One kid goes off to college this week; the other two start up at school as well. Isn’t it timely that my other big summer project is complete?
Matt Levin, creator/publisher of Walking Man Comics – the only predominantly rubber-stamp sequential artist I know – has had me helping him through the process of building a songbook for teachers and children in Montessori schools around the world. After we figured out what he wanted against what the market allowed, we went through the lengthy design/revision process with Amazon to get the 118-page book published over the course of the spring and summer.
The Red Rods Report: Songs from Montessori Classrooms launched on Sunday, August 16…and you can get it right here. (Walking Man Comics completists take note!)
Matt’s original style flows throughout. Pages are adorned with gorgeous color rubber stamp impressions alongside children’s songs about science, numbers, creativity, and positive behavior. I hope he won’t mind me posting a few sample pages to give you an idea of what it looks like…
Just gorgeous, and totally Matt.
It’s a project that I never thought I would work on, but that’s par for the course at Phoenix Productions. (The Red Rods Report is a Matt Levin project, not a Phoenix Productions project — just to be clear. I was only technical help.) It was a fun change of pace, and there’s a wonderful feeling that comes from helping a friend add some goodness to our world.
In case you didn’t know (or forgot), this is not the first project where Matt and I worked together. Matt was the focal point of Strange Times 3: Worlds of Walking Man. This full-book spotlight, all 59 pages of it, represents the first time Matt’s rubber stamp art was printed in color for mass consumption. It is also a bit of a “greatest hits” piece, highlighting the many facets of his nimble mind and endless stamp collection. The book represents my first steps toward the concept that became Phoenix Masters, so it’s very special to me. Plus, I think the world of Matt and his unique talents.
Congratulations, Matt, on the achievement of publishing The Red Rods Report! I hope it finds its way into classrooms all over the world.
And what’s next? Who knows…?
Phoenix Productions 