So here are a series of images of me holding the book. They will be in reverse of course because I was using a camera… The cover image I flipped so that the title can be read. Anyhow–here is a quick glance at a bound version of Mole Had Everything. Being released by Blue Apple Books in April of 2012.

Note: These pictures also feature my new writing hat and writing scarf. Great presents from Rocco and Allison. I think that as a writer/illustrator, I need to create a persona that is easy to caricature…so that I may caricature myself easily. Sometimes I just say things…

Image above: Putting sneaky snakes in any children’s book makes for interesting compositions. This one is situated at a place called The Foggy Swamps. One of my favorite spreads from the book.

Here are a few quiet spots.

Then a quiet seascape meant for a contemplative change in the book. All of my flowers look like lollipops.

The results of his great journey.

Fitting it all in his quiet home…

Gatefoldd full view of the clutter. This one was a task to paint.

So that is my quick preview of Mole Had Everything. This book was a big effort for me. Painted in between living in Connecticut and then our Move to Maryland. It will be my first book released an a professor at Frostburg State University and I hope it makes my department proud.  Mole Had Everything is the first piece of art that I’ve created and can honestly say, “Yep…that’s what I was trying to say with this.” I know what I meant and I meant what I said and I smaid what I sment and I painted my little heart out for months.

More to come soon. Best to all.

This past weekend while at a party for E’s birthday, one of the party goers, M, asked me the toughest question that any  person can ask an author, “So what is your next book about?”

Chhh chhh chhhh chhhh ahhh ahhh ahhh ahhh–the sound of Jason Vorhees walking into the room, wielding his giant, rusted machete as I stumble and stammer around looking for something to grasp onto.

So on this trip we went.  I rambled on about how it was inspired by a passage in Walden which always seems to wake me up whenever I read it, like just now as I type: “Most of the luxuries, and many of the so-called comforts of life, are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind.”

So then I went on to say that it is a story about a Mole and a Beaver. The Mole lives simply. He only requires his small home, one pillow, his one bed,  his one shelf of books and his one cup for tea. The Beaver however, is a collector. He rummages and collects things(treasures) in order to build his home like Beavers do by nature. Dead pieces of lake wood, an old guitar neck, wagon wheel, an old bike, umbrella…etc. You know, things that are treasures that he does not need. A sturdy construction in its own way depending on your definition of sturdy.

As the story goes on the Beaver tells the Mole that he really doesn’t have much in his life because he doesn’t really own anything. He points the Mole to his hodge-podge house and in that instant the Mole feels worthless. His life changes and he decides that he needs to acquire more things in order to live a fulfilling, enriching life.

So that’s where I’ll stop talking about the storyline. Obviously there is more…as I’ve been told by many a critic, “YOUR STORY NEEDS A RESOLUTION!” This story has one so sleep easy…

But it was something that our friend said to me as her deduction of the story as I described the main characters. She looked up at me and said, “Well, you’re either a Mole or you’re a Beaver I guess…”

That’s perfect. So perfect.

I cannot thank her enough for her fantastic description of a book she has never read and only knows about through polite party conversation. With a simple whittling down of of my stammers and insecure descriptions–I can now say, “You’re either a Mole or a Beaver.”

That’s what it is all about–who we are. I know who I am and sometimes I just don’t like that person. Some days I am the Beaver and I regret those days. Other days I am the Mole and I am still looking for ways to become the Beaver. It’s just in my nature to observe and be impressed by things that twinkle…things that I do not need but sometimes have to have. But when the sun is long down and everything around me is quiet to a point of a single board creaking in the house echos like a world war…I am the Mole. I am sitting in my studio with a pen and a pad and often with a cup for tea.

The full quote from our friend Henry by the lake reads as follows, “Most of the luxuries, and many of the so-called comforts of life, are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind. With respect to luxuries and comforts, the wisest have even lived a more simple and meagre life than the poor.”

I hope that one day I become as brave as those who I truly look up to. I don’t know where I’ll find that bravery in my work but I am always looking for it.

Thanks for the help Meg.

So the first of that “stuff” from this past week was six ink drawings that I did on the floor with my son Oliver helping. As I drew with marker, he drew with crayon. You can really see his handy work on the bottom right image. This was fine because I knew that I’d be taking the images into photoshop for coloring.

After some days of cleanup and painting with pixels…viola, a few concept that I may use for a series of T-shirts. Keep in mind that each of these images is about 11″ x 14″.

NEXT: This piece is for an open submission to a company that I have done work for in the past. The fine art of hiding objects within designated art is made less wacky when your basis for the composition is one of Durer’s greatest and most ominous works.

From here I had to throw together a poster for an artist visit I have set up for my illustration classes here at Frostburg. Presenting my good chum David Ferreira. Dave will speak to my students about acrylic painting techniques, zombies, cat food art and just general awesomeness. I’m no poster designer so don’t dis…I tried.

Moving on. Myself and a few other professors have formed the “Communications Committee” here in the arts department. Our main task will be to get a comprehensive blog up and running to show the world all of the happy, western MD goodness that we are producing here. That and to raise a real awareness of the program to attract future students as well as give current students something to participate in. With that in mind, I’m proposing to the faculty that we all create a custom Munny for our page bio. Here is the first page in a presentation I’ll pitch at the next faculty meeting. Again…a designer I am not. The paw prints on Munny are because we are the Bobcats. GO BOBCATS!

Finally…and though this doesn’t technically count as work I’ve done in this past week, I’ll be participating in a publishing festival out here this coming Saturday.  It is a mouthful: The Fifth Annual Western Maryland Small and Regional Press Festival. I will be on a panel of children’s authors and illustrators. Though the festival happens all around town, I’ll be in the Lyric Theater at 22 E. Main Street at 11:30am.

I’ll hopefully(within the next month) post a few bits of my next book…gotta write it though. Now that’s a blog full.

Lobby of Compton Hall where I hold my Illustration and Advanced Illustration classes.

View out from said hall–it rains like Mordor out here as of late…

Fall came.

Ollie runs these streets!

Now onto art–feeling not so much like a wordsmith tonight. Pictures, pictures, pictures.

Decided to make some signs for the department with the Ollie Logo, as well as a painting of Saint Sebastian all shot izzup.

And here we have our bloody saint. I’m digging spraying up the place. Frostburg State University–I have big plans for you!

Spray Saints–more to come. GNR Rules!

I started sketching around with some watercolor pencils and a new water-pen that my good friend David Ferreira passed my way. So as per usual, I try to become Blake.

Now, I’m not fully sure what these paintings are about. The words have a bit of meaning but it is all really just what a guy puts down when trying to figure out what his next book will be. I don’t think any of these have more than an hour and a half time into them. They are sketches and nothing more.

The final one from yesterday is a study from Durer and Bosch. I kinda dig working in such a quick and sketchy manner. The last book felt like it would be the death of me.

So that’s that! Next up–spray spray junk junk. Stay tuned. Eat that Decker!

Above is the cover image for Mole Had Everything. I placed in some title text but that will all be changed and handled by the good folks at Blue Apple Books. I just wanted to give a quick idea of how the front will look with the giant ball of string set on the back.

In this image–are they flowers or red lollipops? I’m really trying to create a strange atmosphere here. I don’t want to simply look at a tree and then paint what I see. I think I am doing the least amount of environmental reference with this book than I’ve ever done before. I just hope that the images in my head make for good art.

On another note–Timothy Decker and I have finally started work on our book project. I’ve written a text that is very unlike any of my published works and I think that his illustrations would suit it better than anybody’s. I’ll post more as we go along but until then, Tim, good luck with the layouts! We’ll go out for pancakes soon my friend!

I’m quite happy to finally be officially working on this project. I write and draw and refine and and write again, draw again, refine again, repeat–with every story. This story however began in September of 2009. So from pen to publication, about 2 and 1/2 years will have elapsed.  So much of my life has happened in those 30 months.  Travels, deaths, changes and a masters degree. The biggest and best change, Oliver is here now. So this will be the first book that I’ll be working on with him in my life and the first book that will come out, for him to see. What I’ve written in Mole Had Everything–I hope he can use for his whole life. I hope he can use it as a child and as a man. I don’t want to get too deep into it and I may never tell him. If he finds it–I’ll show him this blog…perhaps.

Now, onto some of the rough page layouts:

(Above) character sketches that I turned in last week. Typed in a few notes for Elliot and Cecile at Blue Apple Books(my partners in this caper)

Four concept sketches for the cover. The bottom right made the cut. Top right was offered as a tribute to good pal Tim Decker.

The complications of a simple life. Taking night walks in the forest with a cup of tea and sitting on top of a rock to think.

Pages 4-5 redo. Trying to take away a bit of clutter from a story that has to show lots of clutter. The composition is opening up, hopefully giving the book a rhythm.

Pages 24-25. We all have this stuff.

THE GATEFOLD. This will be a double page spread that also folds down to show the protagonist trying to cram his home with all of his new stuff. Split the page horizontally at the mid point and that is what you’ll see when you open the book. A flap will extend down from that to reveal everything happening below. Lots of work in this one!

Lastly(for now). The scene in the story when our wee lad is trying to get on with his life but realizes that all of his possessions are possessing him.

More to come,words to fix, add paint, rinse and repeat. Eat that Tim–I blogged!

Still needs some hatching work but I’m kinda liking the result here. Traditional watercolor inked over with Photoshop. I’m not at all set of the typesetting here–may have to go font digging soon.