These beautiful drawings of Eva Nine were created by a fan named Neil from Buxton, Maine.  Neil is both a budding author and illustrator who is currently cooking up an adventurous tale called The Chronicles of Mavrik.  The story focuses on a troop of Minotaurs who live underground and are plotting to take over the world (awesome!).  Neil did a great job here capturing Eva’s upturned nose and her wild hair style.  Best of luck with your book, Neil and thanks for these perfect portraits of Eva!

Twelve year old Noah from Elk Grove, California rendered this awesome drawing of Eva Nine riding in one of Orbona’s weird wandering trees.  I love that he added roosting turnfins, too.  Nice work!

Last but not least, we have a beautiful portrait of good ol’ Rovender Kitt.  This drawing was created by Maddie, the daughter of an alumni from my old high school, South Fork high.  I met Maddie at the Decatur Book Festival last fall where she gave me the drawing in person. As I said, I am touched when I see that my stories and pictures inspire. Thank you all for these fantastic renditions, you all have inspired me.

Keep drawing, keep dreaming everyone.

The discussions questions are thoughtful and true to the thinking I used in writing the story. For WondLa, you get questions like this:

What elements make up a family? Does color, size, or shape make a difference in these elements? Is it possible for a robot to be a family member?

and:

Lewis and Clark, John Audubon, and Charles Darwin are all greatly admired people who captured “new” creatures, observed them, killed them, and dissected them all in an attempt to understand them. Are Zin, Besteel, Queen Ojo, and the taxidermist any different from these men?

For Kenny, you also get discussion questions as well as cool activities like:

You can download the pdf file by clicking here.

Also, I’ll add it to the WondLa Book Page, where the other book-related activities reside. In particular, the Spiderwick Activity Pages are fun. Where else are you gonna find the recipe for Faerie Porridge?

Also, I’ve added a blog category “For Teachers” and have tagged a few older posts that I thought would be relevant to activities and book study on the class and library. Enjoy!

This book is aimed for elementary school libraries. The reading is fairly easy (suggested levels are grades 3-6) with the main focus being on how I came to be an illustrator, along with some career highlights.

I never thought myself worthy of having a book written about my life, which is why I’ve yet to do an “Art of Tony D” book. Besides, I am always looking forward to my next project, with that feeling that I am on the verge of the next big artistic breakthrough…though looking back, I realize I have accomplished a few things here and there. You don’t really realize it as you are experiencing it, only in hindsight does it become a bit more clear.

I like this series of books. Not because I am the subject for one, but because they focus on illustrators (both past and present) who have had an impact on children’s publishing. 10 year-old Tony would have LOVED this series.

Retailing for a mere $7, here are seven reasons why you may enjoy this story.

1. Lot’s o’ art. I created over 50 pencil drawings of Kenny and company for your viewing pleasure. From quiet, reflective moments like this:

…to awesome scenes like this:

2. Dragons rule. If you haven’t figured it out by now, there is a dragon in this book. A big blue one who loves Shakespeare and eating.

3. Hogsqueal makes a cameo. Don’t believe me? Turn to page 81.

4. Did I mention it was a New York Times Bestseller? That still thrills me.

5. Sneak a read at The Search for WondLa. We put chapter 1 in there for your additional reading pleasure.

6. Ever read Kenneth Grahame’s The Reluctant Dragon? This is a big ol’ valentine to that childhood favorite of mine.

7. What else can you get for $7? Two frappuccinos? A 12-pak of Charmin? A couple of gallons of gas?

I hope you enjoy this story of friendship and family as much as I did creating it. It still holds a warm place in my heart (next to Ted, of course).

This year’s theme is one that is near and dear to my heart: “If I could travel in time, I’d visit…”.

Come on! How cool is that!?

Kindergarten through 12th grade artists can participate. In fact, here is a nifty video that explains it all.

My Spiderwick collaborator, Holly Black and I will be part of the esteemed panel of judges, which include fellow children’s book star, Mo Willems, as well as singer, Katy Perry(!) Finalists will be flown to New York City to join the judges in announcing the winner on May 17th.

So what are you doing still reading this? Go! Get drawing! I look forward to seeing some familiar names in the final judging.

A sneak peak at the final product and now for a look at a few key points on how Brittany created her masterpiece…

Brittany begins by virtually “sculpting” Ted.  Throughout her 3-D model making process she uses a few different programs including Maya, Zbrush, Mari, & Maya Mental Ray Rendering.

Next step Brittany sheds Ted of his accessories and begins to add his illustrious texture and color.   She’s done a great job giving him that lovely pink complexion that we all know so well.  Looking good!

A wire frame is added to help give this wacky gent some structure.  You can see the virtual wire stretch over Ted’s larger body parts.  Looks like he’s gotten into those raspberry treats again…

And with a bit more work and dedication Ted is complete!  I love how Brittany relaxed his ears and rendered him to such a welcoming pose – inviting us to whatever party he’s off to next.  This young artist has much talent and I am sure she will do awesome in her future career.  Thanks for all your hard work Brittany, I wish you the best of luck!

Keep drawing, keep creating, keep dreaming!

The year started out with the announcement that The Search for WondLa was Al Roker’s Book Club pick for the Today show. Though I wouldn’t be on the air for the segment until March, I was giddy with excitement. This was a great validation for me right as I returned to Orbona to pen the second book of the WondLa trilogy.

To me, the sophomore book is the make-or-break for a series. As a reader, I now know the world that the characters inhabit when I crack open the second installment, so I don’t need everything explained to me. Instead, I want the plot to become more tangled with troubles and the stakes to become significantly higher. I want to know who the true antagonist is and sense a premonition of where the story is heading…at least, that was my thinking when I sat down at the computer in January and typed away on Hero for WondLa.

To me, nobody did a second-book-in-a-trilogy better than J. R. R. Tolkien. In March, I reported on a lesser-known story from back in 1967 when there was the possibility that Maurice Sendak would illustrate Tolkien’s classic, The Hobbit. In my sleuthing, I located the whereabouts of one of Sendak’s sample Hobbit pieces and shared the story in the LA Times (with much help from Geoff Boucher and Gregory Maguire).

My diversions remained brief throughout the year, as I had to keep Hero for WondLa my main focus. However, I did receive fantastic news that I had been named as a Global Ambassador for the Starlight Children’s Foundation. Starlight is a charity very near and dear to my heart, as Angela and I have spent our share of time in pediatric hospitals when our daughter, Sophia, was younger. No child should be denied the opportunity to read the latest book or attend an author event, so I am honored to bring both to readers staying in hospitals across the US and UK.

Speaking of the UK, I enjoyed a wondlaful tour at my home away from home this fall as I promoted the release of both The Spiderwick Chronicles and Search for WondLa in paperback. I was joined by friends like Sarah Bolger and Chris Riddell, making this particular tour very special for me.

I returned home from tour in October and switched hats from author to illustrator. I spent the fall sketching up the interior illustrations for Hero and pushing myself to render things that don’t come naturally to me (like architecture and machinery). Thankfully, I had inspiration from past masters, like Giovanni Piranesi, who had also been an inspiration for the architecture in Planescape.

Once the sketches were completed, I began inking (seen below). The detail in the inks far exceeds what I did in the first WondLa book (click for higher-res image).

With help from digital-artist-dynamo, David White, flatting in the basic color fields for me, I am now finishing the images for Hero. The book will be completed to go to press at the beginning of February for its May release.

It took me a solid year to write and illustrate this novel. It was an intense year of self-discipline and pushing myself to see what I was capable of. But it was a gratifying year to know that I was able to create something completely drawn from my own imagination. I thank you all for supporting me and allowing me the opportunity to dream big. I hope the you find this one is worth the wait.

All my best to you in the coming year. Its going to be an exciting one!