Book Update: rejection #2 but still positive

i came home from a rather grueling capoeira class this evening and saw the large manila envelope sitting under a pile of mail.

(Side note: Capoeira (pronounced CAP-WEAR-UH) is an Afro-Brazilian martial art. Although it's exact history is sketchy, most agree it was brought over with African slaves to Brazil and originated as a dance that masked fighting techniques from slave owners. )

i actually did a bunch of other things like open other mail, checked my messages, stalling a bit before i opened it. (it's kinda like waiting for college acceptances again)

the letter was from the Art Director at Harper Collins Children's Books:

"Dear Brian,

Thank you for your submission of your illustrated story, WHAT TIME IS IT NOW?

Unfortunately, I don't think it is a good fit for Harper's publishng (yes, that's their typo) plans at present. I like your art style and I think it would be just right for a quirky, funny tale but I don't have anything suitable just now.

I'll keep your samples on file should I find an appropriate project for your talents.

Thank you for thinking of Harper Collins Children's Books.

Sincerely, "

i'm actually pleased. At least she liked my style. And after spending over a year preparing the project for submission, i'll take any compliment i can get from someone in the publishing business. (and little does she realize i'm full of quirky, funny tales waiting to emerge.)

the beat goes on.

flowers, trees, ropes, and ladders

it's been awhile since i've done some truly free sketching. sometimes i take a sketchbook out with me, open it up, then get intimidated by the blank page. the nicer the sketchbook the more nervous i get.

so to get around this, i've been cutting regular copy paper and folding it into tiny paged booklets that i can keep in my pocket if i get inspired with an idea. cheap paper = no pressure

last night i sat at a local bar that had a singer songwriter showcase that included a guy i knew. it was raining hard, the mood was right, i had a comfortable spot out of the way at the bar, so i just started to fill up some little pages with a blue colored pencil.

Seattle escape

i just returned from a 5 day trip to Seattle with my family.
i put my ideas on hold and just soaked up the tranquil surroundings.

we had the chance to view an exhibit of British environmental artist Andy Goldsworthy's photographs at the Tacoma Art Museum. using stones, sticks, leaves, and whatever else he finds on walks through nature, he painstakingly arranges them in bold, modern, otherworldly patterns and sculptures. the effect of these almost foreign designs photographed in the context of their natural settings is powerful and mesmerizing. i can honestly say this is one of the most inspiring and amazing exhibits i've ever seen.

this really set the tone for the whole trip.

Goldsworthy's "Burned Sticks"

sculpture outside the Tacoma Glass Museum / Pacific Northwest totem pole

peaks surrounding Mount Ranier

totem - Pioneer Square/ charred Tweety head

1800 ideas and counting

i've been humming with ideas this whole week. actually it started over the weekend where i began sketching three different projects and made a list for ten more. i'm pretty good at making lists. i've got post-its and little scraps of paper waiting to be transferred to a larger list or made as an official entry in the little black idea book. i'm in the process of trying to create a bunch of pieces for a little show i'll hold in a couple of months. it's about showcasing some of the old stuff and presenting a look at the new stuff. i'm also signed up to take a "Intro to Toy Design" class at F.I.T. (Fashion Institute of Technology) that will begin at the end of August. sometimes it's difficult for my mind to focus when there's so much going on and i bounce from project to project like a spastic ten year old riding a sugar rush.

i returned to an idea i started back in april that i created for my niece's 8th birthday. (my niece and nephew's (3 yrs old) birthdays always force me to be creative under the gun and I usually end up staying up late into the night creating some ridiculously elaborate card i should have begun 3 weeks ago when i placed it on some list.) i had been reading "The Code Book" by Simon Singh which is a history of cryptography through the ages and decided i'd use codes as the theme for my niece's card.

i came up with "SpyGirl" (based on an earlier sketch) and set out to create a code for her to solve.



i ended up using a simple code called the "Pigpen cipher" and scripted a little story about evil monkeys and saving Professor X's laboratory. i figured I'd have some time to await her decoding and find a super cool gift in the meantime. according to my sister, my niece figured it out instantly and 3 days later i get the decoded piece returned to me. (she also pointed out a spelling error that little smartie.)

so as i returned to SpyGirl this past week, i started to wonder who she really was and whether or not thereis something more to explore here. she's back on the list and now she's got a re-spiff-ified logo:

discarded seats and cork vessels

i spent some time walking around the industrial sections of Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn. passing the polluted yet still strangely picturesque Gowanus Canal, i noticed a stuffed easy chair perched in a overgrown section by the bridge. it looked completely out of context amidst the weeds but also a bit inviting. if i had to sit by the side of the road in an abandoned strip overlooking the canal i'd graciously accept it's offer.

the chair that no one sits in

i built a boat out of a cork i found, using some small sticks, and a leaf for a sail. i launched her in a giant muddy puddle. she sailed out a few feet turned about and then capsized. i still consider it a success.

kid stares and frog dreams

Sometimes children beat me in staring contests on the subway. Their complete innocence and lack of self-conciousness make them extremely powerful. I usually give up after a few seconds and look at something else, defeated by the intensity of their honest curiosity. This one little girl just obliterated me over the weekend. I felt like she was looking through me with a knowledge I could never possess. I actually felt sad.

I've had this idea lately to use frogs in a story. For obvious reasons I had to sketch the "Frog Sphinx" which in ancient times guarded the entrance to Frogtown. Now it's covered in graffitti at the center of the municipal park but here's how it once looked:

book update

i thought this would be a good way to share my journey towards getting published.

i started sending out my manuscript and dummy (photo-copied mock-up of the book with pages sketched out) in February of this year (2004). "What Time is it Now?" is my picture book about the concept of time for children ages 2-4 years. It follows a day in the life of a community of monsters.

first I sent it to an editor at Hyperion (owned by Disney) who liked the idea but didn't feel it was right for their list. (a friend of mine met the editor at a dinner party) next, it floated around the art department of Simon & Schuster also in the hands of a friend of a friend who said she may be able to pass it along to someone. i got a few comments from other designers but ultimately an editor is the only person able to make a decision about publishing a book, so this was not a fruitful point of entry. at the beginning of June i sent it to an Art Director at HarperCollins. i had done a portfolio showing with this art director 2 years before i moved to New York when she worked at Henry Holt Books for Young Readers. since she gave me comments on the early sketches for "What Time is it Now?" i thought she may be able to advise me on the finished dummy. and sometimes art directors can force it onto an editor's desk if they really like it. still waiting to hear. there's a lot of waiting involved and unlike other businesses, ettiquette dictates waiting up to 3 months for a response.

i was at a my friend Chris' barbecue 2 weeks ago and met a woman whose
friend 's friend was an editor and a Upenn alum. i made a promise to be a bit more aggressive about trying to get published, so i got the editor's contact info and emailed her. interestingly enough, she's an associate editor at Simon & Schuster, so i mailed her a copy last week. (at least now it's in the right department.) and the waiting continues.

you can see a sample spread (2 facing pages) from the book here.

But as an exclusive to gumball readers, here's another page:

a long week of thoughts

i'm still trying to figure out what this whole blog thing is for. i guess it just evolves until it feels right.
the larger concept is about sharing ideas, thoughts, quirky viewpoints, sketches, successes, failures, etc. i chose gumball because i think it fits with my way of seeing the world. gumballs remind me of being a kid and that's the simple joy i try to create as an author/illustrator/designer. just a small brightly colored sphere made of gum. but full of so much potential.

the reason i decided to even start sharing in the first place comes from a conversation I had with my friend Cinque, a painter, web guru, and designer who has been inspiring me for years. (read his blog here.) i said i had so many kid's book ideas i didn't know what to do with them. he suggested i share them. frankly, they're no good to anybody if i pass on and they remain in a little black sketchbook. i'm still a little hesitant about rattling off a list of my top ten ideas and throwing them out there, but the idea makes sense.

and now for a little sharing:

i just completed a model/action figure prototype of my main monster character Bludo-the blue dog looking creature that can be found on my business card and website homepage. this is something i've been working on for the past few months. i've been fascinated for awhile with limited edition action figures and urban vinyl sold at stores like KidRobot and decided to bring my character into the 3D world.

Step 1: I sculpted him out of an oil based clay.


Step 2: I removed his appendages and made individual poured silcone rubber molds of the torso, ears, arms, and tail. You can see the 2 pieces of the torso mold and a mold for one of the arms with pouring vents. My days as a moldmaker at Jim Henson Creature's Shop in Los Angeles paid off. (for more detailed information on moldmaking you can visit here.)

Step 3: I poured a fast casting plastic into the mold to create positives. (The white arm in the mold is a poured postive.)

Step 4: I sanded and painted, drilled holes for the appendages and put him together.