Just Like That, A SKWATCH is Born!

Meet the Skwatch Family! Rosco, his baby sister Skwink, Poppa and Ma. The Krypti-Kid Chronicles, is a new series that's been brewing in my north woods brain and after having sasqustches pop up in a few of my books, it seems the time is ripe. In fact, this year during a school assembly I had a young lad request a squatch puppet. Hmm. The kids were intrigued at spotting the squatch in my The Young GeEK's Guide to Getting Outside book as we read it together. The big guy is popular with the little ones!

I've always loved the idea of a Yeti or Sasquatch running around out there. My young son thought he saw one in southeast Michigan once, their presence was reported in the Mio area along the AuSable river and more. Even HOLLY WILD wears a Bigfoot Convention shirt, an event I noticed in being held in Christmas, MI in 2006.

Who doesn't love a good mystery, and even better, deep in the heart of the thick, dark forests of Michigan and other places. Who knows, maybe I'ill set up a Squatch cam here! But until then, this quirky, angsty, pre-teen character has appeared on my sketchbook page and iPad. I will occassionally add his other cryptic pals and videos for you enjoyment as I develop the cast.

Finally, Rosco breathes! It takes illustrators making lotsa, lotsa sketches to develop a hero.

Here is a video of Rosco and family being developed. Fun stuff to watch his face change and become an awesome character. I have been drawing and redrawing him trying to find the look I want and with my iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, it worked! I love the big lunk. And just like that, a skwatch is born! Note: next time I will record the drawing so you don't have to dislocate your neck.

NEW Year, NEW Stuff, NEW Books!

www.loritaylorart.com 2014

Somewhere between holidays,and snow days I have had time to work on new book projects of the GRAPHIC nature. Not graphic as in "wait a minute Lori you're a children's author!", no, graphic as in ART, more ART and lots more ART! 

My last post dealt with new characters for a new story-line. And now here I am putting together COMIC BOOKS! In the last few years graphic novels and comics have been hitting the educational scene and I am so there! 

Befuddled "Crazy-Cat"

I have been crazy researching on how comics are a great way to TEACH! My personal teaching favorite is the comic character hero, Max Axiom. Max teaches chemistry, ecology and biology. Yes, comics teach and entertain. And yes, comics are fun and full of color. More of my favorites rich in content Thoreau's Walden graphic novel and Mouse Guard, Owly, and for funny fun Lunch Lady and the Magic Pickle.

"Tricky-Track Rabbit" the trickster 

And yet comics teach everything from science to history, math, poetry and more. Graphics--art--is a wonderful way to connect to kids--especially boys. The pictures break up the text and will get hesitant readers to read. And enjoy it--which is important with the lack of readers we keep hearing about.

"Ol-Man-Ramshackle" (actually Tricky-Track Rabbit in disguise)

Graphic novels and comic art is another way to tell a story, visually as well as literally. And I do love a good story. Pictures can say way more than words and convey emotion and evoke emotion. And humor is a good way to teach, part of the reason that I have always been interested in Native American legends, myths, and fables. Legends and fables are a fun way to get good ideas across using animals. 

(I found a young man in Ann Arbor sporting a frock like this, without the burs.)

So these are a few pages from my comic Crazy-Cat, Don't Chase That Rabbit!, that I hope to have published this summer. Crazy-cat finds out the hard way that his obsessive hunt for the trickster rabbit, Tricky-Track, causes him to miss out on life and thereby loses a part of himself--his beloved tail. This is a fave tale of mine I read many years ago. Not only are most traditional Native American tales entertaining, but they teach behavior and responsibility. How to be or not to be. Something else kids and adults need.

(I enjoy adding Arthur Rackham-ish trees that give clues...)

With this story I switched up the political views of the day to make the story more kid friendly. I came up with my own descriptive names instead of any one Native American tribal name for the characters. I had fun with a sing-song style of language here, too. And like my Holly Wild books, I give a bit of natural history, talk about predators and animal adaptations and included games and activities at the end. 

New year, new works, new fun! NEW STUFF!