Viva Cuba/Focus On

Cuba and the United States are only 90 miles away but for over 50 years have been apart. Teachers and students are discussing our changing relationship in their classrooms. Thanks to School Library Journal for posting a list of useful books and for including Drum Dream Girl written by Cuban born Margarita Engle on that list. Check it out at School Library Journal.

Tips from Literary Agents representing Latino authors

2016  was an incredible year for diverse books. I'm often contacted by aspiring Latino writers and illustrators and wanted to share these tips from five leading Literary Agents that might be useful.

Drum Dream Girl Thank you Video

Wanted to share this thank you video I was asked to make for the American Library Association: Youth Media Awards. GRATEFUL that Drum Dream Girl written by Margarita Engle received the 2016 Pura Belpré Medal for Illustration in this the 20th anniversary of the award. Thanks to readers, teachers and librarians for their support of our book.

100 Titles to Read and Share

New York Public Library Children's Books 100 titles for reading and sharing

Drum Dream Girl: Literary Stroll around the neighborhood in Boston

From beauty salons to Cuban restaurants and health centers, the Drum Dream girl took a literary stroll around the neighborhood thanks to the Boston Public Library and an innovative idea that was the brainchild of Sujei Lugo. Read: Drum Dream Girl Story Walk in Latin@s in Kid Lit.

What a great way to have fun and integrate the community bringing families to the library.

Power to Persevere

Looking back at the year I've been thinking about the power of perseverance and it's importance in my own life. What mattered most in the story Margarita Engle wrote about Millo Castro Zaldarriga, was her determined courage to keep going. It's much easier to give up than persist through setback and disappointments. 

The volcanic color and expressions in the eyes were important. Her sisters emotions include deep sadness, shock and numbness. I wanted the ache in Millo's face to reveal a hint of fortitude in her eye.

This scene needed to communicate the injustice and intimidation Millo felt. The pain of her rebuke is contrasted
by the carefree expressions and movement of children free to drum.

Millo's dream to drum is above all else yet out of reach.
She feels anguish, bittersweet emotion and longing.

Millo has unstoppable determination to overcome the distance to her dream.

In early November, I made this drawing of Churchill. He had vision and leadership but his persistence is what really stands out for me.

BIG ideas from Sir Winston:

Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no less enthusiasm. 
Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.
Continuous effort-not strength or intelligence is the key to unlocking your potential. 

He struggled with poor health, hives, boils, rashes, pneumonia, strokes, a lisp and was practically deserted by his parents. As a politician he was often disliked by his colleagues and like all of us had his faults. What made him remarkable is that each time he fell down he stood up again. He wasn't afraid to take an unpopular point of view and was known to cross the aisle if he believed in something. He pressed on and on to lead his country and the world.

Bessie Coleman from Wikipedia

BESSIE COLEMAN came from a family of sharecroppers and grew up in poverty. She walked four miles to school each day and excelled at Math. An avid reader, she was compelled to fly after reading about World War I pilots. As a black woman she would never be accepted to an American pilot school so she took a French-language class at the Berlitz School in Chicago and moved to France. Bessie simply refused to take no for an answer. Enrolling in flight school she eventually did exhibition flying as a barnstormer and gave lectures across the United States from 1922 to 1926. She turned down opportunities to perform unless audiences were desegregated and her career as the world's first African American pilot inspired those who would follow. Today there is a postal stamp in her honor, a library and middle school that bears her tenacious name.

JANE GOODALL the determined scientist and conservationist whose patience and persistence to understand animals contributed so much to the world.

MARIE CURIE whose admirable persistence in the face of many research obstacles made a difference. She used her amazing discoveries to help develop therapies for disease.

EINSTEIN took years to formulate his theories of relativity.  Despite learning disabilities he persevered transforming the way we look at the world. This amazing thinker said "It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer".

Developing an attitude of persistence is vital to being an illustrator. I've learned that for every sketch that works, there are reams of ideas on tracing tissue that simply don't. I file them away in drawers and hold on to them just to remind myself to keep drawing. Sometimes an old sketch might spark an idea for a future project but often they sit there turning brown as the years go by. As a young artist I was intensely frustrated when things didn't come out just right. Over time I realized it's important to get over perfectionism and keep going. Procrastination takes over if you focus on your failures.

Now that I have a son I know it is most important to complement him on working really hard. I want to encourage him to choose more challenging tasks and know that in the marathon of life persistence counts. We all need to model persistence and teach kids it's good to make mistakes and fall short. Let them feel those big feelings when they fail, tell them to take breaks but most importantly keep going.When learning not to give up a child may hit the wall but you've got to aim their sights at the door and teach them how to find the opening.

I hope the story and images in Drum Dream Girl will encourage children to ask thoughtful questions and keep dreaming. To become problem solvers and never give up. Grow the determination needed to achieve their goals and keep practicing.

Jamming with the Moon.

After my last post, it was exciting to find Millo jamming with the moon on The Horn Book Guide 2015. Happy Halloween!
Thanks to Tim Wadham at School Library Journal for his post Hands on Titles that Celebrate Maker and Latino Cultures. 

New York Times Bookshelf Feature: Music Makers-Drum Dream Girl

Is it a dream or was Drum Dream Girl was featured in the New York Times Book Review? Grateful to Maria Russo for including our book in her review Bookshelf Music Makers.

Beating the Drum for Women's Rights

Grateful for the KIRKUS interview Julie Danielson did with Margarita Engle and I about the creation of DRUM DREAM GIRL. She is a fantastic writer who interviews and features the work of authors and illustrators at her blog Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. This is a children's literature blog focused on illustration and picture books-something I am passionate about. In a 2011 interview at Seven Impossible Things I had the chance to chat with Jules and had a lot of fun talking about my take on children's book illustration. This blog is such a great resource and I really enjoy reading about the approach of other illustrators.

All Dreams start with a Dreamer

I've been dreaming about the release of DRUM DREAM GIRL and today a new book was born. Thanks to author Margarita Engle and our young heroine Millo Castro Zaldarriaga for believing in dreams.

The journey from Margarita's poetic words to the birth of this book has lasted almost two years. Here's to Millo, a Chinese-African-Cuban girl who had the courage to break Cuba's traditional barrier against female drummers. When she was just fifteen she played her drums for first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and President Roosevelt. In the 1930s she went on to become a world class musician playing with American jazz greats of her era.

This book teaches children to not conform to gender stereotypes and follow the path of their hearts. GRATEFUL for the opportunity to be a storyteller.

Drum Dream Girl Video Book Trailer

Excited to post the video book trailer for DRUM DREAM GIRL due out March 31, 2015 from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. What an opportunity to create this video to share her story. Looking forward to getting our book in the hands of children, teachers and librarians.

Grateful to Margarita Engle for writing this poetic story, inspired by the childhood of Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, a Chinese-African-Cuban girl who broke Cuba's traditional taboo against female drummers in the 1930s.

Looking forward

As a boy I used to read books about distant locations and dream. I count my lucky stars that at an early age my mother encouraged my imagination. Together we ground egg yolks, plants, beets, onions, and oxidized stones with the mortar she used to grind chiles and made pigment. She encouraged me to follow my dream. To paint my entire room using natural colors from the Earth and recreate the tomb of King Tut. All this was accomplished during summer vacation. On a recent visit to my childhood home it was thrilling to find that the vibrant colors are still there.

Now I'm looking forward to the release of our new book celebrating a young dreamer. Targeting kids aged 3-8 our book was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and is set for release this March. Written by Pura Belpré winner and Newberry honoree Margarita Engle this book is inspired by the true story of brave, determined, Millo Castro Zaldarriaga. A courageous Chinese-African-Cuban girl who broke Cuba's traditional taboo against female drummers. In 1930's Cuba, her passion for drumming opened doors for girls to attain their dreams. These illustrations were created using acrylic paint that I buy in large jars from Mexico on hand-sanded wooden boards.

With this post I wanted to reveal four of the illustrations I crafted to tell Millo's inspirational story. Margarita and I were thrilled that this new book recently received a Kirkus starred review.

Finding my Rhythm with the Drum Dream Girl

My seventh children's book Drum Dream Girl for Harcourt Houghton Mifflin now rests in the hands of the printer. The stirring poetry of Margarita Engle illuminates the life of a brave ten year old Chinese-African-Cuban girl who was able to break the island's taboo against female drummers. A lyrical, inventive Cuban-American author, Margarita is the first Latina to ever win a Newbery honor and likes to write about independent thinkers ahead of their time. I'm a huge fan of her immensely powerful written words and the chance to work with this poetic text exceeded my expectations.

Amazing author Margarita Engle
and I re-connect at the
2014 Pura Belpré ceremony 

My own journey with Millo our heroine, began in the summer of 2013 where most of my books begin in the basement of our home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. At an old wooden table stained with the colors of past books, next to the washer and dryer, with dozens of crickets offering their opinions all at the same time. During this process I found a small garden snake in the wastebasket next to my desk stuck to the used masking tape. The little guy was thirsty and my son and I nursed the creature back to health then let it go in a nearby field. Much like the snake when you start a book you sort of crawl on your belly through tall grass looking for the right path.

Early sketch searching for Millo

Finding Millo

As you can see in the early sketches for the book I had to search for Millo. At this point in the process I first lose myself in the text. What's so captivating about Margarita's poetic words is that they literally open doors beckoning me to try new things. Her poetic style gave me the freedom to invent as well as children the chance to do their own dreaming.

As an illustrator I don't want to reveal all the details too soon but stay in step with the unfolding story giving young readers the opportunity to fill those spaces in. As the prose unfolds jungle animals and objects bring dimension to the words. The story of this young girl reminded me of my own mother's struggles. She was in the first generation of female architects in Mexico and faced so much resistance even from her own family. In order to pursue her studies she took several side jobs and told her parents she was taking sewing classes. Her courage and persistence opened the glass ceiling. She successfully entered a male dominated profession in a traditional culture. I also grew up with three sisters and considered their relationships to each other when developing Millo's sisters who were part of an all girl band.

To  channel Engle's words I realized early on that I needed to think abstractly. To switch from something concrete to abstract and back again. To dance intuitively between the two, criss-crossing the river of abstraction. I wanted to connect these two aspects of Millo's story and switch back and forth from reality to dreams. For this reason, on some spreads the moon has a face and sometimes it doesn't. When Millo dreams imaginary animals appear but at other times real creatures like a parrot whiz by during her walk in the park.

It really all begins by sketching, sketching and more sketching to develop the main character and all I can say is that you just know when it feels right. There's a great deal of research to get the facial expressions correct and craft her personality. As an artist I've always embraced the challenge of conveying the emotions of a character. When I designed the Latin music legends stamps for the U.S. Postal Service I needed to infuse the images of Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Carmen Miranda, Selena and Carlos Gardel with the energy and spirit of their music. Creating portraits that resemble photos has never interested me and I'm more intrigued to find the nuances that make each face like a unique thumbprint. I worked with Margarita and searched books and the Internet for images of Millo and her band of sisters in Cuba.

Millo Castro Zaldarriaga and Anacaona in 1930's Cuba

I gathered many images and made a mood board to post in my workspace. At every opportunity I work to live in my characters skin. I keep on drawing till I clearly hear Millo's voice whispering in my ear when I go to sleep. This determined young girl had her own destiny to fulfill and along that path were twists and turns. I try to imagine how my character moves through the world and tune in to that beautiful struggle.

For this book I wanted to explore surrealistic ideas and get experimental with the visual elements. I was determined to not be chained to reality and spent many afternoons out with my camera exploring. On one of these walks I ordered homemade Mexican chocolate with whipped cream and multi-colored sprinkles for my young son. He got this far-off look in his eye that motivated me to continually search and document those dreamy expressions on the faces of children. These photographs and sketchbook observations really informed the gaze and features of young Millo.

I wanted to do something different with this book so I changed my palette. The more subdued colors and one of the spreads were a tribute to the work of one of my illustration heroes, the self taught Mexican caricaturist and artist Miguel Covarrubias. There are many night scenes in this book as it speaks to the dreaming of Millo. In the plant life of one jungle scene spread you can find echoes of Henri Rousseau. Many influences play into my thinking and dreaming for this book. 

The proofs looked solid and I'm dreaming of our books release in 2015.

Finding my rhythm with the Drum Dream Girl

My seventh children's book Drum Dream Girl for Harcourt Houghton Mifflin now rests in the hands of the printer. The stirring poetry of Margarita Engle illuminates the life of a brave ten year old Chinese-African-Cuban girl who was able to break the island's taboo against female drummers. A lyrical, inventive Cuban-American author, Margarita is the first Latina to ever win a Newberry honor and likes to write about independent thinkers ahead of their time. I'm a huge fan of her immensely powerful written words and the chance to work with this poetic text exceeded my expectations.

Amazing author Margarita Engle
and I re-connect at the
2014 Pura Belpré ceremony 

My own journey with Millo our heroine, began in the summer of 2013 where most of my books begin in the basement of our home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. At an old wooden table stained with the colors of past books, next to the washer and dryer, with dozens of crickets offering their opinions all at the same time. During this process I found a small garden snake in the wastebasket next to my desk stuck to the used masking tape. The little guy was thirsty and my son and I nursed the creature back to health then let it go in a nearby field. Much like the snake when you start a book you sort of crawl on your belly through tall grass looking for the right path.

Early sketch searching for Millo

Finding Millo

As you can see in the early sketches for the book I had to search for Millo. At this point in the process I first lose myself in the text. What's so captivating about Margarita's poetic words is that they literally open doors beckoning me to try new things. Her poetic style gave me the freedom to invent as well as children the chance to do their own dreaming.

As an illustrator I don't want to reveal all the details too soon but stay in step with the unfolding story giving young readers the opportunity to fill those spaces in. As the prose unfolds jungle animals and objects bring dimension to the words. The story of this young girl reminded me of my own mother's struggles. She was in the first generation of female architects in Mexico and faced so much resistance even from her own family. In order to pursue her studies she took several side jobs and told her parents she was taking sewing classes. Her courage and persistence opened the glass ceiling. She successfully entered a male dominated profession in a traditional culture. I also grew up with three sisters and considered their relationships to each other when developing Millo's sisters who were part of an all girl band.

To  channel Engle's words I realized early on that I needed to think abstractly. To switch from something concrete to abstract and back again. To dance intuitively between the two, criss-crossing the river of abstraction. I wanted to connect these two aspects of Millo's story and switch back and forth from reality to dreams. For this reason, on some spreads the moon has a face and sometimes it doesn't. When Millo dreams imaginary animals appear but at other times real creatures like a parrot whiz by during her walk in the park.

It really all begins by sketching, sketching and more sketching to develop the main character and all I can say is that you just know when it feels right. There's a great deal of research to get the facial expressions correct and craft her personality. As an artist I've always embraced the challenge of conveying the emotions of a character. When I designed the Latin music legends stamps for the U.S. Postal Service I needed to infuse the images of Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Carmen Miranda, Selena and Carlos Gardel with the energy and spirit of their music. Creating portraits that resemble photos has never interested me and I'm more intrigued to find the nuances that make each face like a unique thumbprint. I worked with Margarita and searched books and the Internet for images of Millo and her band of sisters in Cuba.

I gathered many images and made a mood board to post in my workspace. At every opportunity I work to live in my characters skin. I keep on drawing till I clearly hear Millo's voice whispering in my ear when I go to sleep. This determined young girl had her own destiny to fulfill and along that path were twists and turns. I try to imagine how my character moves through the world and tune in to that beautiful struggle.

For this book I wanted to explore surrealistic ideas and get experimental with the visual elements. I was determined to not be chained to reality and spent many afternoons out with my camera exploring. On one of these walks I ordered homemade Mexican chocolate with whipped cream and multi-colored sprinkles for my young son. He got this far-off look in his eye that motivated me to continually search and document those dreamy expressions on the faces of children. These photographs and sketchbook observations really informed the gaze and features of young Millo.

I wanted to do something different with this book so I changed my palette. The more subdued colors and one of the spreads were a tribute to the work of one of my illustration heroes, the self taught Mexican caricaturist and artist Miguel Covarrubias. There are many night scenes in this book as it speaks to the dreaming of Millo. In the plant life of one jungle scene spread you can find echoes of Henri Rousseau. Many influences play into my thinking and dreaming for this book. 

The proofs looked solid and I'm dreaming of our books release in 2015.