How do the trees get their leaves back?

How do the trees get their leaves back? // Come tornano le foglie sugli alberi? is a short illustrated tale for preschool children. Available in English and Italian on Amazon (for Kindle readers) and Lulu (for general pdf download). Get your copy now!

Amazon in English: http://amzn.eu/56eNw3A

Amazon in Italian: http://amzn.eu/hNzVN9f

Lulu in English: http://www.lulu.com/shop/cecilia-latella/how-do-the-trees-get-their-leaves-back/ebook/product-23633019.html

Lulu in Italian: http://www.lulu.com/shop/cecilia-latella/come-tornano-le-foglie-sugli-alberi/ebook/product-23553626.html

News and praise about Golden Age

Golden Age (written by Giulie Speziani & Rob Harrington and illustrated by me) is now available on Comixology:

 

 An interview with Giulie Speziani on Comics Alliance (features pages from our comics together)

An interview with Giulie on Girls Read Comics too

Praise on Part-time Fanboy:

While the story is very endearing what makes Golden Age work most is its beautiful art. Cecilia Latella brings a warmth to every page with her hand painted artwork. Every page is breathtaking and while this is actually a comic book, Latella’s style is on par with some of the best children’s books artists out there. When I first picked up the comic I was actually shocked as to how good the art was. Latella’s talent was of the sort that I couldn’t turn away from…she’s that amazing.

Praise on Major Spoilers:

The art of Golden Age is as beautiful as one would expect. Cecilia Latella has utterly simple lines filled in with water colour paints. This hand painted aesthetic highlights the whimsy of Rosa’s dream-life as the Wrangler as well as the inherent appeal in her bright, spritely self as a character. The environment, like Rosa herself, is painted in fresh colours that speak to all the potential resting on the horizon of Italy as a growing country and Rosa as a growing girl.
Cecilia Latella tackles every art duty on Golden Age with aplomb, while at the same thing not giving off the impression of showing off. She brings magic to the page complementing the wonderful story. Even those readers who focus solely on the artistic aspect of comic book production will find Golden Age a visual treasure trove.

 Praise on What'cha Reading? Golden Age is a Timeless Childhood Classic 

The artwork in this book is as sweet as the story it accompanies. Cecilia Latella has a knack for drawing children, and the vivid colors are bright like the memories of childhood. I also loved the shift in style for the comic that inspires Rosa to superherodom—it looks for all the world like a Golden Age comic about Hitler. 

Golden Age available!

'Morning! Happy New Year! I have neglected this blog for too long; an update was overdue. So, why don't I start by saying that GOLDEN AGE is now available on the Ginger Rabbit store?

After World War II, a young girl finds a stack of Golden Age comics and gets inspired to become the hero of her small Italian village.

Writers: Robert Harrington & Giulie Speziani
Artist: Cecilia Latella

available here 

Here on Poopsheet you can find a lovely review about GOLDEN AGE. I'll just quote a passage:

Latella’s art is simply gorgeous here, with full color vibrant watercolors (or ink washes?) that really pop, without coming off as garish. The production quality on this book is exquisite, with a heavy cardstock cover and some great design work. There’s no reason that mainstream punters couldn’t be converted to indie comics with a package this strong, I could even see it functioning as a teaser for a more extended length original graphic novel. Grade A+.

Latella’s art is simply gorgeous here, with full color vibrant watercolors (or ink washes?) that really pop, without coming off as garish. The production quality on this book is exquisite, with a heavy cardstock cover and some great design work. There’s no reason that mainstream punters couldn’t be converted to indie comics with a package this strong, I could even see it functioning as a teaser for a more extended length original graphic novel. Grade A+. - See more at: http://www.poopsheetfoundation.com/blog/2013/12/06/golden-age-by-rob-harrington-giulie-speziani-cecilia-latella/#sthash.UbIpLWJk.dpuf

The Golden Age

The cover of a short comic set in post-war Italy, written by Giulie Speziani and watercoloured by me. This is the second collaboration between Giulie and me after our 2011 short comic, By the Slice http://graphicly.com/ginger-rabbit-studio/by-the-slice

You can find it today at the Ginger Rabbit Studio booth at the Granite State Comicon. Go grab a copy!

www.granitecon.com/
gingerrabbitstudio.blogspot.it

Waiting for pages 5 and 6...

Sketch n. 5, for Paolo and Italo. Thank you so much, guys!

Paolo and Italo have supported In Absentia on Indiegogo.

Commission: Austen blog

A new header for the blog My Jane Austen Book Club. Thanks Maria Grazia!

Watercolours on Clairefontaine Etival, plus a few textures and brushes. Full credits are on deviantArt (click on the image.)

Colouring Dr. Muscles #4

A couple of days ago, I finished colouring Dr. Muscles #4 (drawn by António Brandão and written, as usual, by Austin Tinius.) To colour it, I adopted a method used and described by Alison Bechdel to colour Fun Home.

I printed the inked pages in double copy on a normal sheet and used one copy as background layer. On it I stuck a Fabriano 4 rough sheet, and coloured with watercolours on it with a light box. In previous situations, if I coloured directly on inks printed on a rought sheet, I had found out that watercolours often were repelled by the printed inks (as if there was a slight film on the ink that prevented them to be touched directly by colour.) So I decided to colour without any kind of immediate ink, keeping them as a background lightened by the light box.

This process lasted some two hours. When the watercolours were dry, I scanned the page and edited it with Photoshop. This time I added the inks on the colours as a layer set in Multiply. I adjusted contrast and layers settings, adjusted the colours, and everything else that was needed before reaching a result I was pleased with.

The Photoshop process lasted another two hours, more or less, including cleaning the spaces between the borders and so on. 

Dr. Muscles should go in print next week. Stay tuned!

The Legend of Bael the Bard

Above, a fanart I managed to squeeze into yesterday's routine - Brandon Stark finds that Bael the Bard has stolen his daughter, for the Legends of ASOIAF monthly theme on valyrian-forged.

Apart from that, daily routine means that I'm colouring the 4th issue of Dr. Muscles, which should be ready by the beginning of September. Haven't had much time to work on other projects, unfortunately - but In Absentia and other pages are still on my check list.

Tullia

A little exercise in lighting.

Swimming pool

Swimming pool by *cabepfir on deviantART

After colouring the pages of my comic, I felt the need to do a looser, messier watercolour, and here it is. A scene which I witnessed last week, at the swimming pool. Watercolours on a Hahnemühle Bamboo.

Dr. Muscles preview

Page 4 of the comic I'm working on, Dr. Muscles #5 by Austin Tinius/Bogus Publishing. I should finish this issue in a couple of weeks, hopefully.

Merry Christmas!

Guinevere

Yesterday was a bad day... Once again, men scorn my feelings.
Guinevere knows.

Flawed

Flawed by *cabepfir on deviantART

For the "Flawed" contest on tumblr.

Eddard Stark refuses Renly Baratheon’s help: “And what should I do with a hundred swords, my lord?” (AGoT 508)

This was the first scene in which I realised, truly realised, that Ned was going to crumble under his inability to play the game of thrones. He senses it himself: “He found himself wondering if he had done the right thing by refusing Lord Renly’s offer.”

Ned was wearing a "white linen tunic and grey cloak", while Renly was "still in his hunting greens, his cloak spattered with blood".

ASOIAF (c) George RR Martin

I Grow Things

I Grow Things by *cabepfir on deviantART

a little thing for a contest on deviantArt.

another ASOIAF fanart

Only Water by *cabepfir on deviantART

Things are very slow at the moment. Bit sad.

Mum has a new boyfriend

I am so awfully late in checking other people's blogs. Sorry. Working on super seekret pages at the moment.

Recency (a kind of)

Skirts and dignity

I'm waiting a few replies. In the meantime, a new fanart for A Song of Ice and Fire:
Skirts and Dignity by *cabepfir on deviantART Cersei gathered up her skirts and dignity. "This must be very frightening for you. I shall forgive those words." (AFfC, p. 810, Harper ed.)