Missed this campaign?  It's not too late.  THIS BOOK IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR SALE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC:

Get yours now!

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If you'd like to track this project as it progresses, please join my email list.
I'll be sending out updates as often as I can.

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I’m Leah Jay, a watercolor/mixed media artist from San Jose, California. 

I've always enjoyed animals as subjects (who doesn't think animals are cute?), but in particular this project marries three of my interests:  wet-on-wet watercolor techniques, letter and word forms, and animals not usually considered traditionally "cute".  I believe all creatures deserve a second look.  Especially the "ugly" ones...because the worth of a creature shouldn't be wholly dependent on how traditionally pretty it is.

Besides, the secret is out: frogs, newts, and toads are not only worthwhile, they are ADORABLE.  I know it's unusual to see amphibians at all in our daily lives, so hopefully I can show you some of these creatures and change your mind with this book. 

It will be a hardbound, landscape format book full of beautiful watercolor art.  Each illustration will feature a realistic frog, salamander, newt, or toad in richly detailed color, with a matching rhyme painted artfully into each picture.  Opposite the art will be basic information about the animal you see, including scientific name, habitat, and endangered status.  (Wait, is the book itself eco-friendly?  Yep, it’ll be printed by a great little company out of San Rafael, California on recycled paper with soy-based inks.)

And, half the proceeds from this campaign will be donated to Save the Frogs, the world's leading amphibian conservation organization.
(see below for more information about STF and why amphibians need help!)

Get the Book - help Save the Frogs!

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As an artist, the best thing I can give you is art. The book, of course, will be a beautiful collection of educational animal art – but I’ll also be offering postcards, prints, and the original paintings themselves (matted, framed, and ready to hang). Please know:  I never skimp on quality!  My postcards are professionally printed. I use archival, acid-free materials, and most permanent, colorfast pigments and papers available.  I will also do pencil sketches of salamanders, toads, frogs, and newts in some books to customize them.

*BONUS* With each perk of $35 and up, you receive a free gift: The Little Book of Frog Poetry, edited by Dr. Kerry Kriger.  (Courtesy of Save the Frogs)

Here’s how it works – you contribute a certain amount (see the categories on the right?)  If I make my goal of $8,000, then I get to work sending art to be printed and creating your perk rewards – and shipping your goodies to you!  (If my goal isn't reached, your card/account is refunded, and nothing happens.) (Want more details? Check out the Indiegogo 101 page on my website.)

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The Budget, in Brief: $4500 of the $8K goal is to get the books printed.....the other $3.5K goes toward fulfillment, shipping, and campaign expenses.  This represents a minimum amount needed to be able to write Save the Frogs a donation check!

$10K Stretch goal: Amounts up to and greater than $10,000 raised during this campaign period will enable me to do two things:
1. Get more books printed at a lower cost.  The current plan is to print 500 books minimum, but if I can increase my order to 1000, I’ll have extra books (at a lower price!) that I can continue to sell and keep donating half the profits to Save the Frogs.  So the further I get past the goal, the more potential there is to share the amphibian love and help save more amphibians into the future.
2. Write a larger contribution check to Save the Frogs.

Note: This will be an exclusive, one-traditional-print-run-only deal, and I do not prefer to use a Print On Demand service.  No matter what happens, this campaign is your best chance to own this book!

Confused? Questions?

Check out the Indiegogo 101 page on my website...   Then, if you still have questions I will do my best to answer your email: leah@leahjayart.com

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Get the Book - help Save the Frogs!

"Who is Save the Frogs?  What do they do?" I've decided to put my book to work: Raising awareness about amphibians, and supporting the world's leading amphibian conservation organization. STF's mission is to protect amphibian populations and promote a society that respects and appreciates nature and wildlife. Their good works leap from California, across the USA, and hop all around the world to prevent the extinction of amphibians and create a better planet for humans and wildlife.  Dr. Kerry Kriger, director and founder, has goals for 2015 which include: getting the Fish and Wildlife commission to ban the import of bullfrogs into California (fingers are crossed!), continuing his Re-Frogging America project to build 1,000 wetlands over the next 10 years, and traveling internationally to speak at conferences and promote conservation and political action (when necessary) on behalf of these endangered animals.  In brief, I’d be hard-pressed to find any person who has done more for the frogs than Dr. Kriger.  He, and Save the Frogs, are awesome.

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Scientists agree:  Amphibians are going extinct at a faster rate than other kinds of animals.  About a third of amphibian species are now extinct.  This is a very real and current ecological disaster. But why should we even care about what happens to amphibians?

1. Frogs, toads, newts, and salamanders are part of the overall biodiversity of the earth as well as important to their local ecologies. Amphibians eat, and therefore affect, populations of slugs, snails, and many insects. They in turn are important food sources for other animals.

For example, as part of the food web, frogs eat mosquitoes and other pests. In turn frogs are eaten by herons. If you take frogs out of an area, you have more mosquitoes and fewer herons.  Not a good thing. Snakes, foxes, lizards, river otters, and many other creatures count on amphibians in their diet.

2.  Amphibians are a sensitive type of creature - living half in water and half on land - and sometimes breathing directly through their skin.  They often lay soft eggs without a protective shell.  These creatures are extremely susceptible to pollutants and changes in their environment.  When amphibians die off, this can serve as an indicator for the health of a local ecosystem.  The fact that amphibians are in trouble worldwide is seen by many scientists as a key indicator of the overall health of the earth.

3. Amphibians are inherently interesting and beautiful and deserve to live.  I hope my book inspires you to see them as I do!

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Get the Book - help Save the Frogs!

·  Don’t buy or keep amphibians as pets. Non-native species can spread disease to wild populations, decimating them.  Never set your pet "free" in the wild! 

·  If you have a yard, don’t use pesticides or herbicides.  Poisons from these wash into the streams, wetlands, and lakes, causing immediate illness or indirectly disrupting the ecology of your local environment - permanently!  There are plenty of alternative ways to enjoy a healthy and attractive garden.

-·  Or, if you have a little more space, you can create a safe, educational, eco-friendly frog pond  (particularly great for kids -- they can enjoy the tadpoles.)  One more pond means one more place for native species to breed.  If you build it – they will come (believe it!)

-·  Learn more about endangered amphibians and what’s being done to save them, at Save the Frogs or Amphibian Ark.  (And even better – spread the word about what you learn!)

--  Even if you don't have the money right now, you still have the power to help me bring this book into existence.  Share this campaign with your friends. Just click the link below, or on any of the Facebook, Twitter, and other sharing buttons --  and let the world know about the Amphibian Love book project.

Thank you so much for your support and your contribution!

Tweet: Can art help frogs, newts, toads, & salamanders? You bet! http://ctt.ec/96f5A+ #SciArt #frogs #amphibianlove