Inspiration from SCBWI 2012 conference

I am just beginning to recover from the crazy (as in an exceptional kind of crazy) 4 days of the SCBWI 2012 summer conference.  There is just so much to report, which will be done, but not all at once.  I'm still processing it all.  This was my second year attending this spectacular conference.  Last year, I was completely new to this world and didn't know anyone.  I had to jump in and make friends.  This year was different.  This year,  there were many faces I recognized and knew from my region's writer's and illustrator schmoozes.  But more on this feeling later.

I began looking through my many notes and decided to look for the inspirational quotes I wrote down.  They stay with me all year long.  Here is my recap from authors, illustrators, author/illlustrators, agents, editors, and art directors:

Tony DiTerlizzi  "looking backwards to go forwards"

E.B. Lewis  "If you don't have the love of what you are doing, then you don't belong here."

Patricia MacLachlan "Children learn to speak to tell us the stories that are already in their head."

Bryan Collier "Artists, the whole world has been waiting for you to dream."  (This was my absolute favorite quote!  He spoke with such passion about artists and the "seed" of creativity inside all of us.)

Karen Cushman "To attain your hearts desire you have to help someone else."

Clare Vanderpool quoted an Siberian Elder "If you don't know the trees, you'll be lost in the forest, but if you don't know the stories, you may be lost in life."

Jon Klassen "You can't worry about the stuff you can't control.  You have to keep working and creating."

Ruta Sepetys: "You can't break the broken, but it's when you glue the pieces together you become stronger."

Antoinette Portis "Tell kids the truth."

Gary Schmidt "Write stories to give the reader more to be a human being with."

I noticed a commonality amongst all of the speakers.  It seemed as though the following phrases were heard in every keynote speech and breakout rooms.

1. Be open to surprise
2. Tell the truth
3. Create what the child version of yourself has always wanted

These things might seem like common sense, but in a conversation with a few of my fellow illustrators, we discussed how you hear the same things at every conference, but depending on where you are on your journey some words resonate with you.  We hear what we need to hear.  Sometimes we need reaffirmation of our path.  Sometimes we need guidance on a new direction.  Sometimes we need encouragement.  We all leave with something different.

What did I leave with?

-A stronger sense of community and a new friend, Laura Hoffman.  We had met at a variety of illustrator schmoozes, but we never really knew each other.  We were roommates for the conference and became good friends.  She introduced me to people, and I connected all of her social media.  She is extremely talented!  Check out her blog at http://www.laurahoffmanart.blogspot.com/.


-More confidence in my illustrations.  People had such wonderful reactions to my postcards and business cards.  I'm exactly sure how I thought they would react, but it was always fun to see them smile.

-A better understanding of how to write.  I have been struggling with my original Mizzle story.  I have been over thinking and over writing.  It was helpful listening to all of the author/illustrators, but Antoinette Portis seemed to help me the most.  At one talk, she said: "If it can go into the picture, then it has to go." At the illustrator intensive she told us: "Take out all of the words that are already in the picture and say the words that need to be said."

But before I end my post for today, I thought I'd end with my doodles and drawings from the conference.  There were more as the day came to an end. Here they are! :)

I was exhausted the last day of the conference and could not stop thinking about being home in bed :)

more sleeping

I'm not sure where she came from, but I find her adorable.

Part of the Art Journey

During my own personal journey of art, I have created paintings and drawings focused on a subject.  It seemed to be my safety net.  My first subject was the wolf.  I began drawing them in high school and found some comfort getting lost in drawing their fur.  I admired their strength, dedication to family, and their ability to maintain their individualism all while working together in a group.  In the start of college, I continued to paint them. 

While I began making my Mizzles, I fell in love with the Rapidograph technical pen.  It is my favorite drawing tool.  I discovered the book The Technical Pen by Gary Simmons, which inspired me to create my Randomness Series.  They began just as an exercise to practice with and pen and get over my fear of making mistakes. 

 

Then I began creating paintings of my Mizzles, which led to drawing trees and squirrels.  It is here where I've stayed in a safety net.  My entire illustrator's portfolio is strictly Mizzles.

I tried drawing kids, but it never felt quite right creating kid characters.  Perhaps it is because I was afraid to branch out of my comfort zone.  I began taking the Hero's Art Journey online course with Mira Reisberg at the beginning of June.  I had been feeling stuck with my illustrations and story.  This course came at the right time and it has been amazing.  Mira has developed a great online course that is simple for any person of any skill to follow and enjoy.  Each day is planned out with short articles to guide and inspire.  The other thing I love about the course is that we are encouraged to show our work, especially if it is still in progress. 

I wasn't completely sure what to expect from this course.  I figured if anything were to come from taking this course I would leave with new ideas and techniques to share with my students.  But I have received so much more.  Somehow and somewhere a little girl appeared in my artwork.  I'm not sure where she came from, but I have enjoyed seeing her appear and grow.

This is still in progress, but it's coming along.

There are 2 more weeks in the course.  I'm not sure if she will continue to show up in the next two paintings, but I'm happy she has appeared in these.

Sunday Agglomeration

 I have been out of sorts lately.  My drawing routine has been completely disrupted by life.  I had absolutely no drawings for a Sunday Agglomeration post last Sunday.  It has really thrown me off balance by not having time to draw.  The school year gets closer and closer to the end and I feel like more and more tasks appear with no end in sight.  I am looking forward to summer vacation and being able to be a full time artist for a few months.  I managed to make time for a few creations. 

I'm still stuck on a yoga theme for my daily drawings.

sphinx

shoulder stand

plank

reverse warrior

I also made new Mizzles.  On my yoga retreat, my friend and I stopped and bought some socks that had a yoga vibe.  A few years ago, I began making Mizzles from any trip that I've been on. I haven't finished their faces, but they are already full of personality.

I finished a few more shrink-a-dinks.

I am hoping that this week will be the jump start I need to get me back into constant creation mode.  Tomorrow, I begin taking Mira Reisberg's online e-course, Hero's Art Journey.  It should be an exciting adventure!  There is still time to sign up for her class if anyone is interested. www.herosartjourney.com

 

Busy week

This week has been busy and felt very much like a roller coaster ride.  It went something like this: I spent 3 days after school working on murals with my co-advisor and students; found out the district has said we are not allowed to do anymore murals on campus; coming up with creative solutions to our mural problem; cutting mats and preparing for our school's art show next week during open house; designing and ordering bookmarks for agent's day; photographing new artwork to update my portfolio; driving the ugliest pinkish- cream colored gas guzzling rental car; found out my best friend will be coming home this weekend and we get hang out; had a fun and successful art club "Fat and Happy" day (what we call our potluck); picking up my car from the repair shop; and lastly, edited and updated my website.  Now I just need to get through Friday.  I think an IV of coffee might be necessary, or maybe just mint green tea.

Saturday is Agent's Day.  This will be the first time I attend this event. I haven't really heard a lot of positive reviews for this event in regards to illustrators.  Reading the information on the website and what has been emailed to us, it seems to be more writer oriented.  But I believe in giving things a shot.  You never know what might happen or who you might meet.  I don't really know what to expect, but after adding pieces to my portfolio, receiving my bookmarks in the mail, and fixing my website I'm actually a bit excited to attend.  I can already see a difference in my portfolio of my progress.  




I still love my pen and colored pencil work, but I enjoy the way my characters look done with watercolor pencils.  They look soft and cuddly. I love my original drawings with their black and white backgrounds and colorful characters.  I thought it was a unique style that would set me apart from other.  But the full color illustrations have begun to win me over.

New Drawings and a work in progress

As always, my weekend was busy with the school garden and hiking. Sprinkled throughout this weekend, I created a few drawings and worked on a colored illustration.  I took a few of the garden illustrations I drew and combined them.  I am using Prismacolor and General's watercolor pencils and outlining with pen.

Smiles and Different Styles

I woke up today feeling amazing.  I can't explain why.  I don't understand it myself considering my neighbor upstairs made so much noise that I had very little sleep.  But this morning I was all smiles.  I took a break from the sketchbook project and allowed my creative brain a little time to unwind.  In addition, I decided to recreate an illustration I have been working on.  I have been working with watercolor pencils for a few months now.  I am not a fan of watercolor because I lack the patience of waiting for areas to dry.  But I absolutely love the watercolor pencils.  I still need to experiment with them more.  This is my second illustration in watercolor pencil and it is still in progress. 

I need to learn to have more patience with the watercolor pencil because I tend to lay down more color than I really need.  Because I do this, it is preventing me from getting strong contrasts in my values. I have also noticed that using the watercolor pencils changes the appearance of my squirrel.  After I began adding the watercolor pencil to the drawing, I had realized this drawing would have been so much sweeter or cuter if the squirrel's head was tilted up towards the Mizzle.  I guess I could still change it since I haven't used too much color on the squirrel, but I might risk ruining the texture of the paper.  I might just leave it as is.

For today's drawing, I thought I would replicate this illustration and make that change in the squirrel.  I have noticed in the past that when I try to replicate a drawing it doesn't have the same look or feel.  But I feel this time was pretty successful.

My favorite media to work in is Prismacolor colored pencils and pen and ink.  I find it fascinating how what medium you choose to work in changes the look of the artwork.  It even changes the feel of the characters.  I just want to cuddle with the characters in the watercolor piece, but find myself smiling more at the ink drawing.  The latter has a more whimsical feel, but that could be because I haven't finished the first drawing.  Depending on what I place or not place in the background could change that feel. 

Dancing in the Rain

Today's drawing is dedicated to my friend, Lydia. Yesterday, I wasn't exactly sure of what to draw for my daily drawing.  She recommended I create a drawing of the Mizzles dancing in the rain.  Thanks, Lydia, for the great idea. I had a lot of fun drawing this illustration. These drawings have become easier and easier to create; taking me less and less time. Even my sister was bit surprised how quickly I was able to complete today's drawing.