Monday, January 10, 2022

FEB 1st, 2022: SNOW DAY is out!

 


Please enjoy these sample pages from Mr. Wolf's Class Book Five: SNOW DAY. If it's before Feb 1, 2022 you can preorder the book with your local bookstore or with Bookshop.org. If it's after Feb 1, 2022 you can track down a copy at your local bookstore or ask them to order it if they don't have it in stock. Thank you for your support!

I can't thank Alec Longstreth enough for his fantastic coloring job all throughout. Alec colored FIELD TRIP as well. Please check out his Isle of Elsi webcomic. 

This book was edited by my amazing editor Cassandra Pelham Fulton. You know Cassandra's editing work from not only Mr. Wolf's Class but the Amulet Series, Babysitter's Club GN series, GUTS, SMILE, TWINS, ALLERGIC, and many others.

Thank you to designers Phil Falco and Shivana Sookdeo, and all the other Graphix and Scholastic folks who worked hard behind the scenes to get this book to you.

This book absolutely would not have happened without the help from my incredible agent Judy Hansen. Judy also was selected as The Beat's 2021 Comic Industry Person of the Year!! Congratulations Judy! 

Friday, July 30, 2021

Big Plans #6: A CAUTIONARY TALE

Before Mr. Wolf's Class, I spent years writing and drawing my autobiographical comic series BIG PLANS. These were personal stories and generally not appropriate for kids. When I became a teacher I continued that autobiographical tradition, only drawing myself as a wolf, instead of a human. The stories also became much more kid friendly, because my audience was changing and growing in that direction, toward younger readers. I recently spent a week struggling with a health condition and here is an all-ages comic I made about the experience. It was really liberating to make a comic that I could just play around with. I made each panel on individual sheets of notepad paper with pen and blue pencil. I scanned them afterward and placed the black panel borders over the art as an overlay. Here it is: 
















The Blog is Back!

Hello,

It's been quiet a while since I've published on this blog, and I'm coming back to it with a newfound sense of purpose for this blog. With social media, our posts fly by day after day. It's a little exhausting, and a little difficult to really publish anything in-depth. I'm hoping that with this post I will start posting bigger and more in-depth news updates. Stay tuned. 

General updates: I just finished proofreading and doing copy edits on my new Mr. Wolf's Class Book: Mr. Wolf's Class Book Five: SNOW DAY. The book will be in stores on February 1st, 2022. You can pre-order the book wherever you buy books. Or you can do it here with Bookshop.org.  The images here are the front and back covers for both hardcover and paperback versions. The book art was by me and art design done by Graphix designers Phil Falco and Shivana Sookdeo. 

I recently had a health episode which put me out of commission for about a week. I made a comic about this experience which I've already posted on my social media accounts. I'll be posting that full comic here soon.

Thank you for reading!

Aron 



Saturday, May 18, 2019

New Website

Hello Everybody,


I have a new website with more up-to-date information. Please check it out: 


MrWolfsClass.com

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

KPTV FOX 12 OREGON Interview

Just last week, a photojournalist from KPTV's morning program, More Good Day Oregon came to my classroom to film a short spot about me being a teacher and cartoonist. I think it turned out pretty well! Enjoy: Watch it here.

Portland teacher Aron Steinke is an award-winning children's author

Saturday, September 1, 2018

Mr. Wolf's Class Fall "Tour"


Upcoming Events:

Saturday, September 1st 2-3 PM St. Johns branch of the Multnomah County Library will be featuring Mr. Wolf's Class for their inaugural Family Graphic Novel Book Group. I will be making a guest appearance there to do some live drawing and talk about the book.

September 7, 8, and 9 I will be at Rose City Comic Con, tabling with the talented Jonathan Hill, who will have copies of his new Unserved anthology.

Saturday Sept 15 at 2PM come join me in conversation with Barry Deutsch at Powell's City of Books. I will be doing live drawing, talking book process and sharing a preview of Mr. Wolf's Class book 2.

Saturday, Nov 3rd from 3-5 I will be at Klindt's Bookstore in The Dalles, Oregon for Author Fest NW alongside some amazing NW authors. Klindt's is the oldest bookstore in Oregon and I'm happy to finally be heading out there to share Mr. Wolf's Class with readers in the Dalles.


Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Save the Date: Mr. Wolf's Class at Powell's City of Books

Please join me at Powell's City of Books (1005 W Burnside St, Portland, OR 97209) on
Saturday, September 15 @ 2:00 PM. 

This will be a big Mr. Wolf's Class event where I'll have a presentation and a discussion moderated by Hereville author, Barry Deutsch. I will be signing Mr. Wolf's Class books after, give readers a preview for what's in store with book 2 and I will be doing some live drawing on large chart paper. 
Hope you can make it!


And in case you missed it, Mr. Wolf's Class was reviewed in the Aug. 19th New York Times Book Review!!

"This upbeat graphic novel — the beginning of a promising new series — chronicles the activities of a bustling class of fourth graders and their devoted, slightly overwhelmed teacher, Mr. Wolf. Yes, he’s a wolf; the students are a host of animals, including a frog, a duck, a dog and a rabbit. Everyone has hands and feet and walks upright, though, and their problems and behavior are strikingly like their counterparts in schools for human children — only funnier."

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Mr. Wolf's Class 2018 Summer Tour

I'll be out and about a bit this summer to promote Mr. Wolf's Class book 1. Come on and say hello if you can make it.

 Next stop, ALA in New Orleans! 

Sunday, June 17, 2018

Mr. Wolf's Class at Comix Experience


Woo-hoo! I'm so happy to announce that Mr. Wolf's Class is going to be part of the Comix Experience Kids Club.

I will be a guest on their Kids Club podcast at 10:00 AM on July 15th and will be signing comics of the brand new, Mr. Wolf's Class book at 11:00. If you're in San Francisco please stop on by and say hello!



Saturday, December 2, 2017

Mr. Wolf's Class Book 1 Covers


Above is the paperback front cover to Mr. Wolf's Class book 1. Covers are always such a difficult part of the book making process. Give me 50 pages of comics over a cover any day. But after all the hard work back and forth between me and my art director, Phil Falco, we arrived at a pretty handsome cover. I'm please.


Above is the full paperback cover. 

Below is the jacket for the hardcover version. I'm absolutely thrilled with that jacket cover. Nice job Phil Falco! All the artwork is mine but it is quite a skill to be able to select and arrange it in a way that is appealing. Even just the color selection of that dark green was something that Phil did and I think it works perfect to offset the lighter colors. 



Mark your calendars for June 26. Stay tuned for tour dates and book release parties. I'm planning on attending San Diego Comic Con this year and ALA this summer in New Orleans. 



Friday, May 5, 2017

Oregon Writer's Festival/ Status Update


This Saturday, May 6th I will be leading a comics making workshop at PSU for the 33rd Oregon Writing Festival. I'm excited to see what kind of comics expert 4/5 grade writers can create in a short time frame. Sadly I'll miss Free Comic Book Day this year. 

What is the deal with my forthcoming graphic novel series, Mr. Wolf's Class? -- Well, the first book will come out in the summer of 2018. It's mostly been done since last summer but that's how it goes sometimes. Gotta get a couple in the can first for closer release dates. I'm currently over halfway through doing clean pencils for the second book in the series and will be inking starting in June. I can't wait! inking is my favorite part of the process. Just for reference I do my final pencils with a .05 mechanical pencil and ink with an 06 Sakura Pigma Sensei. The jumble of tools above came from my son's art box. 

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

See me at SHORT RUN

Saturday, Nov. 5th I will be at Short Run in Seattle. I've only done this show once but it was easily one of my top favorite shows for vibe, people, and comics. Come on by if you can. I'll have my final Mr. Wolf mini-comic available, Mr. Wolf #5.


Monday, October 3, 2016

Mr. Wolf pages 195-197



I know this strip is incredibly cheesy. I didn't mean it to be. What I realize is that I have so much to say but not enough time to craft these comic strips anymore. I need to put all my artistic energies into my graphic novels which I will continue to update about. Book #2 rough script is done. Book #1 just needs a cover and will be released summer 2018!

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Back to School

Well, a new school year has begun and I've just completed the bulk of the work on my first graphic novel in the Mr. Wolf's Class series for Graphix, The First Day of School. Now I'm just waiting on edits from my amazing editor, Cassandra Pelham. She's responsible for editing Raina Telgemeier's books, The Amulet Series, Cleopatra in Space, and many others. I am humbled to be working with her and such a great team at Graphix. I penciled, inked, and colored all 160 pages over the summer. Now, I just have to do it all over again for book 2.

While I'm getting back in the swing of teaching I wanted to wish all of you teachers, students, and parents out there good luck. And if you have been enjoying my teaching comics please consider buying a mini-comic from Birdcage Bottom Books.


Friday, July 15, 2016

Mr. Wolf


Just a little FYI. I am working on a 5th Mr. Wolf mini. I'm also busy working my butt off on my new Mr. Wolf's Class graphic novel series. The graphic novel series will be all new content and will be published by Scholastic's Graphix imprint. Wowza!!! I am over the moon. Updates coming soon. If you're not following me on Facebook, tumbler, twitter, or Instagram you certainly can. Look me up ya'll.