Mazza Moments

I attended the Mazza Weekend Conference this weekend. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, the Mazza Museum is part of the University of Findlay. It celebrates the art of picture books. The museum has original art from thousands of picture books displayed as gallery art. It is inspirational and educational. Every November, they bring in several artists to talk about their work. Here are my favorite moments from those authors this year:

Marla Frazee (Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever): "Illustrating a book is like house hunting. There are many beautiful ones you want to look at, but few you'd actually want to move into." Picture book art must carry as much of the story of the book as the text does. It propels the action and provides surprise. When the text and the art are the same, it falls flat. But when the text and the art are different, that is the surprise and the humor. (See her book "Everywhere Babies" for an example of what she is talking about. The text is sweet, but the illustration is of a messy baby.) "Baby steps are not easy! The first step we take is always the hardest." Sales and marketing have much more to do with picture book design than we realize. If that department doesn't "get" the book, forget any promotion for sales. Her latest book went through several cover designs and title changes before marketing would back it.

Beth Peck (How Many Days to America): spoke mostly about her research process for her newest book, "Just like Josh Gibson." Part of her illustration process is to photocopy her art to make it darker. For 7 years, she went to the local pharmacy to use their copier. She finally got her own copier for her studio.

Alexander Stadler (Beverly Billinglsy books): very funny!! Probably my favorite presenter. His first book was rejected 25 times. When finally picked up, he was told "You can't write, but you can draw." His editor now claims she never said that! He has moved from picture books into j fiction (semi-graphic novels "Julian Rodriguez" books--published in Spanish and English). He is now working on a YA novel, too. Detail is what makes the story--in the text and in the drawings.

Marc Tyler Nobleman (Boys of Steel): Mainly an author, but also a cartoonist. His latest chronicles the life of the 2 guys that created Superman before it was basically stolen by DC Comics. I did not know that they were from Cleveland! He also talked about how details are important, even if the author/illustrator is the only one who knows about them. For example, he found out that Joe, the Superman illustrator, was left-handed. So, in every picture that shows him drawing, he is doing it left-handed. Most people won't realize that, but it was important to him to be accurate.

Christy Hale (Those Calculating Crows): When she was in 5th grade, her teacher read them "Harriet the Spy". She and her best friend spent the summer running their own detective agency, complete with disguises. While working on the "Elizabeti" books, she had to get permission from the publisher to contact the author. (This is frowned upon in the publishing world, for some reason.) She wanted more info about Tanzania, and the author sent her some fabric that she eventually worked into the designs for the characters' clothing.

Kevin Hawkes (Library Lion): another amusing presenter. Humor has to play a part in his illustrations, even for non-fiction books. He illustrated 'The Librarian who measured the Earth" and did tons of research on ancient Greece. At one time, the library in Alexandria was largest library in the world. Now, there is nothing left. Hawkes believes this is due to "budget cuts." He changed his style greatly to illustrate "Library Lion" on purpose. He moved around a lot as a kid, and the library was the one constant he had. The books were his friends that never changed. So, he wanted the pictures to feel warm and like "comfort food." "They couldn't be wild like my other stuff."

I encourage you to make the trip up to Mazza just to see the museum. It is well worth the trip!