Monday, April 30, 2012

Little Raindrop: The First Two Chapters in #BookDummy form!


Text & Ideas © 2012 Richard Halttunen
Art & Characters © 2012 Melanie Linden Chan
All rights reserved.



I've finally put together a book dummy of the first two chapters of Little Raindrop's story!

There is nothing like the feeling of a story becoming a book. You can leaf through its pages, see how the page turns work, and get an overall feel of the story as a whole when it is in a tangible form.

This is easily proven by the reactions I have been getting from friends and customers at work when I plop the book down on the table and say, "Check it out! Tell me what you think!" I've been telling them about the story for ages- about its topic and the story line and the layout, the whole shebang. But until they can hold it in their hands, it's hard for people to understand what it is I've been working on all these months.

And the feedback I'm getting from them has been super positive! Adults, parents, teachers, twenty-somethings, and KIDS... so far everyone has been impressed with the work that Richard, the author, and I have been doing. This is what has been happening:
-I expect some to leaf through it and say, "cool." Instead, they start reading the story right away! (Even when dinner arrives at the table, they push it aside until they're done with the book! This is HOT FRESH Chinese food they are pushing aside, my friends!) 
-Another customer, an old grump of a man who loves to give me a hard time, and who I suspect barely reads the newspaper, read the dummy from front to back (and without his reading glasses). A nod and a big smile, and "where's the rest of it?" 
-An older couple tells me the only problem with the book is "we don't have any little ones to buy it for!" 
-A boy, who turns ten today (HAPPY BIRTHDAY  MISTER!!!) saw the book dummy and said, "This book's gonna be SICK!" Meaning: "When this book is complete and published, I shall enjoy reading it immensely." 
-A fifth grade boy learned something new from the book dummy. (So this book is not just for 3rd graders!) 
-Awesome friends sit in shock, saying that it looks like a REAL book. 
-Awesome customers mistake the dummy for an ACTUAL book.
Not only that, but by giving people a sneak peek at the book, they tell me to make sure I remember to SELL THEM A COPY when it's finished!

*runs in circles*

I really can't wait for tonight's Crit Group meeting with my RISD friends at the Providence Athenaeum! I want to hear what the artists, designers, and writers have to say. The book needs work, and editing, and I know they'll help me find ways to make the book even better!

I just can't wait to share this book with the world! :D

Text & Ideas © 2012 Richard Halttunen
Art & Characters © 2012 Melanie Linden Chan
All rights reserved.
Text & Ideas © 2012 Richard Halttunen
Art & Characters © 2012 Melanie Linden Chan
All rights reserved.


Tuesday, April 24, 2012

#NESCBWI12 Poster Contest Winners!


As I mentioned yesterday, the 2012 NESCBWI Annual Conference held a contest to create a poster with the theme of "A Whole New World." Many of my friends participated, and many of them won! Click here to see the guidelines they had to follow.

And the winners are... (I'm still learning who won, so comment below if you know!)

For the Published Category:
1st Place- Russ Cox, winning piece shown here
2nd Place- Hazel Mitchell, winning piece shown here
3rd Place-

For the Unpublished Category:
1st Place- Milanka Reardon, winning piece shown here
2nd Place- Andrew Sabourin, winning piece shown here
3rd Place- Marcela Staudenmaier winning piece shown here

People's Choice Category:
1st Place:
2nd Place:
3rd Place:

Other entries illustrated by my RISD friends:
Kristina Hickman
Cindy Cornwall

Congratulations to all of you!!!
xo
~Melanie

Monday, April 23, 2012

It's Monday already?!?!

Well! This week went by FAST!

I don't have anything super awesome to share with you, however, I did finish sketching out the first two chapters of Little Raindrop's book yesterday. And now I can finally turn those sketches into a nice, clean book dummy which I will be using to get some feedback from Mr. H's third grade group of professionals, and our RISD Illustrator Crit Group!

This is an important step, because I will learn what needs to be changed, and if the layout is working, and the overall book design is going where it should. If it is, I can continue on working the way I have been. But if I end up with a list of things that need work, then I will double back and re-work it a bit before moving on with the rest of the book.

Also, this past weekend, I missed out on the NESCBWI conference in MA. I missed the workshops, the fun, and I missed seeing so many friends win awards! I'm so proud of them! Missing it all bummed me out more than I expected it would. But I chose to spend more time on the book instead, and it feels good knowing that I truly did meet some sort of a landmark in my own way. (I just know better for next time not to consider skipping a conference!)

So, no art today! I've got to get rolling on that dummy!
Have a great week!
~Melanie
p.s. As soon as everyone posts their winning pieces I'll re-post them here! :D Aww, forget it, I'm making a new post for this!

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Other Ways I Spend My Time: Star Harvest Fairy #Tattoo!

Miss me already?

Well I was able to hunt down a photo of the very first tattoo I've ever designed, from waaaaaay back in 2002! I was twenty! It's scary how fast time flies. :(

Here is the drawing...



And this is what it looks like now!



We haven't yet found photos from when the tattoo was brand-spankin-new, (and that was before every cell phone had a camera) but if it ever turns up I'll be sure to post it here! And now I think of it, I forgot to ask who inked it! So I'll be posting that information too.

One thing I DID learn, however, is that she still loves her tattoo! After all these years... isn't that awesome? :)