The sea wall at Ortega Street

Frazee!

There's something about being in a room with 100 people who are passionate about the same thing you are: children's books. And when the speakers are Marla Frazee, Allyn Johnston (my publisher!) and Ann Bobco, you know you can settle in for a day of straight talk and extreme entertainment.

Successful stories begin in the heart. Once that has happened only then should they be allowed to enter the brain, and funnel on down into the fingers and out onto paper. In other words, it's good if heart precedes cleverness – or at least goes hand-in-hand with cleverness. (Marla never said those exact words, but that's what I took away from the SCBWI Illustrator Day at Fort Mason.)

And that's what makes Marla's Boss Baby so great. Though it's the cleverest book ever, it sprouted from the heart. It was captivating to hear the in-depth stories behind it, and behind several of her other gorgeous books: Is Mommy?, The Farmer and the Clown, Boot & Shoe, Stars...)

Other brilliant ideas I glommed onto:

– The goal of your story is to change the emotional temperature of the reader.

– Not getting to the emotion of the moment can often be the problem when you’re stuck.

– Marla suggested writing a story with a visual narrative (sketches and pictures) before using words. This is interesting to me because even as a longtime illustrator, I still think I’m supposed to start with words.

p.s. A very fun interview with Marla.

BTW, Boss Baby is being made into a movie starring Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, and Lisa Kudrow.

me and my boss baby

p.p.s. Another exciting thing was seeing the Beach Lane books that are slated for publication next year. My favorite was this tiny (5" x 5") 72-page book by Lois Ehlert: a funny "valentine" celebrating love and friendship. I can't wait to get my hands on it and send one to you.

 

Floor Plan

I'm doing sketches for a book that will have lots of illustrations of things that happen in this particular classroom. Some action will take place in the front of the room, some in the back, and some in various corners. It finally occurred to me that I needed to do a floor plan of the room in order for the illustrations to make sense and work together. I cannot begin to tell you what a bad sense of direction I have – and how many times I had to turn the plan upside down and sideways, and start over. I'm glad I'm not an architect.

 

Formal Sea Style

A quietly quirky twist on the classic bow tie, this nautical piece is a fresh take on formal. Add personality to your white shirts.  $198

An enchanting heart-shaped brooch of furiously polished ruby. Elegant pinned to a diaphanous veil or worn as a pendant.   $1,640

The right time to wear a tie bar is always. Don this slightly scented one and you'll be sure to stand apart from the crowd.  $590

This small boutonniere makes a bold statement. Add a tasteful punch of color and texture to the groom's lapels.   $420

Business.

I've designed business cards for clients. But that doesn't mean I've ever had my own real business cards – until today. By real, I mean cards that I didn't print from my desktop printer and cut out myself. My new real card's design is taken from the THERAPY section on my site – and each little icon represents a personality disorder.

But back to the exciting part: MOO, the printer I use, allows you to have as many different card "backs" as you want. So I got out my CMYK manual and started spec'ing colors right and left. I could have gone on and on because you are allowed 50 different backs per pack – all for the same price. FYI: I ordered two packs (100 cards), and my order came to $65.

 

Ocean Beach   5:41 p.m.

National Book Lovers Day

 

I found this notebook on the curb. It was sticking out underneath a stack of Playbills. I tried to walk on by but it was hopeless. Who can resist that black & white composition book pattern? It's a true find: a boy's journal from seven years ago.

Every single solitary entry starts off with a bang.

How can you not want to read more?

Walking back to Taraval Street in the wind.  7:33 p.m.

Sunday Painter Progress Report

Not sure you can tell much difference between this Sunday and last Sunday. Slowly but surely, though. Eventually I think I'll tone down the red background and bright blue background.

 

Back from Richard Kamler's art opening with Lucille. She WALKED to the show (3 miles). We gave her a lift home, and that's when Tom noticed her socks/my dress.

Did I mention that Lucille is 92? Her philosophy of life, which she learned from her mom: Major in fun.

Richard Kamler at FOG

Road Map

I have no sense of direction so imagine my delight when I found this rock on the beach. Can you believe it? A map of San Francisco! I labeled the streets to prove it. Of course I always carry a phone in my pocket, and I ask Siri for directions every few minutes. But sometimes when I over-ask, the charge runs out on my phone. Next time that happens, no problemo, because I've started carrying this rock in my other pocket.

In the Mail: F&G's!

F&G stands for "folded and gathered." In other words, all the pages of a printed book have been gathered up and folded together – but not bound into hard cover yet. Sometimes, if you're lucky, the F&G's come with candy.

 

We Love You, Rosie was written by Cynthia Rylant and will be released in spring of 2017. I just finished reading Cynthia's High-Rise Private Eyes series (Bunny Brown and Jack Jones) and laughed myself silly.