December 18, 2017
If you’ve been following me on social media for the past year, you know that in November I celebrated the opening of a retrospective exhibition at The Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
To say that the experience was surreal would be an understatement. Having grown up copying Rockwell’s iconic images, it is an amazing experience just to stand in the presence of his original oil paintings, let alone hang alongside them. Several of his most beloved images (like “Triple Self-Portrait” and “No Swimming”) are interspersed with my drawings of dragons, fairies and other monsters.
Speaking of monsters, this exhibition marks the first time Dungeons & Dragons art has hung in a museum. This is a milestone I am proud to reach (but frankly, I would LOVE to see a show dedicated to the history of the game) and was doubly proud to share the opening events with folks that I worked with from that early part of my career.
Fellow artists, writers, editors, game designers, teachers, family and friends also joined in the opening festivities. Most importantly, the event was open to the public allowing fans to attend. This meant so much to have all my favorite people in one place to celebrate this accomplishment. Your support through kind thoughts and cheerful letters have encouraged me for the past 25 years and will fuel me to continue for another 25.
Of course, the exhibition showcases art from my many children’s books, including The Spider & The Fly, Kenny and The Dragon, the WondLa trilogy and The Spiderwick Chronicles. There are interactive features which allow you to dive deeper into my influences as well as see how I created the artwork for the WondLa books.
On top of that, I created an installation piece in the form of a 8 x 10′ mobile swarming with hundreds of fairies. I painted new depictions of sprites from Spiderwick, D&D and even Tinsel–the Christmas fairy from my upcoming picture book, The Broken Ornament. Each fairy was printed on a thin sheet of clear plastic then hung from twisted willow branches.
This installation was an aspect of the show I was especially excited about. I wanted to create something unique for the museum. I also painted a new piece for the exhibition poster and helped design the 100-page catalog.
If you could not make the opening, fear not, for I will be attending monthly events at the museum throughout the duration of the show. I’ve added details to a few upcoming events with additional dates to follow. I hope to see you there.
Have a wonderful holiday season. Here’s to a happy 2018!
July 11, 2017
Who else is attending SDCC? Here’s my schedule of events. I’m really excited to discuss heroes with comics legend Frank Miller, give away free exhibition posters (yes, the one I am currently painting), tour the Laika Studios exhibition and hang out with a couple of my favorite booksellers. I hope to see you there!
July 4, 2017
Its hard to believe its been over 20 years since this site launched. Over the last two decades it has been amazing to watch the growth of the internet and how it has shaped our world.
My early online presence is due to Jim Gaynor, who was a computer specialist at Ohio State University back in 1995. Jim was also a fan of my illustrations for the role-playing game, Changeling, so he created a fan page dedicated to the game’s fairy-inspired art. We soon became fast friends. By 1996, Jim switched his focus to my newly purchased website, which he updated frequently over a dial-up connection.
Jim volunteered his time or traded it for original artwork. As my career in gaming expanded and my dreams of creating children’s books started to become a reality, it was obvious I was going to need a dedicated web designer. Frank Rust took over Jim’s responsibilities and streamlined the site by introducing the Adobe Flash plugin, which allowed for simple rollover animation–like an automatic slideshow of new releases on the home page. That was handy because, in a just a few years, my children’s books were soon being released at breakneck speed. Quite often I’d announce multiple projects at once.
Frank also created a dedicated Jimmy Zangwow site and “Ted’s Playground”. Both highlighted my first two picture books and offered free downloadable activities, like coloring pages. Nowadays, it seems pretty commonplace for these sorts of features on a website, but in the early 2000s it was cutting edge.
As the site neared its 10th birthday and The Spiderwick Chronicles grew in popularity, I commissioned a complete website redesign. I worked with the wildly inventive Anthony Salimbene, who gathered my various book characters into an online “Imaginopolis”. It also featured a slew of silly introductory videos, usually of me, acting like an idiot.
I began blogging in 2007 and merged my blog into yet a another redesign of the site in 2011. For the first time since the site’s creation I was able to write articles about any and every thing without having to send material through my web designer.
Hoping to inspire a new generation of storytellers I shared my artistic process along with books and toys that had influenced me.
As the popularity of blogs waned in the surge of social media, I decided to rethink the site once again. I’d been working as a professional illustrator for nearly 25 years and longed to create a site that celebrated and acknowledged all of my fans, both past and present.
Website wizard, Deena Warner, has done just that. She’s crafted this new website that allows you to view my artwork, larger than ever, on your desktop or mobile device. We’ve collected all the free fun stuff and downloadable activities that I have offered over the years and put them in one place so you can easily browse, grab and go. There are even links to purchase my books, game supplements, apparel and other licensed goodies. So revisit some old friends, check out my latest projects and–most of all–have fun!
Thank you for visiting DiTerlizzi.com for over 20 years. Here’s to another 20!
January 13, 2017
I know the site looks like a ghost town. I haven’t updated it in almost a year. Fear not, I am in the process of a new design for the site which I am planning on relaunching very soon. In the meantime, I do have some newsy bits I’d love to share:
2016 marked the 150th birthday of beloved children’s book author & illustrator, Beatrix Potter. To celebrate, a gaggle of illustrators have re-imagined their favorite woodland characters. I was honored to be among those contributing and rendered the amphibious angler, Jeremy Fisher, purchasing a new bobber for his next outing. A Celebration of Beatrix Potter is now available in bookstores everywhere.
Also available in bookstores is The Complete WondLa Trilogy, now in paperback. I love hearing that readers, young and old, are enjoying the adventures of the intrepid Eva Nine. For my fans in Brazil, the Portuguese edition of the third book A Batalha por WondLa finally hits shelves this month.
As for any updates on the WondLa film all I can say at this time is that we have a script and an amazing director who has been meeting with movie studios. The producers have created some tantalizing pre-production art showing how my linear illustrations would look when rendered in a live-action film with CGI effects. Hopefully we’ll have more news to share on this very soon.
For the book collectors reading this, you may be interested in the limited edition sketchbook I published for last fall’s Lucca Comics & Games convention. To my delight, the interest for this title was such that I expanded the initial print run and offered it to my favorite specialty bookshops Stuart Ng Books and Bud Plant’s Art Books, both of which ship internationally.
If you could not attend Lucca, or last year’s Gen Con gaming convention, Noble Knight Games offers most of my limited editions that I have created. And, yes, Noble Knight ships internationally as well.
Ever wondered what my work space looks like? The January issue of ImagineFX magazine has a feature on my studio and all the clutter I’ve hoarded in it over the years.
Speaking of magazines, there is a new title that we love in the DiTerlizzi household called Illustoria, aimed at creative kids and parents. And hey, the second issue has an interview with yours truly. I miss that ringer tee that I’m wearing in my old school photo, but at least now I can sport an official The Spider & The Fly tee from Out of Print:
Phew! I hope that is enough fun stuff to enjoy over the winter. If you are inclined to venture out, I will be doing a couple of events in New England including a presentation and signing with Diary of a Wimpy Kid author, Jeff Kinney.
Happy New Year! I promise I’ll be posting more soon.
May 9, 2016
Fast Company magazine recorded a conversation with Game of Thrones creator, George R.R. Martin, and myself on fantastical world building, creative process and finding inspiration.
Thanks to Chuck Salter, George (and Raya), Jim Ludwig and the staff at the Jean Cocteau Cinema for capturing this moment. The event at the Cocteau was a fun and memorable event. Many thanks to all the readers, young and old, who attended. I hope to visit again soon!
January 27, 2016
I’m super excited to announce my first event for the new year!
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December 9, 2015
Dark Sword Miniatures has released all the figurines in the “DiTerlizzi Masterworks” line just in time for the holidays!
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October 15, 2015
The leaves are changing color. There’s a chill in the air. We’ve placed a cluster of pumpkins on our doorstep, stretched a giant spiderweb across the porch railing and hung rubber bats and spiders from our porch roof. Now its time to decorate for Halloween inside.
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August 6, 2015
This time last week the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis was jammed full of 60,000+ gamers and I was happy to be among them.
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July 24, 2015
The Gen Con game fair begins next week and I am as excited as a halfling in a dragon’s hoard.
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June 10, 2015
To say that this year has been this nerd’s dream-come-true would be an understatement. If a collection of my Dungeons & Dragons artwork wasn’t enough, I am totally geeking out right now as I announce a line of gaming miniatures–based on my designs–which will be available this fall.
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April 14, 2015
This weekend I hop aboard a Rebel Cruiser and zoom off to Anaheim, California for the STAR WARS: Celebration.
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February 13, 2015
Its been over a decade since I attended the biggest gaming convention in the country, but this summer I am thrilled to be returning to one of my most favorite cons of all.
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October 3, 2014
USA TODAY: October 2nd, 2014: ‘Star Wars’ trilogy is retold in new kids’ book
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September 30, 2014
Next week is the release of STAR WARS: The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight. To celebrate, I’ll be doing events in my hometown, New York City, Boston, Austin and Miami.
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August 14, 2014
For my longtime fans of the work I did for AD&D, Planescape, Changeling and even Magic the Gathering, this press release is for you:
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July 30, 2014
I’ve attended San Diego’s Comic Con International off-and-on since the 1990’s and I’ve watched it grow to become the daddy of all geek conventions. Despite the long airplane flight, long lines and 200k+ crowd, it is a fun four-day ride.
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July 15, 2014
For those attending next week’s Comic Con International in lovely San Diego, California, here is my schedule of events:
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June 18, 2014
I am happy to announce that Ang and I will both be presenting and signing at this year’s Decatur Book Festival, near Atlanta, Georgia. (more…)
June 2, 2014
Lucasfilm has released a trailer for my upcoming picture book adaptation of the original trilogy, title The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight. Take a look:
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May 17, 2014
Patrick Day of the Los Angeles Times interviewed me while on the road promoting The Battle for WondLa last week.
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April 26, 2014
Last November the non-profit organization, Reading is Fundamental (RIF), asked if I would donate an original piece of artwork to be auctioned off at their spring “Cat in The Hat” gala held in Washington DC. (more…)
April 18, 2014
Disney & Lucasfilm have released some exciting news that I have been dying to share…
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April 2, 2014
Angela and I will be presenting and signing at the LA Times Festival of Books on Saturday, April 12th, at the University of Southern California.
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March 10, 2014
I’ve finally received my May tour dates to support the fantastic finale to the WondLa trilogy. (more…)
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