James Burks
@jamesburks.bsky.social
Creator of Bird&Squirrel, Agent9, Boxtales (’25) and other children's books. Animation director, writer, illustrator, runner, and coffee lover. Rep’d by Kelly Sonnack | www.jamesburks.com
Some stop-motion to promote my new graphic novel series, Box Tales, that launches in September from First Second.
July 23, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Some stop-motion to promote my new graphic novel series, Box Tales, that launches in September from First Second.
Dance like no one is watching! Some new stop-motion animation with a character I hope to use in a future picture book idea. #stopmotion #animation
July 2, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Dance like no one is watching! Some new stop-motion animation with a character I hope to use in a future picture book idea. #stopmotion #animation
Cover reveal for the second book in my new GN series Box Tales. It'll be out on March, 3, 2026. But book 1 will be out later this year on Sept. 16.
May 8, 2025 at 6:27 AM
Cover reveal for the second book in my new GN series Box Tales. It'll be out on March, 3, 2026. But book 1 will be out later this year on Sept. 16.
The first step when doing thumbnails for a graphic novel about camping is to paint a yellow tree on the front of a new sketchbook. This very important step is also called PROCRASTINATION.
May 2, 2025 at 12:07 AM
The first step when doing thumbnails for a graphic novel about camping is to paint a yellow tree on the front of a new sketchbook. This very important step is also called PROCRASTINATION.
I haven’t had much time to post lately, I’ve been in my writing cave working on the story for BoxTales book 3 and revising the outline for my new graphic novel idea, which is going out on sub. I had some free time, so I decided to rig this character in Toonboom and do some simple animation.
April 29, 2025 at 8:10 PM
I haven’t had much time to post lately, I’ve been in my writing cave working on the story for BoxTales book 3 and revising the outline for my new graphic novel idea, which is going out on sub. I had some free time, so I decided to rig this character in Toonboom and do some simple animation.
Another week, another author school visit adventure. This time I'm off to New Jersey to visit two school this coming week. Looking forward to seeing the students and inspiring them to be creative. Onward!
April 6, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Another week, another author school visit adventure. This time I'm off to New Jersey to visit two school this coming week. Looking forward to seeing the students and inspiring them to be creative. Onward!
Some highlights from my two Indiana school visits. I was shown so much love and creativity by all the students, teachers, and librarians. Thank you! I'm always amazed that the books I've created have connected with so many people all around the US and the world. I don't take any of it for granted.
April 2, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Some highlights from my two Indiana school visits. I was shown so much love and creativity by all the students, teachers, and librarians. Thank you! I'm always amazed that the books I've created have connected with so many people all around the US and the world. I don't take any of it for granted.
After a day of traveling and hanging out in airports, I made it safely to Indiana for my upcoming author visits. I also had an interesting interaction with the rental car person at the exit gate. I'm not sure what she was talking about because my hair is the same now as it was on my license pic.
March 31, 2025 at 3:59 AM
After a day of traveling and hanging out in airports, I made it safely to Indiana for my upcoming author visits. I also had an interesting interaction with the rental car person at the exit gate. I'm not sure what she was talking about because my hair is the same now as it was on my license pic.
Tomorrow, I'm flying to Carmel, IN, for two author visits next week. I had originally scheduled this school visit trip back in 2020, but that pesky pandemic got in the way. Well, 5 yrs later, it's been rescheduled, and I'm looking forward to entertaining the kids with my witty book-making banter.
March 30, 2025 at 3:25 AM
Tomorrow, I'm flying to Carmel, IN, for two author visits next week. I had originally scheduled this school visit trip back in 2020, but that pesky pandemic got in the way. Well, 5 yrs later, it's been rescheduled, and I'm looking forward to entertaining the kids with my witty book-making banter.
A good way to get to know a character is to design their space.
March 12, 2025 at 4:46 AM
A good way to get to know a character is to design their space.
As close as I’ll ever get to meeting one of my biggest influences. #charlesschulz #peanuts
February 25, 2025 at 6:46 AM
As close as I’ll ever get to meeting one of my biggest influences. #charlesschulz #peanuts
Exploring some story beats for an idea I'm working on.
February 22, 2025 at 12:41 AM
Exploring some story beats for an idea I'm working on.
This is the other main character from my dragon story. When I drew the original turn around, I wasn't sure how the hair would look from all the angles. The nice thing about modeling the characters in 3D is that I can see exactly how it looks now from every angle and adjust the drawings accordingly.
February 17, 2025 at 9:32 PM
This is the other main character from my dragon story. When I drew the original turn around, I wasn't sure how the hair would look from all the angles. The nice thing about modeling the characters in 3D is that I can see exactly how it looks now from every angle and adjust the drawings accordingly.
Finished the dragon. Now, I'd like to get my brain to cooperate so I can figure out the story they belong to and turn this into a book. How's everyone else doing with their creative projects?
February 16, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Finished the dragon. Now, I'd like to get my brain to cooperate so I can figure out the story they belong to and turn this into a book. How's everyone else doing with their creative projects?
The latest from my adventures with Blender.
February 15, 2025 at 7:06 PM
The latest from my adventures with Blender.
Here’s the latest from teaching myself Blender. I’m not sure why I spent two days on this. To animate it, I’d need to rig it, which seems daunting. I guess I did it to gain experience with Blender. Who knows, maybe it'll lead to something one day. Exploring new skills is never a waste of time.
February 13, 2025 at 1:54 AM
Here’s the latest from teaching myself Blender. I’m not sure why I spent two days on this. To animate it, I’d need to rig it, which seems daunting. I guess I did it to gain experience with Blender. Who knows, maybe it'll lead to something one day. Exploring new skills is never a waste of time.
Taking the time to model characters in 3d makes the perfect reference, not only for perspective but also for lighting. Not to mention, it’s also a great way to procrastinate!
February 11, 2025 at 7:21 AM
Taking the time to model characters in 3d makes the perfect reference, not only for perspective but also for lighting. Not to mention, it’s also a great way to procrastinate!
Box gets the full 3d turnaround in Blender. I can't wait for everyone to meet Bea and Box when their first book drops this Sept.
February 11, 2025 at 6:07 AM
Box gets the full 3d turnaround in Blender. I can't wait for everyone to meet Bea and Box when their first book drops this Sept.
Fun with props. Yesterday, I had an inkling to model a milk carton in Blender, and as these things usually do, it took on a life of its own. Ending with a fake ad for a made-up milk company.
February 9, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Fun with props. Yesterday, I had an inkling to model a milk carton in Blender, and as these things usually do, it took on a life of its own. Ending with a fake ad for a made-up milk company.
I decided to download Blender and follow a Domestika course to learn the ins and outs. Here's my first character sculpt. The program is very robust, and I can't believe it's free to download.
February 9, 2025 at 12:24 AM
I decided to download Blender and follow a Domestika course to learn the ins and outs. Here's my first character sculpt. The program is very robust, and I can't believe it's free to download.
Here’s a Bird & Squirrel commission I did. Brown ink on mixed media paper.
February 5, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Here’s a Bird & Squirrel commission I did. Brown ink on mixed media paper.
Taking my anxiety on a little joyride.
February 4, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Taking my anxiety on a little joyride.
The stop-motion adventure continues. Gilmore heads for the local Grub N Go for a quick bite to eat. #animation
January 24, 2025 at 6:04 PM
The stop-motion adventure continues. Gilmore heads for the local Grub N Go for a quick bite to eat. #animation
Gilmore emerges after a long winter’s slumber. #stopmotion #animation #kidlit #stopmotionanimation #characteranimation
January 10, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Gilmore emerges after a long winter’s slumber. #stopmotion #animation #kidlit #stopmotionanimation #characteranimation