BookLust

TCAFing with Chirp

This photo was taken by a lovely lady whose daughter is a big fan of my book, The Pirate and the Penguin. The daughter didn't want a Chirp drawing, nor did she want a drawing of a pirate. She wanted a penguin, and nothing else, thank-you very much.

On Saturday May 5th, I spent some time at the Toronto Comics Arts Festival, drawing Chirp cartoons, penguin cartoons, and basically cartoons of almost any kind (sorry – I can't do superheroes!) for all the wonderful kids & parents who popped by. It was a most joyous afternoon.

This event takes place every year around this time at the Toronto Reference Library. Every year it seems to get more insanley crowded than the year before. Here's a video of the event, just to give you an idea of what I'm talking about (and yes, I make a very brief appearance).

It is heartening and astounding how popular the world of comics and graphic novels has become in the past few years. I remember when I was in high school, feeling very much like the odd little artist, because very few people I knew in high school were drawing cartoons with any level of seriousness, or reading comic strips or collections of New Yorker and Punch cartoons. Some of my art teachers were not exactly very impressed with my cartooning work, and didn't consider it much of a talent. I can still recall doing an art field placement in a sophisticated design firm in Burlington, surrounded by all these older, cool designer-types; many of them were divorced, and were playing the field, obsessed with their appearance, obsessed with impressing their rich clients, obsesssed about getting old.  The 1980s in Burlington, Ontario, seemed to be overflowing with adults acting like complete idiots. These people did not know what to do with me, this shy girl who drew cute little cartoons in the corner of the office. I could not wait for that wretched field placement to be over.

So to see all these marvellous quirky people – hundreds of them! – taking refuge in (of course!) a library, to celebrate and honour the wonder of cartoon art, well, for me, I still find it quite overwhelming.

Chirp Gets Moving!

Are you sitting down? Well then, get off yer duff and start moving! Yup, Chirp's May issue is all about moving in some way – cycling, swimming, skiiing, jumping, dancing, running, surfing – the moving list is a long one, kiddo! And while you're busy moving, don't forget to get a copy of this issue, 'cuz, well, the comic inside is one of my faves! (Hee hee).

Hug a Penguin!

Did you know that yesterday was World Penguin Day? How did I miss that? But it doesn't matter that I missed it, really – because in my world, every day is Penguin Day. I adore these creatures, and can't stop drawing them. There is something so charming & peaceful about penguins – they don't want to hurt or bug anyone else, they just want to live their life as best they can. They just want to 'be'. What's not to love about that?

Reptile Ride!

Wee! Do you think it would be fun to ride a turtle? You wouldn’t move very fast, but at least you’d get a good chance to really enjoy the scenery around you! Anyway, Chirp looks like he’s having a blast. Yes, April’s Chirp is all about reptiles! Some folks might find reptiles kinda creepy, but not me! I loved holding lizards as a kid, and even snakes never really bothered me. And what’s not to love about turtles? (the real deal, and the chocolate deal, too, mmmmm….)

Making Cute Lemons Out of Lemonade

As is obvious to anyone who still reads this blog (helloooooo? Anyone out there?), my blogging has been, well, far from frequent. It's difficult to maintain 2 blogs, plus 2 Facebook pages and Twitter account, and well, actually try and get some paid work done from time to time. I'm not sure when it started to happen, but sometime early last year, I dunno, I started to feel rudderless, not sure of where I was going with my career, not sure if the powers that be still wanted my kind of work, not really sure what kind of work I wanted to do in the future.

And let's face it – things are kind of strange and uncertain right now in publishing, and in the past year I have heard far too many stories about beloved independent bookstores closing down all over the world. Case in point: my treasured neighbourhood bookstore, Bloor West Book City closed its doors last month. I still can't quite believe it.

I've lived in the west end of Toronto for 23 years now, and Bloor West BC was my book touchstone in the neighbourhood. I've made lasting friendships with some of the fabulous folks who have worked there over the years, and so much of my books and art was championed and promoted by the most passionate hard-working book sellers you could possibly imagine.

Then last month, my husband's employer, the wonderful Toronto Public Library went on strike. The strike is over now, thank goodness, but that state of not knowing how long the strike would last was stressful beyond words. And so that's the state of mind I've been living in  these days – so much not knowing what's going to happen, what the future holds for me.

But if I really think about it, how is this any different from any time in my life? Nothing in this world is secure, but right now it just feels more uncertain for me, than it's been for a very long time. It's got me thinking about breaking out of my old comfort zones, and taking more risks, trying new things. It's got me thinking that I've got to stop worrying so much, and get back to living, and looking at the world in a more positive light.

Part of that change has meant for me, trying new computer equipment, like working on a friend's Wacom tablet. Throughout this post, you have seen some of my first attempts at digital drawing. Naturally I still plan on drawing the 'old-fashioned' way, but I also want to explore the digital world and see what it has to offer. It's all part of shaking off those negative cobwebs, and looking forward to the future, even though I don't know what's ahead. It's about making cute lemons out of lemonade.

Colour My Chirp World Fun!

It's March 1st, and well, let's face it – it's pretty darn dreary outside. No fluffy white snow, but no luscious green grass and blooming buds, either. Just a palette of bleh. So thank goodness the March issue of Chirp is all about colour! I dunno about you, but I'd sure love to ride a rainbow right now!

Love is in the Air

Happy Valentine's Day!

Where the Heck is Winter?

Groundhog is very confused. For that matter, so am I.

Yowza! Chirp on TV!

Yowza! What fantabulous news. Chirp is going to be on TV!! You can read all about it here. The animation company working with the CBC is called Yowza (awesome name!), and the company working on the development of Chirp apps and games is called Moonray Studios. I just hope all this fame doesn't go to Chirp's head. It's big enough as it is, don't ya think?

Chirp Winter Fun! (Sorta...)

Whoops! I almost forgot to post the December cover for Chirp! This month's issue is all about Winter Fun – and what could be more fun than playing in the snow with some happy-go-lucky penguins? Mind you, here in Toronto there's not a speck of snow to be found anywhere, what with all this mild weather. It's gonna be pretty darn hard to entice a penguin to come and play on my cold driveway.