College Park illustrator draws for Disney

There’s just something about their eyes. Sure, most times they’re just two big white circles, a simple concept. But then there’s the fact that one is bigger than the other, or the crazy placement of those important little black-dot pupils. It’s remarkable how Ethan Long’s characters can change with the addition of the dash of an eyebrow or the deliberate scribble of a sleepy eyelid.

Many have called him the “master of the googly eye.” Long’s zany characters have danced across the pages of dozens of children’s books, many of which he’s authored himself. The College Park resident has won the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award, the highest honor given to a book for beginning readers for his book “Up, Tall and High!” and has a show on Disney Channel based on his characters and concept called “Tasty Time with ZeFronk.”

Most of his fans say that his quick wit is what sets him apart, and keeps kids coming back to his books. He draws silly cats, sweet and colorful chameleons, and approachable monsters.

To learn more about Ethan Long and where to purchase his books, visit ethanlong.com. You can also catch “Tasty Time with ZeFronk,” on the Disney Channel, inspired and guided by Long’s characters.

“He tends to keep things simple, and let all the humor do the work … and I’m always amazed at how he can move an eyebrow and it totally changes a face, and an expression makes things funnier,” said his wife Heather Long. “Just the simple things, and I think he can do that like few people can.”

Long grabs a scrap of paper and draws some of his famous eyes, sketching one pair underneath another in sharp black ink. Quickly they go happy, sad, angry and crazy. His illustrations always seem to compel a smile.

“He can tell a story without a single word if he wants to,” said Mary Cash, vice president and editor-in-chief of Holiday House, a publisher of Long’s books. “You almost know what a character is thinking by looking at his or her googly eyes, the expression on their faces.”

And Long is a bit of what you’d expect from a children’s book author. He likes to goof around, and is immediately comfortable choosing his own poses when he has his photo taken – holding his book over his face with his surprised eyes peeking out, or sticking out his tongue when he makes it to the page where his frog character does the same. He makes funny voices when a story he’s telling dictates it.

Once at dinner with his wife and children, they spotted their grey, fluffy cat in an interesting pose, its haunches looking like giant ears, tail like the nose of an elephant. Long immediately hopped up, drew some eyes on a post-it note and stuck them right on the cat’s butt, completing the picture. That’s life in the Long house, his wife said with a laugh.

But Long is certainly not just all funny. He’s serious about art. He’s full of expression as he talks about his work, pulling out some more fine art pieces done on wood, taking in its smell, knocking on the wood. He shows how spontaneity can generate the finishing touch on a piece – just the act of blowing on wet ink to create a perfect splatter across the paper. He said he loves the action of making art, the moments when all his senses are engaged.

And Long’s children’s books start in an unexpected way. They all begin with a blank, white page, with that little bar blinking in front of him on the computer, waiting for the words. He starts by journaling, writing whatever is on his mind, just typing away. He gets everything out, and then he can begin a story. Writing out his everyday frustrations and mundane moments clear the path for creativity.

“I never save it,” Long said. “I just write … it just kind of cleans me up.”

And then the hours of productivity start, and he is in his world.

“It just feels like nothing … it’s kind of a numbing quality, because nothing bothers me, nothing matters, which is good,” he said. “It takes the weight off my shoulders and I don’t have to think; it just takes me to another place.”

It’s an interesting source for his sunny material, but friend and fellow children’s book author Ann Paul said his depth is what makes his work so special.

“He can tell a story that seems silly but there’s something beneath the surface, and that’s probably what makes his work so powerful,” she said. “They all come from a place deep inside him.”