Gathering Ideas

I’m back. I met my deadline and I’m on to the next one. Right now, I have to write the manuscript for my next “Fangbone! Third Grade Barbarian!” graphic novel. This will be book #3 and is the last one I am contracted for. I hope to have the opportunity to do more. Books #1 and #2 will come out in January, with book three coming out in the Fall of 2012.

We decided for this project to write a script for the entire book before any drawing is done. That way the plot, character arcs, the jokes and the structure can all be worked out first. It’s very much like writing a screenplay for a film. The manuscript will run about 28 pages, and the completed book will be 128 pages of comics.

I’ve been thinking about this book for a while, and even did a rough draft back in March, but I’ve scrapped much of that. While it was very funny, it had way too many ideas and threads, so right now my job is to simplify and streamline. I’ve had to take out a character that I love, but it’s best for the story.

As I set out to write book #3 I have to get all of my notes and ideas in order. Above is a picture of all of my idea sources.

1. My Acer Netbook. I bought this a few years ago for Grad school, and it worked fine for what it was. The rough draft I mentioned above was written on this. That’s a printout in front of it. I’m going to go through that and grab the parts I like. My initial pitch of this project was also written on this, as well as summaries of the three books.

2. An early copy of “Fangbone!” #1 for reference. We recently changed the cover of Book #1 and as we completed book #2. I will be showing both of them very soon.

3. Sketchbooks. These have written ideas and drawings, usually all on the same page. I keep a few sketchbooks going at all times. One might be in my bedroom, one in the car, one in the living room. I want to have them available wherever I am. Some of these go back a few years to when I was first working on this concept. There are ideas that emerged during those initial brainstorming sessions that I still want to use.

4. Notebooks. These are the small sketchbooks I sometimes carry with me, or keep in my car. Again, notes and images sit side by side.

5. Index cards. This is the stack of index cards used for that first draft mentioned above. There’s stuff in there that might prove useful.

Deadline of Despair

I am currently under the most insane deadline for art that I have ever been on in my entire career. I am either driving the kids to or from school, eating, sleeping or drawing. Nothing else. I didn't even shower the other day. The good news is that I love this project and that I think it should meet with some success. That being said, here's the art for the cover of the book I'm working on---"Fangbone! The Egg of Misery!"

More on dinosaurs...

I had this one sitting around from a few years ago. His name is Pajamatops, of course.

Dino update

I went back in to see if I could improve the dino. It's a little stronger. I think that a different color as the base would have really helped.

More Cavemen

Here's two more caveman sketches. I'm liking them more, but they just seem a bit stiff. And while I don't want to beat up on myself because they are only sketches, the hands are really amatuer hour. Jeez. I like the dino, but the colors are a bit flat. He can be much richer.



On the other hand, I think they are solid enough that I may use them to pitch the idea I have.

"You no eat me..."

I had an idea for a picture book blast into my head the other day and I instantly wanted to see one of the characters. I am not going to say what the book is about, because I have yet to even pitch it to an editor, but it stars a few cavemen. Here's a first shot at one of these brutes. I like the line, but feel he's a bit stiff, and his hand gesture is not reading well. I drew this at the dinner table while my first grade son did his homework, so I was a bit distratcted.

I really want to push the cartoony elements of my drawing with this book, because it has potential to be a very, very funny, and a good read-aloud as well. It was drawn with marker, colored pencil and a sharpie. No computer at all. If this book goes forward, I plan to make it my first non-digital book.

My Dog Jack is Reviewed

Here's a decent little review of my latest illustration project.

From Publishers Weekly---"When Carson takes his dog, Jack, to the vet, she informs them that Jack is too fat: "He needs less food and no snacks!" as well as a lot more exercise. Jack expresses his skepticism via thought bubble ("Fat chance"), though Carson dutifully starts Jack on a diet and exercise regimen. But Carson isn't practicing what he preaches: while Jack plays fetch, runs up stairs, and visits the gym, Carson is wolfing down junk food and lazing around. Throughout, readers are privy to Jack's snarky retorts: "You've got spaghetti sauce all over your face, pal," he tells Carson, who won't share his enormous dinner. A return visit to the vet means kudos for Jack--but not for Carson, who now needs help from Jack in the weight-loss department. Rex has a lot of fun with the details in his cartoon illustrations (Carson sits in the grass eating fried chicken and drinking soda while "playing" fetch with Jack), and the dog's-eye-view perspective (and Jack's evident sense of humor) help make a potentially heavy-handed message about child obesity easier to swallow. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)"

Meeting and Greeting

I recently spent some time at the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association's Annual Conference. I had my own table all weekend and was able to really talk and interact with many fantastic people.



The enthusiasm and energy these educators had was wonderful and very inspiring. I was selling and signing books, but my main goal was talking about my school visits. It was much more fun than simply mailing out a pile of flyers. I will be attending similar shows in NJ and CT in the Fall.

Sketchbook boys

Here are two more watercolor sketches that I think are pretty successful. The first one is from a story I’d still like to sell. Without giving away too much, one of the characters has an explosive sneeze during a show-and-tell type moment in front of his whole class. The story is really about how the kids react to this event, and how embarrassed and foolish he feels. The story is not like my other work, and is not “high-concept” at all. It’s just about kids and getting along in school.



The second one is from a book that never quite clicked. It’s about this one mean kid endlessly calling the other boy names until…well, until something happens that I want to hold in my folder of ideas. I kind of like this one, but there are some skin tone issues. Both of these were done a few years ago, and looking back on them I was getting close to something…

Little Creatures

As an children's illustrator, I've never really set out to draw cute animals. I feel that there are many people out there who do that really well, and seem to enjoy it. However, I just found these sketches from a few years ago and think that they are really... um...cute. They are drawn with india ink/quill and colored with inks.

What Happens in Vegas...

During the week of April 11 I had the wonderful opportunity to visit five excellent schools in Las Vegas. It was Nevada Reading Week, and the theme was “Reading Rocks!” I spoke to over 3,000 children and I had a wonderful time. Each school was friendly and prepared, and the kids were well behaved and very involved.

I have spoken to, and worked with, elementary students for years, and I taught High School for almost 4 years, but I don’t have much experience with Middle Schools. But I must say, my presentations at Sawyer Middle School were some of the best of the week. The kids seemed to enjoy and learn from my talk, and just like the little kids, they were very impressed by the drawing part of the show. And even when the one student asked, “Do you steal all of your ideas from other books?” he had a smile on his face!

I’d just like to thank the teachers, students and organizers at…

Lucille S. Bruner Elementary
Richard Bryan Elementary
J. M. Ullom Elementary
John F. Mendoza Elementary
Grant Sawyer Middle School

for a great week, and I hope to go back next year!

---Mike

More Nice Things...

Another nice note about my school visits...

"Michael was great!! He talked about the writing process in a way that kids (and teachers) could understand and appreciate. He held their interest all the way through. I would recommend him for any school function."

-Tiffani Stewart, Librarian/Media Specialist @ J.M. Ullom Elementary, Las Vegas NV

Another Dude!

Why aren't there more children's books about rock? My boys, who are five, and six-and-a-half, love to jump around shirtless like little Iggy Pops swinging their Paper Jamz guitars. They like the music loud and fast. They love The Beatles, Weezer and The Ramones. Since no one else is doing it, I have decided that I am going to make it my business to write some books about rock.

This started as a joke, but as I think about it, picture books are like good rock singles. They're short, to the point, vivid, full of catchy hooks, memorable lines, have some sort of emotional resonance, and when they're over you want to experience them again.

"He is SO awesome!"

This nice e-mail came in the other day...

"Michael Rex's presentation was perfect for our kindergarten and first grade students. He described the creative processes of writing and illustrating in a clear and entertaining fashion. The children had fun learning how to draw their own Furious Georges. Michael received rave reviews from teachers, the librarian, and the students. One child was overheard saying, "He is SO awesome!" We agree, and we highly recommend his school visits!"

--Melissa Azarian, Co-chair of PTO Visiting Authors Committee, Long Hill Township

Ta-Da!

Here's a shot from a very fun school visit at The Gillette School in New Jersey. I don't post many photos from school visits because they usually have kids in them, and I want to respect everyone's privacy.

That being said, I have no idea what I'm doing in this photo. I'm sure it has something to do with adding motion and excitement to a drawing. Or maybe I was wrapping up the dance part of my presentation...