I’m excited to announce the release of another children’s book I recently illustrated! The Max Stories was published at the end of 2016 by Harmonic Press.
Written by Florida author Julie Miller, this is a series of amusing tales about a mischievous boxer puppy named Max, who’s adopted by a family in order to bring more excitement into their lives—and ends up giving them much more than they bargained for! Based on the true story of a real-life family the author’s parents knew when growing up and their unforgettable dog, and written in verse and rhyme, the book is enjoyable to read to young children and also a wonderful book for early readers.
As the book’s back cover heralds,
Max is a puppy who loves to run free, but trouble will follow like fish to the sea. Here is his story, and everything’s true. You’ll smile and laugh—all the way through!
This book was an absolute joy to illustrate. After determining the look of the characters and developing pencil sketches, I created the illustrations using pen and ink line work finished with washes of acrylic paint. It was both fun and challenging to depict Max’s crazy antics along with the book’s various settings, from the family’s “quiet abode” to Slingerlands Elementary School and beyond.
If you’re interested in purchasing this book, visit www.JoeEckstein.com/books/the-max-stories
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I had the delight of illustrating an entertaining children’s board book, Animals: Counting, Colors & Sounds, which was published at the end of 2015. Order it here!
I was initially approached by the publisher with the concept of a board book that could be read to young children featuring and teaching the names of animals as well as the sounds they make, numbers, and colors.
The publisher had found my website through an internet search for illustrators of children’s books. As they looked through my gallery and images of my work, they were impressed with what they saw and thought I would be the person to create the look they wanted for their book.
After some initial conversations, I was given the ability to collaborate significantly with the publisher on the book and granted creative license in producing the fun artwork.
On each spread of the book, a group of animals is displayed and every animal has the word next to it that represents the sound it makes. The book begins with the number “one,” and the first illustration features one red rooster who makes the sound, “Cock-A-Doodle-Do!”
From there, the story proceeds with two orange cats, each one with a cheerful “Meow!” Then, three yellow lions each “Roar!”. This is followed by 4 green frogs, 5 blue birds, 6 pink pigs, 7 brown dogs, 8 gray owls, 9 black bears, and 10 white lambs, each with their respective sounds.
Ideally, the reader of the book would point to and count the number of each animal, along with the child they are reading the book to. As another activity, the reader could point to the animals again and imitate the sound, giving the child the experience of counting the animals and hearing the sound they make, one time for each animal represented. The child can then interact by mimicking the sound themselves.
Something I love about the book is the happy expressions I was able to achieve on the faces of the animals. I used a simple, rounded style for the art that is very fun, colorful, and appealing to young children.
I can imagine the pleasure of a child who is looking at these pictures and hearing someone playfully making the sounds. The child’s experience of identifying the animals, counting, recognizing colors and hearing the variety of sounds and learning to mimic them would be very enjoyable, as well as educational.
In fact, while visiting family over the holidays, I was able to present the book to my 19-month-old niece, who thoroughly enjoyed it and did quite well at imitating the animal sounds.
This sturdy little book is large enough to accommodate the illustrations, but small enough to fit comfortably in a young child’s hands.
As always, I loved doing the research for the artwork. It was a fun challenge to create a collection of animals that have individual characteristics, but all seem to “go together”.
I established the concept for each of the animals and illustrations by first sketching them out in pencil. When I was satisfied with the image, I scanned them into the computer and created the final artwork using Adobe Illustrator.
Some of the reactions I’ve received to this book are:
“Cute!”
“Cute critters!”
“Fantastic!!”
“Awesome. I…need to buy one for my classroom!” —Preschool teacher
“What a great cover Joe. I love your artwork.” —Donna Nelson Gauntlett, author, illustrator & artist
If you’re interested in purchasing this book, you can go to my website, www.JoeEckstein.com, and fill out the contact form.
Please consider signing up for my email updates on my website. It would also be great if you would like my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/JoeEcksteinAuthorIllustrator
Another children’s book I’ve had the pleasure of illustrating this past year has been released!
Stanley’s Colors, written by Al Reeder, is about a snail and artist named Stanley who must rise above his fears to follow his dreams and fulfill his potential. Afraid of birds, he hides under his rock by day and only ventures out at night. However, he longs to experience the world in light and color, and only when he faces his fears does he discover more than he ever imagined!
This is a fun story with a wonderful message, which I thoroughly enjoyed illustrating. After sketching the scenes and characters in pencil, I used pen and ink and then watercolor pencil to finish the illustrations. Color was an important consideration in the artwork for this book, and one of my objectives was to contrast the drab grey tones of Stanley’s nighttime existence with the rich, fully saturated colors of the day.
Interestingly, there was a particular shade of watercolor pencil I used for the nighttime illustrations—sort of a cool, purplish-gray. There were many illustrations that were set at night, so I quickly used up the pencil to the point where it could no longer be sharpened. It came from a watercolor pencil set I’ve had for many years, and when I tried to look for a replacement, I was dismayed this particular brand of pencils had been discontinued for years and a replacement was nowhere to be found. I was using this specific color heavily for this book and still had many illustrations left to complete. What was I to do? I asked around until Bibi Coyne of S2dio Supplies came to my rescue by providing me with not one, not two, but three pencils that, when used together in combination, were able to achieve the color I needed! Sometimes solutions aren’t what we’d expect, but where there’s a will, there’s a way!
This book has a particular personal significance for me. In a way, Stanley’s story mirrors my own journey these past few years of facing my fears and stepping out to do the things God has gifted me to do and placed on my heart, including illustrating children’s books and otherwise helping to make a difference in the world. God gives us all dreams, but we must inevitably overcome our fears with faith in order to pursue and achieve them. There’s only so much that can be done hiding under a rock.
Here are some words Amazon.com reviewers have had to say about this book:
“The author did a wonderful job in telling his story. The illustrations were both bold and colorful, enhancing the tale. What a sweet story for children as well as adults.”
“. . . fantastic, light, cute, and still meaningful! And kudos to Eckstein for the great illustrations!”
“Great story for kids! Love the illustrations.”’
Stanley’s Colors is available now to order from your favorite bookseller.
In Summer Camp, friends KaLeigh Mae and Braxtin are off to tour the Big Apple and then fun at summer camp in the Poconos, only to get mixed up in a high-stakes bank robbery. In the latest book, The Wedding Cake, the two young heroines find themselves in another alarming predicament centered around the signature confection at KaLeigh Mae’s father’s wedding to her new mother.
I created the pen-and-ink illustrations for these books starting with pencil sketches, then using a Speedball Hunt Globe dip pen and India Ink on Bristol board. The cover illustration I colored using watercolor pencils.
Think of a song that you really like, or a work of art that you have seen that you thought was amazing. Many people have a favorite book or movie they enjoy. Perhaps you have seen people perform a play or a dance. And maybe you even enjoy drawing, painting, writing poetry or stories, singing, playing a musical instrument, or dancing yourself! Herby enjoys listening to the chickadee quartet sing moving, melodious music.
Have you ever been touched and inspired by music or some other form of art? How do you feel when you are enjoying it or have the opportunity to express yourself this way?
The arts can touch people in a way nothing else can. Art enriches our lives and gives people meaning, excitement, and joy. It helps us understand each other and the world, and even helps improve learning, behavior, and social ties. It communicates with the heart of people, and without it our world would be a rather dreary place. Music and the arts carry us higher and farther than we could ever go without it, truly “like wings for the soul.”
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