Jan Brett’s Blog

March Hedge a gram

Posted by Jan Brett in Jan Brett Posts on March 23, 2011

This is Jan Brett, with my March hedge a gram, the time I take to give an overview of my work as an author illustrator. I hope that all of you who are considering being an illustrator, or would enjoy a creative writing project for children will find my words helpful.

I’m focused on my turtle story, MOSSY right now, since HOME FOR CHRISTMAS I’ve completed with the exception of my “news notes”, the letter for kids that I write that goes along with every book.

I’ve written the mossy story, and my editor Margaret has read it and offered some suggestions. I think one of the biggest differences between a professional and a beginner is the ability to take instructions from one’s editor. The hard part is finding the right editor. A great editor like my editor Margaret, has a sixth sense about what the author is thinking, what motivates them, and how hard they are willing to explore their creativity. Margaret combines a sensitivity with a forward-looking practicality, which really helps me. For example, in my book the main human character is the biologist and director of a little Victorian museum. In the borders, and later, as the force that frees Mossy the turtle, a little girl makes an appearance. Margaret has asked me to think about bringing the little girl more into focus. This may seem like a small change, but Margaret knows I come alive when drawing the child/animal connection. I think I remember that part of my childhood with a lot of emotion and happiness. She is so smart to pick up on this.

I’m reading a book I picked up in Africa when I was there last month called THE ELEPHANT WHISPER by Lawrence Anthony and Graham Spence. I was really put off by the overused “whisperer” in the title, though the book surprised me by being illuminating and covered fresh material. It’s about a man who runs a private game reserve in Kwa-Zulu Natal, Africa and was suddenly given the opportunity to save a herd of displaced and traumatized elephants. Mysterious events unfold that reflect on the hidden intelligence and communication skills of the elephants, as he fights for their lives. A similar theme unfolds in one of my favorite books, ALEX AND ME about the parrot that stunned the scientific world with his abilities, by Irene Pepperberg. When I write and illustrate my books I like to think that there is always a subtext that “more is going on beneath the surface.” Certainly in our interactions with the animal world, the more respect you can give whatever creature you are with, the more the animal responses back. I raise exhibition chickens, meaning I breed them for certain traits, vitality and physical attributes rather than for food. I raised about 50 last year, and I kept the four best ones. All the others I placed with new owners. I’ve kept all of the cockerels (male under one year) in a huge pen. The pullets, there are about 10, have another pen. When I sell the pairs, the cockerels have never been with a pullet. You’d think by their behavior — always roughhousing and being tough with one another, that they would be bossy and rough with a pullet. But no! It was so sweet to see the two of them, standing beak to beak just staring at each other. The cockerel, if I could have put a thought balloon over his head, would be thinking, “Oh you are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen!” He then found the food dish, offered her food, and later when I looked in, he was in the corner, having found a thick patch of shavings, and was sitting down making a nest for her, talking all the time. Most people think chickens are dense and the males overly bossy when they obviously have a courtship ritual if given a chance. It really made me stop and think about my role as their caretaker since they are so powerless to change their own day-to-day environment. Sometimes I think that the same scenario that of giving others respect and opportunity, can help me think about the children I write for. I don’t really think about teaching in my books, but I like to stand outside myself, and judge what I’ve written with those thoughts in mind.

My favorite places to go when I was little were the museums outside of Boston where I grew up. We went to the Museum of Science, Museum of Fine Arts, the Boston Aquarium, and the Peabody Museum. In my mossy book I want to show my love for those collections that entranced me so much as a child. I love that feeling of being astounded that a particular bird or insect really exists when seeing it for real. I remember the first time I saw a Pangolin, a creature that is hard to describe but looks like an animated pinecone. In the next few weeks I’ll be doing thumbnails and a book dummy of Mossy. I haven’t written down my goals until now, I’m eager to get started, but I’m also daunted by the task. I do know I would like my story to have depth, embodied in the curiosity and perception of the little girl, and I would like the borders to reflect the fascination one feels at a field museum.

I hope you will be working on a longtime creative project of your own. Sometimes it’s good to have a philosophy first, then sometimes it’s better to go ahead and let your motivations reveal themselves while you’re forming your project. I think that’s what so attractive about writing and illustrating, there’s always a new route to try.

Happy reading, Jan

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February Hedge a gram

Posted by Jan Brett in Jan Brett Posts on February 23, 2011

HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

HOME FOR CHRISTMAS Page 22-23

This is Jan Brett, and this is my February hedge a gram, the time I take to talk about what I’m doing at my job as an author and illustrator. My book for the fall of 2011, HOME FOR CHRISTMAS, is completed. I just had my first look at the printer’s examples of the jacket. It is momentous to see the jacket for the first time because when I rendered the art, I had to imagine how the display type of the title, and my name would look. There is also a solid color border that is added which changes the look of the art, somewhat like a frame either enhances or detracts from a piece of art. Some of the images on the jacket have a spot varnish, which it makes it look subtly shiny, and gives the effect of more depth. If you have a chance, take a look at some of the book jackets in the bookstore. Art directors have lots of tricks to enhance the 10″ x 11″ shape or whatever that is the book jacket. The printer also has the ability to take the display type and raise it slightly, giving a 3-D effect. Even though I pay attention to the design of the jacket, it is the one time I take a backseat to the editor, art director, and designer. They have a lot of input. The team at Penguin is really great, and have always raised the standard for me.

There’s always a sense of sadness when I finish a book and have to say goodbye to my characters, and in this case, the beautiful landscapes of Arctic Sweden. On the other hand, it is a marathon and the end of a year’s painting, plus lots of time thinking and planning the story, even before putting brush to paper. Although I’m finishing the end papers — a decorative touch that I hope will add to the Christmasy atmosphere, I have already written the first draft of MOSSY the story of a turtle which means I’ve turned the page on one book and focused on another. It’s been seen by my editor Margaret and she likes it, so the largest hurdle has been overcome. My next step will be to do thumbnails — little sketches that fit a 32 page format, before making a book dummy. I like to sew the signatures and create a coverless book at this stage. I can patch over things if I need to, but I love the tradition of the sewn signatures. It gives my efforts credibility, even if it is only to myself.
I’m not going to another country for my MOSSY book. Mossy is an Eastern box turtle and they live in my geographic location in southeastern Massachusetts. I may have seen one in the wild when I was little. I know I saw a wood turtle — also a terrestrial one, about 20 years ago, and I see spotted turtles and red eared sliders in ponds. I wanted Mossy to be a land turtle, although there is one scene in my book, where Mossy speaks to another Eastern box turtle in a pond, it can definitely happen, I found in my research.
We constructed a turtle pond, hoping to attract turtles two years ago. It is deep enough for the turtles to hibernate below the frost line — 3 1/2 feet here south of Boston, it has built-in caves for the turtles to hide from predators like raccoons and flat rocks for sunning. Last fall we planted lingonberries and this spring we are planting strawberries. So far we’ve gotten a few frogs and I’m disappointed no turtles have arrived. Just south of us, within 15 miles, there is a small population of red bellied turtles, which are protected. I’m hoping to find out more about them because they’re endangered because of habitat destruction. Plymouth County where we live was filled with bogs, ponds and lakes after the glacier retreated during the last ice age, and we have a lot of wetlands in back of our house. No wonder I didn’t need to travel far afield for this book. In a way, the setting for MOSSY will be similar to THE EASTER EGG a book I wrote and illustrated in 2010 also set in my backyard.
I’ll need to give MOSSY a different sort of look. Much of it takes place in a small museum in the 1890’s, and I would like to show some of the museum’s collection in the borders — bird’s eggs, arrow heads, rocks, and minerals and butterflies. When I was in art school in Boston, I made frequent visits to the Peabody Museum at Harvard. I love that Museum, especially the folk art and artifacts from world cultures. They have the famous glass flowers that look exactly like real flowers. I remember going there with my little daughter and studying the mammals. There are so many details a person needs to be aware of when you are are drawing. I have a lot of enthusiasm for this book, and it is hard to rein in myself while I work out the plans for the borders, and fine tune the plot.
As for the future, I’m hoping to illustrate and retell THE TURNIP, a Russian folk tale, so I’m blocking out some time to take a trip to St. Petersburg next year. I still have a lot of work to do on the retelling, and that’s a challenge that I’ll think about when I’m running, or I’ll try that trick of thinking about of a puzzle in the story just before going to sleep. Then sometimes you come up with the answer the next morning. I’ll definitely need more of the story before I buy my tickets to Russia!
I hope February is the start of a new project for you, or a continuation of one you’ve got going already.

Your friend,

Jan Brett

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