My Brain On Paper

New guy

2012-01-24T14:41:00.000-08:00

New year, new stuff, New Guy. Thanks to 100 Scope Notes, The Obstinate Pen is in an article on 10 Fiction Picture Books they are looking forward to in 2012. Cheers!

mailer

2011-12-08T10:43:00.001-08:00

Sinter Klaus

2011-12-01T13:26:00.000-08:00

Top Secret

2011-11-27T12:30:00.001-08:00

Coming soon to a book store near you...

Halloween costumes! Socksquatch!!

2011-11-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

Jessi Weithman, a wonderful photographer, sent me these photos of her kids dressed as...... you guessed it, The Socksquatch gang!!!! Heeerrre's Socksquatch!

Annnnddd Frank!
Headless monsters! AAAAHHH!!
No sock! Just cute!!
Let the WILD RUMPUS begin!!!

AAHHHHH! GOT SOCK! These kids do. Thanks so much for sharing these with us, Jessi. You can go to Jessi's website here.

Staring at this all day today...

2011-10-22T14:19:00.000-07:00

New book

2011-10-13T03:54:00.000-07:00

This is an image from my upcoming book, THE OBSTINATE PEN. Out in the spring. Enjoy!

Pirate in a Bottle

2011-09-29T19:04:00.001-07:00

Skeleton

2011-09-20T14:10:00.001-07:00

It's a book!!

2011-09-18T08:49:00.001-07:00

I received the preview copy of my next book, The Obstinate Pen, from the publisher. More pictures to follow.

Small Paintings

2011-09-05T05:18:00.001-07:00

I will be at a book fair this October, and will be selling some small paintings. Here are a few that will be there

Irene

2011-09-03T12:35:00.001-07:00

After a little summer hiatus, where we received pins, ARC's and even weathered a hurricane, I'm back posting. Here's a little bit from the sketchbook created without electricity. I'll post more soon about new books, signings, and the like.

Late night doodles

2011-06-18T17:49:00.001-07:00

When I am in need of a mind-break from drawing for books, I take a page in my sketchbook and using crayons, markers, or whatever, and make a shape. Then I go in and try to turn it into...something. This was a recent late night exercise.

Socksquatch visits

2011-05-30T13:18:00.000-07:00

Socksquatch came by this weekend, and wanted you all to know he has been mentioned a few times recently. Madigan reads had this to say, while over at Kiss This Book, Socksquatch received an advisable rating. Over at The Greasy Screen Socksquatch was recently the most checked-out-of-the-library book!

Stay tuned for more visits from our sockless friend. And to another book to come...

Aggie Gets Lost!

2011-04-25T18:24:00.000-07:00

Presenting the fourth 'Aggie' book by Lori Ries.

I'm very proud of how the book looks. It's 3 chapters pack quite a wallop. Aggie gets lost (of course) and the remaining story is told from Ben's point of view. Just last night our neighbors had their dog get out, and the kids went through the same emotional roller coaster as Ben. It's a great story with a fun ending.

Available in June. You can pre-order it here.

Color

2011-03-30T18:26:00.001-07:00

New

2011-03-17T14:58:00.001-07:00

Zombies

2011-03-01T12:56:00.000-08:00

New

2011-02-12T12:49:00.001-08:00

Modern Art Socksquatch

2010-12-29T10:44:00.001-08:00

A friend of mine spotted Socksquatch at the Museum of Modern Art gift shop! Can I now say that my art is at the MOMA?

Doodles

2010-12-21T19:35:00.001-08:00

New, and a question

2010-12-14T18:49:00.001-08:00

If you get the SCBWI bulletin, you might have seen an article written by Ann Sibley O-Brien where she interviews me about a class I have taught called 'Thinking Before you Draw.'

I have been approached in the past to begin an online version of the class. If anyone is interested, let me know in the comments section. If there is enough interest, I would be happy to facilitate this. If you have not read the article, the idea is similar to Illustration Friday, where a topic is illustrated. In Thinking Before you Draw, we only submit simple, quick sketches to capture (or try to) an idea, or an emotion within the sketch. There is more to it, but you get the gist. I won't be able to start until after the new year, so please be patient. If you are interested, please let me know.

More holidaze...

2010-12-06T19:07:00.001-08:00

Dormer Christmas card 2010

2010-12-05T10:56:00.001-08:00

Nothing better...

2010-12-03T05:48:00.000-08:00

than stretched watercolor paper, ready to be inked and painted. than a book given by a friend that has William Steig's art in it. Thank you Thea!

than a fresh sketchbook, waiting to be doodled in.

Bad Hatter

2010-11-28T06:06:00.000-08:00

The wonderful Jules (and also Eisha) From 7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast have many thank you's coming from me. If you read this latest interview, you will see why. Thanks again ladies! Someday I hope to be worthy of all your attention.

Color doodle

2010-11-26T17:12:00.001-08:00

New

2010-11-23T18:17:00.001-08:00

Accolades

2010-11-18T17:49:00.000-08:00

From the upcoming School Library Journal on Socksquatch:

"The characters and action are picture perfect. Dormer's hilarious spot-on-watercolor and ink illustrations make a monsterful hit."

And the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books:

"The writing debut of illustrator Dormer has plenty of comic sensibility to go along with his signature scratchy line-and-watercolor illustrations. The witty ending offers extra laughs. While youngsters will definitely enjoy listening to this one in a crowd, don't be surprised if they borrow it afterwards to reenact with a friend."

Thanks to SLJ and the BCCB!

Doodle

2010-11-16T14:29:00.001-08:00

Modern Art

2010-11-14T19:12:00.000-08:00

I have been reading this book, The Innocent Eye. It demonstrates how the Modern Art movement was influenced by the art of children. As Caspar David Friedrich writes, 'The only true source of art is our heart, the language of a true childlike spirit.' The book follows the rise of child's art in the eyes of artists in Europe. Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, Gabrielle Munter, Vassily Kandinsky, and Jean Dubuffet all collected and, in some cases, copied the art of children in their own paintings.

Picasso's friend Brasai, on watching Picasso look at a child's drawing; "He looks at them as though he had never before seen a drawing. His eyes never leave them."

Jean Dubuffet writes: I have always tried to represent any object, transcribing it in a most summary manner, hardly descriptive at all, very far removed from the actual objective measurement of things, making many people speak of children's drawings.

Joan Miro said of his art; "The older I get and the more I master the medium, the more I return to my earliest experiences. I think that at the end of my life I will recover all the force of my childhood."

I love watching kids at the moment you hand them paper and art materials. They jump right in. They work without a net. Children and their art have a lot to teach us. They put what is important in the art that they make. Just like we strive to do for our books. children play with line and shape like magicians! So the next time you are looking for inspiration, find a child, get some paper, and draw together.

In the future I will post some images from the Dormer family draw-a-thons.

Interview

2010-11-02T18:17:00.000-07:00

I have another interview, this time with the lovely Cynthia Leitich Smith.

Interview, and Reggie

2010-10-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

The comprehensible Faith Hough has tied me down for an interview. I mostly talk about Socksquatch.

And don't forget to wear your goofiest socks on Sunday at Books of Wonder, where I will be signing books and socks upon request. I will be there from 1-3, just in time to rush home and dress up.

Book signing

2010-10-23T09:10:00.000-07:00

I will be at Books Of Wonder on October 31st, from 1-3 to sign copies of Socksquatch. Come on down and wear your goofiest socks! I will be there with Sergio Ruzzier, George Bates, Caron Lee Cohen, and Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen.

Cheers!

Frank

Socksquatch

2010-10-12T19:24:00.000-07:00

Socksquatch, my first book as word guy and picture guy, is out today.

Publishers Weekly says "Dormer's naif cartooning and simple silliness make this the kind of book that will probably get requested again and again."

Kirkus says "both the narrative and the setting-a medieval castle-are minimal elements in the book, so all the expectations fall at the feet of the monsters, and they do not disappoint."

I have always wanted to make the kind of book that gets lots of use, and lots of wear and tear. Let's hear it for Socksquatch!

GOT BOOK?

Cheers!

Frank

Steig

2010-10-11T06:19:00.000-07:00

Is here for only a few more weeks. Go! I did and enjoyed every minute of it.

New book

2010-09-30T11:53:00.001-07:00

Buy one on October 12!

New

2010-09-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

Celestial Balance.

Decisions.

Inspiration

2010-08-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

The simplicity and ability to leave wonderful negative space is what inspires me about the work of John Porcellino. His blog is in my links to the right, if you would like to see more of his work.

Horn Book review

2010-08-18T12:07:00.000-07:00

The Horn Book gives Aggie the Brave a star and a "Best in show for Dormer and Ries."

Cheers!

new

2010-08-12T19:48:00.001-07:00

A fairly regular occurance at our house

2010-08-11T07:13:00.000-07:00

This really happened today

2010-08-10T18:05:00.000-07:00

Back from vacation

2010-08-03T07:27:00.001-07:00

Where...

Max fought aliens Sam touched a shark,

We looked out at the boats in the harbor, And I rode my bike.

On vacation...

2010-07-23T11:15:00.000-07:00

Until further notice. Now go draw something.

State of the board

2010-07-21T19:15:00.000-07:00

A little Aggie and Ben stuff,

and some other stuff.

Aggie the Brave is out NOW!

2010-07-17T10:33:00.001-07:00

A little taste of the new 'Aggie' book by author Lori Ries and illustrated by yours truly.

On the back Aggie is doin' a little payback!! Go order one today!!

Morning doodles

2010-07-12T10:46:00.000-07:00

Using a bamboo pen.

More ripples

2010-07-09T14:13:00.000-07:00

If you go to the Ripples website right now you can own an original Crude Bird or Black Goldfish illustrated by yours truly.

What are you waiting for?

Go!

Now!

Hello? Why are you still here! This is important!

ALA news

2010-07-02T12:08:00.001-07:00

From Ritchie's Picks:

"Socksquatch by Frank W. Dormer will be one of the crowning achievments of the entire fall 2010 output of children's publishing in america."

Ritchie is a librarian in California who reviews books on his website. Thank you, Ritchie, for a nice early review!

Summer doodles

2010-06-21T09:13:00.001-07:00

Tea time.

Dancing.

Nervous.

Ripples

2010-06-17T07:15:00.000-07:00

As ripples tend to do, you have probably heard of illustrator Kelly Light's idea for raising money for our friends affected by the gulf oil spill. By 'our friends' I mean the animals, birds, and others who can' t speak as loud as we can. Thankfully there are many artists out there who CAN speak for them. My loud and sometimes grating voice can be found here. Thank you to Kelly for organizing this.

See, you can change the world without yelling your head off, or blaming someone else.

School Library Journal

2010-06-07T05:36:00.001-07:00

Today on the School Library Journal blog, Fuse #8, our very own Socksquatch is mentioned. Along with a story about how he came to be.

Go check it out! You'll have to scroll down a bit to read.

Doodle

2010-05-31T19:34:00.000-07:00

Socksquatch Happy

2010-05-21T18:07:00.001-07:00

Socky is very happy. We noticed that we are on Indiebound. Hopefully there will be a picture soon. Go here to see!

A big NESCBWI thanks to...

2010-05-19T13:20:00.000-07:00

Who gave me a drawing,

Who dared to eat lunch with me on Saturday,

Who attended my class and even spoke kindly afterward,

Who shares my geeky fascination with Muppets and all things Jim Henson,

Who talked to me even after I scared her at dinner.

And thanks to the unflappable Anindita for keeping the road well paved, and to all the folks I met for the first time. I wish I could remember all your names!

Cheers!

Good Dog, Aggie gets an honor!

2010-05-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

Good Dog, Aggie is awarded one of the Bank Street College of Education's best books of the year 2010! Just click on the 'five to nine' catagory.

Now go buy one and see what all the fuss is about!

New York

2010-04-18T14:02:00.000-07:00

The sculptures of Anthony Gormley.

Doodles

2010-04-06T05:35:00.001-07:00

Yoga

2010-03-27T07:04:00.000-07:00

Creator-Con

2010-03-23T19:24:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have been disenchanted with ComicCon, here is an alternative. Creator-Con is a group of artists, graphic novelists, and cartoonists who want to get back to what ComicCon was in the first place: a chance for a bunch of nerdy kids who were like-minded to meet .

I kid.

But if you feel as these folks do, let em know. It would be nice to go to a Con and meet with actual artists again. It would even be nicer if the location changed each year to allow east cost folks to attend. Not that I would be opposed to a trip to sunny LA.

Influences

2010-03-22T13:37:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while I peruse my bookshelf for a bit of inspiration. Edmund Dulac pointed the way for me. While in college I would go to the library and skim the stacks for artists that I might like. I found a book about Dulac and borrowed it thereafter so many times that when I got older I bought the book on ebay. His compositions amazed me. I like his use of ground. I also like how he pulled color out of his watercolor to create light and shadow in this fabric. The first image above has been so ingraned in my noggin that I could probably replicate it from memory.

New

2010-03-14T14:24:00.001-07:00

Manbird

2010-03-02T07:41:00.000-08:00

Doodle

2010-02-18T20:12:00.000-08:00

Mulan Reedy
watched his teevee.

SCBWI New England Conference

2010-02-10T11:25:00.001-08:00

I will be teaching a class at the SCBWI conference in New England on May 15. It's called "Thinking Before You Draw" a term coined by David Macauley. David taught me a lot about illustrating text when he taught it to me at SCAD in the mid-eighties. I hope I do it justice.
So if you are one of the two people to read this blog, come on out. I look forward to interacting with some like-minded people. You can register for the conference here.

Studio busy

2010-02-10T08:42:00.001-08:00

Back to work now.

'Grunt'

New

2010-01-20T14:33:00.001-08:00

Two new images from the upcoming Aggie book, Aggie the Brave. I have always been interested in space and composition in my art. I find that I sometimes cannot let the composition go until I have worked it over many times.

Doesn't look like it, though, does it?

Study

2010-01-13T19:12:00.001-08:00

for an upcoming book.

Dental advice

2010-01-09T12:37:00.001-08:00

Sketchbook

2010-01-07T18:17:00.000-08:00

Dancing and two doodles

2010-01-05T16:04:00.000-08:00

Obviously not in that order...

Nick and Nora Charles

2010-01-04T14:05:00.001-08:00

studio

2010-01-02T14:37:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T08:23:00.000-08:00

Snow

2009-12-30T12:52:00.000-08:00

Sketchbook

2009-12-27T07:48:00.001-08:00

Santa

2009-12-24T09:17:00.000-08:00

All hail...

2009-12-22T19:47:00.000-08:00

Conflict

2009-12-19T06:54:00.000-08:00

New

2009-12-17T18:28:00.000-08:00

Sketchbook

2009-12-17T18:27:00.000-08:00

New

2009-12-12T10:34:00.001-08:00

New

2009-12-10T18:27:00.001-08:00

A little joy...

2009-12-09T13:59:00.001-08:00

New images from Aggie Gets Lost

2009-12-06T14:33:00.000-08:00

Out in spring 2011!

New Book!!

2009-10-05T17:24:00.001-07:00

It's a new book! Supersister! Go buy it!!

From Ye Olde Sketchbook

2009-09-23T15:44:00.001-07:00

Brooklyn Book Festival

2009-09-14T19:02:00.000-07:00

Went down to the Brooklyn Book party on Sunday. Lots of authors and artists, but I went to meet Guy Delisle.

I have enjoyed his graphic novel travelogs so much I wish they were available when I was falling asleep in history class. I even got a drawing...

Something new

2009-09-08T17:23:00.000-07:00

From Aggie the Brave

2009-06-01T07:15:00.001-07:00

Shhhh! out in 2010.

Something new

2009-05-28T18:46:00.000-07:00

Upcoming book

2009-05-04T14:35:00.000-07:00

A teeny-tiny peek at the next book, Supersister. It should be out in the fall.

Blues Man

2009-04-27T14:51:00.000-07:00

The Tools Artists Use

2009-04-22T16:01:00.000-07:00

I have been featured on a blog called The Tools Artists Use. It's about the tools, um, artist use. You can see my input on the subject here. By the by, my favorite tool is featured in the portrait above.

Doors

2009-03-28T16:18:00.000-07:00

In renovating our second bathroom, we decided to do something on the back of the door. Each of us drew a self-portrait brushing our teeth.

Me and the wife...

Our cat. He complained because he had no thumbs...

and the boys...

Now we have something to look at while we are....yeah.

doodling

2009-02-23T17:11:00.000-08:00

Good Dog, Aggie is out! Go buy it!!!

2009-02-17T14:06:00.000-08:00

At least, if you are interested in a dog. Or a dog that doesn't listen. Or what you can do when your dog doesn't listen.

Watch out for this guy...

2009-01-18T20:07:00.000-08:00

Mellow

2009-01-03T07:06:00.000-08:00