Designing the "Will & Whit" Cover

Designing the cover of a book is a challenge.  Because, just like the saying says, it's what people will first judge it on. So I thought I'd share my new book cover along with the process behind it...

Recap: There are a lot of themes in my upcoming graphic novel "Will & Whit," but the most important one is light and dark.  My main character, Wilhelmina (Will), has a passion for making lamps partly because she likes to tinker with old things and partly because she's afraid of the dark.  But when Hurricane Whitney (Whit) comes to town and knocks out the power, she's forced to face her fears and the shadows that come to life around her.

For the cover, originally I thought of using a spotlight and shadow puppets since they're a fun motif that's featured in the story...

  

After feedback from my art director (Chad Beckerman) and editor (Maggie Lehrman) over at Abrams, I changed the design to feature Will's shadow more prominently.  So I made some digital mock-ups...

But the title needed to be more interesting,  so I drew it as something that would hang in Foxxden Antiques. (It's the family business where Will helps out her Aunt.)  And surprisingly we then ditched Will altogether, replacing her instead with a silhouette...

And the folks at Abrams went for it!  Which I found surprising, because neither one of the figures on the cover is Will or Whit.  It's instead foreshadowing a vital scene later in the story.  I worried it was too enigmatic or misleading.  (I mean, the title features two boy's names that are actually girl's names!) But hey, what's wrong with a little mystery??

So here's the final result. Ta-da! It's scheduled for release in May.

And if you look closely....I snuck in a pair of eyes in the bushes on the right side.

{If you find this design process interesting, here's my blog post about making the "Page by Paige" cover!}

I'm DONE penciling "Will & Whit!"

Hooray!!

 

 Ugh, penciling is the most frustrating and challenging part of the whole book production process for me. It requires endless decision making, visualizing the sets and character's movements, getting the characters consistent, designing the locations, rearranging layouts, drawing all those pesky hands and noses, etc. The past few weeks in particular it was getting really hard for me to stay focused with this summer weather, so I am really thankful that this step of the process is DONE.

Last week I took all the penciled pages on a field trip to the Abrams offices over in Manhattan. Check out my book baby, all 182 pages of drawings! It's taken me 3 months of being a hermit in my studio 7 days a week to draw it all out.

 Here's my editor Maggie Lehrman and art director Chad Beckerman, as they scrutinize the book.  I asked them to "look concerned" for this photo, despite the fact that they didn't have many critiques. (Thankfully!) It's a bit scary drawing out a whole book without someone else seeing it.

And I thought I should share a few of the FINISHED penciled pages! My scanner doesn't pick up the blue pencil that well, so these are photos even though they're not the best quality. Shrug.

Here's Will in her room working at her desk, when her shadows first appear. Will ended up looking nothing like my sample drawings of her!

 

Here's Will surprising Reese on her birthday, with her best friends Noel and Autumn...

 

  

Here's Will meeting the kids who are putting on the arts carnival: Blake, Ava, and Desmond.

In some sections I had a lot of fun with the layouts. For instance, when they go mattress rafting I used only trees and water ripples to divide up the panels.

So what's the INKING gonna look like? Well, here's a process shot from one of the first pages I've started inking just this weekend. Very undone, but you can get the idea.

We'll see where things go! It'll take me 3 more months to complete inking, so come November I'll have some more fun show-and-tell. Stay tuned!

 Currently Reading: A Wrinkle in Time (graphic novel)...written by Madeleine L'Engle, adapted and illustrated by Hope Larson

Recap from San Diego Comic Con

I am finally back at my desk here in Brooklyn, what a whirlwind! Here's my SDCC recap...

Let's see...on Kids Day (Sunday) I did a signing at the Abrams Table. Everyone was so supportive!

I gave out my Paige inspired easter eggs to folks, and dropped some in the bags of people walking by. It included some of my Mermaid Parade glitter from a few weeks ago.

 I was up for an Eisner Award, which I didn't win. But honestly, I didn't care because I felt so honored to be there in the first place! I was definitely battling a Wayne's World style "I'm not worthy" complex.

 

Abrams had our own table! My publicist Mary Ann was a fabulous partner in crime for the evening.

There were many amazing presenters, but the geek in me was especially excited to see Battlestar Galactica actors Tricia Helfer and Michael Trucco!  (I've actually hosted a couple BSG themed events in the past...)

I finally got to meet some folks who I really admire, such as new Eisner winner for Best Artist/ Writer Craig Thompson! I mentioned his book latest book Habibi a few months back.

 And amazing female-empowering comic historian/ artist/ writer Trina Robbins!

And I crossed paths with some NY comic friends, such as Smile writer/artist Raina Telgemeier.

And fellow Jugs & Capes member Colleen AF Venable, who was also nominated for an Eisner Award! (For Best Publication for Kids) Here we're holding "Izzy," my fake Eisner award/ swiped coconut centerpiece.

 And I was excited to see my former studiomate Reilly Brown who had a table in Artist Alley.

And I must give a shout out to Adrienne Lombardo and the New York Jedis. Jedi photo bomb!

What about the convention itself? Well, I went to some great panels, a Tr!ckster workshop,gaped at many fabulous costumes, and had some zany adventures. I've posted ALL my pics on Flickr.

 My constant traveling companion Mr Duck came along, and he made many new friends.
To see all of Mr Duck's pics, click here!

It was a professional goal of mine to make it out to SDCC, so I am very thankful I was able to make it happen. I'm so lucky that I get to be a part of this community! Thank you everyone for your continued support, especially now that I'm delving back into "hermit mode" here in my studio. After seeing so many inspiring artists there, I am determined to make Will & Whit as amazing as possible!

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Currently Reading: Imagine by Jonah Lehrer

10 Year Art-niversary! 700th blog post! "Will & Whit" dummy!

So tomorrow makes it exactly 10 years ago that I stated my very first sketchbook, seriously making art for myself for the first time.

Then it was 5 years ago that I moved to New York thanks to an amazing opportunity from Jamie Bernstein, who just happened to give me my first graphic novel.

And now here I am posting my 700th blog post
(that's a lot of art over the years!) as I'm making a second book for Abrams and prepping my table for MoCCA Fest?! The serendipity of it all isn't lost on me. I am beyond grateful, so I THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all the support over the years!!

***

Okay, enough gushing. So I've finished the dummy (drawn draft) for WILL & WHIT! Yay!

 

Here's a sneak peek at some of the very roughly sketched out pages. 

They're very. Roughly. Drawn.

There's mattress rafting!

 There's a love triangle and an arts carnival!

 There's a hurricane called Whitney that brings on a blackout!

There's flashlight tag, complete with a look-I'm-timely-timely Hunger Games reference!

 There's even dancing by a graveyard, oh-la-la!

 

 I can't wait to share more of this book as it develops over the next 8 months. Stay tuned! 

And this weekend I'll be at MoCCA fest, so please stop by my table for free block print tattoos!

Eisner Award nomination!

I'm nominated for an 
EISNER AWARD for Best Lettering!

This is such a huge honor!!! Especially considering "Page by Paige" is my first book. And also considering how few women were nominated. (Just 8ish% by my guesstimate)  And considering there are only 4 other books from Abrams that got nods. I find it funny how I'm nominated for lettering of all things, because for me lettering the book was the fastest easiest part. Who knew! Anyway, the award ceremony is at San Diego Comic Con in July, but I wasn't planning on going. Unless someone else wants to help pay my way??  (Read the Washington Post article here.)

Page by Paige: Honors and Reviews

My graphic novel Page by Paige made it onto the YALSA reading list! Yay!  
And I've gotten some other recent honors I thought I'd compile together in the name of forced self promotion...
 
Honors:   

• YALSA great graphic novels for teens reading list 2012 (Young Adult Library Services Association)
• Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List 2012 (Texas Library Association) 
• Finalist for the 2011 Cybils Award for Young Adult Graphic Novels (Children and Young Adult Bloggers' Literacy Awards) 
• Honorable mention in the Publishers Weekly Comics World Critic’s Poll 2011 
  
• Top 10 book of 2011 by 60Second Recap
• Top 10 best graphic novel of 2011 by Comics Worth Reading
• Top 10 graphic novel of 2011 by Kit Lit Frenzy
• Runner up best YA Graphic Novel 2011 by Teach Mentor Texts 

I've also been collecting book reviews since when I first posted the initial ones in my blog. 
So here's a recap of online reviews since May!

 Reviews:

"Gulledge has crafted a protagonist who’s introspective with a capital I, and she conveys her character’s thoughts and emotions in ways that are fresh but never feel forced...That same easy, organic quality is found in the book’s design: the story panels and Paige’s sketches blend and interact effortlessly. It all makes for a truly fresh coming-of-age—graphic—novel."
--HORN BOOK REVIEW

"An excellent crossover suggestion for a wider range of readers than just graphic-novel fans...Gulledge's art is a delight: metaphor and simile are intertwined visually with realistic scenes."
--BOOKLIST

“Far more philosophical than you have a right to expect, Gulledge is the real deal for all the teens who will embrace this book; I hope she's in YA to stay.”
--BOOKSLUT

"Skeptical about graphic novels? Page by Paige may well make you a believer. Oh, to draw like Laura Lee Gulledge!...A fresh, funky spin on the “Who am I?” story sounds appealing"
--60SECOND RECAP

“Gulledge is a superb story teller who excels, through her art, at taking the reader into the mind of main character Paige and showing us exactly what she is thinking and/or feeling.”
--BOOKS4YOURKIDS

"Their relationships are charming and they each come across as believable individuals; no cookie-cutter characters here"
--LOVE YA LIT

"I was most impressed this year, visually, by the way Gulledge assembles her pages and the artistic choices she makes in this semi-autobiographical story of a young artist finding herself. This is the kind of book you can return to year after year and find new insight and inspiration."
--COMICS WORTH READING

"She turns the comic format into one that is strongly artistic and very visual...Get this in the hands of tween and teen artists and step back. A truly inspiring read"
--WALKING BRAIN CELLS

"I think this would appeal quite a bit to the female audience, but even as a male, I enjoyed it. The conflicts are all internal, and the story is sweet, but not syrupy. I hope to see some more comics work from Laura Lee in the future. She has a unique talent and a great eye for layout"
--LAUGHING OGRE

"What follows is part diary, part sketchbook, and entirely wonderful as Paige progresses from shy, secretive, and angsty to brave, funny, and creative. Based on Laura Lee Gulledge’s own adolescence, the reader is taken on a very real journey as Paige learns to challenge herself to do the things that scare her most and to trust both herself and the people around her."
--CYBILS

"For those people who scoff at graphic novels and say that they keep the reader from having to use their own imaginations, well then they need to read a book like this."
--A FOODIE BIBLIOPHILE IN WANDERLUST

"I'd give this book to...(someone) who likes Linda Barry's book about creativity, "What It Is," because this seems like a great fictional counterpoint to her thoughts and encouragement."
--UNSHELVED BOOK CLUB

"With a story we can all relate to and a storytelling device that adds new poignancy to a familiar tale, I would highly recommend Page by Paige to anyone looking for a sweet, heartwarming story either for yourself or for any teen in your life."
--SPANDEXLESS

"Not only is the artwork fabulous, the book deals quite realistically with the challenges artists (and writers) face when looking at a blank page or deciding when to go public with a piece of work. I look forward to using parts of this graphic novel in beginning-of-the-year writing minilessons."
--NEXT BEST BOOK

"There's a real tension between going out and living, sometimes and sitting back and letting life live around you, and Gulledge captures that strongly in both the words she's written and in the illustrations that heighten those words."
--STACKED

"In many ways, the book reads more like a long-form poem—quiet and reflective—than a typical teen novel."
--PORTLAND BOOK REVIEW

"I loved loved loved Page by Paige. When I tweeted about it, I used exclamation points. Two of them. And that from a girl who rarely emotes. This is a book that I needed when I was a teen. It's just too bad no one wrote it until this year."
--GUERILLA LIBRARIAN

"(Paige's) budding romance with Gabe is especially lovely: their kindness to each other is what you really want to see in a teen relationship, or in any relationship, really."
--BOOK AUNT

"Not fast paced or even full of any kind of intense conflict, but the creativity of the illustrations is something not to be missed. Watching this young girl struggle to find herself, I often found pieces of me instead."
--THE SECRET ADVENTURES OF A WRITER GIRL

"Most comics about teen life are either so stylized that they can't tell the truth, or intentionally un-pretty, rough, awkward. Page by Paige seems happy to take neither path; with her affable lines, her apparent ease, and her restraint, Laura Lee Gulledge makes Paige's milieu a pleasure to visit, but she also gets it right. It's the kind of teen story that goes with an indie-pop soundtrack, two-thirds we've-all-been-there and one-third you'll-wish-you-met-her....Not just a book about a girl who makes pictures, Page by Paige reminds us what pictures can do, how they can earn our trust, lead us to one another, or let us rebuild ourselves."
--RAINTAXI

Brooklyn Museum THIS SATURDAY!

This Saturday I'm pleased to announce that I'll be one of participating in the...

Brooklyn Museum: Children's Book Fair!

Saturday, November 19, 2011 at 12:00–4:00 p.m.
Brooklyn Museum: 200 Eastern Parkway (at Washington Avenue) Brooklyn, NY 11238
Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Pavilion, 1st Floor
Visit Web Site Free with museum admission

Over 30 Brooklyn authors and illustrators will join us at this year's fair, featuring story books, picture books, and graphic novels. Come enjoy author readings, a game for children, and café service.

Please come by and say hello! It's perfect for combining with exploring Prospect Park or one of the wonderful exhibits. (Have you not seen The Dinner Party housed in their Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art?!)

In other news....

Holiday Windows COMING SOON!

Next week I'll be DONE with all these holiday windows that have been keeping me busy since July! I'll keep you posted here with pics from behind the scenes as well as the finished products. Pics and video. But you can see the past 4 years of windows I've worked on here in my very special Christmas window blog: ItNeedsMoreGlitter. Stay tuned! We're livin' the dream...

NY Comic Con Recap

Here's the recap from my first Artist Alley table at New York Comic Con!

I got the table last minute because someone else cancelled, so I was thankful to even get a spot. I sat next to illustrator Elliot Hernandez, and was happy to get to know him and his lovely wife Tara over the three days of the convention.

I sold some drawings & prints but mostly I sold a TON of copies of Page by Paige. It was amazing how positive everyone was! A bunch of different people even walked up to my table who had already read my book and told me how much they enjoyed it. And I was randomly interviewed on the spot a bunch of times. It's just so surreal to see someone connecting to artwork I was making back in a motel room apartment back in Virginia when my art didn't belong anywhere and I was just pushing myself to keep drawing anyway. Crazy! Anyway...



I did some commissioned sketches, including an unusual request on a purse...

And Gowanus Pete made a guest appearance!

This is actually the costume I made for Kurt to use for promoting his new digital comic Power Play. (Yes, Kurt is inside the costume.) I'm thrilled with how it turned out, especially since I never sew anything.
Then on Sunday I signed books and did some live drawing at the Abrams booth!

Including a couple silly impromptu drawings for these lovely ladies...
Thank you everyone who stopped by my table, and those of you who have been supporting in spirit. I still can't believe I had a table at New York Comic Con!

Come see me at New York Comic Con!

Breaking news! This just in!
...I'm gonna be in artist alley at NEW YORK COMIC CON!

I'll be at Table S4 in artist alley all day Friday-Sunday.
Then Sunday at 1pm I'll be signing books at the Abrams table.

**You can add me to your NYCC show planner here.**

I'll be selling copies of Page by Paige, showing my sneak peak of my new characters for my upcoming project Will & Whit, selling prints and original drawings, giving away stickers and fun permission slips, and doing some fun human printmaking. I'll also be giving away goody filled agents of whimsy inspired easter eggs with each purchase. (And if you're very lucky, there might be shrinky dink wares up for grabs!)

If you're gonna be at Comic Con, please stop by and see me! It'll be intense few days for me on top of all these hours I've been working overtime painting Christmas windows, so I'll definitely appreciate all the familiar faces I can get. And hugs. And snacks.

Specifics...

Dates: Friday October 14th-Sunday Oct 16th
Tickets: $35 single day pass (Saturday is sold out) or $65 three day pass
Hours:10-7:00 Friday & Saturday, 10-5:00 Sunday
Where: Javits Convention Center