a conversation he had with a friend that changed his perspective on his work. A few years ago he had been feeling kind of down because many of his books were going out of print after 4 or 5 years. His friend asked if he liked each book better than the last. While Brian liked all of his books, he couldn't honestly say that he had stepped it up a notch after each book. So he make the HUGO CABRET. Awesome.

Three other very cool things about the conference:
1. Nancy organized a very welcoming and fun "meet the author" reception the day before. Delicious food and I got a chance to say hi to the authors.
2. Nancy invited me to introduce Kadir Nelson! What an honor. I managed not to stumble on my face or cough or shake (even though I was nervous).
3. SCBWI Western Washington had an information table. A lot of the attendees at the conference are teachers and librarians so we advertised our eKite speaker directory. Of course many teachers and librarians who are literature minded also pursue writing so we chatted with lots of writers throughout the day too. Thanks to all the volunteers who helped with the table.

And Thanks again, Nancy Johnson, for a great conference. I'll be first in line to sign up for next year's.

I'm a Dedicated Reader

Sometimes I can't help but take these kinds of tests when I see them on the internet, tempting me away from whatever correspondence has brought me to the computer in the first place. I'm shy. Correspondence can sometimes be something to procrastinate doing.

What Kind of Reader Are You?
Your Result: Dedicated Reader
 

You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.

Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
 
Literate Good Citizen
 
Book Snob
 
Fad Reader
 
Non-Reader
 
What Kind of Reader Are You?
Quiz Created on GoToQuiz


Now. Back to my art!

Proof reading and Grammar

Okay, okay, a few days ago (March 4th) was National Grammar Day. I didn't celebrate it.

Deep breath.

I have some ugly confessions regarding grammar.

I kind of suck at it.
Gulp.

I just always have. And I really honestly try very hard to learn otherwise.

Sometimes I feel like an impostor as a writer because I am the world's worst speller and I feel like I make more than my share of mistakes with grammar too. I sometimes find it embarrassingly intimidating to associate myself with so many kick butt writers because of this.

Try my friend, Martha Brockenbrough. She has written a book on grammar, THINGS THAT MAKE US SIC, that I've heard nothing but rave reviews about. I still need to read it (and I plan on doing so soon), but I feel like I need her in my head all the time. I need someone to point out all my stupid mistakes. I just don't see them despite the fact that I try really hard and I've read THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE numerous times (I especially like the Maira Kalman illustrated edition -- I would).

For example, I just sent an email of a professional nature to someone and I used the wrong "it's/its." How many years have I wondered if the stupid its/it's thing will EVER sink in for me? It just doesn't. I ALWAYS have to go check a second or third time. This time I still missed it. It's just not a natural thing for me to notice. Does anyone else have this problem?

I read so many things saying it's something a good writer, editor or agent notices right away. They should. Why don't I? Does this disqualify me from the writing world? Maybe I should stick with my paper and scissors. Artist's don't have to be perfect with grammar, right?

Usually I deal with this using handy tools like spell check and my copy-editor-inclined husband. I NEVER send any mail without having him check for dumb mistakes like using the wrong it's/its. But I can't have him check my every email.

I'm also a perfectionist. Painfully so. So these kind of dumb mistakes sometimes leave me feeling unnecessarily self-conscious. For Pete's sake, it's only an "it's" (when it should have been an its). Oh well. Wound licking done.

I can at least take solace in a different kind of editing. When I'm at my critique group, I may not be the one to catch the wrong use of it's/its. But I kick butt at helping others find the heart in their stories (allow me to toot my own horn, I'm wounded after all). I do. I always feel like I'm floating on cloud nine after my critique group, partially because I always feel like I helped my fellow writers see that special window or door into the very best of their work. It's something I'm very good at and I'm proud of that.

So critique group, you keep an eye out for my dumb apostrophe mistakes, over-used exclamation points or dashes and misplaced capital letters. I'll keep looking for the heart of your stories. And maybe after another decade of attempting to call myself a writer, you'll help me finally have it's/its sink in so that it's automatic and I don't make those stupid mistakes.

The Rain In Spain

I'm on my way to Spain with my sweetie!
I made him this valentine's card at the I HEART ART studio tour last week.
I'm going to give it to him on the airplane.
It comes with pockets of goodies:


XOXOX

Happy Valentine's Day!

The Edward Hopper Exhibit at Seattle Art Museum


I'm loading up on inspiration again. Before the I HEART ART studio tour on Saturday I went to the Seattle Art Museum to see the small Edward Hopper Exhibit they have there through March 1st (the picture is from my journal). The emotional quality of the paintings especially struck me. And I also always love to see many pieces by the same artist in one spot.

I highly recommend stopping by the exhibit if you haven't done so yet. It's small, it will only take you 1/2 hour to an hour to spend a few minutes with each painting.

I HEART ART Illustrator Studio Tour

I've been riding a total buzz for the last few days because of SCBWI Western Washington's I HEART ART Illustrator Studio Tour that I attended and helped with this past Saturday. Thirty lucky-duckies including myself got to travel around to 4 awesome illustrator's studios and see how they work.

The amazing Laura McGee Kvasnosky organized the whole thing and I was an even luckier ducky because I got to help with some of the behind the scenes planning. Laura is one of the most amazing and generous artists I know. It was a treat to work with her.

There were so many wonderful things about the day, it's hard to choose what to say about it. I thought maybe I'd just say my three favorite things about each studio:

Julie Paschkis's studio:
1. Her amazing house and studio were like a gallery! I loved the mosaics, the way she painted her piano and all of the incredible art she had around her house.
2. She did a paper cutting demo for us. My heart beats faster when amazing artists start cutting paper.
3. She has a book coming out soon about Antoni Gaudi and I am about to go to Barcelona! She had the F&G out in her studio. It looks like an incredible book. I LOVE Gaudi and I think Julie's illustrations are a perfect fit for a book about him. What a treat for me to see them. She also lent me some of her Barcelona guidebooks and had advice about restaurants to go to in Barcelona. WOW! Thanks, Julie.

Kathleen Kemly's Studio:
1. All of her tracing paper sketches, storyboards and drawings. Fantastic!
2. The originals she had scattered all around the studio. This was an inspiring part of the day in each studio: seeing the originals from all the artists was such a treat.
3. I liked the story she told about one of her books. A writer who is also in her critique group had gotten her first book contract. Yay! Then a few months later, Kathleen was asked to illustrate the book. The publisher had no idea that the writer and Kathleen knew each other, let alone that they were in the same critique group. They handled everything very professionally though and it was a fun serendipitous match.

Nina Laden's Studio:
1. Again, I loved seeing Nina's originals. Especially some collages from Roberto, The Insect Archetect, which is a book I oogle over. I also loved seeing the way she boxed up her work for shipping. This was very useful to me and I could see myself using a similar method with my own work.
2. She did a demo using acryla-gouache. Awesome! I wanna try...
3. Her studio is so cute and cozy. I especially like her thinking loft.

Laura McGee Kvasnosky's Studio:
1. Laura did an awesome demo of the wash technique she uses in her work. I loved watching the black ink wash away to reveal a little illustration.
2. Laura had my art sample on her wall! Which made me feel all warm and cozy inside.
3. I love the border on Laura's backsplash that's made of old typeface. She also has an amazing typeface coffee table in her house.

AND THE PARTY (we had a fabulous and fun after-party at Laura's):

1. Yay for crafty time with other artists! I had helped Laura gather supplies for making valentines and it was fun to see them put to use. I also loved crafting around my fellow illustrators. And I especially loved seeing all their valentines hanging from a clothesline in Laura's living room.
2. Yummy treats! Annie Gage, our SCBWI WWA amazing food lady, brought amazing food for us to eat. Chocolate. Cookies. Yummy things! Oh and Jaime Temairik brought some of her famous cupcakes. Delicious.
3. Seeing everyone so happy after a great day. I loved seeing and hearing reactions to the studio tour. I felt like my face was stuck in smile-mode for hours after I had left.

Thanks everyone for a wonderful, inspirational and fun day.

P.S. You can check out more photos from the day on this shutterfly page.