Category: Uncategorized

Now that I am a “published” author I can check my Amazon.com ranking any time I want but I have come to discover that If I base my self esteem on the Amazon ranking I am doomed to a life of low self esteem. It is kind of like playing Tetris, at some point you… Continue reading Find it in a Library

My good friend Guy Francis has just won an award for a book that he illustrated.Mrs. McBloom, Clean Up Your Classroom has won Pennsylvania’s 2006-2007 Keystone to Reading Book Award for best picture book! If you haven’t seen the book check it out. It is full of great suprises. Congratulations Guy!

I know that this isn’t big news for any of you, but it is for me. My website and blog are mentioned on the Horn Book Web Watch. Welcome if you are visiting my blog or website through the Horn Book link. Thank you, Thank you, Horn Book!!

I discovered The Professors Daughter by Joann Sfar and Emmanuel Guibert, while browsing First Second the other day. It looked interesting and I read the excerpt and it is hilarious. I pre-ordered it and am anxiously waiting. I did not grow up on comic books and I find them to feel like I am watching… Continue reading The Professors Daughter

I sent the package. (You have no idea how hard that is for me.) Here is my one sentence sales pitch.A slurping good time featuring delicious color mixing and a tragic ending. I hope that this isn’t an Un-Book and that it will be at all fine bookstores near you.

This past week I decided to finish up a book dummy that I have been working on and send it. I worked long and hard and I have a book dummy all ready. Well, here goes nothing, I am on my way to drop it in the mail. This is the hardest part of publishing… Continue reading Here Goes Nothing!

I recieved a nice note this morning from Tony Medeiros informing me that he did a little review for Un-Brella, at www.sandboxworld.com . Check out Sandbox World and let me know what you think. Thank you Tony

Un–Brella is just 38 days away from publication (unless you are attending the UVSC children’s lit conference then it is 32). This is a new experience for me and I am going just a bit crazy. I know what I should be doing. I should be working on the next book and not worry about… Continue reading 38 days and Counting

When a little girl decides the weather isn’t to her fancy, an “un-brella” helps to magically change one season to another. In the midst of a wintry scene, this Dora the Explorer look-alike with large, round blue eyes and pigtails and wearing a swimsuit and flippers, opens her un-brella to create a summery luscious green… Continue reading Un-Brella Review: (Kirkus Reviews / March 1, 2007)

I’ve been tagged by Gail, a wonderful illustrator and author of the blog, Through the Studio Door. (Gail, I don’t mind being tagged) Here are the rules as I know them. . .I must post 6 weird things about myself, and post the RULES.” Which are. . . Each person who gets tagged needs to… Continue reading I’ve been tagged

I had the opportunity to visit the Kindergarten classes at Kennedy Elementary School in Rexburg, Idaho last Wednesday. My plans were to go and show the book by projecting it with a digital projector. Well technology failed me and as it tuned out it wasn’t so bad. I ended up sitting in the center of… Continue reading First School Visit with a book!

Un-Brella is my first book and today there is another first. My first review. It will be in the March/April 2007 issue of The Horn Book Magazine. A little girl’s magical umbrella has the power to reverse the weather under it in this wordless exercise in whimsy. When the pig-tailed heroine looks out the window… Continue reading The Horn Book Magazine: My First Review

Today we experimented with drawing in Illustrator. The tools we used were the brush and pencil.

I am on Drawn! What an honor! Drawn! is a collaborative weblog for illustrators, artists, cartoonists, and anyone who likes to draw. Thank you Johnny and Dani.

In class demo

Classes started on Thursday and as always the first week of school has been a crazy blur, and it has only been 2 days. The best part of teaching is the energy of the students. It will be nice to see in a few years where this batch of students end up. Several of my… Continue reading Back to School

Tonight was the opening of the BYU-Idaho Faculty Art Show. It is always great to see what the other professors are doing. These four images are in the show. The title of the series is A Snowman for all Seasons.

I am happy to announce that the cover art for Un-Brella is now a part of The Robert L. Huebner Collection at the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library. I met two of the most wonderful children’s librarians, Cindy and Nancy, at an Event at the Mazza Museum in Findlay, Ohio. Cindy was telling me about their… Continue reading The Huebner Collection

I had a very strange evening yesterday. I will spare you all of the gory details, but last night I ended up in the emergency room at our local hospital. Don’t worry, I am just fine now. While the nurse was putting in the IV the doctor was distracting me with chit chat about what… Continue reading Emergency Room Book Promotion

My cover is finally on Amazon.comand so I am one step closer. There is so much more satisfaction looking myself up on Amazon.com and seeing the cover of my book instead of the “No image available” box. I was beginning to feel like the kid in seventh grade who just happened to be sick on… Continue reading One More Small Step

The Snow shapes are given form with blue violet shadows on a multiply layer in Photoshop. The Snowflakes are added in layers. This is the top layer. I created custom brushes for the snowflakes. Add the second snow flake layer. The third and final snowflake layer.

On a new layer I draw the location of the snow to use as a guide in AI (Adobe Illustrator). I draw snow shapes for the trees and bushes in AI. Each tree and bush is a smart object. I select the snow shape I want in AI and copy. Then I move to Photoshop… Continue reading Snowman Winter Process-1

Using the Fall image I removed all of the elements that didn’t pertain to winter and darkened the sky. Now I have a base image to begin the winter illustration.

Using the smart objects again, I transformed fall into spring. The patterns that I added for the spring leaves are not solid so that the tree branches can be seen. The concept of Smart objects has been confusing for some of my readers. So I will try to explain it again. (This is all happening… Continue reading Snowman Process-Day 4

Today I have been transforming the summer image into a fall image. Because each element is a Photoshop smart object I can double click on it’s layer icon and it opens up in layers. Then I can replace colors or patterns and remove elements that don’t fit in this season. When I save and close… Continue reading Snowman Process- Day 3

I added a pattern to the grass and then used layer masks to help the trees, bushes and flowers feel like the fit into the grass. Pattern has been added to the tree tops and bushes. To give form, I use a blue violet to add shadow to the different shapes.

Every once in a while I add a new layer and draw on top of the image and then save it. When I go back to AI (Adobe Illustrator) the template updates and I can create the additional parts that I need. This is a screen capture from AI. It shows the template faded in… Continue reading Snowman process-Day 2(a)

I am beginning a series of four images that involve the same snowman in each of the four seasons. In my book, Un-Brella, a little girl can control the weather and so she can have a snowman year-round. Some of the illustrators out there may be interested in my process. I am saving key frames… Continue reading Snowman Process-Day 1

I am getting started with the promotion of my first book and so everything is new to me. I have been handing cards with my web address out like candy, sending e-mails to friends and family, maintaining a web site, posting a book trailer to YouTube, blogging here on Blogger and on the Un-Brella page… Continue reading A Beginners Attempt at Book Promotion

Here is a final version of my book trailer for Un-Brella. It is featured today on Book Trailer Park. I hope that you enjoy it. If you do be sure to tell a friend about it. Un-Brella is being published by Roaring Brook Press and will be available April 3, 2007. Pre-order Un-Brella today.

Roaring Brook sent me two wonderful surprises today 2 hard bound copies of Un-Brella and the Spring 2007 Catalog. Every day the birth of Un-Brella is a step closer. It is so great to hold the finished book. (Not quite as good as a new baby, but pretty close) I have lived with this story… Continue reading Un-Brella News

I am looking forward to attending the Mazza Museum Weekend Institute 2006. This year the speakers are, Tedd Arnold,Betsy Lewin,David Slonim,Amy Schwartz,Brian Wildsmith,and Paul O. Zelinsky.It will be nice to hear 6 visual storytellers speak. I am really looking forward to Betsy Lewin and Paul O. Zelinsky. I am sure that I will come home… Continue reading Mazza Museum Weekend Institute 2006

I gave my daughter the Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You (Spiderwick Chronicles)for her birthday today. What a big hit. She has packed it around with her all day. She shows it to everyone that comes to visit. Recently she has been drawing dragons. I thought if she was interested in… Continue reading Spiderwick Field Guide makes a great gift

Another small step forward. Last night I discovered that my book is now available at Amazon.com for pre-order.I logically know it is strange to be so excited about this, but it is my first book and it sure is fun. It makes the process of getting a book published feel like a reality. It takes… Continue reading UnBrella is Available for Pre-order

Introducing Howard. He teaches math to the gifted and talented 2nd graders. He was a gifted and talented 2nd grader himself. (It should be noted that his 3rd grade teacher was not able to see his gifts or talents and that was the end to his career as a gifted and talented student.) He picked… Continue reading Howard: Gifted and Talented 2nd Grade Teacher

Good news today! The f&g’s for UnBrella arrived today. (f&g’s=folded and gathered=a printed book without hard covers and unbound). It is always strange to look at something that I have been waiting for for a long time because it usually is a little different than I expected. I am happy with the final results. Now… Continue reading UnBrella: f&g’s

I have been teaching art at BYU-Idaho full time for the last 12 years. This semester I am on sabbatical and spend a great deal of time alone in a corner room in my basement. My wife calls it the catacomb. I have discovered that it really is more difficult to sit alone in a… Continue reading The Lonely Catacomb

This evening I am going to the airport to pick up Eric Rohmann (My Friend Rabbit)(Clara and Asha)(Pumpkinhead). He is going to spend the next two days at BYU-Idaho where I teach. I am really looking forward to talking with him and seeing him interact with the students. He will be visiting classes, giving a… Continue reading Eric Rohmann Visit

I have written a wordless picture book:) It actually sounds kind of funny to say that. How does a person write without words? At a recent children’s publishing conference I heard the question asked. “I am not an illustrator but I have an idea for a wordless picture book. How do I submit a manuscript… Continue reading Wordless picture book

So another day has arrived and I sit here wondering what my next book will be. I have been reading The Invisible Child, a book of talks and essays by Katherine Paterson. There are 2 talks about the challenges she faced trying to get her novels started. She published some of her initial ideas about… Continue reading Another deja vu

Well, I didn’t make much progress yesterday with new stories. I spent most of the day working on a “preview” for UnBrella. I am happy with where it is going, but I still have a ways to go. I added an obscure link to the preview and posted it yesterday to see if it would… Continue reading UnBrella in Motion

Another day as come and I am back in the studio. I sit here perplexed and wondering what is the best next step to make. I recently received another rejection on my new book concept and the reasons were the same. The big comment is that the story seems “too light”. So now I am… Continue reading Another day

I know that nobody cares but me, but for nobody’s information 140 days stand between me and the birth of my first book, UnBrella. It is on the Spring 2007 book list from Roaring Brook Press. March 6, 2007 will be its birthday. It has taken nearly 2 full years to get this book published.

I did it! The hardest part of publishing for me is sending my work out. I never feel like it is good enough but I don’t have the time to finish a book that will never be published. It always feels good once it is sent but to get it sent is a painful time… Continue reading I sent it out again

Well the other day my favorite publisher passed on a new story that I sent them. It was a nice letter and so I know I should be grateful, but I have really been in the dumps. The publishing business is like playing the board game Sorry. Just when you think you are making progress… Continue reading Sorry!

The Most Valuable information I picked up at the 2006 SCBWI Conference, is a portfolio review form from Cecilia Young, art director. It covers what an art director for children’s books is looking for in an illustration portfolio. The categories are Basic skills, Pictorial legibility, Casting skills, Acting skills, Communication skills. Narrative skills, Narrative instincts,… Continue reading Analyze your illustration portfolio

I have added a new exhibit to my online gallery. You are invited to come and visit. Scott E Franson: Gallery

This is a study for a project that is in the preliminary stages. The story is finished and now is the time to discover what the setting of the story will look like. It is fun to experiment. The story takes place under the sea. I am designing the plants and animals to populate the… Continue reading Fresh Fish

There are some basic things that an author or illustrator of picture books should know about a picture book. The Anatomy of a Picture Book is a pdf file that can be downloaded. It contains some very basic information for those who are new to children’s book publishing. There are many simple concepts that new… Continue reading The Anatomy of a Picture Book

I recently finished my first Children’s Picture book UnBrella. I have been thinking about the information that I needed to ask along the way. Therefore, I have begun to compile some basic information that may be of some use to those who are new to illustrating picture books it is called, Making Books 101.