Bethanie Murguia: Sketchpad

Moving, moving, moving

noreply@blogger.com (Bethanie Murguia) — Mon, 18 May 2015 14:00:00 +0000

This blog is moving to a new home, on my new website. Ahhh, everything in one place, finally. Please follow me there: aquapup.com/bethaniemurguia. I'll be deleting this one soon so don't dilly dally. Thank you!

Origami, Paper Sculpture, and More

noreply@blogger.com (Bethanie Murguia) — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 16:30:00 +0000

Violet and Victor Write the Best-Ever Bookworm Book was released earlier this month, and in its honor, I made a video about creating the images. Prior to V&V, I used pen and ink and watercolor on paper for my illustrations—a style that I adore, but one that also comes with many limitations. V&V used a wide range of traditional and not-so-traditional media, all combined in Photoshop. With this new style, I had almost no limitations. It was both exhilarating and panic inducing, but mostly, it taught me to trust in the process; I spent months working on the individual bits and pieces that would eventually come together to make the images.

To learn more, please check out the (3-minute) video. As usual, I am indebted to my brother for his music.

Artist's statement from the book

"The illustrations in this book began with graphite pencil sketches on paper. Because this story is, in many ways, an homage to the printed page, we wanted to include a variety of books and library materials in the images. I've always loved a good scavenger hunt, and this one proved to be quite gratifying as I hunted down the building blocks for each spread—books with embossed covers, antique maps, and well-worn library cards to name a few. I learned origami, I painted over old book covers, and I made cut paper sculptures. I took photos of the three dimensional elements. I even wrangled my six year old daughter into doing some of the lettering. All of these ingredients were assembled in Adobe Photoshop to create the final illustrations."

Finally, I leave you with the following news that made me (born in Canada) smile this week—V&V on the Canadian Indies Bestseller list. Happy Holidays!

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

noreply@blogger.com (Bethanie Murguia) — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 15:00:00 +0000

Back in August
I did an interview for Yellow Brick Road, a newsletter for parents, teachers and librarians that is edited by Joy Mosher, a professor at SUNY Cortland. I’ve been meaning to share it since its publication, and, well…here we are in November. But, my tardiness aside, Joy’s questions were insightful and probing, and I loved sharing many (MANY) thoughts about picture books. If you’re interested, that link is here.

August also marked the release of I Feel Five! from Candlewick Press—and my first attempt at a live action trailer (see below). My favorite reviews to date:

“Fritz and his Marmaduke-size dog make excellent companions on this philosophical journey, leavening big questions with kid-scaled humor.”—Publisher’s Weekly

“Murguia has perfectly captured the child perspective here, and Fritz’s trials and tribulations will be easily recognizable to young listeners.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Coming up soon
I’ll be at the NCTE National Conference in Washington, DC speaking about how words and images work together in picture books. I’ll also be at the Capitol View Neighborhood Library on November 21st to speak to students, children, youngins, and such—I believe this is a public event.

November 29th is Small Business Saturday
I’m lucky to have a few thriving indie bookstores in my area, and I plan to stop in and help out at a couple of them:
Diesel, Larkspur Landing, between 12:00 and 2:00 pm
Book Passage, Corte Madera (time TBD)
If you’re local, please come say hi! If not, I encourage (IMPLORE) you to shop at your local independent store on the 29th to show your support.

Looking forward to December
December 2nd, to be specific—because Violet and Victor Write the Best-Ever Bookworm Book will be released on that very day. In anticipation, I’m putting together a little something about my process for the book, which was quite a departure from the work I’ve done in the past. Look for that here on the blog in December. In the meantime, I’ve included a couple of “building blocks” below: a sketch of Violet and a few of the many, many little books I made for this project.

Welcome to the Jungle

noreply@blogger.com (Bethanie Murguia) — Tue, 27 May 2014 17:30:00 +0000

Zoe’s Jungle, that is! We’re celebrating a book birthday here, although rumor has it Zoe made her debut in some stores last week (thanks for the heads up, Burlingham Books!) Zoe and Addie are back, and this time the adventure has moved out of the house and onto the playground.

The idea for this story came about as I was (once again) pondering the different ways adults and children perceive time. Specifically, I'd been thinking about how hard it is to get children to leave various activities—playdates, playgrounds, parties. I’ve come to think of it as “extraction”. Children will be happy to leave when they’ve finished what they want to do. Period. It’s not about time, and it will (almost) never coincide with an adult schedule.

I began with the first two spreads, scribbled in pencil in my sketchbook. I loved the humor and range of emotion as we turn the page from Zoe’s fantasy to her reality. Thankfully, my editor agreed.

In this first spread, we see Zoe in full explorer mode, narrating the action as she swings through the jungle.

Turn the page and we are faced with reality—an interruption by a mother that CLEARLY does not understand the importance of Zoe's quest. The shift from fantasy to reality underscores Zoe’s irritation.

The spreads alternate throughout the book between fantasy and the playground. This gave me an amazing opportunity to think about how Zoe’s fantasy emerged from the reality. Above, a jungle scene in which Zoe crosses a crocodile infested river on a log.

On the next spread, we see that the log is a balance beam, the river is a water play area, and the crocodiles are just toddlers.

So, that’s it for show and tell. But with summer just around the corner and playground time in full swing (ahem, no pun intended), Zoe’s Jungle is just the thing for your book bag. Pick one up at a book store near you. As always, I am happy to send a signed, personalized bookplate if you mail me a SASE. (Contact info is here.)

I’ll be reading Zoe’s Jungle and doing some fun activities at Diesel in the Marin Country Mart on June 6th (6:00pm). There will be cookies. And pajamas! And there’s a playground just outside for those who want to recreate Zoe’s adventure or have one of their own.

More about Zoe’s Jungle
“Zoe is full of spitfire and dash…How are young readers to resist?”—Kirkus Reviews

"Charming pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations reveal to readers both the lush green jungle teeming with wild animals and bright flowers, as well as the impressive playground just ripe for imagining. Wonderful vocabulary introduces such words as “glimpses,” “stealthy,” “relentless,” “ingenuity,” and “unfathomable.”—School Library Journal

The trailer

Bologna, Bamboo, Bookworms, and More

noreply@blogger.com (Bethanie Murguia) — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 01:28:00 +0000

I do love this time of year, when everything begins to bloom, and we are gifted with occasional beach days. I've been doing plenty of spring cleaning with my girls and reveling in getting the garden into some sort of shape. Many of the plants we put in last year are beginning to thrive, including the BIG bamboo we planted. If all goes well, I'll be able to use the bamboo sheaths for my woodcut barens one of these years. (And then, I can write off the cost of the bamboo planting and containment, yes?)

Along with my non-virtual spring cleaning, I'm realizing it's time to dust the cobwebs off the blog as well. I've been cocooned in my studio making books and pictures. I did find my way out to visit the Bologna Children's Book Fair, which was mind boggling in all of the best ways. See photos below of my two purchases from the show. First, Mare, a stunning large format picture book with the most amazing watercolors I have seen in...I don't know how long. (My iphone camera does not do these justice, but you get the idea, at least.)

Second, how could I resist Il Piccolo Teatro di Rebecca? It's not brand new (2011 publication), but it is unbelievably intricate and beautiful. Yes, those are all diecuts.

Both books are from Rizzoli. In fact, I spent an inordinate amount of time at the Rizzoli booth examining all of their amazing offerings. I also enjoyed a lively dinner with my agent Elena Giovinazzo and fellow pip Isabel Roxas. The balance of the week was spent in Siena with my husband where we researched old (OLD!) maps...so expect to see those make an appearance in some form at some point.

The third book in the Zoe series, Zoe's Jungle, will be arriving in May. I'll have more about that soon, including a trailer that is almost finished. For now, here is the springtime-colored cover with Zoe in action!

In August, I Feel Five will be published by Candlewick. This is my first book with Candlewick and also my first book with a male protagonist. Meet Fritz:

Finally, in December, The Best-Ever Bookworm Book will be published by Little, Brown. This one was written by Alice Kuipers, and I really enjoyed having the opportunity to illustrate such an imaginative story. It's also been very gratifying to try a completely new illustration style. There will be plenty more about this one in the months to come, including some posts about the process (which was unlike anything I've undertaken before). Here's a sneak peek of the cover:

I am looking forward to being on the faculty of the Book Passage Children's Conference in June (here in Marin County, CA). I'll be doing a pajama night at Diesel (also in Marin) on June 6th. Otherwise, I am digging into 2015 titles including the second book in the Best-Ever series, a Christmas themed book with the characters from I Feel Five, and a new book for Scholastic. Happy Spring!

Update: Humboldt County Children's Author Festival and More

noreply@blogger.com (Bethanie Murguia) — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 05:01:00 +0000

I kicked off last week with a visit to Sun Valley School here in Marin. I was very impressed with the student questions. They had so many! I really enjoyed spending a morning with them in their beautiful school.

Then, I headed north to take part in the Humboldt County Children's Author Festival. The festival began at the Morris Graves Museum of Art where participating illustrators' original work was (and still is) on display. Over the next two days, I visited three schools, all of which were fantastically prepared. There were banners! Buglette costumes! Vegan potluck lunches! But most of all, the students were engaged and inquisitive and EXCITED. I was in heaven. I also met a lovely array of authors and illustrators. The volunteers who put this event together deserve loads of praise; it is so valuable to all involved. I have included photos below, although I am sorely remiss about taking as many shots as I should (especially at school visits where I tend to be somewhat distracted until the projector, laptop, and remote are all behaving). Thankfully, there are LOTS of photos on the official Facebook page.

And the festivities continue—in a week and a half, I will be in Las Vegas for the Vegas Valley Book Festival.

In other news, I am looking forward to the release of three new books in 2014. I am also looking forward to starting a quarterly newsletter. More details about the books and the newsletter to come soon!

The art show at the Morris Graves Museum of Art

My art

An entire bulletin board of Buglette dreams!

A character inspired by my presentation, drawn on the spot!

More pigs, drawn during my visit. (I am fond of them all, but I especially like the guy with the belly button.)

The Carson Mansion, after our banquet dinner

Zoe's Room!

noreply@blogger.com (Bethanie Murguia) — Tue, 28 May 2013 18:03:00 +0000

It's release day for Zoe's Room (No Sisters Allowed)! This story began nearly four years and three bedrooms ago. Our eldest daughter had a very elaborate bedtime ritual that involved building, jumping, singing, and creating mayhem of various sorts AFTER we put her to bed. All of this activity helped her to wind down from the day, and also, I think she reveled in having her very own space—a place where she was completely in charge. Needless to say, there were more than a few hiccups when we moved her baby sister into the room. It became very clear that the eldest was not going to give up her nighttime activities without a fight. She saw no upside to the situation. At that point, her little sister was a curiosity at best, and more often, a nuisance.

Four years later, they are still sharing a room, albeit a different one (we've done some moving around). In a funny case of life imitating art, their new room has a slanted, beamed ceiling and is in a house overlooking the water, not completely unlike the room I created for the book. Here's the room in its rarest state (clean).

These days, they chatter away at bedtime, have created new elaborate rituals, and I don't think either one is happy to go to sleep when the other one isn't there. I've watched the relationship between the two develop from one of indifference into true friendship and love (with plenty of sibling bickering to keep things interesting, of course). The moments when my eldest began to see her little sister as a real person were powerful and amazing to witness and were my inspiration for this story. Following are links for the trailer as well as some fun Zoe and Addie activity pages from Scholastic:
Zoe's Room trailer
Zoe's Room activity pages

Upcoming appearances

noreply@blogger.com (Bethanie Murguia) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 02:33:00 +0000

Hello all! I'm popping in for a quick update about appearances. With SNIPPET now released into the wild and ZOE'S ROOM coming soon, I will be out and about for the following events:
1. Sausalito Public Library, (Sausalito, CA) May 3rd at 7:30 pm. Amy Novesky and I will speak about picture books and our careers as authors (adult event).
2. Books, Inc. (Marina store, San Francisco, CA) on May 18th at 11:00 am: Story time reading for kids
3. The Reading Bug (San Carlos, CA) on May 25th at 11:00 am: Reading and activity for kids
4. Book Passage (Corte Madera, CA) on June 29th at 4:00 pm: Children's event! Amy Novesky, Deborah Underwood and I will be presenting our latest picture books.

The beauty of my job...

noreply@blogger.com (Bethanie Murguia) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 03:13:00 +0000

...is that I can spend hours doing this and legitimately call it work. The house is overflowing with colorful snails in anticipation of events for SNIPPET. I'll be posting my Bay Area schedule soon.

A Snail is Born

noreply@blogger.com (Bethanie Murguia) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Today is the official publication date for SNIPPET THE EARLY RISER, my new picture book. The reviews so far have been very positive, including a fun review from Michael Ian Black in this week's New York Times. The NYT review is a first for me, and as a previous NYC dweller who religiously pored over the NYT Book Review every Sunday, it is an especially lovely gift.

In the past, I've blogged about the inspiration for my books (or more accurately, the "special" kind of crazy that is my thought process), and once again, I am back to ramble. The idea for this book was born 3 years ago when my early risers were having quite an impact on my life. (And my coffee consumption.) It's rough on both sides of that fence, though. Yes, there was adult sleep deprivation, but think of the poor kids -- what a monumental job it is to rouse a large, immovable lump from bed.

I started to think about characters. I wanted to use animals—lazy animals. Sloths? Pigs? My sketchbook has many pages of options, but as soon as I began sketching snails, I knew I had my characters. Just think of the difficult job a poor young snail has in trying to coax sleeping parents from their impenetrable shells!

After the character decision was made came the fun of thinking about snails and their daily lives. They do present some unique challenges, given their lack of hands, arms, and legs. What does a young snail do for fun? That was the question. One day as I was hiking, I found my answer. (I actually went home, grabbed my camera, and went back to take this photo...so excited was I about the idea...and so certain that someday, I would want it as evidence.)

It was abundantly clear to me that the snail who left this trail had either eaten too many fermented leaves or was simply having fun, expressing himself—doing snail donuts, shall we say? Making drawings? Clearly, he was not in a hurry to get anywhere. Perhaps he was daydreaming as he wandered about. As soon as I began to think of snails as creative creatures, the story took shape.

Many thanks to the people who shepherded this story on its road to publication: Mary Kole, Joanne Taylor, Michele Burke, and Sarah Hokanson.

Please visit my website to view the trailer and learn more about the book.

Firsts for October

noreply@blogger.com (Bethanie Murguia) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Continuing on with my lists of new happenings and "firsts" from the previous month:
1. First time on the "other side" of an SCBWI conference. I participated in the debut picture book author panel along with Sue Fliess and Sandra V. Feder at the Northern California SCBWI Fall conference. I had a blast.
2. Our first Halloween in Pacific Palisades where the home decorating began in early October and has become more over the top by the day. Even my husband, who has never decorated before, could not resist a full-scale effort in the front yard. Needless to say, the anticipation level in the house has been HIGH.
3. I'm working on the images for my first book that will NOT be done with watercolor and pen/ink. While I've always maintained that I like the built in constraints of watercolor, I have to admit that I'm revelling in the possibilities. And to that end:
4. First time I've used acrylic paint for a book.
5. First time I've used collage for a book.
6. First time I've used (gasp) my computer for a book.
7. First time one of my books will be at Barneys New York! Beginning in November! Go Zoe!
8. First time my six year old's piano skills have exceeded my own. I am in awe of how quickly kids learn at that age.
9. First time I've gone to the beach in late October and wished I had worn a swimsuit. (Ah, Southern California...will I ever get used to you?)
10. The final first is a secret, and shall remain so for at least a little while longer. Stay tuned. :)

Firsts for September

noreply@blogger.com (Bethanie Murguia) — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 12:00:00 +0000

September was filled with plenty of firsts:
1. We have our first terrarium in the house, and in a strange case of life imitating art (since my next picture book is about a family of snails), the girls wanted to have snails. We now have three of them. We also had one temporary tenant: a caterpillar that became a moth and fluttered off into the September sky.

2. First look at ZOE'S ROOM! The unbound galley arrived last week. It's always a treat to page through the book and see all of the art together after many, many months of work. The colors are striking and rich.

3. First visit to the Lake Shrine here in Pacific Palisades. We explored the meditation gardens that surround an exquisite lake. Turtles, dragonflies, and koi abound. The girls don't even mind that they have to be quiet.

4. First approval of sketches from Candlewick. This is my first book with Candlewick, and the process has been so enjoyable. I'm very eager to start painting.

5. First listen to the music for the SNIPPET trailer from my brother! May I just say—awesomeness.

6. First visit to Safari West on a full moon night. Is there anything better than being serenaded by wild critters while roughing it in a tent (okay, luxury cabin) under the harvest moon?

7. First set of sketches submitted for the new project I mentioned last month. Lots of nail biting here. It is both terrifying and exhilarating since the finished pieces will be done in a style unlike any of my picture books to date.

8. First offer for a book that I have not yet written. (Again, lots of nail biting.)
9. First time at the Casa Madrona in Sausalito. It was fun to be tourists in our home town.

10. First time my purchases of vintage books can be written off for a project. I think eBay is calling me now...

Happy October!

My First List of Firsts on the First

noreply@blogger.com (Bethanie Murguia) — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 12:00:00 +0000

As some of you have noticed, my blogging has been sporadic in recent months. This is partly due to summer and partly due to the fact we’re still adjusting to the move we made eight months ago. But mostly, I’ve been busy with work.

I’ve really missed blogging though, so I’ve come up with a simple way to keep at it. As I make my way down this author/illustrator path, my career continues to surprise me with new and wonderful things at every turn. Life, too. Let’s just call these “firsts”. So, on the first of each month, I thought I’d post a list of the past month’s “firsts”. In no particular order, here we go:

First storyboard drafts for two (TWO!) book trailers
First set of thumbnails for a new (phenomenal, wonderful, fantastic) book that I will be illustrating
On a related note: first contract to illustrate someone else’s picture book (cue the thumping of my heart, both out of love for the manuscript and terror about doing it justice)
First draft of a new Zoe book
First day of first grade for my daughter
First time our thermostat exceeded 90 degrees. Indoors, people.
First ever meeting with a TV producer (I'm in LA so it was only a matter of time)
First time running the Santa Monica stairs (FYI, Santa Monica sissies, your stairs are NOTHING compared to my Sausalito stairs)
First draft of an accordion book for a personal project
First time I’ve completed a homemade Halloween costume in August. Let’s hope she doesn’t outgrow it before October.

And...a first look for you. This is one of my favorite images from the upcoming SNIPPET (Knopf, March 2013). Happy September and wishing you all many great firsts!

In many ways, Snippet was an ordinary snail. He drew on the sidewalk.

Illustration Friday: Teacher

noreply@blogger.com (Bethanie Murguia) — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 03:47:00 +0000

Perhaps inspired by actual events.

Tiny chairs and big imaginations: school visits

noreply@blogger.com (Bethanie Murguia) — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 21:49:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, I visited a bunch of schools during a trip to New York. I don't have much extra time in my schedule for school visits, but when I do, I sure LOVE them. They are fun and inspiring and humbling. Plus, I often receive the most amazing gifts, like these works of art:

I've introduced an imaginary character into my school presentations. I'm always amazed and heartened to witness the eagerness of young children to engage in silliness and shenanigans. The character makes appearances in my talk, but overall, he is somewhat mysterious. He plays two roles. One, he is the crazy guy. I have a hard time being the clown, but I'm always happy to have one next to me. Two, he stirs the students' imaginations. At the end of my presentations, many of the questions are about the character; this makes me very happy. I encourage the children to come up with their own answers to these questions and to write their own stories. The importance of including magic, mystery, and wonder in children's lives can't be overrated.

One school asked me to speak about reading and literacy for an annual event. I found it very difficult to find the right words. My beliefs about reading and its value are so deep and go so far back in my life, that they are almost beyond verbal. They just ARE. In much the same way that I know I need to eat, breathe, move and sleep to stay alive, I know that I need to read. Finding words -- especially the right words for elementary children -- was a good challenge. Here's an excerpt:

"Every time I open a book, it’s like opening a gift. I like to think of it this way: for each of us, there is a perfect book out there, just waiting to be discovered. A perfect book that’s so perfectly perfect, it will change your life. It will make you see the world in a new way. And once you’ve read one perfect book, you understand just how much fun and joy is waiting for you inside other books. You’ll read and read. Your world will get bigger and bigger until you know everything. And once that happens, you will solve all of the world’s problems and figure out how to live on the moon or maybe mars and most importantly, you’ll get to choose your own bedtime. Which will probably be early, so you can snuggle in and read more books."

Simultaneous to all of this focus on books and reading in my professional life, my eldest daughter has begun to read. Voraciously. And I am witnessing the birth of a reader from a whole new perspective -- that of a parent. We've hit a couple of new milestones in the past month:
1. I'm starting to witness reading related injuries, i.e. walking into doors because her nose is buried in a book.
2. She's pronouncing words incorrectly because she's never heard them, she's only read them. My favorite instance of this happened recently when she announced at the dinner table, "I'm surrounded by a bunch of dwebs."

Needless to say, both of these things make me ooze with pride.

I'll be at Children's Book World and Mrs. Nelson's in LA soon. See this post for details!

A visual recap of the past few weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Bethanie Murguia) — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 04:25:00 +0000

More words about the past few weeks to come soon, but for now, here is a brief summary:

At one of my many school visits, feeling very tall amongst the tiny chairs and tiny people.

At ALA, feeling very small amongst the towers of books and giants of the book world.

On the Horizon

noreply@blogger.com (Bethanie Murguia) — Wed, 16 May 2012 02:51:00 +0000

I'm gearing up for some Zoe Gets Ready events; here is a comprehensive list for the next couple of months.

I'll be in San Francisco for this:
May 19th, Book Passage, Corte Madera, CA
4:00 pm: Launch Party! Cupcakes! Stickers! Come! More info here.

I will be back in my old Western New York stomping grounds in June. I'm doing a whole bunch of school visits, plus:
June 13th: Liftbridge Books, Brockport, NY
(morning activity, time TBD, please check their calendar)
June 15th: Arts Council of Wyoming County, Perry, NY
6:00 pm: Speaking and signing books. More info here.

Then back to LA again:
June 23rd: ALA Convention, Anaheim, CA
Signing books from 11:00-12:00.

July 21st: Children's Book World, Los Angeles, CA
10:30 am: Reading and activities

July 22nd: Mrs. Nelson's Toy and Book Shop, La Verne, CA
Time TBD. Please check their website

And although this is not a Zoe event, I am including it here because I will be there. I'm hoping to see lots of familiar author and illustrator faces!
August 3-5: SCBWI National Conference, Los Angeles, CA

I plan to do more posts about my projects, process, etc. soon. Thanks for visiting!

Nine (Great) Hours in Manhattan

noreply@blogger.com (Bethanie Murguia) — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:34:00 +0000

As soon as I heard Zoe Gets Ready would be in the window of the Scholastic Store on Broadway, I HAD to go. Due to a couple of ridiculous schedules (mine, my husband's), the trip was very quick. But oh, was it worth it! My agent has already written about it on her blog; please check it out for better coverage than you'll get from me in my current, sleep-deprived state.

The window! That's my wonderful editor, Cheryl Klein on the left.

Here are the stickers that Mary mentions in her post. Even the Scholastic grownups were not immune to their charms.

Zoe stickers: repositionable and good for hours of fun.

On a personal note, it was the first time I've been back to Manhattan in over 12 years. I lived there for six years in the 90s. In addition to the book stuff, I was able to spend a leisurely morning with my brother, a leisurely afternoon with one of my dearest friends in the world, stroll along the High Line (such a phenomenally brilliant idea), take in the SVA MFA Illustration Thesis Show (My Alma Mater! Fantastic work!), and snap photos of the restaurant where my husband and I went on many of our early dates almost 17 years ago. All in all, a good day.

ZOE!

noreply@blogger.com (Bethanie Murguia) — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:54:00 +0000

Today is Zoe's birthday! Zoe Gets Ready is officially on shelves now. I realize I've done very little rambling about this book on my blog. So...

Zoe Gets Ready is a story about how one little girl chooses her outfit for the day. It is Saturday and no one tells young Zoe which uniform or pants or skirt are required. Zoe surveys her closet and gleefully imagines how each item might allow her to more fully experience the day.

While this book is covered with glittery little girlie goodness, it contains some very universal messages. Zoe Gets Ready is a story about the power of daydreaming. It is an ode to unstructured time. And in a world where we are often encouraged to fit into predefined, predetermined costumes and characters, this story is a reminder that the right outfit can make you feel more like yourself—not someone else. It acknowledges the complexity of identity—that on any given day, for example, there are moments when we choose to be bold and moments when we choose to be meek. Most of all, it celebrates the ability to believe in unlimited possibilities.

I'm very proud of this book. Many thanks to my editor, Cheryl Klein, for her vision.

There are all kinds of great ZOE GETS READY events on the horizon, beginning with my book launch at Book Passage on May 19th at 4:00 pm.

Praise for Zoe Gets Ready:
This seemingly simple idea subtly encompasses much larger themes about creativity and independence. With layers of meaning, a spunky, fun-loving heroine, and clever use of the butterfly motif throughout, this one is a keeper. —Booklist

Process: End

noreply@blogger.com (Bethanie Murguia) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Finishing the illustrations is not the end! I have to remember to leave time to prepare the illustrations for shipping. I've experimented with a number of preparation methods. These days, I am covering the images with vellum and shipping them inside a folder. I learned how to do traditional bookbinding in art school; various aspects of that process have come in handy for the folder construction.

It's somewhere around this stage that I begin kick myself for working traditionally. It's so much work to get a package together—not to mention the fear of it getting lost or destroyed en route. But I love to think about the recipient opening the package and spreading out the images. People can gather around and look at them all at once. Is there an equivalent moment when digital files are sent? It seems very different to me.

Process: Middle

noreply@blogger.com (Bethanie Murguia) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Following the previous post about the beginning of my process (stretching paper), this one is about the middle—making marks on paper.

From left to right:
Wash brush (Aqualine Raphael, XL): I thoroughly lucked out and bought this at a huge discount—squirrel hair and so thirsty! The XXL version is on my wish list. :)
Flat brush(?): I forget the technical name for this brush, but it is great for laying down water when working wet-in-wet.
Painting brushes (Winsor Newton Series 7): I finally broke down and bought these guys after being reprimanded at a workshop for using cheap brushes. They are great for many things, but I must admit that I still like my cheap brushes for certain kinds of detail work. Even though the expensive brushes can have very fine tips, I sometimes find that the softness of the hair makes detail work tougher for me. In general though, expensive brushes are worth the cost for their ability to do beautiful washes.
Waterproof ink and Speedball nib: I use this pen for most all of my line work.

Palette

My watercolor painting process has been cobbled together from various books and occasional workshops over the years. For a long time, I favored a very limited palette of transparent colors: cobalt blue, permanent rose and aureolin. Over the years, I've added others: thalo blue, manganese blue, raw sienna, burnt sienna, quinacridone gold and sap green. For my most recent project that included a number of nighttime scenes, I used indigo and also experimented with acrylic washes. There are a few other colors on the palette that I'm testing, but haven't really integrated into my work yet.

Process: Beginning

noreply@blogger.com (Bethanie Murguia) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0000

I've been thinking a lot about process lately. The next few posts will be focused on the nuts and bolts of my illustration process. I'm always curious about the details—how people do what they do. Please feel free to share in the comments if you have any good tips or tricks.

First, though, a bit of housekeeping: I've got a number of events planned for Zoe Gets Ready, which will be in stores on May 1st.

1. Book Passage Book Launch, Corte Madera, CA: May 19th at 4:00pm. Please join me for a reading and treats.

2. Children's Book World, Los Angeles, CA, June 23rd. This will be my first reading at Children's Book World, one of the most fantastic bookstores for children that I have visited. My daughters agree.

3. Wyoming County, NY: I'll be back in my old stomping grounds for a week in June. I'm thrilled to be doing an event with the Arts Council as well some school visits.

And now that the housekeeping has been attended to...

Beginning:

I work traditionally in watercolor and ink. I begin by stretching paper. This doesn't actually involve any pushing or pulling (as is the case when stretching canvas) -- the simple process of wetting and stapling the paper down accomplishes that task. First, I cut the paper to size. Next, I soak it in the tub for a few minutes. I give it a few quick shakes to get rid of excess water, and then I staple it to a board. I let it dry for at least a day. I use a staple gun with the semicircular staples that are intended to go over wires. I find that these are easiest to remove when the painting is finished.

Some folks like to tape down their paper, but I find that the water pools along the tape and "blooms" back up into the painting. (See image below. Blooming can happen with staples as well, but it's much more likely with tape.)

The downside is that I don't have a nice clean border on the image. This is not an issue when printed, but I'd love to come up with a solution that allows the painting itself to look a bit less rough around the edges!

The board is formaldehyde free plywood. It took a bit of work to find, but I decided that it's worth avoiding chemicals whenever possible; I spend a lot of time hunched over these boards.

I like the ritual of stretching paper. It's necessary to avoid buckling when I paint, but it also allows me to ease into the process of beginning an image. Each board with paper is an invitation to begin. Nothing makes me happier than a having stack of prepped boards waiting to be painted. Each stretched sheet also has a certain amount of value (for me) because I've spent time preparing it.

Every so often, I consider working digitally. At some point, it may happen, but for now, I am committed to paper and brushes and paints. I've found that I like limitations. What to do with unlimited undo and a new sheet of digital paper with every click of the mouse? If I could start over and over and over again, I'm not sure I would know where to begin or where to end. I like that each piece of physical paper feels precious to me. I like that each watercolor paint has very specific abilities -- there is so much that watercolor can do and so much more that it can't! I like finding solutions within those parameters.

Yes, I'm still here...

noreply@blogger.com (Bethanie Murguia) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:56:00 +0000

But here is now Los Angeles, and I have been buried (in a good way, of course) with work. I'm realizing that I haven't even done a brief update on the blog. So, in no particular order:
1. We've moved 400 miles away from Sausalito to Los Angeles, aka The Land of the Leafblower. I have plenty of thoughts and observations about my new home, and I hope to do a series of LA impressions at some point, but that will have to wait a while, because:
2. I am in the middle of final art for not one, but two picture books. I'm hard at work on SNIPPET (Knopf), an energetic little snail who drives his family crazy by waking up too early AND another ZOE book. Zoe is back and now, she must share her room--her precious room--with her little sister. But wait, who's Zoe, you ask? That's right, I keep forgetting...
3. ZOE GETS READY (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic) is not on shelves yet. But it will be soon (May)! And the trailer is finished. You can view it here. I'll be sharing more info as we get closer to the release date. In the meantime...
4. Back to work. *Cracks whip* I apologize for being out of touch. I miss my blogging friends and promise to post more frequently once the painting frenzy is over!

Illustration Friday: Round

noreply@blogger.com (Bethanie Murguia) — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 06:35:00 +0000

I've been drawing lots of birds this week. Meet Burly Bird (on the left). I haven't named the little guy yet.

Illustration Friday: Vanity

noreply@blogger.com (Bethanie Murguia) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 06:41:00 +0000

Happy weekend everyone. I have a few book related updates: first of all, if any of you pick up the 2012 Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market, you'll find an interview with yours truly on page 167. This year's format is really great -- it's become so much more than just a listing of publishers. Also, Scholastic books just released their Spring 2012 preview. Check out the picture book interviews for a quick sneak peek of Zoe Gets Ready, due out in May. Thanks for stopping by!