Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Hard to be happy.

Another gray day in May. At least tomorrow I can write about it being gray in June. That won't rhyme as nicely. Going to the post office today to send my story to Blooming Tree. Possum Summer. My critique group really helped to set me on the right track. They suggested that there was no change occuring for the character. I added in a new main character to be the antithesis of the cheeky old main character. It helped a lot. Thanks to Jennifer Jacobson for making this clear to me in her character workshop. Don't you love when you can apply a new piece of knowledge.

Any ideas for things to do with kids on rainy days? Post a comment or send me an email.

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Rain

It is raining, cold, windy, and miserable. Out of 18,000 possible minutes of sunshine for the month of May, we have only received 7,000. The kids are bouncing off the walls and I am aching for light.
Did I mention it is raining, cold, windy and miserable?

Monday, May 23, 2005

Great Conference

Wow! What a great conference. All those involved in the planning of the New England SCBWI deserve a big round of applause. Things went smoothly, sessions ran on time, the speakers were intelligent (academic even) and though provoking. I learned a lot. I think my favorite sessions were from Jennifer Richard Jacobson, on creating remarkable characters, www.jenniferjacobson.com and Alexis O'Neill, on great school visits, www.alexisoneill.com

I was able to make a lot of contacts and show my art work. The poster looked good and I was proud of my work. My critique was helpful. Edie Weinberg of Macmillan/McGraw Hill was positive about my work and gave me very concrete suggestions on how to improve my presentation and my art work. The first looks panel was not too harsh. I think when we are honest with ourselves we are not surprised with blunt or straightforward critique. I felt I already knew it in my heart.

The best part of these events is how I get recharged. My hotel room gave me the idea for my third novel. ( I wonder when I will get out number one and write number two....hmmmm) I got a great brainstorm about how a squirrel can help me with my dummy of Wanted, New Mommy. This and much more.

I will try to check in regularly to update you on progress and post new art as it becomes available. Today-- work on Wanted dummy.

It is raining outside, the radio says this was the 5th weekend in a row. A parent at pre-school said that we will not see the sun until June 1 according to computer weather sites. Ugh! This will only make for wacky children and a foggy headed Mommy. Oh well. Onward!

Thursday, May 19, 2005

New England Conference this weekend

Well folks, this weekend is the annual New England SCBWI conference. I look forward to this one all year long. After attending the New York conference I appreciate this one even more. The workshops are especially helpful and I always feel that I've learned a lot and can come back to the studio with some new information.

This year I'm focusing more on my illustration since that has been a lot of my work this year. I will have a portfolio critique and I am making a poster to display my work. Hopefully the added promotion will pay off. I will also have manuscript on hand -just in case- but I have never known an editor to ask for a manuscript proposal at a conference.

While I create images, I am constantly bringing myself back to a wonderful workshop I went to with Alison Keene who was, at that time, the art director for Barefoot Books but she has since moved on. She explained the criteria that she looks for in a good illustration. Really, a good illustration tells a story. Here are some of the specific things she looks for. I'm publishing these to remind myself of her words and if anyone is out there, maybe it will be helpful for you too.

1. Conveys Emotion: there needs to be a clear relationship present, connections between people and connections between objects (composition) These can often be shown using size color and space.
2. Each image should have a clear focus.
3. Character: shows humanity (even in animal), larger than life, appealing
4. Versatility
5. Storytelling: adds dimension to the text.

Have a great weekend. See you at the conference.

Saturday, May 14, 2005

Busy Week

Another busy week here in creative chaos land. My photoshop class has come to an end and I have to say I am sad. I really enjoy the time to be with other people who think that learning out how to make letters that look carved or finding a shortcut on photoshop is cool. For the last class I finished a big project that included stitching scanned work together and cutting, pasting, scaling, coloring. The finished piece is exciting. It should be somewhere on or near this page as I tried to upload it using the bloggerbot hello program.

In other news. I met with a printer to determine cost of making t-shirts in real time. If I have the orders from shops I think it is worth it. Now I need the orders from shops. That means I need the time to meet with owners and show them my samples. Good news, I met with PortCity editor who was very kind and complementary about my portfolio, the shirts and the Fall Folio Feast event I am planning for the Maine Illustrator's Collective. Maybe I can get some orders from that publicity.

Have a great day, I'll try to write more regularly. If you are out there in cyber land, go ahead and post a comment. I'd love to know if anyone reads my thoughts. Thanks.


Here is the final photshop project I created for my class. Posted by Hello

Sunday, May 01, 2005

Good news

Good news. Sylvia Wyler of Wyler Gallery on Maine and Pleasant Streets in Brunswick, Maine has agreed to carry some of my infant/toddler t-shirts, bibs and onesies. You can still get them at cafepress but if you are interested in purchasing them and you live in the area, head for Wyler Gallery. If she sells the 13 pieces she bought, then she'll probably be interested in purchasing more.

I am meeting with a few other shops and have quickly realized that the cafepress thing will not work for local shops. I just don't make enough money per item. So, I am on the look out for good, inexpensive t-shirt printers in the area. If you have any ideas, leave me a comment.

In other news... The Maine Illustrator's Collective, is moving forward with our Portfolio Showcase event. The date is set October 8th. We are in the process of finding a guest speaker, space, and promotion. If you have ideas about any of these things, leave me a comment on the blog or email me at my website. The Collective has its next meeting on Wednesday, May 25th. Place to be announced. www.maineillustratorscollective.com