Amy June Bates

THe Old Woman WHo Lives in a Shoe

2012-01-26T10:39:00.000-08:00

Things have been pretty busy, and I haven't been able to do much outside of the jobs that I can't talk about.

Here is one from the archives. The Old Woman's face is one of my favorite things I've ever drawn.

happy January.

Bee had a Bad Dream

2011-11-21T22:39:00.000-08:00

http://beehadabaddream.blogspot.com/

A new Blog I started about my daughter's dreams.

Thankgiving

2011-11-21T21:35:00.001-08:00

I cannot believe a whole year has come and gone. Last year I realized in many ways how important the ritual of holidays are to me in the slow clicking pace of the year.
A few thoughts:
Last year we had no turkey-turkey being an American bird (remember Benjamin Franklin)- and us being in Japan. Here's the thing. I didn't miss it. The turkey that is.

As I was saying about Benjamin Franklin. A very practical genius. The kind of guy who would invent the Lazy-Boy and the Clapper. What? Oh, right, sorry he DID invent the Lazy boy and the clapper. That is my point.

The very first mention of Tofu in a western source is in a letter from Benjamin Franklin describing his curiosity about a sort of "Chinese cheese" made from a bean and called Tau-foo.
I wonder what Ben Franklin would have thought of Tofurkey. I think he would have approved.
see the letter here http://www.benfranklin300.org/etc_article_foods.htm

Yes, so I didn't miss the turkey. The whole meal just isn't about that for me.
My dilemma is the gravy though. Gravy. Absolutely essential. fake is no good. You MUST have real juices from the cooked bird. So I'm afraid it is looking bad for the turkey.

I have planned out my attack on the Thanksgiving meal in this handy pie chart. I feel pretty good about it.

this is not a picture of Ben Franklin.

have a happy holiday
amy

Salt and Pepper

2011-11-15T07:01:00.001-08:00

Sleepy old Bear

2011-11-15T07:00:00.001-08:00

Did you steal my Bike?

2011-11-13T18:14:00.001-08:00

2011-11-10T07:38:00.001-08:00

Check out what Joy Chu has got going on over at Got Story! Lovely words on the Original Art Show and illustrators like Sean Qualls (and me :)

http://gotstorycountdown.wordpress.com/

The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break: a novel

2011-11-07T20:02:00.000-08:00

Reading it now.

Like it so far.

Allright, so my son just informed me that a Minotaur is a man from the waist down. With "beefy human legs". All right.

Also I just reached a description of the Minotaur wearing a chef's coat, salt and pepper trousers, and steel toe boots. I like that, and I get that.

However I am a little sad because I love the way that bull or buffalo have such big thick shoulders and neck but dainty little feet.

And How the heck is a Minotaur supposed to wield an axe or open a jar of mayonaise with cloven hooves not hands? I think we all wonder this.

Some great Blog posts on the Original Art show

2011-11-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

The show is up at the Society of Illustrators until December 31, 2011. GO SEE IT!

here are some good links to good people writing about good things

http://gotstorycountdown.wordpress.com/2011/10/27/in-celebration-of-original-art/

http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=2224

http://blog.abramsbooks.com/2011/11/04/original-art-show-for-childrens-books/

...and a ghost story

2011-10-31T12:10:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday I was having dinner at the Society of Illustrators. I was sitting with my back to the the big glass doors that go out onto the balcony. Midway through the dinner the big glass doors blew in, and I thought who on earth just came in. A breeze floated in and goosebumps went straight up my spine. We closed the doors and that was it.

Later I was talking to Kate and I asked her if the Society has any ghosts. She said strange unexplained things happen there all the time. They suspect it is the ghost of Mead Schaeffer. Apparently he had a heart attack right where I was sitting!

Mead Schaeffer, incidentally is one of my heroes, and I would happily be haunted by him anytime.
A Well known illustrator through the midcentury, he was good friends with Norman Rockwell. You might recognize his backside.

Here is one of his paintings of the Count of Monte Cristo. He also did lots of pirates!

Happy Halloween

The Alphabet of Obsoletes

2011-10-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

The Original Art 2011 Opening

2011-10-29T19:31:00.000-07:00

Well, it happened. The Original Art 2011.
(this is what I wrote for the catalog)

The Original Art Show blurs the identities and boundaries of the two sometimes separate worlds of Art and Illustration.

A work of art is made to hang on a wall or occupy a particular space. We can buy a postcard or a poster of that artwork, but those printed materials are meant to refer us back to the one original artwork. Museums have become wonderful treasure boxes full of these curious things you can’t touch and, for 99 percent of us, things you can’t buy or take home.

In contrast, an illustration for a children’s book is painted to be printed in a book.. The original illustration refers us to the book and the story told within. The book then becomes the artwork. A picture book is also wonderful treasure box full of curious things made into thousands of identical copies so you can touch it, take it home, read it and share it. You can wipe your greasy fingers on it, put it on your shelf, sleep with it, or feed it grapes. It then becomes a part of your story and the stories of many other’s as well.

This exhibit is a rare experience. Works of art are put up on the walls so that we may recognize their beauty. Along with their superior qualities of beauty, emotion or design, each of the extraordinary illustrations here is a single page in the life of a story. The characters you see are in one spot along their voyage. They came from somewhere and then a page is turned and the characters have moved on to somewhere else. Each of these illustrations refers us to the work of art that is the book and the story it tells.

At the same time, this exhibit contains illustrations that have become separated from their text. Unconnected from their brother and sister pages, these illustrations might become their own stories. You, the viewer, can decide what their story is now. Isn’t that the very essence of a work of art?

here are the real details:
(In other words this is what I said in front of a wall to wall crowd of people that included mostly people that look up to as heros. I am talking to you Peter de Seve, Lane Smith, Kadir Nelson and Scott Gustafson. In other words no big deal)

As illustrators we are the first detectives at the crime scene interpreting the evidence. We are problem solvers, House Builders, We are historians and sometimes the cleanup crew, miners looking for the gold nugget in the story,
We live vicariously, and through our work have summited mountains, ruled countries, visited the moon and hibernated for the winter. The Original Art show is our travelogue. We have been places that are inspired by not limited by text and imagination. The Original Art SHow is here to prove it.
I’d like to thank Anelle Miller, Kate Fiertag, Tara Jacoby and the mighty Society of Illustrators for this beautiful venue, making the catalog and gathering the books and art, hanging it and making the whole thing happen.
Thanks to The amazing Dylis Evans, founder and captain of this Original Art show 31 years ago. Thanks to Marcia Leonard a kindred spirit, and the show's safety net and anchor. Laurent Linn who’s enthusiasm and heart are a mighty wind. And the wonderful Sophie Blackall my assistant chair.

a little bit about the judging process: :
First the jury: A jury of seven members; 5 illustrators and two people from the children's publishing industry. These were chosen with an eye to talent, variety, and sheer raw awesomeness. They are Sean Qualls, Hyewon Yum, Cecilia Yung, Scott Gustafson, Erin Stead, Julie Danielson, and John Marciano. A big Thankyou to them for a wonderful varied show!

This year, On the jury day, each member of the jury looked at over 550 different books. For each book the juror cast a silent vote whether to admit that book into the show. Their votes were cast on the basis of the artwork’s merit. These votes were tallied, the result being the Original Art Show. Roughly a fifth of the number of books entered.

However this was not the end. The jurors, after one or two more cups of coffee, looked at their top picks together as a group. The medal winners were decided by rational and illuminating discussion. It was, as my son likes to say, EPIC.

I love the flexibility and stretch of this medium, That can bring us a stick figure with a full range of emotions, or the poignant story of a man’s life as told through shrubbery.
I think this years winners show that breadth. I am so proud of the care and sometimes agony and that the judges gave to the selection of the best of the best in our industry.

It was my very great pleasure to present the medals to the winners
This year we are uniquely fortunate to have all three medals given to author illustrators:
Every year two silver medals and One Gold medal is awarded.

A Silver Medal was awarded to Kadir Nelson for Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans, published by Balzer and Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; art director: Martha Rago; editor: Donna Bray; author: Kadir Nelson.”
(my book description):

In Kadir Nelson’s book of portraits, every wrinkle and crease tell a story. Every sparkle in the eye speaks of the will to survive the next thousand miles of hard road and steady stream of injustices. The warm sunlight that shines on each person promises hope, and the entire book leaves the smell of fresh earth in your nostrils.

A Silver Medal was awarded to Lane Smith for Grandpa Green, published by Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan; art directors: Anne Diebel and Molly Leach; editor: Simon Boughton; author: Lane Smith.”

my book description:

In Lane Smith’s Grandpa Green, The Grandpa, while his stories are being told through the living landscape of his garden, is also losing his memory, as well as his tools and glasses. As the grandson gathers all these up we know that the Grandpa is cared for and that his stories will be remembered and tended. The elegant clean lines contrast the lush messy textures of the shrubbery. I have yet to read it myself without bawling like a garden hose.

The Gold Medal was awarded to Rosalyn Schanzer for Witches! The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem, published by the National Geographic Society; art director: David Seager; editor: Nancy Feresten; author: Rosalyn Schanzer.

(my book description)

Using scratchboard and a powerful and minimal use of red Rosalyn Schanzer has Evoked at the same time an old world style and a new modern edge in these powerful images. The color red itself becomes a character, a sub-plot, and a struggle for power. By the end of the book we suspect that the devil might well exist, but not in the accused.

Life Drawing

2011-10-20T07:05:00.001-07:00

Every once in a while I like to get back to that first love, life drawing. It feels good to exercise those muscles that get a little rusty. This time I wanted to try something new with white on grey, let the paper do some of the midtone work.

It turned out so badly after the first ten minutes, that the only thing I could do was work another hour in embarrassed silence. It started out looking like I should float in a dreamcatcher and a wolf with some frosty mountains, or airbrush it on the side of a van.

I realized that I really needed some charcoal to balance to white. Turned out that adding just a little rust colored pastel didn't hurt either.

Fall

2011-10-16T20:54:00.001-07:00

it is October

2011-10-03T21:27:00.001-07:00

and it is about time.

Spinning

2011-09-26T13:33:00.001-07:00

I guess I'll start this up again by saying that it feels good to be back at my drawing table. I am feeling like Monday will be my new sketch day. When things get busy sketching is the first thing to go, but I have been missing it. So here's to feeling good.

I also started exercising again. I am trying a spinning class. I actually just figured out that "spinning" is the same as indoor cycling. I had heard of "spinning," but the image I had in my mind was of people sitting on something like those little kid spinning wheels you sit on and turn the wheel which spins you around.

or plate spinning.

egg

2011-09-26T13:31:00.000-07:00

In my attic

2011-08-23T17:41:00.000-07:00

We are back from beyond. Among the things I have seen in the last month: the west coast of Japan, the East coast of Japan, The west coast of America, the east coast of America, the west of Iceland and the west coast of England. In one month.

So many adventures.

So good to be back home.

Now all I have to do is unpack. I can't believe some of the things I left up in my attic...

Original Art Call for Entries

2011-07-01T15:51:00.000-07:00

http://www.societyillustrators.org/Awards-and-Competitions/Original-Art/2010-Call-for-Entries.aspx

Click the above for the Call for Entries. ( i am this years chair). ( very excited about this). More about this later.

My Guy

2011-06-23T21:51:00.001-07:00

14 years with the man I love.

Bluestockings

2011-06-03T18:07:00.001-07:00

Mother Nature

2011-05-26T02:38:00.000-07:00

Not sure what to say about this one although a few things come to mind. I'll let you fill in the blanks though. :)

Dr. Charlie Gibson's Wonder Corsets

2011-05-19T21:17:00.000-07:00

So what are your aches and pains ?

Mdme de la Migraine

2011-05-18T05:01:00.000-07:00

I used to get migraines a lot. Thank goodness not much anymore, but this week I was blasted by a terrible one and I realized that it has been almost 10 years exactly since my last migraine. And so....Madame de la Migraine, we meet again. Et Encore, je ne vous aimez pas.

The way you wear your hat,

2011-05-04T07:46:00.000-07:00

The way you wear your hat,
The way you sip your tea

-Cole Porter

Having trouble explaining the Easter Bunny?

2011-04-21T05:31:00.000-07:00

Maybe this will help.

Puddle Wonderful

2011-04-16T06:24:00.000-07:00

....and its Spring when the world is mud luscious.

Oh e.e. cummings I love you.

And if you are the sort of genius who remembers this whole poem then to you I will say,

not all lame, queer goat-footed balloon men are ill- intentioned.

by the way, How has Spring found you? or has it found you yet?

amy

Aquarium Exodus

2011-04-11T20:26:00.001-07:00

Waiting for the Magic

2011-04-06T22:13:00.000-07:00

This is the cover for Waiting for the Magic by Patricia MacLachlan. Due out in September.
Spring is here. No give-backs.

Spy Paper Dolls

2011-03-29T20:15:00.001-07:00

So lately, we have been ninja enthusiasts, ninjaphiles? And in our very academic research on Wikipedia we learned that there were women ninjas or kunoichi. One woman in particular was very cunning, Lady Chiyome, had a school which taught the arts of the geisha but which was actually a front for teaching the arts of the Ninja. (cue gong sound effect)

Loved Paper dolls as a kid. I had a set which included Princess Di and baby William. The rest of the royal gang were included, but I never cut them out. Sorry, your grace.

Wrecking Ball

2011-03-23T23:10:00.001-07:00

Toys

2011-03-18T08:04:00.000-07:00

Earthquake

2011-03-14T04:17:00.000-07:00

We are safe and well here in Japan. There has been some worry expressed on our behalf for our safety- for which I am grateful.
It is an unbelievable disaster. Every news report brings further knowledge of destruction. I couldn't work at all today. I tried to draw something that would make me feel better. Mostly, we feel so helpless. The earthquake happened just as kids were getting out of school. I am grateful that I have mine safe and sound. I wish that everyone did.

The Keeping Tree

2011-03-09T02:56:00.000-08:00

It's Time

2011-03-02T06:53:00.001-08:00

Today it was raining

2011-02-17T23:26:00.000-08:00

THe Old Woman and the Tree

2011-02-11T06:27:00.000-08:00

Winter

2011-02-07T05:41:00.000-08:00

Enough is Enough

2011-02-03T17:55:00.000-08:00

I always feel like I’m preparing for January like a battle. Stock up supplies (pumpkin bread and chocolate) preparing for the months ahead lit only by the blue light of my monitor screen I order a gross of woolly socks for everyone. Mittens, earmuffs, long underwear flu shots Perpetual layered clothing (at least 5-6 layers please). And still I limp away at the end of it wounded and weary. But ALIVE.

I'm done with a deadline and now I have about 45 minutes before I have to start my next one. But I have a painting I've been wanting to fit in so I'm going to take a break and do it.

I have a question for you, whoever you are. How do you know when you are done painting? I don't have a hard time answering this question for other people, but I have a devil of a time answering it for myself. Maybe you can help me?

While I was painting this picture, my husband said I should stop it right about....

Here.

I can see his point. Let some of the drawing show through, it kind of has a wood blocky look to it.

But in the end I couldn't do it. My need to fiddle with things won out and I kept going.

But was I right? I honestly can't tell. Please give me your opinion.

thanks awfully,
Amy

The Wolf and the Wedding

2011-01-20T20:36:00.000-08:00

Story Time, my pets.
This story first appeared in Cricket magazine in 2004. The author, Rachelle DeSimone, has kindly allowed me to publish it on my blog. IT is one of my favorite stories that I have illustrated.(Click on the images to see a larger version). It is so appropriately chilly for a cold snowy evening by the fire. I hope you have one, and are sitting by it while the wind howls outside your windows.

The Wolf and the
Wedding
by Svetlana Ilyinykh and
Rachelle DeSimone

IN KSUSHA’S VILLAGE of Chudovo, everyone knew the
wolf. He appeared at the edge of the forest whenever
there was a wedding feast. He’d sit on his haunches and
watch the dancing, singing, and eating, his eyes alert and eager
and fixed on the bride.
So when it was time for Ksusha Prekrasnaya to marry, she
told her funny, beloved, strong Alyosha that they must wed in
Budogoshch, a town with a proper church that was some miles
away, too far for the lone world to travel.
The wedding was elegant and fine. The feast afterward was
even better. Ksusha’s parents and her grandparents, Babushka
and Dedushka, had filled the hall with fragrant dishes of stuffed
fish and grilled quail with kissel and scalded spice cakes for
dessert. Alyosha ate and drank, ate and drank, and then drank
and drank.
Ksusha reminded him, gently and lovingly as a good wife
should, that he must stop drinking and take her and the rest of
the wedding party home to Chudovo.
Alyosha turned to his friends Ivan, Roma, Dima, Stas, and
Valya, who were refilling their glasses. “My wife wants to go
home!” the bridegroom yelled. “A good sign for a prosperous
marriage, is it no?”
Ivan, Roma, Dima, Stas, and Valya laughed, and Ksusha
Prekrasnaya, red-faced, stared at her plate.
At midnight, Alyosha staggered up from the table. “Come,
my little chicken,” he said, gathering Ksusha and her family
into his beautiful troika. His three fine horses snorted nervously
at his touch.
“We go!” the bridegroom called, and the horses took off,
trotting fast on the road through the forest that led to Chudovo.
The wedding party wasn’t yet deep into the woods when
the wolves appeared. They stood by trees, silent and watching,
as the sleigh moved on the icy path. A lone wolf under a mas-
sive cedar howled a greeting, and the wolves began loping
behind the sleigh.

Ksusha and her family watched as the path filled with ten
wolves, then twenty, then thirty. Soon one hundred wolves
followed the sleigh.
Alyosha snapped the whip to hurry his horses. The wolves
began to howl.
Ksusha had heard wolves howl before, but never this many
and this close. The sound was terrifying, and the bride huddled
next to her funny, beloved, strong Alyosha.
“We must stop this pursuit, my little chicken,” Alyosha said.
“They will tire my poor horses. Hold the reins and keep driving.”
And with those words, he reached back, pulled Ksusha’s
grandmother from her seat, and threw her out of the sleigh.

Immediately there was a yipping and squealing, and twenty
of the wolves dropped back, surrounding the fallen babushka.
Alyosha took the reins from his Ksusha, who could not
speak. Still eighty or more wolves followed the sleigh, now
leaping at the wedding party, their teeth gleaming in the moonlit
night.
“Hold the reins again, my little chicken,” Alyosha said, this
time reaching back and pulling Ksusha’s grandfather from his
seat and throwing him out of the sleigh.
Again there was a yipping and squealing, and twenty of the
wolves dropped back, surrounding the fallen dedushka.
Alyosha took the reins from his Ksusha, who could not
move. Still sixty or more wolves followed the sleigh, jumping
and twisting in the air and snapping their teeth at the wedding
party. Alyosha cracked his whip over each horse three times,
and the horses galloped faster.
Still the wolves pursued the party. Alyosha handed the reins
to Ksusha. He reached back and pulled Ksusha’s father from
his seat and threw him out of the sleigh. A great yipping and
squealing followed, and twenty more wolves dropped back.
Now the wolves began nipping at the horses’ legs. Alyosha
threw out Ksusha’s mother. Twenty more wolves dropped off,
but still a small group remained, leaping higher and biting at
the horses’ flanks.
Alyosha threw out Ksusha’s young sister, and at first, it
seemed that would be the last of the wolves, for the small group
surrounded the sister with a yipping and a squealing. But a
lone wolf remained, chasing the sleigh and leaping at the two
remaining passengers.
Alyosha tucked the reins between his legs. Ksusha couldn’t
breathe. As the lone wolf leaped, the not-so-funny, not-so-beloved,
but still strong Alyosha pulled Ksusha from her seat
and threw her out of the sleigh.
She landed, rolling across the ice in her taffeta wedding
gown until she was soaked and dirty. When she stopped
rolling, she slowly sat up and found herself staring into the
eyes of the lone wolf.
A howl came from the wolf. Then he bit her.
It wasn’t a big bite, but it broke the skin on her leg. A few
drops of blood appeared, and Ksusha screamed.

“Don’t yell so,” the wolf said. “I won’t bite you again.”
Ksusha looked up and saw the wolf changing shape. Pointed
ears became flat circular flaps, the long nose receded, the sharp
teeth shortened, and the fur shrank into fine soft hair.
Standing before Ksusha was a handsome young man. “I
am Sergei,” he said, bowing low before her.” “Let me take you
to my castle where I can fix your wound.”
Ksusha held onto his arm and limped through the forest.
She glanced anxiously around her.
“What is your worry?” the man said.
“The wolves may return.”
He smiled. “I am great friends with the wolves. You will
never have to fear them again. You see, an enchantress who
inhabits this forest changed me into a wolf some years ago
after I refused to marry her. Her spell could only be lifted it I,
a wolf, would bite the leg of a bride on her wedding day. Since
then, I have lived with the wolves and waited to meet my perfect
bride.”
They arrived at the man’s castle. Ksusha trembled as she
saw dozens of wolves lying under the trees, licking their paws.
“Don’t be frightened, my dear,” Sergei said, his arm around
Ksusha.
“But they killed my parents, my grandparents, and my
sister.”

At that moment the door to the castle opened, and out
rushed Ksusha’s family, completely unharmed and quite happy
to see her.
Her father explained how the wolves had surrounded each
family member who was thrown from the sleigh, and how the
wolves had escorted each to the castle for a joyous reunion.
Sergei asked Ksusha’s father for her hand in marriage.
“I’d be most honored to have you for a son-in-law, but it’s
not possible,” Ksusha’s father explained. “Ksusha Prekrasnaya
is married to Alyosha.”
A wolf howled. Sergei tilted his head to listen.
“My friend tells me Alyosha’s horse have finally tired, and
he is stopped on the path ahead of us. At this very moment, he
is engaged in conversation with the enchantress who lives in
the forest.”
“The one who changed you into a wolf?” Ksusha asked.
“The very same. But she no longer has any power over me.
Let us ride to Alyosha’s troika.”
The wedding party found Alyosha’s troika and his three
exhausted horses on the road, but the enchantress had
disappeared. There was no sign of Alyosha either, although
Ksusha did find a bedraggled chicken hiding under the
seat. Ksusha picked up the little chicken that smelled strangely
of strong drink and tucked it under her arm. She took the
chicken home with her, and one fine evening, sometime later,
Ksusha popped it into a pot and cooked it as dinner for her
new husband, Sergei, the man who once was a wolf.

I do so love a good story.
Note to all the Alyosha's in the world: I also love chicken pot pie.

The Dagger Quick

2011-01-12T15:31:00.000-08:00

So it turns out, 10 years into the business, that job opportunities to paint pirates come around about as often as those to paint Hobbits or Fairies. Thanks a lot Howard Pyle, Edmund Dulac and N.C. Wyeth... liars...
BUT WAIT!! (You were about to give up weren't you?) Land AHoy! A pirate job on the horizon?
Indeed.

The Dagger Quick

I had a great time reading this book. It was a rollicking voyage. Its about pirates chasing other pirates. If you have ever wondered about my process, here is a sort of sketching process.

Step 1
read the book AND take notes on character description

Step 2
start sketching characters and have lots of fun. These are the first images in my head I just want to get them on paper.

this is the first sketch and though similar to the final, the main character is totally off

Step3
Since this is the cover obviously it has to represent the whole of the book. Different age groups publishers and genres have different looks and styles. MY cover has to stand out but also fit into its genre. SHould it be a scene from the book, a portrait, a montage- that kind of thing.

Step 4
My main character is a twelve year old boy. He is a tough kid who protects his brother. He is the son of a blacksmith and works hard therefore must be strong. He is in WAY over his head and a tiny bit scared, but also isn't going to back down for love or money.
All those things I think about while trying to get the right expression and gesture in his figure. TO me, the MOST IMPORTANT thing in my work is Body Language, also called gesture. That is the body's ability to communicate emotion and expression without words.

I start doing some research on ships (in this case Frigates and Sloops). Or whatever details that appear such as, in this case, costume, rigging, daggers etc.

Step 5
Put all this together into a sketch and send to art Director. Then follows a dialogue which I use to find the best solution.

Step 6
SO after the cover sketch has approval, THEN I take some photos of a model. I never "copy" the photo, because for me the result ends up being very stagnant and disappointing. The photo reference is for achieving better light, correct drapery and more precise anatomy.

I think the exact emotions I was going for were " I am going to stab you and then I am going to punch you."

Step7
Upon approval I transfer the image to paper and paint the damn thing.

Here is the final cover with type designed by Laurent Linn- the art director

MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2010-12-26T02:51:00.000-08:00

Another holiday far away. Once again I found the celebration in unexpected places. It wasn't in the tree- though we had one. It wasn't in Santa- but he did come. Happy content kids. Family love- near and far. A very warm space heater and the very best sausage stuffing ever.

Merry Christmas to everyone.
love,
amy

Rapunzel

2010-12-22T20:58:00.000-08:00

Usually my side projects don't make it past the drawing out and making a huge mess stage. Case in Point: Juniper, my daughter, and I had a great idea to make a giant tree out of cardboard and put it up against the wall of our kitchen. We were going to make it big and beautiful and hang cards and ornaments and snowflakes and birds and owls and leaves all over it. It was all we could think about and we drew pictures and dreamed dreams. We got out all the cardboard scraps which covered the kitchen floor. We drew it all out and started cutting. Within a couple of minutes both of us lost complete interest at the exact time and went and played dolls.

THis time though I finished what I started. When I was little my Grandma painted a pillow with Rapunzel on it like this one with yarn for hair so that I could learn to braid. I loved it! Anyway this one is for Juniper. Merry Christmas little girl that I love!

Look what I found in the Sugar Bowl!!

2010-12-08T20:31:00.000-08:00

I went down stairs in the middle of the night and this is what I found. ELVES. They are now literally all over the place. Apparently here to stay. Clearly they have a nose for Sugar- not that they’ll find any in Our house. (That is if I beat them too it).

SUGAR BOWL!

IN THE BREADBASKET!

BOOKCASE!

FISH TANK!

POINSETTA?

HANGING FROM THE LIGHT!

OH DEAR! THE PANTRY!

Years ago my Grandpa made some elves out of wood that he hangs up every Christmas. Numbered One to Twleve, they hide all over the downstairs. Our job would be to find them all. There are only ten at our house, my son sternly reminded me. Maybe there are a couple we still haven't found?

They seem friendly enough, but they had better keep there hands off my dark chocolate Kit-Kats, which are already disappearing right and left.

'TIS THE SEASON!

What is Thanksgiving without turkey...pilgrims...

2010-11-24T08:27:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is not a holiday in Japan. Which makes sense. It would be weird if it was, but maybe not surprising- America has a unique ability to make people want what they do not need. However, we decided we needed a Thanksgiving Feast. A smaller theme to the holiday is the eating of food native to America, right?. So there isn't turkey here- at least you have to go to extreme lengths and many Yen to get one, and frankly I am just not that big of a Turkey fan. Besides which our oven is the size of a small Microwave. It is in fact both an oven and a microwave. Possibly also a T.V. A Turkey simply would not fit inside it. (see exhibit A)

In other words we needed to improvise.
List of things we didn't have for Thanksgiving:
1. Turkey
2. Pilgrims
3. Pumpkin
4. Large Oven or Stove
5. Spices (though we found most in the end)
6. Extended Family
7. An actual holiday day

Here is a list of things we did have:

1. Chestnuts!!! lots of them Big Ones. For the best tasty, smoky, savory Chestnut stuffing.

2. Kabocha -a Japanese squash
(like acorn squash) which made the best pumpkin pie I've ever had. A more complex flavor. yum
click here http://kyotokids.blogspot.com/ for our recipes
3. Many strange and delicious vegtables which we ate without knowing exactly what they were.
4. Our little family, and honestly it was a great day with my husband an little ones around me. Laughing playing warm and cozy.
5. Butter, without which there is no point. To food.
6. Gratitude. There is an old Japanese coin that says on it something like "I have learned the value of contentment"
contentment . nice.

Geisha

2010-11-06T23:31:00.000-07:00

A bit of fun this week. LOTs of sketching, so here are a few from my sketch book:

Geisha or actually Maiko

In the land that is Japan, I had a chance (rare) to draw a Geisha or Maiko- an apprentice Geisha. They are sort of like the Pork in the Pork n' Beans, because you just don't see them very often. Sometimes Foreigners have a little stereotype of being what you might call Geisha-obsessed. (whatever-like everyone isn't). I'm just saying I am not one of those people. :0

Tricky- to draw someone in full makeup
-to draw someone in such a rigid stagnant pose
-to draw all the fabulous textiles- which I gave up on in the end
but
Fun- to draw Geisha!!!

I can't say much about some of the other things in my sketchbook, legally speaking. Well, I'll speak very quietly so don't tell. fairies. and pirates.

Subway

2010-10-27T22:25:00.000-07:00

Last week was the Original Art Show Opening at the Society of Illustrators. It was a fabulous evening, and I met Eric Carle. He was receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society. Lots of other people that I knew by name -both illustrators and designers, publishers, art directors.

Lots of beautiful artwork. Get out and go see it all for yourself- if you are in New York.

Since I was without my little ones, I had loads of free time to sketch like mad. Here are some folks on the subway.

Is one of them you? I was the person trying to pretend she wasn't sketching anyone.

Original Art Show

2010-10-20T14:36:00.000-07:00

Well here it is folks! The Original Art Show at the Society of Illustrators. I haven't been before, but I know it will be amazing. I am Assitant Chair this year (which means that I cheated and already know what is in the show). Two of my books made it in the show, Bear in the Air and the Brother's Kennedy ( I didn't cheat for that-it was all fair and square).

I happen to think that the Original Art show is an interesting concept with regards to Picture Books. A book in its mass produced form next to the only one true original art work. I CANT WAIT.

I ♥ illustration.

here is a link to the society of illustrators:
http://www.societyillustrators.org/At-the-Museum/2010/2010-Original-Art/Opening-
Reception--2010-Original-Art.aspx

October

2010-10-08T19:22:00.000-07:00

It seems a little behind to post this mid- October. BUT I love the word October. There is a lovely sound to it that speaks to the heart of fall and something very old. If there is something a little green and rotten - but not quite dead yet, that is okay too. Probably the true pessimist would enjoy November more; all the leaves are gone, winter is on its way. For sure it would take a bleak outlook to truly revel in February, the beauty of winter on the wane, only greyness left, but Spring is still too far away to look for it. Spring it can definitely be said is only for the optimists. But this was supposed to be all about October.
IT is in the air.

Dragons

2010-10-03T22:20:00.000-07:00

This Friday I am talking to Evan's school about illustration. No sweat, right? Well other than it is a Japanese public school and I don't speak Japanese... My drawings will just have to do the talking.

They have been reading "My Father's Dragon" written by Ruth Stiles Gannett and expertly illustrated by her daughter-in-law Ruth Chrisman Gannett. So, we will be using this book as a place to start. Now I have to say first of all that I love the illustrations in this book and since it is one of the oldest books in my memory they have for me a sort of elemental "truth" to them. SO it feels weird to rethink the wheel a bit.

I used to think that every text had a "platonic" ideal-the perfect interpretation. I don't think that anymore. There are so many thousands of ways to visualize something, reinterpret, add on to. None of which are 100% right or wrong. Even if you are both the author and illustrator. Once you send your story out into the ether anyone can visualize it in their own unique way.

Besides, I like drawing dragons.

Sky and Spy

2010-09-22T23:37:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had the experience of having an incredible idea and getting so excited about it only to find out later that either it wasn't original or that someone had already done it regardless. Well anyway its a bummer not to mention confusing. Like when George Harrison got sued for unintentionally using the the tune of "He's so Fine" (which I don't buy anyway). Not that anything like that has happened! I just had to was the slate clean on a little idea I had in the back of my mind. These are a couple of characters that ARE mine. I love designing characters. love, love, love...

What a summer...

2010-09-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

Many of you know that we are living in Japan for a year. If not, now you do, I guess. Before we made it to Japan we were at my Sister-in-law's wedding. Happy Day! Before that we drove across the country from New York to Utah. Before that I was in New York City as assitant chair to the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show. I met a load of great fellow illustrators and had a generally amazing time. I also got a look at the archives which included stacks of Dulac(love Him), Dean Cornwell, Charles Dana Gibson. On and on.

I am not sure why I told that story in reverse.

Somewhere in the middle of all that, about South Dakota to be precise, we accidentally hit more motorcycles than I will ever see in my life. Sturgis, South Dakota is a mid-summer Mecca to 70,000 motorcycling crazy people. I am the only one in the universe who did not already know about this. Well I love people-watching. So, here are a few lovelies:

Banjo Pigs

2010-09-05T04:45:00.000-07:00

A couple of friends have a blog completely devoted to images of Pigs Playing the Banjo. ...WEll why not?...here is my addition

http://banjopigs.blogspot.com

little Elsie Snow

2010-07-23T18:04:00.000-07:00

my little niece- a cute as a button. Hair as bright red as a new copper penny.

nice article in Sentinel

2010-05-20T18:00:00.000-07:00

http://www.cumberlink.com/entertainment/books-and-literature/article_8deea802-6452-11df-aca3-001cc4c03286.html

Mother's Day

2010-05-18T18:08:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day somewhere up top in Pine Grove Furnace. Alex's new GPS toy informed us that we hiked 6 miles that day! All with the kiddies. Although we intended the hike to be more like three miles. My two yr old did 3 of the 6 miles. The real Mother's Day present was that all the kids were in such a good mood, happy, smiling and telling stories. It was a lovely day-
A lovely day to be me.

Katie

2010-05-11T18:40:00.000-07:00

Katie, my sister, came for a visit. It was so fun to see her and.. she is going to have a baby. She is just beautiful.

We went to the D.C. Zoo and saw the Pandas. They were really tearing into the bamboo, almost like it was edible.

Here is a sketch of Mae Xiang the Panda by Juniper...

...and another sketch of Mae Xiang by me. She, the panda, is also going to have a baby- they hope. Yay! baby pandas. I could not get enough of having Katie here- come again soon.

Did I invent the phrase "Cuter than a Panda's ear?" well I should have. Panda's ears are cute.

Spring is Sprung?

2010-04-19T17:58:00.000-07:00

Here is bouquet of spring flowers picked by Juniper,
and three lovely reviews of my new book (coming out soon) "Bear in the Air." IN this book I got to draw my own little boy Sean in the family pram. I really did push all three of my babies around in it. It is very bouncy.

Publishers Weekly gives Bear in the Air a *starred* review in this week’s issue!

“The stuffed animal carried away on a long, unexpected journey is a perennially popular theme; here, it’s illustrated with delightful attention to period detail by Bates (The Dog Who Belonged to No One). The baby who owns the unfortunate teddy bear is accompanied by a young mother in wellies, a polka-dot skirt, and a snug cloche hat for their boardwalk stroll at some pre-WWII seaside resort town. Bates works in roughly sketched pencil and soft, lustrously shaded watercolors, evoking a lost, gentler age. Meyers’s (Puppies! Puppies! Puppies!) verse is sturdy, obedient to its metric structure: “This is the dog that found the bear,/ Shook it and tossed it high in the air,/ Carried it down to the sandy shore,/ Trotted away with the ribbon it wore.” Bates honors each person, creature, or force of nature the bear encounters (from sailor to seal to sea breeze) in stately picture frames that appear at the start of each leg of the bear’s journey under the sea, up into the sky, and eventually—to readers’ relief—into a neighbor’s yard to be rescued by its owner. Ages 4–8. (May)”

Booklist:

A young mother puts her baby and his teddy bear into an elegant pram and wheels them along a boardwalk overlooking the sea. When Bear falls to the ground, a dog grabs him and romps down the beach. A wave pulls the teddy bear into the water, a seal takes him deep below the surface, and a pelican swoops him up into the sky, dropping him on land. A lady hangs Bear out to dry on her clothesline, where the bemused Mother and happy Baby find him. Told in graceful, rhyming couplets, the story of Bear’s adventures unfolds in a pleasant manner. The pencil-and-watercolor illustrations, which create a 1920s setting, feature nicely proportioned human and animal characters drawn with energy and expression. Young children will find plenty to enjoy in the pictures, including a little red crab that tags along with Bear and, near the end, a bird’s-eye-view map featuring landmarks and characters that will help viewers retrace the teddy bear’s journey. A handsome picture book with a satisfying story and artwork as fresh as a sea breeze.
— Carolyn Phelan

Kirkus:

To a “House That Jack Built” rhythm and style, a teddy bear has a great adventure when a baby drops it out of his carriage and it falls, hidden, beneath the wheels of a lemonade stand at the beach. After baby and mother leave, a dog finds the bear and plays with it for a bit before discarding it. Waves swallow up the bear, and eventually a bird snatches it out of the water, takes it for a ride in the sky and drops it in the yard of a woman who hangs the wet bear on her clothesline—where mom and baby spot it for a happy reunion. There is a familiarity here that is comforting, but that very predictability may make older preschoolers wish for an unexpected twist. Bates, however, creates a nice vintage feel with her expressive, traditional watercolors, framing key characters like portraits as they are introduced. Overall, the direct plot, retro styling and satisfying end may remind adult readers of the days when picture books were a quieter pleasure—like a glass of cold lemonade in the summer.

2010-03-31T17:43:00.000-07:00

To keep with the sketching theme, I am going to put up some sketches for my new book "Christian the Hugging Lion" written by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell and which comes out this month.

In the 1950's there was a "Famous Artist's School" which was a correspondence school put together by Norman Rockwell, Albert Dorne, Robert Fawcett and few other fantastic illustrators from back in the day. These books are the best books on illustration out there, bar none, thats it, the end. Period.
There is a section in these books about Animal Drawing which basically compares the anatomy of humans to animals- the point being that basically the bone and muscle structure is very similar between most animals and humans. So I could go on and on about this. My point is sometimes I am asked how my animals look so "human" well the answer is that they basically are.
So, for example drawing the lion Christian pretty much ended up being my own children posing for the lion. Particularly since I don't have any Lions hanging around posing for me (Insert cheeky comment, Alex). From toddler to kid to adult it is pretty much my own family wrestling and roaring and acting like wild animals- just like any day of the week I guess.

sketching

2010-03-22T06:51:00.000-07:00

I LOVE TO DRAW. Here are a couple of drawings of my kids. I have been wanting to draw Juniper on her bike for while just because she kills me. I have to say I got it. The way she rides with a mixture of being so proud of herself and completely in her own world.
The other two are of Sean. He rides his little car with SO much energy. I am here to tell you that he can ride that thing at least two miles. Of course playing with his trains.
I've done a couple of school presentations lately and we have been talking about body language. Kids are so amazing because they have learned body language and it speaks in volumes. But kids haven't learned how to hide their emotions so every movement they makes speaks about how they are feeling.
With these drawings I included a couple of gestures. I always do a very quick little sketch that helps me map out the structure of the body and how I want the whole drawing to go.

Martin Luther King Jr

2010-01-18T11:25:00.000-08:00

Here are some of my favorite images from the book Martin's Dream by Jane Kurtz. The book came out a year ago. A couple of thoughts on this book: First I love the look of this man. A Passionate speaker. A pleasure to draw and to capture the look of him. Very long eyelashes. Classic curved upper lip so distinctive.
I also remember two years ago on this day, MLK day, I was taking pictures of the Lincoln memorial for this book and got separated from my husband and children. We couldn't find each other for another 41/2 hours by which point I was about hysterical! Then again he had the three kids.
Anyway what a remarkable man Martin Luther King Jr.
-"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." MLK

2010-01-12T11:12:00.000-08:00

The Kennedy Brothers

2010-01-12T10:46:00.000-08:00

My new book The Kennedy Brothers comes out January 26. I love the research part of my job. There was SO much to learn about the Kennedy's. Their amazing contributions to politics for the last 100 years, the horrible tragedys that have followed them as well the individual personalities of these amazing people. Every moment of their lives it seems has been documented by the media- including the very private sorts of grief. The challenge was to create images that we the public have not seen. Here are a few of my favorite spreads from the book-enjoy!

The New Kid on the Blog

2010-01-06T09:24:00.000-08:00

My first post of a new year and it is going to be about a Blog.

Blog (blŏg) n. scandinavian a large thick-witted beastie that lives under ground, under bridges or in a Bog. If exposed to sunlight will turn to stone.

In addition this particular Blog enjoys shopping a Ikea for things that sound like the word Blog- of which there are many. This chair for example which comes in red or black. Blog chose red. Also, being a beastie of little imagination he eats only Blogna, a sandwich meat which bares little if any resemblance to food.

A new year a new blog

2010-01-03T08:49:00.000-08:00

To blog or not to blog.