Image Credit: My Retro Reads
The Wonderful Dragon of Timlin
Tomie dePaola – 1966
Image Credit: My Retro Reads
Fight the Night – 1968
Image Credit: Tomie dePaola on Amazon
Image from Fight the Night
Image Credit: Tomie dePaola on Amazon
Image from Fight the Night
The art in dePaola’s book Fight the Night is a bit like that in Alexander, and The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Illustration from Alexander, and The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Written by Judith Viorst with illustrations by Ray Cruz
Publsihed in 1972
The colored illustrations in Fight the Night are no more than the simple line art with a color wash.
Image Credit: Tomie dePaola on Amazon
Image from Fight the Night
Image Credit: Tomie dePaola on Amazon
Image from Fight the Night
Compare the above Illustration to dePaola’s art in 2009
Strega Nona in 2009
Image Credit: Tomie dePaola on Amazon
Illustration from Strega Nona’s Harvest
In her biography of dePaola, Elleman said the following about dePaola’s transition:
“The desire to write stories, as well as to illustrate them, was always part of dePaola’s career plans. His first attempt and second publishing effort–was a (short-lived original tale, The Wonderful Dragon of Timlin; Parker Pig, Esquire, and The Monsters’ Ball–which, he says ‘are best counted as learning experiences.’ Most of his energy during these early publishing years was concentrated on sharpening his illustrator techniques, but gradually tales of his own began taking shape in his mind.” Elleman, Tomie dePaola: His Stories & His Art, pg. 101.
The prolific picture book author and illustrator Tomie dePaola was born on September 15
In celebration of dePaola’s Birthday, I plan to launch a series of blog posts I’ll call “Tips from Tomi dePaola.”
Some will say this is sneaky. The tips are actually mine. The series should be “Tips from Jacki,” but these are actually more than my opinions. They are my opinions that have been authenticated by a master: Tomie dePaola. No, I never met Tomi dePaola, but I have discoverd that by looking at the evolution of his work and by reading the words of his outstanding biographer, I have garnered an understanding of who he was and how he thought.
Tip from Tomi dePaola: Allow Yourself to Try!
Tip from Tomi dePaola: Just Do It!
Tip from Tomi dePaola: Don’t Wait Until You Are Perfect at Your Craft to Begin!
Think about that for a minute: It is impossible to get good at ANYTHING until you have begun and have practiced along the way.
This reminds me of a story from my own youth:
When I was about 16 and a brand new driver, I was also a cheerleader, and for some reason, I left a home game late and the parking lot was empty. In spite of that fact, I backed into the ONLY tree in the parking lot.
When I got home, I suffered through the task of telling my parents what I had done, and my mother was furious: She snapped, “You’ll never drive again until you learn to drive.”
Without breaking my expression, I secretly chuckled inside:
Everyone knows that it is impossible to learn to drive without practicing. Your first attempts might be rough and shoddy. These are practice shots. You are practicing for the BIG GAME that will come along soon–as long as you keep trying.
Discover more from Jacki Kellum
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.