Splash!

Meet Grace (Front), Christina (Left), and Mike (Right) of the Pool Girls Series, written by Cassie Waters for Simon & Schuster. Reading the manuscripts for these books (to be released in May, June, and July of this year) brought me right back to my dreamy, wishful childhood. Remember those days where you just couldn't put your Baby Sitters Club book down? This makes me really excited for young girls who happen upon these wonderfully written books. These characters are right around the age where emotions and pride take over, and you learn just enough about each of them to love even the most villainy of the villains! (Because exactly what is a middle grade novel without at least one slightly devious person?!) 

Here's a sneak peak at all three covers, illustrated by yours truly:

Zebrafish: The Visual Novel.

Officially, the news is spreadable! Simon & Schuster announced the arrival of the Zebrafish novel last week - On bookshelves May 4, 2010!

Check out Zebrafish.com wonderfully crafted by my co-workers at FableVision Bob Flynn and Ryan McNulty. (and I love you Katiebird!)

For those of you that don't know me, I work at FableVision Studios in Boston, MA. For the last two years, I have been LIVING in Zebrafishland because not only is this a book...it's an animated series, it's an online comic, it's a series of games, it's an initiative to raise money to help sick kids through Generation Cures at Children's Hospital Boston.

For me, this project was a chance to grow. I worked closely under the creative direction of Peter H. Reynolds and writer, Sharon Emerson. (That's me and Sharon below with some ACTUAL zebrafish!)

Sharon is holding up the black and white version of this illustration:


The advance paperback copies: Exciting! The book is about a bunch of quirky kids who like to rock, but play no instruments. Not only do they figure out how to make that work to their advantage, they learn all the important life lessons you need to learn in high school.


On Sunday during the ALA midwinter conference in Boston, Simon & Schuster threw a book launch party at FableVision where I got to sign my first (advance) copy of the book. I really, really, need to warm up my drawing hand again...ew.

I used to warm up by drawing full pages of character sketches before I started in on the spreads. Here's an example:

More to come, but probably not until the book comes out. I'll be able to show some more in process art then... which is, for me, where all the magic happened. :) Rock!

So much for secrets :)

This past year I was lucky enough to illustrate 3 children's books for two major publishers.
The following is the graphic novel I worked on at FableVision. I've been planning on posting in progress illustrations and sketches...but for now, without further ado- Here is the book trailer for Zebrafish! (That I also made :)