Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Mind Your Manners…please.

Suppose You Meet a Dinosaur: A First Book of Manners by Judy Sierra politely hit the shelves this month. My newest book, published by Knopf features a cute little pig-tailed girl and a large spotted dinosaur with a small flowered purse.

From goodreads.com:
A little girl is shopping in a grocery store when—surprise!—she meets a dinosaur. Don't worry. The dinosaur is very friendly. She's polite, too. In this funny story, told in lilting read-aloud rhyme, the girl has numerous opportunities to be helpful to the clumsy shopping dino and demonstrate when to say "thank you," "excuse me," "I'm sorry," "You're welcome," and other niceties of life. Tim Bowers's whimsical illustrations bring an extra dimension of fun to Judy Sierra's hilarious picture book fantasy. Altogether, Suppose You Meet a Dinosaur is an entertaining and painless way to show preschoolers why basic manners are a good thing to have.

If you have a chance, check it out…please.



The art was painted with acrylics on 3-ply Bristol board.


I’ve been having some problems with the Bristol, lately. I have used it for over twenty years without any problems but something has changed in the paper. I’m not sure what. It is sometimes inconsistent with the way it responds to paint washes and makes it difficult to get a really smooth color wash. I contacted the company that makes the paper (Strathmore) but they couldn’t explain the changes. Another artist, C. F. Payne had the same problem and switched to another board. Are any of you having a similar problem? What board would you suggest? I want a good acid free surface that is thick enough for washes but not so thick it takes a forklift to get a batch of art to the post office. I’m using illustration board for my current book but I’m not wild about the cardboard backing on the paper.

…just wondering if you have any words of wisdom..?

7 comments:

  1. I had the same problem with the Strathmore and have a big box of it I can't use. I called them too, but got nowhere. They did send me a sample pack of their boards.Let me know if you find a substitute board.
    The illustrations are wonderful in the new book!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love your work:)The dinosaur details and expressions are amazing:)I'll look for it:)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Patti- I've been covering them with gesso and using my textured acrylic technique on the problem sheets. Oh, well... the search continues...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Beautiful work as always Tim! I'm not having a problem myself with it, yet I use watercolor pencil so I'm not laying down a lot of water--maybe I'll do a bit of experimenting? If enough of us call and question it, maybe they'll look into it?

    Have a good day!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Just found your site, Tim. Lovely work!

    I'm looking for a good illustration board too and wondered whether you'd solved your problem yet. I was thinking about buying the so-called 'artist's trading cards' that contain a selection of different types of board - link http://www.jerrysartarama.com/discount-art-supplies/artist-trading-cards/strathmore-artist-trading-cards-and-accessories/strathmore-artist-trading-cards.htm

    I'd like to try your technique of oil over sealed acrylic. Such a clean, fresh finish! Thanks for sharing your technique/tips.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello M S...
      Thank you for the comment. I've been working on canvas so I haven't ordered new illustration board but I'm thinking about trying the Cresent Premium Watercolor Board. It looks like a very good surface and has a acid free core. I'm not familiar with the trading cards. A variety of boards would be nice to compare... sounds like a good idea.
      Have fun experimenting and trying new techniques.

      Delete