I am always astonished by how generous illustrators are sharing their knowledge and experience. Today I happened upon Marla Frazee's website and loved reading her 'Studio' section which addresses important topics for budding illustrators - tips, portfolio, thumbnails and characterization.
I have admired Marla's illustrations ever since I was introduced to "All The World". The world and characters she creates are amazing.
(Note: for fans of Marla Frazee, she will be the 4th Annual Children’s Festival of the Book at Bozeman Public Library in Bozeman, Montana Saturday, November 5, 2011)
Have you ever heard of it?? I wish I knew about this when I was in University. It's a cool idea that I want to learn more about. Especially for my kids - if they could master the skill of visual note taking it might make a real difference to their education - at the very least, their notebooks would look super cool!
http://sunnibrown.com/visual-note-taking-101/
Video of Sunni Brown's presentation http://vimeo.com/15171177
As a part of this journey into the field of illustration I recently joined a new online class - How To Be a Children's Book Illustrator (HTBACI), a class built and taught by Mark Mitchell. It's been a motivating experience thus far and I am really excited about the things I will be learning there paired with my continued work at DTO which is a fabulous website so deep with video instruction that I think I will happily spend years as a member.
What I enjoyed this week at HTBACI was the sharing of information by both Mark and the other students of the online community. This week I watched a number of inspiring video clips and articles.
Here are a few and what I took from them.
A video of Alicia Padron painting one of her lovely watercolor characters. I was surprised to find her use so much pencil to shade her character after it was painted. It worked so well!
An article entitled "Why We're Still in Love with Picture Books" by Allyn Johnston and Marla Frazee which speaks to the future of picture books and why we will always want them around - the impact they have on us and our relationships with the children we read them to.
“As we share the words and pictures, the ideas and viewpoints, the rhythms and rhymes, the pain and comfort, and the hopes and fears and big issues of life that we encounter together in the pages of a book, we connect through minds and hearts with our children and bond closely in a secret society associated with the books we have shared. The fire of literacy is created by the emotional sparks between a child, a book, and the person reading. It isn’t achieved by the book alone, nor by the child alone, nor by the adult who’s reading aloud — it’s the relationship winding between all three, bringing them together in easy harmony.”
Members of HTBACI also had the opportunity to watch an interview Mark did with an illustration duo - Jeff Crosby and Shelley Ann Jackson. They talked about their experience as students and getting in to the business, shared some of the books they have published and the process they went through - the research, trying to get the books published etc... as well as offering some advice for those just starting out. Some of the take-aways for me were draw all the time - go to figure drawing classes and draw on the street. Draw what you love and make sure to include those subjects you are passionate about in your portfolio as publishers will ask you to draw then things that they see in your portfolio (if you want to draw dragons, makes sure to incl those kind of pieces in your portfolio). Join a crit group, go to conferences and don't be shy - network with the presenters as well as other illustrators, you never know what work can come from those important connections.
...so there are some tidbits of learning for the week. Not bad eh??!
Will Terry, who teaches at Utah Valley University, has put together some DVDs on illustrating Children's Books. There is a 24 min preview on character design. Watching it I learned some GREAT tidbits. His videos may be on my Christmas wishlist later this year!
One of my favorite blogs is Sugar City Journal. Lynne wrote a post about Grandma Moses that is inspiring. What an amazing lady - started painting at 76, lived to 101 and in that time became a rather famous American painter.
I loved this description of her process...
"Grandma Moses did all of her painting from remembrance of things past. She liked to sit quietly and think, she once said, and remember and imagine. "Then I'll get an inspiration and start painting; then I'll forget everything, everything except how things used to be and how to paint it so people will know how we used to live."
and her philosophy...
"I look back on my life like a good day's work, it was done and I feel satisfied with it. I was happy and contented, I knew nothing better and made the best out of what life offered. And life is what we make it, always has been, always will be."
Tonight as I have been doing some research on illustration I have come across some great blogs that I don't want to forget about. I have a very hard time keep track of blogs that I would like to follow and then going back to them regularly. How does one do it without spending hours online??
Anyway, as a note to myself, here are some great websites/blogs to check back on... Mighty Art Demos - specifically how to make a storyboard by Uri S. This particular page is a must for me to reference later.
How to be a Children's Book Illustrator by Mark Mitchell - I have been eying his course for a couple years now, I might just take the leap tonight, it's on sale.
