Kathy Temean's Writing and Illustrating Illustrator Sat. Blog

I was pleased to make Kathy Temean's blog a few weeks ago.

Job Site - Publisher's Weekly - Feb. 2011 STARRED Review

Clement's sophomore picture book should delight truck lovers every bit as much as its predecessor, Drive (2008). Over the course of a day on the job, a burly construction foreman, referred to only as "Boss," makes good on his name and bosses around a bulldozer, excavator, dump truck, and other vehicles. "Boss says, ‘Scoop that rock,' " and a loader moves in, "slides its bucket and takes a big scoop." Featuring the same brand of bold digital artwork seen in Drive, this book also makes excellent use of perspective to play up the machines' immensity and power; when Boss commands a crane to "Lift that stone!" readers get a worm's-eye view of the action from behind his boot, his shadow in the dirt showing him with his arms raised like a minor god. While no children appear until the end (when it's revealed that all this hard work has gone into making a community park), it's in no way a problem: Boss is the ultimate reader surrogate, wielding unquestioned power over the mightiest of machines. What more could a kid want? Ages 2–6. (Mar.) Source.

Job Site - Kirkus Reviews - Feb. 2011

In his debut, Drive (2008), Clement profiled a single 18-wheeler and its driver; here he explores the ever-popular realm of construction trucks. Unlike many similarly themed books, which focus on humans, this one details the part each truck plays in a single job, with the final spread showing a completed park. Throughout, the pointed finger and other hand signs of the African-American “Boss” direct the trucks to their respective duties. “Boss says, ‘Pour a slab.’ / And the mixer swings its trough and pours cement.” About half the time children are given the opportunity to guess which truck will be needed for the job before a page turn reveals the answer. The highlighted trucks include a bulldozer, excavator, loader, dump truck, compactor, mixer and crane. While the text does not rhyme, it has a welcome simplicity that suits younger readers just as well, even as it uses real vocabulary for the trucks and their parts. The computer-rendered illustrations, while sometimes seeming flat in perspective, nonetheless have crisp, clean lines with bold, rich colors and textures appropriate to earth, gravel and cement. The large format of the book itself, as well as alternating views of long shots and close-ups of trucks makes this a good choice for group sharing. Pair this with Sally Sutton’s Roadwork (2008) for a similar treatment of a different job site. (Picture book. 2-6)

Looong time No Speak

It's been something like 9 months since my last post! For all two of you out there watching and reading: sorry! But, I was creating a book as fast as my mousing finger could click and trying to get it done before the birth of our second son in April. Basically, it got done with a cover still due after Emory's arrival in our lives. It was all approved about a month ago and I've begun concepts on a next title.

But, I've also been working on a website design that brings back Stickman Studio on the web (has been defunct for awhile) and displays a combined portfolio of my book illustrations as well as my commercial work. The plan is to have this blog, the site, Twitter, YouTube and a Facebook page all working together.

Please view the teaser for Job Site on YouTube. It's due out in Spring of '11, and watch for an updated look and a more photo blog style at this site in the very near future.

Dubois Area Reading Council

Thanks to the teachers in the Dubois Area Reading Council for inviting me to their fall meeting. After a tasty dinner in the Huntingburg Elementary Library and short business meeting, we talked about how to both write and create artwork for a picture book. I spoke about my personal history leading up to getting published and some philosophy behind my book(s):

• Why are my words so spare?

• Is this work "realism?"

• Why the focus on man and machine?

I think everyone had a good time and gained some insight. Melanie commented that she used Drive in her Title 1 class to teach predictability. Once she presents a spread and the kids talk about what's going on, she then asks, "what do you think is going to happen next?"

Brilliant!

You Need a Website. Yes, You, Author!

You're an author. You need a website. You know you do. Your publisher expects you to have one. They're not helping though. What are your options? Hire a web developer? Yes, you could. I don't begrudge anyone his due, especially if he has an education and experience in a field and knows programming languages. Add visual design to the mix, and that person is worth his weight in gold. The web is a complex field and it's hard to figure out sometimes.

But, if you are in my shoes, where books are probably an avocation, which you continue to work at to turn them into a vocation, and you make only a buck or two per copy, you can easily outspend income.

I'm offering design for a basic web site. I've made my living for 20 years in one form of design or graphic arts or another. I've had experience designing for the web, but do not have all the development (coding/programming) skills. So, I do the visual set up, focussing on who you are, how you want to represent yourself on the web—kind of like a book cover for YOU! Then, I work with a developer who is prepared to do the basic coding for a basic site, to get it up and live.

It worked for Joyce Moyer Hostetter, it worked for me; it can work for you.

Picked Up Drive at the Library

Every little thing helps. I got a mention on the blog All Children's Books.