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What I’m Doing at Kirkus This Week,
Plus What I Did Last Week, Featuring Lane Smith

h1 September 1st, 2011 by jules

Tomorrow morning over at Kirkus, I’ll be writing about Brian Selznick’s much-anticipated September release, Wonderstruck. The link will be here. {Edited to add on Friday: The link is here.}

If you missed last week’s column, I weighed in on Lane Smith’s newest picture book release, Grandpa Green. I only might have said that this is only one of the most gorgeous and unforgettable picture books I’ve seen all year. Dare I mutter the “c” word? C-c-c-c-caldecott? Okay. There I said it. Definite contender, I would think.

As always, I’m here this week to show some art from the book, and Lane also sent some dummy pages, as well as “some tests I did to achieve the best look for the book (mostly varying pen lines)” … Lane said he re-did the illustrations a few times until he “got the balance right.”

I thank Lane for sharing, and you can click on each image to enlarge and see up close. (I may or may not be yelling that for emphasis, ’cause did I mention the illustrations are beautiful?) Well, a couple of images are not click-able, but knock yourself out and go absolutely crazy with unbridled clicking on the rest of ’em.

Enjoy …

* * * * * * *


“…before computers or cell phones or television.”
(final version of book’s opening spread)


Lane’s line tests


Tests for floppy-straw-hat spread


Dummy


Final illustration


Test for rooster spread



Left and right side of dummy
(Click each to see entire spread)


Final illustration



Tests for tree spread


Dummy


Final illustration
(If you don’t click to enlarge this beautiful spread,
my new Favorite Picture Book Spread from 2011, you will be missing out)

* * * * * * *

GRANDPA GREEN. Copyright © 2011 by Lane Smith. Published by Roaring Brook Press, New York. All images used with permission of Lane Smith.





11 comments to “What I’m Doing at Kirkus This Week,
Plus What I Did Last Week, Featuring Lane Smith”

  1. Wow. He’s good. Wowzies. Really good. Thanks for sharing!

         by Hannah Joy September 1st, 2011 at 8:25 am

  2. Gorgeous.

         by Samantha Vamos September 1st, 2011 at 9:55 am

  3. I am so excited to read Wonderstruck, although I just submitted my first order of the fall publishing season for the library, and it’s kind of one exciting thing after another in there.

         by adrienne September 1st, 2011 at 9:59 am

  4. !You do make me spend an awful lot of money on ‘children’s’ books! Wow. 🙂

         by Cat September 1st, 2011 at 10:02 am

  5. LOVE, love, love. This book is a must-have. Sigh.

         by Susan Gal September 1st, 2011 at 10:38 am

  6. love love LOVE!
    This book is beauterly, masterful, fabusome and awelous.
    Thanks for sharing these, Jules.

         by Maria van Lieshout September 1st, 2011 at 10:57 am

  7. How amazing! Can’t wait to see the book up close!!

         by Stacey September 1st, 2011 at 7:30 pm

  8. Wow, Jules. I clicked unbridledly .*fans face*
    Love it! Text and images are so elegant. What a beautiful tree. Makes “pretty old” seem pretty cool.

    I’m prepared to be WONDERSTRUCK soon!

         by Jessica Young September 1st, 2011 at 8:28 pm

  9. How fun to see his sketches!
    Just read this yesterday. It is stunning!

         by Nina Crews September 2nd, 2011 at 8:13 am

  10. Wonderful! Makes me think of the documentary: A Man Named Pearl

         by sarah diehl September 4th, 2011 at 8:06 pm

  11. beautiful. i’m buying a copy asap for our book nook!

         by Annalisa September 17th, 2011 at 8:27 am

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