Charmed

5 things from the studio this week

It’s been a very good week in the studio. I worked on a magazine cover that exceeded my expectations and was so much fun. Some book ideas were advanced, one of which forced me awake at 4am. I started thumbnail-ing the 5th book in the Big, Big series. I wrestled with a snake (see below).

Can’t wait to see what next week holds, but first… rest.

Here’s 5 things from the week that was:

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1. SOME ART MAKING

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Folktale Week continues! Ok, I ran out of time and wanted to do the remaining 3 images justice. This one was a bear (er, snake!) to work on. I liked the weirdness of the blocks of shapes that break up the image, but getting it all to work together was a major challenge. I’m proud of where it ended up. 2 more to go.

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2. WORK WISDOM

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If it becomes too clear to the writer what that alleged “certain question’“ is, she might freeze up, in an attempt to “honor” that question and in that process, stop listening to the story and start overriding it.

— George Saunders

I’ve said that when you happen upon a clever idea for a story or a concept is worth exploring, you don’t need to seek out the heart, overarching meaning, or (sigh) moral. It will find you.

This quote (the whole thing is worth reading) speaks to what I think happens when it finds us too quickly. I’ve noticed my boringly didactic Dad-voice loves to take over a good idea and turn it lame. As we know, kids have a “C’mon, you’re trying to teach me something” sniffer that has been known to make them get up mid-book and reach for a new one.¹

I’m working hard to not have a great kidlit book idea not get derailed in this way. I’m fighting it off. Shoo, adult lessons — I’m trying to write something that kids will find interesting. (That stuff will still find its way in there, but too soon and the whole thing turns to feces.)

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3. THINGS I LOVED

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One, I love just about everything Christian Robinson makes. Two, this echos the “constraints are helpful when making things” that has been bouncing around the studio, lately. This is more succinct, but gets at it.

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4. A BOOK TO READ (AND HORN TO TOOT)

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Ok, ok. I typically send you to books that have other people’s names on them — BUT I received an advance copy of the forthcoming Whirby (written by Molly Harris, illustrated by me, and published by HarperCollins February 17th, 2026). I’m smitten with this book and there is absolutely nothing like holding a labor of love in your hands on some random December morning. New book smell? The best.

I’ll have more to say about the making of Whirby in the coming months and plan on going on at least one deep dive on the color and pattern experimentation that made this project special for me. Molly alerted me to these kind words from Publisher’s Weekly:

Souva (The Boy with Big, Big Feelings) populates the pages with expressive, mid-century-modern-style robots in digital illustrations that evoke collages of textured, translucent papers and patterns, creating a handcrafted aesthetic that makes for a witty counterpoint to the mechanically oriented characters and narrative.

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5. EPHEMERA, ETC.

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I’ve been thinking about two tent-poles of my thinking about creativity (and writing here) and how they are seemingly in conflict. On one hand, I’m on about creative habits that are intentional. Showing up, day after day, doing the things that build up and into great work. On the other hand, I’ve talked a lot about play and experimentation as key components to my own growth. So what gives, Mr. Fancy Head in the Clouds Illustrator Guy?²

I don’t think they are really in conflict. If I’m doing it right, the habits are forcing me to take steps that are not always fun, while the play and experimentation is where the joy is. They can be gamified to be “if I do X, I get to play” or combined into a singular purpose with self-assigned projects.³

See you next week!

Best,
Jacob

1. I can think of no more honest rejection of boring art than this and I love it.

2. A title that I imagine my friends give to me when I drone on too long about this stuff. I’m, if nothing else, consistent.

3. I’ve been sharing my process for one such project, for my paid subscribers via deep dive. Here’s the first 4 parts with one more obvious step to go.