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| © Jane Smith • Happy Halloween ABCs |
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Monday, October 23, 2017
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Super Star Children's Book Review: Everywhere, Wonder
Welcome to the monthly children’s book review feature with a focus
on diverse books here at Bird Meets Worm! My team of reviewers—Cara Chow, Denise Holmes, Joan Charles, Sharon Calle—and I are so excited to be championing books celebrating everything from gender diversity, people of color, the
LGBTQ community to ethnic, cultural and religious minorities, people with
disabilities and developmental challenges to controversial topics, unique
family situations and anything and everything I did not include. It is to say
we take a rightfully board view of diversity! We aim to shine a light on books
that bring both familiar experiences to those who do not often see themselves
represented in books and new experiences to those looking to expand their
worldview. Here at Bird Meets Worm we believe in the power of story to build
empathy and thus a better world for you and me and everyone. Look for a new review on the second Wednesday of every month.
By Matthew
Swanson • Illustrated by Robbi Behr
Picture Book (ages 3-6) • 48 pages
Imprint • 2017
ISBN 978-1-25-008795-9
Everywhere, Wonder is a picture book for all children. It celebrates the power of books to transport
us to far off places and encourages us to embrace life’s diverse possibilities.
The protagonist of this story
is a dark-skinned, curly-haired boy. The story begins with the boy seated at a simple
table with an open book in front of him. On the right side of the two-page
spread is an open window filled with an inviting blue sky.
Throughout this story the
unseen narrator invites us on an adventure filled with contrasts. We travel
alongside the boy to far off landscapes. We meet characters from a variety of
backgrounds, such as “a cold and lonesome
polar bear” and “Shirley Sheboygan who
has 37 friends,” just to name a few.
Everywhere encourages
readers to find beauty in their daily life—even down to a bowl of noodles. “One
noodle that doesn’t match the others” can spark our curiosity. Instead of being
threatened by something different, we can embrace it.
This book describes life’s
adventures as, “All of them interesting.
All of them beautiful.” It prompts children to consider how they are a part
of a world filled with so many stories.
Everywhere
inspires young readers to be curious, ask questions, imagine the future and
celebrate the diversity of life. Its illustrations of digitally sampled
watercolour washes are stunning and make this book a treat for the eyes.
It’s refreshing to find a
diverse picture book where the child’s cultural background is not the focus of
the story. This could be any child, anywhere on earth. And that’s what makes
this book wonderful.
Buy this book:
Independent Bookstores
Reviewed by: Sharon Calle • ARTSi Studio
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Super Star Interviews: Karma Voce
Welcome to my monthly interview
feature! I’m so excited to be interviewing all the fabulous artists,
illustrators and designers I’ve meet over the years (both personally and
virtually!) and sharing their artwork and experiences here on Bird Meets Worm.
Look for a new interview on the first Tuesday of every month.
This month I’m pleased as pumpkin pie to be chatting it up with
the lovely Illustrator & Designer, Karma Voce! I’ve been a total fan-girl
of her artwork every since being her MATS classmate a couple years ago! Karma
is an Australia-based artist with 12+ years commercial experience, specializing
in fashion, home décor, wall art and paper products. Her clients include Kmart,
Target, Sky Horse Publishing, Tea Collection and many more. She is influenced
by nature, vintage art & design and travel. You can view more of her artwork here!
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| Don't you just adore the colors in this lovely succulent pattern?! |
Q: Before going solo, you worked for 10 years
in-house as a designer in the fashion industry, creating prints and patterns
for womensware, childrensware, sleepware and lingerie. Tell us a bit about what
was fabulous and what was not-so-fabulous about the experience, and how it has
shaped you as a freelance Illustrator/Designer—from both the artist and the
businesswoman perspective.
A: Fashion
is a very paced environment. You are always thrown in the deep end, and it’s
sink or swim from the get-go! So the pros are it is never boring— as it changes
all the time! You learn how to predict trends a year or so in advance, and you
are constantly learning and developing a broad range of skill sets, across many
mediums, as you have to be able to create in a wide variety of styles,
depending on what is required on the day. A lot of problem solving—which always
keeps your brain engaged!
The
downside is you are often creatively limited, in some way or other, and often
have to be very commercial. Working in fast paced mainstream fashion isn’t
necessarily on par with my own ethics or personal style, so that can be a
sacrifice at times.
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| Pretty, pretty, pretty!!! I'm thinking sweet girl dress, gorgeous sheets or rug! |
A: Oh,
wow, I must admit I think travelling and exploring exotic destinations may well
be my number one passion! I blame my parents who travelled with me in the womb
through India, (my namesake country) and then taking me again at 6 months old,
and then, when I was 3, they promptly left me in the hands of an Indian family
for 3 months, while they went off and did their own thing! I think that has
undeniably had a huge influence on me!
I went
on a big 15 month backpacking trip when I was 20, and another 3 month trip at
25. After I had my son, I didn’t go anywhere for another 14 years! Now I have
been making up for lost time, and going once or twice a year, for the last 3-4 years.
It fills me with so much joy! I love the 6 months of researching beforehand,
almost as much as the trips themselves!
I absorb so much, and feel so invigorated and regenerated when
experiencing new sights, sounds, smells and tastes! I feel like all my senses
are rewarded, and yes, definitely my artwork is influenced in either content or
style on my return! I try and create on the trip, but it is usually more when I
get home that I start to put things onto paper.
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| I totally want these gorgeous vases in my house!! Swooon! |
A:
Definitely, the colouring books were a fave. I wish I had had a lot more time,
but they definitely brought together all of my favourite things—fashion and
travel—and I loved doing them! I hadn’t been to Paris or Japan at the time, so
had to research heavily. I am happy to say I have since been to both places,
and they are even better than I could have imagined!
I would
say more recently would be some fabric collections and illustrations that I had
total creative freedom with! It was really nice to not have to work to someone
else’s brief!
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| Rockstar fashion + coloring pages = super fun!! |
A: Oops,
I may have covered this in question 3!
I loved doing them sooo much! I had a really short deadline, and was
working in-house 4 days a week on top of that, so it was really crazy at the
time, but I think sometimes I work better under pressure! I especially loved
Japan, as they have so many things to put into a book.
I think
colouring books shall always be an enduring part of a kids life, but I think
probably links to the call for ‘mindfullness’, which is the latest health trend,
that I think comes as a need from our very busy lives, where we are always with
a screen in our faces of one kind or another, both at work and at home. A
colouring book, is like a long hot bath, you can give your mind a rest and get
absorbed in the simple repetitive and soothing action of colouring, without having
to think too hard. The outlines are there, so the hard work is done, it’s just
a matter of settling in and choosing your colours and style, and breathing in,
breathing out...sigh…
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| Meow, meow, meeeooow!!! |
A: The
first two times I went as part of a collective (Forest Foundry), and the third
time my agent, Nerida Hansen represented me. So I guess tip # 1 is in that—save
costs by either sharing a booth, or being represented at an agents booth. It
can be an expensive venture on your own, especially for the first time! Having
someone to share a booth with also makes it a lot more fun, and the booth is
always busy and fun to be at.
#2 Make
sure you have fun and really engage and ask questions of your buyers. Having a
good note-taking system is really handy, so you don’t forget things later!
#3 The
follow up is a lot of work, and can be both exhilarating and exhausting, but it’s
super important! And you never know how it will turn out—sometimes the
brightest star that got you super excited fizzles into nothing, and something
else, which you didn’t get a vibe from on the day, can turn out to be really
lucrative! So try and not feel too excited, nor underwhelmed, just keep an open
mind, as you never know what can happen! AND ALWAYS WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES!
Thank you so much for catching up with us here at
Bird Meets Worm, Karma! We think you’re super fabulous!!
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