WIMPY 4 "The Big Reveal"

"The Big Reveal"

THURSDAY JULY 23, 2009

of the title, color, and cover of Diary of a Wimpy Kid 4.

Any guesses?

Behind the scenes—WIMPY KID 4

"A look (literally) at editing"

Charlie Kochman (Editor) and Scott Auerbach (Managing Editor)
go over the final manuscript for
Diary of A Wimpy Kid 4
( Title to be announced soon)
ON-SALE TUESDAY OCTOBER 12, 2009

Asterios Polyp is David Mazzucchelli’s masterpiece

A new installment to Mishaps and Adventures, BOOKS I LIKE!

I have just finished reading David Mazzucchelli’s Asterios Polyp. It is beautiful and everyone should own a copy.

From The Pantheon website:

Meet Asterios Polyp: middle-aged, meagerly successful architect and teacher, aesthete and womanizer, whose life is wholly upended when his New York City apartment goes up in flames. In a tenacious daze, he leaves the city and relocates to a small town in the American heartland. But what is this “escape” really about?

As the story unfolds, moving between the present and the past, we begin to understand this confounding yet fascinating character, and how he’s gotten to where he is. And isn’t. And we meet Hana: a sweet, smart, first-generation Japanese American artist with whom he had made a blissful life. But now she’s gone. Did Asterios do something to drive her away? What has happened to her? Is she even alive? All the questions will be answered, eventually.

In the meantime, we are enthralled by Mazzucchelli’s extraordinarily imagined world of brilliantly conceived eccentrics, sharply observed social mores, and deftly depicted asides on everything from design theory to the nature of human perception.

Asterios Polyp is David Mazzucchelli’s masterpiece: a great American graphic novel.

ABRAMS new lobby sign has arrived!

For the past month or so myself and Ina Raghunandan have been working to remove the old company name of HNA or Harry N. Abrams from the lobby since we are now called ABRAMS. Yesterday the new signs were installed in our lobby. Take a look.

My original PDF file

Behind the scenes of Dotty with Julia Denos and Erica Perl

The Making of Dotty by Erica S. Perl illustrated by Julia Denos
Part 1

Here is the origin story on DOTTY by Erica Perl, author:

EP: When I was a kid, I had imaginary friends. I told my parents that two of them were twins but were not the same age (which they found funny, though I didn't understand why for years) and their names were Sahti and Dahti. I was probably about three or four at the time, which I know because we moved to Rhode Island when I was four and these memories predate the move. I also had an imaginary pet (a sheep) when we lived in Vermont, where we didn't move until I turned eight. But by then I was pretty sure that I'd get teased if anyone found out about my imaginary sheep, so I didn't tell anyone. I think the initial idea for DOTTY came out of both of these experiences: having an imaginary friend that interested and amused others, as was the case with Sahti and Dahti, and having an imaginary friend that might be a source of ridicule. And, of course, the name "Dotty" came from "Dahti."

On writing the manuscript:

EP: When I first wrote the story, I relied on this memory I have of overhearing a girl gossiping about me to a friend and the friend replying, "Who's Erica?" And then the first girl pointed me out by saying, "Hey, ERICA, I like your sweater." But when I went to storyboard out the book, I was surprised by the intensity of Ida's —and Dotty's —reaction. This sometimes happens when I write a piece… it is much neater in word form, but if I start sketching and drawing, ideas flow and things happen. It's why I always encourage writing students to draw, even if they don't want to be illustrators. Sometimes you don't know what you want to say with words until you get an image.

Erica Perl on the evolution of Dotty:

EP: When my draft of the manuscript was finished—long before Julia was selected as the illustrator—I started reading the story aloud as part of my author visit presentations. I'd ask the kids to raise their hands and tell me what kind of animal Dotty was. And the kids would tell me: she's a bull! she's a goat! she's a giant guinea pig! So I realized for the first time that maybe Dotty was an animal unto herself . . . or a one-of-a-kind combination of many kinds of animals.

On selecting Julia Denos:

CW: It was actually kind of hard. Erica Perl ( author) remembers talking with Susan Van Metre and telling her here ideas and hearing hers. We were on the same page, both of us wanting someone who could capture the whimsical qualities of the piece without making it overly sentimental or losing the humor and range of emotions. Julia Denos was my pick among other. On a rare occasion do i find and illustrator from a mailer. Yet this is how I cam across Julia. Erica recalls checking out her online portfolio (after I sent here Julia site to review ) and thinking "YES! Oh please let us get HER!"

FOLLOW Julia at here Blog http://www.thecinnamonrabbit.blogspot.com

You might remember Julia Denos's work from Tim McGraw's picture book My Little Girl.

So we begin. Julia and I worked out a time table for sketches and final art as well as other contractual items.

Here are Julia's first sketches

Video Chatting over sketches.

"During Choice Time, Ida found out there were even more in her class. Pete and Repeat came to school with Max. They were twins, but not the identical kind.
Kay was Benny’s. She had razor-sharp teeth, but Benny swore she would never really hurt anyone. Beeku was tiny. She swung back and forth on Katya’s braids, chattering all day long.
And there was Dotty. Who kept mostly to herself, nibbling the rug. "

First round character and layout sketches

Ida Brunnette . . .

or Ida Blonde?

DOTTY character sketches

She started out as a gremlin on a leash

and slow began to look more like a buffalo
then more cow like



Other Imaginary friends

Page layouts

Final Dotty Character Sketch

NOW GET TO WORK DENOS!

An evening with the de Brunhoffs

This past Tuesday evening Laurent and Phyllis de Brunhoff a.k.a Phyllis Rose asked me over for drinks and fine conversation at there Upper East Side apartment. Little did I know Phylis had other plans. She was looking for another model for her on-going photo series that she calls the Holbein portraits. Being the ham that I am I agreed whole heartedly to take part. Here is a brief description by Phyllis Rose about here series. Its quite amazing!

Holbein Project

PB: I started shooting these pictures when I got tired of photographing
Laurent, my resident model, as he was and started throwing upholstery
fabrics onto him to try to make him look like someone else. About the
same time I went to the Frick and was, as always, blown away by the
Holbein portraits of Thomas More and of Cromwell. So I started
photographing men with the intention of reproducing some of the
effects of Holbein portraits, especially the lighting, the palette,
and the gravity of the sitters. I increased my stock of velvets and
damasks on West 38th Street and from fabricguru.com. And I bought
some hats and fur pieces and significant objects (astrolabe,
telescope, skull etc) on eBay. I like to let sitters choose an object
they want to be associated with. Over time, I've moved from Holbein
as a model and gotten more promiscuous in my inspiration. Titian,
Rembrandt, Bronzino, and Veronese are important, too. Conclusions? I
think men have very few opportunities to play. Also I think they look
better dressed in velvet robes and caps than in what they're
encouraged to wear these days. In case you're wondering,
I can't do women because their clothes are too complicated
and the jewelry has to be good.

http://www.phyllisrose.net

Laurent de Brunhoff's Studio

Phyllis Rose's Studio

My portrait. I can't help but laugh at this photo.


Laurent looks on in amusement

New Photographer! Behind the Scenes.

MORGAN R. LEVY

I am always a fan of finding new talent and I believe I have found that in Morgan Levy's photography.

From Morgan's Blog Hopeful Monsters

"I am shooting a commissioned portrait this weekend which I am pretty excited about. Here is one of the backgrounds for one of two children. His paper costume is going to be a "space ninja" as he believes he is from a far off galaxy that exploded (Superman anyone?) and he and his brother were sent to earth in space ships and he is older because his space ship got here first. . . . Naturally. This image was created with support from Hekla, Iceland's volcano and the good people at NASA. The image is almost complete, some more small compositional things to tweak.

I had the good fortune to work with Morgan on
David Clement-Davies next novel SCREAM OF THE WHITE BEARS.
Morgan traveled to Iceland just where she photographed numerous images of the landscape which we used in the background image of the cover.


http://www.morganrlevy.blogspot.com

Behind the Scenes: Photo shoot for ANXIOUS HEARTS by TUCKER SHAW

JONATHAN BECKERMAN

Photographer Jonathan Beckerman gives us a behind the scenes look at his photo shoot for ANXIOUS HEARTS by TUCKER SHAW.

Due out Spring 2010!

NERDS interior Sketches

Publish Post

Character sketch of JULIO "FLINCH" ESCALA

Now that the interior and jacket have been sent to the printer I have some time to share a bunch of sketches Ethen Beavers and I went through to get the illustrations in NERDS to be just right . . . for a nerd.

Dr. Jig and Ben Franklin Character sketches

Sensor Sketches.

To get to the next level these sensors test he readers worthiness to gain access. For example you have to wipe BOOGERS, SWEAT, and SALIVA among other things to have access granted. Gross.

More character sketches

Character sketches of JACKSON "BRACEFACE" JONES

Character sketches of HEATHCLIFF " CHOPPERS" HODGES

ALL IN A DAY on CBS Eary Morning Show