How to use this Page

11-year old artist, Gabby, decorated an awesome THANK YOU card that was sent to me and signed by every student in her class! I had visited Gabby’s school, The South School, in northern California while on book tour this fall and had a WONDERFUL time telling stories and talking WondLa with the students. I don’t have time in my hectic schedule to do school visits anymore, so I am happy to do my presentation for classes like Gabby’s while on tour.

THANK YOU for the card, South School, and the wonderful drawing, Gabby. Hopefully, I’ll see you next tour!

I’ve been wanting to do a series of retrospective posts about breaking into the children’s publishing industry since 2010 marks a decade of yours truly having my books published. I had grand plans of comparing and contrasting what the market was like in 2000 vs. 2010 and what I know now that I didn’t know then, etc, etc.

I never got around to it because I have been so darn busy with The Search for WondLa – getting the first book finished, doing pre-pub press, going on tour, and (now) preparing for the start of the second book. A dream-come-true life for me. To say that the last ten years have been an amazing journey would be a gross understatement. But I am usually off onto the next project, only occasionally looking back to see what I’ve created throughout my life. (I suppose this is why an “Art of Tony D” book doesn’t exist. I want to wait and release it later in my life.) All of this reflection was brought perfectly into focus at the Miami Book Fair that I signed at just a few weeks ago.

Right in front of my line was 4 year-old Marina who handed me her rendition of the Grimblegrinder from my debut picture book, Jimmy Zangwow’s Out-of-this-World Moon Pie Adventure. She then handed me a carton of Moon Pies with “Thank You Tony” scrawled on the lid. I realized that I the love and passion I put into creating my stories for kids comes through and I am validated each and every time I go out and do an event. I guess that’s the only anecdotal message I can relay, “If you love what you do, the world will respond in kind.” A bit cheesy, I know. But I believe it to be true.

Thanks for the kind gifts, Marina. Here are some old original sketches of the Grimblegrinder from 1997 that I dug up for you to see. This was when I was still trying to figure out what he looked like. Keep drawing. Keep dreaming.

Fourteen-year old Cy, from Washington state sent me these great renditions of Hogsqueal and ground goblins from The Spiderwick books. Check’em out.

I love how he’s slightly animated them with cartoony expressions. I think that really helps bring them to life. And I like his combination of pencil and inking. Way to go Cy!

Woo! My first WondLa fan art! It was given to me last month while on book tour in Kansas City. There, I did a special presentation about my process to a group of kids, parents and a great gaggle of art students and teachers.

I’ve been toying with the idea of touring the major art schools and talking about my process for creating children’s books, but wasn’t sure how interesting it would be to undergrads. If the enthusiasm of the Kansas City Art Institute was any indication, I need to think about this tour a little more seriously. Especially when one of the students gave me a drawing from WondLa!

Thanks for the sweet rendition of Eva, J Victoria. All my best to you and good luck with your career as an artist.

Emily, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin has been a fan of my books for some time and has sent me the awesome drawings to prove it. She did this sketch of Mr. Moon from Jimmy Zangwow that was done back in the fourth grade:

…and this sweet pen and color rendition of the phoenix from Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide.

…keep drawing Emily! You’ve got a great talent!

Finally! I know, I know…its been awhile…too long in fact. But with the breakneck speed with which I wrote and illustrated The Search for WondLa, and the hectic press surrounding the fall tour, I have had little time to organize and scan the AMAZING art sent to me over the past year. But wait no more dear readers, for I will be posting Friday Fan Art on a regular basis until the year’s end. I want to kick things off with some favorites from a package of art sent to me by 13-year old (and fellow Pioneer Valley resident) Gabe.

You can see that Gabe is inspired by the Spiderwick books, but has now created his own characters, like Nallorhack the ogre:

…or the fiery King Gomkarke…

…Bruno & Lubilon, hobgoblins…

…or even this Northern Ebony Drake.

Keep up the great work, Gabe. I LOVE your imagination (and inking skills). I can’t wait to see where you venture to with your fantastic work.

13 year-old Emily of Georgia sent me a link to her wonderful watercolor rendition of the Spiderwick Nixie. Check it out.

Well done Emily, the facial proportions are nice and you rendered it in watercolors – which can be tricky. I started playing around with them when I was your age and I still enjoy painting with them. Keep up the great work!

I am nearing the deadline for delivering the artwork for The Search for WondLa, and it has been intense here in DiTerlizziland. I cannot wait to share the new story with you and the news surrounding it. I AM SO EXCITED!

In the meantime, I got a message from a fellow fairy researcher from Europe this week, Álvaro:

“I’m sending you this *”captured will-o’-the-wisp”* from Spain. It’s made of fluorescent polymer clay, so it glows in the dark. I hope you’ll like it.”

Do I like it? Do I like it? You made a will-o-wisp that actually glows!? Holy crap!
I LOVE IT! You made my week, Álvaro. Keep on creating…though, if your studio starts getting swampy, or you suddenly can’t find your way back home, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Twelve year-old Emily has sent us some lovely examples of her drawings done in the same mediums which I use. We have a dwarf done in pencils…

…and an ink drawing of a nixie…

…not to mention a mermaid drawing which has been inked and painted in watercolors. WOW!

Nice work, Emily, especially on the sunken ship – why didn’t I think of that? Thanks for sending these along and participating on my blog. Have a great weekend and keep drawing!

This week I complete another I.O.U. for one of my art-buddies, Dan Yaccarino, who contributed on the upcoming Spiderwick Chronicles Completely Fantastical Edition.

As I mentioned before, there is an all-star artist’s gallery in this bound Spiderwick collection, and I’ve been fortunate to have received a few of the original pieces as gifts (um…awesome!). Never one to take anything for granted, I’ve been slooowly returning the favor.

So, here is my rendition of Dan’s beloved character, Oswald the Octopus. I hope you like him:

Ben, of Aurora, Colorado, sent us this wonderful little watercolor of a sea serpent this week. He also included some elf shot which he found in the field as well(!)

…looks like we may have another fairy naturalist in the making. Keep up the fantastic work, Ben!

I don’t recall if I’ve mentioned the fact that my mom was a doll-maker when I was a kid. She made all sorts of dolls and puppets out of all sorts of materials. Sometimes she made them for us DiTerlizzi kids, other times she gave them to friends, family and even sold some to local boutiques.

I loved watching her cut the peachy fabric and fill the bodies with wads of cloudy stuffing. It was magical to me. I’d go to bed and she’d be hunched over her Singer sewing machine on the kitchen table making tiny elven clothes. I’d wake early the next morning and see a little cowgirl, sailer boy, teddy bear, or gnome, patiently awaiting her finishing touch.

That grew into a lifelong love of puppets and dolls, not mass-produced plastic molded manikins, but well-crafted, expertly sculpted little beings. Fine art really – as there is certainly a fragment of the creator’s soul in each and every piece.

The field of one-of-a-kind dolls has really prospered in the shared universe of knowledge on the internet. Artisans can exchange ideas and methods, sell their work, and inspire one another. Such was the case with Michelle Bradshaw, a fantastically talented sculptor (and mom) working out of Atlanta. I was first shown her work by Brian Froud’s Goblins collaborator, Ari Berk, and was blown away by her amazing talent for crafting tiny creatures. Her pieces have that spark, that animus, that is so incredibly hard to capture in Sculpey, fur and feathers.

Needless to say I am thrilled and inspired by her interpretation of two of my favorite creatures in Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You - a little sprite named Toadshade, and the enigmatic phooka. I hope you enjoy them too.

Check out Michelle’s site, Pixiwillow.com, you won’t be disappointed.

Have a great weekend!

In honor of Michael Jackson’s funeral this week, I thought I’d post some sketches done by yours truly. The first is vintage 1983 done in #2 pencil on notebook paper:

The second sketch was done earlier this year as a potential gag for an upcoming Meno book. We’ll see if it makes it…

Rest in peace King of Pop. May you walk the moon forever more.

Here’s a newly discovered creature recorded from Tess, it’s called a “Sea Slither”. Nice design Tess, I especially admire details like the floating eggs!

Our talented friends Sascha and Mina sent some wonderful sprite and faerie drawings to share from Holland…nice work!

Here are two nice Kenny Rabbit drawings from Issac and Gracie, whom you may remember from the “Design Your Dragon” contest. Its great to see some more Kenny art, he can be a tricky one to draw…but these two both did a great job!

Nicolas has given us a wonderful glimpse into his own Arthur Spiderwick-inspired field guide to the faerie world. Its awesome for me to see fans collecting data on the elusive invisible world. I especially love the page on goblins where he’s included real goblin tooth items, including rose thorns! I wish I had thought of that, it makes perfect sense! Keep on drawing Nicolas!

We got a great pile of Friday Fan Art just waiting to be uploaded over the next few weeks, starting with these character images from The Spider and The Fly from Jessica.

She is in the eight grade and is already taking existing subject matter a juxtaposing it in a different art style – in this case manga/anime. That’s my kind of thinking Jessica!

Keep drawing everyone, and be sure to check out some of the cool pieces coming up in the coming weeks!

Tanya, and her friends at the Cold Lake Public Library in Alberta, Canada, filled my P.O. Box this week with a flock of fantastic drakes inspired by my dragon-pal, Grahame. Check them out:

Thanks! These are awesome! I love how imaginative these all are…reminds me of the “Design Your Dragon” contest…hmmm, perhaps its time for a new contest…

My personal, Tony D FFA-a-thon continues with a few caricatures I did over 20 years ago.

I LOVE good caricature, and I drew A LOT of them in high school and college. Anybody was fair game – teachers, friends, family…but mostly I focused my novice skills on musicians featured in our family’s LP collection. In fact, in the summer of 1984, I did a caricature a day until I had a three-ring binder full of them. I sent a few out to the subjects and got signed copies back! I thought this was THE COOLEST THING IN THE UNIVERSE!

So a year after I graduated high school, I did it again and got a few more sigs…as exhibited here.

Of course, these were heavily influenced by caricature rock stars like David Levine (with a hint of Ralph Steadman in Elton spec’s). Soon, I realized I was not cut out for this and was better suited at coming up with fanciful stories, creatures, and characters. After art school, I took Billy Joel’s advice (see below), but left the rock-n-roll caricatures behind and chalked it up as a chapter of my artistic development.

Fda Dosage Recommendation For Ambien
Generic Valium Names
Ambien Cr What Is It
Xanax And Toxic Dose
Cats And Valium
Leal Xanax
Buy Siesta Ambien Online
Tramadol Cod Delivery
Xanax Chemical Structure
Nextday Tramadol Cod
Drugs From Canada Xanax
Valium And Blood Glucose
Hydrochloride Tablet Tramadol
Flonase Nasonex Aldara Tramadol
Employer Drug Testing Xanax
Treating Feline Epilepsy With Valium
Ambien Sleeping Pill Effects
Xanax Or Zanax
Buy Valium Online Noprescription
Does Ambien Increase Testosterone
Medlineplus Drug Information Tramadol And
Effects Grapefruit Xanax
Ambien For Sleep
Interaction Of Tramadol With Phenobarbital
What Do Xanax Pills Look Like
Ambien Long Term Use Side Effects
Ambien Perscriptions On Line
Xanax Withrawal Sympthoms
Tramadol 180 Cod
Xanax Prescriptions
Can Tylenol Be Taken With Ambien
Online Pharmacy Ambien Sat Fed Ex
Dosage For Xanax Xr
Potentiate Tramadol
Generic Valium Manufacturers
Ambien Accept Mastercard
Took Xanax With Wellbutrin
Hcl Tramadol
Can Xanax Cause Memory Loss
Tramadol Apap 37.5mg
Tramadol Cheap Online
Valium 10mg Dosage
Valium Shipped In U S
15 Mg Valium
Can You Smoke Tramadol
Keyword Tramadol
Wellbutrin Talwin Ambien
Itching With Tramadol
Ambien Cr Forum
Xanax And Nausea
Omeprazole Tramadol
Xanax Xr 3mg Pictures
Effects Of Ambien On Fetus
Xanax Methadone
Valium On The Outside It Says
Ambien Groups
Purchase Xanax
Tramadol Best Buy
Tramadol Doses For Dogs
What Tramadol Hcl-aceta
Tramadol Pregnancy Class
Tramadol Use In Pregnancy
Ambien Overnight No Rx
Xanax Drug Interaction Antiboitics
Ambien Fraud
Ambien Don’t Remember
Search Results Alprazolam Buy Xanax
Tramadol Hearing
Ordering Tramadol
Liquid Valium Mixed Drink
Tramadol Fraud
Ambien Cr Ingredienta
What Is Tramadol Hcl Acetaminophen
Xanax Xr Picture
Ambien Pdr
Ambien Methadone
Vicodin Valium
Bigger Xanax 2
Xanax Helps My Off Balance Feeling
Weekend Orders For Tramadol Discount
Tramadol Or Hydrocodone
Order Klonipin And Xanax
Cheapest Xanax No Prespriction
Bipolar Manic Episodes Xanax
Tramadol Prescribing
35 Ad Psychoneurotic Single Valium
Cumulative Effects Of Ambien
100 Tramadol Free Shipping
Ambien Driving Sleep
Pharmacy Tramadol Hcl Dosing
Ambien Baikal Shop
Tramadol 120 Tablets
Xanax Opiates
Tramadol Ups Next Day Air
Generic Ambien Pictures
Ambien Order No Prescription
Rapid Detox Tramadol
Ambien Chinese Medicine Fibromyalgia
Old Valium Use By Dates
Generic Valium Pills
Tramadol Expiration
Tramadol Overdose Canine
100 Pill Tramadol
Doses For Xanax
Ambien And Mitral Valve
Xanax Half Life Cycle Urine
Buy Tramadol Online Cod Cash
Info On Medication Tramadol Hydrochloride
Medical Information On Tramadol Hc
Brand Name Tramadol
Ambien Dm
Muscle Spasms Caused By Valium
Web Tramadol
Xanax 25 Mg
Can I Take Ambien When Pregnant
Clorhidrato De Tramadol
Ambien Adverse Side Effects
Buying Tramadol With Paypal
Valium And Alcohol
Xanax And Pot
Tramadol Beware Shipping
Hydrocodone And Xanax
Ambien Adverse Effects
Tramadol Concentrate
Manufacturing Pharmaceutical Company For Xanax
Cheap Tramadol Overnight Saturday Delivery
Valium Bones
Ambien Doseage
Needed No Online Pharmacy Prescription Xanax
Xanax Ulcer
What Color Is A Xanax Pill
Mixing Benedryl And Xanax
Scheduled Drugs And Ambien
Xanax And Buspirone Hydrochloride
Tramadol Levels
Ambien Buy Cheap Domain Onlinebigsitecitycom
Tramadol Hydrochloride Info
Elden Pueblo Board Cheap Valium
Xanax With Marijuana
Xanax An Frontal Lobe Dementia
Tramadol For Vicodin Detox
Besked Hjemmeside Navn Tramadol
Tramadol Cheap Order By 3pm
Xanax On Line
Online Pharmacy Us Ambien
Valium Anti
Tramadol Hci Give For
Ambien Online
Dog Pain Tramadol
Xanax Next Day
Can You Snort All Xanax
Xanax For Sleeping
Compare Valium And Xanax
Ambien Overseas Pharmacy
Buying Ambien Overnight In United States
Quality Care Xanax
Ambien Vs Restoril
Canine Dog Alprazolam Xanax
Tramadol Airmail
No Prescription Tramadol
Xanax How Many Mg To Overdose
Ambien Sex Wife
Order Tramadol Online
Second Mortgage Loan Rate Tramadol
Xanax Guaranteed Overnight Delivery No Prescription
Ambien Television Commercial Ad Agency
Order Ambien Boards Shop Qoclick
Drug Category Xanax
Ambien Discount Online
Tramadol 180 Fre Overnight Shipping 99.00
Xanax Using Mastercard
Ambien Patent Expiration
Cheap Tramadol Prices Usa
Ambiens Online Pharmacy W Out Prescription
Tapering Off Xanax
Tramadol Pain Management Doctors Torrancecalifornia
Tramadol Weaning
Xanax Detectable Levels
Tramadol Withdrawal Symptoms
Expiration Of The Valium Patent
Order Xanax No Prescription Overnight
Tramadol Ibuprofen
Ambien Respiratory Suppression
120 Cheap Tramadol
Xanax Sizes And Pills
Tramadol Side Effects Drowsiness
Xanax 0.25
Ambien Experiences
Tramadol No Rx Visa Only
Ambien Cr Dosages And Side Effects
Ocd Xanax
Description Of Tramadol Hcl-acetaminophen Par
Drug Interactions Of Xanax And Trazadone
Has Anyone Overdosed On Xanax
Xanax Detox Diet Pill
Ultram Tramadol
Valium Prescribed For
Bar Xanax
Xanax Long Term Affects
Washout Rate For Valium
Xanax 2 Mg Via Overnight
Buy Xanax Prescription Online
Smpytoms Of Xanax Withdrawals
Optimize Tramadol Efficiacy
Tramadol Buy No Prescribtion
Xanax And Alcohol Overdose
Xanax Cheep
Tramadol Addiction Treatment
Melatonin Supplements Versus Ambien
Online Consultation For Valium
Overdosing From Ambien
Happy Feet 2006 Ts Xanax
Klonopin Valium
Drug Interactions Tramadol Elavil
Ambien Cr And Alcohol
Buy Xanax Online Cheap
Valium Or Xanax To Treat Dystonia
Xanax Reaction With Meth
Medicine And Xanax
Headaches And Migraine Tramadol
Buspar Amitriptyline With Xanax Combination
Generic Ambien Without Prescription
Seizures Tramadol
Ambien Vomitting Confusion
Buy Purchase Xanax Online Cheap Inexpensive
Buy Cheap Muscle Relaxers Sale Valium
Tramadol Sale
Valium Use In Cats
30mg Ambien
Xanax Myspace Layouts
L194 Valium
Ambien Mouth
Equity Line Of Credit Tramadol
About Tramadol
Tramadol Detox Effects
Tramadol Drug Utilization Review
Nonaddictive Xanax Outpatient Detox Medicine
Xanax Ekg Pvcs
Kill Yourself With Ambien
Tylenol And Xanax
Xanax 5 Picture
Took 50 Xanax
Tramadol Verses Hydrocodone
Boston Seap Debt Counseling Tramadol Drug
Ambien And Confusion
Xanax Guaranteed Overnight Delivery
On Line Prescription For Xanax
Order Valium With Online Consultation
Purchase Ambien Cr
Description Valium
Tramadol Pharmacology And Kinetics
Blackmarket Xanax
Side Affects Of Ambien
Ambien Dosage For Heavy Sedation
Injecting Or Inhailing Tramadol
Tramadol Blood Test Intefere
Tramadol Medicine
Buy Xanax Cod Money Orders Accepted
Valium Overdose Amount
Valium Lawsuit
Wein From Xanax To Klonipin
Darvocet Vs Tramadol
Card Master Overnight Xanax
Drug Class Of Valium
Ambien And Acid Reflux Symptoms
Overnight Tramadol No Rx
Tramadol Naproxin
Ramipril Tramadol
Valium Birth Defects
Xanax Online No Prescription Usa Pharmacy
Buy Xanax Online Without Persciption
Cheap Tramadol Cod Free Fedex
Totse Xanax
Ambien Cr Controlled Substance
Valium Purchase
Dangers Of Using Valium
Ambien Urinalysis Testing
Tramadol Is It Addictive
Valium Longterm Use
Buy Tramadol Online No Medical Records
Ambien Controversies
Ambien Cr Safe
Mixing Welbutrin And Xanax
Ambien Euphoria
Valium Free Pill Id
Adderall Skin Allegra Skin Xanax Skin
Xanax Flower Necklace
Order Valium Online
Ambien Drug Class
Chronic Pain Tramadol
What Xanax Does When Taken
Ambien Fast
Tramadol Hci Overdoses
Purhasing Ambien
Buy Card Master Xanax
Tramadol Hydrochloride
Valium 10 Rosario Castellanos
Xanax And Colitis
Addict Valium
Will Heat Damage Xanax

Hi-ho all my friends and fam!

I apologize for not being as active as I’d like to be, but I have been unbelievably swamped with multiple projects. A good problem to have, for sure, and I am hoping I can go into detail about them next week…I am just waiting to hear back from my editor on what I can share and what will have to remain top-secret.

We’ve been in Florida for the winter. This allows Ang and Soph to go off and play for the day while I work. Its been quite an interesting experience for me – as I am surrounded by the world I grew up in, allowing me to tap into the boy-version of myself while I create.

Part of getting set up down here was emptying out an old storage unit which contained personal effects, some old LP records, some puppets I had made, A LOT of Star Wars toys (which I donated to charity this Christmas, sorry Joey B!) and A LOT of my old art - from grade school to college…whoa!

Since we are here for the remainder of February (and not able to get my mail in MA), I’ll post fan art that I have done over the years, starting with these proposed submission which I was thinking of sending to DC comics back in 1993.

I had just finished taking classes with the late Will Eisner and was serious about submitting to my favorite comic titles. But, I never felt I was up to snuff, so these images were tucked away in storage…until now.

Obviously, I was influenced by Tim Burton’s vision of Gotham. However, the Penguin’s outfit bears quite a resemblance to Mr. Spider from The Spider & The Fly.

So I guess this stuff never really goes to waste…in fact, the toying with these mediums (I think I was airbrushing FW inks) helped develop my style for the Planescape books which I started the same year…

My facebook inbox received a great note from some fans in Italy and pic of this awesome li’l ceramic sculpt of the Spiderwick “Knocker”, check it out:

The sculpt was done by a fella named Federico. His friend, Elisabetta, did the paint job on it. Elisabetta mentioned being a fan of mine since seeing “Catlord” in the Planescape books way-back-when. That’s awesome!

Thanks Federico and Elisabetta, you made my weekend!

I don’t want to come across braggy when I say we’ve seen our share of cool DiTerlizzi-art-inspired tattoos…especially when we were attending Gencon on a regular basis. My sis, Jen, in fact has her share of tats that she’s collected over the years including a mermaid by her older bro.

Recently, Jen handed me an issue of “Tattoo” magazine (the Feb. ‘08 issue to be exact) where there was an interview with a fellow named Brian. Brian clearly has a passion for art, as he is adorned with images drawn from Seuss, Dali, and yours truly. Feast your eyes on this out-of-this-world ink work:

Thanks for being such a tremendous fan Brian! I am flattered to be in such good company in your collection.

PS - Got any DiTerlizzi-inspired tats? Let me know and we’ll post them here on the blog…

I hope everyone has been enjoying the first week of December. It’s been a while since I’ve posted any good ol’ paper drawings for FFA, so I thought I’d share this great Spiderwick Field Piskie by Ella:

Thanks for sending this along Ella, and keep on drawin’ everyone!

We just received this awesome pic from Maya, of her amazing Halloween costume as Mallory from the cover of the fourth Spiderwick book!

Maya draws magical creatures all the time and also wants to be a professional artist when she gets older.

Kudos to Maya and here mom, Leslie, for making one of the best reproductions of Spiderwicky dwarven-made finery I have ever seen!