My Blog has Moved - Come Join me Over Thither

at the Picture Book Academy

http://www.picturebookacademy.com/video-reviews.html

for my picture book teaching video reviews and other goodies

Do come visit and see the latest : )

Mondays with Mira - Teaching Picture Books - "Except if" by Jim Averbeck.

Hullo

In today's Teaching Picture Books Video Review we're going to explore Jim Averbeck's delightful children's picture book "Except if" and talk about what makes it so delightful,  briefly sharing how Jim went about structuring this book and his illustrating techniques. I hope you enjoy and forward to friends.

I'm also delighted to say that Jim is one of the featured contributors in the Art and Business of Writing Children's Picture Books e-course at www.picturebookacademy.com starting August 27th. Here he shares his writing process, which was super fascinating to me as it is very different than my normal process and one that I'll be experimenting with myself in the future. There are only 15 spaces left in this super innovative and empowering course so if you feel now might be the time for you to hone or explore your picture book writing skills click here http://tinyurl.com/7r54ejz (it's only 249 for early birds with the price going up to 350 in August). Let me know what you think about Jim's book and this video. I love getting comments and please share : )

Exploring four children's picture books and a currency of caring

Hullo all,

Normally, I feature a picture book or board book video review that includes teaching tips for aspiring authors or illustrators, parents, and teachers. But this week I came upon the finiteness of my computer and even tho I shot 3 enticing videos, I didn't have room to upload, edit, and transfer them (groan). I've been so busy generating juicy content for the Picture Book Academy course starting August 27th that I didn't notice how many gigabites I'd used (unfortunately video eats up hard drive storage and saving movies onto an external hard drive is more complicated than you'd think).

So just for this week (I'll have it figured out by next week) I'm sharing an article I wrote for a top art education journal about four picture books that have some deep content, exploring how they intersect within the contexts of time and culture and the visual culture of money. Hopefully you're intrigued.

Because I was a university professor at the time, some of the language is a bit intellectual and if you come across any dense bits, just skip them to get at the good stuff about how picture books often carry important messages.

I'm also redesigning my old website and working on the Picture Book Academy site, so to give you a teaser, here's some compilation images I put together of some of the many books my former students have published. When I have time, I'll create more of these fun collages.

Award winners Kathryn Otoshi http://www.kokidsbooks.com/ • Yuyi Morales www.yuyimorales.com

Award winners Deborah Underwood www.deborahunderwood.com • Youme Lansdowne  http://216.150.2.26/youme/ • Debra Sartell www.debrasartell.com • Felicia Hoshino http://felishino.com/category/portfolio/books/ 

Award winner Lea Lyon www.lealyon.com • Brian Gage www.briangage.com • Hugh D'Andrade www.hughillustration.com • Brooke Scudder www.brookescudder.com • Mati Rose McDonough www.matirose.com • Karen Stanton http://www.karenstantonart.com/

If you're ready to work with me and join a supportive group of picture book people, do sign up for the first online Picture Book Academy e-course on writing and publishing children's picture books with this link  - there are only 20 spaces left). 

And just a little FYI - Picture Book Writing and Publishing is a fun and empowering online course that comes with a money back guarantee and walks you through the steps of writing and submitting a children's picture books using a workshop format and lots of individual attention. It features fresh content 5 days a week from August 27th through October 7th including templates, pdfs, step by step directions, alternative approaches, critiques, written and video interviews with award winning authors, editors, and agents and much more. It is unlike anything ever offered before. At the end of the course, you will have a completed manuscript and cover letter targeted to a specific appropriate editor or agent. Questions? Feel free to email me at miraguy@gmail.com or visit www.picturebookacademy.com

And here's the link to download the article.

Reisberg Currency

Mondays with Mira and some really exciting news!!!

Last week I promised to share some incredibly exciting news and here it is for anyone interested in learning how to write children's picture books or board books. The Picture Book Academy is now open for enrollment with it's first online course - Writing Children's Picture Books for Publication. The course runs from August 27th through October 7th (with a week off Labor Day week) and is limited to 30 students to ensure lots of individual attention and critiques. 

Today is my first official day of announcing this course and there are currently 24 spaces left in what will be one of the most comprehensive, cutting-edge courses ever.

So the question is

Do you have a picture book in you?
One that you've already started that needs help? Or one that's been rejected and needs reworking to get at its essence with less words and more elegance? Or perhaps you are a total beginner with a tender idea that's hiding in there somewhere, longing to come out into the world? Then this course could be what you've been waiting for and dreaming of!

Guest contributors include Elisa Kleven, Yuyi Morales, Alexis O'Neill, Caroline Arnold, Ashley Wolff, agent Mary Kole from MoveableType Management, editor Brett Dubuque from Sterling Publishing, and Andrea Tompa from Candlewick Press to name a few. Course content includes everything from genres to easy ways of creating a dynamic plot, to creating compelling characters, to children's developmental stages, to creating concept and non-fiction books, to poetry and prose, to finding your ideal publisher or agent, to how the business works and much more. Wow - I hope you are as excited as I am and do tell your smarter friends.

Here's the link to the Picture Book Academy www.picturebookacademy.com and the link to the course details http://tinyurl.com/74ajmxw

And if you don't want to miss out and are ready to register now - click on the "homage to Maurice Sendak" button below to register for 5 weeks of incredible content in this life-changing and enriching adventure - for only $249 (it even has a money back guarantee).

Or you can always just click here: http://tinyurl.com/7r54ejz

Now for this week's delightful board book Two at the Zoo written by Danna Smith and illustrated by Valerie Petrone, where you'll learn about how Danna works with rhyme and the sweet relationship of a boy and his granddad as they go to the zoo and practice counting together. Wonderful text and equally wonderful illustrations. Lots to learn from this lovely book, which I'm sure you'll enjoy apart from the dreadful lighting making me look a little ghoulish : )

No No Yes Yes - Mondays with Mira -Teaching Picture Books

Last week I promised some more exciting news but it will have to wait until later in the week after my newsletter people get first dibs. Trust me it is super exciting and my apologies for not getting this out sooner, but life has been a bit too wonderful with my twin sister and nephew here from Australia.

Meanwhile I have something a little different for Mondays with Mira... it's a board book!!! And even tho it only has 2 words that are each repeated to make 4 words max., it is very far from boring. You'll learn a lot about board books and some of the many things that babies and toddlers need to learn to become socialized little people: )



And after that I'm including some pics that Leonie and I took of each other and of my nephew and our little vacation to Fort Bragg.We've had a wonderful time together and am so sad that it's coming to an end : (

 

 From our little vacay up North in Fort Bragg. This is Glass Beach

 Here's Leonie with one of her first mosaic pieces. Leonie's first Master's Degree was in Photography from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She was the first person in Australia to earn an MFA and Polaroid sponsored her many decades ago, supplying her with all sort s of cameras to test and push. As you can see I'm pretty proud of her. Her next degree was in Art Therapy from Pratt Institure where she also taught. Now she works with kids in Sydney www.kidslink.com.au
This pic below is one she took of her son, my nephew Sam, with my hubby Guy in the background.

 Here's Guy and me and Sam holding little portraits that Leonie and I made

 Here's Sam with the one I made of him (of course he gets to keep it)

 

 

 

 We went to a café in Fort Bragg and brought art supplies for a little art café experience. Always lots of fun.

 Must remember to look at this one whenever I think I look fat.

 This was on Leonie's camera looking out from her bedroom. Wild eh! These are galahs and they tend to be quite cheeky.

 This was supposed to be a professional head shot. We tend to have too much fun together.

 Me and Sam

 Me and the unicorn at Paxton Gate in SF. I think there's a resemblance.

Another of Leonie's beautiful photos

 And another

Photos by Guy

And Leonie. I hope you enjoyed : )

Mondays with Mira - The Little Mole Who Went in Search of Whodunit

Welcome back. I have some good news this week and even better news next week. But right now today's good news is that I just sorted through all my children's picture books, of which I had an excessive amount, have purged the ones that aren't spectacular, and made 3 big piles of truly wonderful books to share with you in this Mondays with Mira series.

I chose today's book because I wanted to talk a little more about how to create a plot driven narrative and this book is a terrific example. It also has some lovely onomatopoeia, which if you're not sure what that is you'll either have to look it up or watch the video. First, a little viewer warning, if you're at all disturbed about the idea of animal poop, you may want to skip this week's video because The Little Mole Who Went I Search of Whodunit features lots of animal poop in detail. Intrigued? I hope so.

Finally, if you don't want to wait until next week to find out about my exciting news, sign up for my free newsletter here -  http://eepurl.com/hJCmQ where you can always get the latest news, free gifts, and special offerings : )

Mondays with Mira: How to Write and Illustrate Picture Books - Lemony Snicket's The Composer is Dead

Hullo. Today's video for older kids showcases Lemony Snicket's The Composer is Dead. It follows the classic plot driven structure of introducing a problem in the beginning - here the very first page, and then having a series of obstacles that the protagonist or main character has to overcome before solving the problem. Where this book differs though is that there are no children, only adults, and the main character does not overcome the problem. Hmmm, you'll have to watch to see what happens.

What I like about this book is how the author takes a concept book and makes a plot driven narrative with it that teaches us everything we need to know about an orchestra in a really engaging way. It's a bit long - but then it's Lemony Snicket and I imagine he pretty much gets to do whatever he likes. I also LOVE the watercolor and pen and ink illustrations by Carson Ellis which manage to be both minimal and excessive at the same time.

Finally, I want to apologize for the video quality not being the greatest. We've been experimenting with filming in different spots in the apartment and I kinda got buried in the couch in this one and the light was not good. Marge was also a little overenthusiastic with the zoom for some reason. Next video we're trying a tripod and either back in the dining room, my studio, or outside. Having said all this, the video still has plenty of helpful information in it. I hope you enjoy it : )




PS If you want to meet the wonderful Marge - here's her website http://www.octo-mystic.com/

Challenges in making art - My responses to dealing with self-criticism, developing a style, finding time for creativity & more

A couple of weeks ago, I ran a contest and one of the questions was about challenges in making art. I really wanted to address as many of these as I could that I thought might be helpful for others as well and that also had multiple variations on the same theme. So here they are:

1. self-criticism
I wrote an article about this, which was guest posted on The Abundant Artist, a terrific resource for artists here's the link http://www.theabundantartist.com/critical-inner-voice-monster/  which if iI do say so myself : ) is pretty helpful!
We also do a fantastic transformational project for concretely dealing with this in the Hero's Art Journey.

2. having compassion for yourself
My favorite quote for this is from Stephen Levine in one of his books or one of the workshops I took with him and his extraordinary wife Ondrea years ago to - “Treat yourself as if you were your only child.”  Meaning that if your only child were learning something and wasn't a born expert you'd have tenderness and compassion for them and reassure them that they were learning and it was truly all OK. This beautiful thought also applies to any form of messing up, where you have compassion for yourself and then do whatever you need to make it as right as you can.


3. finding time for creativity, courage, and prioritizing
This is pretty core in our current overflowingly time-crunched culture. 
Here are several strategies:

• get up earlier to dedicate creative time
• work in small blocks of time
• block out sacred creativity time days or hours - if you block out hours set a timer to hold you accountable and get away from your computer and turn off the phone
• go away or get your family to go away so you can have a working vacation
• take a course where you have external accountability and goals
• imagine that your life depends upon it or better yet someone you truly love's life depends upon it because in a way - it does - listening to our heart's desires and acting on our innate creativity makes us happier and therefore healthier people and makes us kinder and more loving to the people around us making them happier and therefor healthier people

other time tips if you are a visual artist include: 

• working smaller and more portable. For example, I carry around some sheets of heavy weight paper or a sketch book and a piece of heavier back cardboard from a 9x12" sketchbook that I've torn off to act as an easel or small table, and whenever I'm stuck waiting anywhere I just whip it out and start drawing. Believe me the time flies and I get very happy.

• along the portable lines, I love preparing smaller wood panels with acrylic paint textures and shapes and then relaxing on the couch when I'm truly pooped and drawing on them with an assortment of pens and markers. I also sometimes take them in by bag with the pens and work on them when I'm waiting somewhere. The panels don't need any kind of support underneath and my knees work just fine.

courage
Yes it takes courage to be creative and to carve out time for something that may never have rewards that are commonly validated in our culture eg fame and fortune. But I do know from my dissertation research that art saves lives and that when you embrace that part of yourself, you're happier.

3. "getting past the fear of putting my art out there and fear of being successful"
Unfortunately the only way out sometimes is through. Do read the Critical Inner Voice article, which you might find helpful and take baby steps. Show your work in safe environments such as a course environment or among friends where you can get good helpful criticism. Learn as much as you can by taking courses where you improve your skills then start putting it out. Don't worry about getting successful. Your chances of that happening before you've put in a bunch of time and effort and work are slim. It does occasionally happen but it's rare. I love the extremes tho - am I good enough - to what if I get wildly successful. There's a middle ground worth seeking and always tell yourself -"I'm learning and growing." It really helps for whatever stage you're at both as a source of comfort and a reminder for humility.


4. how to teach art to others
Pay attention to what you like in how others teach and apply that to your own teaching. 
Read books on education and the art of teaching


5. "The fact that I can't paint or draw at ALL"
If you can drive you can draw or paint. It's as simple as that. Remember when you first learned to drive and how totally overwhelming it was and how reflexive it is now. It's the same with drawing. When you do one action e.g. putting down some proportional guidelines of where features sit in a face, and then you adapt them for a specific face, after a while you don't need those guidelines. You just know where they are supposed to be. The more you do it, the more skilled you'll become, especially if you have good teachers and really pay attention to what's around you and in front of you.


6. "Honing in on a style that truly feels my own"
Ah that's a challenge, especially if you like to experiment and try lots of different things. My style has definitely changed over the years but I think I have a specific look because I like bold shapes and color contrasts. I just do what feels right and true for me. Maybe put all your different styles together and see which speaks most to you or not worry about having one particular style and instead develop several bodies of work that are perhaps both conceptually and stylistically linked.


7. If my love for art will be overpowered by the reality of maybe having to put it aside to making a better living
This is where you have to decide what a better living is and how much you need. Here in the States we tend to sell our life blood for goods and it's not a good trade off. If there's any way you can swing working part time until you can either a) develop a following and decent financial return for your art, or b) come into a sweet inheritance, that's the best you can probably do (unless you have a partner who earns enough and is willing to support you). Reality sucks sometimes.


8. Someone mentioned the challenges of promoting creative works, which I'm not going to answer except to say it's all about social media these days - Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In, Pinterest, and having a blog. All major time sucks but also very rewarding in other ways


I think I answered all the comments and hope they've been super helpful


love xox Mira

Mondays with Mira - How to Write a Picture Book - Baby Bear Sees Blue!

(Quick note - for those of you who participated in the contest, my next post will be for you but as it's already Monday - this one needed to come first.)

How to Write a Picture Book (and Illustrate it too)

I've been talking about "first seduction then deconstruction" as a technique for teaching about picture books but I've decided to simplify my titles to How to Write a Picture Book (even tho it also includes illustration). Right now my technique involves reading the story and then going back and talking about what makes it work!

So in that spirit, today's wonderful book is from my friend Ashley Wolff who you can meet briefly further down in another post and in any of my online courses.

As you will see in this seemingly simple story, Ashley packs a tremendous amount in for very young minds as they learn about all sorts of good things in Baby Bear Sees Blue, using spare rhyming text and beautiful and clever illustrations. I hope you like it. This video is also kind of a love letter to Ashley who is one of the many gifts in the world.

Contest Prize Winners and a little more about mandalas and courage

Although I've won my share of prizes and awards, I always felt like a loser when I didn't so I created a contest where everyone was a winner and because some people had the courage to enter this contest and talk about things that were meaningful for them (fears or challenges around creativity), I made sure that they got even more bonuses. So, I sent hi res pics of some animal mandalas that were incredible fun to make along with instructions on how to make them using traditional materials as well as with Photoshop (more work putting that tutorial together than I expected). Here are some low res pics of some of their pressies/prizes. If you end up posting them please credit me and refer folks either to this blog or my FB page Mira Reisberg Art and Education : )

 

I love these weird funky peacocks and the negative spaces in between them.

This was a bonus worksheet from the Hero's Art Journey e-course teaching about symmetry and balance in composition (one of the foundational elements and principles of art taught in art school, or alternative art schools : ).

And my current favorite of abstracted flamingos that I created for the Photoshop tutorial today. As I wrote in the tutorial - it can be fun to really abstract things and see where they take your brain. This piece is called: "Dance of the Flamingos” or “Eight Birds Merge.”

And now onto the main contest winners. I used Rafflecopter for the first time and it wasn't as easy as I hoped it would be in selecting the winners. I think I confused it by giving everyone prizes. So I chose 2 of the big prizes randomly and 2 by comments.

Drum roll please .....

Julie Hedlund for the Hero's Art Journey e-course where she will learn to draw at last guided by lots of worksheets, video demos, me and the support of a small but super smart group of wonderful people.

Nicole Zoltack because I love her name and it sounds like a great fit for the journey (this is pretty random).

Skype Picture Book manuscript or art critiques:
Jennifer Young and Nadia Roldan - Hooray and congratulations to everyone who entered and still won something and Jennifer - thank you for your flexibility - it paid off.

In my next blog post, I'd like to address some of the really good comments that came up in response to the question about challenges in being creative. Right now I'm pooped and I have a movie to edit : )

Mondays with Mira: Teaching Picture Books Review - Elisa Kleven's Sun Bread

Major Blogger snafu, it didn't automatically post at midnight as scheduled or save and then Guy and I went out to see the Avengers in 3D (interesting mix of mythology and sci fi - but more and more I'm thinking all fiction is a form of myth telling). So anyway, here it is now - Mondays with Mira - First Seduction, then Deconstruction.

And today's picture book is the ever wonderful Elisa Kleven's Sun Bread. As you will see, this book is a type of myth making too and would be especially delightful to read to children on a cold wet day. Just a quick note that I didn't include in the video, although the rhymes are not perfect, the book pretty much is. The reason for this is that Elisa never loses the rhythm or flow in her language so that the words sail along like a good story should. I hope you enjoy. This book is one of my current faves.

Cool Contest Where Everyone is a Winner

Everyone loves to be a winner, so I’m running a contest from now until May 29th only. Everyone who participates gets to be a winner! So act fast!

Here are the prizes:

1st prize (there are 2) - Free admission into the life-changing Hero’s Art Journey e-course where you learn to access or deepen your art and life skills starting June 4th. Value $198.00 each! (More about this later)

2nd prize (also 2 available) - 1 hr free art or picture book writing or illustration consultation via Skype where I get to work my magic as the Picture Book Whisperer!

And everyone receives a free art gift of a totemic animal mandala made by yours truly with instructions on how to make them yourself just for participating.

Here's a low res peek at the totem animal mandala that includes some of the animals that are especially potent for me right now - sea-horses for love and fidelity and their ability to swim in and out of small places, leopards for strength and beauty, kangaroos because my twin is coming from Australia and I love how kangaroos can jump/aim high and bound across open spaces and they have a built in belly pouch that doesn't make them look fat : ), flowers because of the beauty they bring and the whole composition is about play - something I strive to have as much of as possible. 

I teach animal drawing and mandalas as part of the course but you'll get a sneak peek for making mandalas with this prize. I'm keeping it as a coloring page for you or your kids to play with and embellish in any way that you like using pencils, paint, glitter, whatever and am not sure yet whether I will refine it or not (kinda liking the roughness) and may play with it some more (not sure yet). You will also get instructions on how to make mandalas yourself either using Photoshop or by hand.

We do mandalas because they are incredibly calming and centering to both look at and make. Super easy and lots of fun!

 
Here's the easy peasy contest widget : )
a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway Here's a little information about the course followed by a short sweet video.

The Hero's Art Journey is for Very Beginning to Advanced Artists, Children’s Picture Book Illustrators and Authors, Therapists, Mothers, and Teachers, and anyone interested in exploring or deepening their art and life skills. It starts June 4th and runs through July 16th with a week off beginning June 18th. It is hosted on a password protected blog and gallery with fresh content 5 days a week, gentle critiques that push you, and loving community interaction.

The course is inspired by Joseph Campbell's work on the hero's journey and Valerie Frankel's on the female counterpart, which provides a frame to really go on a journey together. The Hero's Art Journey is very much for progressive thinkers who would like to explore their creativity in meaningful ways while also accessing their intuitive sides.


During the hands-on 6-week e-course starting June 4, 2012, you will:
Explore how fine art, picture books and mythology connect
Discover how to work with a wide range of materials and techniques
Uncover your own style and symbol language
Adapt the projects for you own needs Create art suitable for exhibition, sales, or inclusion in your children’s book illustration portfolio
Learn about the narrative arc of most fiction in your own life!
Connect with supportive and like minded artists

You get to do as much as you like to discover your sweet spot with as many or as few of these materials and techniques as you like: acrylics, watercolors, Victorian silhouettes, mixed media, collage, mixed media, stamp making, transferring images, drawing people, gods, goddesses, guardian angels, animals dragons, monsters or landscapes. I'll be providing video and written demos along with worksheets and downloadable pdfs to help - you get to pick and choose what works for you. We also have fantastically helpful guest interviews and tons of other goodies. Visit www.herosartjourney.com for more information (and to read the inspiring testimonials) or contact me at miraguy@gmail.com : ) Good luck with the contest. It's a good one!


AND if you are not a contest person - You can still enroll now at half-off with this link http://bit.ly/InCDa0

And now for the video!!!

Major blogger technical frustration in the post below this one - do read it if you are interested in hearing about our fabulous (but unnerving for me) Illustrators' Day.

If not just sit back and enjoy and watch our short and sweet Mondays with Mira teaching picture books video review. After filming it I realized I really  should have spoken a little about the bold shapes and colors which are very appealing for young kids and the ways different elements "point to each other" as well as how effective and artful the minimal use of text is in conveying this clever concept. I hope you enjoy : )

SCBWI conference and Mondays with Mira - First Seduction then Deconstruction - Dog Food

I'm thrilled to say I have a very short video today about idioms, vernacular language or sayings, dogs and playing with food. Short and sweet. But I have a rather longish post about something really exciting that I was involved with this weekend -

The SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) first ever Illustrator's Day conference for our region. I had the honor of helping to organize this with my illustrator co-coordinator Kris Aro McLeod and wonderful mentoring and assistance from our Northern California Central regional advisers Erin Dealey and Patricia Newman. We also had fantastic help from Catherine Felt (assistant RA) and Robin Howard and a great panel of published peeps including Lori Mortenson, Kim Zarins, Lea Lyon, Patti Newman, and Joy Allen. Super informative and very fun.

Because it's really hard in our area to get illustrators to show up we ended up broadening it to be for both authors and illustrators so each got to learn from the other. This created some challenges for our illustrious guests who really rose to the occasion.

We had Rotem Moscovitch from Disney Hyperion (who is one of the stellar editors from their award winning trade book (rather than mass market Disney characters) side of their publishing, literary agent Mary Kole of Moveable Type Management and KidLit.com and Ashley Wolff author illustrator of over 60 books. Wow! The talent was amazing. We also had great audience participation which also helped make it very successful.

Ashley is an old friend who recently returned from doing a school visit in India (way to go Ashley) and she brought me back a magical parasol from India.

Well it turns out I really needed that parasol. The night before I had terrible insomnia and when I did finally fall asleep in the wee hours had the worst nightmares that I've had in years. The conference room was tripple booked and I was trying to get football players and performing kids and 6'5" tall drag queens out the room so we could have the conference and I wasn't being prepared to introduce the guests and had flesh eating bacteria on my face and of course I ended up naked, except for a piece of foam in front of me, and really grungy underwear wherein I said "well the lesson in this is always wear your best underwear because you never know if you might end up like me." (How's that for a run on sentence? : )

I'm happy to say that none of this came true but when I introduced the faculty I used the magical parasol and it really gave me strength and confidence (thank you Ashley). Whenever I was flagging, I touched the parasol, getting energy and inspiration and remembered how lucky I am that I have so many fantastic friends and get to do meaningful work. I had to do a lot of thinking on my feet and had a few embarrassing moments but not too many. Cannot tell you how relieved I was when it was over.

And here I am with Ashley. This photo doesn't do her justice. She's an incredibly beautiful amazon.

For anyone interested in learning about picture books www.SCBWI.org is a fantastic resource and I'm delighted to be part of this organization. I'm also delighted to be teaching in-person and online courses like the Hero's Art Journey which explores the classic narrative arc underlying most fiction and mythology in our own lives while teaching very beginning to professional artists and children's picture book people lots of art and life skills using fine art and you guessed it - picture books. It's totally unlike anything else out there and includes video interviews with Ashley and lots of other amazing folks. The journey starts in only 2 weeks on June 4th, visit www.herosartjourney.com for more information or if you are ready to sign up use this half off link http://bit.ly/InCDa0 for only 99.00 And if you have any questions feel free to email me at miraguy@gmail.com

Mondays with Mira: First Seduction then Deconstruction - Elisa Kleven's Sun Bread

I had some technical difficulties with this film but it ended up being fine. I hope you enjoy this 10 minute video of one of Elisa Kleven's picture books "Sun Bread." With thanks to Marge Kalhor for filming it.

Mondays with Mira - Teaching Picture Books Reviews - Bootsie Barker Bites

Each week as I make these videos, I think about what would be most helpful for people writing and illustrating picture books in terms of technique and what publishers are looking for these days. I think this book fits the bill even tho it was written in the 70s it would still in all likelihood be published today because it is still very relevant and both the writing and art hold up well. I imagine if it were published today, it would probably be designed differently with better quality paper (at least in my edition).

So without further ado, introducing today's video review featuring the delightful "Bootsie Barker Bites," written by Barbara Bottner and illustrated by Peggy Rathmann. It's a cleverly written story with a great plot that starts on the very first page with a major problem that our heroine has to overcome. The illustrations match and extend the text in fun ways as the author and illustrator deal with the timely topic of bullying. Wait for the twist at the end. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Mondays with Mira: Pleasurable Picture Book Reviews - Our California

I'm so excited about this weeks review of the wonderful Pam Muñoz Ryan's Our California, beautifully illustrated with experimental acrylic techniques by Rafael Lopez.

This week you'll learn about rhyme, why editors hate it and one way to approach it, more about non-fiction and the experimental acrylic techniques that  Rafael uses in his illustrations and that I also teach in the Hero's Art Journey e-course starting June 2nd http://www.herosartjourney.com/

I hope you enjoy. This one is shorter than last week's. Whew!


Also thanks to Gurpreet Singh from http://www.tech-hacks.com/ for showing me how to make share buttons for my blog at last, and Elizabeth Stevens Olmor for holding my hand while I actually did them.

I also have a really embarrassing confessional guest post for her picture book blog of banana peelin slips ups. Her blog is awesome! http://bananapeelin.blogspot.com/2012/05/banana-peelin-with-mira-reisberg.html%20

So go forth, multiply and share : )

Mondays with Mira - Pleasurable Picture Book Reviews - Abe Lincoln Crosses A Creek

Today's pleasurable picture book review revisits the concept of postmodernism in this terrific unusual biography of Abraham Lincoln (and his friend) written by Deborah Hopkinson and illustrated by John Hendrix, published by Schwartz and Wade.

It's a longer story than usual (biographies usually have more text) but both the text and images are super clever in themselves and in their relationship. I hope you can put aside 15 minutes to sit back and enjoy me mangling a Southern accent with my mid Pacific neither fish nor fowl hybrid Australian/American accent as you learn about this terrific book and what this author and illustrator did to make it so good.



I also wanted to share that it's difficult to write a good publishable picture book biography. They're a hard sell in today's market unless they're done in really unusual and innovative ways as this book is.

Here are some authors who do it very well - Marissa Moss,Jeri Chase Ferris, Lori Mortenson, Kathleen Krull, Pam Muños Ryan, Nikki Giovanni, and Barbara Kerley.

If you have a passion for picture book biographies here are some tips for writing one:
Use an unconventional narrator or point of view.
Make it lyrical or full of fun idioms and vernacular language.
Focus in on one particular grand incident to create a narrative arc of how the hero of the story overcomes obstacles to achieve their greatness (see the Hero's Art Journey)
Find a fascinating character who has contemporary relevance and bring them to life e.g. Steve Jobs or Rigoberta Menchu (Nobel and other big prize winners are good but you could also write about someone really bad too like Joseph Stalin as a bully or some other deeply flawed character).

Here's a title of a Barbara Kerlin story that also acts as a primer on writing biographies - The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According To Susy) 

I hope you've enjoyed today's free  video review/lesson on picture book writing and illustrating, postmodernism, and biographies. Thank you Deborah and John for your wonderful book.

Please share this series with anyone you know who is interested in picture books : )

Mondays with Mira - Firefighters in the Dark and a little creative heaven

I had an amazing but exhausting weekend in creative heaven. First off was a truly fabulous Society of Children's Picture Book Writers and Illustrators conference on Saturday thanks to our awesome regional advisers Patricia Newman and Erin Dealey who happen to be super talented themselves, super smart and organized assistant RA Catherine Felt, my co-illustration coordinator Kris Aro McLeod, the many lovely volunteers and the fantastic speakers. Kudos to all (especially the leadership). I managed to film two of the editors (who I also fell in love with) asking penetrating and hopefully super helpful questions for my upcoming courses at the Picture Book Academy, and they were both super insightful and very generous : )

Then today I went to San Francisco with one of my students from the last Hero's Art Journey course and we took a class with Maya Gonzalez. Maya contributed to the Hero's Art Journey course and will also be featured in the Picture Book Academy. I did my first Mondays with Mira on her one of her books, My Colors My World, and absolutely adore her and her brilliance. Maya is also putting on what will be a fantastic mini conference on radical self-publishing May 12th in San Francisco and she even has some scholarships. Here are the links www.reflectionpress.com/conference and www.reflectionpress.com/scholarships

I've known and worked with Maya for over 20 years and everything she does is extraordinary.

I also want to give a shout out to folks about our upcoming Northern California Central Society of Children's Picture Book Writers and Illustrators Day in Rancho Cordova (near Sacramento). All I can say for now is it will be incredible and intimate. Here is the link http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e5iax92k36da453f&llr=bvqcu5dab do check it out.

The class Karen and I took with Maya was on Ink and brush as teacher. It was intense and brilliant taking both of us places we didn't expect to go. We spent the day drawing and painting hands but connecting them somatically to the rest of our bodies using inks, which are kind of challenging as are hands. We meditated and painted and discussed and if I have time, I'll post my pictures and tell you about the process later this week. Of course I'm super pooped but I wanted to get this up and out for your viewing and listening pleasure first thing on Monday.

So it's onward and upward to Mondays with Mira, First Seduction then Deconstruction - Pleasurable Picture Book Reviews!!!!
Today we're going to take a quick peek at Postmodernism in Picture Books with the delightful book Firefighters in the Dark, written by Dashka Slater and illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli. So settle down and have a watch, learn a little about Postmodernism and be prepared to go where you don't expect to go. You can find out more about Dashka at www.dashkaslater.com



I hope you enjoyed Firefighters in the Dark as much as I did and do check out the Hero's Art Journey half-off special here www.herosartjourney.com and let your friends know : )

Hero's Art Journey Limited-Time Half-Off SPECIAL!!!

My last Hero's Art Journey course was so wonderful that I decided to give a limited-time half-off special. From now until May 3rd only, you can join this wonderful adventure for $99 for 6 weeks of inspiration, education, and empowerment that will last a life time, starting June 4th 2012 with a week off June 17th-24th. All course materials will remain available for another 3 weeks so folks can take it at their leisure.

This course is geared toward very beginning to professional artists, therapists and teachers, aspiring or experienced children's picture book creators, and adventurers on a spiritual path.  

Rather than tooting my own horn - here are some testimonials:

Hero’s Art Journey provided me with a bounty of information on art history, materials, techniques, and interpretation.  The projects elicited tremendous self-reflection in a nurturing environment.  The gallery of gently critiqued shared artwork, was one of the most valuable parts of the course—I couldn’t wait to see what everyone created each week. Mira fosters a nurturing and supportive environment in which everyone is comfortable being creative, vulnerable, and honest. This course is relevant to both skilled artists and beginners as you are free to work at your own pace and to focus on your own growth as an artist. 
~ Jennifer N. (elementary teacher and beginning artist)

Thanks to you, I've learned oodles about technique and come to the end of the course feeling richer in very deep and personal ways Thank you for all your hard work, but especially thank you for your honesty and for sharing your open-hearted generosity with us.  Nancy L.

If you need someone to push you outside your box I highly recommend taking Mira's course. Even if you're not sure you have the time, its still worth every minute you can squeeze in. Attending Mira's course is like having a personal trainer. And, the input from all the other students builds on the entire experience. Through her concept of 'hero' I was able to identify with the themes and truly take my 'journey' to the next level. I feel 'unstuck' after several years of spinning. Just do it! Really! ~ Kary L. (professional illustrator)

Your course is Fantastic! The depth and breath of it, in every direction, is really astonishing. Even though some of the course content is not new to me, I love the way you have organized it. I can see they way you are thinking and processing information and I feel so much admiration for you. I also love to see how many people dare to do art thanks to you!
 Thank you for including me is this journey. ~ Elizabeth G. (Fine artist, contributor, and children's book illustrator)

Wow, so many great demos. I think I'll do stamps, no, maybe water color, but maybe gouache would be better. Or texture and stamps. So many options. Since we have a breather week coming up, I'll continue mulling for a while. Loved all the demos. Thanks! ~ Sherry York (artist and picture book expert)

Because we are on-line [we] can go at our own pace, taking and leaving the parts we need or don’t, I like that there is lots to look at and think about.... You give so much more... than what you are charging for it.... 
I’m getting more courage, a little braver with each piece that I work on. I also really, really enjoy seeing everyone else’s work.  There are some amazing artists in our class! ~ Karen Jonsson 

 As a beginner, I love all of the content, the demonstrations and ideas. I am tucking it all away in parts of my new artist’s brain. I am a person who paces myself, so I see this being in my life for a long time.... I love the interaction on Flickr with many of the artists who have been at it for a while. I love how they use the big official words and I look them all up. It is like learning a new language. It is fun to listen to the critiques, as I learn that way.  What I do is from such an intuitive, non technique, non-classical, unsophisticated place, that when I hear what people are commenting, I learn it backwards! Its how I roll. I hope I will always maintain a beginner's mind.

I love your gentle, open spirit in this class and your willingness to be vulnerable and pass on your years of wisdom.  ~ Wendy Sullivan, Wind Gypsy (CowgirlzSpa)

Mira has been a great inspiration and has allowed openness and vulnerability in her class. Her honest approach and caring for her students is encouraging.  She brings knowledge and experience that is invaluable. This has been a wonderful course that has taught me valuable skills that I will continue in the future. - Carrie Thebo, therapist

The course has been a wonderful mix of 'everything'. Life happens and art happens, and this class is a wonderful catalyst for making art happen while life goes on it's busy-body little way. ~ Kirsten Carlson (artist)


I love teaching and empowering others. I create a safe and inspiring community to help people access or deepen their creativity, finding more joy to learn different ways of doing and seeing things. Do join us.


 

Everyone creates work that is uniquely theirs in the course. Here is a piece that I recently made from one of the pieces created for the last Hero's Art Journey. Yep, it's peeling the layers of the old onion getting deeper and deeper.Still not finished but I'm happy with my work in progress.