Sloth with a fanny pack

llama with a mop

I had a bit of a cold over the weekend and so was very productive. I think I was doing sick wrong…

I am very interested in toy design for some reason right now. I just really enjoy the design work. So I have two patterns in the works. Here’s a taste.

Sloth: Not only does he have a sweet fanny pack that he's going to keep his journal in, but check out the bald spot cover-up in the back.

Llama: Full of drama and not afraid to share it. I love how this one's hair turned out.

I have been keeping much better records of my freelance work. So let’s catch up! My job is in parentheses. I get no royalties on these, so don’t feel the need to rush out and buy. BUT! They are all good books that I would recommend.

• Cider Planet by Claude Jolicoeur (Chelsea Green, proofreader, Sept 2022)
  Like traveling and drinking all sorts of cider, but staying on your couch and sober.

• Now Let Me Fly by Ronald Wimberly and art by Brahm Revel (First Second, design, January 2023)

• In Limbo by Deb JJ Lee (First Second, design, July 2023)

• The (Big) Year that Flew By by Arjan Swarshuis (Chelsea Green, proofreader, March 2023)
  I really enjoyed this one. Another book where you get to travel the world from your couch. He was on a quest to see the most birds of anyone in a single year. So he was mad globe-hopping for 12 months.

• Great Regeneration by Dorn Cox, with Courtney White (Chelsea Green, proofreader, March 2023)

• Belle of the Ball by Mari Costa (First Second, design, March 2023)
  Just beautiful. And a sweet story. Funny enough, I just finished work on another of her books, and it’s even better!!

• What Remains? by Rupert Callender (Chelsea Green, project manager, March 2023)
  Funny enough, as project manager, I don’t really get to read the books unless I did it in my off time. So I haven’t read this per se, but it is so interesting. It’s about green burial in the UK. I’m not a fan of the US cover, linked prior, but the UK cover rocks.

• Love, Nature, Magic by Maria Rodale (Chelsea Green, project manager, April 2023)
  I started this but then there were big shifts in the company and I didn't get to finish it. Which is a bummer because I was kind of excited for it.

• Books of Clash, Volume 1 by Gene Yang with art by Les McClaine and Alison Acton (First Second, book design, May 2023)
  This one I actually am doing the book layout for the whole series. So you will actually see my name on the copyright page (which you won’t with most of my First Second work). They are silly and based on a phone game that I have never played. I got a bunch of swag when the first book came out, including some Garbage Pail Kids cards that I am saving if I ever get to see a couple of my friends again (the live very far away).

• Monstrous by Sarah Myer (First Second, design, June 2023)
  Another very good one. Sad though. I had to track down the title because when I got it, it was still called “untitled memoir.”

It’s happening. I am teaching some classes at the Jansen this winter!

Sharing Things with Zines: Saturday, February 1, 2025, 11 am – 3 pm
Over four hours we will make a bunch of different styles of zines. It should be very fun. I have been teaching a lot of the slit-8, one-paper style. So much that when I did Open Book a few weeks ago someone came up who had learned about it from my exhibit at Firehouse in Fairhaven a few weeks prior! Anyway, this is a great alternative to writing a standard letter and I chose a date prior to Valentine’s Day for a very good reason… (These would make really cool Valentine cards.)

Let’s Make Comics: 4 weeks on Tuesdays for 8-12 year olds, February 11 – March 4, 2025, 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm
I specifically looked at the Lynden, WA, grade-school hours and chose a time after school got out. I have some really fun stuff planned. At the Kiwanis STEAM event a few weeks ago, I handed out a zine with prompts to create a complete 3-act story in a one-paper zine.

Curious about Curios: 4 separate sessions on Bones (March 1), Feathers/Fur (March 8), Eyes (March 15), and Plants (March 19)
I am so dang excited for these classes. Each class, we will focus on how to make fake curio items in each category and we will talk about what a cabinet of curiosity is and how to ethically and legally make them using real items.

I got some zines to write up!!

I hope your day gets better from here!
-Angela

P.S. Wally greets you from our pond. That’s his best friend Nikki standing in front of him. This pic is from the summer. The pond is currently overflowing.