NESCBWI 2015 Spring Conference

Well, I done did it. Signed up for the conference this year after an art drought, which is still lingering but nonetheless, I'm dragging myself through it.

It's exciting to think about the Illustration Challenge, networking with kidlit folks and learning new things. Not to mention a two-day getaway. Can't remember the last time I used my suitcase (okay, no need to pull out the hankies yet...).

This year will be a little different in that I have my foot in two camps: as illustrator and writer. Having gone to the Writer's Loft a few times, I am slowly learning to carve out stories. This is not to say I know what I am doing, but I am starting down the road. Nor have I abandoned the illustration world, but I am looking at it (and myself) with different eyes. It ought to be interesting.

PiBoIdMo 2014

Back again after a major hiatus. The impetus for this post involves the completion of PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month) 2014, an annual online event organized by the amazing Tara Lazar.
This year I came up with 71 ideas, one third of which are probably tossable. A handful however, are actual candidates for books. For 2015, my goal is to complete at least one of these ideas in the form of a manuscript and possibly a dummy. I am debating about whether to do 12 x 12 (12 PB manuscripts in a year) run by Julie Hedlund. This is a large order for me, but after having done three PiBoIdMo's in a row, there must be enough material there to complete the challenge. (Or sink a boat....)

Once again, I've discovered that my writing style leans toward making lists. Maybe this satisfies my research tendencies. Looking up goofy words or discovering lingo from a sport I'm not 100% familiar with is a fun task for me. This year however, I incorporated more scribbling and proto-dummy stuff that I didn't give myself permission to do in the previous years. Why a newbie illustrator needs permission to draw is a topic for later discussion!

Anyway, thank you Tara Lazar for organizing this whole affair. The planning, managing and cheerleading of this event boggles my mind!

Maira Kalman and Mary Blair

I recently read “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Everything” by Maira Kalman. It’s basically a short picture book biography of Thomas Jefferson, but with Maira’s wonderful paintings and focus on unique details. This made me wonder, what else has Maira been up to? So I checked out her book, “The Principles of Uncertainty.” This is a great book, based on a column she did by the same name for the New Yorker. It’s essentially a journal and not really a children’s book. With Maira, however, her children’s books have an air of sophistication and her adult books are kooky so it all blends together ultimately.

I remember having read a few of Maira’s children’s books before (The Max series: “Ooh-la-la” etc) but not really liking them that much. Sure, she had a few quirky illustrations, but a lot of it didn’t hang together for me. Her book from 2003, “What Pete Ate from A to Z” I remember as being more cohesive (because it had a format: the alphabet?) Anyway, her artwork has, for me, now reached an amazing level!

Coincidentally, I was flipping through "Mary Blair Treasury of Golden Books" and was almost as jazzed-up about her work. I kept thinking , how could I like and be inspired by two artists that are so different? But alas, dear Sherlock, they're not that different. Both of them exude joy and slight zaniness (Maira a bit more perhaps). Also, their color choices are out of this world. Look at the skin tones and lack of blending on Maira's people and the odd color choices for objects (moons, trees etc.) with Mary. Both women, separated by decades and backgrounds have a similar zest for life. 

How inspiring!

In tribute, I thought I’d paint a portrait of Mary Blair if Maira Kalman were to do it. 

An exercise, hopefully not in futility!

Here's a bonus: Maira Kalman giving a TED talk.

Live Animal Study at RISD's Nature Lab

This past Sunday was a day well spent. Most of the afternoon, I was at the Edna Lawrence Nature Lab at RISD sketching live and taxidermied animals.

"Posing" for us was a dog, rabbit, turtle and I believe, an African Gray parrot. 

The proceeds went to the RISPCA, Providence Animal Rescue League and Sweet Binks Rabbit Rescue. What a great way to spend an afternoon: sketching, hanging with the animals and fellow artists plus supporting animal welfare. The whole time I went to RISD I never did more than pop my head into the lab (I missed the evening class "field trip"). Now I can't wait to get back. It's really a great resource. I'd even consider bringing my kids, though I might wait until they're pass the "Eww, that's so gross" stage!

Thanks to Christina Rodriguez for setting up this animal study. To my knowledge, it's at least the third time that she's organized this. Also thanks to Laurelin Sitterly for bringing in the animals, managing their set up and explaining some behavior and anatomy to the artists.

PiBoIdMo 2013: Mission Accomplished

I finished PiboIdMo 2013! Yay! Complete with over fifty ideas....probably half of which are tossable, but it's still comforting to know that I can pull ideas out of the old cranium. Even if they're so ridiculous only myself and one other person might find them funny or plausible. Now comes the hard part. This is the third year I've participated and have yet to complete a manuscript based on these ideas. My task this week is to whittle down the best 3-5 ideas of this year and possibly revisit the last two years.

Easy right? Not so much for Miss Lack-of-Attention-Span/Don't-I-Have Laundry-to-Attend-to? I usually have little problem coming up with ideas (some wobbly as mentioned), but fleshing them out, that's what separates the men from the boys or the senoras from the senoritas. Something like that. 

Doodle of the day: leaning brain

The other thing one notices after having done PiBoIdMo for the third year is how one's brain leans in a certain direction. I tend toward listing things: craziest inventions, ABC or 123 books, dogs around the world etc. Or, completely wacky stuff (Princess Dentist) or children who are outcast for some reason (Fussy Eddie, Nerdy Betsy). Or if I'm desperate enough, I just take an existing story and try to rework it. Just look at Cinderella....that's been done a trillion times. Not by me....yet.

So, fellow PiBoIdMo'ers or People on the Path toward Righteous Writing and Illustration (henceforth known as POPRWI), take faith in knowing that we're all stumbling along. Some in a direct and focused fashion. Others get up, race along, fall off the edge of an embankment, push off the ground, brush off the dust and hobble toward the finish line of publication. (Which as we all know is never truly a finish line. It's a process and as long as we know we're not alone, all is well.)

All things Sendak

Maurice has been on my mind lately. Through another blog, I became aware of "Sendakifying" wherein some illustrators took a scene from a Sendak book and used the style of another illustrator. How cool I thought, I'll try it. Well, it's harder than it looks. (Maybe it depends on who you're blending with Sendak.... hey I like the sound of that: Blending with Sendak, could be a whole new workshop/trend etc.) I chose Garth Williams, because he's another illustrator who's been on my mind as of late. I got a cool copy of "The Rescuers" by Margery Sharp and was entranced by William's illustrations. 

So, who better than to try than Mr. Williams (especially since no one had yet Sendakified him)? It's kind of a psychological as well as technical journey, trying to get inside the head of two illustrators simultaneously. Some people have done an amazing job. Check out Sendak's "BumbleArdy" in the style of Richard Scarry (another fave)..... just hilarious!

Here's a small work-in-progress-- my version of "The Wild Things" a la Garth Williams:

Not well-known fact: Sendak along with his brother Jack wanted to design toys.

And yet another interesting Sendak-related tidbit: "Where the Wild Things Are" was originally "Where the Wild Horses Are" and this blog entry describes how it evolved. I love seeing the behind-the-scenes evolution of a particular book or illustration.
Note to self: get a copy of "The Art of Maurice Sendak"!

More PiBoIdMo

I love this PiBoIdMo process. It really drags the creativity out of me and I enjoy sharing the journey with the other participants. In addition to Tara's website there's a Facebook group wherein people share all sorts of info and news: getting signed by an agent, not being able to come up with an idea, getting an idea and discovering it's already been written, links to articles which are inspirational etc. Two links I've found helpful are one about doodling and one about remembering what it's like to be a child when we write.

My own crazy doodles

The doodle link goes to a TED talk given by Sunni Brown who reminds us that doodling is seen as subversive and pointless by society and yet it's one of the most sophisticated ways to come up with ideas. The other link is a blog post by literary agent, Sally Apokedak, who reminds us that kids aren't interested in topics that obsess adults.

Both of these ideas are simple and yet profound.

---Keep doodling (it's okay, in fact you SHOULD be doodling.... get a prescription from your doctor).
---Never forget what it feels like to be a kid. Read this poem and you'll agree.

Poem by Mary Ann Hoberman Illus. by Marylin Hafner