csjennings drawings!

series 2, back to school assignment

noreply@blogger.com (da janx) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:08:00 +0000

here's what ran yesterday in the Fort Worth Star Telegram.

i posted the roughs--the pre-drawings i send the client--with the final illustrations. (i continue my love affair with the red pencils which i started using for my roughs (versus blue-line underdrawing and graphite on top). i make it black in the computer when i send it to the client.)

Click to visit the article.

success series : sleepy time

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you can see the addition of "story" in the background of the finished illustration. when creating an illustration, i try to think about who the character is.

success series : the rare CS Jennings still life

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(that's my pencil i use to draw with.)

success series : talk to teacher

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sometimes people i know slip into my drawings. in this case, it's my niece--Caitlin--in ten years.

schoolin'

noreply@blogger.com (da janx) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:09:00 +0000

one of the nice things about doing newspaper work is i'm not working months out so i can share the illustrations with you pretty much as soon as i am done with them.

here's a set for the Fort Worth Star Telegram. i am illustrating a series on school related topics that will run in the Living section every day this week.

this article ran today and is about helping your pre-schooler go to school. Read it here.

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hair. it is.

noreply@blogger.com (da janx) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:31:00 +0000

the article is for a kids' magazine.

it's about the nose hair and what it does. factual, yet with a bit of a humorous twist.

it references "your grandfather's nose hairs" in the text.

this rough, apparently, is a little too much for the editors.

"could we do something without nose hairs?"

just how, pray tell, does one illustrate an article about nose hairs without showing said nose hairs?

nose hairs.

my life. such it is.

Comic Conin'

noreply@blogger.com (da janx) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:15:00 +0000

San Diego was great. met lots of cool artist types. made some good connections.

i always leave there charged up, and this year was no different. one of the biggest things i walked away with was, "dang, i gotsa to draw more." i do plenty of drawing on deadline, but not so much drawing for myself. going to do more of that.

here's some stuff i drew at the con while watching my buddy's table.

the traveler

based on "Mr. Bones Plays the Blues," here he is on a walk about. || marker on paper.

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two Dr. Who's

many people come in costume to the con. there were two Dr. Who guys. they greeted one another, "hello doctor." "why, hello doctor." they had very long scarves. || graphite on paper.

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randomage

the little girl has on the clothes of three different people who walked by and the hair of one. the cat did not go by. if one did, he would be happy. he has a fish. || red pencil on paper.

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randomage, two

playing with forms and themes. a dude walked by and said, "pretty cool man." that's why i wrote that. || red pencil on paper.

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you say tomato, i say automobile

noreply@blogger.com (da janx) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:42:00 +0000

one of my clients is a card game designer. he is based in Tel Aviv. (that's Israel, kids.)

he does what he does because he loves it. that's the best kind of client to work with.

he emailed me this week to see if i could do some drawing for a new game he's working on.

among a list of animals and their normal favorite foods was this,

"Donkey – Banana"

i paused, for... quite a while actually.

because of the eight hour time delay i couldn't call him.

"well. i don't know. maybe donkeys eat bananas in Israel."

so i drew this rough.

mine banana! nom. nom. nom.

"Hi C.S., they look cool
Did I write Donkey? I meant Monkey… ha ha"

turns out. in Israel MONKEYS eat bananas.

i still don't know what the donkeys eat.

DFW Reading, 07-12-08

noreply@blogger.com (da janx) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:24:00 +0000

B&N, Southlake Town Center

sorry it's taken me so long to post this. i got back to Austin and there's been a flurry of stuff to do. a FLURRY!

in short, the reading went off pretty well.

you never really get used to this.

104 folks showed up. admittedly, a lot of these people were my friends--it turned into a giant reunion--but 30-40% were people i didn't know. (it's a tough scenario to see people who you haven't in ages. like a wedding, you shake their hand and the line moves on. note to self: need to have a reception next time.)

we sold a bunch of books. Barnes and Noble was pleased. (the manager even came up to meet and thank me. the MANAGER!) props to Angie, the Community Relations Manager. she did a brilliant job of setting the reading up.

C. Wahl of the Fort Worth Star Telegram was kind enough to post an announcement of the event on the front page of their Saturday "Your Life" section.

i love me some Fort Worth Star Telegram

Russ was superb on the percussion. Melissa J. came to my rescue once again--she's my own personal Supergirl--and shot the pictures. (which was a challenge because we weren't in the children's section of the store. we were in front of Giant Bright Blinding Windows.)

we are only shadows in this world... NOT Mel J. photo

here's a shout-out to Bridget, who i met. a reader of this blog, she says.

to say i was honored that everyone came out to see me and support me is an immense understatement.

with those crazy Canfields

this was a larger venue than i've been in so far. i read on a microphone, also something new. each reading is different. each audience is different. i try to learn something from each one.

not being in the intimate setting of the Barnes and Noble children's stage made it tougher to connect with the kids. they participated in the animal noises and the "air" instrument playing, but not as much as other readings. i pulled back a little because one of the little boys on the front row--he looked like he was six, he is so tall, but is really FOUR--got scared and climbed into the second row and into his mother's arms. (he was okay by the time we got to the signing. he even answered questions during Q&A.)

small groups are easy. you pull your performance down to their level. theaters and stages are easy. you go big. it's the in-between venues that take some negotiating. (playing small enough for the kids on the front row, and big enough for the people in the back of the room is an interesting balance.)

question and answer time got off to a slow start. more like a no-start.

"does anyone have any questions?"

the proverbial cricket chirping.

"well then, let me tell you a little bit of what Animal Band is about..."

(it's about music. "duh," you say. kid instruments--maracas, tambourines, xylophones, drums--play front and center. i hope for it to be an introduction of these things to children. sort of like when we went to the symphony i was in grade school. when a kid picks up an instrument, he puts down something else. it's good for their mental development and is an early encouragement for the arts, which are a vital part of our culture.)

this loosened things up. a little girl raised her hand. she asked an excellent question. (which i don't remember.) then other hands went up. more questions were asked.

"dogs jump up and touch their hands," said a three year-old, ("yes, yes they do.")

"how long is the car [that leaves in the beginning] gone?" (which is a long and involved answer. the short version is look at the clock. three hours.)

Walter and his clock. Walter is the bar-none favorite of the kids who read the book.

to be honest, some of these questions are the first time i've thought about those things. (i spent lots of time thinking about the book, just not THOSE specific questions.)

a little girl raised her hand. with her eyebrow cocked she said, "do you really think animals do this when we're not around?"

(how to answer this one without making her feel silly? ...or making me feel silly?)

"i don't know that they DON'T do this when we're not around," i said, "do you know that they don't?"

she shook her head.

"i mean, they don't have thumbs, so they couldn't play the guitar like we can," i continued, "but with their paws they could definitely play the drums."

i thought it was a compelling argument. in the end she didn't buy it. she continued to shake her head disapprovingly. (she's got bright future as a White House correspondent if she wants it.)

the truth is, i love question and answer time for this very reason. you've got to be on your toes. (it also adds some entertainment value for the parents--i hope.) i'd do the readings for no other reason than to answer questions. (meeting the readers is also the best part. can there be two best parts? most best and best best. fo shizz.)

i don't have the photos from this reading yet. when i get them, i will post them and the highlights from the last reading. (that Brandy so generously shot.)

also, video footage was shot, so there should be a posting on Youtube in the near future. (this is not a joke.)

i dreamt alligators

noreply@blogger.com (da janx) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 02:02:00 +0000

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the theme of the group show is "in dreams."

alligators are a persistent symbol in my dreams. some dreamologists say they represent strong, yet often, subdued emotions.

you can see the show through July at the Flightpath Coffee Shop. (5011 Duval St, 78751)

there is an opening Saturday night, July 12, 7-9. i will not be in attendance because of a previous engagement, but lots of super talented and pretty cool to hang out with people will be there. you should be too.

fizzle no bang

noreply@blogger.com (da janx) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 01:59:00 +0000

not real sure who this guy is. he showed up on my drawing pad while i was warming up tonight.

he's Victorian, i guess. i like the idea of doing science in vests and ties.

ride, sadie, ride

noreply@blogger.com (da janx) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 01:55:00 +0000

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the dog and cat of a friend.

Animal Band review

noreply@blogger.com (da janx) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:34:00 +0000

...Want to nurture your kid's enthusiasm for reading? These books are the sort in which you want to bury a nose, not surfacing for air until the satisfying last page.... Here's a batch of the latest great summer escapes:

"Animal Band" is a raucous celebration of music by Christopher S. Jennings, who brings his cartoonist background to this frolic. His characters might look at home on the Cartoon Network, but they work here. Rock the cat and his pals bounce off each page, as they assemble a swinging band. There's a big blue fish wearing shades and blowing on a saxophone, an elephant wielding a clarinet and a hip-cat lion jamming on a red electric guitar. It's great fun - and not for nap-time reading!

I heart the The Mercury News.

for those in the Dallas Fort Worth area, I will be reading 'Animal Band' at the Southlake Barnes and Noble this Saturday at 2PM.

'bout time

noreply@blogger.com (da janx) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:37:00 +0000

click pic to visit

well, the author site is up... or kinda, anyway.

it's designed to be added onto easily, like Lego*, but still look complete while i work on the other parts of it.

* Lego Brand Building Blocks

that's 'Rock' baby, as in ROCK AND ROLL!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (da janx) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:46:00 +0000

MTV's website is carrying Animal Band.

click image for link

i wasn't expecting for the book to show up there, but part of--a big part of--Animal Band is an intro to music for kids. therefore, there are lots of beginning music instruments in the book--tambourines, xylophones, maracas, drums, etc.

i've been hunting around for music sites, music education i was thinking, to pitch the book to. looks like MTV found me themselves.

(what's cool is that the image of the book is a scan of the actual book.)

Austin Chronicle Cover : The Motorcycling

noreply@blogger.com (da janx) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:25:00 +0000

i did a cover for this week's Austin Chronicle, well, a cover for the insert for this weekend's motorcycle rally.

here's the published version:

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this is my version of the cover. having the "stoppies" apparent was very important to the editor. as the illustrator, of course, having the characters as big as possible is my priority.

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i went with black line on the front characters to make it more "postery." also, it helps push them to the front of composition.

here's a close-up of the Harley dude. the bike is a loose approximation of a Harley softail. one of my favorite bikes.*

i've also been trying out the dry brushes in Photoshop. this one looks a lot like pastels, which are my favorite media.

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HOLY COW! I FORGOT TO GIVE HIM A BIG OL' ARM TATTOO!

oops. that's called quick turnaround deadline.

* not that it matters. my dad indoctrinated me with a deathly fear of ever riding one. thanks, pop.

detail of the the Texas State Capitol that's in the background.

chronic ill

noreply@blogger.com (da janx) — Thu, 29 May 2008 13:28:00 +0000

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The May 30th issue of the See the Austin Chronicle.* Cover by C.S. Jennings.

* Austin's weekly independent newspaper.

©1995-2008 Austin Chronicle Corp.
© 2008 C.S. Jennings

plush-gush no. 2

noreply@blogger.com (da janx) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:46:00 +0000

ladies and gentlemen i present to you the work of illustrator/designer/artist/crafty chic Robyn Fabsits.

her work is illustration in plush, which--for obvious reasons--i find completely fascinating.

in a recent interview someone asked me what inspired me. the answer? this sort of stuff.

at some point in time i need to post some more of my work. everything i am doing is either under a non-disclosure agreement, or is something i am working on under the radar. (i submitted two proposals for the new book to Sterling and in the last week have come up with two more i want to send them.)

i will make an effort to post some new work soon.

plush-gush no. 1 : Jhoanna Monte Aranez, aka: One Red Robin.

weekend update

noreply@blogger.com (da janx) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:45:00 +0000

this weekend i inked 16 pages in two days. i think my thumb is going to fall off.

i managed to watch There Will Be Blood. I was so zonked from my deadline, it didn't make much sense to me. i think i enjoyed it. Daniel Day Lewis's performance was great.

plush

craft arts are important to me and--i think--important to our culture.* art on an everyday level, by people who would not label themselves artists, is a life blood i think we need. i would look at the quilts made by my ancestors, or peruse the halls of the American Folk Art Museum in New York City, filled with bitterness because they represented a bygone era.

turns out, it ain't necessarily so. there's lots of folks putting needle to fabric these days.

i ran into Sappy Moose Tree at Comic Con a few years ago. she had an artist's booth. she was making zombie sock monkeys. they were great.

i've tracked the handmade plush industry on the internet, seeing people's work from time to time. then my good pal and mega talented artist person Alicia Traveria posted a link on her blog to an event she's going to be attending.

it's called Crammed Organisms. i spent a while on the artists' page cruising the different websites of the different artists.

one of my favorites is One Red Robin, aka Jhoanna Monte Aranez.

her toys have a wonderful design and character to them. i know in the world of those who sew, the fabrics they use are a big deal. i hadn't thought about it, but as i read her blog and those of her contemporaries, there's lots of talk about "rare japanese fabrics" or vintage fabrics. this attention to material takes her work to another level as well.

Mrs. Aranez highlighted the work of Yuko Hara on her blog.

Hara is also a talented illustrator as well as a wonderful "softie" artist.

i am inspired by this stuff. as a kid i had a massive stuffed animal collection (they all had voices and personalities, more an extension of my puppet collection than stuffed animals). i used to make knight outfits for my bear, Peanut. also, toy design fascinates me. so, this strikes a note for me.

in college i was forced to take a "soft sculpture" class. besides the fact that my teacher had the creepiest over-lotioned hands of anyone i've ever met, i ended up enjoying the class a lot more than i thought i would. (though this is the first time i've ever admitted it.)

i did a sketch--i promise before seeing anyone else's work--of what i thought i could pull of at my current skill and knowledge level.

of course, i don't have time to do anything like this right now. (see the first part of this post.) but it's something i'm going to think on and research.

* while there are those who cringe at "crafty," i think self expression is valid and vital for those who pursue it, regardless of its professional or skill level... or Martha Stewart inspired origins. i commend anyone who overcomes the "i want to but i can't do it" i've heard from too many people following the revelation that i am an artist. what seems to keep a lot of folks from pursuing their creative impulse is just plain old fear. (there's probably a scowling art teacher somewhere in their past... the sort of character who needs to be tarred and feathered.)

** i can't blog about hand crafts without mentioning b's wrist bands.

Robot Doggie

noreply@blogger.com (da janx) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 03:00:00 +0000

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...for a commission of sorts.

young girl with pooch and book

noreply@blogger.com (da janx) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 02:55:00 +0000

making good on my promise to make those who send me pictures of them with the book famous on the internet, i present,

Caroline and Cosmo.

Animal Band reading teaser shot

noreply@blogger.com (da janx) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 03:10:00 +0000

Saturday's reading was great.

(the dour fellow over my shoulder is the musician who plays with me when i read. Joey concentrates when he plays. he does smile. i promise.)

more details forthcoming.

photo by B. Martin

Another Animal Band Reading & Signing This Weekend!

noreply@blogger.com (da janx) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 02:16:00 +0000

It's that time again!

Time for another reading of Animal Band with me, the author and illustrator, Christopher S. Jennings.

The Where
Barnes and Noble at the Arboretum

The When
Saturday, March 29th, 11 AM

The Who
Me! In a NEW fez and Joey Santori, maestro of the percussion and all things exotic instrumenty.

See the event and location! "Various!" Yes!*

* They tell me they've done some outreach to the schools for my event. All of that B&N's events are "Various" online.

far more fantabulous fan art than you can shake a stick at

noreply@blogger.com (da janx) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 02:05:00 +0000

comes from my pal, the uber-artist Kennon James.

Rock the Casbah

Click pic to see more of Kennon's art

i like his chin... which my Rock is completely devoid of. nice job on the trumpet too. those things are hard to draw. tubes everywhere.

further fantabulous fan art!

noreply@blogger.com (da janx) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 15:43:00 +0000

ladies and gentlemen, i give you the visual stylings of the wondrous Alicia Traveria.

sir thomas

Click the Pic to see more of Alicia's work

Fantabulous Fan Art

noreply@blogger.com (da janx) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:50:00 +0000

my good buddy Paul, a mega-talented drawer, did his version of Thomas.

Click the Pic to see the bigger version and more of Paul's work.

the first reading.

noreply@blogger.com (da janx) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 04:07:00 +0000

the poster the gals at Book People put together. here's a shout out to Mandy and Megan. they did an awesome job.

the quiet before the storm.

i hold in my lap a picture of my cat Rock, one of the lead characters of the book. i am telling them about how great of a cat he was. (but not that he's dead.)

the reading commences.

i read. joey plays the bongos. (smile Jensen.)

speaking of... joey santori. musician extraordinaire. he made the reading really work. he was great.

what kind of instrument does a bat play? (some kid in the audience yelled out the answer... not as great as mystery as one would think.)

who's in the car? (and sweat on the lip. vest, shirt, and tie--looks good, but very warm.

...and then i drew... badly. (i was drawing upside down.)

question and answer time.

signing me some books.

i made a coloring page out of a spread in the book. i signed books. the kids colored.

this little girl was great. (they were all great.)

chair. book. harmonica. Rock.

double thumbs!

- pictures by Matt Frederick

it's kind of a blur, but here's what i remember.

the reading went really well. as i said, the team at Book People was awesome.

the area upstairs, a mini book reading auditorium, was packed with kids and their parents.

there were looooots of three year olds. i wasn't ready for that. i wasn't sure what to do with them. following to the advice of my elementary teaching cousin (wasssup Vikki!), i had the kids make the animal noises. it worked like a charm. (handing out some Kleenexes would have been a good idea. there was an abundance of snotty noses.)

the older kids were really keyed in. (the oldest was eight, i believe. she was learning the clarinet.) i look forward to talking to some schools.

i had a few teachers there. one told me it was hard to keep the younger one's attention for more than 5 minutes. they stayed with me for 15 or so. Joey was an important part of the success of the reading. his accompaniment kept the kids in it.

i didn't have much of a plan, just a sketch of what might work. when i was done with the book. there was clapping.

ooookay. what next?

i told them i'd drawn the book--the "oh's!" from the audience suggested i make a point of informing them at the beginning that i drew it too--and picked up a pad to do some drawing.

i started Rock's head and felt the disconnect.

this ship is going down fast.

so i asked them what to draw.

"we have his ears, and eyes, and nose. what's next?"

"HIS MOUTH!"

we continued thusly.

thank the Mighty Lord in heaven that worked.

when i finished Rock, i asked what else i should draw.

"WALTER!"

...they knew the names of the characters, which was cool. it means they were paying attention.

note to self: if i am going to draw, i should bring an easel. i ended up drawing upside down and it was bad.

this was the first reading. overall i think it went well. at the same time, i learned a few things.

(i'm used to being on a stage and able to fill the whole room. when you've got a precious little girl sitting mere inches away, you have to play it smaller... but still big at the same time. tricky.)

next time i will have more of a plan. i will have a script.

in the end, i had a wonderful time. the kids were great. Book People was gracious.

"we sold a LOT of books!" Mandy said.

i want to thank every one of my friends who came out.

your presence blessed and encouraged me.

~ Christopher

photo op

noreply@blogger.com (da janx) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 20:55:00 +0000

here's some more pics of people with the book.

in Fort Worth

with Animal Band in your life, you can be happy, like this woman.

- photo : J. Conway

now you see it, now you don't

...from the North Clybourn Barnes & Noble in Chicago.

- photos : Jason Chalker

"(We) just got back from B&N. We purchased 3 copies between the two of us. They only have one left. The children's book lady says they've been selling really well and she was ordering more tonight."

if you want to be famous and have your picture on the web, send me a snap of you with the book and i'll post it! art@csjennings.com