Monster House

Here's another new illustration from a few months ago.  I really like the one.  The color was all digital, with textured paper scans, and enlarged watercolor smears.  This summer, I am going to be very busy doing finals for the next Icky Ricky book, but I hope in the fall that I have time to explore these techniques a bit more.

Fangbone! Voice Casting

Over the last two weeks I’ve been listening to voice auditions for Fangbone! 

When writing the books, I always had a clear impression of what Bill would sound like, mainly because I spend a lot of time with kids.  But I never got a grip on Fangbone.  I knew what he would say in any given situation, but I could never zero in on exactly how he sounds.

I’ve heard many different interpretations of Bill and of Fangbone himself.  We’ve also been hearing readings for Drool, Bill’s Mom, Principal Bruce and the teacher Ms. Gillian. It’s very hard to put a voice to an image, much harder than I thought.

Some are too cartoony, and some are too straight.  Some try to make every word funny, and some are a bit to restrained.  The truth is, we haven’t heard anyone who is “bad,” just not “right.”  The talent is there; it’s just a matter of finding the right voice, and the right personality to carry the character.  At this point we have some strong contenders, and I am getting to hear some longer audition recordings.

While we did listen to a few children, we’ve decided to go with adults, mainly because of the comedy in the show.  We are also hoping to use a bit of improv, especially for the person who will eventually be doing Bill.

Icky Ricky Sketches

When I initially drew the dummy for Icky Ricky I used a very different design for him.  My editor loved the dummy, and most of the character designs, but felt that Ricky wasn't unique enough.  So I sat down and tried to come up with something that would stand out on every page.  Here are 6 pages of Ricky sketches that eventually lead to the final design.

There's some stuff in there that doesn't work at all, but you have to get the crummy ideas out of the way so that the good ones can show up.

Drool's Castle

While drawing the Fangbone! books, I never really got to explore the character of Venomous Drool.  Yes, it is his Big Toe of Evil that drives the narrative, but we never get to spend much time with him in the stories.

For the Fangbone! pilot, Drool has become a much more important character.  Right now, he's undergoing a very cool re-design.  In the show, we will also be seeing his castle in Skullbania.

While I am sure the show designers will come up with something great for the castle, I also did a few pieces just to get some concepts laid out.

Here are my two "sketch" ideas for the castle. Enjoy.

Icky Ricky!

"Icky Ricky" is set for release on May 14.  It was supposed to be out in June, but got moved up at the last minute because Barnes & Noble is including it in their summer reading promotions.  The official website, with a killer trailer, will go live soon.

Fangbone! Pilot! Booyah!

It is with great excitement that I can finally announce that Disney XD Canada has ordered a full, 22-minute pilot for Fangbone!

My amazing producers, Michelle Melanson Cuperus and John Leitch have been working all winter to make this happen. Their company, Radical Sheep Productions recently won a Canadian Screen Award for Best Preschool Series for their outstanding show, Stella and Sam. The Canadian Screen Awards are the equivalent of an Oscar/Emmy for Canadian produced films and TV.  Since having great success in the preschool market John and Michelle are planning to jump into the boys 8-12 market with Fangbone.

Stella and Sam is also based on a series of children’s books, so they are well versed in the difficulties, and opportunities, that arise when translating books to an ongoing series.  Michelle also produced William Joyce’s George Shrinks.

Mercury Filmworks, located in Ottawa, will be doing the animation for the pilot.  They’re a wonderful studio that has made Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Fish Hooks, Toot and Puddle, Curious George: The Movie, Kick Buttowski, and the above mentioned Stella and Sam.   I’ve seen some character studies already, and they have stayed very true to my art, while making it slightly bolder and simpler for animation purposes.

Simon Racioppa and Richard Elliot are currently writing the script, which we have been discussing for a while and contains a good amount of my input.  They’ve been writing for animation since 1997, and have done many types of shows from Franklin to Teen Titans. The treatment they wrote shows that they really understand Fangbone and Bill’s relationship, which, along with all the goofy monsters and fights, is the focus of the show.

My role is Executive Producer.  I get to review, comment, and sign-off on everything.  So far, my comments and suggestions have all been well received. It is possible, when a book is optioned, that the party producing the work might not really understand the book, or not intend to keep the creator involved, but I have run into none of that.  It’s been nothing but a joy so far.  This really all has been happening very quickly, as the contracts for the option were only signed in October.  I couldn’t be more thrilled to have such a great group of talented, fun and positive people working on this.  

UPDATE

The above art was drawn by me, and is not by Mercury Filmworks.  The art was created for this event.

Visiting Sandy Hook, Pt. 2

I’ve been meaning to write more about going to Sandy Hook, but in the long run there isn’t much more for me to say that isn’t obvious.  I am glad that I was able to be a part of this great group. I feel privileged to have met such amazing teachers and staff, who I will forever see as heroes. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to share some laughs, some joy, or provide a few moments of distraction for the students, faculty and community of Sandy Hook.

I’d also like to thank Marc Tyler Nobleman for dreaming up and spearheading the visit, and for doing all of the legwork.

Marc's Blog 

Here’s some press on the event.

School Library Journal

Huffington Post

Goofy picture of me.

Visiting Sandy Hook

Yesterday, along with 11 other authors and illustrators, I visited Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown.  We did a sort of variety show for the students, and everyone seemed to have a great time.

I have much more to say about the event, I had planned to write much more about this.  However, Gavin, my six-year-old first grade son, is home sick.  And I don’t think I’ve ever been happier, or felt more grateful, and privileged just to be able to cuddle with him on the couch and watch cartoons.