One More Trick!: Kids Kaboom! Does It Again

Optivion and I scoured the streets of New York City in search of book treasures hidden throughout Times Square and Bryant Park. I discovered Where’s My Mummy? by Carolyn Crimi (illustrated by John Manders) ready to pounce from behind a carousel. Optivion learned what happens when happy ends go bad in The Frog Prince Continued by Jon Scieszka (illustrated by Steve Johnson) and made some mad mojo.

The Seeing Stick

The Seeing Stick begins and ends as harmoniously as the namesake of its main character, Hwei Ming, which means “the lightless moon on the last day of the month [that] becomes luminous”. Author Jane Yolen thoughtfully interprets this Chinese legend about a blind empress and her father’s solemn search to give her the gift of sight. Citizens far and wide gather at the fortress gates in response to the emperor’s reward to cure his daughter’s blight; monks come with their prayer wheels, magician-priests with their spells and physicians with their potions. True to legendary lore, a sightless old man with a golden seeing stick harkens the call and sets off towards the fortress, where he mystifies the surly guards and ultimately, opens the empress’s “eyes on the tips of her fingers”. Yolen’s free-flowing narrative comes to life through the Asian-inspired watercolors of illustrator, Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini. Each illustrated page resembles Chinese scrolls of wispy, calligraphic nature paintings. The images are also covered in a textural and reflective material creating a sort of illustrative braille which cleverly compliments the legend of the seeing stick. The Seeing Stick feels timeless and engages all of the senses in a tale that truly understands that life is more than meets the eye.

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 34 pages
Publisher: Running Press Kids
ISBN-10: 0762420480

Interview With Illustrator Kelly Murphy

The palette of illustrator Kelly Murphy is part dreamworld tonality mixed with a mysterious blend of colors. Haunting-eyed characters of folklore from secret realms grace the pages of Murphy’s portfolio and give a striking face to her signature style of earthen mediums.  Murphy has had a prolific and much-deserved success as an illustrator beginning with her tenure at The Rhode Island School of Design. Murphy has illustrated such children’s books as the wickedly good tale Good Babies by Tim Myers and the fanciful Fiona’s Luck by Teresa Bateman. In addition to a number of other children’s book titles, Murphy has also written and illustrated The Boll Weevil Ball-a charming tale about a little beetle getting his big opportunity to shine.  Kelly Murphy’s passion and sensitivity to the world is evident in both her artwork and her dedication to inspire others.

1) You attended The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). What were some of the most valuable things that you learned while you were there that have helped your career as an artist?
I attended the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) from the years 1995-1999. I can honestly look back and say it was some of the best years, especially since it was the beginning of my artist development. It was such an intense environment, surrounded with other students who had the same interest, focus, and creative drive. One of the most important lessons learned, was that it’s not good to sit still for too long.The rigorous work load made it sure that almost all of one’s time was dedicated to creation. Watching a movie was never just “watching a movie” or a walk outside became, “that’s a nice sunset, but how the hell would you mix THAT color?”. I thank my lucky stars that RISD left me with a solid work ethic. Perhaps this is true of every art school, but I also left with the invaluable lesson of making anything and everything “yours”.

2) What is it like now, working as apart of the faculty at RISD?
Working at RISD again, as cheesy as it sounds, is a dream come true. I remember while in school, I talked to friends about coming back and being a part of the faculty. I would have never guessed that it would have actually happened. It’s great to be back in the same halls, with some of the same faculty, but with a whole new crowd of students. They’re much younger, but I can’t help but feel like I am a part of their class. Come to think of it-I hope that doesn’t freak them out! So many things are changing in the illustration field, beyond just the obvious technology issues, so it’s great to be in contact with the new generation of young illustrators.

3) How did you promote yourself as an artist?
Tirelessly. In the first few years after graduation, it wasn’t pretty. My mother makes sure that I tell people I cried almost everyday. I am a bit of a wimp. I knew it was a long road in front of me to get my work to a professional level, but I am not too sure if I knew what was coming ahead with the full jump into freelance. Initially, I made copies and postcards of my work then sent it out to a various amount of art directors and editors-editorial and publishing industries alike. I might not have gotten a steady stream of jobs, but any interest in seeing more work fueled my fire. In the first years, I also worked as a graphic designer where I honed my web skills… thus allowing me to build my first website. That really helped in cost and effort with sending out my portfolio. I also tried to get into NYC as much as I could, even though it scared the willies out of me. My first job was a book-cover for Farrar Straus, and Giroux. I am sure that if I did not have the courage to meet with an interested editor in person, I would have never gotten the job. Ten years later, it’s actually quite the same. I make sure to keep a current website, a steady flow of books (which act as the best self promotion), and try to send out seasonal postcards whenever I can.

4) How did you get your first children’s book illustration opportunity and what was it like working on it?
While I was working full time and trying to improve my portfolio, through the encouragement of my friends and family, I started writing some of the words to these silly images I used to paint. I never had a finished story with them, but just the one time scene, with fun characters and a boatload of atmosphere. I never took any kind of children’s book class, so I was basically creating a dummy on guy instinct. First, looking at some of my most favorite books and what made them wonderful. I then got a sense of how many pages, the text design, and most importantly, how important pacing was. I made a teeny tiny little sketch dummy… and then sent it off to some of my favorite publishing houses. Months went by… a few rejection letters… a few more rough dummies… and suddenly, I got word from Henry Holt that they loved my idea, The Boll Weevil Ball. I was stoked. After I had signed thecontract, and began creating the final paintings, I made the most important career decision. It was time to leave my full time work, in full pursuit of my freelance illustration career. The excitement and focus while I made my first book might not be matched. Well… mostly because I was no longer commuting 2 hours each way anymore!

5) What inspired your book, The Boll Weevil Ball?
The Boll Weevil Ball is really a simple tale. Small people can do big things. I was the youngest of seven kids, and it was always a challenge to stand out. Whether I was too small or too young, I was always playing catch up. I decided that my main hero had to be a small bug from a series of tiny paintings I had done while still in school. He was a tiny little guy sitting on the sidelines of a party. He was perfect!

6) What other children’s books or illustrators inspire you?
WOW. The list is never ending! Everyday I learn of another amazing illustrator. Sometimes, it’s a little overwhelming! Some of my favorites include: Robert Lawson, J.Otto, Edward Gorey, Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, Shaun Tan, Gerard Dubois, Chris Turnham, Benjamin Lacombe, Chris Van Allsburg, Lizbeth Zwerger, Gary Kelley… I really could go on forever. I think I really freak out my students when I talk about inspiring illustration. I get instant goose bumps and start to tear. I guess that is a little strange.

7) Please tell me a little bit about your collaborative work at Shybird Studios.
I started working with Antoine Revoy in 2007. I had known Antoine since my college days, and his creative talents blew me out of the water. With him living in Paris and Dublin at the time, we talked about combining our creative juices to form something entirely new. I lived just outside of Boston at the time, so via emails and IMs we began to share a variety of drawings together. I loved his sense of character, playfulness, incredible detail, and movement in his pieces and he was driven by my atmosphere and color. The studio is still in its fledgling years, but hopefully, we will include animation and character design to our repertoire. We’re both on the same side of the ocean now, which helps, and with time we hope to increase our productivity. We are currently working on a collection of illustrations for haunted house stories written by Robert San Souci and published by Henry Holt. It’s a whole new level of creepy, and I am so excited!

8 ) What are some tips that you can give fellow freelance illustrators?
Don’t give up. Have courage, and keep reassessing to improve your strengths as a visual artist. Not to make it sound like an over glorious occupation, but in addition to a little bit of talent, you need a lot of passion, determination, and persistence to succeed. I never chose this path to make a pile of money or to gain some sort of fame (hahahahaha, that’s a laugh!)… I chose it because I loved it. Illustration is what makes me tick. I’d also recommend surrounding yourself with like-minded people. Most illustrators I know are recluses, but connecting with others keeps you motivated and abreast of professional practices.

9) What projects are you currently working on?
Let’s see… I have two picture books coming out soon. Brand New Baby Blues, written by Kathi Appelt (HarperCollins) in December, and in March 2010 the sequel to Hush Little Dragon called Over At The Castle, written by Boni Ashburn, will be published by Abrams Books for Young Readers. I also am in the sketch phase of a really fun monster book written by Jane Yolen for Candlewick Press. Can’t wait to start painting! In the young adult novel realm, I am working on Book 3 of Nathaniel Fludd: Beastologist (Houghton Mifflin) and the aforementioned haunted house collection for Henry Holt, with my Shybird partner Antoine Revoy. It’s a ton of work, but you will not find a more grateful person to be working on all these projects!!

Ottoline and the Yellow Cat

Ottoline and the Yellow Cat follows the hard-boiled hijinks of a femme fatale feline and her pup posse of former lapdogs.  Author and illustrator, Chris Riddell introduces the charming heroine Ottoline and her morose companion, Mr. Munroe (the Norwegian counterpart to Cousin Itt) as the dedicated detectives on the case of the canine crime ring. Ottoline is left in the care of Mr. Munroe and a team of unusual housekeepers (i.e. the goggled-eye 1,000 Strong Light-Bulb men) while her parents jettison off to exotic locales detailed in their postcards penned with little, parental notes.  It is during one of their absences that Ottoline notices the missing dog posters around her neighborhood and reads the articles about the society women distraught over their disappearance. The sudden mystery prompts Ottoline and Mr. Munroe to don Inspector Clouseau-esque disguises in search of the stolen pooches.  Ottoline and the Yellow Cat is a fun who-dunnit personalized by Riddell’s frequent hand-scrawled notes about the artifacts in Ottoline’s apartment (a parrot clock) or encourages you to read another postcard from Ottoline’s parents (Greetings from the SS Trondheim). Riddell’s use of black and white graphics with splashes of red add to the story’s playful film-noir narrative and accent Ottoline’s charming characteristics-like Ottoline’s mismatched shoes and Zsa Zsa Gabor garb. Ottoline and the Yellow Cat is a story that is equal parts sleuth and scrapbook turning up a wonderfully clever tale.
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 176 pages
Publisher: MacMillan UK
ISBN-10: 1405050578

The Magician’s Elephant

The Magician’s Elephant unfolds as if spoken by a babuska over a hearth and tea. Author Kate DiCamillo evokes Slavic storytelling in her fable of  fortune and magic ensconced in the winter wonderland of Baltese. Peter dreams of his lost sister Adele and resigns himself to a lonely life in servitude to the strange soldier, Vilna Lutz. One day, he encounters a fortune teller who foreshadows that an elephant will lead him to his sister. As predicted, an elephant manifests itself in the town of Baltese at the unsuspecting hands of a magician. The magician’s performance also produces the injury of the aristocratic Madame La Vaughn caused by the cascading creature. The incident forces the magician to repent the rest of his days in prison murmuring, “I intended only lilies”. The Magician’s Elephant reads like Dickensian theatre full of eccentric characters that connect with one another in search of the fantastic and fated discovery of what was lost. There is even a beggar in tattered clothes who serves as a nightingale narrator singing about each passerby. DiCamillo’s writing is mystical and is hauntingly heightened by the story’s gothic backdrop of cathedral spires and snow crested gargoyles. The grey and Pointillist sketches by Yoko Tanaka also contribute to the story’s timelessness, lending their own touch of magic.  ’What if?’ is a question that belongs to magic”, states the magician. It is also a question that is beautifully explored and answered in The Magician’s Elephant.

Reading level: Ages 9-12

Hardcover: 208 pages

Publisher: Candlewick

ISBN-10: 0763644102

Monster Mutiny: Interview with Steam Crow

Monsters make a business out of scaring people but what if their job was really just another daily grind.  Monster Commute is a webcomic masterminded by the Steam Crow design duo, Daniel and Dawna Davis. Monster Commute features a cast of monsters that gridlock the industrial interstates in Mad Max machines under the Orwellian loom of the Authority group. Steam Crow is also a powerhouse creator of eye candy confections ranging from iconic buttons (such as the “Zombie Love” and “Clown Bite” logos) to colorful, furry MNSTR bags. The monster madness continues with Steam Crow’s own creature feature books; After Halloween, Klawberry: Good Girl, Bad World and Caught Creatures. Steam Crow and their fiends make frequent appearances at conventions around the country  and at this rate, may give World War Z a run for its mark on history with their cutely contagious monster domination.

1) How did Steam Crow first begin?
Steam Crow began when we attended the 2004 San Diego Comic-Con. We’d recently moved to Phoenix, and I was looking for a new creative challenge. We met a bunch of indie creators at the con and I realized that they were not magic wizard people. They were actually human. Dawna leaned over and suggested that maybe I could do my own book. So, we went home, and I wrote and illustrated Caught Creatures over the course of 2 months. I worked every spare moment until it was done. The next year, we had our very own small press table at the con, with our new book. From there it’s just grown and grown, and we’ve done conventions all over the West Coast.

2) How do you and your wife work together on projects?
We collaborate on the business more than on individual projects. Dawna helps me pack orders. She reviews most everything that I draw. We plan. We share ideas. We talk about the kind of life that we’re trying to build with Steam Crow. Our lives are our collaboration. Project wise, Dawna and I worked on our new booth design. She made a hand-made Steam Crow and STEAMCROWEEN pennant. We co-designed her MNSTR Bags, so that they look like they came from Steam Crow. She’s colorblind, so I picked the fabric colors. She made all of the decisions how each one looks, so I certainly don’t micromanage her or anything like that.

3) What inspired your book, Caught Creatures and how did you go about self-publishing it?
It’ll sound sappy, but I did it for my son. I wanted him to have undeniable proof that he was loved by me and Dawna, when we’re dust. I don’t have that from my own father (now dust), so it is very important to me. I was inspired by cartoons, old monster movies, art nouveau color design, dungeons and dragons, Japanese movie monsters and candy package design. Inspiration is everywhere. Self-publishing it was the easy part. Basically, you hire a printer, and give them the files to print it. Toughest part about all of that was figuring out how to do a proper ISBN bar code. The real challenge was finishing the project, not printing it.

4) What is one of your favorite monster stories?
I like a lot of folklore. I love legendary figures like Baba Yaga or monsters like the Kelpie or the Minotaur. If I had to chose just one, I’d say that I love the story of the Golem. A giant made from clay that destroys a city is pretty interesting and shocking.

6) Tell us a bit about your webcomic, Monster Commute.
Monster Commute is a little like Terry Gilliam’s film Brazil meets the Wonderful Wizard of OZ on a monster highway. There are Orwellian themes, working-class monsters, steampunk autos, and an authoritarian government with 7 ton iron soldiers. Deep down, it’s about survival and friendship. The worst that brings out the best in folks; beast or man.

5) How did you support your art when you first started Steam Crow?
The battle for any unknown indie artist is the war against obscurity. I’m still fighting it. However, you just need to bless each person one at a time, who discovers your work. We do a lot of conventions, which is a terrific way to meet and make new supporters (our Steam Crew). Also, just doing art makes stuff happen. Being very productive really helps. I try to be as prolific as I can be.

7) You are a master of promotion! What are some self-promotion tips for artists?
Really? You think so? Why thank you. Here’s the deal: you have to believe in what you do. You don’t have time for self-doubt or self-loathing or insecurity. I’ve been doing that for decades, and it really doesn’t boost the career very much. It hurts it. Do a lot of good, original art, and show it off. Put it online, and be consistent. You’re not going to get anyone’s attention with 2 pieces. Create 200 and maybe someone will notice. Know that it takes time and effort. It won’t happen overnight. But keep going, and don’t rip other artists. Make your own original work. You can also check out some of my tips on http://www.webcomicmarketing.com where I address some of these things.

8 ) What projects are you currently working on and what type of projects would like to do?
Well, Monster Commute takes a ton of time. I’m always trying to work on that, and make it better. I just finished strip #300 this morning. I’m putting together our first Monster Commute collection for early 2010. I’ve been writing and planning the Monster Commute roleplaying game (RPG). Old school pen and paper. Why? I just want to play in the world of MONSTRU. I’d really like to do a Steam Crow show on a regular basis. Just a quirky MST3K kind of vibe. Talking about the Monster world. Life. Traffic. Artist interviews. And some crazy puppets. Who knows, I don’t have a lot of time to make that happen, but it’s been in the back of my mind for a couple of years now. I have a second comic project that I’m hoping to launch when the Monster Commute book is done. It’s started, but I don’t have the time just yet.

Thank you again for taking the time to do the interview.
Thanks for talking to us, Meghan.

It’s great to not only see talented people but also people who help other artists.
Well, we’ve been there. Other people helped us out and gave us some advice and kindness. There are too many haters out there. All I know is that I still remember the people who gave me a hand when I needed one.

The Striking Viking Story Pirates

Pirates pillage, plunder and sail the seven seas but beware-these swashbucklers now steal your children and turn them into…storytellers! The Striking Viking Story Pirates is a non-profit group of adult actors who perform musical sketch comedy based entirely on stories written by kids. The Story Pirates offer an in-school creative writing and drama workshop series, called the Play/Write Program that has lead to the award-winning sketch comedy show performed every Saturday at The Drama Book Shop in New York City. The show features the group’s “Greatest Hits” comprised of the funniest songs and story adaptations performed in the outrageous spirit of Saturday Night Live.

The Story Pirates’ Saturday show turns The Drama Book Shop into a miniature Broadway boasting a photograph Wall of Fame dedicated to the kids behind the stories personalized by hand-scrawled autographs. The show is hosted by pirate puppet, The Striking Viking and begins with the catchy rendition of The Day My Head Got Stuck In a Bar Stool about a young boy who follows his dog’s lead which begs the question of “why would you do what a dog does” from his exasperated parents.

The adult cast is a hilarious ensemble that’s able to mix handcrafted costumes and at times, even genders, to capture the unadulterated wonder of children’s imagination.  The Story Pirates appeals to the humor of both kids and parents alike as evidenced in the musical about the miracle of money sprouting on a boy’s head in “Money Head Allan”. The boy comically panics at his discovery while fleeing the clutches of money-grubbing Goldman-Sachs. The Story Pirates is highly entertaining and interactive allowing both the brilliance of the cast and the impressive talent of the children, to truly shine.

Story Pirates, produced by Jamie Salka, first introduced its program in 2003 and has primarily been showcased in the tri-state area. It has recently taken to the road in a national tour spanning ten states in three weeks. I caught up with Jamie shortly after he returned from the tour to learn more about the story behind the ‘Pirates’ and its treasure trove of kids’ tales.

Please tell me about how The Story Pirates came to be.
JS: Story Pirates grew out of a theatre company that me and my friends were apart of at Northwestern. Our goal was to create theatre for kids that didn’t feel like children’s theatre. We were trying to create something that was not only non-condescending but also something that was genuinely entertaining for both children and adults.

How did Story Pirates expand to now, a 100 story pirates?
JS: It just really started to build over the last five years. We started out with a cast of 12 actors and we started with a pilot program at a public school in Harlem. That was the first year. Last year, we were at over 100 schools around the country and it has steadily built over time.  We have not spent a lot of money on marketing. What happens is, one teacher has talked to another. One principal has called another. Parents come to see our show at the Drama Book Store and they call their relatives and they call their friends and  they tell them about it. It grows by word of mouth.

Tell me about how the workshops work. If a school contacted you, where you go from that point?
JS: The program we are most well known for is the public “Play/Write” program. The word “play” and the word “write”. It’s really a combination of those two things. When we go into a school, we present a three-part process. The first is a “greatest hits” version of our sketch comedy show, followed by a series of writing workshops, followed by two story performances featuring stories that kids have written in the writing workshops. The greatest hits show is a series of 8-10 of some of the funniest sketches we found from kids all around New York and all around the country. It’s intended to allow the students to get excited about their own imagination and the possibilities for stories that they want to write. It’s intended to inspire and entertain them and prepare them to create their own story. We try to capitalize on the excitement that the show built by teaching a series of writing workshops shortly after the greatest hits. The writing workshops can last anywhere from a series of four workshops over four days or four class periods to a series of 12 workshops over the course of a semester. Sometimes, if we’re lucky, we can have a residency for an entire year. Then we have a culmination of all the writing that the kids have done and a celebration of the work we’ve created.

What are some of your favorite stories that kids have submitted?
JS: It’s almost a trick question. In my heart, I have loved every story that a kid has ever submitted to us. We really believe that every kid has a story to tell and that every kid’s ideas are worth hearing. It’s our philosophy that Story Pirates is not a writing contest. I certainly have stories which I think have made terrific adaptations. There is a story called The Day That I Got My Head Stuck in a Bar Stool that is one of the quintessential Story Pirate stories that we perform at almost every school we visit.  It’s a story that we’ve been doing since the beginning of Story Pirates. It’s so funny. It’s our opening number and there are schools that we’ve been going to now for five, almost six years. When we go into these schools and perform the song, the kids are screaming the lyrics along with us and they’re dancing the choreography along with our actors.

What are some things that you’ve learned about children since you started Story Pirates?
JS: The lesson that we keep learning is how smart these kids are. How powerful their imaginations are. How sensitive they are to the world around them and how original they are as writers. When you take kids seriously and give them an opportunity to really express their words and ideas, it is amazing how far they can go.

Tell me a bit about the Ranger’s Apprentice National Tour.
JS: We were approached by Penguin Books Young Readers Group. They had seen our show and were trying to put together an authorless book tour. The Ranger’s Apprentice is a wildly popular young adult book series and the author, John Flanagan, is in Australia. We wanted to do a different book tour so instead of bringing John out from Australia, they asked Story Pirates if we would create a show based on the Ranger’s Apprentice book series. We said that we would take the assignment on the condition that we could create a show that was really interactive-that was based on participation from the kids in the audience. The kids would be really shaping the show. We ended up creating a piece that is very much based on the first book in the Ranger’s Apprentice series but is never the same from show to show because the kids in the audience create the experience.

The Ranger’s Apprentice series starts off with a section about tests and challenges that these young apprentices are put through in order to figure out who will be their mentor and who they will apprentice for. We created a show where kids from the audience volunteer and that our brought up on stage and subjected to challenges where they either have to prove their strength or prove their intellectual ability in front of an audience. It really honors the kids in the audience. Any kid who is watching and, particularly the kids who are brought up on stage to go through the tests and challenges, are appreciated in front of a big group of people for their own ideas.

Thanks to Jamie Salka and The Story Pirates for inviting me to one of their fabulous shows and to Optivion for the fantastic photos!

Harry and Horsie

Harry and Horsie is an intergalactic journey of stellar friendship. After a restless night, Harry and his plush friend, Horsie, seek out the Super Duper Bubble Blooper. The Blooper’s bubbles freely flow until suddenly, they begin to buoyantly carry everything in their wake-including Horsie! As Horsie floats further into space, Harry sports his best cosmonaut gear and races his rocket towards the stars. Author Katie Van Camp’s weightless and fluid story is colorfully complimented by illustrator, Lincoln Agnew’s retro graphics. The “blooping” of Harry’s toy and the “zoom” of his atomic rocket splash across the pages in cosmic comicbook imagery. Van Camp’s story is an ode to every kid’s wish for a space odyssey which Agnew wonderfully renders in the poster art spirit of 1950’s sci-fi. Harry and Horsie shows that facing the final frontier may be a feat but going to the ends of the universe for a friend is truly heroic.

Going to the Halloween Extreme with Tom Nardone

Extreme Pumpkins.com is the outrageous brainchild of Halloween maestro, Tom Nardone. Extreme Pumpkins.com takes pumpkin carving to the next level-where hand drills put the super in “super gooper scooper” and a dremel puts the cheap, chip carver to shame. Nardone’s demonstrated use of power tools and pyrotechnics has inspired a whole legion of quirky, pumpkin designers and has lead to his wildly popular book, Extreme Pumpkins. Nardone’s successful “diabolical do-it-yourself” designs are also featured in the sequel Extreme Pumpkins II and continues with other Halloween hijinks in the recently released, Extreme Halloween. Tom has been featured on Conan, Regis and Kelly, The Travel Channel, Good Morning America, The History Channel, and MTV.

How did you get into Extreme Pumpkin carving?
TN: Every Halloween, I’d carve a pumpkin-or three or four-for my porch. I’ve always tried to scare kids. I lived in this neighborhood outside of Detroit-it was the first safe neighborhood outside of Detroit. So, people that lived in Detroit who had kids would literally pile ten kids into a minivan and drive them up to the neighborhood that I lived in. We’d get about a 150 trick-or-treaters a night. When you did something festive, like carve pumpkins, the kids really loved it because they were from Detroit and didn’t really have any neighborhood of their own. So, I started to carve pumpkins and one day, decided to see if I could do it with power tools. Between my buddy Matt and I, we have every power tool in the universe so we tried everything we had. While we were trying the different tools, I decided that I had to make a website out of it and called it Extreme Pumpkins.

So, what ideas are in your latest book, Extreme Halloween?
TN: It has all sorts of Halloween ideas like crazy costume ideas but not elaborate ones.  More like lazy, last minute ideas.  There are a million people out there who can create some sort of costume idea that no one has seen before but it takes a thousand hours to create. This book just keeps it simple. It also has suggestions for decorating your house, ways to scare kids when they’re trick-or-treating and recipes-how to make silly foods and drinks.  There are also some large pumpkin sculptures to display on your lawn like a scorpion.  One of my favorite parts of the books is the section on ways to scare kids who are trick-or-treating which I call “Candy Traps”.

What’s an example of a “candy trap”?
TN: There’s one that’s called The Dark Doorway. It’s real easy. You open your door all the way and then you take black fabric-two pieces-and tape them up in the doorway.  At nighttime, without much light on the porch, it will look like the door is open and the kid is just looking into a dark, empty house. You stand right behind the dark fabric and then stick your head between the two pieces of fabric so that it looks like your head is popping out of nowhere and then you yell, “Rah!”. It scares the bejeezus out of them, especially if you’re wearing a mask.  Another one that I make is called the “Trash Barrel”.  You just take a trash barrel-a new one, not a smelly old one-although I suppose if you had the stomach for it, you could use an old one.  Then I cut it up, to make a sort of  transformer suit out of it which you can crouch down into it. When you crouch down, it looks just like a trashcan. So, you have your accomplice-in my case, it’s my wife-handing out candy to the kids that come to the door.  The “trashcan” is posted near the door. So, the kids run up and get the candy from my wife. As they’re leaving, they’re busy looking at their bags to see how full it is.  Then, all of the sudden, someone jumps up where there was no one before and screams. And THEY FREAK OUT! Then, they walk a few feet away and hide behind the bushes to watch the next group of kids be scared.  You can easily scare 100 kids in a night.

Do you have any upcoming appearances or book signings?
TN: I’m doing some book signings but they’re mainly in Michigan. I do some paid gigs but there are only a few of those.  The TV appearances usually start to book up around the beginning of October. Last year, was Regis and Kelly and Conan O’Brien.

How was that?
TN: It was awesome! I love to go to those things. They treat me great. They’re always super receptive to any ideas that I have and they think it’s funny.  I think it’s hilarious because you’re on the show with real stars. You’re on backstage with someone like one of the Olsen twins and real celebrities and then, there’s me.  They ask me what I do and expect me to say something like, ‘I cure cancer’ but instead I respond with, ‘I carve pumpkins’.

I noticed that a lot of your friends help create some of the videos on Extreme Pumpkins. You have one group in particular called The Bump-n-Uglies. Who are they?
TN: One of them is a friend of mine who works for me and the other is his brother. They’re a tag team of wrestlers.  The name of my website is called Extreme Pumpkins and by talking to me, I neither sound nor really am very extreme.  One time, I tried to record a video promo of myself saying, “This is Tom from Extreme Pumpkins!”. I looked back at it and thought, ‘you look like the biggest idiot in the world’.  This isn’t going to work. So, I figured out that I need to be the straight man and that I need a couple of clowns-colorful characters. The guy that works for me is a riot.

What other projects are you working on?
TN: I’m working on some ideas for a fourth book but it’s more of book about how to be a fun Dad.  I’m also trying to be a pumpkin ninja.  That’s my theme for this year’s activities.  I’m trying to mix the art of “ninjitsu” and pumpkin carving to see what I get. I make new pumpkin designs each year but what I think makes the website funny, is that I come up with new ways to carve the pumpkins.  This year, “ninjitsu” is the theme. I already bought a ninja costume and a sword on-line.

Are you going to embroider a pumpkin on it somewhere?
TN: I’ve made shirts with pumpkins on them before because if you go to the store to buy anything with a pumpkin on it, it looks like an old lady, beaded sweater or a giant pumpkin shirt. I made my own pumpkin shirt for when I went on Conan.  You know what-you know how ninjas wear headbands (I don’t think that they actually do), I’m going to make a pumpkin for the center of the headband.

You could get some pumpkin nunchucks.
Yeah, I ordered some nunchucks, too. They’re only  $6.99! I’m also going to do some video of my ninja carving technique.  If I’m seen flipping around, it’s all a camera trick.

Little Fictions: Interview with Teetering Bulb

The art of illustrative duo, Teetering Bulb, feels like a watercolor spiral that is just hinting at the  beginning of a vaporous mystery. Kurt Huggins and Zelda Devon create provocative pieces of art that read like “little fictions” from their “pocket-sized apartment” in Brooklyn. They have worked for such clients as Realms of Fantasy, Scholastic, Inc., DC Comics and Wizards of the Coast and have been featured in Spectrum. Teetering Bulb are also the creators of webcomics; The Dreaded Question and King of an Endless Sky. Kurt and Zelda kindly took the time to share their thoughts on mandibles, serendipity and the nature of illustration.

1) Your website bio mentions that you collect ‘neat, weird things’. What was a recent weird thing(s) that you picked up?
It’s been a while since we’ve been able to add to the curiosity shop that is our house. We’ve been burdened with purchasing the practical. Although the practical does have it’s own charms: yellowed paper from hard to find art course books, the chipped paint of second-hand flat files, and the rich stain of an antique drafting table. Several months ago, while out acquiring some useful item, we ran into the carcass of a black lacquered whale. This piano appeared to have been thrown from the fourth floor of the adjacent brownstone. Luckily, the whale had suffered no fractures of the mandible, and with our house keys as screwdrivers, we freed the entire keyboard. Now our studio wall is adorned with a piano’s smile.

2) What and who inspires you?
Some of the books on the easy-to-reach shelf are a lot of the Golden Age Illustrators. Dead guys like J.C. Leyendecker, Dean Cornwell, Mead Schaeffer and N.C. Wyeth are a constant reminder of who we want to be when we grow up. We’re also big fans of Herbert Paus, Frank Brangwyn, Alphonse Mucha, Ivan Bilibin, Albert Dorne, and Austin Briggs. Then there’s a few of theamazing Japanese printmakers including Kawase Hasui and Yoshida Hiroshi. Hidden artists of the animation industry, including Paul Felix, Nicolas Marlet, and Nathan Fowkes. I really could type my fingers into a pulp.

3) How did you begin your studio? Describe an average work day for you. First you wake up and then…
…we go back to sleep. Honestly, there doesn’t seem to be an average workday, it all shifts based on the demands at the time. We start around 11 in the morning and can often work till 2 or 3 am. Sometimes later if a deadline looms. The studio began accidentally. We both worked as graphic designers, but kept a blog of drawings and stories to keep our spirits up. By serendipity, a couple of folks stumbled across our work and asked if we would draw something for them. Two years later, we’re consumed by illustration full time.

4) What sort of mediums do you use and what would you like to experiment with more?
Everything is drawn in pencil and then scanned in to be digitally painted. While the computer is wonderful, I think we’d both like for the work to be finished with traditional materials. There’s a certain joy that comes from having a physical piece at the end of an assignment.

5) How do you work as a couple (how do you coordinate illustrations, etc.)?
I’ll let you know when we’ve figured that out.

6) What are some current or upcoming projects that you’re working on?
Our big project right now is King of an Endless Sky for Tor.com. We’re also currently working on assignments for Godiva, Pearson Publishing, and DC/Vertigo comics.

7) What advice would you give illustrators who are just starting out professionally?
Make sure that you love what you do and be prepared to work very hard, and I mean coal miner hard. I’d also recommend moving to a city that is known for the type of work you want to do. Editorial, book covers, and advertising work seem to primarily happen in New York. Most Entertainment work happens in Los Angeles. While the internet supposedly allows you to work anywhere, I think you need to establish yourself at one of these hubs first. Most of our success probably hinges on us living in NYC. Also, it does seem to take anywhere between 3-5 years for an illustration career to fully blossom. Unless you’re lucky. If your auspicious days have yet to come, just keep going. Don’t give up. If you love what you do, chances are, other people will too.