What I've Been Up To

Hi Everyone! I haven't posted in a while, so I thought I would write a little post to say "hello" to everyone who visits my little corner of the internet.

Moving into the new house has been going well. I can't stress how much I love my new studio. True, I have not have time to decorate the space, but it is so great to have a great big room and a great big desk completely devoted to my projects. Right now, it is an absolute mess, and I love it. I have reference material spread out everywhere! Mostly books on trains. I'm currently working on a picturebook for the Children's Museum of Indianapolis about their Reuben Wells steam engine. This has been very challenging. I've had to surround myself with a lot of historical references, and of course, hundreds of pictures of trains. The biggest challenge has been to anthropomorphize the trains. Since the main characters are the trains, it is very important that they can convey all sorts of human emotions while also keeping their distinct historical features. Finding the balance was difficult, but once I "found" the characters, it was very rewarding. I'm about half way through the spread sketches right now, and am really pleased with how the book is developing visually; I hope the client will feel the same.

I also just finished my image for my Picturebook 2010 advertisment page. My agent urged me to focus on 2 things while creating my image: 1) Do a night scene (since most of my portfolio shows daytime scenes) and 2) show both human characters and anthropomorphic animals (to show that I can do both). This past Decemeber, I had a carnival themed project. Some of the sketches were scrapped, and so I took the ferris wheel scene and expanded it into this new piece. The original reject-sketch had just one car with 2 children, and showed the carnival in the background during the day. For this new piece, I zoomed out to show more of the ferris wheel, and populated the cars with kids and animals. My favorite part was coming up with unique and fun animals. It was especially important that I choose colorful animals, so that they would stand out against a dark background. Although I painted the final art in watercolor, I ended up going back into the background to add some background details and atmosphere digitally. I am really pleased with the final piece, and feel that it showcases my artistic growth over the past year.

Also, that carnical theme project that I mentioned? It has been printed! You can see it at the Highmith/Upstart webiste. I always get a kick out of seeing my artwork in use as a final product. I really can't wait until later in the year when I can see the "Pass the Ball" book that I worked on in Dec-Feb, which should be out late in 2009. In the meantime, I have plenty of work with my new picturebook to keep me busy!

New Studio for JZ Artworks

Well, after 6 months of waiting, my husband and I have finally moved into our new home! We are still unpacking, solving small projects and trying to get settled, but we love it. One of my favorite parts of moving into this home is that I now have my very own studio space. It isn't decorated yet, but my desk and computer are set up, and I have already begun working in the room. It's great! I love having my big art desk back (it was being stored at my parents' house). The desk has a flat file which is perfect for my large sheets of watercolor paper. I also enjoy the natural lighting. My previous workspace was in the basement of our condo, and now I have really enjoyed being able to look out the window while I work.
The room also has a really useful ledge going around 2 of the walls. I have been using this to prop up paintings from my latest book project. This way, I can easily check the colors for consistency as I create each new page. I can't wait for the room to be set up how I envision it, but for now, it is great to have a workspace that is all my own and completely centered around my illustration process.

Pirate School 8 Released

Hi Everyone! Just a short note to let you know that the final book in the Pirate School Series, "Shiver Me Shipwreck", has been released. If you wish to purchase, you can find it on Amazon through my online store. This story was fun to illustrate, because it involves some new characters, lots of water (for some reason, I like illustrating water), and of course Inna is her spunky self. You'll even get to meet Vicky and Aaron's parents! I can't wait to see the printed book myself!

My 2 Cents to Aspiring Illustrators

I have been getting a lot of questions lately about "how do you become a freelance children's book illustrator." Specifically, college students tend to contact me regularly to interview me as a "professional artist in your field of interest" for their class projects. I can't guarantee that the road that I followed will work out for everyone, but I do think that many illustrators got where they are today by taking a similar course. Since many aspiring illustrators have similar questions, I thought I would post the questions from these students and my responses. This is by no means a "don't contact me with any more questions" post! I love being able to share my experiences with others to help them get where they want to be with their career, just as other experienced illustrators did for me when I was a college graduate. I just figured that I might as well post some of this information on my little corner of the internet, and if anyone has any specific or further questions, feel free to contact me! Hope this helps as a good starting point to help new illustrators start off in the right direction:

Letter to Student:

I am happy to help you with your interview project, and am glad that you enjoyed my work for the Pirate School series. Please see my answers to your questions below.

1) Have you always wanted to pursue visual design as a career, or did you think you would be doing something else with your life?

Well, when I was 5 I wanted to be a paleontologist, but after that, yes, I have always wanted to be in an artistic career. During junior high and high school I spent many hours practicing in my sketchbook, and researching animation (mostly Disney), since I wanted to become an animator. In college, I majored in graphic design and virtual reality. Through this process I realized that while I still wanted to unite imagery and storytelling, I did not feel like a career in animation was right for me. I became a graphic designer, then a creative director for a multimedia marketing agency. Today, I have a fulfilling career as a children's book illustrator, and feel that this meets my goals.

2) How does a visual design career compare to what you imagined it would be?

I think many people have two misconceptions: 1- They don't realize how broad the artistic field is and 2 - they don't realize how hard one must work to realize specific goals. While graphic design and creative direction were not my end-goals, they provided business experience and much practical knowledge that was important for me to have as an illustrator. They also provided a steady income and health benefits while I worked towards my illustrator goal. This means that for 3 years, I worked about 75 hours a week (40 + at my full time job, and every night, holiday and weekend illustrating to build up a portfolio and client base). To become a successful illustrator, one must have a good deal of discipline and business sense, which I learned while on staff at my previous jobs. Few people just graduate and then jump into a successful illustration career. For many, it takes years, and you have to eat and pay bills in the meantime.

3) Where do you get your creativity and inspiration from?

Everywhere. I carry a sketchbook everywhere and doodle constantly. These often serve as inspirations for projects. I almost always draw or paint to music as well.

4) What do you feel is the best way to get your artwork noticed for the purpose of working steadily?

There is no guarantee that any method will work. However, here is a good course of action.

1 - First become so good at your craft that you stand out amidst your competition. Have a distinct style, and be able to execute this style quickly and consistently, with enough variety that each project looks like a unique project.

2 - Have a budget of about $3000.00 per year. Use this to buy a domain and website for yourself, get promotional postcards printed (which you then sent to art directors at publishing houses that you are interested in. Do this 4 times a year). Buy spots in online and printed directories (such as directory of illustration, Ispot and Picturebook - whichever are most applicable to your art). With research, targeted marketing, consistency and luck, your artwork should get noticed eventually.

Basically, there is no one avenue to promoting yourself. Successful artists use as many avenues and mediums as possible for promotion until they are known in the industry.

5) What other crucial advice would you give to an aspiring artist like me who would love to follow in footsteps very similar to your own?

Join SCBWI (www.SCBWI.org). They have resources such as publishing house contacts, lists of agents, etc for illustrators and writers. Also, read everything you can in the discussion forums, since you will find answers to questions you did not even know to ask!

Get a full time job as a graphic designer, or some other regular paying job. You must invest a lot of your own money into this illustration business before it pays off, and you will need money to help fund that.

Understand that many of people who want to be in the business of children's book illustration will fail, because they will quit before they succeed. Before many illustrators can afford to leave their full time job, they have to put in long nights, have no weekends, no holidays, no personal time, and sacrifice financially. Some will simply burn out or decide that this just isn't worth it. That is fine. There is nothing wrong with deciding that freelance is not right for you, and being happy in a job with health benefits is not wrong!

I found that getting an agent (after I was published - most agencies to not accept non-published illustrators, and getting a good agent can be as hard as getting a publisher), was a good career move for me. My agent negotiates my contracts now and handles my marketing, as well as helps me to improve as an artist so that my work is more marketable.

Research, research, research before you do anything! Purchase the Graphic Artists Guild handbook (on Amazon for about $35.00) to understand pricing, rights, contracts, and everything. Know about business tax deductions, and keep detailed records of your expenses so that you can make appropriate deductions on your taxes. Research publishers before you send samples of you work (understand what type of work they publish, and tailor your samples to their interests). Talk to other illustrators. Remember, you are a business owner. You are your own secretary, lawyer, accountant, project manager, etc. It is your job to know industry standard practices, fees, etc. so that you can negotiate contracts accordingly.
Many clients will want artwork delivered digitally. Buy a nice scanner, set up an FTP site, and learn Photoshop (if you have not done so already).

Hope this helps! Good luck on your project and your career!

Seasons Greetings

Hi everyone! I don't know about you, but I always forget about sending out my Christmas cards until the very last minute. I can never find time to just sit down and write them. So this year, I have resolved to finish my Christmas cards over Thanksgiving, so that they can be mailed on December first! But actually, I've been working on Christmas cards since October, because this year, I am sending out cards with my own illustrations on the front. I've been wanting to do that for years! I've been really inspired by porcupines lately, and so I came up with this image of brother and sister porcupines building their version of a snowman. If you like the image and would like to get a head start on your holiday mail as well, my holiday greeting cards are available through my online store with DeviantArt. The cards are blank inside, so you can write whatever message you want, for whichever holiday you celebrate this season! The image is also available as a postcard through the same online store. Good luck with your holiday shopping, everyone! (As for me....I am not brave enough to face the crowds at the stores.....I'm ordering my family's gifts online.)

New York Trip

I just got back from a whirlwind business trip to Manhattan! MB Artists had it's annual party (which was actually a series of several parties). I had never been to New York before, and was really glad that my husband and our friend Eric came along for moral support (and to help me navigate the subways....and to carry my bags).

On Wednesday night, we had cocktail party #1 at Moore Brothers wine shop. This was a meet and greet for the artists. I was amazed at how diverse the represented talent was! I met artists who had flow in from England, Mexico, and Argentina, as well as people from all over the United States!

The next day, I met with Mela to talk shop and go over my portfolio. We had talked a lot over email the phone, but it was great to meet her and the rest of the MB Artists crew in person. Also, her apartment is in an amazing location overlooking downtown Manhattan, so before our meeting, Jon (her assistant) took Rome, Eric and me up to the roof to enjoy the amazing view! Later, we ran through Central Park, had a few minutes in the Met (we'll have to come back to enjoy it properly), ate NY hot dogs for lunch, and then I went to my group appointment with HarperCollins. Over the course of the next 24 hours, the MB Artists group had appointments with several other large publishers as well! It was kind of surreal to present my portfolio to so many people from these houses, and obviously a wonderful opportunity. I was really proud and humbled (if that makes sense), to be able to show my work next to the other talented artists in the agency, many of whom are very well published and experienced. Thursday night we had cocktail party #2 at the Spice Market. Wow! All I can say is Wow! Lots of clients and publishers came for drinks, hors d'oeuvres and little desserts. You had to be there. It was an incredible event, but a little intimidating. Fellow artist Tammie Lyon was kind enough to let me hang out with her, meet her clients and eat pineapple wontons with her most of the evening.

Friday was packed with appointments (I was really glad I had postcard give-aways and business cards printed!). After all of the appointments were over (it was a great but intense day), Rome, Eric and I went to Bubba Gump Shrimp for dinner in Times Square, and then went to see The Lion King on Broadway. What an amazing show! I had not seen it before, and was very very impressed by the music and the costumes especially. It was a great way to end the trip!

Gossip in the Locker Room

Ah, middle school.... Not always the most enjoyable period in a kid's life. Honestly, I would have to say that most kids in middle school find that the experience ranges from "confusing" to "cruel." Plus, that's when your body typically starts to rebel. Zits, deodorant, weird vocal intonations, braces.... It's as if in order to make the transition from "cute kid" to "sophisticated adult," we must first sped a few years in an awkward stage. What single scene can embody all of the insecurities of this life stage more than the locker room? Frankly, being the artsy-non-athletic type myself, the locker room was an especially unfriendly place. So for all of you nerds, fear not! I am living proof that middle school DOES end; math WILL come in handy, and you CAN get contact lenses. And for you few who are at the top of your game in 7th grade, be careful. Someday someone might paint an illustration about you.

So there is the inspiration for this piece. Otherwise, I had fun playing with the camera angles. Originally, I had placed the camera in a more typical position, showing the locker room scene as one would see it in real life. However, by adjusting the composition so that the camera is inside the locker, the illustration tells more of a story. We get to see the personal items that give us more insight to the main character's personality. Plus, this arrangement allows for the gossiping girls to be placed directly behind the main character, really giving that "talking behind someone's back" feeling. With all of these elements, we can begin to infer "story." They are in gym class, and the main character obviously feels awkward. What are those two girls planning? There is a note with a heart on it in the locker. Could those girls be spreading a rumor about our main character's love life? I found that as I worked on this piece, I started feeling a sense of "story" develop, and chose to add or take away details to allow that emerging scenario space to breathe.