Jim Paillot

The Classics

2008-10-29T15:26:26+00:00

Like wax lips, candy corn and Etch-A-Sketch, some things were meant to be around for a long time. "Hey Diddle Diddle" is one of those classics that I have been itching to illustrate. It's fun to read aloud and begs to be illustrated. So, Jeff Dinardo called and dropped this poster project onto my lap. This was just plain fun to do. Flying bovine and running cutlery is what great literature is all about.

Like you, I can think of another dozen family favorites I'd like to get my hands on. The "Dick and Jane" series. "Old Mother Hubbard", "Jack Sprat" and "Little Jack Horner" to name just a few.

Art With Heart

2008-06-19T19:15:51+00:00

Art With Heart's mission is to empower kids in crisis through therapeutic books and programs that foster self-expression. "Magnificent, Marvelous Me!" is their newest book. It's filled with activities and artwork that will help children express what is in their minds and in their hearts. Mike Moran said it all so well in an earlier post (last week, I believe). They remind kids how important they are.

Last weekend, I was able to meet Steffanie Lorig, ace art director and all around good egg. She and her husband, Rick, were in town for another reason - to sign their books, "Such A Silly Baby!" It was good to catch up with them. Especially after working with them over the phone and via email on such a meaningful project.

To order a book or to learn more:
www.artwithheart.org

Google Game

2008-06-13T15:30:20+00:00

The best way for me to stay on my creative toes is to be working on all kinds of different illustration projects. Big, small and some in the middle. Here's a half page piece that was done for School Library Journal. Teachers are sometimes using a search game (usually on Google) to help the students become more efficient and smarter web users. Mark sent the article and said "have fun with it". I like Mark.

I have been working with Valerie at the University of New Hampshire for a few years now. She is so wonderful. Again, she sends the articles, offers advice and her suggestions are always good ones.

Flip Books

2008-05-20T22:10:45+00:00

Remember flip books? We used to make them at school when we should have been listening to the teacher. Michael Sherman and Klutz Publishing called and put me to work on "Quick Draw Flip Books". As always they are great to work with and the projects they send my way have just the right mix of useless fun and nice design.

Talk to the Hand

2008-04-30T05:30:03+00:00

This box of goodies from Mr. UPS was a nice surprise today. I did this packaging artwork for Joshua McDonnell at Running Press last year. It's cool to see it all put together. The kit is for aspiring ventriloquists and for kids in general. My kids go crazy for stuff like this.

More is more

2008-04-24T14:52:57+00:00

It took three trips to the drawing board for me to get it right. Dave and Julia at GoPicnic asked me to make these kids themed lunch pack illustrations "busy and fun". They said it clearly and sincerely. When I showed them the initial sketches they gently responded," we love it but add more ... a lot more". Eventually I realized that by "more" they meant "more". The English language can be tricky with all the subtle nuances and whatnot. They were a joy to work with and patient beyond words.

GoPicnic produces healthy lunch alternatives to airlines and school groups on field trips. It's all natural and full of all of the healthy things I managed to avoid as a kid. I wish they sold these in grocery stores because they are really good.

Holiday Haikus

2007-12-21T17:39:20+00:00

Voices raised in song
carols sung with joyous glee
get off my dang porch

anticipation!
excitement! gifts to unwrap
underwear again

celebrities sing
holiday standards for weeks
Mannheim Steamroll me

Two West Design wrote these and Adam Elwell (art director) and I helped them come to life just in time for a holiday mailer.

Merry Christmas to all!

Feathered Friends

2007-11-14T17:05:07+00:00

J.D. King's heartfelt plea for our poultry pals reminded me of this recent job. In a previous book these three turkeys escaped the farm just before Thanksgiving. Whew! But in this more recent book, "The Amazing Turkey Rescue", they return to save the hens from the clutches of a visiting fox. And that is why turkeys are my heros.

These illustrations depict their madcap, springbreak-like lifestyle after they escaped from the farm.

Be A Hero

2007-11-06T16:31:36+00:00

Here's a two color freebie job that was just used for a diabetes walk here in Arizona. I love it when I am forced to use less color.

Here's my pro bono pledge: "I promise to create simple, fun, memorable and on target artwork for you if you give me a little time and direction and let me do what I do best. Also, please let me know if it helped your cause."

Our friends that asked me to help on this project were model clients and adhered to the code of the fragile artist: heap on the praise... "This art rocks! You look great in those pants! After these tee shirts are printed Diabetes will be a thing of the past! Are you losing weight?" That sort of thing.

My Weird School again

2007-10-19T19:15:30+00:00

So after I created a new gallery for the "My Weird School" series I sat back and looked at all of the books I have done for that series. I never really lined them all up like this and took a retrospective look at it all. One thing was obvious. I gotta get out more! So, I am closing down the art cave for the weekend. I am going to swim with the kids, walk the dogs, sip wine and watch a movie this weekend. See you Monday.

My Weird School

2007-10-04T12:28:22+00:00

A few years ago when I started doing book work all I wanted was a chance to do a series. I had always admired Lane Smith's incredible illustration and Ad McCauleys humorous and sophisticated, witty characters. Their work on the Time Warp Trio and now Brian Bigg's work on the Shredderman series is inspirational. I think early reader chapter books have been growing in popularity over the last decade for a few reasons. Better and quirkier stories and teachers are warming up to the sometimes non traditional characters and artwork.

Working on the My Weird School series with writer, Dan Gutman and Barb Fitszimmons and Joel Tipple at HarperCollins has been a blast. We started with the hopes of getting 5-6 books out there and now I am doing artwork for book 24. It's been a fun ride. I now drink champagne from high heeled shoes and light my fireplace with $100 bills.

What's the buzz?

2007-09-19T17:18:01+00:00

Dinosaurs probably couldn't hear the chirps and buzzes of insects around them. Did you know that? I didn't. But now I do. Oversized dinosaurs ears were tuned in to low pitched sounds like the booming of dino footsteps rather than the high pitched sounds of bugs. It all makes sense now. My kids cannot hear, "Please get ready for school". But they can hear, "Do you want more ice cream?". It's all in the pitch!

Another fun spot from Judith at SuperScience Magazine.

Where The Wild Things Are

2007-08-30T18:18:43+00:00

I just found out yesterday that Maurice Sendak's classic, "Where The Wild Things Are", will be made into a live-action feature length film. Along with Dr. Seuss and Charles Schulz, Maurice Sendak is one of my all time art heros. I hope that the film can even remotely compare to the charm and drama of the book. I am pessimistic but my fingers are crossed.

Back in the mid 80's when I was an art pup I was lucky enough to be able to help design some posters for a stage performance of "The Magic Flute". Maurice Sendak was designing the set and costumes. I don't remember the poster at all but I do remember having lunch with Mr. Sendak backstage at a small table while the stage crew was bustling around us. Two things about that lunch that made it a thrill for me. (Besides the fact that I was having a sandwich with an art legend!) One - we didn't talk about art. We just casually talked about the costumes, weather, our food. We joked a bit about this and that. A total break from the creative jobs we were knee deep into. The second thing is that he is a small man. I am about 5'6" (5 1/2' of forged steel, mind you!) but he was an inch or so shorter. So we were two diminutive art guys hanging out while these giant guys hauled and lifted around us. That just tickled me. That lunch was one of the few times I met a hero and he came out a bigger, better man than I imagined.

Nuts

2007-05-22T16:46:30+00:00

A squirrel and his nut. Another fun job from Jeff Dinardo. Sometimes it's the little things that keep me going. Like purple trees and rodents with hardhats.

Science On The Go

2007-04-27T17:44:54+00:00

Sometime ago we were all discussing Rube Goldberg and his unique artwork and original thinking. I couldn't share this project at the time because it was work in progress. But now the art has hit the street. Literally. The California Science Center called and asked if I would create a "Goldbergesque" design for their new van. This van would visit schools and help the Science Center team educate and entertain kids and get the message out that science can be fun.

The idea of the art was to illustrate "what makes this van get going". I did lots of research on Rube's wonderful work and I was itching to put my spin on some of his more inventive props... cuckoo clocks, bowling balls, rocking chairs, etc. Since I was given some very specific things to include in the artwork I was forced to leave out a few of my favorite Rube props. I did the front, side and back and we (for the most part) repeated the side art on the passenger side. A really fun job and some really nice clients. So this was my tip of the hat to the great Rube Goldberg.

Crazy Ants

2007-03-27T16:45:24+00:00

I've been knee deep in some larger book projects for the last couple of years so when I get a chance to do spot art I grab it. This small spot for Boy's Life is a perfect example of the bite-size art I love to do. Since I have the attention span of a gibbon these "one week for sketches and one week for final art" jobs are the perfect size and usually fun and almost always a good creative challenge. Also, I got to draw a gigantic red ant.

This spot was for a short article about the spread of Crazy Ants.

Weird-o-Meter

2007-03-26T17:36:23+00:00

Last week we rented a little place on the beach in San Diego. After a few days of sand, pizza, wet dogs and lots of laughs my son, Cam (age 8) presented this graph he made for me. After I quit laughing it occurred to me that I don't know if I high number is good or bad!! And he wasn't telling.

Medicine Man

2007-03-02T15:13:47+00:00

After completely gutting our guest bath last year we finally put the finishing touches on it a few weeks ago. It's not bigger but it is better. Anyone who has gotten his/her hands dirty renovating baths and kitchens knows there are always happy suprises when you pull up tile or knock down a wall. Leaky pipes, crumbly, corroded tile and exposed wire. That all adds to the joy of do-it-yourself land. I didn't tackle the plumbing but I did do the carpentry (thanks for the gift of knowledge, Dad!), painting and this last bit of detail... the medicine cabinet.

My original plan was to have the door of the cabinet embedded with tiny lights and to have a few working gears on the frame but the lure of being able to have the darned room finished was too tempting. It's been a big hit with the kids so my clients are happy.

Extremophiles

2007-01-30T18:52:11+00:00

A couple of weeks ago I turned the page in my sketchbook and decided that the day's theme would be gross germs. Later that day I got a call from Boy's Life. They wanted a spot illustration for a story about gross germs and bacteria that thrive in extreme environments. Talk about coincidence!

Imaxxed

2007-01-08T15:28:54+00:00

One of my favorite projects in 2006 was a huge panorama piece for Imax. Using the Tour De France as a starting point, the program was designed to teach kids how important the brain is to everything we try to accomplish. So I created a long piece that was to be on their web site and theatre. A really fun job that was about creating a fun piece... just good ol' picture making. They loved the final art ...but... at the end, many of the elements of the program were cut. So my art wound up on the cutting room floor. Oh, well. The creative journey was fun and I met a few nice art directors. All was not lost.

Here's a little bit closer.

And another.

Piercing for Fun and Profit

2006-12-01T16:43:08+00:00

When the phone stops ringing and the kids are in bed I get to work on stuff like this. This guy will be part of a game on my redesigned website (it'll be up sometime in December). I am so pumped about this. The idea of this game is to take any of a dozen sharp objects (provided) and give "Todd" the piercing of his life. It's a kid friendly site so the undies had to be there. For my fellow Drawgerites that demand more graphic cruelty I can provide a "Todd" in his birthday suit. Not for the squeamish, though.

I just got off the phone with the web designers and their big question to me was do we want him to bleed with each poke. Hmmm, good question. He is designed to say "ouch" with each piercing. I contemplated a different curseword with each pierce but my kids may play this sometime and I would have lots of 'splainin' to do.