Opening this Sunday at Hootenanny Art House.

Will have my first show alongside the lovely and talented Selina Alko. We'll both have prints and originals on the walls for sale along with our books. Hootenanny Art House
is a space that has music, art and dance classes for kids so bring your youngster and have a drink or two. Details on the image above!

Good News from the Coretta Scott King Award Committee!

Okay, I admit, it's been a while since my last update, Oct. '08 in fact, but rest assured my pencils and paintbrushes have not been resting on their laurels! I recently finished a project for Random House, Who Will I Be, Lord?, set for an Oct. '09 pub date. It's a little different than most of my previous books, but more about it later. I'm also busy working on a couple other projects that will appear on bookshelves in 2010. But the real "giant" (hint, hint) news that I'm happy to report, is that I received the Coretta Scott King Award Honor for Before John Was A Giant! The call came early Monday morning Jan. 26th and I'm a little embarrassed to say that I was still in bed when a very enthusiastic Coretta Scott King Award committee announced the news over the phone.

Oh no, maybe I'm still sleeping and this is all a dream...The Coretta Scott King Award was given to Floyd Cooper for The Blacker The Berry. Kadir Nelson: We Are the Ship and Jerry Pinkney: The Moon Over Star were also given honors and Shadra Strickland won the John Steptoe New Talent Award for Bird. I'm so honored to be included with such talented people! The video for the announcements can be seen here - awards video. And if you're interested, here's a video of the ALA Committees calling the various award winners. View award calls here. - pretty cool.
In addition, Before John Was a Jazz Giant was also named an ALA Notable book for 2009.

Nobody's Family Is Going To Change

Barbara Grzeslo the designer of The Baby On The Way, my first picture book, recently asked me to illustrate the cover of Louise Fitzhugh's Nobody's Family Is Going To Change, a book that was written in the early 70's that the publisher wanted to give a fresh look to.Fitzhugh is most well known as the author of Harriet the Spy. If you're a fan of This American Life like I am, there's a really good episode based on the idea behind the book. Here's what they have to say about it. "On the surface, it sounds like a rather menacing title for a kids' book. But in fact, the story is about how kids can finally find peace if they stop hoping that their parents will ever be any different. The question is, though: is it true? Does anyone's family ever change?"
These are a few different versions of the sketch that was chosen for the cover as well as an early version of the final art.My sketches start with really rough thumbnails like the one above.

Once elements are established in the drawing I photocopy the sketch and make refinements to the photocopy with pencil and paint.

I usually make more than one copy so I can try different things and compare.

The publisher was worried that the art would be too blue so they asked me to give dimension to the buildings in the background as a way of getting rid of some of the blue.

And the final.

Original Art Show 2008

The Society Of Illustrators Original Art show opens this Thursday. The annual show highlights original art from children's books published within the year. I'm happy to have work from BEFORE JOHN WAS A JAZZ GIANT and PHILLIS'S BIG TEST in the show.
The work will be on exhibit along with art from over a hundred other books through November 26th.

Panorama Project 3-A Group Show curated by Jordin Isip and Rodger Stevens

I'll have a piece in this show.
Sep 6 thru Oct 4, 2008
Opening reception - Saturday, September 6th, 7pm-9pm
Jonathan LeVine Gallery
529 West 20th Street, 9th fl
New York, NY

7th Heaven - Park Slope this Sunday

I'll be signing books, selling prints and originals this Sunday at the 7th Ave Street Fair - Seventh Heaven - June 15th (10am-6pm).

I'll be set up between 9th and 10th streets. Come by and get a copy of Phillis's Big Test or Before John Was A Jazz Giant.
These photos are from last year's 7th Heaven.

Cab Calloway!

Baltimore Magazine just commissioned me to do a portrait of Cab Calloway the jazz singer/big band leader. I've included a detail and the sketch below.

Reviews For BEFORE JOHN WAS A JAZZ GIANT

All apologies to those who come here looking for up to date information regarding my work. Professionally, there is not a lot to report and I'll try to put it all in this one post since I have not posted a thing in over two months.
There is an in depth review of BEFORE JOHN WAS A JAZZ GIANT by Ms. Betsy Bird. You can read it here. Her review was so thorough and insightful that I think even I learned something. Reviews are really fascinating to me and I do read them because they can provide useful and objective insight into one's work albeit sometimes painful.

I also did an interview with Betsy here.BEFORE JOHN WAS A JAZZ GIANT was also chosen as a Bank St. College Committee pick for the month of April and a Newsweek pick of the week.

More Reviews and Interviews!

Elaine Magliaro from Wild Rose Reader has a review of Dizzy on her blog. Check it out - Wild Rose Reader Blog. Also, she reviews Ella Fitzgerald - Vocal Virtuosa by Andrea and Brian Pinkney.

Thanks Elaine!

Read an interview with Jonah Winter, author of Dizzy, Frida, Diego, and Secret World of Hildegard!
Interview.

Interview at The Brown Bookshelf!

I did an interview with illustrator/author Don Tate for The Brown Bookshelf. In celebration of Black History Month they've interviewed authors and illustrators and posted them on their website. Each day features a new interview. Here's a partial list of other authors and illustrators interviewed: Karen English (author of THE BABY ON THE WAY), Carole Boston Weatherford (author of BEFORE JOHN WAS A JAZZ GIANT), Nina Crews, Tonya Bolden and Shane Evans. Many thanks to Don Tate and The Brown Bookshelf!

The interview is here.