This week, in honor of National Poetry Month, I blogged about one of my favorite authors, Jane Yolen. She has a series of rhyming picture books featuring illustrations of dinosaurs that are extremely popular among children. Each of the books begins with a question in the title and the first few spreads also ask the reader questions about what a dinosaur would do in a given situation. Not only is the text fabulous in each book, but the illustrations are incredible, amazing, stupendous, wonderful, and any other great word you can use to describe the talent of Mark Teague. He is one of THE best children's book illustrators out there. You can learn so much about composition, movement, expression, color, and just about anything from his work. I had the pleasure of hearing Mark Teague speak in 2009 at an SCBWI conference in Miami. He gave so much helpful information, but the biggest thing I walked away with was just one word: exaggeration. Mark emphasized that by exaggerating the perspective, the horizon, the contour line of a character, the expression, or other element, you can create more effective and interesting illustrations. At the conference, he showed us how he sketched out some of the pages of "Firehouse." He showed the difference between drawing a regular firetruck OR taking the firetruck and bending it to give it more movement and expression. If you look at the cover as well as some of the interior spreads above, you can see that his horizons are often bent or curved which helps convey the action of the scene. His characters are often leaning to one side or leaning forward or back to again give that exaggerated rounder, fuller look. By using exaggeration, his illustrations become more dynamic. I myself tend to draw very stiff and straight. But recently, after studying Mark Teague's work again, I'm becoming more aware of that flaw and trying to correct it by using exaggeration. So the next time you're working on an illustration, try stretching your drawing from side to side or up and down. Tilt it to the left or to the right. Bend your horizon. Round it at the center. Take your character and rotate it. Make it lean or bend it backward. Do something to exaggerate an element or two. You'll find that your illustrations will go to a whole other level. Angela Padron is a published illustrator of two books, including "The Hero in You" by Ellis Paul, as well as a Star Wars geek and chocolate chip cookie connoisseur. She also writes and illustrates her own picture books, board books, and chapter books. When she's not teaching, Angela works as a freelance writer and editor for educational publishers and spends weekends enjoying walks along the beach with her family. View her online portfolio at www.angelapadron.com. You can also "like" her facebook page, follow her on Twitter @angela_padron, and follow her own blog called "Show and Tell" with weekly posts about teaching, writing and illustrating books for children.
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Where does a book begin? As with many things in the natural world, it starts with a seed: the genesis of an idea, a snippet, a thought, a fleeting image. So, how do you first receive, and then keep that elusive inspiration? Here are three simple thoughts for tuning into your inspiration antenna:
1) Make Room for Inspiration Purposely make room for inspiration. Inspiration can come anytime, but I know from experience that it comes more frequently if you are deliberately seeking it. Making room in your day could mean that you simply commit to being in the moment during your daily activities (see below) or it could mean seeking out certain places or spaces that inspire you. Go to places where you can read, like bookstores and libraries, or places where you can explore and observe like parks, museums, gardens, zoos, etc. Make room in your adult life to do things you used to do as a kid: climbing trees barefooted, riding scooters, making blanket forts, or swimming in the ocean. Some of those things might make you feel silly at first (I get a lot of amused smiles when I ride my daughter’s scooter home from school drop-off) but you’ll get over that. Doing those things will help you remember what it really feels like to be a kid. What sap feels like when it’s cemented to your hands and feet. What the cracks in the sidewalk feel like when you are bumping over them. What it feels like to read or rest in a cozy, makeshift hideout. What salt water tastes like when you get swallowed by a wave. When you make that kind of room, inspiration abounds. So make room in your day, in your brain, and in your heart to be inspired. 2) Stay In the Moment Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, stay in the moment. If you’re at the park, pay attention. What are the kids saying to each other? What kinds of games do they play? Are they fighting with each other? Why? When you’re with your children, grandchildren, or students, play with them. Listen to them. What do they care about? How do they play? What makes them happy? What makes them sad? Pay attention at bedtime, mealtime, story time, playtime. It may require that you put down your phone, or put off the to-do list swirling around your brain, but it will be worth it. Inspiration can come from store trips, story time, vacations, news articles, childhood memories and on and on. But you have to stay in the moment, distraction free, to recognize the fleeting thoughts and images that come and slip away in an instant. 3) Write It Down Have you ever had a brilliant thought that ran away before you took the time to write it down? Yes? Me too. (Though I can’t vouch for it ACTUALLY being brilliant, since I forgot it, but let’s just assume the best, shall we?). Sometimes the same inspiration will strike twice, but usually in a different way, so write down the things that inspire you NOW, and then you’ll have much more to work with. I keep a “Note” in my Notes app on my phone that serves as a running list of inspirational snippets. These snippets could be a book title, a few words, an intriguing character, a rhyming couplet, or just a general story idea. Sometimes, you’ll feel so inspired that your first thought will transform into a first draft. In that case, stop whatever you’re doing and just WRITE! Unless you’re performing brain surgery or some other life-saving procedure, don’t wait! I once pulled over at a gas station while driving on a 3-hour road trip to write a first draft of a story that was spilling out of my brain. I scribbled my story an old receipt with a stubby pencil. And even though it will never be published, it was the story that started it all for me. So, when that inspiration grabs you, write! It will take tremendous time and effort to develop those inspirational snippets or first drafts into excellent stories, but the inspiration must come first. So tune in, and get inspired. No photos in today’s blog. No images. Just words. Sometimes I just don’t feel like writing. When I’m dealing with health challenges, as I am now, I just don’t feel like writing. When my life is in an upheaval, as it is now, I just don’t feel like writing. When I’m just too busy with taxes and paper work, I just don’t feel like writing. (How are we creatives supposed to be creative with so many numbers and statistics staring at us?) MOVE TO YOUR WRITING AREA The truth is these usually aren’t the real reason we’re not writing. The real reason has more to do with fear and inertia. SIT WITH YOUR COMPUTER OR WRITING PAD In 2013 I was brought out of a publishing drought when four of my manuscripts were acquired. In 2014 I was happy to sell two more. But I wasn’t ecstatic. What was wrong with all those precious stories editors passed on...rejected? Were my sales simply flukes? FOCUS. I’ve started writing a new story. I think it’s an important story, one that needs to be told. But I’m not at all sure how to plot the story, how to find the precious words. I doubt myself and so I procrastinate. It really doesn’t matter if you have sold stories or not...we all doubt ourselves. CLOSE THE DOOR TO DOUBT. To overcome fear and doubt, we cannot overvalue the importance of focus. If we’ve discovered that precious idea, we must listen earnestly to the tale it wants to tell, the tale beneath the words. It is from our mind’s attention that our physical story unfolds. OPEN THE DOOR TO YOUR IMAGINATION Leafing through REAL SIMPLE magazine (procrastinating) I thought how writing is not real simple. It’s hard and it’s challenging and sometimes it kicks you in the gut. JUST FOR FUN, CREATE TWO NEW CHARACTERS. ONE ANIMAL. ONE HUMAN. LEAVE THEM ON THE PAGE OR TAKE THEM WITH YOU INTO A STORY. No photos in today’s blog. No images. Just words. The last are from a Cadillac ad on the back of REAL SIMPLE, because in our heart of hearts don’t we all truly want to be Cadillacs? “It is not the critic Who counts; The credit belongs To the man who is Actually in the arena, Who strives valiantly; Who errs, who comes Short again and again; Who knows Great enthusiasms; Who spends himself In a worthy cause; Who at the best Knows in the end The triumph of High achievement. And who at the worst, If he fails, At least fails While daring greatly. Dare Greatly.” WRITE THE WORDS
Last month I blogged about portfolios. This month I'll be discussing what to do next. Get yourself noticed! One way to do this is to join the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (www.scbwi.org). It's THE organization to belong to if you write and illustrate children's books. They hold two national conferences each year - one in Los Angeles in August and the other in New York City in February. Each state has their own chapter(s) that host regional conferences at least once a year. At all of these conferences, guest speakers come that include editors, agents, art directors, illustrators, art reps, published authors - just about anyone in the business! You can participate in portfolio exhibits, pay to have your work professionally critiqued, network, and get inspired to perfect your craft. Within each state there are local groups that form to critique each other's work, arrange for guest speakers, organize events and book signings, and so much more. Each SCBWI also has their own profile page so you can post a bio, provide links to any books you've published, and even organize your own portfolio of your illustrations. (Here's my page - shameless plug!) AND SCBWI provides quarterly newsletters, resources to improve your writing, market surveys - the list goes on and on and on! Of course, having a website and/or blog and other social media avenues where you can show off your portfolio is key to getting noticed. One way to lead people toward your online presence is by sending out postcards. I suggest 5"x7" or larger (but not ridiculously huge) so that yours won't get lost among the rest of the mail stack. You can order your postcards online at some of these sites: 4by6 Vistaprint (though I found their basic postcards to be a little too thin/not sturdy enough - could be good for leave-behinds or take-aways at conferences) Overnight Prints (same comment as Vistaprint) Got Print PS Print Many publishers today are moving toward more eco-friendly means of acquiring samples of illustrators' work - some now have online forms to complete and to attach artwork. Others want submissions via email. But the vast majority of publishers still want postcards. And editors and art directors like grabbing postcards at conferences during portfolio exhibits. Giuseppe Castellano, the award-winning Designer, Illustrator, and Art Director at Penguin Random House, has a fabulous blog post about postcards. Even though he throws out 90% of the cards he receives, he still thinks they're a great way for artists to get noticed. The one thing to remember about promotional mailers, though, is that it's like making a first impression - and you have to make a good one. Art directors and publishers will get so many postcards that yours has to stand out to get noticed over the rest. So be sure you put a strong image on the front that really shows off your best work. The piece should be eye catching and narrative. Try not to use an image that shows characters posed like a fine art piece might. ALWAYS include your contact information on the back and if you have room for at least your website on the front do it. DON'T FORGET your website and email. If you want you can put your phone number as well. And plan to do new work so that you can send out mailers 3-4 times a year. Each time show a different image and hopefully one of the times you send out a postcard you'll get an email from an art director wanting to hire you. It took 2 years - that's right, TWO LONG YEARS, after sending out my first round of postcards - before someone contacted me. So don't sit behind the keyboard and wait until you see a message pop up in your inbox - you have to keep working on your craft. But where do you send these postcards? If you're a member of SCBWI, there are market surveys that you can download. They list the name of the publisher and address, most list the contact person in the art department. You can also buy the Writer's Digest Book for Children's Writers and Illustrators - with the purchase of the book you get access to the online database that updates the information periodically. BUT... it's always best to check each publisher's website for their current submission policies as things in the business change so quickly. Finally, I would suggest attending conferences and arranging for portfolio reviews whenever you can. If you have an agent or other connections, you could make appointments to see art directors at some of the publishing houses, especially in New York. There you can show your portfolio or drop off samples, also known as "leave-behinds" for them to hold on to and consider you for future projects. At conferences, you can put out your portfolio and postcards for people to take back with them. Whatever you decide to do, make sure your work is up to par and ready to show off to the world. Once people learn about you and your work, you better be ready to get busy! Angela Padron is a published illustrator of two books, including "The Hero in You" by Ellis Paul, as well as a Star Wars geek and chocolate chip cookie connoisseur. She also writes and illustrates her own picture books, board books, and chapter books. When she's not teaching, Angela works as a freelance writer and editor for educational publishers and spends weekends enjoying walks along the beach with her family. View her online portfolio at www.angelapadron.com. You can also "like" her facebook page, follow her on Twitter @angela_padron, and follow her own blog called "Show and Tell" with weekly posts about teaching, writing and illustrating books for children. |
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