Memorial Day Off!

Holidays! See you tomorrow!

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I know I promised a double post today, to wrap up the JURASSIC PARK story, but I'll be honest, I'm still feeling pretty lousy. And, it might sound funny, but I don't want to mess up the order--the whole story reads back to front, bottom to top. If I did a double post, I'd have to put the "Finale" second in the post, so as not to spoil it. Out of order, see what I mean? So, it's a cliff-hanger weekend for the final page. See you Monday.

SIck Day!

Hi Everyone--I hate to do it, but I HAVE to take a sick day today. Stomach flu--Yikes. I can honestly say this is the sickest I've been in years. YEARS! Possibly, ever.

I'm planning on finishing the JURASSIC WATER PARK story this week, so tomorrow's post will likely be a double post, and the end. This bug is supposed to be a 24 or 48 hour-only type of situation, so hopefully I'll be back to blogging shape tomorrow.

If anyone needs me, I'll be shivering and shaking on the bathroom floor. Ugh.

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Provo Children's Book Festival Wrap-up

Well the Provo Children's Book Festival was a monster hit! The rough count was 1600 attendees (last year was closer to 1000.) The Provo Library Ballroom was JAM-PACKED. The good news is, nobody pulled the fire alarm this year (like they did last year.)

The main presenters, Jenni and Matt Holm, did a great BABYMOUSE presentation, which included a sneak peek at a new series from them. Get ready, it's about an amoeba. Oh yeah.

I was on a panel about illustration. Here we are, from left: Sherry Miedell, me, Maryn Roos, Julie Olsen, and moderator Guy Francis. In the background are the squid monsters we drew for an illustration break.

I spent the rest of the day drawing portraits. I drew 42 kids and two adults! Here are a few (I wanted to take pictures of all of the drawings, but it was really chaotic in there, so I only got a few.) A big thanks to all the kids who sat still. And a special no thanks to the kids who wiggled around like crazy (that's a fast-pass to a bad portrait.)

I barely saw any of the other authors who attended--everyone was so busy. I did see Shannon and Dean briefly--a handful of patient line-waiters were able to score a rare triple signed copy of RAPUNZEL and JACK.

All in all, a very fun festival!

JWP will be back tomorrow (when you draw over forty portraits on Saturday, you get out of drawing a comic on Monday. That's a real rule from the Illustrator's Handbook.)

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One last reminder for Saturday's Provo Children's Book Festival (I put all the info on Monday's post, scroll down if you need it.) This is the third year I've been involved. Last year me and some other illustrators did drawings on a projector so that everyone could see. The year before that, I set up at a table and drew free portraits--I drew over 80 portraits that day, it was really fun. This year I'm going to try the portrait route again. (Guaranteed to be faster than the JACK launch avatar portraits--which I'm still working my way through, thank for your patience.)

So, when I did the portraits, I had a super long line, which you can skip if you have a book of mine that you want signed (they'll be selling them there, or you can bring one from home.) I'll be showing some sneak previews too, two new picture books that aren't out yet; ANIMAL HOUSE and our very own 12 BOTS OF CHRISTMAS! (both in pre-bound, loose condition, but final versions. You'll be able to see them before anyone else does!)

So come! It's free!

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Some serendipitous inter-panel composition here--look at how the swooping slide from the top panel goes into the rope bridge, and also how the girl's knee in the top panel rounds out the "O" in "STEGOSWAMP" and the tail of the left stego turns into the smaller rope bridge. I'd like to say I plan this stuff but this one was just dumb luck.

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The Jurassic Water Park is revealed!

Yesterday, the great publishing insider, Editorial Anonymous, ran a fantastic interview with Shannon Hale about RAPUNZEL and CALAMITY JACK. Click here to check it out.

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Announcement time! This Saturday is the PROVO LIBRARY CHILDREN'S BOOK FESTIVAL!

Saturday, May 15, 2010, 12 Noon - 5:00 pm at the Provo City Library

Featuring Jennifer Holm and Matthew Holm, dynamic sister-and-brother superduo, author and illustrator of Babymouse.

Also including a host of activities for children and their families, with children's crafts, games, giveaways and prizes; visits from favorite characters like Clifford, Wild Thing, and Curious George; author presentations and signings, puppet shows, and a visit from the world-famous Infernal Twister, balloon-tying extraordinaire!

Food, beverages, and candy will be available for purchase.

EVERY child that attends gets a FREE book!

Also featuring local favorite authors and illustrators: Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, Brandon Sanderson, Mette Ivie Harrison, Clint Johnson, Dene Low, Randall Wright, Carla Morris, Kristyn Crow, Sharlee Glenn, Wendy Toliver, Kristin Chandler, Sara Zarr, Emily Wing Smith, Mike Knudson, Ann Dee Ellis, Maryn Roos, Guy Francis, Nathan Hale, Sherry Meidell, Julie Olson, J. Scott Savage, and Ann Bowen!

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Sorry for the Delay

Hi gang, I'm running behind on everything today. I won't be able to have today's post (JWP 17) up first thing in the morning, like I usually do. Come back at lunchtime, I should have it up by then. In the mean time, enjoy yesterday's double post. Love that LEGO video.

The Best LEGO Star Wars Video You Will See This Month!

Okay, I rarely post links to neat things I find on the internet. But this one was near and dear to my heart, I thought you'd enjoy it (if you haven't already seen it.)

My favorite part is the fact that EVERYTHING in the video is LEGO. My son is a big fan of the LEGO Star Wars/Batman/Indiana Jones games. And it has always annoyed me that the backgrounds in those games AREN'T LEGO. If you are making a LEGO universe everything, the rocks, the trees, the dirt, all needs to be made of little plastic bricks.

The official mini-figure is used for every role but one...did you spot it? (1:26) Princess Leea's bounty hunter outfit (that cool yellow helmet with a cape, you know, the one that says, "yo-to yo-to." That was my favorite action figure as a kid-- with that removable helmet!) So get with the program LEGO! You've made mini-figures of all those horrible, forgettable Clone Wars characters. Make with the Princess Leea Bounty Hunter mini-fig!

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O-kay! We're finally getting to the water park part of my water park story.

Today's post features an old dino-standard; the Stegosaurus, and a fresh face; Archelon, the giant, Cretaceous, sea turtle. Actually, I based this guy off the much weirder shelled reptile; Henodus. Then I discovered that Henodus was only three feet long, not big enough to accommodate a family of four, good thing Archelon is. But google Henodus--that's one funny looking creature. Deserves a story of it's own, don't you think?

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Happy May everyone! This story is a two month spanner! We're about half way through JURASSIC WATER PARK. This story will have around 30 posts (and when it's finished, it'll be a sketch dummy for a 32 page picture book. Ta-dah!)

We will be celebrating the ONE YEAR anniversary of the web-comic this month. I'm not sure of the exact date that I started the CHUCK THE LAZY ISOPOD comic last year, and I'm too tired to look it up right now (really? just a few clicks?) but I'm 90% certain it was in May. Anyway, a full year of web-comics! Hooray!