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August 2010
 

The latest issue of Literacyhead is all about Shadra Strickland! Read it here.

Articles include Coaching Matters, in which Shadra discusses her creative process,

an interview with Shadra and her family and friends in The Art of Living,

and, a treat for us all, a peak at one of Shadra's earliest illustrations!

Jan Miller Burkins writes in The Art of Living:

One should be so lucky as to spend two years in graduate school with Shadra Strickland, or even just a morning in her studio conducting an interview. She teaches of balance, relentlessness, passion, excellence, loyalty, and joy all with unchoreographed and unscripted grace.

We couldn't agree more! See Shadra's portfolio here.

July 2010
 

 

 

 

Steve Mack designed a School Years Keepsake Box

for Chronicle and Barnes and Noble.

 

 

Steve Adams had one winning illustration in

the editorial category of the 3x3 Illustration ProShow No. 7.

 

Three illustrations by Michael Slack

will be featured in the 3x3 magazine

children's book show.

     

Michael Slack

 

 

 

Betsy Thompson's work is included in an exhibition at the Front Room Gallery

in South Portland, Maine. It will be on display through August 31.

 

There is an interview with Shadra Strickland and author Renee Watson

about their new book A Place Where Hurricanes Happen posted at the

Happy Nappy Bookseller. Shadra talks about going to New Orleans to

research the book, finding the right techniques to help her illustrations

come to life, and more.

**Happy 4th of July from**

* Painted Words *

June 2010
 

Neo Leo: The Ageless Ideas of Leonardo da Vinci, written and illustrated by Gene Barretta, is now availabe as a DVD from Spoken Arts. School Library Journal says:

Barretta’s delightful watercolor illustrations become backgrounds for an amazing catalog of inventions. Panning and focusing on a portion of a page creates movement and highlights details; occasional animation gives life and motion to the scenes. ... A fine introduction for units on inventors and inventions.

 

 

Three illustrations by Steve Adams won 2010 Applied Arts Photography & Illustration Awards.

 

Meet our newest illustrators!

We are very excited to announce that we are now working with Kate Merritt

and Betsy Thompson.

New Illustrators!

              

                          Kate Merritt                          Betsy Thompson

 

Vanessa Newton illustrated Drum City, published by

Tricycle Press June 8, 2010.

 

Shadra Strickland illustrated A Place Where Hurricanes Happen, published by Random House June 22, 2010. Reviewers have nothing but praise:

Strickland’s (Bird) quietly powerful watercolors make this story of four fictional Ninth Ward children caught in Hurricane Katrina especially affecting.
Publisher's Weekly

In vibrant, mixed-media images, award-winning illustrator Strickland extends the drama, feeling, and individual stories.
Booklist

The combination of the free verse and Strickland’s mixed-media illustrations realistically convey and personalize the effects of the disaster, all the while keeping the book age-appropriate.
Kirkus

 

May 2010
 

 

Linda Bleck illustrated The Longest Day: Celebrating the Summer Solstice,

published by Dutton Books 2010.

 

Binny's artwork appears on a range of new products from Go Home Junior called My Escape, including table tents and children's cushions

   

Binny

Huy Voun Lee

 

Fire Drill, illustrated by Huy Voun Lee and published by Henry Holt and Co.,

will be released June 22, 2010.

Miguel Tanco

 

Life Make Me A Poet “Me ha hecho poeta la vida,” illustrated by Miguel Tanco, received a special prize, the "Best Illustrated Book" for Los portadores de sueños in Spain. The prize is especially rewarding because it's chosen by kids!

 

Pete's Potty and Lily's Potty,

illustrated by Betsy Snyder,

published by Begin Smart Books

in May 2010.

       

Betsy Snyder

April 2010
 

 

Publisher's Weekly loves Barroux's new book Emily and Alex: Plain and Fancy. They wrote:

In this small square book, twins Emily and Alex may look alike—both are lightly drawn with rounded faces and cropped reddish blonde hair—but they’re very different, as demonstrated through antonyms: “ugly” Alex, dressed in a dinosaur costume stalks “pretty” Emily, admiring herself in a mirror. And from “down” on the ground, Emily points at Alex, “up” in a tree. The siblings’ playful banter and the energy Barroux’s illustrations transmit make for an effective depiction of opposites.

 

Rave reviews for Mirror, Mirror, illustrated by Josée Masse and published by Dutton, are pouring in!

Among the many five-star reviews:

"…a visual and verbal feast.” —Booklist

”A must-have for any library.” —School Library Journal

”A mesmerizing and seamless celebration…” —Kirkus

“…cleverly constructed and insightful…” —Horn Book

”…clever compositions [and a] smart concept…” —Publishers Weekly

 

Publishers Weekly reviewed Todd H. Doodler's upcoming

book, Animal Soup. They wrote:

This board book with flaps combines animals to make amusing hybrids. ... Readers should get a kick out of venturing guesses and discovering such species as “Croctopus” (crocodile and octopus) and “Gorillican” (gorilla and pelican), whose wide-eyed expressions make them seem pretty shocked about the transformations themselves.

 

 

 Bienvenue à la Monstrerie, written and illustrated by Elise Gravel,

was published this month by Les 400 Coups.

March 2010
 

 

 

Nancy Carlson has two new puzzles from Ceaco: a farm animals puzzle with stickers, and an underwater puzzle and memory game.

        

Nancy Carlson

 

Perfectly Arugula, written and illustrated by Sarah Dillard, and Cesar Takes a Break, illustrated by Rogé, are both available as Listen-Along-Storybooks from Sterling.

Click here to listen to Perfectly Arugula.

Click here to listen to Cesar Takes a Break.

 

 

Our Children Can Soar, illustrated by Shadra Strickland and 12 other artists,

won an NAACP award. Congratulations!

 

Publisher's Weekly has a rave review of Extraordinary Pets

by Barroux, published last month by Blue Apple Books.

Ostensibly urging children to consider unconventional pets, Barroux's (My Goldfish) offbeat riff features a series of gatefold surprises. ... Barroux's powers of persuasion should have readers considering the fun, if not the practicality, of the purchase of a penguin.

February 2010
 

Reviewers are loving Mirror Mirror, illustrated by Josée Masse, which will be published early next month by Dutton.

The vibrant artwork is painterly yet unfussy and offers hints to the characters who are narrating the poems. —School Library Journal (Starred Review)

Matching the cleverness of the text, Masse’s deep-hued paintings create split images that reflect the twisted meaning of the irreverently witty poems and brilliantly employ artistic elements of form and shape—Cinderella’s clock on one side morphs to the moon on the other. A mustpurchase that will have readers marveling over a visual and verbal feast.

—Booklist (Starred Review)

 

 

Illustrations by Michael Slack and Steve Adams were selected for the Communication Arts Illustration Annual 51.

 

 

Barroux illustrated three books

published this month by Blue Apple Books:

Emily and Alex: Naughty and Nice, Emily and Alex: Plain and Fancy, and Extraordinary Pets.

Barroux

 

 

Bear in Underwear, written and illustrated by Todd H. Doodler,

published by Blue Apple Books 2010.

January 2010
 

Sweet Dreams Lullaby, written and illustrated by Betsy Snyder, published by Random House 2010, is already receiving rave reviews!

A worthy and welcome addition to the canon of cozy bedtime stories. —Booklist

Digitally produced art with collage elements employs a rich, soothing palette befitting the gentle cadence of the text. A lovely addition to bedtime-book collections.—Kirkus

The idea of lulling oneself to sleep like this is an appealing one, and the smooth verse and accessible pictures are appealing as well. —School Library Journal

The gentle rhythm and lilting verses accompanied by the charm-dense compositions make this a natural choice for settling down at the end of the day, sweet dreams pending. —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

 

 

Josée Masse illustrated the new Fairy Friends Color Me Puzzle,

published by Mudpuppy.

 

Michael Slack's Madagascar poster for Utah's Hogle Zoo was featured in the final 2009 issue of Luezer's.

     

Michael Slack

 

 

Super Simple Sewing, a fun learn-to-sew book illustrated by Elise Gravel,

was published by Klutz 2010.

 

 

 

Julia Woolf designed a series of gift cards for Target.

      

Julia Woolf

 

 

Betsy Snyder has a new line

of cards out from

Peaceable Kingdom Press.

      

Betsy Snyder

Linda Bleck

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Were you born during a Year of the Tiger?
1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, and 1998

 

© 2010 painted-words inc. All images within this site are copyrighted by the respective artists and cannot be reproduced in any way without permission of painted-words inc., Lori Nowicki and the individual artist. Painted words illustrators include Steve Adams, Gene Barretta, Barroux, Tim Beaumont, Binny, Linda Bleck, Jan Bryan-Hunt, Nancy Gayle Carlson, Mircea Catusanu, Sue Cornelison, Stephen Costanza, Sarah Dillard, Jill Dubin, Todd Goldman, Elise Gravel, Gabrielle Grimard, John Huxtable, Huy Voun Lee, Maranda Maberry, Steve Mack, Josée Masse, Kate Merritt, Harry Moore, Nomar Perez, Susan Reagan, Kristina Rodanas, Mark Rogalski, Rogé, Jessica Secheret, Betsy Snyder, Soud, Shadra Strickland, Miguel Tanco, Betsy Thompson, Erica Villnave, Mike Wesley, Julia Woolf, Elizabeth Zunon, Todd H. Doodler and paper engineer Phillip Fickling.

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