Tips & Commentary from the 2009 SCBWI Winter Conference NYC Art Director's Panel.The Panel consisted of 3 AD's representing 2 trade pubs and 1 mass market pub. They reviewed previously selected samples from 10 anonymous illustrators. Fresh, New, Exciting, Dated, Cliche, art labeled according to the perspectives of the AD. If the retro look is a current and an exciting new trend what made something else dated?
What they want from our illustrations:
- Strong Characters
- Impact: Does it grab you and draw you in?
- Narration: do they tell a story?
- Dependability
- Creatitivity
- Craft
- Concept: Is there an original ideal? Does it make you want to see more?
- Something accessible yet fresh.
How to get noticed:
- Send Postcards. Make illustration image big. Contact info type to a minimum and smaller. Do 3 or 4 mailings a year.
- Get published in other related markets (kid's magazines, greeting cards, etc).
- Websites and blogs. Websites are great because they can share the url with colleagues when discussing a project. Blogs give insight to the person behind the art.
Misc Tips
- Illustrator source books have gone the way of the dodo.
- If there is a product in your illustration make up your own product logo vs doing a known company logo to avoid possible lawsuits and other complication. Ex: the 3 bears are making porridge don't draw your favorite brand. Design your own!
2009 SCBWI Portfolio Room: No feed back... you only know if someone liked your work if they took a sample and than of course you would only know whom, IF they contacted you. Unsatisfying - but the equivalent of doing a multi-pub house drop off.
Showing posts with label SCBWI Winter Conference. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SCBWI Winter Conference. Show all posts
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Fri Illustrator's Intensive: Part I - Workshops
*I will be using initials, etc. where/when the info is proprietary to the SCBWI.
Fri, 1/30/09. 5am rise & shine - got to catch the 6:38 train! Yikes - glad I don't have to commute daily. Anyway I'm at the Hyatt for the SCBWI Winter Conference, Illustrator's Intensive and I'm very excited about my 2 workshops: Digital Painting and Graphic Novels.
Big Changes in 2009. Publishing is in transition. Time to reinvent , re-define. There are more & newer forms of publishing: electronic, web, etc. but not more $$. What worked before may not work anymore. A crisis is a Terrible thing to waste! Do you see a theme here? Illustrators evolve, adapt or else??? -And this was just the opening!
Leo & Diane Dillon, illustration royalty, gracious and awe inspiring, showed a body of work that was constantly changing. They were lucky to have never been pigeon holed in any particular style, given the freedom to constantly experiment at whim. Through out all from woodcuts to friskets, Sci-fi book jackets to picture books, the one and only constant was the Dillon's aesthetic taste. Somehow they escaped the concept that one must have a style/Brand to successfully market oneself as an illustrator, and were able to create to the project.
A Traditional Aproach to Digital Painting - taught by illustrator William Low. This was an amazing workshop. I'm a traditional illustrator with knowlege of photoshop 7 vs the latest CS whatever. However I went home w/pages of notes and a semesters worth of info and loads of ideas on how to work smarter w/some digital help from PS7. Needless to say I can't wait to buy a new computer and be able to play w/the latest CS.
Attention Picture Book Writer/Illustrators: You Can Create a Graphic Novel: Here's How - This workshop should have been called: Survival tactics for illustrators. Elise Primavera showed how she adapted her style over the years to stay on top of the changing market. From her early work, classic pen & ink to her best seller; Auntie Claus, pastels, to her recent graphic novels, Fred and Anthony Escape from the Netherworld, loose doodlely ink line. She exhorted us to copy (as a way of learning) what we felt was current to digest and ultimately make our own - until the next cycle. She also told us (and this was a theme that ran through the whole conference) to mine our childhood journals/sketch bks/memories for Mid grade/teen & graphic novel ideas. Tips on staying fresh: Get uncomfortable! Try new things, techniques. Welcome the squirmy feeling. Don't be afraid of beginning with a chaotic mess and keep that energy going.
So Yes - I will create a graphic novel and be very squirmy doing it and have it sub ready before the trend expires! GWAH! I'm very uncomfortable now!
Fri, 1/30/09. 5am rise & shine - got to catch the 6:38 train! Yikes - glad I don't have to commute daily. Anyway I'm at the Hyatt for the SCBWI Winter Conference, Illustrator's Intensive and I'm very excited about my 2 workshops: Digital Painting and Graphic Novels.
Big Changes in 2009. Publishing is in transition. Time to reinvent , re-define. There are more & newer forms of publishing: electronic, web, etc. but not more $$. What worked before may not work anymore. A crisis is a Terrible thing to waste! Do you see a theme here? Illustrators evolve, adapt or else??? -And this was just the opening!
Leo & Diane Dillon, illustration royalty, gracious and awe inspiring, showed a body of work that was constantly changing. They were lucky to have never been pigeon holed in any particular style, given the freedom to constantly experiment at whim. Through out all from woodcuts to friskets, Sci-fi book jackets to picture books, the one and only constant was the Dillon's aesthetic taste. Somehow they escaped the concept that one must have a style/Brand to successfully market oneself as an illustrator, and were able to create to the project.
A Traditional Aproach to Digital Painting - taught by illustrator William Low. This was an amazing workshop. I'm a traditional illustrator with knowlege of photoshop 7 vs the latest CS whatever. However I went home w/pages of notes and a semesters worth of info and loads of ideas on how to work smarter w/some digital help from PS7. Needless to say I can't wait to buy a new computer and be able to play w/the latest CS.
Attention Picture Book Writer/Illustrators: You Can Create a Graphic Novel: Here's How - This workshop should have been called: Survival tactics for illustrators. Elise Primavera showed how she adapted her style over the years to stay on top of the changing market. From her early work, classic pen & ink to her best seller; Auntie Claus, pastels, to her recent graphic novels, Fred and Anthony Escape from the Netherworld, loose doodlely ink line. She exhorted us to copy (as a way of learning) what we felt was current to digest and ultimately make our own - until the next cycle. She also told us (and this was a theme that ran through the whole conference) to mine our childhood journals/sketch bks/memories for Mid grade/teen & graphic novel ideas. Tips on staying fresh: Get uncomfortable! Try new things, techniques. Welcome the squirmy feeling. Don't be afraid of beginning with a chaotic mess and keep that energy going.
So Yes - I will create a graphic novel and be very squirmy doing it and have it sub ready before the trend expires! GWAH! I'm very uncomfortable now!
Monday, February 2, 2009
Apres SCBWI Winter Conference!
Groundhog Escapes!© Diana Ting Delosh, Ink & watercolor illustration
This past weekend, I attended the SCBWI Winter Conference. Which meant 3 very early mornings and long days. I'm still recovering and feeling a bit numb. I'll blog in more details once I've digested my experience. So what are my overall impressions of this conference? Any exciting tips to share?
Art directors, editors, literary agents, oh my - apparently are all looking at artists and writers blogs! Yay - or might that be - Uh Oh!
Websites for illustrators are a must. Art Directors prefer to search the web for artists vs illustrator source books.
Publishers paper catalogs will also soon be extinct.
The conference was in general inspiring - but is it my imagination that the 2009 message for the writers was kinder and hopeful, compared to the illustrators message of adapt, evolve or else. Hm-m-m -m. I'll definitely have to give it a few days to percolate before I write about that one!
- Happy Groundhog's Day!
Puxatawny Phil predicts 6 more weeks of winter, but my local groundhogs, Chuck and Mel predict an early spring. I'll go with my local boys.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)