The Maleny Library runs a great school holiday program that I am proud to be involved in. In 2012 I hosted a night of making shadow puppets and sets. The kids created amazing characters and all put on short 2 minute shows for their parents. It was heaps of fun and I have been asked to do it again (2013). So on the 4th of July I will be at the Maleny Library on the Sunshine Coast. More information on the Sunshine Coast Libraries website
Getting the creative work/life balance is hard sometimes. I started 2013 by finishing the illustrations for Pieces of Eight by Tania Dolinschek and finding some inspiration from the book itself (yes, some illustrators actually read the books they illustrate). I have resolved to focus on my own creative projects and back myself. The list of my projects for 2013 include; a proper website, an app, music videos (with Brett Campbell) and illustrating some of the stories written by Jodi and myself. Spaghetti and Meatball is a children’s story that I have been working on for a few years now. More artwork coming soon – I am still getting used to ink and paper again after such a long time illustrating on a computer (CTRL / ALT / DELETE doesn’t work with a paint brush).
Ghost Words is a great travelling game for four or more players. It is perfect for a Halloween activity after everyone has finished telling their spookiest stories. One person starts by saying the first 3 letters of a word. For example “C, A, U” (for younger players you can prepare cards with suggested word beginnings). Each player in turn repeats ALL the previous letters and then adds one letter. Example: First player: “C, A, U…”, second player: “C, A, U, S…”, third player: “C, A,U, S, E…”
The game is all about bluffing. If a player adds a letter that is not part of a possible word or a complete word the other players can call “GHOST!” By calling ‘Ghost’ you are saying that the player has created a word that is not real – a ghost word – or that they have incorrectly repeated the letters. If the call is correct, then that player is out. If the call is not correct, the player who made the call is out! The trick is to try to get others out by bluffing a ghost word or pretending that you are guessing when it is a real word.
In the example, the fourth player could add a letter to the beginning of the word to try to trick the other players. She is thinking of the word ‘because’ so says aloud “E,C,A,U,S,E…” This does not make sense to player one so he calls “GHOST!”. It is now up to the other player(s) to provide a real word using those letters. Player four repeats the letters B,E,C,A,U,S,E – because. This means player one is out of the game and the other three players keep playing knock-out rounds until there is one winner.
It is best to decide before playing if players can add letters to the beginning and end of the base letters. For younger players it is best just to add letters to the end.
So what happens if no-one calls ghost? Using the same example, the next player (player 1) adds a b and says b,e,c,a,u,s,e… The next player must continue even if there is no possible way to expand on the word. The best strategy in this case would be for the next player (player 2) to say with confidence “b,e,c,a,u,s,e,s…” Having bluffed everyone with confidence, the next player (player 3) is forced to add another letter ie “b,e,c,a,u,s,e,s,t…” No-one is going to believe this is a word, no matter how confident you are. Another player calls “Ghost!” and because no word can be provided, player 3 is out.
Wolf Boy Dummy artwork by Jed Henry
Jed Henry has posted a working dummy for his children’s picture book – Wolf Boy. This is a great insight into the process for creating illustrated picture books by an author and illustrator. Check out the web site – jedart.blogspot.com for some amazing illustrations.
Tree-Frog Drawing Activity
Learn to draw a Green Tree Frog with this simple activity page. Start with the mirror drawing activity to practice and then draw your own frog. Hop to it!
Click here to download the PDF (1MB).
Snow Monster by Thomas Hamlyn-Harris
My Snow Monster has been selected as part of an art installation at Pictoplasma’s upcoming exhibition in Paris! Thanks Pictoplasma.
About the Exhibition:
PICTOPLASMA PARIS: POST DIGITAL MONSTERS
From December 7 to 31 we celebrate our premiere in Paris at la Gaîté lyrique, with a comprehensive program of conferences, performances and screenings! A vast, central group show presents international contemporary artists that work in diverse media: sculptures and installations in wood, glass, metal, clay and knitted wool explore the idea of a haptic transfiguration of digitally inspired images.
More information here: http://www.gaite-lyrique.net / http://paris.pictoplasma.com
The Vendor is an old paper toy but still one of my favorites. He was recently used by Sticks & Clones for some “gorilla” marketing 
Click on the magazine below to download from www.issue.com (Flash required, sorry iPad users).
The Endangered Creature Alphabet is an illustrated collection of 26 threatened species. It is a collaborative project from www.creaturemag.com, featuring some really talented illustrators and emerging artists. My favourite is the Mandrill by Paul Shinn. Visit the web site for further details.
Dinosaur Maze
To introduce my new logo I have created a dinosaur maze activity page. Featuring a Brachyceratops and a Protoceratops, these mazes are perfect for ages 5 to 8 and are a great way to encourage spatial thinking and pencil skills.
Brett Campbell at Fairbridge Music Festival
Duck, Duck, Frog is a funny little idea I had for a book (a bath book) that never happened. I passed the words on to children’s musician Brett Campbell who did his magic and turned it into a song. You can listen to the song on the Jitterbug website or you might catch Brett performing it at Rhymes Festival 2011. Brett has added a celtic touch to the music and made up some hilarious dance moves that the kids seem to love.
