Boat #1! The BIG BLUE BOAT

We've finally made it! Our countdown is complete! We've traveled the world and arrived home just in time to wish Jonathan good luck as he embarks on his own adventure aboard the Big Blue Boat.

If you're new to this blog I've been counting down to the release date of my newest book Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat using boat and ship stamps from around the world. I began collecting boat stamps when I was 10 or 11 years old. This blog has really just been an excuse to spend a year doing something that I loved to do as a kid. I would recommend that everyone try this sometime.

So Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat releases today, June 7th. By the way, this is Jonathan:

In this story Jonathan heads out on a journey to find his missing bear, Frederick. This is Frederick:

Frederick also happens to be my bear too. I got Frederick when I was 3 years old. I took him everywhere. Here is Frederick helping me open presents on Christmas Day:

And here is Frederick (many years later) accompanying Erin and I on a road trip through bear country:

Here is Jonathan holding up Frederick so Frederick can see the Big Blue Boat:

When Frederick goes missing Jonathan boards the Big Blue Boat. A tugboat captain waves goodbye:
Jonathan makes new friends along the way—a mountain goat, a circus elephant, a whale:

They encounter trouble along the way. There are pirates:

And lifeboats:

Will Jonathan ever find Frederick? Find out at your local bookstore or library!

Making Jonathan was the most fun and rewarding creative adventure of my life so far. Although 365 Boats ends here I hope that my journey (and Jonathan's) will soon be your journey too.

But in the meantime...

You can read more about the creation of the artwork in Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat by heading over to Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast (my favorite internet meeting place for all things related to children's book illustration).

To watch a homemade book trailer for Jonathan simply click here. And to read a little bit about the creation of the book trailer just click here.

And of course you're welcome to stick around a while at 365 Boats and tour the world via the global postal system.

Safe travels,

Phil

Boat #51, (The Making of) The Big Blue Boat

Today I have a very special link to share. I've been meaning for a long, long time to do a post of some kind that details how I go about making a picture from start to finish. I love to see how other artists work. I always discover something that causes to me to say: "Really? You do it that way? Why don't I do it that way too? Illustration is a lonely business. A lot of time is spent in the studio away from our fellow humans and from other artists. (I of course am a little less lonely as I'm married to my studiomate.) This tendency toward the hermetic life has made the blog Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast an enormous asset to our community. Julie Danielson at 7-imp has compiled hundreds of illustrator interviews and virtual studio visits. Erin and I have both had the pleasure of stopping by the 7-imp blog before. This time when Julie asked me if I would like to stop in and share some work from Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat it seemed like the perfect opportunity to finally put something together about my illustration process. Below are the first and last steps in the making of an illustration. To see all the steps in between please visit Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. Thanks, and enjoy!

Boat #60, France (and the Big Blue Boat too!)

My favorite thing about doing this blog is when I scan boat, enlarge it, and then find something I'd never noticed before—in this case, the tiny sailboat. It reminds me of my opening illustration for Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat.

Boat #133, In Which Our Hero, Jonathan, Embarks on a Journey Aboard His Favorite Blue Boat

I couldn't resist showing one more image from Jonathan before returning to our regularly scheduled postage stamp countdown. Here we see Jonathan waving goodbye to the tugboat captain as he embarks on a journey to find his lost friend Frederick. Bon voyage, Jonathan!

Boat #134, The Big Blue Boat

This week I was excited to receive the scanned art for Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat back from my publisher. I can be pretty ornery sometimes, but I have to say I think these images look great—somehow better than the originals themselves. This illustration is from the opening spread of the book. That's Jonathan and his stuffed bear Frederick out on the dock, looking up at their favorite blue boat.