Why I Haven’t Been Updating

Fifteen months after being fired from FedEx Office I’m once again employed! I’m working for a stuffed animal distributor. Really. My days have been filled with paperwork and teddy bear bondage. (I have to inspect their seams by groping and feeling them up, tie ribbons around their necks the tighter the better, nest them together so it looks like their 69ing, wrap them in plastic sheeting, and stuff them into boxes-- which makes me feel like a teddy bear dominatrix. I love it!)

Image from www.teddybearcabin.co.uk. My company does not sell these. Pitty.

But... I forgot just how much energy it takes to work 40 hours a week. As such I’m totally beat! I’ve barely had the energy to sit up and eat dinner much less catch up on children’s picture book news and write posts. I’ve done some drawing, but have very little to show for it.

I need to take a little break from blogging to sort myself out. Once I’ve gotten more ballanced I’ll return. It will probably take a few weeks, but I’ll be back.

See you then.

-Jovan

... and now for something completely different.

Two weekends ago I attended Stumptown Comics Fest-- a two days celebration of Portland comic books, graphic novels, and their creators. While I don’t read many comics, I went in hopes to learn how one goes about making comics, (after all, they’re not all that different from picture books). I went to seven or eight workshop-panels and took part in creating an instant graphic novel, (together a room of strangers write and illustrate a comic in two hours! The results are here. I did page one!). I learned about story, timing, character creation, humor, and drawing perspective.

Images from Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics.

Of course these panels weren’t comprehensive, but they were a good introduction to each topic and piqued my curiosity to learn more. The best part was that several of the panelists, professional comic creators themselves, gave recommendations for further reading on the art of visual storytelling. I ended the weekend by buying all the titles from Amazon.com. And they are:

Perspective for Comic Artists by David Chelsea

Extreme Perspective for Artists by David Chelsea (okay, so Chelsea was one of the panelists and he was totally hocking his books, but his demonstrations were amazing! I bit.)

Comics and Sequential Art by Will Eisner

Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative by Will Eisner

On Directing Film by David Mamet

Making Comics by Scott McCloud

Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud (I already own a copy and have read it four times.)

Story by Robert McKeee

The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler

A hefty list to be sure and not cheap, (I think I spent around $125)-- but if you think about it that’s a fraction of the price of going to art school-- it seems like a small investment for a writer/artist’s education. I’m half-way through reading the lot, and have found them immensely helpful so far. I’m sure I’ll refer to them again and again though the years, no matter what kind of stories I want to tell or what media I want to use. Totally worth the expense; I recommend them all.

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While doing all of this reading I came up with ideas for two graphic novels! The stories will be about the lives of historical figures that I’ve been obsessed with all my life.

The first is Chief Powhatan, whose political accomplishments have always taken a back seat to the romantic legend of his daughter, Pocahontas. The second is Joan of Arc, who’s often depicted as a fearless warrior and martyr, rather than as a teenage girl who got in way over her head, (a much more relatable heroic figure if you ask me). Though I’ve often wondered what these people were like, I had never thought to tell their stories until now.

I’ll need to do a ton of research to tell the stories accurately, but for now it’s best to not get bogged down in details. I want to get the ideas down-- if only as sketches-- while the excitement is fresh.

Well, that’s it for now. I’ll keep you posted on how it all goes.

Peace out!

-Jovan

The Author with Pink Hair

Last year I participated in NaNoWriMo. If you’re not familiar, it’s an annual writing exercise where people try to compose complete novels of 50,000 words in thirty days. When I began NaNoWriMo, (short for Nation Novel Writing Month), I started by telling the story of a boy with pink hair named Richard.

Richard is the black sheep of his family due to his naturally pink hair. His mother abandons him at a park one day, leaving the boy to fend for himself. Richard must find people who love him just the way he is. It’s basically a re-telling of The Ugly Duckling. But I got bored and moved on to another, longer story.

I’ve recently learned that gossip-monger Perez Hilton is publishing a children’s picture book in September about the very same subject.

I’m outraged! I don’t know how he found out I was doing NaNoWriMo, but I’m pretty sure Perez Hilton hacked into my computer, stole my files, and went back in time to dye his hair and write the story before I did. If only I could find his time-machine I’d have all the evidence I need...

I shake my fist at Hilton! His success could’ve been mine. Maybe I should’ve finished writing my story and rushed it to a publisher, huh?

At least I rock pink hair better than Perez Hilton.

Let this be a lesson in missed opportunities. Lesson learned. Thanks Universe.

-Jovan

Dood, This is Cool...

I want this: a dress made of Little Golden Books. More photos here.

Rant About Board Books

Warning: The opinions expressed in this post are those of an adult who has no children of her own. She’s also feeling extra bratty today. Reader discretion is advised.

All board books seem to do anymore is tell small children that ducks are fuzzy and kittens have scratchy tongues, with mock surfaces for little fingers to touch. Not only do they teach children that it’s perfectly fine to rub cacti to feel their prickliness, they’re also woefully inaccurate in simulating textures, (a good thing considering some of the subject matter). The point of the board books is to make them durable, not to encourage toddlers to molest the pages. I think modern board books are the reason why the display copies of pop-up books are torn to shreds at book stores and libraries, because children are taught (unintentionally) that books are toys. Yes I know children learn through touch, but does that mean we ought to encourage them grab at books like literate Lennies from Of Mice and Men? Besides, these touch and feel books can’t compare with textures in the real world.

Oh, is that what a tiger feels like? Huh, feels exactly like bunnies and chicks.

Modern board books also typically devoid of plot, relying on gimmicks to get the reader’s attention. Which makes me wonder why any parent or child would want to bother. It probably explains why I so rarely see parents reading these books to their little ones, and even more rarely see children enjoying them.

Just because a book is meant for young children or babies doesn’t mean it has to be mindless. Books for preschoolers need to be short enough to be read in five minutes, (as opposed to 15 for older children), but that’s not to say they can’t have stories or be educational. Simple counting or labeling books are totally useful in teaching toddlers the basics and narratives are always welcomed. Here are some great alternatives to those touch and feel books hogging the market today, (most were made in the last century but still hold up):

The original board book series Max and Ruby by Rosemary Wells were every bit as engaging as books for older children, just boiled down to their key scenes.

Some of the funniest board books were written by Sandra Boynton in the 1980’s. Her books have the same humor and charm as her decades famous hippo birdie two ewes greeting card.

I am a Bunny, though intended for children ages 4-8 is a classic that states the wonders of passing seasons, (and is illustrated by the incomparable Richard Scarry, to boot).

The book Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes (from 2002) teaches the names of parts of the body, and presents parents and children with the opportunity to touch their own bodies instead of the pages, (which makes story time kind of like a game). Sitting down to read to a child is a great bonding activity for both child and parent, so why start the tradition with uninspired books? Babies can be bored by lack-luster books just like adults. Therefore, books should be chosen with care, even for those who are just learning the basics of language. And books though entertaining, aren’t toys. They need to be handled with respect, something that may be tough to teach if all the books in a child’s library say “touch me”.

Tell me what you think.

-Jovan