Wishing everybody happy and joyful holidays,
and a great, healthy and successful new year 2013. 
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Friday, December 14, 2012
Holiday Wrapping Paper
I created a wrapping paper as Holiday promotion for Panama Advertising Agency in Stuttgart. It is a little narrative that they gave me to illustrate, without words. Their clients received the wrapping paper by mail, but also can come by on a special "gift-wrapping-day", to have their gifts wrapped by experts.
Thanks Panama for the great assignment!
Thanks Panama for the great assignment!
Friday, December 7, 2012
THE WOODS Holiday promotion
If you own a Kindle, Chronicle Books and Amazon are giving you a chance to own my book for only $1.99 till December 22nd! The link is here. Happy Holidays!
Thursday, December 6, 2012
"Hip and life- affirming": PEANUTStarred Review in Publisher's Weekly
Here is a wonderful review of PEANUT, from Publisher's Weekly, November 26, 2012! Thanks so much for the great endorsement, and for the kind words especially about my art!
Peanut
Ayun Halliday, illus. by Paul Hoppe. Random/Schwartz and Wade, $17.99 (216p) ISBN 978-0-375-86590-9
Inventing a deadly peanut allergy isn’t the first thing the average teenager would think of to make herself more interesting, but Halliday (Always Lots of Heinies at the Zoo) takes the idea and runs with it. The moment that sophomore Sadie Wildhack puts her scheme into action, tension starts to build. Chatter from new classmates (“I’m like ‘Oh my God, stop acting like you’ve got cancer!’ ”) makes it clear Sadie will find little sympathy. Commentary from homeroom teacherMr. Larch provides just the right ironic counterpoint: “Ladies, please! This is algebra, not some tatty Guy de Maupassant story.”
The story’s arc is a long, slow fall into public embarrassment; only the attention of Chris “Zoo” Suzuki, a Luddite who hand-delivers his love notes because he doesn’t have a cellphone, saves Sadie from complete social failure. In loose gray cartoons accented with coral, Hoppe (Hat) provides maximum visual information without drawing attention to himself, nailing sequences like one in which Sadie imagines confessing, but struggles to find the words. It’s not easy being both hip and life- affirming, but this team has the secret formula. Ages 11–14. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Jan.)
Coming out January 2013, pre-order on IndieBound or Amazon.
Peanut
Ayun Halliday, illus. by Paul Hoppe. Random/Schwartz and Wade, $17.99 (216p) ISBN 978-0-375-86590-9
Inventing a deadly peanut allergy isn’t the first thing the average teenager would think of to make herself more interesting, but Halliday (Always Lots of Heinies at the Zoo) takes the idea and runs with it. The moment that sophomore Sadie Wildhack puts her scheme into action, tension starts to build. Chatter from new classmates (“I’m like ‘Oh my God, stop acting like you’ve got cancer!’ ”) makes it clear Sadie will find little sympathy. Commentary from homeroom teacherMr. Larch provides just the right ironic counterpoint: “Ladies, please! This is algebra, not some tatty Guy de Maupassant story.”
The story’s arc is a long, slow fall into public embarrassment; only the attention of Chris “Zoo” Suzuki, a Luddite who hand-delivers his love notes because he doesn’t have a cellphone, saves Sadie from complete social failure. In loose gray cartoons accented with coral, Hoppe (Hat) provides maximum visual information without drawing attention to himself, nailing sequences like one in which Sadie imagines confessing, but struggles to find the words. It’s not easy being both hip and life- affirming, but this team has the secret formula. Ages 11–14. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Jan.)
Coming out January 2013, pre-order on IndieBound or Amazon.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Tales from Ovid, for The Phoenix
This is for the anouncement / review of a play in the Phoenix (formerly the Boston Phoenix). In this staging of Tales from Ovid, some scenes have the players perform hanging on fabric that is suspended from the ceiling.
It was interesting to read up on the background, on Ovid and his writings, and Greek Mythology. The inspiration for this image is the story of Phaethon, son of Helios, who was allowed to steer the sun-wagon, lost control and almost set the whole earth on fire. I enjoyed working with energetic brush strokes to emphasize raw energy in the piece.
Many thanks to AD Kevin Banks.
It was interesting to read up on the background, on Ovid and his writings, and Greek Mythology. The inspiration for this image is the story of Phaethon, son of Helios, who was allowed to steer the sun-wagon, lost control and almost set the whole earth on fire. I enjoyed working with energetic brush strokes to emphasize raw energy in the piece.
Many thanks to AD Kevin Banks.