Out On The Prairie gets a starred review from Kirkus

OUT ON THE PRAIRIE [STARRED REVIEW!]
Author: Bateman, Donna M.
Illustrator: Swan, Susan
Publisher:Charlesbridge
Traditionally patterned verses celebrate the flora, fauna and wide sky of the mixed-grass prairie of Badlands National Park in South Dakota.

“Out on the prairie where the snakeroot greets the sun, / Lived a shaggy mother bison and her little calf One.” As she did in Deep in the Swamp (2007), Bateman has chosen representative features and creatures to introduce a remarkable ecosystem. Counting from one to 10, she goes on to include pronghorns, meadowlarks, prairie dogs, grasshoppers, grouse, owls, rattlesnakes, coyotes and toads in a series of verses that also span the day from dawn to night. The poetry is not sacrificed to the information; she pays careful attention to language and rhythm, using splendid verbs. It reads aloud smoothly. Swan’s energetic cut-paper, mixed-media illustrations delight and instruct. She includes found objects and hand-painted paper, collaged and digitally combined on double-page spreads that blend into a spatter-paint frame in the story section. Plants and animals are identifiable in the pictures and described further in the backmatter, 10 pages of “Prairie Flora and Fauna Facts.” This describes the animals’ child-bearing and -rearing habits, offers further information about the plants, and defines the term “prairie.”

Another outstanding appreciation of the natural world for young readers and listeners both. (Informational picture book. 4-8) ©Kirkus Reviews

paper beads, lava....

a (sort of new) obsession

I'm working on a picture book
about volcanoes so had to investigate the possibilities of lava.
These stones look rough
but are surprisingly smooth and look wonderful combined with these rough nuggets of amethyst.

out on the prairie

as promised, some spreads from the interior of OUT ON THE PRAIRIE (written by Donna M.Bateman and published by Charlesbridge).

new books

I'm all about the color, texture and patterns in nature and I'm very proud of my new picture book, OUT ON THE PRAIRIE written by Donna M. Bateman, which shows what I love about the landscape of the southwest. I was brought kicking and screaming to Texas soon after I married (after telling my new husband that under no circumstances would I leave Connecticut) and immediately fell in love with the sunrises/sunsets and most especially the wildflowers. I'm so happy I got to show all that in my newest picture book.

I've just received my author's copies and am thrilled with the printing/production quality. It will be in your book store soon (July).
I'll show more of the interior in upcoming posts.

where's Susan?

I've been here in my studio finishing books, making things, enjoying life.
We've had 3 new beautiful babies born (I will not deal with the grandma thing so don't mention it!).

Here's a silhouette I did from the sonogram of Kendall. I wasn't sure I saw hair/guessed and fortunately she had plenty when she came into the world. The lacy background was part of a pattern design I created a while back and hadn't found a use for yet.

Found a nice mention-

A Monarch Butterfly’s Journey by Suzanne Buckingham Slade and illustrated by Susan Swan.
The illustrations are bright mixed-media collages by Susan Swan. I am not a huge fan of collage art in children’s books that tries for ultra-realism, but Swan’s butterflies are an example of how it should be done. They are fascinating and fun, with a high level of energy. I love the humorous side comments of the insects which make comments in their own cartoon bubbles. One butterfly asks, “Are we there yet?”

From: Growing With Science Blog at Peeeple.com

more girl scouts

I've been working round the clock on another girl scout project - here's a sneak preview from the Daisy Handbook.

©gsusa

how things change

This is how the Spider cover started - the story was about Geo. Washington
(and his dental problems). Initially I was going to show George brandishing
a large toothbrush, riding his toothy horse, and followed by numerous smiling
animals displaying brilliant smiles. The background was to be reminiscent of
paintings of the period. I thought about it a while longer and somehow that
changed to George shopping the sales for false teeth.  

this was so much more fun....

shhh!

can't talk about it yet but here's a sneak peak at a small portion of a spread from just finished book project.

Scholastic story

interview

... had a brief interview with Susan Zevon a few weeks back about gift wrapping ideas; she wrote about Leslie Carola's book "Wrapped With Style" which included many of my designs.
I mentioned in the interview that I loved using templates to tear out envelopes to give gift cards, photos or thank you notes. It's so simple and I get to use my own papers. No measuring or scissors.  The article, with variations, has turned up everywhere and unfortunately I neglected to mention where I got the templates - so  here's the url: http://www.greensneakers.com.

pic. 1 - tear out shape           pic. 2 - turn over and fold shape around center template       pic. 3 - use dabs of glue to adhere sides and bottom flaps; use sticker or envelope glue for top flap. 
(I didn't show it here but I prefer using double sided papers.)

This product image courtesy of Jon Van Gorder shows brightly dotted paper complimented by a ribbon with smaller dots, a creation by Susan Swan from the book "Wrapped with Style," Universe Publishing, 2009.

variety

is the spice of life - or something...

Enjoyed doing this simple project for Highlights. I love playing with patterns and shapes.

Upstart poster - reverse side

Upstart poster

Scholastic poster

chickens

I love chickens - here are some done
for a poster that I can't show yet.

raccoon nap

this cutie is for an upcoming Scholastic poster

October Cricket magazine

just because it's a beautiful day

One of my papers with the addition of
beautiful vintage butterflies.

the new Girl Scout book is at the printer

I've done another big project for one of my favorite clients-
(I think I should qualify for an honorary badge soon! or at least
some Girl Scout cookies.)
The AD, Sara Gillingham, made the brilliant suggestion to adapt
what I had already been doing for headlines for a font to be used for the
body copy too. It has a crude paper cut look to it which
suits the book well. We used fontgarden.com to generate the font.
I'm working on a couple others now too just for fun (one, a curly
cut paper kind of font which I've used on my new website www.susanswan.com -
along with the Girl Scout PaperDaisies font.)

The journey theme for the girls this time is 'It's Your Story--Tell It!'
and I got to show animals from around the world. And even got
to do some animal masks that the girls can download and put together
themselves.

what I've been doing

sneak peak of bits and pieces of a non-fiction picture book for Capstone
now on it's way to the printer

critters

I have just finished lots of really 

enjoyable projects-

many involving animals.

This one for AAA Traveler Magazine 

should be in mailboxes now.

Can't show this kid's mag cover yet but I can tell you

it's about George Washington and his dental, er, problems.

His happy horse is in the background...

Texas wildflowers

Indian paintbrush wildflowers are so much more beautiful 

(especially closeup) than the bluebonnets that everyone

makes so much of here in Texas. Originally they were going 

to play a bigger part in the kid's mag cover I just did but ended 

up getting overshadowed by a baby buffalo.

So-here's a few of them just because...

new work

just finished work for the October issue of Cricket Magazine...

here's just a tiny part- loved doing this project!

 I painted some papers and roughed up the textures in Photoshop
to give me interesting buffalo fur and scanned in some grass,
painted over it, and made a  pattern for the grassy plains.
I think that's a paper I'll find lots of uses for.
-And you'll have to wait until October to see the rest.

kid magazine

I slipped in a little illo for a kid's mag in the midst
of the Girl Scout project, and used some of my papers too.

sketches

I've been so busy with the Girl Scout book; I get to draw lots of animals this time...
here's part of a sketch and some patterns that I've been working on for the book and also my licensing website.

licensing art

I have been working hard to get some images put together to offer for licensing. I was trying to get several collections put together and a website up before my next Girl Scout book starts, but as that project begins Monday, and every moment will have to be dedicated to it, I'll have to wait until there is another lull to get back to this. Coming up with patterns is addictive- I'm more than slightly obsessed!


















(I have gotten a lot of extremely useful information from
Tara Reed's ArtLicensingInfo.com.  She has e-books,
videos and product mockup templates available. Very helpful!)

science project

here's the newest...
for a kid's science mag

Girl Scout project continues

just completed this promo piece
for book 3 of the Daisy Leadership series-
the ms for the actual book isn't ready for me yet
but I've heard a little about it and
it's going to be a lot of fun to do.

rose

this is part of an illo for a poem in another kid's magazine, there's more, and a funny spider, but I'm not to show it until publication

fireflies

just did this cutie for a kid's magazine article about fireflies

sketches

I don't tend to hang on to sketches but found
this one while cleaning up. I remember this
was a rush assignment and fortunately
no changes were asked for; it went from
sketch to finish in the matter
of three days or so.

another postcard

the art is from an English as second language reader completed a few months ago...

finally-a new postcard in the mail tomorrow....

ornaments

Finally finished up the ornaments I started last Christmas...

playing with papers again

in the middle of another craft book- I just love this paper- it's a combination of an old paste paper overprinted with a piece of lace, and digitally overlaid onto another of my papers using swirly fonts on a red background...I could play with these all day.
I used it as a background for cut paper Chanukah candles...

or may use this version... have the flu so am not making decisions easily.