After days of distractions, I am back to painting again! Woohoo!
Soon, I will be working on my next drawing book about Robots. Looking forward to finishing all my current projects so I may move onto some new ones.
Coming up after robots are the Barnyard Drawing Book, the Dragon Alphabet (still waiting on the edits for that one...only one year later), and the next in the Mystic Phyles series of books.
There are also some books that will be a surprise to most of my fans. News on those at a later time.
But, for now...
BTW: I think my Converse All Stars are staring at me. It is giving me the creeps. All those eyelets...
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Michigan Reading Association and my winding road trip.
So, last weekend, I packed up my mom's BMW (wasn't it a shame that my truck radiator was broken!) and drove all the way from Massachusetts, through New York, over the border into Canada, through Ontario, and into Michigan. I stayed with my illustrator pal, Matt Faulkner and his fiance, Kris, who were nice enough to put up with me for a couple days.
Matt and I spoke on Sunday at the Michigan Reading Association Conference in Detroit. We spoke about our work, our new books, and how traditional painters like us survive in a digital world. Unfortunately, due to a program book mix-up, someone else (a Newberry Award winning author) had their picture above our program announcement. So....most of the conferees did not even know we were speaking! Last time I was at the conference in 1998, I had over 250 people in a ballroom. This time...5 people. Waaaaaaaaaaaaah! But, those 5 got the best program for their buck and went home with free drawings, prints, books, etc.
I mingled with the conferees in the exhibit hall and made some good connections and will definitely be back next year when it is held again in the Grand Amway in Grand Rapids.
On Monday, I visited an awesome school with great kids and teachers. I drew about 50 pictures and wound up the kiddies. I hope they had as much fun as I did.
Later I headed back over the bridge into Ontario and started my trek East. The wind was howling so bad that there were basically no vehicles on the highway. I stopped at a service plaza in the middle of nowhere and hunkered down in the backseat (trying to get some zzzzz's) but the car was shaking like it was going to take off! Last time I was in wind that bad was when I was in a tornado in Alabama!
When the wind died down, I got moving and headed back East.
I arrived alive.
But, then...the pirates showed up and made me walk the plank. I went overboard and down to Davey Jones Locker where I met Poseidon and the little Mermaid. She was talking to a crab who had a Jamaican accent. I swam to the surface where I was rescued by Captain Nemo and the crew of the Nautilus. They took me to Boston Harbor and we all went out for an espresso at Cafe Vittoria in the North End. It was weird. Or...did I dream it?
Matt and I spoke on Sunday at the Michigan Reading Association Conference in Detroit. We spoke about our work, our new books, and how traditional painters like us survive in a digital world. Unfortunately, due to a program book mix-up, someone else (a Newberry Award winning author) had their picture above our program announcement. So....most of the conferees did not even know we were speaking! Last time I was at the conference in 1998, I had over 250 people in a ballroom. This time...5 people. Waaaaaaaaaaaaah! But, those 5 got the best program for their buck and went home with free drawings, prints, books, etc.
I mingled with the conferees in the exhibit hall and made some good connections and will definitely be back next year when it is held again in the Grand Amway in Grand Rapids.
On Monday, I visited an awesome school with great kids and teachers. I drew about 50 pictures and wound up the kiddies. I hope they had as much fun as I did.
Later I headed back over the bridge into Ontario and started my trek East. The wind was howling so bad that there were basically no vehicles on the highway. I stopped at a service plaza in the middle of nowhere and hunkered down in the backseat (trying to get some zzzzz's) but the car was shaking like it was going to take off! Last time I was in wind that bad was when I was in a tornado in Alabama!
When the wind died down, I got moving and headed back East.
I arrived alive.
But, then...the pirates showed up and made me walk the plank. I went overboard and down to Davey Jones Locker where I met Poseidon and the little Mermaid. She was talking to a crab who had a Jamaican accent. I swam to the surface where I was rescued by Captain Nemo and the crew of the Nautilus. They took me to Boston Harbor and we all went out for an espresso at Cafe Vittoria in the North End. It was weird. Or...did I dream it?
Monday, March 15, 2010
And now...A word from our sponsor...
Well, howdy do, all! Here is my first blog on my bloggedy bloggy blog.
I hope you enjoy reading my blog, as I intend to blog a lot. And my blog won't be like other blogs that you blog about. This blog will be the most bloggy blog any blog could blog about. I will be blogging about my illustration work, my daily life, family, and friends. There will be sword fighting and pirates, magical bunnies, imaginary pistachio people, and chocolate treats! It will be fun for the whole family!
So, share my blog with your other bloggy bloggers and we can be blogging buddies.
Your bloggedy blogger,
Ralph
P.S. No baby seals were injured in making this blog.
I hope you enjoy reading my blog, as I intend to blog a lot. And my blog won't be like other blogs that you blog about. This blog will be the most bloggy blog any blog could blog about. I will be blogging about my illustration work, my daily life, family, and friends. There will be sword fighting and pirates, magical bunnies, imaginary pistachio people, and chocolate treats! It will be fun for the whole family!
So, share my blog with your other bloggy bloggers and we can be blogging buddies.
Your bloggedy blogger,
Ralph
P.S. No baby seals were injured in making this blog.
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