I did a new piece this week, loosely using my niece's husband and son as models. The prompt word is shades, so I'm calling it "Shades of Spring." I did it with my "new style," hand-painted figures done in watercolor, and photographs manipulated in Photoshop. It's been a glorious week here in New England... maybe even a bit too hot yesterday. Daffodils are up, and the ones in the illustration are from my garden (but not this year.) Hope everyone is enjoying the early spring. We can cross our fingers and hope we don't get frost next week.
Once again, I've been remiss in my attempts to get a new piece out for Illustration Friday, so here is another older piece for the word YIELD. This was an illustration for a story about a woman homesteader in the 1920's. Among the mountainload of problems that homesteaders faced was the dreaded "plague of locusts" (the swarming phase of grasshoppers), which could strip a farmer's summer yield in minutes. What a heartbreak that must have been. This piece was one of the first where I employed the use of Photoshop. I hope that you will find it difficult to see how I cloned, copied, and re-sized after painting the first half of this piece. Did I save time? Hmmmmm. I think so, but the Photoshop process is time-consuming and involves drawing and design skills, too, so I don't want folks to think it was a cinch. Here's a close-up of part of the piece.
I posted about setting up a studio for my students on the RISD-CE blog, Drawing Together, but I thought it might be of interest to those who read this blog as well. So here is a little advice, and some pix and links to working illustration studios.
My own workspace is in tight quarters... a sun room.
1. Create your own dedicated space.
When you need to clear your work off the dining room table
before you can feed the family, you're wasting precious time. Get your own space...
a place that's yours, and yours alone... even if it's a small desk tucked into a corner.
CE's children's book writing instructor, Marlo Garnsworthy, set up her own art space recently. It only takes a corner of
one room, but is practical and inviting.
Marlo's newly created workspace
Marlo's space hard at work!
2. Get good light.
Illustration comes from the Latin word that means "to light up." Follow that advice!
Traditionally, north light is supposed to be best for artists, but I
like any and all the natural light I can get. You also need at least one
of those adjustable neck lights so you can pull it
exactly to where you want.
Fluorescent or incandescent can be debated for days... your
choice. The fluorescent lights with a magnifying glass are great for
those
little details.
RISD CE-instructor Judith Moffatt has a
wonderful studio. The L-shaped configuration of desk and worktable is an
especially efficient set-up, and accommodates her computer as well. And check out the lighting!!! Heaven!
Judith Moffatt's well-lit workspace
3. Get comfortable.
If
you're hunched over with no back support, you're going to have neck and back
problems down the road. Get a chair with an adjustable seat and have place to
rest your feet. Many artists prefer desks that can be tilted. Some folks use
high desks, and stand instead of sitting.
Artists often suffer from repetitive motion injuries, too. Pay attention as you work to creeping aches and stiffness. Even with good seating, stand up and walk around at least
every hour. Do a few stretches, gently roll your shoulders and neck, or stand
with your back against the wall and do a few pelvic tilts.
4. Have your tools handy.
Set up
hooks for rulers, T-squares, etc. Use lazy-susans or other tabletop organizers.
Office, art, and scrapbook supply stores offer many options. Mobile taborets
are popular, although I've never gotten mine to function that usefully. Drawers, shelves, racks... you get the picture.
I love this double lazy-Susan from kitchen storage at Target.
Specialized containers can be useful.
5. Create adequate storage.
You need a place for materials that you only use
occasionally, such as papers, reference books, specialized tools, and
finished
art. If your space is limited, you can put these in a separate room. My
basement is dry, so it works well for storage, but attics and
basements can be problematic because of heat, cold, damp and pests.
Deep,
professional quality legal size file cabinets are useful, and flat files
are fabulous, but they can cost an arm and a leg. I was fortunate to get many of my storage containers from used office
supply stores for more reasonable prices. Cheap file cabinets aren't
cost-effective
if they stop opening when fully loaded, and I don't mind the few dings in my high-quality used file cabinets with overloaded drawers that roll with the push of a finger.
Flat files in my cool, dry basement.
Don't forget a place for the peripherals... close enough so
they can get wired up properly. Printer, scanner, computer, back-up hard-drive. A place to do cutting is good too. And a self-healing mat.
Judith Moffatt's flat files, printers, and reference books.
Judith's studio. You can never have too much storage space, light and decorative touches (or purple).
5. Create a place to display your work in process.
Ideally, you'll have a place to view reference
materials, inspiration boards, sketches, etc while you're working. Try
to have a bulletin board or open wall space nearby. If you checked out Don Tate's link above, you'll see that even the floor can work. Pin or prop up your work, and stand back to view it from a distance from time to time.
For a few peeks at spaces to aspire to, here are some
links.
Illustrator Susan Kathleen Hartung's studio tour. click here
Blog tour of the ultra charming studio of Jenny B. Harris,
"illustrator, designer and generally artsy crafty person." click here
No matter how little space you have, you can make it work
for you!
This week's prompt word for illustration Friday was POPULARITY. To give myself a little extra inspiration, I found an Aldous Huxley quote: To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs.
Puppies and children are high on the popular meter, too... so here is my illustration, done traditionally using watercolors.
And a Happy Valentine's Day to everyone, as well!!!
Am I moving forward today? Sadly, I am posting an older piece. I worked on a new one, but wasn't ready to put it up today. It was similar to this, with snow, and running children and a dog. I did this many years ago, but still love to play with detail against open areas.
I'd like to give credit to fellow illustrator, Marion Eldridge, for moving FORWARD this week by doing a digital piece for Illustration Friday. I, too, am exploring the digital realm, and am impressed with her progress. Love your "baby steps," Marion. Click here to see Marion's post.
I played with character and movement this week. I started with sketches of children twirling, and this went through many incarnations. Still not sure if this is my favorite, but it's 11:30 on Thursday night... the next Illustration Friday is knocking on my door...
Chinese New Year is almost here. On January 23, 2012, why not join millions around the world who are welcoming the Year of the Dragon.
A few customs to help PREPARE for the New Year, and to ensure a prosperous and healthy year are:
Clean your entire home and put away all your brooms and brushes.
Pay your debts.
Resolve difference with friends and family. (What a really great idea!)
When I illustrated Celebrating Chinese New Year: Nick's New Year, I was fortunate to be invited to the home of a Chinese American family. They shared the customs they follow with me, and posed as models for my illustrations.
Here is one of the illustrations from the book.
illustration by Cheryl Kirk Noll
The text says, "Everyone gets a haircut and wears new clothes."
This book was written by Rosa Drew and Heather Phillips, illustrated by Cheryl Kirk Noll, and is still available.
After all the family time during the holidays, I'm back to trying my hand at new work for Illustration Friday. This week's prompt word was "grounded." Watching my grand-niece, Zoe on the cusp of walking, I was inspired to illustrate this amazing process.
I had a great time talking about children's books with a group of Rhode Island librarians this week at a Professional Development Workshop where we discussed and voted for the Mock Caldecott Award for 2012. The event was held at the stately William Hall library on Broad Street in Cranston.
The Caldecott Medal has been given annually since 1938 by the Association for Library Service to Children (a division of the American Library Association) to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
The real Caldecott Medal will be announced in Dallas at 7:45 a.m. CT on Jan.23, 2012, along with announcements for the Newbery Medal,
the Coretta Scott King Book Award and Printz award. The books honored
serve as a guide for parents, educators, and librarians. The awards are selected under a cloak of secrecy by national judging
committees composed of librarians and other children’s literature
experts.
Since I was giving a Powerpoint presentation about children's book
design at the workshop, I delved into the criteria for this particular
award. Here is my version of the criteria, condensed and simplified:
What is a "Picture book for children?"
• Children up to age 14 are an intended potential audience,
• The book displays respect for their understandings,
abilities, and appreciations.
• The book provides the child with a visual experience
• It develops a collective unity of story-line, theme, or
concept through...pictures.
Criteria to consider:
Excellence of pictorial interpretation of story, theme, or
concept;
Delineation of plot, theme, characters, setting, mood or
information through the pictures;
Excellence of execution in the artistic technique employed;
Appropriateness of style of illustration to the story, theme
or concept;
Excellence of presentation in recognition of a child
audience.
What makes a picture book “distinguished?”
Marked by eminence and distinction, excellence in quality.
Noted for significant achievement.
Individually distinct.
If you want to see the criteria in it's original form, along with all the Caldecott award and Honor Books for the past 75 years, click here for the ALSC site.
A tiny sample of the books that won the Caldecott in earlier years:
2010: The Lion & the Mouseby Jerry Pinkney (Little, Brown & Company)
1963: The Snowy Dayby Ezra Jack Keats (Viking)
1943: The Little Houseby Virginia Lee Burton (Houghton)
AND THE WINNER IS...
With the wealth of incredible artists who create stunning visual experiences for children, and stories and characters that ranged from hilarious to profound, the choosing wasn't easy. We started with 30 titles, and voted a bit hurriedly at the end, but these were the picks for this year's Caldecott from a small group of RI librarians and illustrators.
WINNER: Grandpa Green, by Lane Smith.
To read more about the making of Grandpa Green, you'll find a wonderful article and extensive photos on Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. This, by the way, is a site that children's book enthusiasts could study for weeks on end, it has such a wealth of information. To access the Lane Smith article, click here: feature about Lane Smith and Grandpa Green
HONOR BOOK: Me... Jane, by Patrick McDonnell
This beautifully designed book tells of Jane Goodall's childhood dreams, complete with photographs and excepts from a diary she kept.
Me... Jane, by Patrick McDonnell
HONOR BOOK: Blackout, by John Rocco
This is the story of city folks who come out of their apartments when the lights go out in New York City. With a hybrid graphic novel/picture book look, the story is essentially one of family and community.
Blackout, by John Rocco
Here is a trailer about "Blackout."
There are so many wonderful books to choose from. Go check out a few of them on your own!
Thanks to Cheryl Space for putting together such a great event, to Wendy and Walter for coming, and to all the book-loving and insightful librarians for a fun morning.
It will be interesting to see who wins on January 23.
For years now, I have had the privilege of working for the children's magazine, Highlights for Children. You've heard of them... Goofus and Gallant, the Timbertoes, and most notably, Hidden Pictures!!
from "The Tennin's Robe," Highlights for Children, copyrighted material
A version of this illustration appeared in the March 2008 issue of Highlights to illustrate "The Tennin's Robe, by Philis Gershator. I later modified it to send as a holiday card.
Tennins are spiritual beings found in Japanese Buddhist art that have some of the characteristics of western angels. They can fly, and sometimes wear feathered
kimonos called hagoromo ("dress of feathers").
Highlights for Children is a family-owned magazine, and they treat their illustrators like gold. Working for them has certainly been a "highlight" of my career.
