Plotting Scenes In Living Lines

Hello, Readers! We're on Spring Break this week. Fairday's Riddles and Lizzy's Book Review will be back. Writing riddles and book reviews keeps our skills sharp, but so does using visualization to develop story ideas. Find out how our process works, and experience the magic of a pencil! ~ DMS 

Stories have the power to transport readers into another world, but books aren't written by magic. Lines crafted by hands, head, and heart are at the core of the spell. 

Neil Gaiman

A quote I like to share with students I talk to about the Fairday Morrow series is from one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman. He says, "Whatever you do, make good art." 

This resonates with me, because as creators making art is our main business. Everything is art, and it's subjective, so all art is good. 

Enjoying the process of your work is the key to connecting with the world around you. 



The most important step in being creative is to square off a space in your life to do it. It sounds easy, but it's not. Every single thing will try to stop you. But, if you want to take your project seriously, you must toss aside external distractions and sink into your work.

Me drawing myself drawing myself on my deck at home.

Brilliant Artists

If your goal is to be a professional illustrator, then it's important to follow the guidelines of industry leaders who have a solid understanding of the techniques and tools used to develop visual images. In this case, you'll need to listen and learn to pursue your passion and build a portfolio for your artwork.

Illustrators Who Inspire Me

Disrespectful Summons

Edward Gorey
Edward Gorey House



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Illustration from STARDUST by Neil Gaiman

Charles Vess

Green Man Press



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Unity

David SanAngelo
DavidSanAngelo.com




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What Is Meditative Drawing?

I am not an illustrator by any means. I have no professional training and I don't know much about the ins and outs of the art business. Being on the other side as an author, I know it's a challenging career choice, and I'm inspired by illustrators with the tenacity to work in this field. I also feel they don't get enough credit for their contribution to story magic. It's tough to get lines perfect with words, but really tricky with pencils and paint brushes.

In meditative drawing there are no rules, and nothing you need to learn. It's about being you. I have my own weird rituals that go along with my practice, and if you plan to try this, you should make some up too. Once you're in your quiet spot, take a deep breath, let go, and tune into your internal vibes.

I enjoy lighting tea lights, setting up crystals, and smelling sage. These things play a part in my drawing sessions. I used to listen to music, but now it's mostly nature sounds. 

Here's a soundtrack I enjoy. 

lol, I am old timey. :)

Toolkit for Meditative Drawing
1. Fresh Ticonderoga #2 pencils
2. Drawing board & paper
3. Awesome pencil sharpener
4. Good vibes and headphones
5. Wild imagination

There are two types of drawing techniques I use. The first is what I call a disciplined drawing. This art is thought out and planned to visualize a scene in a story I'm writing. With this approach, I'm trying to make my lines neat and precise, without too much erasing. Though, as I develop my personal style, I have been incorporating more of the second technique I use, which involves the eraser on a higher level. I'll get into that mysterious part later.

The Morrow family moves into the Begonia House.

When Stephanie and I discuss a new chapter in the Fairday Morrow series, I'll take ideas from our conversation and patch them together to create a scene on paper. I'm only drawing for myself and Stephanie, so there's no pressure. Once you stop being concerned about whether or not someone likes your work, it only matters if you're satisfied with it, and that's why meditative drawing is freeing.

Ruby Begonia sees what the high-heeled sneakers can do.

Nooks and crannies of the story are revealed when I sketch out our ideas. The drawing may even change the structure of a chapter, depending on who or what pops into the picture.

Mysterious box of things in the secret third floor room.

We use talking about our ideas, and then looking at the drawings as a way to visualize stories we write together. I ended up illustrating every chapter in The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow and most for Fairday Morrow and the Talking Library. 

Lizzy arrives at the Begonia House in style.

The Fairday Morrow books have amazing professional illustrators, but my artwork was a unique part of our journey. I enjoy the process, and I'll continue to illustrate the next books in the series.

We made vanity copies of The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow with my drawings. It was fun, and it's cool to have one of these very limited editions, though I would NOT want anyone to read it now. Words wrangled in line by professional editors are an important element in casting story spells. 

Fairday Morrow Books

The Secret Files of Fairday Morrow illustrator, Roman Muradov

Fairday Morrow and the Talking Library illustrator, David SanAngelo

The second drawing technique I use is undisciplined and more about erasing. This style came about when I was in elementary school. The art teacher critiqued a drawing I was working on in class. 

He came up behind me, leaned over my artwork, and said, "A real artist never erases."

These words had a huge impact on me. What could that mean? Firstly, why would there be erasers on the end of pencils if you weren't supposed to use them. And, secondly, who was he to define a real artist?



I started using the eraser to reveal the picture. With this type of illustration, it's the opposite of thinking about scenes in a story and drawing them. Instead, the story develops through the space where I erase the lines. I never have a clue what will emerge on the paper, and sometimes a new idea is born. 

I have many stories that have evolved from this method; projects I pick away at. Here's a journey into a long time WIP. The characters and setting are complex and continue to expand. Different elements come about in every illustration. I do think the characters are excited to live through the blank pages. Time is of no essence in meditative drawing. It's true! You should try it. 😀

Night Garden

Cottage #5

Sisters Eye Spell 

Layers of Living Lines- See Shores of Seamessica

~ Go with the Flow ~

Stephanie and Jess teach a writing workshop on using visualization as a tool to inspire stories, as well as incorporate this aspect of their experience into a presentation about crafting a mystery. If you're interested in booking an event with the authors, visit: fairdaysfiles.com 

Stephanie Robinson & Jessica Haight 

Here's the Sketchy Scoop on Pencils

To view more of Jess's Illustrations, click here and scroll down past this video.

More Medieval Magic!

We're excited to feature a guest post hosted by C. Lee Mckenzie and find out more about our good friends Pete and Weasel. 

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Thanks for hosting Pete and Weasel on your amazing blog. We’re excited to be here. I thought I’d tell your readers why I set this story where I did, and what I found out while writing Some Very Messy Medieval Magic (SVMMM). 

I love history, so sending Pete and Weasel off to the past was sheer joy for me. I chose 1173 because I’d been reading about Richard I, and he fascinated me. In SVMMM, he’s still young and not the king yet. In fact, he’s off to France to join his brothers in a plot to overthrow his father, King Henry II.

The more I learned about Richard, the more I had fun writing a “highly fictional” account of Pete and Weasel interacting with him. 




Here are two facts about him: 

1. He didn’t care much for England. He only spoke French and adopted their customs and manners. Well, Eleanor of Aquitaine was his mom and English was the commoner’s language, but since I couldn’t write the book in French, I took the liberty of making Richard bi-lingual. 

2. He loved to hunt and he loved to sing. From all accounts, he had an excellent voice. He became a knight and later a warrior during the Crusades where his volatile nature didn’t show off the supposedly “gentler virtues” of a knight. He did seem to charge into battle a lot, so that’s why he was called Coeur de Lion, the Lion-Hearted. The descriptions I read were that he was “tall, well built and with hair mid-way between red and yellow.” He must have been quite an interesting guy.

Castle Beynac 

I’d just finished this story when friends asked me to go with them to France, and guess what? I wound up in castle Beynac where Richard spent some time. The wall around castle and the fireplace in the main hall were the way I’d imagined. The scullery, too. Then when I found the “toilet” I was so pleased to find it matched my description to a T! 

I love first-hand research so much better than what I do online, and when I see the real thing and it supports all that I’ve read, I jump up and down and clap my hands.

I hope readers will enjoy the time travel back to 1173 and the characters that are very loosely based on people of that time. Of course, I had to have a witch or two, after all without those witches, I would never have started this series. 

Buy the book on Amazon
Visit C. Lee's blog 

Read Lizzy's review of Alligators Overhead, The Great Timelock Disaster, and Some Very Messy Medieval Magic, plus check out an interview with C. Lee Mckenzie! 

Some Very Messy Medieval Magic

Some Very Messy Medieval Magic is the third book in the Adventures of Pete and Weasel series by C. Lee McKenzie. This one picks up right where The Great Timelock Disaster left off. Pete and Weasel are called to a meeting and told they must go back in time to fix something that changed when Pete accidentally opened the time lock in their last adventure. Unfortunately they don’t have much time to prepare before they’re sent back, and they can’t even pack proper clothes to help them blend in. When they end up in medieval times, daily life gets a little tricky. Pete’s never ridden a horse and Weasel’s not allowed to wear his glasses because they haven’t been invented yet. Neither Pete nor Weasel can figure out what's going on, and they don’t have the slightest clue what important event they're supposed to make sure happens. How will someone get in touch with them? Who can they trust? Pete’s even more confused now that Weasel can hear everything he’s thinking. Why can Weasel do that all of a sudden? And what about the horse, Mellie, who Pete can communicate with in his mind? Will Pete and Weasel be able to set things right and get back to their time? Is there any way to stop more changes from happening and impacting the future? You’ll have to read this fast pace story to find out!

I have read many books by C. Lee McKenzie and enjoyed all of them. I was excited to read the latest adventure of the characters that have come to hold a place in my heart. Some Very Messy Medieval Magic showed how much Pete and Weasel have grown throughout the series. Not only is their friendship stronger, but they have each learned important things about themselves in the process. It was interesting when they were in medieval times because it made me realize how hard it would be to blend in with another time period; mistakes could give everything away. I recommend this book to kids in third grade and up who like magic or getting into a little mischief. I've found the series to flow smoothly from book to book, but also believe that each story can be read as a standalone. 

Has anyone else read Some Very Messy Medieval Magic? Or have you read another book by C. Lee McKenzie? 

We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Reading!
~L

Answer to Fairday's Riddle: Medieval Magic...

Excellent guessing, Riddlers! This week we'll get stuck in the middle ages. Lizzy's review will invoke some medieval magic, so stay tuned! See you all around the book block. ; ) ~ F

King and queen sit on thrones, jesters juggle, dogs chew bones. Roaring fires spit and spark, candles flicker in the dark. Gorgeous fabrics hang around, minstrels sing of treasures found. Food laid out for court to eat, finely dressed they meet and greet. In this age, knights crossed swords, fancy ladies danced with lords. A romantic period imagined so, but risky roles high or low.

What am I referring to? Answer: Medieval Times!

Fairday's Riddles: Volume I 

Make time to riddle and rhyme!

62 original riddles and illustrations

Available in all e-book formats

WHAT'S IN A WRITER'S TOOL KIT?

Imagine what writers who wrote books by hand thought about typewriters. Or how authors using typewriters felt when they were introduced to a computer. 😀 

Welcome to the next generation of innovation called G-Suite, an online tool for creators to get projects growing. 💭 
Continue reading...

Referring for G-Suite Referral Program to promote worldwide connection and streamline creation. Go G-Suite!

Episode 1: Using Google to organize and edit a manuscript

After presenting to readers at the Plumb Memorial Library, authors of the Fairday Morrow series, Stephanie Robinson & Jessica Haight, discuss their experience using G- Suite to build their book series in this short video clip. 

Visit the post to learn about the benefits of using G-Suite to organize your creative project on the cloud.

Stephanie Robinson & Jessica Haight use Google Slides to present to readers about co-authoring the Fairday Morrow series.

Find out more about the books: FAIRDAYSFILES.COM

Fairday's Riddle: Somewhere In The Middle...

Hello, Riddlers! Can you guess our theme this week? I love the style, but would not want to have been there. Nice to visit in books though! ; ) ~ F

King and queen sit on thrones, jesters juggle, dogs chew bones. Roaring fires spit and spark, candles flicker in the dark. Gorgeous fabrics hang around, minstrels sing of treasures found. Food laid out for court to eat, finely dressed they meet and greet. In this age, knights crossed swords, fancy ladies danced with lords. A romantic period imagined so, but risky roles high or low.

What am I referring to? Stop by Wednesday for the answer.

I gave you a clue!

The Unicorn in Captivity (from the Unicorn Tapestries)