PS 310 BX Students Send Letters / Q&A

I had a really sweet visit with first and second graders at PS 310 in the Bronx last month. A few weeks after my visit a packet of sunshine arrived on a cold gray snowy winter day. 

Beverly Manasch, the school librarian, sent a note, since the visit my books have been circulating in and out of the library. That is music to my ears. I also received a thick stack of colorful thank you notes from the students who asked me great questions.

 

I love my mermaid legs

Question: How do I make the lovely paint?
I buy tubes or jars of paint called gouache. They are thick paints and they glow. They also vibrate when certain colors lie side by side. I mix hundreds of colors. I use small plastic bins or even aluminum foil or tins to mix the paints. I label each tin with the colors they were mixed with. Once they dry the paint gets hard. With some water on a brush the dry paint comes back to life as a honey mix of pigment to spread on watercolor paper.

Inside my studio

Question: How much time does it take to make a picture book?
That depends how complex the art is. It normally takes 6 months to one year to create the art for the book. Then the art goes to a printer and the pages are sewn and bound into the covers of the book. That process takes another year before you get the book on your bookshelf.

**More student letters from PS 250 BK.
**Click this link to learn about my school visits.
**Autographed books can be purchased here.

Art by the students of PS 310 BX
Photos copyright Melanie Hope Greenberg

My Art with CDF + FREE Coloring Page

My professional relationship with the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) began in 1993.

I sent a newly released autographed copy of my published picture book, IT'S MY EARTH, TOO (Doubleday) to then First Lady, Hillary Clinton. I sent a book to Tipper Gore, wife of the Vice President. And, I sent a book to Marian Wright-Edelman, president of the Children's Defense Fund. CDF was the original "Leave No Child Behind - Stand for Children" organization.

I also included a note with each book to please consider a stand for environmentally friendly publishing. IT'S MY EARTH TOO was published in an environmentally friendly way.

I received two thank you notes in the mail.

A few weeks later CDF called on the telephone. Gulp! Not only did they thank me for the book, Marian Wright-Edelman wanted to publish my art on their greeting cards. She felt my art style aligned with the spirit of CDF. I sent a few images and two were chosen.

Around the same time I had also published a poster using the cover art from IT'S MY EARTH, TOO. I sent the poster as a gift to Marian Wright-Edleman who loved it. She re-published the poster with the CDF logo.

"Everyone Belongs" was reprinted several times and was published for 10 years. The illustration was also published as coffee mugs

A bookmark for Marian Wright Edelman's book titled, "GUIDE MY FEET".
 

Stamps, and many other greeting cards.

Best of all I got to meet Marian Wright-Edelman.

FREE Coloring Page! Color the sketch from my Children's Defense Fund greeting card. I do at least one sketch for every finished illustration. Download my monthly FREE Coloring Pages at the What Do We Do All Day Blog.

Art: Copyright Melanie Hope Greenberg

Life Imitates My Book - Part 2

There's more magical mermaid mayhem to mention.

I was thrilled to be invited to sign books at Mini Jake in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. We set a date, time and they ordered books. The usual arrangements but with an unusual twist dreamed up by Mini Jake's owner, Inga Rogers, and her PR expert, Gabrielle Napolitano, producer of many popular kid events (Hip Tot Music Fest). Their vision of a mini-mermaid parade day based on my book MERMAIDS ON PARADE came to life on a beautiful Saturday in July.

Early in the day parents and children flocked to the shop for story time. I read and signed my books to an adorable audience of neon colored mermaids, pirates, and a shark. The second part of the day featured an award winning Mermaid Parade costume designer, Janna Kennedy, who came with a group of friends wearing the unique costumes she designs.

My favorite part was marching along the streets of Williamsburg with costumed sea creatures holding up my book. Gosh! People cheered and applauded the mini-mermaid parade. The event was so popular that an annual Mini Jake tradition was born. What an honor! Autographed copies of MERMAIDS ON PARADE and GOOD MORNING, DIGGER are available at Mini Jake. Thank you Mini Jake! xo

Enjoy the photos of the day.

Gabrielle "Still Hip" Napolitano with Dante and Chloe.

I pose with Inga Rogers and Janna Kennedy.

Photo Credits: Gabrielle Napolitano and Melanie Hope Greenberg Copyright 2012

Life Imitates My Book - Part 1

Life's been magical. My book, MERMAIDS ON PARADE has been coming to life. The magic started during the 2012 Mermaid Parade at Coney Island. I met up with a little mermaid lover named Madeleine and her mom, Kate Kruckemeyer, at the parade.

Inspired by my book, MERMAIDS ON PARADE, Maddy and mom made this costume in 2010. In 2011 I met Maddy during my literary craft workshop at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA. We sat side by side creating art.  A copy of my book next to her for the entire workshop.

In 2012 Maddy and Kate traveled all the way from MA to be in the parade. They miraculously found the Superfine Dinettes troupe (2012 Donna Summermaids) in the marchers crowded waiting area. Our little mermaid did her own hair and make-up. The force of nature Maddy twirled and glided along Surf Avenue and the boardwalk. This was no shy little mermaid coming out of her shell. Maddy was completely out of her shell and loving it! So did the Dinettes.
                                 
Joy! Joy! Joy! Mermaid Madeleine won the silver medal as 2012 Best Little Mermaid.
Just like my book. Bonus...she brought the Superfine Dinettes along for the prize! Life is good.

I pose with the Superfine Dinettes a.k.a. 2012 Donna Summermaids at Coney Island.

I LOVE Maddy! xo
Photo credits: Kate Kruckemeyer  and Charlotte R.A. Moore

How I Create an Illustration 4 - Skating By the Pond

I recently sold an original illustration to a collector. The illustration had been published by a greeting card company called Rock Shots in the 1990's. I thought it would be fun to see the generations of sketches the final art was born from. I always tell young students if they wish to become great artists or writers allow their erasers to become their best friends. They'll be using them all the time.

All art Copyright Melanie Hope Greenberg

It's Spring

In honor of Spring I am offering FREE Coloring Pages.
Click on each image to enlarge. Print. Color!







All Sketches Copyright Melanie Hope Greenberg

MHG #228 CONFETTI PARADE Gouache and Ink 10 1/2" x 7 1/2" Copyright Melanie Hope Greenberg
Collect the original art

Event: February 4 2012 Panel NYPL at 42 Street (the Lions)

It's been a while since I've blogged. Blogging is not a paying job, it's creative fun when I have something relevant to say about books, literacy or about my career. My prior blog postings live on and on in cyberspace to reference and link. Besides, I broke my right wrist and solidly rested over the winter holiday. Luckily, as a lefty, my dominant art hand was spared the fracturing fall. But it took a broken wrist to finally take a "break" in a fast paced business, to step back and see the big picture.

The not paying aspect was part of an idea for a panel. I do not agree that authors and artists are "supposed" to be poor. That type of thinking devalues our art and careers. We need to be saavy in today's publishing climate.


What joy! The panel idea titled, "Connect The Dots" was accepted by Betsy Bird, NYPL's whiz-kid librarian and hostess of School Library Journal's Fuse#8 Blog. If you don't know Betsy's blog, you should. It's the most popular children's literature blog in the United States, written up in Forbes Magazine. What an honor to have this idea presented in such a great public forum as Betsy's Children's Literary Salon held on the first Saturday of each month at the 42 Street Library.


The panelists included Marilyn Ackerman (Brooklyn Public Library), Barbara Auerbach (school librarian at PS 217 Brooklyn), Erica Kylander-Clark (parental blogger), Rebecca Fitting (Greenlight Bookstore), and myself (author/illustrator). We discussed how booksellers, librarians (school and public), and bloggers discover, promote, and discuss great books for kids. How communication between our different occupations can help an author get their name out and show the value of their books to a wider public audience of readers and buyers.


I presented a short Power Point on social network etiquette and how authors and illustrators can grassroots market to work *with* the various occupations to help widen our readership and buying audience.


I announced for the first time that I will train picture book authors and illustrators how to grassroots market to build their platform with my MARKETING WORKOUT. More to Come


After the well attended panel was over, parent blogger Erica Kylander-Clark posted her fabulous ideas for Panel City: Shouting Out About Books! on her blog. Parents reaching out to other parents. How parents can also Connect The Dots by reaching out to the booksellers, librarians, authors and illustrators to learn about the wider selection of children's literature which goes beyond Disney, Dr. Seuss and Good Night Moon.


Panelists Erica Kylander-Clark and Rebecca Fitting, owner of Greenlight Books.

All photos and art Copyright Melanie Hope Greenberg.
Thanks to Michael Santangelo for taking the photos.