Here is what happened in round 2 of flower hammering. I tell you, pansies make great prints! I don’t have much else of substance blooming yet in the garden, but I’ll keep experimenting as the season goes along.
This is what the cover paper looks like after hammering.
I tried hammering this batch of flowers on paper I’d already added color to. It turned out very nice by the end, and the flower prints give great texture. But I was a bit disappointed that the prints did not turn out as well as I had hoped. At least the yellow/orange ones did not. You can barely see the stem I tried, and darker bits where I added leaves.
The poor smashed flowers.
Here is try number 2. You can see where the prints on the previous page soaked through, which is cool. There is some beneath my arranged flowers as well. The bleed through is at least 2 pages worth. This page is all white except for some bleed through. I crammed the flowers, leaves, and stem with the hope of getting plenty of color.
This is how the back of the cover sheet looks after hammering. Things tend to move around a bit. I start out with the cover paper straight, but by the end, it’s all twisted. It’s hard to hold it still and not hammer your fingers!
Oooooh, yes! This is where I’m getting results. Just look at those pretty pansy faces on the white background! You have to gently peel off the petals, or in some cases, just let them dry and rub them off. Bonus: The cover page also has wonderful colors! I’m saving that for another project.
I LOVE this! I haven’t done anything else with this flower hammering page, but the ideas are brewing. Growing? Smashing? ;0
I did go back to the green background page and finished that mixed media project. I LOVE how it turned out! This is one of my favorites so far. The smashed flowers really add texture and the greens tie in so nicely. I saw another creator (several actually) who added circles to their art. So I played with some gold glitter acrylic paint. Wow! Perfect touch. You can see the other materials I used on this page.
Et voila! Stamp pads, rubber stamps, hammered flowers, chalks, washi tape, acrylic paint, colored pencils. Plus a stick for painting and an empty tape-dispenser plastic disc for the circles.
Have you tried flower hammering? Or creating of any kind? What is your favorite trick?
Most people bring a variety of souvenirs home from their travels. Sure. I do that as well.
But also, when I travel, I am consumed with seeking out . . . tote bags! No matter the gift shop, museum, tourist trap venue, my eyes and fingers are drawn to the tote bag display. It might be a problem. Let’s call it a hobby. We’ll all feel better.
My recent travels to Ireland and Italy garnered me 7 tote bags. SEVEN. And I was practicing self-restraint.
And once I returned home, I had an email from my local library. “Mention this email and get a bag for your library books.”
I mentioned that email when I visited the library to pick up books they were holding for me. And received a lovely orange tote bag! That ups my total to 8 new tote bags for about one month of excitement.
I love using my tote bags for various purposes. Or just hanging them up as wall art, because, really, they are artfully designed and created with humor, purpose, reusability, delight, and beauty.
What do you collect as souvenirs when you explore new locations or favorite destinations?
It’s so lovely when authors I’ve interviewed or featured on my blog swing back by when they have a book birthday for a new book. Congratulations, Amalia, on the October 1 release of your beautiful, very colorful Hanukkah Nights! Thank you for stopping by today.
Welcome, Amalia! Let’s get to it and learn more about your newest book.
What special traditions do you enjoy with your family during Hanukkah?
We always throw a huge party with tons of food and two homemade kinds of latkes: with and without onions. Each guest brings their own menorah and we light all of them. It’s a beautiful sight. We decorate the table with chocolate coins and sing many Hanukkah songs. After the 3-5 drinks, we dance to Klezmer music.
That sounds beautiful! The lights, food, singing, and dancing, what lovely traditions.
I love how readers will learn new ways to paint when they read Hanukkah Nights. How did you get your start as an artist and illustrator?
I always knew that I wanted to be an artist. I used to make fancy greeting cards for my family members on birthdays and anniversaries. And later I sold handmade greeting cards to a shop in Jerusalem where I lived.
My parents encouraged my passion for art and craft.
My mom used to stir shredded newspaper with flour over the stove to make Papier Mache and I made puppets for our family theater. My parents enrolled me in after-school painting classes and when I was a teenager, I spent the summer in an artist village in the Galilee where I experimented with mosaic, ceramic, and stained glass.
After high school I attended the Bezalel Art Academy in Jerusalem. Basically it was a very traditional academic school. I didn’t love it but I learned how to draw from a model, proportions and perspective. When I came to America, I earned my BFA Cum Laude from Pratt Institute and MFA from NYU.
I joined SCBWI so I could meet other illustrators and enrolled in many workshops. Then I got enough courage to work on my stories, accompanied with my own illustrations. I created a story, entitled Purim Goodies and eventually sold it to Gefen Publishing, an Israeli publisher that publishes mainly in English.
As I gained more confidence, I went on to illustrate many other books.
I love how your family supported you as you grew and explored your dream of being an artist.
How did you celebrate the October 1st, 2022 release of your new book?
Actually I participated in a huge book fair that took place on the same day, https://ryebookfestival.com/meet-the-authors So I rolled in Hanukkah Nights in a baby carriage. As usual, on every book launch, I got roses from my man & toasted with Champagne.
A baby carriage and a book fair! That is awesome! And what a sweetie to give you roses and toast you with champagne! Well done.
What is one tip you could give to new picture book writers and illustrators?
Don’t try to force yourself to work in a particular style that you think is popular. Trends change frequently and you’re better off perfecting your own techniques and styles.
Excellent advice. Thank you.
You have several wonderful books out in the world. What surprises are you working on now?
I have a new picture book coming up in 2024, but at this time I can’t provide details yet, only to say that I’m very excited about it.
I’m also working on a new board book and new picture book.
That’s wonderful, Amalia! We look forward to hearing more details as your new projects come to fruition.
Congratulations, Amalia! Thank you for sharing with us. All the best wishes for you, Hanukkah Nights, and your creative work.
Book buddies, be sure to check out Hanukkah Nights. Find a copy at your local indie or favorite bookstore and ask for your library to order a copy. Don’t forget to show some author love by leaving a review on Goodreads and/or Amazon. Thank you!
Prompt: monster (my monster is actually the drained fly; I prefer spiders to flies)
#Inktober52 is a weekly ink drawing challenge, one ink drawing a week for the entire year, 52 weeks a year.
I know I could never do #inktober for October, it just gets too crazy when I try to do something EVERY single day. But I am excited and challenged by the #inktober52. I think I can manage 52 weekly drawings inspired by prompts from https://inktober.com/. The part about having a week to complete a drawing helps me out.
“Jake Parker created Inktober in 2009 as a challenge to improve his inking skills and develop positive drawing habits. It has since grown into a worldwide endeavor with thousands of artists taking on the challenge every year.”
Here are my February drawings.
Prompt: dragonfly
Prompt: camping
Prompt: egg
Are you enticed to join me? It’s fun to play and use my imagination. And maybe I’ll learn a new trick along the way.
#Inktober52 is a weekly ink drawing challenge, one ink drawing a week for the entire year, 52 weeks a year.
I know I could never do #inktober for October, it just gets too crazy when I try to do something EVERY single day. But I am excited and challenged by the #inktober52. I think I can manage 52 weekly drawings inspired by prompts from https://inktober.com/. The part about having a week to complete a drawing helps me out.
“Jake Parker created Inktober in 2009 as a challenge to improve his inking skills and develop positive drawing habits. It has since grown into a worldwide endeavor with thousands of artists taking on the challenge every year.”
Ever tried to make the meanest, wildest, scariest monster? What if even a green tongue, pointy horns, creepy sharp teeth, and claws won’t frighten anyone away?
Join the frustrated artist on a hilariously hair-raising adventure where the scary and not scary mingle and lead to the discovery that overcoming fear and prejudice can bring about a wonderful FRIENDSHIP.
Welcome, Amalia! Let’s get to it and learn more about your newest book.
What was your inspiration for My Monsterpiece?
My inspiration for My Monsterpiece was the many years I worked with young children. I noticed that kids love to experiment with art. They explore many media and like to paint on paper plates, scraps of paper, and even grocery bags. This inspired me to create the illustrations for the book using kid-friendly art techniques and supplies.
I was inspired to create a book that will be funny and entertaining but will have a non-preachy message that when we free ourselves from bias and stereotyping, our word is more colorful and we can befriend each other even if we don’t look or behave in the same way.
-I loved that your inspiration came from the children!
What was the writing and illustrating journey you took as you created My Monsterpiece?
My Monsterpiece involved a monstrous journey of over 2 years, from the time I started exploring the idea and “playing with it” in my mind to the time it actually sold to Yeehoo Press. I spent months just making a whole menagerie of monsters. I worked with crayons, color pencils, chalk, poster paints, and finger paints. It was important to me that the monsters will be fresh and not over-done.
I had the story idea lined up but I went through dozens of revisions with agent Anna Olswanger. I shared my drafts with my critique group as well and kept tweaking the story.
After the book sold to Yeehoo Press, I had many conversations with my brilliant editor, Brian Saliba. We brainstormed over the phone and via email. Then, I went through a couple of rounds of revisions. When we felt that the story was tight and solid, I created a dummy—based on the new text, which was quite different from the original text. Since Yeehoo Press publishes simultaneously in English and Simplified Chinese, my dummy had to fit within the format and dimensions for both versions.
Once we were happy with the black and white sketches and pagination, I worked with the art director, Molly Shen, and the graphic designer, Xuyang Liu, on the final interior pages. Once these were completed, I came up with concept designs for the endpapers, final cover, and jacket design. We decided to make the jacket slightly different than the cover underneath, which is something that I really love about the book design. Also, the front endpapers are different than the endpapers on the end of the book. I believe that the endpapers are just as important as the interior pages in a picture book and I was delighted that the Yeehoo’s creative team agreed with me. We also spent many hours deciding what fonts to use and the colors of the lettering.
-It’s incredibly captivating to see how much work goes into a book when you are both author and illustrator. And the number of revisions. Wow!
What plans do you have to celebrate the release of My Monsterpiece?
I usually like to celebrate my book releases with author’s presentations. I already created a monster headpiece that I tend to wear when I present the story. It looks like a tiara with a monster head on it. I am planning very exciting Zoom and in-person presentations. My publisher, Yeehoo Press is putting together a book trailer.
I also plan to offer book giveaways and the publisher will have many freebies for costumers and for large orders.
-Great news! Hope all goes well!
I see your publisher is Yeehoo Press. What can you tell us about Yeehoo Press?
Yeehoo Press is an independent publisher who publishes in English and Simplified Chinese. Headquartered in LA, it’s part of Shanghai Yihe Industrial Co., Ltd, founded on August 2007. The company publishes over 200 titles per year with annual output value of $15 million.
-That’s pretty amazing!
Surprise us. What else would you like to share?
Apparently, I was a very temperamental child. When I got angry with my mom and dad, I used to punish them by tearing the greeting cards I created for their birthdays and anniversaries. Years later, when I visited my parents who lived in Jerusalem, I found an envelope with all the bits of torn art that my father saved. When I created My Monsterpiece, I showed the kid’s frustration by creating one spread that feature the kid’s torn monsters.
I remember that when I was about 8, I entered a contest, sponsored by a children’s magazine, to draw a scary witch. Apparently, just like the kid in my book, mine didn’t scare anyone and I didn’t win.
-Fascinating fun facts!
Thank you so much, Amalia, for sharing with us. Best wishes and congratulations on the upcoming release of My Monsterpiece!
To learn more about Amalia, her art, and her books, you can visit her at:
‘Tis the season of pumpkins, colorful leaves, cool nights, whipping winds, rustling cornstalks, frosty mornings, and cozy thoughts of snuggling in for the winter.
But I digress.
Fall. I love thee. I also love making rubber stamped cards. My quite comprehensive collection of autumn rubber stamps, combined with the even greater vast array of my stamping buddy, Alyson, provides ample fodder for harvest-y creations. I must note that one is NEVER done searching for yet another “favorite” fall stamp. The hunt continues!
I thought it would be fun to set the season dial to autumn and share a few card samples.
First, congratulations are in order to announce the winner of Baby’s First Nativity by Nomar Perez (Little Bee Books).
The winner is: Melissa!
Watch your mailbox, Melissa. I hope you enjoy this adorable Christmas board book. Merry Christmas!
And now, on to the book report.
All Colors
Written and illustrated by Amalia Hoffman
Schiffer Publishing, 2019
I won a copy of All Colors from Kathy Tremean’s blog Writing and Illustrating and Amalia Hoffman. You can read more about Amalia Hoffman here. Thank you to Kathy and Amalia!
Why I Love This Book:
~ The colors! I’ve seen colors represented in books many times, but usually the colors are introduced on a white background. It’s very interesting to see them on black.
~ The friendship theme (spoiler alert). We need books about being friends with others even if they are different than we are.
~ The board book. This is one durable book. Nice and sturdy for lots of use.
~ Kid-friendly. I read this one to my two youngest grands, and one immediately said, “Again!”
~ The art approach. I know this book can be used to help young readers feel confident in drawing pictures (instead of just coloring them). Each step is easy to replicate, no matter the age.
Amazon Blurb:
This board book introduces children to colors, textures, and parts of the body while conveying a message about friendship, celebrating diversity, and inclusion. As the reader turns the pages, colors are added one by one, creating the image of a boy. Different strokes and textures make up each body part, and at the end the boy joins his friends, all made of different combinations. All Colors shows that all people are made up of the same pieces, yet are all unique and full of color!
Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!
Need a fun board book that teaches colors AND how to draw a simple person? Check out ALL COLORS by Amalia Hoffman. #boardbooks #picturebooks #kidlit
Love, Laughter, and Life 