About this project

Welcome to the kickstarter page for my picture book, tentatively titled "Mr. McFrawley's Traveling Show." This creepy, fun and gothic tale is inspired by the art and symbolism of Tarot Cards, the Wizard of Oz, mythology, and by artists like Tim Burton, Mary Blair, Edward Gorey, Jhonen Vasquez, Sanjay Patel, and of course, by Calvin and Hobbes.

http://thedekaytarot.tumblr.com/

In this story, Bix Spiderbeck is a young freak in Mr. McFrawley's Traveling Show. Trouble strikes when McCrum and Callow's mega-super-ubercircus comes to town and threatens to bankrupt the only place Bix has ever called home. But a visit to the old fortune teller, Madame Bahrvogsky sets him on an exciting cross-country adventure. The goal? To find more freaks and save his circus.

With Annie, the bearded girl (who is too young to grow a beard yet) at his side, Bix meets new friends and has an exciting time, but is never more than a few steps ahead of McCrum and Callow's army of disgruntled clowns.

I've been brainstorming and sketching for this project for almost a year now. I have well over a hundred sketches drawn and the entire story outlined. I'm an animator by trade, and I'd love to animate this project as a big Burton-esque creepy musical, but for now I realize that the picture book is a great step towards getting more exposure and realizing the story and images more fully. I'm even working with friends to begin sketching out a musical score, which we'll be giving away as a read-along cd.

I'd love to share this entire process with you, with time lapse illustrations, clips of work that has inspired me, blog entries and art at http://thedekaytarot.tumblr.com/

The work is almost halfway done. With any luck, the entire project will be illustrated and ready to print by the end of the summer.

And that's what I need help with! I'm looking for money to print, print, print so I can give away as many copies as I sell, to schools, libraries, really to anyone who could do something positive with them! I'm hoping to raise enough loot to print way more copies (especially since the cost plummets as the print run rises) - I'd like to print enough copies to fly over the entire Earth in an Apache helicopter, flinging them madly like some kind of deranged Santa Claus.

If you have any questions, let me know - danartbarn@gmail.com
THANK YOU!

Project location: Bridgton, ME

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dan edwards

Bridgton, ME

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Hi there! I'm Dan and I'm a cartoonist. I live in Maine with no wife, kids, or pets, but with many many sketchbooks. How are you today? How is that relative who had that issue with that thing? Better? Oh, good.