tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535422733360864782024-03-05T17:01:21.298-06:00The Making of The Book of BartholomewThe official blog for The Book of Bartholomew, a series of tales following twenty-somethings friends figuring out home, jobs, friendship and food.Mark Granlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08039933816772360965noreply@blogger.comBlogger142125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-553542273336086478.post-33450091627600313202014-03-08T23:12:00.002-06:002019-07-02T13:18:57.942-05:00#44 - Bartholomew Before the Council, part 1 - The IllustrationsWhy do I do this? I thought about how to illustrate this story of a city council meeting. Of course, I thought about illustrating an entire council chamber with all kinds of people and murals on the walls. No, I can't just illustrate Bartholomew, or a few people, I have to illustrate an entire chamber full of people. Could I take the easy way out sometime? Can I justMark Granlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08039933816772360965noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-553542273336086478.post-87484220157554069452014-03-08T23:12:00.001-06:002014-03-08T23:12:05.138-06:00#44 - Bartholomew Before the Council, part 1 - The StoryBartholomew decides to ask the city council to keep his garden, even though he hadn't asked permission to have it on city property. It is the events of this council session that is covered in Bartholomew Before the Council, parts 1 & 2. I greatly enjoyed writing this story because I have been to many city council meetings for my day job. I have had to write Mark Granlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08039933816772360965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-553542273336086478.post-43217190736049074852014-03-08T23:11:00.003-06:002019-07-02T13:23:15.463-05:00#43 - One Evening with Mayor Dick and Senator Jane - The Illustrations
One Evening with Mayor Dick and Senator Jane brings back the wonderful illustrator and artist Martha Iserman.
Martha has previously illustrated Uncle Jeffrey the Violinist and Aunt Josephine and Her Long Ride.
I first met Martha as a student of mine when I was teaching a botanical illustration class at the Marjorie McNeeley Conservatory, Saint Paul, MN. Martha has since completed a Mark Granlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08039933816772360965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-553542273336086478.post-89294983811441067002014-03-08T23:11:00.001-06:002019-07-09T16:51:55.227-05:00#43 - One Evening with Mayor Dick and Senator Jane - The StoryI am happy to finally introduce this audience to Mayor Dick and Senator Jane, a couple that have been rolling around in my mind since the beginning of Bartholomew. Of course, Mayor Dick has been mentioned by Claire, who hates him. Mayor Dick and Claire squared off in Earth Day. But, here we meet Senator Jane for the first time and get to see the two interact. It is very Mark Granlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08039933816772360965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-553542273336086478.post-43821351745956884242014-03-08T23:10:00.003-06:002019-07-09T16:54:59.807-05:00#42 - Food SLAM! - The Illustrations
Sheeeee's Baaaaaack! Yes, the wonderful, the indomitable Meghan Hogan. Above is her beautiful illustration of the spoken word event in Food SLAM. Meghan also illustrated Claire's first spoken word event in Claire Speaks Out. I like having Meghan revisit the same character in two separate stories. I have also done this with Matt Wells and the character of Ned and with Mark Granlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08039933816772360965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-553542273336086478.post-81478972157678048372014-03-08T23:10:00.001-06:002019-07-09T16:55:33.249-05:00#42 - Food SLAM - the StoryTime for a little Food SLAM!
As The Book of Bartholomew begins to come to a close, I have felt the stories begin to write themselves. Food SLAM had very specific plot points it had to cover, which made the action and progress of the piece inevitable for me. This left me free to play with the characters and dialogue. I find this approach to be natural in the art that I make. I Mark Granlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08039933816772360965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-553542273336086478.post-10869548749982310242014-03-08T23:09:00.004-06:002019-07-09T16:56:20.941-05:00#41 - Food Fight - The StoryFood Fight is a story somewhat like At the Library. There is not a lot of action in this story, but it helps to string together different story lines and sets things up for the stories to come. Although there isn't much action, there is still much I like about this story. Claire really starts to change as a character. Her spoken word classes have helped her to be more Mark Granlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08039933816772360965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-553542273336086478.post-51806871800892544142014-03-08T23:09:00.002-06:002019-07-09T16:57:48.157-05:00#40 - Ned the Accountant - IllustrationsThe illustrations for Ned the Accountant were created by Matt Wells. Matt is kinda my "Ned guy." He illustrated the first Ned story, Ned the Giant. He also illustrated Ned in Earth Day. I previously have mentioned that I did not originally want to have each character of the stories illustrated. I wanted each reader to have their own image in their head as to what each Mark Granlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08039933816772360965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-553542273336086478.post-26411044755251164882014-03-08T23:09:00.001-06:002019-07-09T16:58:39.875-05:00#40 - Ned the Accountant - the StoryYes, back to Ned! I loved writing the story Ned the Giant, oh so long ago. Ned the Accountant is a story where Ned is still not wanting to grow up. He hates his job, he can barely get out of bed and get himself to work. If only someone else would take all this away and offer him a good job that matches his existing skills. That would make the world wonderful! Mark Granlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08039933816772360965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-553542273336086478.post-59812768721479868292014-03-08T23:08:00.002-06:002014-03-08T23:08:40.960-06:00#39 - Get Out of Jail - The IllustrationsThis is the first time I have ever done marijuana. Let me rephrase that. This is the first time I have ever drawn marijuana. Unlike Bartholomew, I did not have a live sample to work from. I Googled marijuana images thinking there had to be a botanical drawing of marijuana I could work from. But, man, there were so many bad images, or at least worthless images. Mark Granlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08039933816772360965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-553542273336086478.post-66902860466328926972014-03-08T23:08:00.000-06:002014-03-08T23:08:25.045-06:00#39 - Get Out of Jail - Mistakes and RegretsGet Out of Jail is a rather obvious story, it is about Bartholomew getting out of jail. He stayed in jail for three days because Aunt Josephine and Uncle Jeffrey were away at the cabin for a few days. Sometimes life isn't fair. Sometimes we get in trouble and the only reason is because we didn't know what to do. Bartholomew had never had someone else growing marijuana in Mark Granlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08039933816772360965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-553542273336086478.post-38291893187982807812014-03-08T23:06:00.000-06:002019-07-27T21:18:08.026-05:00#38 - Broken Dreams - The Illustrations
Broken Dreams is illustrated by James O'Brien. Here we have Geraldine - the pug - at the feet of a man. She approaches a few men in this story who are destroying Bartholomew's garden. She is trying to scare them off, but she just isn't big and ferocious enough.
In my last entry about James, I mentioned that he was a real "great guy." I've changed my mind.. James is a Mark Granlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08039933816772360965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-553542273336086478.post-39265481217013878422014-03-08T23:04:00.003-06:002019-07-09T17:20:15.481-05:00#38 - Broken Dreams - The StoryBroken Dreams is a story about how loss can drive us to action. The destruction of Bartholomew's garden is part of the loss Geraldine feels as she can do nothing but witness. But it is also the loss of Bartholomew, her best friend, that drives her to defend his garden. It is the loss of Bartholomew that also brings Geraldine and Oliver, passive enemies, together.
Have you ever Mark Granlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08039933816772360965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-553542273336086478.post-38076358042282385002014-03-08T23:04:00.001-06:002019-07-09T17:22:03.575-05:00#37 - The Garden Exposed - The StoryThe Garden Exposed is a short sweet story about the relationship between Bartholomew and Geraldine the dog. Like any classic relationship; Antony and Cleopatra, Luke and Laura, Linus and Sally or Kermit and Miss Piggy, Bartholomew and his pug end up having an effect on each other. Geraldine's tendency to hump legs and objects has waned in the light of Bartholomew's attention. Mark Granlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08039933816772360965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-553542273336086478.post-84766354016865152482014-03-08T23:03:00.000-06:002019-07-09T17:23:56.306-05:00#36 - I've Come to Say I'm Going - The IllustrationsThe illustration for I've Come to Say I'm Going were created by Liz Carlson. Liz is an artist and illustrator living in Saint Paul, MN. She was suggested to me as an illustrator by Tim Jennen, her partner and illustrator of Bartholomew and the Cabana Fire. Tim was not Liz's partner when he illustrated Cabana Fire... and now he is. Now, I don't want to overplay this aspect of TheMark Granlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08039933816772360965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-553542273336086478.post-35016444312244930032014-03-08T23:02:00.001-06:002019-07-27T21:24:46.618-05:00#36 - I've Come to Say I'm Going - The StoryI've Come to Say I'm Going was one of the funnest stories to write in the entire Book of Bartholomew. The title is in reference to a song (Hello, I Must Be Going) sung by Groucho Marx in the movie Animal Crackers. Here is a clip of it.
In I've Come to Say I'm Going, Bartholomew meets up with The Nanny, his only friend willing to hang with him. Bartholomew's friend's had allMark Granlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08039933816772360965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-553542273336086478.post-79411866934899153062014-03-08T23:02:00.000-06:002019-07-27T21:26:10.014-05:00#35 - Mo and the Tree of Want - The StorySince the beginning of this project, I have been very aware of the influence of fairy tales and folk stories in my writing about Bartholomew and his friends. At times I stick very close to typical formats of folk tales: things come in threes, characters become stereotyped or simplified, there is an emotional aspect to the story that is acted out, and oddities and peculiarities do not have Mark Granlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08039933816772360965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-553542273336086478.post-49695857461423490672014-03-08T23:01:00.003-06:002019-07-27T21:27:07.265-05:00#34 - The Eve of Destruction - The Illustrations
The illustrations for Eve of Destruction, the 34th story in The Book of Bartholomew, are by local Twin City artist, illustrator and indie publisher Meghan Murphy Suszynski. She and two friends, in August of 2009, began the uber-hot, sassy and sexy lit magazine Paper Darts. For Eve of Destruction, she created this wonderful illustration of Xavier and his MG Roadster his father gave him.Mark Granlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08039933816772360965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-553542273336086478.post-77530364226298777602014-03-08T23:01:00.001-06:002014-03-08T23:01:06.688-06:00#34 - The Eve of Destruction - The StoryOne right of passage is when a young person decides on something they want to do with their life and wants to ask their parent for help. No, not just ask for money, but actually want to use the skills and talents of their parent because it will make things better. When I turned twenty-four, I had an idea that I wanted to... When I was twenty-five, I asked my father... I actually can'tMark Granlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08039933816772360965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-553542273336086478.post-65433611906859556732014-03-08T23:00:00.001-06:002019-07-27T21:29:09.497-05:00#33 - Harvest Dinner - The IllustrationsI'm doing something I haven't done before when it comes to the illustrations for Harvest Dinner: I am using images I've used previously. Until now, every story I have illustrated for The Book of Bartholomew has been a new and unique creation. In fact, each story I've illustrated seems to be in a completely different style than the previous one.
page 1 - Bartholomew Makes a Mark Granlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08039933816772360965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-553542273336086478.post-71343912476179823902014-03-08T23:00:00.000-06:002014-03-08T23:00:31.645-06:00#33 - Harvest Dinner - The StoryIn the story Harvest Dinner, the garden has produced enough food that Bartholomew, his family, and friends can sit down to a dinner. This is what Bartholomew had been working for since New Years. But why is it that holidays and special events bring out the strife in people. Dinner becomes a fight between Topping and Charlotte, this exacerbates the problems between Claire and NedMark Granlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08039933816772360965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-553542273336086478.post-27001038265881419522014-02-03T22:00:00.000-06:002019-07-27T21:30:10.431-05:00Tree of Want - The IllustrationsI have waited sooooooooooo long to share this illustration. I actually created this illustration of the tree in Bartholomew's backyard for the very first story. It is the first official illustration I did for The Book of Bartholomew. Now, thirty one stories and fourteen months later I am finally able to show this to you.
I originally was trying to fit Bartholomew's small Mark Granlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08039933816772360965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-553542273336086478.post-81183460477941783412014-02-03T21:04:00.000-06:002019-07-27T21:31:11.407-05:00Tree of Want - Published Today!
Tree of Want is published today! It is the 31st story in The Book of Bartholomew. Written and illustrated by Mark Granlund, Bartholomew has to climb a tree to rescue Oliver the Cat, Henrietta the Chicken and Hump-Pug. In the process he just might find what he really wants.Mark Granlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08039933816772360965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-553542273336086478.post-53272645864651707462013-07-13T19:52:00.000-05:002019-08-03T10:39:48.251-05:00#30 Bartholomew in the Garden<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Mark Granlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08039933816772360965noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-553542273336086478.post-32641966710387948872013-07-10T21:00:00.000-05:002013-07-10T21:00:10.233-05:00Bartholomew in the Garden - StoryBartholomew in the Garden is actually a short series of short-short stories all in one. I wanted to give the reader a sense of what the typical activities in the garden are and Bartholomew's experience of them. I also wanted to give Bartholomew some alone time with his friends to deepen their relationships. So, we end up with Bartholomew weeding with Claire, tying up tomato Mark Granlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08039933816772360965noreply@blogger.com0