THE BLOG
Meeting Bailey
He introduced himself as Bailey. I’m not sure if that was his first name or his last, just Bailey. I caught him in a couple of photographs at the New York SCBWI Conference at the Hyatt this year. Here he is listening to Jed Bennett from Penguin, Deb Shapiro from Deb Shapiro & Company and Michelle Fadlalla the director of Education and Library Marketing, from Simon & Schuster. I figured he was an illustrator because he was in the illusrator intensive and he had a nice array of brushes in his back pocket. Pat Cummings was the panel director for the discussion on “Reaching the Picture Book Audience”. Bailey seemed to be fascinated by the topic.
“Big Cat, Little Kitty”
Sherry: I met Susan Detwiler at the New York SCBWI Conference this year. She is an illustrator that works in watercolor with pastels and has illustrated several picture books. I asked her if she would mind telling me a bit about her process on illustrating the book “Big Cat Little Kitty” written by Scotti Cohn and published by Sylvan Dell.
Susan: Once I am contacted by an editor and agree to take a picture book assignment, I receive the following: 1) the manuscript, 2) the contract, including scheduled deadlines, 3) guidelines and specifications, and in the case of Sylvan Dell 4) a rough layout. The rough layout is very helpful because the manuscript has been divided by the editor so that I have specific scenes to illustrate, and it shows approximately how much space the type will take up on each 2-page spread (although I am allowed to change its position). With other publishers I have had assignments for which I had to decide page breaks and type size.
Then I start to work. I study the manuscript and keep notes on my visual impressions. I gather research material including clippings I have on file, books at home and from the library, and photos from the internet. This part can be time-consuming but I try not to rush it because as I read and search I am learning about my subject in depth. I keep notes on all the photo references (i.e., sleeping, eating, seen from above) so that I can find them again easily.
The thumbnail sketches come next. I reduce the size of the rough layout to fit all the spreads on one page and print it; I sketch right on that print and compose the book in storyboard fashion. From my tiny thumbnail sketches I make more detailed sketches at about one third the finished size and these are scanned and sent to the editor for approval. I make revisions and submit a new sketch if necessary, then proceed to final art.
Using an overhead projector, I transfer the sketch to illustration board in pencil at finished size (17” x 10”) and then apply the color. Big Cat, Little Kitty was done in watercolor, and over that I applied soft pastel details. For this book, I kept in mind the art of Paul Gauguin, and thought in terms of large areas of color and compositions that bled off the page. I attempted to make the comparative spreads similar to each other in palette and composition in order to reinforce the theme. My illustration board is Strathmore 500 Series Heavyweight coldpress — I like it because it is 100% cotton rag and it is double-sided. My watercolors are Yarka St. Petersburg pan colors, and I use various brands of soft pastels, including Derwent and Faber-Castell — I love pastel pencils the best; they can be sharpened to a point! I always scan my artwork when it is finished even though my consumer-sized scanner requires that I have to scan the art in sections and piece them together in Photoshop. My scans were used to print the book, which gives me control of the color. The whole picture book illustration process takes me eight to nine months.
Sherry: Susan’s Book is beautifully illustrated. The cover is nicely designed with the tiger and the little kitty. Her illustrations have a nice softness that defines the cats. One of my favorite illustrations is on the inside where the “Little kitty gets wet.” It is a great wet cat and drips with fun detail. The book captures the interest of young children but also has educational material about cats of the world and cat senses and adaptations which would be great for kids in elementary school. Thank you Susan for this great information. More about Susan Detwiler can be found at her web site www.susandetwiler.com
The Utah Southern Idaho SCBWI Illustrator’s Conference (The Second Annual)
It is a bit nerve racking to be in charge of an illustrators conference. Getting illustrators into a group is like herding cats. The Utah Southern Idaho Illustrator’s Conference was held Saturday February 25th at the Bountiful Davis Art Center. I thought we had 6 or 8 illustrators signed up but Sydney Hussman the Regional SCBWI Advisor said Don’t worry Sherry we have eleven or twelve signed up. We had a week to go. More and more illustrators started to sign up. Wow, it was going to be a real conference. I headed over to the BDAC Saturday morning. My husband came and helped out with setting up chairs. I said we’ll need about 25 at the most. But what to my wondering eyes should appear but “illustrators” pouring through the door. As I saw them pouring through the door I thought to myself “We are going to need a bigger boat.!” My husband quickly set up more chairs. The bagels and orange came and were devoured. The conference started and life was good. It was a great conference a real bargain for the money and a great opportunity to gain some invaluable information. It was great to present with Will Terry and Anne Bowen. You can find out more about the conference at http://drawingsunshine.wordpress.com
More on the SCBWI New York Conference
Hear are a few sketches from the SCBWI New York Lucky 13 Conference. One of the most valuable break out sessions was with Cathy L., Goldsmith from Random House. I didn’t do a sketch of her. I was too busy taking notes. She gave great information for the illustrator. A few tidbits she shared were put your best samples up front in your portfolio and to front load it. She also said to have children and small animals in your portfolio. It was great to get valuable information directly from the creative director. It was also great to see Laurent Linn do such a great job of moderating the Book Makers Dozen. The SCBWI Conference expands your scope from where you are and sends you off in a direction with more knowledge than you had before. It also connects you with other writers and illustrators from around the country which become friends and a part of your network. It was a great thing to participate in.
Hard Duty
Some days are better than others. This morning I welcomed a brand new screamer into the world. I had the hard duty of taking pictures. Mom and Dad are doing good. The little screamer is doing good. The screamer seems to only be interested in eating. Mmmm. Life is good.
A Tweet Treat
How many times have you found a little tweet that has fallen out of it’s safe nest in the tree and landed on the ground. You are sure that an old cat is going to come along and eat it. What in the world do you do with it? One of the questions that will get your creative juices flowing is to ask yourself, “Self” “What would happen if…….? The Answer is pure genius. “Tom’s Tweet” written by Jill Esbaum and illlustrated by Dan Santat. What if that little tweet was found by a big old surly Tom cat? The tweet would never see the sneaky old Tom cat coming. What would happen next? Would you have to shield the eyes of your young ones while you read them the book? What would the mother bird do? Would we find out that Tom would actually have a heart? The story is great and the illustrations are so fun. I listened to the illustrator, Dan Santat present at the 2012 Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Conference in New York. One of the things he said was make sure that your product is the best. The illustrations in this book are the best. They let you glimpse into the personality of Tom and the little tweet and tell the story deliciously. There is no way you could walk past the cover illustration on this picture book and leave it on the shelf. The book will leap into your arms and become a favorite.
Here we are reading “Tom’s Tweet”
Creative Question: What would happen if you tried to read a picture book to four young ones at the same time? Answer: Chaos. Definition: the confused unorganized state of primordial matter before the creation of distinct forms, a confused mass or mixture.
Run out and order this book from one of your local book stores. Here are a few suggestions: The King’s English Bookshop in Salt Lake City, The Purple Cow in Tooele, Dolly’s Bookstore in Park City. Barnes and Noble at various locations. Support your local book stores and help a picture book writer and illustrator buy a tweet.