Illustrated Envelopes Giveaway (and Letters to Klaus)

At the lovely gallery Illustration Cupboard, I had the chance to see an exhibit of beautiful illustrated envelopes sent to Klaus Flugge, founder and publisher of Andersen Press.  These envelopes were decorated by picture book artists that worked with Mr. Flugge, and were displayed in his office for years.  Now, 100 of these envelopes have been compiled and published in the lovely book, Letters to Klaus.  Publisher's Weekly wrote a nice piece on the story behind the book.

The gallery also had on display a series of envelopes made especially for this exhibit, all addressed to Illustration Cupboard, including one by Anita Jeram, one of my favorite illustrators.  I purchased a copy of the book, signed by David Mckee, who had been at the gallery celebrating the book launch.  And here is his envelope made especially for the exhibit.  Cool, right?

So I had the idea of making my own illustrated envelopes for a giveaway.  To enter, just leave a comment and a way for me to reach you (so you can provide me with your address.)  This giveaway is open to anyone, here in the US or overseas, and the winner gets one envelope addressed and mailed to them.  There are two envelopes, so there'll be two winners, yay!

Bunny and Bubbles

Ducks and Scarf

This giveaway is open until midnight, Saturday, August 3rd. Winners will be selected randomly from the posts and announced on Sunday, August 4th.  

Books About Picture Books

There are many books about writing and illustrating children's books -- I thought I would share with you some of my favorites.  These are books that have helped me learn a lot about the process, techniques and design involved in the creation of picture books.

Writing with Pictures by Uri Shulevitz
9780823059355

Illustrating Children's Books by Martin Salisbury
9780764127175

Illustrating Children's Picture Books by Steven Withrow
9782888930549

Also helpful are books in which illustrators share their experiences both in creating art and becoming professional illustrators:

Talking with Artists by Pat Cummings is a series of three books filled with personal interviews with illustrators.  Geared towards children, these volumes are just as enjoyable for adults. I first discovered them at the Children's Room in our public library (and soon got copies for myself!)

More recently, Show and Tell: Exploring the Fine Art of Children's Book Illustration by Dilys Evans is a must read, with terrific in depth chapters on 12 amazing artists, including one of my favorites, Betsy Lewin:

9780811849715

Do you have a favorite book too? Do share!

Spotlight on Books and Illustrators

It's been a while since I posted about books! I want to get back into the habit of talking about books and illustrators I like, and I hope to do so on a weekly basis. After all, this blog is about art and books!

Check out the work of Frank W. Dormer. So far he has illustrated two beginning reader books by Lori Ries and one picture book by Diana Hutts Aston, all published by Charlesbridge Press. The stories are adorable and the books have been well received. Frank's illustrations are a big part of their success. I love his style and technique: loose and expressive pen and ink line work and rich watercolor washes.

Look for his books at your public library :-)