My Advise on Picture Books in Uppercase Magazine

The new Uppercase Magazine is out! The theme is play and included is a healthy dose on the subject of picture books... it just might be my favorite issue yet! And no, it's not just because yours truly was invited to write a few words of advise for budding picture book creators, it's because I'm in such amazing company! There are features on John Klassen, Isabelle Arsenault and Oliver Jeffers (!!!) as well as some awesome advise from amazing publishing houses. And that's just a few of the articles.

As if that wasn't enough for me to be super excited, my friends from Collage Collage and the awesome toy shop Dilly Dally both here from Vancouver also happen to be featured in the issue. So yes, I really couldn't be happier with this issue! Number 14 Ladies and Gents! Go get your copy, check out my advise column and the rest of the magic.

A good list it is

I came across this list of 'The 20 most beautiful children's books of all time" on Flavorwire and they really are very beautiful indeed, but of course there sooooo many others that are just as beautiful as well... too many beautiful picture books... what a horrible problem to have;)

Lorenzo Mattotti

Every year, the International Comic Salon happens in Erlangen, the small town in Germany that I grew up in. And pretty much every year my good friend Ilse attends and sends me all sorts of things that she thought  I'd like. This year she told me that in case I hadn't seen the illustrations that Lorenzo Mattotti had made for Hansel and Gretel I had better do that asap because he had just been awarded the "Max und Moritz Lifetime achievement prize for his life's work and they would blow me away...  she was so right!

Mattotti is a genius when it comes to colour but these black and white illustrations for the age old story recorded by the brothers Grimm, really made me look, and look and then look some more. How fantastic are those brushstrokes? When you look at these images you are thrown right into the essence of the dark and scary tale and all of it's ghoulish landscape. Love these so much! Having said that, do check out Mattotti's other work as well. He such a talented, versatile and prolific artist.