Paul Hoppe Illustration News

THE WOODS accolades

2012-01-27T15:32:00.001-05:00

Some nice news for THE WOODS, some of you might already have heard them on my facebook page.

First of all, the Texas Library Association has selected my book for the 2012 2x2 Reading List. Each year, the 2X2 Committee selects a list of 20 recommended books for children, age two to grade two. It's exciting that my book will be read by many children across Texas.

Furthermore, THE WOODS made it into the Scholastic Book Club. I'm thrilled and very much looking forward to seeing their version!

Two other new editions of THE WOODS are also in the works: Chinese rights have been aquired by Hsiao Lu Publishing. THE WOODS will be published both in simple and complex characters. Many thanks also to Chronicle for arranging this! Hsiao Lu have also published the Chinese edition of HAT.

And finally, here is a very nice review on the blog Creating A Reader– from New Zealand! It's exciting to hear about kids' reactions to the book, especially from the other side of the world!

Stranger Illustration

2012-01-11T15:53:00.002-05:00

A wistful piece for The Stranger, it was my last illustration of 2011.
Many thanks to Art Director Aaron Huffman!

Happy New Year 2012!

2012-01-03T08:57:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to all of you!
Wishing you a great 2012 with lots of good things!
And as always, thanks for visiting!

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-14T12:59:00.000-05:00

I'll be away from the studio from December 15th through 30th, I'm wishing you Happy Holidays and all the best! Looking forward to seeing you and working with you in 2012!

This year's Holiday card of the RWTH Aachen University in Germany.

Successful Festival

2011-12-06T14:44:00.005-05:00

The Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival was great fun and a great success! I really enjoyed chatting it up with colleagues and customers, and the crowd was terrific! There was a big interest in our printed goods.
I was particularly thrilled how well my gonzo superhero-comics (as seen on THE BEHOLDER blog) were received, and that some attendees had seen my show at the Brooklyn Public Library.

Here is a photo of my table-mates Chris Butzer and Tory Sica, as well as honorary guests Naz Kazi and Captain Evening. Thanks to Gabe, Bill and Dan and everybody who helped putting together this great festival, and to everyone who came!

Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival

2011-12-01T13:53:00.010-05:00

This weekend is the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival, a great event to end the year in comics. I'll be at the Rabid Rabbit table, and we'll have plenty of issues from New York's sharpest comic anthology, plus lots of mini-comics by me and my colleagues. I'll also have my children's books HAT and THE WOODS with me, and: The latest issue of Tales To Behold will be available for the first time! There are great guests, panels, and of course, awesome comics, posters and art. Admission is free, so come by!

Saturday, December 3, 2010 from 12:00 – 9:00 pm
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church

275 North 8th Street
Brooklyn, NY
Free and open to the public

Mobile Franchises for Wall Street Journal

2011-11-30T14:48:00.015-05:00

My latest WallStreet Journal illustration, this one is about recent trend for mobile franchises that require no office and come to the customers.

When I work on editorial illustrations, I like to print out the layout (if available) and draw the sketch directly into it. Especially since I needed to allow space for the statistics.

Many thanks to Art Directors Orlie Kraus and Sheryl Dermawan for the nice project and the great collaboration. You can read the full article here.

The Woods Reviews Roundup Pt 2: Kirkus, Publisher's Weekly, School Library Journal

2011-11-20T18:27:00.007-05:00

Ah, this year has been busy, I realized I never posted the great reviews for The Woods that I received from Kirkus, Publisher's Weekly and School Library Journal. And that might just seem ungrateful! But nothing could be further from the truth. To have my book reviewed by them is already an accomplishment, let alone getting such kind words from them. So, without further ado, but with many thanks to these publications and reviewers, here they are:

Kirkus
The night light is on and the bedtime story firmly in the young narrator's grasp, but stuffed bunny is nowhere to be found! There's only one thing to do: He has to go into the woods, which are conveniently right next to his bedroom.

With a toy sword and a wastebasket serving as a helmet, he marches (in his pajamas) boldly ahead, right into the path of "a big, scary brown bear!" Luckily, the bear is scared of the dark too, so the boy shares his night light. The duo sets off into the deeper woods, where they meet two scary giants. These guys in green are just bored, so the boy shares his bedtime story with them. Off this quartet ventures, and comes upon a pink three-headed, fire-breathing dragon... And so on. The procession comes to a big scary dark cave and, holding hands, summon the courage to enter. Inside is a big, hairy, scary monster—holding a tiny red bunny! Mystery solved; the boy invites everyone back to his room, where a final illustration shows him smiling and clutching stuffed versions of all his banished fears. The refrain—"we weren't afraid at all. Until…"—sets a comfortable pattern, and the fuzzy watercolors on thick creamy stock enhance the coziness of the tale.
Hoppe's delightfully quirky monsters enhance this pleasant tonic for bedtime fears.

School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 1–Pen and soft-hued watercolor illustrations admirably relate the tale of a young boy settling down to sleep. His evening routine is disrupted when he goes to hug his toy bunny but it is nowhere to be found. The child decides there is only one place it might be: the Woods. So, armed with a cape, a sword, a bucket on his head, his book, and a nightlight hung around his neck, the child ventures forth to find his stuffed animal. On his quest, he meets a bear, two pirates, a three-headed dragon, etc., but, though afraid at first, he soon discovers that the various characters aren’t really frightening; they just need something the boy can share to appease them.
The refrain “And we weren’t afraid at all. Until… we ran into…” is repeated several times throughout the adventure, making this an entertaining selection. Readers looking for bedtime stories or tales involving sharing, bravery, or overcoming fear of the dark will be pleased with this endearing tale.–Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI

Publisher's Weekly
"[L]ast night, I couldn't find my bunny anywhere!" a pajama-clad boy tells readers, looking out at them from under the covers. "There was only one place left to look." The page turns: "I had to go into the woods." Armed with his nightlight, a sword, and a helmet (his wastebasket), he meets a "BIG, SCARY BROWN BEAR" ("But the bear was just afraid of the dark. So I shared my night-light with him"), "TWO SCARY GIANTS" ("But the giants were just bored. So I shared my bedtime story with them"), and other intimidating creatures, which he befriends before getting his bunny back.

In Hoppe's (Hat) jewel-colored pen-and-watercolor spreads, the monsters leer, gawp, and taunt, giving the boy a scare (readers, too, probably), though he always recovers gracefully. The creatures are eventually revealed to be the boy's own stuffed animals, seen scattered on his bedroom floor. Between the lines, Hoppe delivers some wisdom about the vulnerability inside every bully, and his witty artwork (the bear wears a blingy necklace that says "Honey") underscores the welcome bedtime message that there's nothing to be afraid of. Ages 4–8.

Miami Herald Business Section

2011-11-11T09:49:00.008-05:00

This is for a story about serial entrepreneurs, people who not only start one company, but at some point move on and start another one, and continue creating new businesses. I really enjoyed working in this wacky machinery, and chose to be a bit more vibrant on the colors.

Here are the two sketches that led to the piece, first version and last version. Many thanks to Art Director Chris Melchiondo for the great assignment!
You can read the article here.

Society of Illustrators Judging

2011-11-08T09:36:00.007-05:00

Yesterday I had the great honor of being a judge for the Society of Illustrators Sequential/Series and Moving Images categories. This was the first time that Moving Images had its own category. It was a thrill to be part of it all and see so much interesting work! Thanks so much to chair Yuko Shimizu for inviting me!

Big picture: My co-judges Mark Siegel, Nora Krug, Asaf Hanuka, Matt Rota, Chad Beckerman, Steve Brodner, Nai Lee Lum and Ward Sutton, along with chair Yuko Shimizu, and Society Director Anelle Miller.
Vertical picture: Ward Sutton, Steve Brodner, Asaf Hanuka and a much better look at Matt Rota.

And to prove I was there, a quick shot of me with Nora Krug.

Website Update

2011-11-01T12:39:00.003-04:00

Just updated my website with the latest editorial work for the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, including such instant classics as Robot City, Self-Service Frozen Yogurt Franchises, and The Four Hoursemen of Economic Apocalypse. Also, updated the homepage with the latest news. Thanks for visiting!

Four Economic Horsemen for the NYTimes

2011-10-23T13:14:00.006-04:00

Here's my latest for the New York Times, Sunday Business section. The image is illustrating an opinion column about recent economic crises and problems, pointing out the economies of Zimbabwe, Greece, Japan and France as cautionary tales for the United States. It raises serious points, but I couldn't help but being a little amused about the French example, whose economy apparently mostly suffers because the French like to enjoy life too much. That is the most harrowing of the four horsemen, for sure!

AD Minh Uong

Occasional irregularity

2011-10-11T23:09:00.005-04:00

Ah, my posts have been a little irregular since the summer, because I've been working very hard on the finishes for Peanut, a 200 page graphic novel written by Ayun Halliday and illustrated by, yes, no other than yours truly. It will be published by Schwartz & Wade / Random House in Fall 2012. Now, back to the drawing board for the last pages, and then I hope to "broadcast" my misadventures in the illustration world more frequently again! Have a great start into the fall!

New York Times Illustrations

2011-09-25T11:39:00.003-04:00

I have two (!) pieces in today's New York Times, one for the Sunday Review, about a ghost city entirely populated by robots (AD Rodrigo Honeywell), and the other one for the Sunday Business page, about the challenges of several generations working together at the workplace (AD Minh Uong). Thanks very much to the Art Directors, it's always an honor to be in the Times!

Solo-Show at the Brooklyn Public Library

2011-09-12T21:11:00.006-04:00

I am proud to announce my first humble solo showcase at the Brooklyn Public Library. Under the fitting title Visual Narrative, I'll be showing editorial illustration, children’s books, comics, handmade books, and process work. Please join me at the opening reception to celebrate! There will be wine and snacks, and my latest self-published books will be for sale!

Opening Reception
Tuesday, Sept. 27th, 6-8pm
Dweck Center Lobby

Exhibition
September 27 – December 3

Brooklyn Public Library
Central Library
10 Grand Army Plaza
Brooklyn, NY 11238

Frozen Yogurt Chains for Wall Street Journal

2011-08-26T11:34:00.003-04:00

A new fun project for the Wall Street Journal. Frozen Yogurt Chains are giving power to the people: Serve yourself, and serve as much as you like! Many thanks to Orlie Kraus and Sheryl Dermawan! The full article is here.

Reviews Roundup Pt1: USAToday, NYT, TimeOut NY

2011-08-10T11:39:00.002-04:00

I wanted to share some of the very kind reviews that THE WOODS have received. USA Today and the New York Times have featured it, and TimeOut NY even made it a summer reading pick! Thanks so much to all the reviewers! In my next post I'll share some more!

TimeOut NY Kids
What does a Brooklynite know from the terrors and delights of the woods? Lots, it turns out. Judging by his latest children's book, The Woods (Chronicle Books, $17; ages 4 to 8), author-illustrator Paul Hoppe is not only versant in the vicissitudes of the dark side but also a sublime storyteller. Recounted in simple prose and ultra-expressive drawings with a cartoonish bent, the story follows a boy as he sets out into the night forest in search of his beloved, missing bunny […]

New York Times
[…] There’s a reason boys enjoy confronting big hairy monsters over and over again.

USA Today
[…] The brave narrator encounters bears, dragons and monsters, although none, it turns out, should scare even the youngest readers. Paul Hoppe's text and watercolors make for comforting bedtime reading.

(Please click on the links to read the full reviews).

Thank you also to everybody who came out to my readings and events at Powerhouse Arena, The Word and BookCourt! It means a lot to have such generous support. If you like to know more about my events, and see some photos, please check out my Facebook Page.

Stranger Illustration

2011-07-15T12:13:00.000-04:00

Here's one that I did for The Stranger recently. The story was about the writer's most memorable concert experiences, good ones as well as bad ones…
You can read the entire article here. Thanks to Aaron Huffman for the fun assignment!

Nachts Im Wald Advance Copies!

2011-07-07T16:27:00.004-04:00

I got my copies of "Nachts im Wald", the German edition of The Woods! It's coming out already in August. It's really exciting! Perhaps I can do some events on my next trip to Germany…

Speaking of events, I'm doing an event at THE WORD in Greenpoint this weekend, and at BOOK COURT on July 31st. Hope to see you there!

Reading at Powerhouse Arena

2011-06-16T11:21:00.003-04:00

This Saturday I'm reading from my new book The Woods at Brooklyn's Powerhouse Arena, together with the great John Rocco who'll be reading from his just released Blackout. We'll both be reading with flashlights in the dark, to fit the theme. Hope to see you there!
Many thanks to John Rocco who created this little poster and spearheaded the event, and to the friendly people of Powerhouse for inviting us to their store!

How to Raise an Entrepreneur for Wall Street Journal

2011-06-13T10:38:00.008-04:00

I have a new illustration in today's Wall Street Journal, in the Special Report section.

This time it's for an article that gives advice how to encourage the enterpreneurship in your child. In this case the solution was so clear to me that I only did one sketch, which I stayed very close to.

Many thanks to Art Directors Orlie Kraus and Sheryl Dermawan for the great assignment!

Journey Into American Illustration

2011-05-31T16:52:00.021-04:00

Good news, my hand-printed covers for Journey Into Misery #1 and Tales To Behold #1 were Chosen in the 30th American Illustration competition. While they will be not in the Annual, they will be displayed on their website.

It means a lot that this very personal work that I do simply for my own enjoyment was successful in this prestigious competition. You can see a temporary slideshow of all the Selected and Chosen works here. Thanks very much to the jury!

Website Update

2011-05-30T17:33:00.002-04:00

I did an update of my website, and also changed the start image. I added four pieces to the Editorial Color section and one piece to the Editorial B/w section. The illustrations are for The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Observer, Assets and UCLA Magazine. Hope you'll enjoy them!

Sequential Tart Interview

2011-05-28T12:00:00.006-04:00

Sequential Tart, a Web Zine about the comics industry, did an interview about Rabid Rabbit with co-founder Chris Butzer and me.
Thanks very much to Editrix-in-Chief Sheena McNeil! You can read the entire interview here.

THE WOODS is out now!

2011-05-17T21:59:00.005-04:00

Finally, you can get your hands on my new book! It's been sighted in NY stores such as The Word and Powerhouse Arena, and of course you can order it now on IndieBound and Amazon. I'll be doing some events this summer, so stay tuned if you'd like to get a signed copy. Whoo-hoo!

Wall Street Journal Illustration

2011-05-16T16:51:00.003-04:00

A new illustration for today's Wall Street Journal, about home-based franchises… You can read the entire article here.
Many thanks to Art Directors Orlie Krauss and Sheryl Dermawan for this fun assignment and helping to develop the idea!

Comics Festivals Galore!

2011-04-25T09:37:00.008-04:00

Whew, that was quite a wirlwind! The last couple weeks I attended two big comics festivals, MoCCA here in New York, and Stumptown over in Portland, Oregon. This was also my very first trip to the west coast and I really had a great time! I liked Portland a lot, and am very grateful for Co-Rabbit C.M.Butzer for taking me along.
Both at MoCCA and Stumptown we made new friends, talked to a lot of people and sold our books. It's always so nice to get some feedback from people.

Btw, my mini-comics Tales To Behold, Journey Into Misery, Casual Comics and Red Hook are now available at Bergen Street Comics in Brooklyn, and at Floating World Comics in Portland. And the Portland Libraries bought 16 minis from me as well! What a comics-friendly town.

It's the Paul Hoppe Mini Comics Festival Tour!

2011-04-01T13:27:00.014-04:00

I'm very excited that I'm going to the Stumptown Comics Fest this year, it'll be my first time on the West Coast! And of course MoCCA NYC is coming up soon as well… And I'm preparing my latest books, and of course the old ones as well, so I hope I'll see you there!

THE WOODS and CAN I SEE YOUR ID (written by Chris Barton) are not out yet, but I will have some display copies with me! And I'll have a brand-new mini comic, Journey Into Misery #3 ready to go! Plus many of my previous minis, including Tales To Behold and Casual Comics! Also, I should still have some copies of my other children's books, Metal Man and HAT!

And let's not forget Rabid Rabbit #13, which is an awesome flip book collaboration with the Swedish Anthology C'est Bon Kultur. For this occasion, we're having a release party and show of original art at Bergen Comics, Brooklyn, FRIDAY, APRIL 8th. 8-11pm. Hope to see you!

THE WOODS advance copies!

2011-03-26T11:07:00.005-04:00

Hooray, this week I got my first two copies of my new book THE WOODS! They turned out beautiful, I'm very happy with the design and how the colors came out.
The book is coming out in May, you can pre-order it now on IndieBound and Amazon.

At this year's MoCCA festival I'll have a display copy, (maybe even some copies for sale) so come check it out! Some images are already on the Children's section of my website and my facebook page

I'm planning to do some events and will keep you posted!

Futuristic LA for UCLA Magazine

2011-03-16T12:11:00.003-04:00

This is the cover for the new issue of UCLA Magazine. The article it's based on collects various visions of how Los Angeles could / should look like a couple of decades into the future. I really sank my teeth into this and I think it was worth it spending some extra hours. Many thanks to AD Charlie Hess for this great assignment!

Annual Society Of Illustrators Show

2011-02-28T19:53:00.004-05:00

This Friday is the opening reception for the Advertising and Institutional part of the Annual Society of Illustrators Exhibit, and I feel very fortunate to be part of it. Please come and celebrate with us! Many amazing artists will be present, and you'll get to see some of the finest work up close!

llustrators 53: Advertising and Institutional Exhibit
Feb 23, 2011 - Mar 19, 2011
Opening Reception:
March 04, 2011 6:00 pm
More info here. Hope to see you there!

THE WOODS in German and HAT in Spanish

2011-02-16T11:57:00.001-05:00

I'm happy to announce that THE WOODS have their first foreign language licence under their belt, even before the US edition came out! German publisher Baumstamm, and imprint of major house Bastei, will publish it as Nachts im Wald.

And HAT keeps on trucking as well, the Spanish Edition was just sold to Flamboyant in Spain. That makes 6 foreign editons for HAT– what a thrill!

Meanwhile, THE WOODS had their first public appearance, at this year's ALA conference. Can't wait for the official release in April!

Thanks to Ty King of Writers House for the photo.

HAT Chinese Edition

2011-02-13T13:17:00.005-05:00

The Chinese Publisher of HAT, Hsaio Lu has sent some copies of the Chinese edition, and my publisher Bloomsbury was so kind to forward me a whole stack. They turned out really nice, and it's fascinating to see my artwork with the Chinese typography. The colors turned out perfect, the design is great (including UV varnish on the cover!) and I especially love how they appropriated my handlettered title on the cover. It'll be so exciting to see the other foreign editions…

Join me on Facebook

2011-01-26T12:36:00.007-05:00

I've just started a page for my children's books and young adult work on Facebook, I hope you'll join me in finding out what to do with it!

The Facebook page will hopefully allow me to communicate and connect even better with you, dearest audience. Since I have two books coming out this year, I hope there will be a lot to talk about!

Hope to see you there!

DRAWN in the NY Daily News

2011-01-24T11:56:00.003-05:00

Now that the great DRAWN IN BROOKLYN Show is coming down, I wanted to share this great article that came out end of last year in the New York Daily News. The show is being de-installed this week, but perhaps you can still get a peek at some of the work if you missed it… I feel so fortunate to have been included in it, and so grateful for meeting all these great artists! Everybody in the children's book field has been so warm and welcoming, it's a true pleasure. (Click to enlarge)

New York Times OpEd Page

2011-01-12T19:22:00.007-05:00

In today's New York Times: Thoughts about an energy-efficient military, as fuel transports in war regions are very dangerous. Many thanks to Art Director Aviva Michaelov for working with me on this!

Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles

2011-01-12T10:13:00.003-05:00

Good news! Rabid Rabbits over Brooklyn is a winner in the SILA (Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles) competition, along with my comic Ferry Tales from RR#11. Many thanks to the Jury!
These pieces have been making the rounds! RR over Brooklyn was also juried into the Society of Illustrators show here in New York, is included in the current 3x3 Illustration Annual and was Chosen by American Illustration. Ferry Tales is also included in the 3x3 Illustration Annual.

Back from the Old World

2011-01-10T17:39:00.006-05:00

I'm back from my annual trip to Germany. I had a great time. It was very snowy and cold– a true winter. Below is a shot from Ravensburg, on my way to the the old hangout spot, Cafe Bar Balthes.

Well, now it's back to business! All the best for 2011!

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-13T13:25:00.007-05:00

…and be well! Looking forward to seeing you in the new year 2011.
I'll be out of the office from December 15th through January 5th, travelling through Germany. I will only check my emails occasionally, because I need a break from the virtual world. For emergencies, my usual US cell-phone will still work.

(Click to Enlarge) This is an image I did for the official Holiday card of the RWTH Aachen University. Many thanks to Chancellor Manfred Nettekoven!

MTV Geek Website Feature

2010-12-10T13:57:00.003-05:00

The MTV Geek Website wrote a great article on The Brooklyn Comics and Arts Festival, and yours truly was featured with Rabid Rabbit Co-Founder Chris M. Butzer – thanks very much for including us!

Photo courtesy of Valerie D'Orazio /geek-news.mtv.com

Many thanks…

2010-12-05T12:21:00.007-05:00

I had a great time at the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival! Many thanks to everybody who came, and thanks to the folks at Desert Island and Picture Box for having us. The latest issue of Rabid Rabbit was a great success, and I was especially happy that my latest superhero bonanza, Tales To Behold, got a great response! You guys even bought whole sets including Journey Into Misery 1 and 2! After the new year I will supply some stores with minicomics, so if you missed your chance, don't worry!

Again, it was a blast!

Weekend preview on The Beat

2010-12-03T11:55:00.004-05:00

After much printing, stamping, cutting, stapling, etc, I'm finally ready for the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival. Check out a preview of things to come on the awesome blog The Beat, featuring Tales To Behold #1 and Rabid Rabbit #12!

Can I See Your ID? – Blue Cover

2010-11-30T16:44:00.009-05:00

With any book in the publishing industry, the cover is always very important and a lot of things are tried out before reaching the final result. So it's not unusual that we made a last minute change to the cover for Chris Barton's Can I See Your ID?, coming out in April from Dial Books for Young Readers

Reverting to the initial version that I suggested, we changed the color scheme to a blue one. I liked the red version, but then I think the new one is a bit more ominous rather than aggressive. I kind of like them both, so I'm glad that Dial made the final call.

Thanks again to Designer Jasmin Rubero for working so hard with me on it. The book is now available for pre-order from Amazon, and IndieBound and will be in stores April 2010!

Gobble Gobble!

2010-11-25T10:18:00.001-05:00

Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival

2010-11-22T11:27:00.009-05:00

December 4th is the second Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival, and since Rabid Rabbit will have a table, I will be debuting my newest comic, Tales To Behold #1, featuring more craziness in the spirit of my Journey Into Misery series! Superhero and mystery galore! AND, I'll have a festival exclusive Journey Into Misery #1 Variant, and you won't want to miss that one! (as usual, for more superhero calamity, please visit cosmicbeholder.blogspot.com)

(Click to enlarge)

And of course we're also debuting the latest issue of Rabid Rabbit, with an amazing cover by the great Nathan Fox! For more info, please visit http://www.comicsandgraphicsfest.com/ So, hope to see you there!

Society of Illustrators

2010-11-21T19:27:00.000-05:00

I'm proud to say that my Rabid Rabbits over Brooklyn image was selected by the Society of Illustrators' jury to b included into their 53rd Annual Book and Exhibition, in the Advertising category. Thanks very much to the jury!

Seven Impossible Things Feature

2010-11-15T15:30:00.002-05:00

The awesome children's book blog Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast did a very nice feature about me and my work. You can see images from my next forthcoming children's book THE WOODS and many other things. Check it out here! It's great blog that's always worth checking out. Many thanks to Jules for all the hard work and for having me on it.

In other news, Elizabeth Bird also featured THE WOODS, along with other books from the Chronicle Spring program, on her very popular Fuse#8 Blog. Thanks for the shoutout!

Illustration for Architectural Lighting Magazine

2010-11-13T20:57:00.004-05:00

A new illustration for Architectural Lighting Magazine, a worldwide look at the various schools that offer degrees and programs in Architectural Lighting. Many thanks to AD Marcy Ryan!

Brooklyn Museum Children's Book Fair

2010-11-08T09:13:00.004-05:00

I'll be at the Brooklyn Museum Children's Book Fair, November 13, 12-4 p.m., along with many amazing artists and authors! It's a great event for the whole family, hope to see you there!

(Click to Enlarge)

Illustrations for PRINT Magazine

2010-11-08T09:03:00.004-05:00

I had the privilege to do the following illustrations for PRINT Magazine. You can see them in the current issue. The article is written by Koi Vinh, it describes the challenges of archiving online and interactive design. Thanks very much to Art Director Tonya Douraghy for thinking of me for this great assignment, and also for including me on the contributors page.

A New Blog – THE BEHOLDER

2010-11-02T12:08:00.008-04:00

As I've been doing some ridiculous new comics recently, I've decided to start a new blog just for this kind of work. So, behold: the BEHOLDER.

You might have seen my mini-comics Journey Into Misery 1 & 2, they contain stories that are a bit… different than my other work. They are humorous homages and satires of early Marvel and Superhero Comics, seen through the eyes of someone who grew up in Europe.

As much as I love being a professional illustrator and making a living with art that has meaning and place in the real world, I realized I needed to balance this with some personal nonsense that's just for my own fun and no purpose whatsoever.

Perhaps some of my employers and colleagues will shake their head now, but others might secretly get a kick out of it. As I hope you'll do.

Cover for New York Observer

2010-10-13T15:20:00.007-04:00

Finished the illustration yesterday, and today it's already on the newsstand, that's part of the excitement of doing editorial illustration. It was a little hard to find a copy here in Greenpoint though… The topic of this illustration is Emily Smith, who'll be heading the famous gossip column Page Six at the New York Post.

Idea & Art Direction by Shelley Camhi, many thanks for the great collaboration!

Fall Image

2010-10-11T11:57:00.002-04:00

Fall has begun…

Illustration Events This week

2010-10-11T00:16:00.000-04:00

Just a quick reminder of the two events that are happening this week:

INKPLOTS

The Tradition of the Graphic Novel at School of Visual Arts

Opening Reception

Thursday, October 14, 5:30 - 7pm

Visual Arts Gallery

(more info here)

DRAWN IN BROOKLYN

An exhibition of over 30 Children's Book artists and authors

Illustrator's Festival – Fun for the whole family!

Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn

(more info here)

Hope to see you there!

Website Update

2010-10-06T13:19:00.006-04:00

It's been a while, but I've finally updated my website!

Since I have my blog, the updates on my actual website have been less frequent, I feel that's been a general trend in the field. The blog has all current news and projects, since it's so easy to update. The website is still the place to go to get a comprehensive look at somebody's work, not just a snapshot.

I managed to update all the galleries. There are four new pieces in Editorial Color, six new pieces in Editorial B/w, and in the Children's section there are images from my forthcoming new children's book, The Woods, plus a bunch of other new stuff! In the Sequential section, there are a ton of new pages, including from the graphic novel I'm currently illustrating, Peanut. And I've even managed to dig out a really old piece for the Experimental section.

Hope you'll enjoy it and as always, thanks for looking!

Ink Plots Graphic Novel Exhibition

2010-10-03T07:41:00.006-04:00

I'm very honored to be part of this upcoming show:

Ink Plots: The Tradition of the Graphic Novel at School of Visual Arts is an exhibition of original drawings, books, prints and animations by over 100 artists. Ink Plots traces the development of sequential art over four decades with selections from SVA faculty members and showcases the work of SVA alumni who are pushing the boundaries of the graphic novel today.

Ink Plots is curated by department chairs Thomas Woodruff and Marshall Arisman. It will be a massive show with an incredible line-up. There will be many books on display, and also a lot of original pages. So don't miss the opportunity to see work from the masters of this medium!

Amongst my humble contributions will be some original pages from my German graphic novel Die Schlange (The Snake), which will be on display for the first time ever.

Visual Arts Gallery

601 West 26 Street, 15th floor, New York City

Exhibition:

October 8 – November 6, 2010

Gallery Hours: Monday – Saturday, 10 - 6pm

Reception:

Thursday, October 14, 5:30 - 7pm

Free and open to the public.

You can find more info here, where you can see the amazing honorees of the show, plus all other alumni whose work is shown.

Can I See Your ID

2010-09-27T15:27:00.017-04:00

Here is the cover and one interior piece for a forthcoming book that I illustrated for Dial Books for Young Readers / Penguin. It is a collection of true stories about people who pretended to be someone else, written by Chris Barton, author of Shark vs. Train and The Day-Glo Brothers. I had the pleasure to contribute ten one-page comics to introduce each story. The cover took us a while to figure out, but I'm happy with the result. It was fun to actually rip paper, to accomplish this effect.

Architectural Lighting

2010-09-16T12:56:00.003-04:00

This one came out in the July / August Issue of Architectural Lighting. It's about the sometimes confusing regulations and recommendations for environmental-friendly building and lighting design. Many thanks to Art Director Marcy Ryan!

Drawn in Brooklyn / Children's Book Events

2010-09-10T11:28:00.001-04:00

Drawn in Brooklyn is an Exhibition at the Brooklyn Public Library curated by John Marciano. It features original artwork from a whole lot of great artists, including true legends of the field, as well as hot new stars. I'm very honored to be part of it.

There will be a couple of events that are connected to the show:

September 22nd

Opening reception, 6pm to 8pm,

Lobby of the Dweck Auditorium at the Central Branch

October 16th

Illustrator's Festival 10:30am to 3pm,

with readings, workshops, signings, etc

Plaza in front of the Central Branch on Grand Army Plaza.

October 21

I'll be doing a presentation / meet-the-author thingy at 10:00AM,

Central Library, Dweck Center

There will be also readings and events from many other great artists, both at the festival and throughout the fall, at the Central Library and other branches of the BPL. In December, I'll also be doing a presentation / reading at the Coney Island Branch. Hope you'll catch some of the events! Thanks to John Marciano and the friendly people at the Brooklyn Public Library for putting all this together!

(Flyer Illustration by Boris Kulikov).

UCLA Magazine

2010-09-01T11:48:00.003-04:00

This piece came out in UCLA Magazine. It's about a new online resource that helps current students and alumni of UCLA to stay in touch and benefit from their network.

A New Book?

2010-08-27T18:41:00.002-04:00

Why The Sea Is Salty is part of a series published by Oxford University Press. I believe it's not listed on their site yet but I have received my copy already so here are some sneak peaks! The book has three stories, one of which I have illustrated (which tells the story of, well, why the sea is salty!), the two others and the cover was illustrated by Meg Hunt.

Hello again…

2010-08-27T16:56:00.009-04:00

Sorry about the lack of posts lately. It's been probably the busiest summer ever! Usually fall and spring are the craziest seasons… But, busy is good, right?

In the meantime I made progress on my graphic novel and my other book projects. Also, I did a couple of editorial assignments, drew some storyboards, and then I was sick.Other things I'll share soon are some books that I was involved in came in the mail, and two group exhibitions that I'll be part of this fall.

So I'm looking forward to catching up with my postings and also share some brand-new artwork. Hope you are having a great summer…

Comic for The New York Times

2010-08-03T10:06:00.005-04:00

I did a comic for the Science section of today's New York Times. It goes with an article that reflects on the current younger generation. You can read the whole article here. Many thanks to Art Director Peter Morance!

Btw this is the second time I'm doing a comic for Peter Morance and the NYT. Back when he was at the Sunday Styles section, I did this one.

Literacyhead

2010-07-29T10:10:00.006-04:00

My good friend and children's book illustrator extraordinaire Shadra Strickland is featured in the newest installment of Literacyhead, an online magazine and resource for teaching and inspiring literacy through art. And as friends and former classmates of her, me, Lauren Castillo, Taeeun Yoo and Jonathan Bean were asked to contribute some visuals to this issue. You can see some of our artwork in Visual Vocabulary. They also did nice reviews of some of our books. Thanks very much to Literacyhead for including us, and big congrats Shadra!

Journey into Misery available

2010-07-21T17:32:00.004-04:00

Since my two Journey into Misery books were produced (actually, manufactured) at a relatively low edition, (and I got rid of a lot of them at MoCCA this year), I was hesitant to put them into stores. But since they only collect dust over here, I delivered a couple copies of both issues to Forbidden Planet here in NYC last week. Also, there are new copies of Red Hook available. So, if you missed your opportunity at MoCCA, here's a chance to get them!

Summer Classes and Lectures

2010-07-13T08:30:00.002-04:00

I wanted to thank everybody in the Summer Illustration Residency at SVA and at the 3x3 Nuts and Bolts Conference for their interest and participation. It was great fun and honor to be part of these two events. I also wanted to thank Charles Hively and 3x3 for inviting me to be part of the 3x3 Conference, and Viktor Koen for having me on board for the SVA program. Hope everybody enjoyed it as much as I.

Nuts and Bolts Conference

2010-07-07T11:00:00.001-04:00

This Saturday I'll have the pleasure of speaking at the first annual Nuts and Bolts Conference, organized by 3x3 Magazine of Contemporary Illustration, taking place at the Society of Illustrators.

My lecture will be about self-generated projects and how it relates to an artist's career. A big part of this will be both my self-published and not so self-published books which have been a constant in my career ever since the beginning. I'll even be showing embarrassing early work to explain how it all helped getting me where I am. Here is the website for more information about the event.

Central Park Sketch

2010-07-03T20:17:00.006-04:00

Inspired by the beautiful weather, I did a sketch in Central Park this week.

Miami Herald Business Cover

2010-06-28T09:09:00.002-04:00

This was done for the Business Section Cover of the Miami Herald. It's always thrilling to do a job for a newspaper from far away... I collaborated on the layout with AD Chris Melchiondo. Many thanks for the fun project!

South of France for The Wall Street Journal

2010-06-13T12:18:00.003-04:00

This was a fun assignment for the Wall Street Journal, illustrating an article about a couple's trip to France during 9/11 and the solidarity they found there. The south of France used to be one of my favorite vacation destinations so I was thrilled to do this illustration. You can read the entire article here. Thanks to AD Sheryl Dermawan!

3x3 Annual

2010-06-07T11:38:00.009-04:00

Another piece of good news, I got several pieces into this year's 3x3 competition. I'm particularly thrilled that some of my sequential work has been selected. Above is my two-pager from Rabid Rabbit 11, below is the first page of my Coney Island comic for Syncopated, plus my Rabid Rabbit poster has been selected in the Promotional category. Many thanks to the jury!

Synocpated Nominated for Eisner Award

2010-06-07T11:37:00.000-04:00

Another piece of news that I forgot to post: Syncopated – A collection of Non-Fiction Picto-Essays, to which I contributed a story about Coney Island, is up for an Eisner Award! Congrats to Brendan Burford, who has been editing and art-directing Syncopated for a couple of years now and works so hard to make it the beautiful book it is, and congrats to all other artists who contributed. Especially Nick Bertozzi, whose contribution "Why and How to Bale Hay" was also nominated for another Eisner, for best short story.

Sacramento News & Review

2010-05-30T17:05:00.001-04:00

I did a cover illustration and a number of portraits for SN&R recently, for a story about their local elections. This is the main illustration, it was used for both the cover and the feature page. Don Button designed the type.

Below are some of the portraits. You can read the descriptions about the candidates here. Thanks to Art Directors David Jayne and Don Button!

THE WOODS

2010-05-21T11:59:00.005-04:00

This is a first sneak peek at my next children's book, THE WOODS. It's a story about a boy who goes into the woods, and has to face his fears. It has been a project that's been in the works for years and my second self-authored picture book after HAT. I can't wait for it to come out. It's scheduled for release early 2011 from Chronicle Books.

SILA 48 Website

2010-05-11T13:17:00.005-04:00

The Illustration West 48 Competition results by the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles are now online, you can see them here. My Snowplow illustration was selected in the Unpublished / Promotional section (you have to scroll down a bit to find the thumbnail). Thanks again to SILA and the jury!

HAT in French

2010-05-05T15:47:00.008-04:00

At MoCCA this year, I met Serge Ewenczyk, the publisher of Editions de la Balle, a brand-new publishing house in France. He was interested in my book HAT, and we talked for a while. Just a few weeks later, I'm thrilled to announce that his house has aquired exclusive French language rights, and my book will come out in France in spring 2011. The book will be distributed by Gallimard, France's third largest publishing house.

So MoCCA had a GREAT outcome for me this year, and I'm excited that I personally had a part in initiating this deal!

Apart from the original US publication, HAT now will appear in 5 other languages (German, Japanese, Korean, Chinese and French), which is really amazing.

SVA Illustration Residency

2010-05-05T11:00:00.001-04:00

For the third year, I'm teaching the Sequential Class in the SVA Illustration Summer Residency. Other teachers include Viktor Koen and Greg Crane. In my class I try to cover visual storytelling not only in comics and sequential art, but also include children's books and visual journalism. Besides my class, the program includes illustration projects, drawing, painting, studio visits and guest lecturers. Students come from a variety of backgrounds and countries. If you know of somebody who could be interested in this, here's the link!

American Illustration

2010-04-22T13:10:00.002-04:00

Good news! My promotional image for the Rabid Rabbit Show was Chosen by American Illustration 29. It will be displayed on their website later this year. This marks the 6th year that I'm part of the AI competition, including both Selected and Chosen images. And every year I'm very grateful to be included alongside my idols. Thanks to all the judges!

MoCCA Festival

2010-04-13T12:23:00.004-04:00

I had a great time at the MoCCA Festival this weekend. I was looking forward to this one, we had a great new Rabid Rabbit issue, I had a couple mini-comics, we got to hang out with old friends and made some new ones. Pictured above: Team Rabbit, S.Y. Choi, Ben X. Trinh, yours truly and Chris M. Butzer (photo courtesy of Anuj Shrestha). Thanks to everybody, and see you again next year!

Article in "Pforzheimer Zeitung"

2010-04-09T12:13:00.006-04:00

For all of you who speak the German lingo, this came out today in the Pforzheimer Zeitung. That's the city where I studied Graphic Design and Fine Arts for 4 1/2 years. In the interview, they asked me what I thought about the University and my time in Pforzheim, but also about my current projects and the life as an illustrator in New York. Thanks very much to Daniela Huber for the great article!

MoCCA Festival on DART

2010-04-09T12:09:00.000-04:00

DART (DesignArtsDaily) is the newsletter from American Illustration and American Photography. They asked me and some of the great people who will be at the Festival to share some of our thoughts and experiences regarding MoCCA. You can check it out here. Thanks to Peggy Roalf and American Illustration!

New Comics debuting at MoCCA Festival

2010-04-07T11:23:00.008-04:00

The MoCCA Festival is this weekend, and this time around I'll have not one, but two brand-new mini-comics with me at the Rabid Rabbit table: Journey Into Misery 1+2. Both stories are pretty much wacky homages to the US comicbooks I grew up with, plus other weird influences. But most of all they were a lot of fun to make. They are hand-made, the covers are on metallic paper with rubberstamping.

Also I'll have my two children's books with me plus some older handmade goodies, and of course we'll have the new Rabid Rabbit with us (Issue 11), all of our back issues and my colleagues will also have new goodies with them.

So come by, it'll be fun!
Saturday and Sunday
April 10 & 11, 2010
11 AM - 6 PM

69th Regiment Armory
68 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY
Mocca-Website

Rabid Rabbit Release Party & Show Photos

2010-04-01T11:45:00.003-04:00

If you missed the event at Bergen Street Comics last weekend, the show will still be up for a month or so, definitely through MoCCA. And you can see some photos from the event on the here.

NYTimes OpEd: Earthquakes

2010-03-28T17:51:00.005-04:00

I'm thrilled to be in today's New York Times, with an OpEd Illustration about earthquakes. This was a close collaboration with Art Director Kim Bost, we were going back and forth with design and illustration till we had the best solution. It was really fun to work on something that plays with the page layout in such a way, and I'm very happy with the result.

This is the full bleed version of the cityscape, as used on the NYTimes website. Thanks again to Kim! You can read the entire article here.

SXSW Festival for Isthmus

2010-03-26T12:26:00.008-04:00

(Please click to enlarge)

This semi-sequential piece came out on the pages of Isthmus today. It's illustrating an article about the South by-Southwest Festival in Austin, TX, and about music festival "junkies". The idea for the Family Circle-inspired approach was by Art Director Carolyn Fath.

New Comic for MoCCA

2010-03-18T17:36:00.008-04:00

I've noticed that in recent years, almost all of my work was targeted in some ways to have a purpose. If I wasn't working on an actual freelance assignment, I created promos to attract new work, or I put together book pitches. Somehow I didn't allow myself just to play around without a "hidden agenda". So, this fall I had a burst of creative energy that manifested itself in two very silly, very low-brow short stories that had the sole purpose for me to have fun. How liberating! Well, now I'm planning to put it together as a hand-made book for MoCCA, might as well! Hopefully this won't destroy my career!

Rabid Rabbit Promotional Image

2010-03-11T15:53:00.008-05:00

It's been a while since I have done one of my large architectural illustrations. So my pal and Rabid Rabbit Co-Founder C.M.Butzer had the glorious idea to do one for Rabid Rabbit. And it seems it was just the right inspiration I needed, the result is the largest of the series so far (19 x 24 inches), and perhaps the wackiest? Now it will serve for Posters, flyers and a new postcard promoting the Rabid Rabbit 11 Release Party and Original Art Show at Bergen Street Comics, end of this month.

New York Times OpEd Page

2010-03-04T23:02:00.003-05:00

This was in last Tuesday's New York Times, illustrating an OpEd about the terrible earthquake in Chile. It was great to do a new large piece for the Times, though the topic was a very sad one. Many thanks to Art Director Aviva Michaelov for this great project.

Sonntagsblatt Illustrations

2010-02-25T14:07:00.002-05:00

OK, it's not Christmas anymore, but it's still snowing, so here are some illustrations I did for the Magazine "Thema", published by the German Newspaper Sonntagsblatt, about the favorite Christmas Songs. As I did with a similar assignment last year, I incorporated some of the lyrics and a bit of sheet music into the images. The first one is the Christmas Oratorium by Haendel, the second one is Silent Night, and then it's White Christmas. If you like, you can order the issue here.

Syncopated Sightings

2010-02-22T15:18:00.002-05:00

Here are some reviews for Syncopated– A Collection of Nonfiction Picto-Essays, to which I contributed a story about Coney Island:

Comics Journal
News-a-Rama
ComicMix
Another article on News-a-Rama,
"Best Shots" (scroll down for article)

When reviewing an anthology, of course every reviewer has different favorites and tastes. But the overall response has been very positive.

Get your copy today!

Random Craziness

2010-02-17T12:10:00.000-05:00

Recently I've been drawn to the lowbrow comics imagery of my childhood and teenager days again, funnies, superheroes, horror, and if possible, all the above combined!

Out of some careless drawing while watching TV evolved some silly new stuff. Stay tuned for more...

Communication Arts and Society LA Honors

2010-02-15T17:43:00.000-05:00

My "Winter" piece was selected by the juries of the Communication Arts Illustration Competition and by the Society of Illustrators of LA (SI-LA). Yay! The Communication Arts Annual will be out later this year, and the Society of LA will have a big show, I'll post updates here. Thanks to all the judges!

RWTH Summer School Homepage

2010-02-10T16:15:00.001-05:00

Last year I did a couple of visuals for the RWTH Aachen University in Germany, including a Laptop Bag. An early version of that illustration is now being used for the home page of the RWTH Summer School, which is a program for students from abroad. Here is the link.

Two more weeks to check out KERPOEF! Show

2010-02-04T23:34:00.001-05:00

The show I'm in at St John's University is up for another two weeks, so if you haven't seen it and are in the area, you still have a chance to check it out! There are great pieces in there by Yuko Shimizu, Nathan Fox, Adam Kidder and a whole bunch of others. I have some prints, but also original ink-drawings, books, tearsheets and other printed objects in there. You can find more information here.

Einzigartig Calender by Slanted

2010-02-01T17:33:00.013-05:00

Still looking for a calendar for 2010? I have a suggestion for you: Einzigartig, presented by Freistil and Slanted.de, in which illustrators have interpreted 52 fonts in their own unique way. Each page is on heavy paper and can be torn out and used as a postcard, if you want to send out illustrated greetings. You canfind out more about it here.
My contribution is Basalt, for which I have created a cross-section drawing (below; click to enlarge).

(Cover)

State of the Union for New York Times

2010-01-27T10:45:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I got a call from the NYT OpEd page, to do a piece about the upcoming State of the Union speech. As usual, it is a fast turnaround and always a fun challenge! I did two versions, one with greys and one without, we ended up going with the purist version. You can see it in the paper today– instant gratification! Thanks again to AD Aviva Michaelov!

Ambush Advertising for Wall Street Journal

2010-01-25T09:13:00.005-05:00

This picture came out in the Wall Street Journal today. It's illustrating a text about the various kinds and latest trends of so-called Ambush Advertising (crowding into the spotlight without actually sponsoring an event). You can read the entire article here. Many thanks to Art Director Orlie Kraus!

Review of HAT in the New York Times

2010-01-18T18:22:00.003-05:00

Here's a highlight that happened when I was in Germany, the New York Times reviewed my book HAT! It was reviewed together with Sujean Rim's Birdie's Big-Girl Shoes.

From the review:
"(…) For those who get worked up about gender typecasting, Paul Hoppe’s “Hat” will give relief. In Hoppe’s universe, what to some might be a decorative object is to others a means of fending off crocodile attacks, sailing the seven seas and performing magic tricks. A little boy named Henry finds a hat on a park bench. He is about to take it — and dreams of the many venues in which he might wear it — when his mother points out that others might need it more than he does. (…)".

Besides some criticisms about my wording (after all, I am a foreigner) the review is quite positive. I am just so thrilled to have been in it, with so many books out there... You can read the entire text about both books here.

Homemade gifts for Wall Street Journal

2010-01-12T07:44:00.005-05:00

A recent assignment, from just before the holiday break: exploring the ups and downs of handmade gifts and holiday crafts. Here's the article on the WSJ website. Many thanks to AD Orlie Kraus!

Interview for Schwaebische Zeitung

2010-01-09T17:38:00.000-05:00

I did an interview with my old hometown newspaper during my visit in December. It came out today, apparently my parents got a lot of phone calls. Thanks to Margret Welsch for the nice text! I feel very honored. For those of you who can read German, here's the link.