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Happy New Year! Let’s have some fun with this thing.

Bet you thought I meant something else. Why would I want to think about THAT? Bleah.

From all of us to all of you. (Though Molly would rather be chasing a ball.)

This is a character for a picturebook project. He’s based on a pleasant old fellow I often see around my neighborhood, walking his dog and reading a book. (Or, once, a newspaper.) My neighbor does not look like the character he inspired, except for the book. The connection is in how he presents himself to the world,or avoids doing so… They don’t walk very fast, either one of them.

How do you draw a daydream? Don’t think it’s working quite yet. Just fooling around with ideas here.

I admire weeds. They always come back, no matter what you do to discourage them. Dig, pull, stomp, pummel, pound, curse… and the minute you sit down to mop your brow, they spring up again. How could you NOT admire that?

They hang out with SCBWI retreaters! Now you know. I am just back from my local SCBWI group’s annual retreat at Silver Falls State Park. Complete with bears! I, personally, did not see bears, so this may or may not be a good likeness. Along with retreating, and bears (and retreating from bears) we also enjoyed eating, talking, listening, more eating, drinking, singing, reading, writing, more eating, eating, and a bit of walking. A lovely time.

I love what I do, and I want to do it well. I get lots of comments on my work-in-progress, and I listen to them all. They fall into various categories:

Ah-ha! I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. Maybe… Observations from a fresh angle, that make me rethink what I’m doing. Ouch. (Does it sting because they’re wrong, wrong, WRONG, or because they’re right?) Huh. (Are you sure we’re talking about the same story?)

Feedback forces me to gather my thoughts – what IS going on here, and here, and here? What AM I trying to do? Is this the best way to do it, or will something else work better? This process helps me find the heart of things, and know it when I find it.

Still… Every once in a while it’s nice to hear something simple, like: “Wow! this is great!” If it’s true.

Some days drain the brain. A gallop would do me good! I don’t have a horse anymore, but I can doodle. Pencil horses stack flat, don’t require mucking out, and cost nothing to keep.

Got my copies of THE PRAIRIE-DOG PRINCE today. Amazing. I know the big publishers work hard to plan their lists and have many concerns to balance and schedule around, but Holy smokes. I finished these illustrations a couple of months ago! Also: the paper is velvety, the binding is sewn, the cover is cloth. Mark’s design is elegant. I could eat this book, it’s so nice. Part of the book takes place aboveground–here’s Annie picking strawberries.

Then Annie makes an unfortunate wish and is whisked away underground. Here’s Annie with the Gnome King, who is giving her a hard time for being greedy (She wants him to help her father to strike gold). Her answer is “But I want to grow up to be an educated woman, this is why I wish for riches. That I may go to school, to wise teachers who will explain to me all the things that puzzle me so now.”

This story was written over a hundred years ago, but hey. I could use a wise teacher. A few things are puzzling me, too.