Once again, I had the opportunity to attend the Forum on Children's literature which takes place annually at Utah Valley University. This year was inspiring as usual, yet it seemed a little more quiet to me- maybe this was due to many less illustrators in the gallery of illustration. I took notes as usual, and will share a few of the great ones with you. The Editor who attended this year was Abby Ranger from Disney-Hyperion Books for Children. The key note speakers were illustrator Robert Neubecker, and (my favorite part) writer Shannon Hale.
When asked if she ever got writers block, Shannon Hale replied that she doesn't believe in writers block. "Do plummers get plummer's block?" she asked. She quoted Anna Quindlen- Writer's block is the fear of not writing elequently. I think we as illustrators get the same thing.
There was a reaccuring theme throughout the conference of "be humble!" Shannon Hale said it is easier to write before you are published. Publishing is a path, not a destination. Take the stance- no one will ever read or see my book and you will be okay. Plan that you'll never be a best seller or Newberry winner (or in an illustrators case, a Caldecott winner).
Robert Neubecker said "Leave your ego at home." He talked about the fact that picture books are a team effort, that you work as a team with the editors and art directors. You need to be open to hearing suggestions from editors and changes that need to be made.
Abby Ranger talked about a book being a conversation. Writers/ Illustrators should take ideas from editors and make things even beter.
Illustrator Maryn Roos, said it is important for a writer or illustrator to be easy going and happy to take corrections.
Shannon Hale gave some great quotes, such as "This isn't a job. This isn't a career. I don't know what it is. . . It's a mental illness." She also talked about making goals every day for writing.
Abby Ranger talked about some of the things she is looking for in a manuscript. Here are a few of them:
1. A narrative voice that captivates me from the first sentence and won't let go.
2. A main character who is compelling and whom we care about.
3. Command of craft (pacing, plotting, sensitivity to languate and detail)
4. A premise or subject I haven't seen before or a familyiar one approached in an entirely new way.
5. A clear and broad audience for this subject and this approach.
6. Story- a good conflict and having to deal with it.
So there are a few great quotes from this conference, and there will be more to come soon!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Forum on Children's Literature 2009 Review
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
The Sketchbook. Why didn't I remember that before?
Have you ever handed someone your sketchbook and watched them get bored looking at it? I recently had this experience and it wasn't fun. That same night I also saw some of the coolest sketchbooks ever, and it got me thinking.
For me sketchbooks have a couple of purposes: to keep with you so you can draw anytime--something I am a huge fan of doing-- to be always in practice, and to have a little fun, right? Right. Thinking about my experience with my boring book, helped me realize that my sketchbook was not being those things. So I've been changing how I work in my sketchbook lately. In doing so I have learned a little. Now I shall impart my wisdom to you. (Sounds fun eh?)
Here are a couple things I decided to put more thought into.
Composition.
I was often using my sketchbook to draw people and places around me, the pages often ended up being floating heads, landscapes, and various characters and objects scattered about. This of course isn't bad but I gave little or no thought to composition.
In the last couple of days I have still been drawing the same subjects but I decided to begin my drawings with some thought on how I would compose the page. And I tell you what, it has been so much fun. I also tend to be happier with the end product. I was using my sketchbook to practice drawing people, animals, and facial expressions but I had forgotten all about practicing composition.
Here are some things from my college professors that I recently remembered them saying about composing a picture.
1. There are already four lines on a page, the edges. Don't forget you are making the fifth line and plan accordingly.
2. Fill the space.
3. Just because it looks stupid doesn't mean you have to draw it that way.
I think I either temporarily forgot about these little lessons or I just didn't realize they could apply to my sketchbook as well as my more formal illustrations.
Value and color.
Much of my sketchbooks are just line drawings, which I love, but I also love value and color, Why not practice these as well.
A super good time!
Since I have been putting more time into each page/drawing in my sketchbook it has been so much more fun. Try it!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
The Creative Habit
I picked up this book after reading an excerpt that my brother gave me. As a dancer and choreographer for major productions, Twyla Tharp offers in her book, "The Creative Habit - Learn it and Use it for Life" a practical guide to becoming consistent in our creativity.
One of my favorite excerpts comes from chapter 2 and her advice given about developing habits and rituals. I have noticed in my own painting world that I have a definite ritual when it comes to preparing to paint, or when I begin a new book. Twyla Tharp explains the importance of these rituals and how they spur and enlighten our creativity. Check it out! This is a great book if you are feeling in an artistic rut.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Inside Children's Publishing Conference Notes
It's just about time we get this blog going again!
This weekend, I was very blessed to be able to go to an SCBWI conference. This was the first conference I have been to where they actually invited an art designer from a publishing company- Victoria Jameison from Greenwillow books. There was also a writing agent there, Ted Malawer from Firebrand Literary, and an editor, Jill Dembowski from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
Here are a few of my notes (things that people said- with a few of my own personal thoughts added):
Know the publishing house you are sending your work to. Know what kind of work they do. Do your research, but don't stalk the editors or art directors.
If you want to get noticed, have a good web presence- blogging, online communities, and networking. Have a good online portfolio. Editors/Art Directors look at these things.
If you want to be published, write well (or should we say draw well), don't be pushy, don't be a jerk, and be professional.
After you get revisions from an editor or art director, let it sink in for a while. Really think about it for a day or so and give yourself time to calm down. (I know from personal experience that this is very good advice).
Always remember to say "thanks" to your editor. Don't be afraid to ask questions.
Art Directors appreciate it when you do your art work on paper because it's easier and more cost effective to scan with a drum scanner.
The best ways to get noticed by an art director are one on one meetings, and sending postcards and mailers. When you send a postcard, it's important to have a website where the art director can go to find more of your work.
Illustrating a cover for a middle grade novel is a good way to get your foot in the door in the publishing world.
If you want to illustrate a picture book, send samples of work that looks like it could go into a picture book. Avoid art that looks to commercial or cartoon-networky (this varies from publisher to publisher). Subjects need to be appropriate for children's books, not for a business meeting (for example, a man in a suit). Your artwork should tell a story without words.
Things that are good for mailers include, children and animals in current settings, history or fairy tales illustrated in a funny way with a twist, and funny animals with personalities. When illustrating children and animals, showtender moments, emotions, relationships, and motion. It is also a good idea to draw things from a child's view point (draw things while kneeling down). It is also eye catching to illustrate scenes using interesting lighting and moods.
It's also a good idea to network with other artists and send postcards that show all your work together and give links to your websites.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
A Place for Info
The Purple Crayon is one of my favorite places on the web to find out more about children's publishing. Check it out!
Friday, May 9, 2008
Preparing for a school presentation
Sorry, I seem to be hogging this blog lately! I was recently asked by my Aunt, who teaches elementary school, to do an illustrator school presentation for her first grade. It's not a paying job, but I wanted to take the opportunity to get some experience. . .because some day I will have a trade book (so far I've only done education and religious readers along with various other misceleanious assignments). So I've been doing some research on ways to make my school presentation better. Here are some tips I've found.
Here is some information I found on a site called write4kids.com. Read the full post entitled Planning a School Presentation. This post, which was adapted from the book How to Promote Your Children's Book on a Shoestring
•A Personal History Presentation should include your personal history/background, information about your work- include showing samples, and time for questions. I think this type of presentation would work better in older age group situations.
•A Performance Presentation can include an overview of how you became an artist- you can show how your work has evolved. The presentation can also include videos or slides on how you work (process) and some of your samples. A drawing demonstration is always really fun for the kids- Many illustrators have the children help decide what the illustrator will draw. That always makes things fun and interesting! If you are also an author, include some story telling. When reading parts of your book, share it in a really animated way and maybe even have the kids somehow get involved either with sound effects or movements of some kind (suggestion from my friend Sherry Meidell). Leave time at the end for questions.
•In a Teaching Presentation, you should introduce one aspect of illustrating, show samples of your work and other illustrators, allow time for students to practice the concept, share and evaluate, and leave time for questions. It seems to me that this type of presentation might work better in a classroom type situation.
Now you are wondering how much you should charge for a school visit. According to this Houghton Mifflin website, you can charge $300-$2000 per day. The more celebrated an author/illustrator, the higher the fee will be. The Houghton Mifflin site is more for schools who want to hire Houghton Mifflin authors and illustrators, but it has some good information that may help you get a better idea of what to expect for school visits.
Here is another site that is for schools wanting to hire authors and illustrators- AuthorsInSchools.com, that has some good information.
That's about all I could find, folks. Does anyone else know of any good resources? Please share!