HALLOWEEN 2015! has arrived and all the customary Autumn excitement right along with it. Been trying to take it all in and appreciate this time of year as usually I’m so busy that it goes by largely unnoticed. Went hiking the other day and the foliage was absolutely brilliant, the term wonderland certainly comes to mind when reflecting on that day.
Visited the Lincoln School in Providence Rhode Island for their annual Children’s Book Festival on Saturday, October 17th. They had an excellent lineup of authors this year and I was keen to see (and hear) how these authors (veterans and newbies alike) handled speaking to an audience. Specifically to an audience with a wide range of ages and attention spans.
Each author presentation lasted about 30 to 45 minutes, with many of them graciously opening up the floor to questions at the end. There was a lot of great works on display, and I was most impressed with the work of Author/Illustrator Aaron Becker and his Journey Trilogy of books. (http://www.storybreathing.com/)
He told the tale of his own journey into becoming a Children’s book author, which was quite fascinating (and familiar!). As he began his professional career working in the world of film/animation for Lucasfilm and Disney. Was awesome seeing another artist who was such a fan of storyboards as I. And his art style is just fantastic, water colors followed up with a round of inking.
Aaron’s work has been extremely well received in addition to my own praise for his art style, with his first book ‘Journey’ being selected as a caldecott honoree. Definitely check out his website and artwork if you are unfamiliar with this outstanding talent. His presentation was really inspiring and I wish I could have stuck around longer to trade stories afterward.
My own writing has been getting a lot of attention from yours truly lately. I’ve been editing chapter after chapter in my book in preparation of delivery to my editor (as soon as possible, haha). Keep coming up with new ideas to weave into the story and enhance character development and story arc. Would like to be illustrating and have the latest draft finished within the next oh, 72 hours. No pressure or anything! haha.
Happy Halloween to everyone, may your October be as golden and happy as mine has been! Keep on continuing your own creative journeys and I’ll catch you next time for more studio updates!
– CS
