by jdsmeaton | Dec 20, 2023 | 3 Questions With...
Sometime in the early 2010s I read an article about an artist who turned down a lucrative job with Google designing “Doodles” for their homepage. Instead, he decided to pursue his dream of illustrating children’s books. I remember thinking “Wow, that’s awesome,...
by jdsmeaton | Dec 6, 2023 | Storytelling, Writing
The Evolution of Charlie Brown (And Your Own Work) Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I got to go to the Charles Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California. It was wonderful and inspiring. I lucked out with my visit coinciding with the current exhibition of Peanuts Evolution...
by jdsmeaton | Nov 15, 2023 | 3 Questions With...
I came across Michael Grover’s work through Super Punch, a website I frequent that shares fun and interesting things. It recommended the short webcomic, Hamburglar Goes To Hell. It’s wonderfully creative and ridiculous. Everything you could hope for with that title....
by jdsmeaton | Nov 1, 2023 | Writing
The Surprising Key to a Child Prodigy’s Artistic Greatness I came across musician/singer Ethan Bortnick on TikTok. He performs these insanely impressive pop/rock piano songs. I liked his work so I looked him up. He’s in his early 20s now but turns out he was a...
by jdsmeaton | Oct 19, 2023 | 3 Questions With...
I think I first came across David on Kids Comics Unite. When I saw his upcoming book Pizza Pickles And Apple Pie: The Stories Behind The Foods We Love, I was sold. It’s the kind of book I’m surprised didn’t exist beforehand but glad it does now. He’s a fellow Sergio...
by jdsmeaton | Oct 3, 2023 | Storytelling, Writing
Why Shakespeare Couldn’t Care Less About His Legacy (And You Shouldn’t Either) I think about legacy a fair amount. There’s a part of me that wants to create a lasting body of work. But the more I contemplate it, the more it seems personal legacy does not...
by jdsmeaton | Sep 19, 2023 | 3 Questions With...
I’m not sure where I first encountered Adam’s work but I immediately became a fan when I did. So has my son. His favorite bedtime story is the delightful ARE YOU SCARED DARTH VADER? On the surface and what immediately attracts you to Adam’s artwork is that he is a...
by jdsmeaton | Sep 5, 2023 | Writing
I Hope You Fail Anyone you admire used to suck. And honestly probably still does suck on a regular basis. You want to know who was a failure? Michael Jordan, Stephen King, Ali Wong, The Beatles. We judge them for their end results but every one of them struggled and...
by jdsmeaton | Aug 16, 2023 | 3 Questions With...
Thien Pham I wasn’t familiar with Thien or his work until Raina Telgemeier gave Family Style a shoutout on Instagram. I bought a copy and absolutely loved it. It’s the story of his family’s move from Vietnam to America in the early 80’s. Each chapter revolves around...
by jdsmeaton | Aug 1, 2023 | News
New York Library offers free eCards to teens nationwide I doubt it comes as a surprise that I am less than a fan of the people who try to ban books. If you want to present and argue your ideology, great but when you try to impose and dictate your views on others, I...
