illustration friday March 15, 2005

A new Illustration Friday drawing! The topic this week is, fragile. Careful with that baby, little dude!

foo-foo March 14, 2005

Here is an illustration I found that I did awhile back. Man, what a bully that Bunny Foo-Foo was.

hannernator March 12, 2005

Ok, so I’ve never actually exercised regularly in my whole life, which probably would shock you if you saw the muscle bound friends that I hang around. Not to mention that I grew up in Eugene, Oregon, founding home of Nike. Way back when, Eugene was where all of the hot shot runners came to train and get free shoes. There were so many runners running about, that I was actually mowed down by one on the sidewalk when I was a kid. Or maybe it was a bicyclist. Or a roller blader. The point is, it was someone, doing something sporty, and it’s possibly why I’ve steered clear of the whole scene ever since. But all that is about to change! I’m starting a very exciting exercise regimen of my own design. I call it “Meet the Muscles!” and it will involve jogging, swimming push-ups, jazzercise, kicking things, circus tricks…you name it. You may wonder...swimming push-ups? What are those? Let's just a say, they're a fantastico way to grow underwater muscles.

itty bitty cat head March 10, 2005

Dudes and Dudettes,

One of these days I will post a picture of the kitty that comes to the studio where I work. It is a black and feisty kitty, much like my own sweet cat, Grandpaw, with one exception. Work kitty has a little, teeny, itty, bitty, cat head. At first glance, you might think this makes her look regal and ancient, but that’s before she attacks you for a cheese puff, or poops out some dog food.

Regardless, she inspired this weeks drawing for Illustration Friday. The theme this week is “ancient” because we all know how Egyptians loved their kitties. Probably even the stinky ones.

would not take the garbage out March 07, 2005

Sometimes my brain becomes over crowded with things to do, worries and fears. Sort of like Sarah Sylvia Cynthia Stout's garbage…the coffee grounds and yellow clumps of cream of wheat tend to pile up in my head until I can barely see. I’ve been feeling like this lately, overwhelmed and uninspired.

Trying to dig out from under a mess, one moldy banana peel at time.

Helpful inspiring things:

1. Reading: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

2. Yogi mint tea

3. Panda Licorice

4. Strumming on an old banjo

5. Watching: I Heart Huckabees

Song Series February 28, 2005

Hello friends,

Hope this finds you well out there in computer land.

Some interesting factoids from the fantastico weekend:

1. Grandpaw (our kitty) is terrified of newborn babies

2. The Christo exhibit in the park made me feel shockingly warm and teary. Something about seeing so many people in one place, for one purpose made my heart grow three sizes.

3. I am not good at voting and/or betting on Oscar outcomes.

4. Duck billed platypuses are mammals that lay eggs.

5. Blueberries + bananas + soymilk = awesome-o

Yes! Also, I posted some paintings for the Song Series I’ve been working on. Someday soon they will make more sense when you can hear the tunes that go along with them. But that will be in the FUTURE when people wear metal underwears and eat pancakes in pill form.

Or, hopefully in April sometime. Which ever comes first really.

Illustration Friday February 23, 2005

Here is a drawing that I noodled out for Illustration Friday, even though it’s Wednesday. Damn those days of the week underpants! The topic this week is, sorrow.

Brooklyn Shuffle February 16, 2005

A good thing to remember when you’re walking around in Brooklyn, is to keep an eye on your feet. Dog poo land mines abound, and it’s best to really “be on your toes” in every sense. This challenge only increases after a long stretch of winter, when the dog poo of yore begins to reveal itself from piles of old snow and ice. Often you're faced with not only current dog poo, but historical dog poo as well.

So it's important to make sacrifices when you’re walking to the subway. In the interest of poo dodging, you might need to avoid all other distractions, sidewalk/or not sidewalk related.

But once in awhile, you have to take your chances, bravely hope for the best, and look up.

New Website Smell February 14, 2005

Hello friends,

I want to thank everyone for their kind comments and encouraging emails this week about the site. They have been a fantastico respite from this salty winter.

Speaking of winter, I went to the annual winter SCBWI conference last weekend here in New York. (*note, SCBWI stands for Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, not Short Crabby Babies With Indigestion, as previously thought.) The conference was action packed and I absorbed more information about the children’s book industry than I could have imagined.

Highlights of the conference:

1. Listening to some great speakers like Susan Jeffers, and Jerry Spinelli

2. Hanging out with two friends from my kid’s book critique group, Shannon and Tracy.

3. Seeing and talking to so many like minded humans in one place.

4. Wearing a bright yellow name tag!

5. Feeling inspired to try harder.

6. Lots of snacks and really intenso coffee.

All in all a great weekend. It really got my brain in gear and I feel both ready to do more, and scared that I have so much left to learn. A pretty good combo of feelings I suppose.

Hello everyone! February 02, 2005

Hello everyone and welcome to the land of me, Johanna. You might know me as Hanna or Hanner or Hanzilla, or you might not know me at all. And in that case, it’s nice to meet you.

This site was put together by Cast Iron Coding. They deserve a round of high fives and Zimas, from yours truly.

Here are some things you can expect to find on this website now, and in the near future:

1. Lists

2. Travel Logs

3. Puppets Reporting News

4. Paintings of Volcanoes

5. Sharks/Drawings of Sharks

6. Ukulele songs

7. Squished Lunches

8. Left Handed Miracles

9. Sasquatch Sightings

So come by anytime! Pack a snack and look around. I plan to keep adding to this website like the delicious late night casserole that I dream it to be.