Alex Latimer's Blog, page 4

Toward the end of last year I decided that I'd practice using paint and ink - instead of Photoshop and Illustrator. So for a bit of structure, I took my old 'Predatory Alphabet' and painted each letter when i had a moment. Some letters work better than others, but I certainly learned a lot about the process - what to do and what not to do, what looks pleasant and what looks like I squashed a caterpillar on my page using the underside of a leaky bottle of brown sauce etc.

It's taken me years - but I've finally started working with ink and paint. There's a lot more where this angry, recently awakened tiger came from.

This is a short collection of South African stories that I illustrated for King Pie and Penguin SA. Some South African families don't even own one book - and this little collection aims to be the first book for many households. It'll be available for as little as six rand, I'm told. And will be free with an upcoming King Pie combo meal. That means that if you can afford a pie, you can afford a book too. A really great initiative that I'm proud to have been involved with.

Great news! The Boy Who Cried Ninja has been long listed for the UKLA Children's Book Award for 2012. There's some stiff competition on the list, for sure - but it's a great honor to be in the mix. You can view the list here.

My second picture book - Penguin's Hidden Talent - is due for publication on the 5th of April 2012. My calendar says that that's not too far away from now - where has this year gone? It's a fun story about finding what you're good at - and celebrating it, even if it's not the most spectacular talent in the world. Here's a link to the amazon page where clairvoyants can pre-order it. Like the Ninja, it's published by Random House UK and Peachtree Publishers in the US.

My second picture book - Penguin's Hidden Talent - is due for publication on the 5th of April 2012. My calendar says that that's not too far away from now - where has this year gone? It's a fun story about finding what you're good at - and celebrating it, even if it's not the most spectacular talent in the world. Here's a link to the amazon page where clairvoyants can pre-order it. Like the Ninja, it's published by Random House UK and Peachtree Publishers in the US.

Last night the Book Lounge hosted a reading of my Ninja book. It was great - party snacks, people in their pajamas, lullabies by Simon Tamlyn and a really good crowd. Thanks to the Book Lounge folk for putting on such an awesome event, and to everyone who came along.

It's true. You might have heard it on the radio. Ninjas broke into Random House using only a pair of forks to pry the doors open. Read the full story here.