Cool Contest Where Everyone is a Winner

Everyone loves to be a winner, so I’m running a contest from now until May 29th only. Everyone who participates gets to be a winner! So act fast!

Here are the prizes:

1st prize (there are 2) - Free admission into the life-changing Hero’s Art Journey e-course where you learn to access or deepen your art and life skills starting June 4th. Value $198.00 each! (More about this later)

2nd prize (also 2 available) - 1 hr free art or picture book writing or illustration consultation via Skype where I get to work my magic as the Picture Book Whisperer!

And everyone receives a free art gift of a totemic animal mandala made by yours truly with instructions on how to make them yourself just for participating.

Here's a low res peek at the totem animal mandala that includes some of the animals that are especially potent for me right now - sea-horses for love and fidelity and their ability to swim in and out of small places, leopards for strength and beauty, kangaroos because my twin is coming from Australia and I love how kangaroos can jump/aim high and bound across open spaces and they have a built in belly pouch that doesn't make them look fat : ), flowers because of the beauty they bring and the whole composition is about play - something I strive to have as much of as possible. 

I teach animal drawing and mandalas as part of the course but you'll get a sneak peek for making mandalas with this prize. I'm keeping it as a coloring page for you or your kids to play with and embellish in any way that you like using pencils, paint, glitter, whatever and am not sure yet whether I will refine it or not (kinda liking the roughness) and may play with it some more (not sure yet). You will also get instructions on how to make mandalas yourself either using Photoshop or by hand.

We do mandalas because they are incredibly calming and centering to both look at and make. Super easy and lots of fun!

 
Here's the easy peasy contest widget : )
a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
Here's a little information about the course followed by a short sweet video.

The Hero's Art Journey is for Very Beginning to Advanced Artists, Children’s Picture Book Illustrators and Authors, Therapists, Mothers, and Teachers, and anyone interested in exploring or deepening their art and life skills. It starts June 4th and runs through July 16th with a week off beginning June 18th. It is hosted on a password protected blog and gallery with fresh content 5 days a week, gentle critiques that push you, and loving community interaction.

The course is inspired by Joseph Campbell's work on the hero's journey and Valerie Frankel's on the female counterpart, which provides a frame to really go on a journey together. The Hero's Art Journey is very much for progressive thinkers who would like to explore their creativity in meaningful ways while also accessing their intuitive sides.


During the hands-on 6-week e-course starting June 4, 2012, you will:
Explore how fine art, picture books and mythology connect
Discover how to work with a wide range of materials and techniques
Uncover your own style and symbol language
Adapt the projects for you own needs Create art suitable for exhibition, sales, or inclusion in your children’s book illustration portfolio
Learn about the narrative arc of most fiction in your own life!
Connect with supportive and like minded artists

You get to do as much as you like to discover your sweet spot with as many or as few of these materials and techniques as you like: acrylics, watercolors, Victorian silhouettes, mixed media, collage, mixed media, stamp making, transferring images, drawing people, gods, goddesses, guardian angels, animals dragons, monsters or landscapes. I'll be providing video and written demos along with worksheets and downloadable pdfs to help - you get to pick and choose what works for you. We also have fantastically helpful guest interviews and tons of other goodies. Visit www.herosartjourney.com for more information (and to read the inspiring testimonials) or contact me at miraguy@gmail.com : ) Good luck with the contest. It's a good one!


AND if you are not a contest person - You can still enroll now at half-off with this link http://bit.ly/InCDa0

And now for the video!!!

Major blogger technical frustration in the post below this one - do read it if you are interested in hearing about our fabulous (but unnerving for me) Illustrators' Day.

If not just sit back and enjoy and watch our short and sweet Mondays with Mira teaching picture books video review. After filming it I realized I really  should have spoken a little about the bold shapes and colors which are very appealing for young kids and the ways different elements "point to each other" as well as how effective and artful the minimal use of text is in conveying this clever concept. I hope you enjoy : )

SCBWI conference and Mondays with Mira - First Seduction then Deconstruction - Dog Food

I'm thrilled to say I have a very short video today about idioms, vernacular language or sayings, dogs and playing with food. Short and sweet. But I have a rather longish post about something really exciting that I was involved with this weekend -

The SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) first ever Illustrator's Day conference for our region. I had the honor of helping to organize this with my illustrator co-coordinator Kris Aro McLeod and wonderful mentoring and assistance from our Northern California Central regional advisers Erin Dealey and Patricia Newman. We also had fantastic help from Catherine Felt (assistant RA) and Robin Howard and a great panel of published peeps including Lori Mortenson, Kim Zarins, Lea Lyon, Patti Newman, and Joy Allen. Super informative and very fun.

Because it's really hard in our area to get illustrators to show up we ended up broadening it to be for both authors and illustrators so each got to learn from the other. This created some challenges for our illustrious guests who really rose to the occasion.

We had Rotem Moscovitch from Disney Hyperion (who is one of the stellar editors from their award winning trade book (rather than mass market Disney characters) side of their publishing, literary agent Mary Kole of Moveable Type Management and KidLit.com and Ashley Wolff author illustrator of over 60 books. Wow! The talent was amazing. We also had great audience participation which also helped make it very successful.

Ashley is an old friend who recently returned from doing a school visit in India (way to go Ashley) and she brought me back a magical parasol from India.

Well it turns out I really needed that parasol. The night before I had terrible insomnia and when I did finally fall asleep in the wee hours had the worst nightmares that I've had in years. The conference room was tripple booked and I was trying to get football players and performing kids and 6'5" tall drag queens out the room so we could have the conference and I wasn't being prepared to introduce the guests and had flesh eating bacteria on my face and of course I ended up naked, except for a piece of foam in front of me, and really grungy underwear wherein I said "well the lesson in this is always wear your best underwear because you never know if you might end up like me." (How's that for a run on sentence? : )

I'm happy to say that none of this came true but when I introduced the faculty I used the magical parasol and it really gave me strength and confidence (thank you Ashley). Whenever I was flagging, I touched the parasol, getting energy and inspiration and remembered how lucky I am that I have so many fantastic friends and get to do meaningful work. I had to do a lot of thinking on my feet and had a few embarrassing moments but not too many. Cannot tell you how relieved I was when it was over.

And here I am with Ashley. This photo doesn't do her justice. She's an incredibly beautiful amazon.

For anyone interested in learning about picture books www.SCBWI.org is a fantastic resource and I'm delighted to be part of this organization. I'm also delighted to be teaching in-person and online courses like the Hero's Art Journey which explores the classic narrative arc underlying most fiction and mythology in our own lives while teaching very beginning to professional artists and children's picture book people lots of art and life skills using fine art and you guessed it - picture books. It's totally unlike anything else out there and includes video interviews with Ashley and lots of other amazing folks. The journey starts in only 2 weeks on June 4th, visit www.herosartjourney.com for more information or if you are ready to sign up use this half off link http://bit.ly/InCDa0 for only 99.00 And if you have any questions feel free to email me at miraguy@gmail.com

Mondays with Mira - Teaching Picture Books Reviews - Bootsie Barker Bites

Each week as I make these videos, I think about what would be most helpful for people writing and illustrating picture books in terms of technique and what publishers are looking for these days. I think this book fits the bill even tho it was written in the 70s it would still in all likelihood be published today because it is still very relevant and both the writing and art hold up well. I imagine if it were published today, it would probably be designed differently with better quality paper (at least in my edition).

So without further ado, introducing today's video review featuring the delightful "Bootsie Barker Bites," written by Barbara Bottner and illustrated by Peggy Rathmann. It's a cleverly written story with a great plot that starts on the very first page with a major problem that our heroine has to overcome. The illustrations match and extend the text in fun ways as the author and illustrator deal with the timely topic of bullying. Wait for the twist at the end. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Mondays with Mira: Pleasurable Picture Book Reviews - Our California

I'm so excited about this weeks review of the wonderful Pam Muñoz Ryan's Our California, beautifully illustrated with experimental acrylic techniques by Rafael Lopez.

This week you'll learn about rhyme, why editors hate it and one way to approach it, more about non-fiction and the experimental acrylic techniques that  Rafael uses in his illustrations and that I also teach in the Hero's Art Journey e-course starting June 2nd http://www.herosartjourney.com/

I hope you enjoy. This one is shorter than last week's. Whew!


Also thanks to Gurpreet Singh from http://www.tech-hacks.com/ for showing me how to make share buttons for my blog at last, and Elizabeth Stevens Olmor for holding my hand while I actually did them.

I also have a really embarrassing confessional guest post for her picture book blog of banana peelin slips ups. Her blog is awesome! http://bananapeelin.blogspot.com/2012/05/banana-peelin-with-mira-reisberg.html%20

So go forth, multiply and share : )

Mondays with Mira - Pleasurable Picture Book Reviews - Abe Lincoln Crosses A Creek

Today's pleasurable picture book review revisits the concept of postmodernism in this terrific unusual biography of Abraham Lincoln (and his friend) written by Deborah Hopkinson and illustrated by John Hendrix, published by Schwartz and Wade.

It's a longer story than usual (biographies usually have more text) but both the text and images are super clever in themselves and in their relationship. I hope you can put aside 15 minutes to sit back and enjoy me mangling a Southern accent with my mid Pacific neither fish nor fowl hybrid Australian/American accent as you learn about this terrific book and what this author and illustrator did to make it so good.



I also wanted to share that it's difficult to write a good publishable picture book biography. They're a hard sell in today's market unless they're done in really unusual and innovative ways as this book is.

Here are some authors who do it very well - Marissa Moss,Jeri Chase Ferris, Lori Mortenson, Kathleen Krull, Pam Muños Ryan, Nikki Giovanni, and Barbara Kerley.

If you have a passion for picture book biographies here are some tips for writing one:
Use an unconventional narrator or point of view.
Make it lyrical or full of fun idioms and vernacular language.
Focus in on one particular grand incident to create a narrative arc of how the hero of the story overcomes obstacles to achieve their greatness (see the Hero's Art Journey)
Find a fascinating character who has contemporary relevance and bring them to life e.g. Steve Jobs or Rigoberta Menchu (Nobel and other big prize winners are good but you could also write about someone really bad too like Joseph Stalin as a bully or some other deeply flawed character).

Here's a title of a Barbara Kerlin story that also acts as a primer on writing biographies - The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According To Susy) 

I hope you've enjoyed today's free  video review/lesson on picture book writing and illustrating, postmodernism, and biographies. Thank you Deborah and John for your wonderful book.

Please share this series with anyone you know who is interested in picture books : )

Mondays with Mira - Firefighters in the Dark and a little creative heaven

I had an amazing but exhausting weekend in creative heaven. First off was a truly fabulous Society of Children's Picture Book Writers and Illustrators conference on Saturday thanks to our awesome regional advisers Patricia Newman and Erin Dealey who happen to be super talented themselves, super smart and organized assistant RA Catherine Felt, my co-illustration coordinator Kris Aro McLeod, the many lovely volunteers and the fantastic speakers. Kudos to all (especially the leadership). I managed to film two of the editors (who I also fell in love with) asking penetrating and hopefully super helpful questions for my upcoming courses at the Picture Book Academy, and they were both super insightful and very generous : )

Then today I went to San Francisco with one of my students from the last Hero's Art Journey course and we took a class with Maya Gonzalez. Maya contributed to the Hero's Art Journey course and will also be featured in the Picture Book Academy. I did my first Mondays with Mira on her one of her books, My Colors My World, and absolutely adore her and her brilliance. Maya is also putting on what will be a fantastic mini conference on radical self-publishing May 12th in San Francisco and she even has some scholarships. Here are the links www.reflectionpress.com/conference and www.reflectionpress.com/scholarships

I've known and worked with Maya for over 20 years and everything she does is extraordinary.

I also want to give a shout out to folks about our upcoming Northern California Central Society of Children's Picture Book Writers and Illustrators Day in Rancho Cordova (near Sacramento). All I can say for now is it will be incredible and intimate. Here is the link http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e5iax92k36da453f&llr=bvqcu5dab do check it out.

The class Karen and I took with Maya was on Ink and brush as teacher. It was intense and brilliant taking both of us places we didn't expect to go. We spent the day drawing and painting hands but connecting them somatically to the rest of our bodies using inks, which are kind of challenging as are hands. We meditated and painted and discussed and if I have time, I'll post my pictures and tell you about the process later this week. Of course I'm super pooped but I wanted to get this up and out for your viewing and listening pleasure first thing on Monday.

So it's onward and upward to Mondays with Mira, First Seduction then Deconstruction - Pleasurable Picture Book Reviews!!!!
Today we're going to take a quick peek at Postmodernism in Picture Books with the delightful book Firefighters in the Dark, written by Dashka Slater and illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli. So settle down and have a watch, learn a little about Postmodernism and be prepared to go where you don't expect to go. You can find out more about Dashka at www.dashkaslater.com



I hope you enjoyed Firefighters in the Dark as much as I did and do check out the Hero's Art Journey half-off special here www.herosartjourney.com and let your friends know : )

Hero's Art Journey Limited-Time Half-Off SPECIAL!!!

My last Hero's Art Journey course was so wonderful that I decided to give a limited-time half-off special. From now until May 3rd only, you can join this wonderful adventure for $99 for 6 weeks of inspiration, education, and empowerment that will last a life time, starting June 4th 2012 with a week off June 17th-24th. All course materials will remain available for another 3 weeks so folks can take it at their leisure.

This course is geared toward very beginning to professional artists, therapists and teachers, aspiring or experienced children's picture book creators, and adventurers on a spiritual path.  

Rather than tooting my own horn - here are some testimonials:

Hero’s Art Journey provided me with a bounty of information on art history, materials, techniques, and interpretation.  The projects elicited tremendous self-reflection in a nurturing environment.  The gallery of gently critiqued shared artwork, was one of the most valuable parts of the course—I couldn’t wait to see what everyone created each week. Mira fosters a nurturing and supportive environment in which everyone is comfortable being creative, vulnerable, and honest. This course is relevant to both skilled artists and beginners as you are free to work at your own pace and to focus on your own growth as an artist. 
~ Jennifer N. (elementary teacher and beginning artist)

Thanks to you, I've learned oodles about technique and come to the end of the course feeling richer in very deep and personal ways Thank you for all your hard work, but especially thank you for your honesty and for sharing your open-hearted generosity with us.  Nancy L.

If you need someone to push you outside your box I highly recommend taking Mira's course. Even if you're not sure you have the time, its still worth every minute you can squeeze in. Attending Mira's course is like having a personal trainer. And, the input from all the other students builds on the entire experience. Through her concept of 'hero' I was able to identify with the themes and truly take my 'journey' to the next level. I feel 'unstuck' after several years of spinning. Just do it! Really! ~ Kary L. (professional illustrator)

Your course is Fantastic! The depth and breath of it, in every direction, is really astonishing. Even though some of the course content is not new to me, I love the way you have organized it. I can see they way you are thinking and processing information and I feel so much admiration for you. I also love to see how many people dare to do art thanks to you!
 Thank you for including me is this journey. ~ Elizabeth G. (Fine artist, contributor, and children's book illustrator)

Wow, so many great demos. I think I'll do stamps, no, maybe water color, but maybe gouache would be better. Or texture and stamps. So many options. Since we have a breather week coming up, I'll continue mulling for a while. Loved all the demos. Thanks! ~ Sherry York (artist and picture book expert)

Because we are on-line [we] can go at our own pace, taking and leaving the parts we need or don’t, I like that there is lots to look at and think about.... You give so much more... than what you are charging for it.... 
I’m getting more courage, a little braver with each piece that I work on. I also really, really enjoy seeing everyone else’s work.  There are some amazing artists in our class! ~ Karen Jonsson 

 As a beginner, I love all of the content, the demonstrations and ideas. I am tucking it all away in parts of my new artist’s brain. I am a person who paces myself, so I see this being in my life for a long time.... I love the interaction on Flickr with many of the artists who have been at it for a while. I love how they use the big official words and I look them all up. It is like learning a new language. It is fun to listen to the critiques, as I learn that way.  What I do is from such an intuitive, non technique, non-classical, unsophisticated place, that when I hear what people are commenting, I learn it backwards! Its how I roll. I hope I will always maintain a beginner's mind.

I love your gentle, open spirit in this class and your willingness to be vulnerable and pass on your years of wisdom.  ~ Wendy Sullivan, Wind Gypsy (CowgirlzSpa)

Mira has been a great inspiration and has allowed openness and vulnerability in her class. Her honest approach and caring for her students is encouraging.  She brings knowledge and experience that is invaluable. This has been a wonderful course that has taught me valuable skills that I will continue in the future. - Carrie Thebo, therapist

The course has been a wonderful mix of 'everything'. Life happens and art happens, and this class is a wonderful catalyst for making art happen while life goes on it's busy-body little way. ~ Kirsten Carlson (artist)


I love teaching and empowering others. I create a safe and inspiring community to help people access or deepen their creativity, finding more joy to learn different ways of doing and seeing things. Do join us.


 

Everyone creates work that is uniquely theirs in the course. Here is a piece that I recently made from one of the pieces created for the last Hero's Art Journey. Yep, it's peeling the layers of the old onion getting deeper and deeper.Still not finished but I'm happy with my work in progress.

Mondays with Mira - A Pleasurable Picture Book Review of "Just a Minute" by Yuyi Morales

This week, I'm featuring one of my favorite author/illustrators - Yuyi Morales's Just a Minute. This is both a concept and plot driven book that deals with death and Mexican traditions in the funnest way. I hope you enjoy and if you have any specific books you'd like me to review, or you have a traditionally published book that you'd like me to review do contact me at miraguyATgmail.com or comment below : ) And don't miss Yuyi's website at www.yuyimorales.com

Other BIG NEWS - I'm offering an amazing half off my Hero's Art Journey e-course where Yuyi is one of the many contributors and people do amazing and unexpected things such as learning to draw, paint and collage, or deepen their existing skills, create picture book portfolio pieces and learn about the archetypal story underlying so much literature and film. Learn about multiculturalism, world mythology, children's picture books, contemporary and historical art and build a wonderful community as each person explores their own personal hero's journey. If you are here on my blog, you might be getting called to take this adventure. The special ends May 3rd and please tell your friends about it! www.herosartjourney.com

And now it's - showtime!!!  : )

Mondays with Mira: The Quiet Book Review

It's another Monday for  First Seduction then Deconstruction -pleasurable picture book reviews.And what a treat it was reviewing former student Deborah Underwood's NYT bestselling picture book - "The Quiet Book," which is really quite ingenious. It's another one of those seemingly simple books that actually has tons of teachable moments both for children and aspiring picture book creators.

After you've watched it, you might want to scroll down to watch some other picture book reviews or you might want to visit Deborah Underwood's website at http://www.deborahunderwoodbooks.com

I hope you enjoy this book and review and tell your friends about it : )

xxoxx yours in picture book love ~ Mira