Monday, April 29, 2013

BOOK EXPO AMERICA


Book Expo America (http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/will be holding its annual convention in New York City at the end of May.  Their 19th annual Children's Book Art Auction will be co-hosted this year by the American Booksellers Foundation For Free Expression (ABFFE http://www.abffe.org/).  Part of the auction will be on site in New York City.  Part will be online during the time of the convention.   This year there will also be a third part, the Maurice Sendak Memorial, which will consist of auction pieces created and donated in honor of the beloved illustrator/author.  Auction proceeds will benefit ABFFE in its efforts to combat censorship in books for children.  
I donated two pieces to the auction.  The image above is a digital print of a pencil drawing I created for my book BEDTIME BUNNIES, which I then hand-colored with watercolor.  This was one of the several trial pieces of art I made as I worked out the pencil techniques and color palette I would use for the book.
The other piece is one I created especially for the Sendak Memorial.  I used pencil, pen-and-ink, and watercolor for this original.  I first met Maurice in New York when I was getting started as a young illustrator and author.  

Be sure to check out the auction, either in person or online!  It's a chance to own an original piece of children's book art at a reasonable cost, while supporting a very worthwhile cause.  http://abffesilentauction.wordpress.com/

Saturday, April 27, 2013

BESSIE HOOTS: PSST!


Here I am.  Bessie Beetum, long-suffering house-mate with Miss Creative (aka Wendy Watson).  You might not have heard of me or read my blog (http://bessiebeetum.blogspot.com/).   And that might be because dear dear Miss Creative messed that blog up a while ago.  Accidentally-on-purpose, of course. I don't suppose She wanted folks to read my blog instead of hers.  (Folks always prefer mine. If they want to know what's actually happening, that is.)  And even though these days Miss Creative isn't doing much on her own blog---well, She could still easily decide to delete MY ENTIRE BLOG. 
So I'm switching blogs.     Taking over   infiltrating    posting on this blog from now on. Someone has to tell the truth around here.  And I always do my duty.
In case you're wondering, Miss Creative won't notice any posts I put up.  See her desk?  She wouldn't notice if her whole nest fell down.
Unless she catches me in the act of hacking into her blog.  She might notice thatOops---here she comes.  Got to go...