Published on March 4, 2010 at 10:56 am
This is a continuation of my painting process series. If you haven’t read the previous post, you may want to start at step one. After I’m finished with my preliminary drawing my next step is to transfer that drawing to a nice piece of watercolor paper. I use a 300 pound hot-press paper, made by [...]
Published on February 28, 2010 at 11:53 pm
As I mentioned in a post at the beginning of the year, I am hard at work on artwork for my next book: Coral Reefs. This is the first post in a series describing my painting process. The first step is always brainstorming and sketching. I usually start small, and do multiple sketches to get [...]
Published on February 18, 2010 at 10:40 pm
A new study finds fluctuating levels of fog on the California coast which could have an adverse affect on coast redwoods. The study, conducted by biologist James Johnstone from U.C. Berkley, suggests that there has been a 30% decline in fog frequency along the coast in the past over the last century. Redwoods rely [...]
Published on February 9, 2010 at 9:30 am
The National Science Teacher’s Association has given Redwoods a great review, saying: “…this book [is] one that you will want to read over and over again. The adventure is beautifully depicted by illustrations that will leave readers in awe…” and “The book’s content, graphics, and unique presentation earned it a place as one of the NSTA/CBC Outstanding [...]
Published on February 7, 2010 at 5:09 pm
By now, everyone knows that increased carbon in our atmosphere is causing global temperatures to rise, but many people don’t know about another major impact that it is having on our planet: acidification of our oceans. When carbon in the air makes contact with sea water, a certain percentage of it is absorbed, and as [...]
Published on January 29, 2010 at 6:52 pm
This past weekend I presented Redwoods at the New York Transit Museum. The Transit Museum’s main attraction is their collection of old subway cars (which are really cool) and I got to read the book to a crowd of parents and children in one of them. After the reading, we did an art project. In [...]
Published on January 21, 2010 at 1:13 pm
Redwoods made this year’s American Library Association Notable Book list! Here’s a description of the notable book criteria from the ALA website: Each year a committee of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) identifies the best of the best in children’s books. According to the Notables Criteria, “notable” is defined as: Worthy of note [...]
Published on January 19, 2010 at 9:30 pm
Past Event. View pictures from this event here: I am excited to announce that this Saturday (Jan. 23) I will be presenting Redwoods to parents and children of all ages at the NY Transit Museum. The presentation will begin with a reading in one of the museum’s historic subway cars, followed by a presentation of [...]
Published on January 11, 2010 at 5:14 pm
A pioneering group of Californians is trying to turn forests that include redwoods into “Carbon Banks” according to NPR’s Morning Edition in a report filed this past November. The Conservation Fund‘s goal is to manage their forests in such a way that they increase the amount of carbon the forests absorb and retain. According to the [...]
Published on January 5, 2010 at 10:32 am
Right now I’m immersed in the world of coral reefs, but today my wife showed me this video, which was produced by the American Museum of Natural History. It shows our planet and it’s relation to other know objects in the universe–all to scale, and all in about 6 minutes. It gives a great perspective [...]
