Some early character work from my next book, Bella and Stella Come Home.

and a detail from the interior...

Think ideas are all original? Think again!Its all in the air ....

This is not one of those posts that accuse the big evil corporate entity of ripping off the little guy. This is a post about amazing coincidences where inspired artists working independently are pulling ideas from the ether.

I had the great pleasure of finally seeing Toy Story 3 last night. I think we were the last to catch it, but if we were not, you really need to see this film. You will not be disappointed!

Last summer I was working around the clock creating the final images for my next book, Bella & Stella Come Home, by Anika Denise.

Publication was delayed for marketing reasons until this November. All of the final artwork was completed and sent to the publisher in September and October 0f 2009.If you like my work, don't forget, you can always pre-order the book at your favorite independent bookstore or Amazon.

Large pre-orders send a really strong positive message to my publisher!

I will preface the following with a few facts;

1. I have never been to Pixar....yet

2. No full time employee of Pixar has ever been to my studio.

3. I have not worked with or for Pixar.....yet.

4. I have exchanged emails and pleasantries with a few of the amazing artists that have worked on the Pixar films that I ad

mire, including Toy Story 3. No images were ever shared. Pixar runs a tight ship and at the cost of not showing my most recent work, I try to keep unpublished art under wraps.

5. Full disclaimer: I do have the good fortune to

count Carter Goodrich and Buck Lewis amongst my friends. Both are amazing artists who have contributed to Pixar films in the past.

6. I am a fan of Pixar films. The work that has come from that amazing group of artists, writers and filmmakers has been the driving inspiration for me to begin to venture out of the dusty but pleasant cocoon of books and into the world of animation.

As I watched the film last night, I was swept along with the mastery of story telling and film making. I was in that wonderful place of being completely in the film...until the last scene.

The last scene was not a disappointment in anyway shape or form! It was perfect but it was also strangely familiar. I was in awe. What I was watching was a more masterful rendition of a scene that I had created in my book just twelve months ago!

Remember: This is not one of those posts that accuse the big evil corporate entity of ripping off the little guy.

I have a healthy respect for copyright law so I will not post any pirated images from the final sequence of the film. However, the last scene is viewable at the sites where you would expect to find these things. I can post a few of my images from Bella & Stella Come Home and I would welcome any commentary from readers of this blog.

Please bear two things in mind:

1. I do not feel that I have been ripped off in any way shape or form.

2. Any similarity is purely coincidence. I could not have seen anything from the film nor could anyone making the film (which was already in the final stages of production) have seen my work.

I see that whole thing as an amazing coincidence and perhaps a message that my head is in the right place and my inspirational receiver is tuned into a very good station.

As I said.....I have not worked with or for Pixar..........yet.

This is our Bella..and Stella

Here she is meeting the neighbor.

I tried for the hand on the hip but it changed the body language expression of the mom too much.

There are other areas of similarity that just come with

the subject matter (tutus and stuff). But there was just something about seeing that kid in that environment that blew me away. See the film and look at the book and see what you think. No imitation on either end-it would have been impossible. I think the ideas are just out there floating around and sometimes we grab the same ones!

(detail from a larger scene)